I believe that in Canada, a store or retailer cannot sue or bring an individual to court over a criminal charge (fraud).Thatdealguy wrote: ↑ If you got caught and they decided to "sue" you, you might be able to go to jail or get fined. Any frauds less than $5000 can be in jail for up to 2 years or something like that. Usually, they don't sue you because it is a long process and cost money.
It's a criminal matter so they'd have to involve the police and have you arrested. Then it's up to the judicial system to determine if you're guilty and you'd get sentencing/fines based on that.
The retailer could then choose to sue for the cost of the stolen goods, if the police are unable to recover them.