Shoplifting
Wis. Stat. 943.50 — detained in a reasonable manner for a reasonable time, and not searched against your will
Retail theft is taking, concealing, transferring or keeping a merchant's goods, or altering a price, without consent and meaning to deprive the merchant of them or of the full price. Removing a security tag in the store, or using a shielding bag or tag remover, is the same offense, and so is leaving without paying for a service a provider supplied expecting payment on completion.
What a store may do. A merchant, an adult employee or a security agent with reasonable cause to believe a person committed retail theft in their presence may detain the person at the place of business in a reasonable manner for a reasonable time, to deliver them to a peace officer, or a minor to a parent or guardian.
What it may not. The detained person has to be told promptly why, and allowed to make phone calls, and is not interrogated or searched against their will before a peace officer arrives.
| Value of the merchandise | Offense |
|---|---|
| Value of the merchandiseNot over $500 | OffenseClass A misdemeanor |
| Value of the merchandiseOver $500, not over $5,000 | OffenseClass I felony |
| Value of the merchandiseOver $5,000, not over $10,000 | OffenseClass H felony |
| Value of the merchandiseOver $10,000 | OffenseClass G felony |
Taking $500 or less is a Class I felony when done together with someone else intending to sell the goods online. A judge may also order restitution.
Sources for this section (1)
- Wis. Stat. 943.50 — Retail theft; theft of services
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Wisconsin attorney.