Serial shoplifter plagues Florida Brighton stores

This just in, Brightonistas: An article in today's St. Petersberg (Fla.) Times reports a serial shoplifter striking Brighton stores and selling the items on ebay under the name compassquest.Your blogger plans to explore the hazard of buying hot merchandise on ebay -and how to avoid it - at a future date, but for now, here's a sample of the story by Stephanie Hayes out of St. Petersburg:
The shopkeepers thought nothing of her.
Brighton collectibles, those baubles with a signature silver heart, are a favorite of well-groomed, stylish women. When loyalists buy one piece, they typically buy another.
Like any customer, she knew her stuff. She was wearing it.
"She knew names as well. She was asking me for a specific pair of earrings," said Jodi Schutz, manager of Warren's Gifts in Clearwater.
Later, they noticed the barren racks. They watched the security video. The chill washed over.
"She's right underneath the eye of the camera, and you can just see sparkle," Schutz said. "Silver shining down in her purse."
Thousands worth.
She wore it? She knew the names? She frequented the store? Sounds like a Brightonista - except she's NOT.
Brightonistas DON'T STEAL.
I was relieved (if one can be relieved about any of this) to see that the suspect didn't just shoplift Brighton stores, which says to me this wasn't a Brighton addiction run amuck so much as a thief looking for what she could easily fence. The news story suggests the underlying culprit is likely the bad economy, which has triggered an increase in shop-lifting across the country.