Melissa Peterman admits to being a Target thief

Actress Melissa Peterman, 37, is not above admitting her faults. Among them, the former Reba star and mom to Riley David, 2, admits, is a tendency to leave Target with a bit more than she paid for.

I’ve inadvertently stolen many things from Target, because we’ll be at Target, and he’ll want Goldfish, and I get ‘em and I go, ‘Oh, I’ll make sure I give them the wrapper up front.’

Or he’s having a fit and I go, ‘Oh, here’s a Matchbox car!’ and I’ll bring the wrapper up front, or ‘Oh, I need a Diet Coke, I’ll pay for this up front!’ and then we’re leaving and I see wrappers and cars strewn everywhere, and think, ‘I did not pay for those.’

Source: Mom Logic

Comments

we do that fairly often..the funniest time was when it was the book ‘junie b. jones is not a thief’ ;p but my son also had a habit of,when we were in the sewing section, to grab rolls of elastic and we wouldn’t know it, then find it in the bottom of his stroller when we took him out. but we ALWAYS take it back inside and let them know..i hope she does, too.

we also eat things in store if we know we have the money to pay for it,and we pay for those straight off before ringing anything else up (we are poor and hungry and money day is joy day, cut us some slack, please..heh.

i don’t believe we’ve forgotten to pay for the food,though. its foremost in our thoughts, its always stuff taken outside accidentally) so yeah..long story short, i just hope she takes it back inside to pay for it and everything.

- M on November 19th, 2007

Wow she looks different than I remember her on Reba.

Not sure she should be announcing to the world that she “forgets” to pay for stuff at Target. Unless of course she’s exaggerating and does pay for them in the end.

- kris on November 19th, 2007

Thank god I’m not the only one! I love reading things like this, makes me feel a lot better about myself.

I think the most random thing I ever accidentally stole was a pair of nail clippers. My son was scratching his face and leaving marks, so I opened up a nail clipper package at Babies R Us, trimmed him up, and threw the clippers in my diaper bag when I was done. I didn’t even realize I had done it until weeks later. I wonder what I did with the package?!?

- Pam on November 19th, 2007

I used to work at a grocery store and people would bring opened stuff to the register all the time. I’ve left the store without paying for a box of cookies that I opened once and had to go back in to pay. It’s a common occurrence.

The worst thing though is when someone brings you a banana peel to the register and says, “We ate this.” Don’t they realize I have to weigh it?

- Shannon on November 19th, 2007

I really hope she goes back to pay for all that stuff. Sounds like it’s really easy to accidentally steal things? Doesn’t this kind of thing cause the prices to be raised on items to make up for all the items that just walk out the door? Just really surprised she talks about this like it’s funny.

- What! on November 19th, 2007

I don’t know how those of us with more than one child manage to get in and out of the stores without this problem. She’s only got one child and she can’t keep up with him on a regular basis? Ok, once or twice, and do make sure you go back and pay for what you realize your child took. But repeatedly AND announce it to the world AND without the (stated) intention to make it right? Not cool.

- daphneesmith on November 19th, 2007

Oh I think she’s just embellishing her little story – giving a little depth to a mundane little story. And she probably does go back to take care of that which she walked out with…its just not in the quoted story.

- madison on November 19th, 2007

People, get over it! It happens. It shouldn’t be funny, but it is. If it has never happened to you, then good. To those of us that this has happened to, we do sometimes take the items back, and yes at other times we simply feel shame and do not return the item(s). I’m in no way condoning stealing, but like I said, this does happen from time to time!

- Hilda on November 19th, 2007

I have opened things in stores for the kids as well as myself before! Even my mother does it. We’ll be in the grocery store and see a new brand of chips or something and we can’t wait to get home and try them so we snack on them while we finish shopping and if we really like them we’ll go back to get more to take home! And my mom used to give us those little boxes of circus animal cookies in the stores while she shopped. What do you think they put them in the front of the store for? LOL

But we usually are good at remembering to pay. I am sure it happens to everyone though.

- J.M. on November 19th, 2007

Am I the only one that actually checks over my cart/stroller at the checkout line? I have 2 kids who are always grabbing things and have never left the store with something I haven’t paid for, I do think it’d condoning stealing unless you explain to your child what happened and bring it back to the store. It’s never okay to take things that aren’t yours.

- Amanda on November 19th, 2007

I can’t believe how comfortable most people are with this. When I was little, my dad wouldn’t even let us OPEN candy until we left the store. Even after it was paid for and we were waiting for things to be bagged. As accidental as it is, maybe she should consider that she often does forget to pay and not to do it anymore? Stealing is stealing.

- emily on November 19th, 2007

the rest of us suffer for things like this with higher prices and stiffer return policies! i don’t believe you really “forget” to pay that often.

- danielle on November 19th, 2007

We do not have Target in Canada (Though once a month I do travel 3 hrs to Buffalo to shop there) But I have had this happen to me at Walmart many times. A few times I have gone back when it was large items that were put on the bottom of the cart and forgot about. One time I went back in and tried to explain to the cashier she sent me to the customer service who I guess had never had this happen as she tried to refund me the money back. I tried over and over to explain that I had left without paying for the item but she did not get it. So I ended up just walking out and now I do not go back in this situation in that store as it is just too much of a hassle.

- elisabeth on November 19th, 2007

I don’t open anything in the store for this very reason. I have 6 kids, and they all know they wait until we get outside and the items have been paid for. When I was a cashier 20 years ago, I would hate when people would bring items to me that they already ate/used/opened.

- Colleen on November 19th, 2007

She does look different, she’s lost alot of weight since her Reba days. She’s gorgeous!

and she shouldn’t feel bad, it happens to everyone lol My two year old niece has the tendency of grabbing things and just walking out of the store without even telling me… thank god it was never something over a few dollars lol

- Natalie on November 19th, 2007

I agree with you Colleen, I have also worked in a grocery store,and it can get very annoying. I think that kids can wait until you are done shopping,and so can the parents!

- Lucia on November 19th, 2007

When I had just turned 5, I was exposed to my first craft section at Wal-Mart. Being a messier store, it was common for beads or sequins from broken packages to be on the ground or at the bottom of a shelf. My 5-year-old mind reasoned that when things are on the ground, it means they’ve been discarded and trash is a free for all. So my sis and I would put the beads in our pockets. When my mom found out, she flipped her lid. That was my first and only foray into shoplifting.

- Stef on November 20th, 2007

Wow, I remember when me and my sisters shopped with my mom or dad we would never be allowed to open food while shopping and such.

I guess she gets a chuckle out of her shopping habits, but personally I hate seeing people wandering stores while opening toys and food for their kids who are having tantrums, or the parents helping themselves to food and drink while shopping making loud comments that they are “testing” the food while others give disapproving looks. Have some self control and go pay for it first if you need it that bad. Someone above mentioned that they “usually remember to pay” for the food they dig into before the decide if they like it or not. What do you do if you don’t like the item? Does that half empty package go back on a shelf a few aisles over?

- J on November 20th, 2007

I swore I wouldn’t allow my kids to eat stuff which hasn’t been paid for before leaving the shop…but I gave in. However I make a huge point to them that its not paid for and has to be paid for. I also apologise to the checkout operator, who probably doesn’t care, but I think its a good example for the kids. I have a friend who happily admits she samples fruit like grapes cherries etc in the shop before deciding whether she will buy, she doesn’t see that as stealing at all while I do.

- Elaine on November 20th, 2007

To those of you who open food while you’re still in they store: wow, way to teach your kids delay of gratification. No wonder people have no patience in this world.

When I was a kid, I would never have even thought of opening something in the store before it was paid for. It’s not like parents of previous generations possessed magical powers of control that we don’t. You’re supposed to be the parents – N-O. Sound it out. Repeat as needed.

- Sheila on November 20th, 2007

I don’t think it is a big deal to open or eat items in the store while you are shopping. But I don’t think I’ve ever forgotten to pay for those items. To me that is definitely stealing even if it is unintentional.

My mom always used to get me and my sister each a donut from the bakery store grocery section after church and we would eat our donuts while we did our weekly grocery shopping. It is one of my happy childhood memories.

- Sami on November 20th, 2007

Oh, I am so disappointed to hear this from her. It’s NOT cool, no matter who or why it is done, because, it costs the rest of us shoppers (who pay more to make up for the store’s losses). Please, THINK ahead..carry nail clippers and a snack and water for your child. OR better yet, don’t take the little ones shopping…boy, bet I get it for that suggestion. signed, Mother of 4 under 5yrs.

- brookefan on November 20th, 2007

After reading all the comments from people who take a “it happens” attitude to forgetting to pay for things in the store it is stealing no matter how you rationalize it. Someone also once told me that if you open food in a store prior to paying for it it is technically considered stealing. If I forget snacks for them I just grab something and go through the self check line. It’s a fast way to get a snack for them without risking forgetting to pay. Now, I know I’ve gotten home and paid for stuff that I did not pick out (kids throw something in the cart and I do not notice) but I have not gotten home with stuff I did not pay for. And, throwing something in your purse or diaper bag is definably considered shop lifting. As a fellow shopper I can’t say I’m happy with having to pay more for things because others can’t “remember” to pay for their stuff.

- Kris on November 20th, 2007

I really dislike seeing parents and kids with opened juice, bags of cookies, chips, etc. while shopping. I feel that it sends entirely the wrong message to kids. Is it that difficult to pack a ziploc bag of Cheerios or goldfish crackers and a cup of water before heading out? I am just dumfounded when I see this snacking/stealing while I shop. Even worse, is the justifying why “it’s OK” to do this. It’s totally wrong. Period.

- KW on November 20th, 2007

Wow, when I saw that there were 24 comments I assumed that everyone would be as appalled as I am. It would never in a million years cross my mind to open something in the store before paying for it. I can’t believe more people don’t get in trouble for this!

- breeze on November 20th, 2007

Odd. I don’t think it’s funny to forget to pay for an item – but yes, it does happen. Perhaps you are already home or have 3 kids strapped in car seats. For those of you w/out little ones, try not to judge. Or maybe you are all just much more organized and much better people than the rest of us!

- Zbella on November 20th, 2007

We have done this a few times with a cheese we have here in Holland called mini baby bel. It comes in a net of 6 and I would make a tiny hole and pull one out for my son who I could never get to eat and if he wanted a cheese, he was getting one! I put the net up on the counter to pay with everything else and I even doubt they knew one was missing.

Before you all judge everyone you see with opened food in stores, there could be a medical necessity for it. If someone is suffering from low blood sugar, they need to eat immediately… and usually that applies to type 1 diabetics who are most of the time, CHILDREN so please cut people some slack.

They have to deal with any consequences and it is none of anyone else’s business how someone else chooses to raise a child (with the exception of abuse).

- LJK on November 21st, 2007

I’m really surprised by the number of people who think that stealing is ok (and taking something and not paying for it is stealing).
Don’t your shops have those security beeping things at the doors?

- Sanja on November 21st, 2007

I never post here but I was just kind of shocked at people being that upset about this. I have two small, very hyper kids with disabilities. So it’s hard to go to the store with them most days. I usually bring food along with me to the store but our schedule is really busy and sometimes I forget. So, I do the same thing that most people do – grab a thing of goldfish in the store for the kids to eat or if my daughter (who is 3) sees the string cheese, she opens it immediately. No big deal, I’m buying this stuff anyway. If I’m thirsty, I’ll grab a soda and will drink it in the store. Occasionally, by accident, sometimes merchandise doesn’t make it to the register (usually a small toy that I didn’t see them grab like a hotwheel or something similar). I have gone back and paid for a few things they grabbed but there are things that we’ve accidentally “stole” that I never got around to paying for. But, oh well.

I honestly don’t feel that accidentally taking a $1 toy or drink is going raise prices throughout the store. Do you know how much a soda (just an example) actually costs? Less than a penny. I’m not condoning stealing – I’ve ALWAYS been weird about the idea of stealing and never did it. But sometimes things a small item unintentionally slips by without getting paid for and I don’t feel guilty about it. Many times I use coupons and the cashier doesn’t put them through right or something that was supposed to be on sale didn’t ring up right but I pay for it anyway. It all balances out in the end.

- love2all on November 21st, 2007

LJK, if your child has a medical emergency, chances are you aren’t leaving the house without the food or juice that your child needs. if you are, i’d say that’s pretty bad parenting.

let’s just call it stealing, because it is.

- ummm on November 21st, 2007

Opening and eating something in a store is not a big deal, particularly if you have children so please get off your high horses. Don’t you think if stores had a problem with it there would be rules against it?? Opening and eating something without paying for it is entirely another matter.

- Lacy on November 21st, 2007

I’ve never let my kids eat anything at the store that we haven’t paid for. I have, on a couple of occasions, been trying to wrangle two little ones and don’t realize until I’ve gotten out to the car that they had something in the cart I didn’t know about. At our store, we have carts that are shaped like cars and have a place for the kids to sit that is in front (and on the bottom) of the cart. When we are putting the groceries in the car, and I see that we have a box of cereal or whatnot, I finish putting all the groceries in the car and we go back in to the customer service counter and pay for it. After having this happen on a few different occasions, I don’t let them hold anything in the bottom of the cart anymore. I also make sure to double check before we check out that they haven’t slipped one in the cart.

Now, I do believe this is stealing and it is important to teach your children right from wrong at an early age, but I am not going to get all up in arms over someone’s comment, especially when it is listed in the “Ha-ha” section of the website.

- Dana on November 21st, 2007

This is not amusing to me. She could easily be arrested for this, then it would not be so funny. It is never ok to steal. What a great lesson to teach your children.

- Hallie on November 21st, 2007

I don’t think it’s awful to open things while in the store if need be (even the best planners sometimes find themselves ill prepared for a hungry toddler) but an adult doesn’t suddenly “need” a Diet Coke. I’ve been shopping and gotten thirsty, but that just makes me go a little quicker, finish my shopping and get the bottle of water that I want at the register, pay for it, then drink it. I do think it’s very wrong not to go back and pay for something that you realize you didn’t pay for. It doesn’t matter if it was only $1, it wasn’t yours, it’s the store’s, you need to go pay for it! I’ve had situations where I’ve forgotten to pay for things (because my 2 year old grabbed something and put it next to her in the shopping cart cover) but you just go back in, tell them you forgot to pay for it and either buy it or return it to them (usually I return it to them, I don’t reward sneakiness by buying the item she tried to hide.)

- Rebecca on November 21st, 2007

This has been going on forever. Carly Simon’s then-infant daughter Sally (who just had her own baby recently) grabbed a teddy and stuffed it in the backpack when they were shopping, and Carly didn’t find it until they’d gotten home. Carly later wore it on the front of “Playing Possum.”

- madam pince on November 22nd, 2007

just a follow up to ‘ummmm’…

My child doesn’t have any need medically to be eating in the store. I’m the one w ho had to deal with emergencies in stores not only as a child but as an adult as well. If I need to grab an OJ while shopping, I will! I’m sure the store workers would rather me not pass out on the floor don’t you?

Think about it when you bring your own food and drinks in the store with you.. they are going to not assume you brought it from home but that you grabbed it in the store. It is easier to just throw a wrapper up to pay for than have to explain I SWEAR I BROUGHT THIS FROM HOME.. oh but no, I don’t have a receipt..

Something I personally find annoying is I always see -people stealing fruit. They will grab an orange, peel it, and eat it while they shop… and no, they don’t have a bag of them in the cart to pay for it either. THAT is stealing.

My son knows that we pay for things. We’ve never in his 4 years had a problem. He wants something and if I say he can have it, he says something like, ok now we have to pay for it. He knows you go to the register, put it up, and pay for it.

I wonder how many of the replies saying it’s so wrong to open a package in the store even HAVE children. It’s easy to judge when you don’t have a child yourself. I know I was guilty of that pre children.

- LJK on November 22nd, 2007