Do you have a theft problem? That is a real ice-breaker let me tell you. The place was a pharmacy line at Walgreen’s a couple of ago. I was standing in line behind a young woman about 25 who I noticed had been eyeballing a blood pressure machine for an unusually long time. Combine that with looking around for surveillance cameras and furtively glancing about the store, and my question may not have seemed so random.

As a recovering alcoholic and thief, after having gone through extensive counseling on the subject, and as an instructor for online theft classes, I am somewhat of a qualified evaluator of such behavior.

How do you think she responded? Would it surprise you to know that she admitted it to me instantly? Well, she did. Not with her mouth, but with her eyes, body and actions. Her bloodshot eyes opened wide, her upper lip twitched as if she was about to say something, and then she immediately bolted from the store.

I am sure she was shocked that her thoughts were not as secretive as she would have liked to believe. Believe this – people who steal have common behaviors that trained professionals can spot pretty quickly.

I am sure no pharmacist would see it, not a cashier at a Walgreen’s, but it can be quite obvious when a thief is on the prowl. The bad thoughts give them away.