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A pregnant woman said she was accused of shoplifting at Staples by a store manager who reportedly suspected her of hiding stolen goods under her shirt
Fox 46
A pregnant woman was reportedly questioned by a police officer while shopping at a Staples store in Pineville, North Carolina. The officer had been alerted by a store manager who reportedly suspected that the customer, Sherell Bates, was shoplifting.
Bates was at the register when a police officer asked her what was under her blouse. "Initially, I thought he was joking, so my response was: 'Twins,'" she told local ABC affiliate WSOC.
Staples has issued a formal apology.
A woman pregnant with twins was stopped by a police officer at a Staples store in Pineville, North Carolina, after a store manager reportedly suspected her of hiding stolen goods under her shirt.
Sherell Bates said she was at the register when a police officer asked her what was under her blouse, local ABC affiliate WSOC reported. The officer had been alerted by a store manager who believed Bates was shoplifting.
"Initially, I thought he was joking, so my response was: 'Twins,'" she told WSOC.
She added: "To avoid him asking me again, I actually lifted my shirt just a little bit, just to expose my belly, so he could see that I'm just a regular pregnant person buying school supplies."
Bates said she is 34 weeks pregnant with a boy and girl. She told Fox 46 that neither the manager nor store officer apologized.
In a statement to the press, a spokesperson for Staples apologized and said that Bates was refunded at the time:
"Yesterday at our Pineville location, while a customer was shopping, a manager mistakenly thought they were possibly shoplifting and asked a police officer that happened to be in the store to talk with the customer.
After a quick conversation, the issue was resolved, the manager apologized to the customer and refunded their transaction due to the inconvenience. At Staples, we want all customers to feel welcome in our store, and work with our store associates to try and foster an inclusive culture. As an organization, we would like to apologize to the customer if that was not the case in this instance."
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