make note of the person so if they make a habit of it you can respond

With the rise of the surveillance state, I don't know why this isn't the best option for the store and the cops. Wal-Mart is recording everything you do in their store, including what you do and do not scan. They set the value to it all, so they can calculate down to the penny the moment that your thefts amount to grand larceny instead of petty larceny. They've got every piece of evidence the state would need to try to convict on the felony instead of the misdemeanor. Seems like a slam-dunk for both parties: the cops aren't getting their time wasted responding to calls about $5 in asparagus, and Wal-Mart isn't getting this exact bad press written about them.