There’s a saying that there’s a smart way to do dumb things. Well, a Black woman from Tennessee came up with quite the clever (yet, very illegal) scheme at the self-checkout station. However, getting caught resulted in a punishment that’s on a national scale.
Memphis police say 37-year-old Ashley Cross was caught stealing a pair of jeans, a shirt, a pair of boots and a slew of ramen noodle packs from the Walmart of Elvis Presley Boulevard this week. The value of her purchase totaled to $137.34. However, it only came up to a few bucks because police say she did what some shoppers are tempted to do in the self-checkout station - swipe cheaper items for expensive ones, per WREG.
Police say she was caught on camera using the barcode for an old $1 watch to scan all of her items. She also wasn’t scamming alone. Police say another woman with her attempted to sneak out the store with over $50 worth of merchandise.
It may have only been a matter of time that Cross got caught. Police claim she’s a repeated shoplifter. However, this instance appeared to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. The report says this shoplifting incident caused her to face the ultimate consequence: a nationwide ban from all 4,600 Walmart stores, according to the Authorization of Agency list.
“We value our customers and associates and want them to have a pleasant shopping experience. Though rare, there are instances when someone is no longer welcome in our stores,” said the store in a statement via WREG.
Her record shows she’s been charged for criminal trespass and theft of merchandise less than $1,000. She’s being held in local jail with a bond of $7,500. Cross is due back in court on February 19.