A WOMAN attempted to steal $1,000 worth of goods at her neighborhood Walmart by ringing up a Pepsi. When the allegation was dropped, she was taken into custody while in possession of many unpaid products.
Dimera Gabaree, 35, attempted to steal numerous items from Walmart before being apprehended in The Villages, Florida.
Around four o’clock on Friday afternoon, Gabaree, carrying a black plastic tote, stopped into a Walmart.
According to The Villages News, she started packing the tote full of goods and then went to the self-checkout station to get a Pepsi.
She was prompted to depart the store without making a purchase because the transaction was unsuccessful and invalidated.
Gabaree was pulled over with many unpaid Walmart products.
These included cat food, baby clothes, hair color, and other items.
The total cost of the goods was $954.13.
She also had drug paraphernalia with her.
According to the Sumter County Sheriff’s office, Gabaree was taken into custody on a misdemeanor charge of possessing drug paraphernalia and a felony charge of stealing.
A $3,000 bond was imposed for her.
Over the past few years, self-checkout theft has been a hot topic of discussion that has affected the retail industry.
Experts say the problem has grown to such an extent that retailers will probably have to raise prices to offset the loss of stolen merchandise.
“Retailers must increase their prices in order to absorb the cost of stolen inventory,” said a retail specialist.
In the past, Target’s CEO has discussed product shrinkage, claiming that it’s a problem that’s only increasing and that must be dealt with.
“We’re not alone in seeing a trend that has gotten progressively worse over the last 12 to 18 months,” he said.
