Most stores across industries are now outfitted with advanced security technology to prevent shoplifting.
Yet, a Barnes & Noble shopper says an employee “followed her around” under the suspicion that she was stuffing CDs in her shopping bag.
TikTok user @jerlieyha filmed the interaction with two staff members at a Barnes & Noble in Altamonte Springs, Florida. She later posted the clip to her account, where it got over 609,200 views.
What Happened In This Barnes & Noble Store?
“BARNES AND NOBLE ACCUSED ME OF STEALING,” she wrote in the video’s text overlay.
The clip begins after the situation has already escalated. The customer appears to be speaking to two workers after, according to her, one employee called another over because they suspected she had put CDs in her bag.
“So she called you up here to tell you I slipped it in my bag?” the TikToker asks.
She then opens her bag off camera, showing them she hadn’t taken anything.
“You’re good,” one worker says.
But the customer says that is not the point. She says she had just been singled out.
“Because I’ve just been verbally profiled, and I don’t appreciate that,” she says. “I don’t have to steal the CD.”
At one point, a worker says they can hold the CDs for her if she wants to continue browsing. However, the customer says she does not want them held.
“I don’t want to check out. I was waiting for my girlfriend to come in the store,” she explains. “But I don’t like that she just did that. That was very disrespectful.”
One worker appears to start explaining that the store deals with a lot of theft. But the customer says there were plenty of other people in the same area, including a group of teenagers.
“There was a whole group of people, and the lady who was up here before saw the group as well,” she says. “But she was just watching me. That doesn’t make any sense.”
She Says She Felt Discriminated Against
Eventually, the workers apologize and offer to hold the CDs if she still wants to buy them.
But by then, the customer says she no longer wants to purchase anything from the store.
“I don’t even want to purchase from you,” she says. “That’s so crazy.”
The video then cuts to the customer returning to the workers while visibly emotional. She asks whether there is a manager available and says the experience made her uncomfortable.
“You guys have to understand how that feels,” she says. “I couldn’t even put anything in my bag.”
One worker tells her she can continue browsing, but the TikToker says she does not want to.
“I don’t want to browse because I just came here really uncomfortable,” she says.
She then says she watched one of the employees look at the cameras, walk over, and look directly at her, even though other people were nearby.
“There was a whole group of teenagers over there, but I got selected,” she says. “You have to understand how that feels. But you guys won’t.”
The Barnes & Noble employee apologizes, but the shopper says following her around was unacceptable.
“If you really thought I was stealing, that’s unacceptable,” she says. “It really is, for you to go over there and follow me. That’s crazy.”
The worker then says, “We just look for people with bags.”
“Everybody comes to the mall with a bag,” she responds. “You have to understand how that sounds.”
@jerlieyha ended up leaving the store without purchasing anything.
She gave some more context in the caption.
“Lady followed me around the store and called for ‘backup,’” she wrote. “One of the managers came up to me and stated ‘we see you slipping cds in your bag.’ so i opened my bag and what was inside? absolutely nothing. BARNES&NOBLE IN ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, FLORIDA.”
Viewers Say The Situation Looked Like Profiling
In the comments, viewers overwhelmingly sided with the customer.
“They 100% racially profiled you. I’m so sorry that happened,” one commenter wrote.
Another pointed out that other shoppers visible in the video also had bags.
“As ppl WALK OUT THE STORE WITH BAGS,” they wrote.
Someone else said the emotional part of the situation should not be ignored.
“What people don’t realize is how humiliating it is to be treated like this,” they wrote.
Another viewer focused on the workers’ offer to hold the CDs.
“‘We’ll hold them’ is very telling,” they wrote.
@jerlieyha later responded to that comment with an update.
“Thank you all for the support and comments. it’s good to know i’m not the only one who thinks this is not right. as of now, corporate has been called, and the store manager reached out. i was just told that ‘coachings’ would be given, as well as that i could get the cds i wanted to purchase for free, along with a b&n gift card.. that’s all,” she wrote.
@jerlieyha lady followed me around the store and called for “backup.” one of the managers came up to me and stated “we see you slipping cds in your bag.” so i opened my bag and what was inside? absolutely nothing. BARNES&NOBLE IN ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, FLORIDA
♬ original sound – hendrix
How Do Barnes & Noble Employees Usually Address Shoplifting?
Barnes & Noble employees online say they are trained to approach shoplifting in a safe way, though they also say it can vary by store.
In one thread, a worker said employees “go over the tapes” when something suspicious happens, but they do not try to stop the person because “it can be dangerous.” Another worker said managers do not sit at cameras all day and usually check footage only after staff reports that something “fishy” happened.
Another commenter described a similar process at their store. They said employees were told to alert a manager over the headset, then talk to the person like a normal customer. That gives staff time to observe what is happening without directly accusing anyone.
Most importantly, that same commenter said workers should “Never ever accuse them of being a thief.”
The situation portrayed by @jerlieyha seems to be uncommon based on these descriptions.
Barnes & Noble and the TikTok user did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
