Which action constitutes retail theft?

Retail theft is typically defined as the act of taking merchandise from a retail establishment with the intent to permanently deprive the store of its property. In this context, the action where a defendant takes possession of merchandise with the intent to deprive aligns directly with this legal definition. The key element here is the intent—if a person intends to take an item without intending to pay for it or return it, this clearly constitutes retail theft.

The other scenarios do not meet the legal criteria for retail theft. For instance, purchasing an item without payment does not occur in practice, as payment is typically required for a transaction to be complete. Accidentally dropping merchandise does not imply any wrongful intent, and therefore wouldn’t qualify as theft. Giving merchandise to a friend for free might involved other legal implications, such as gift laws or store policy violation, but it does not represent the act of theft since the merchandise was not taken with the intent to deprive the store.