She stole $300 worth of clothes from a store built to give people second chances. Then the owner gave her one too
'We put out a video, and we begged for her to come back. To return the items and apologize,' Rytlewski told KVUE
On August 4, Kelley Rytlewski, the owner and founder of Heartening, took to social media to share footage of a woman stealing around $300 worth of clothes from her thrift store in Austin. The purpose was not to shame or publicly punish her. "We put out a video, and we begged for her to come back. To return the items and apologize," Rytlewski told KVUE. Two days later, the woman came back, but she had other plans. The YouTube video reached 2,600 views, 46 likes, and 26 comments.
Hurting the mission
Rytlewski said that the woman took 10 items from their premium section. "These are the very few items that we get every day that we can sell for more." What hurt her was that the premium section of the store helped sustain their mission. According to Heartening prices, the items were worth $300, but if resold, they could go up to $1,200. All Rytlewski wanted was "to put clothing back in the community as affordably and sustainably as possible." She tried to keep the prices as low as possible. The store had options for adults starting from $3, and even less for kids. They even had a free clothing stand. But situations like these make it difficult for her to run the business and continue its mission.
Backed by community
Rytlewski also told the outlet they did not want to involve the police. They asked the woman to come back, return the items, and apologize. Two days later, she did. Just not for the reasons Rytlewski hoped. The shoplifter had come back to steal some more. "It shattered a moment of this place that we've created here, and the magic that happens every day," Rytlewski admitted. But when fellow store owners recognized the woman from the clip, they refused to buy from her. Despite Heartening's loss, there was a silver lining. Rytlewski said, "We realized we were not alone. Strangers are looking out for us. The community around us is going to protect what we have, which was the most comforting feeling."
Small businesses suffer
Shoplifting is surprisingly common, with 30% of Americans saying they have shoplifted, as per a LendingTree survey. Food and nonalcoholic drinks were the most commonly stolen items (30%), followed by clothing, accessories, or jewelry (25%), and personal hygiene products (20%). Respondents were also slightly more likely to report stealing from chain stores (36%) compared to local businesses (33%). Rytlewski's store fell into the latter category. Her story showed how one thief can hurt more than a business’s finances, especially when that business is built around helping the community.
Stop enabling the thief
People in the comments are advising Rytlewski to press charges, while others criticized the woman for stealing from a small business. @msKita43 wrote, "This clown is stealing from the one place that's trying to keep thrifting affordable. Go steal from Goodwill." @rsilva1625 asked, "She stole over $1200 worth of clothes, so that's a felony [for] anything over $500?"
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