User Reviews

I really like this episode, the opening scene Andy and Barney are in the squad car chuckling and gossiping about Mayberry citizens,Barney mentions a Myra Kuntz(must be an attractive go-getter),meanwhile dept.store mgr.Ben Weaver signals the dynamic duo and alerts them his merchandise has been disappearing(lifted). Barney decides to scan the score at night,when Weaver does the same but wind up bumbling each other. In the conclusion Barney dresses as a store mannequin,funny scene when two lady customers laugh and says 'The dummy looks like Barney Fife',at that point Fearless Fife accuses elderly spinster Ms.Tuttle of lifting items however she has a receipt and lashes at Barney and Mr.Weaver, Andy takes an angry Barney outside and lectures him about being exactly sure someone is stealing suggesting that customer hasn't left the store and still may pay for items,however Andy states he viewed Ms.Tuttle and asks Barney to get a bathroom scale of the shelf and have Mrs.Tuttle her to weigh herself outside much to the dismay of store mgr.bewildered Mr.Weaver and 'pissed off' Ms.Tuttle.

All 3 notice 'little.old lady'Tuttle seems overweight but Andy was correct he tells her to.open her long coat and inside the lining she has stashed half the silver and other jewelry and utensils,she is led off to the slammer.

I can relate to this story as I've worked in the retail business many years and have caught hundreds of customers.

Wow! What an episode! So many big laughs. Every scene in Weaver's store was classic TAGS hilarious. I like the uncredited shoppers crossing paths with incognito Barney. The graveyard shift store closed scene is one of TAGS best. Ben Weaver (Tol Avery), Barney, and sleeping Asa (Charles Thompson). Nervous Barney waving a loaded gun activating the cash register, and pulling the speak cord on the Bozo clown, are gut busting funny. Love Weaver's line to Asa, "There was enough noise to wake the dead, and you slept through it". A little tense when Andy opens the door with Barney having a loaded gun.

Little old lady (Lurene Tuttle) is hardly recognizable frumped up to look older from her other classic TV appearances.

Interesting how poorly trained Barney is on questioning, and arresting shoplifters protocol. That reflects badly on Andy.

One of my favorite TAGS epilogues. Little old lady has a lot of tricks up her sleeve.

There has been theft at a department store, Weaver's. Barney is determined to catch the crook. It is assumed it is burglary, so there is an attempt to catch the person in the act. But ultimately, it is about shoplifting. There is a hilarious scene where Barney is pretending to be a mannequin in the sporting goods department. Overall, not a bad effort.

"The Shoplifters" starts with Andy and Barney sharing a little local gossip, but when Ben Weaver (Tol Avery; maybe he's Ben, Jr.?) alerts then to a rash of shoplifting from his store, Andy and Barney turn all business. Which means Barney has his own ideas, including going undercover.

In a small, southern town in the early 1960s a "department" store was typically a large room with no divisions, as represented here.

All three leads, Andy Griffeth (Andy), Don Knotts (Barney) and Tol Avery (Ben) are at the top of their humor game. They're delightful and get more so the more they chase their tails.

Naturally, Andy has the solution at the end. If you prefer the funny episodes, this one's for you.