Attalla City Judge Kenneth Robertson said Wednesday that an attorney for Wal-Mart told him the shoplifters couldn't finish out their sentences in front of the store.

The judge had ordered them to spend two Saturday afternoons holding the signs.

Robertson said the attorney told him that the discount retail giant had safety concerns about the sign-bearing shoplifters outside the Supercenter, where they drew notice last Saturday.

The judge said the main concern was "that people might try to run them down or throw something at them."

He planned to have the two hold the signs outside the courthouse downtown on Saturday. But he said he preferred the penalty be served outside the store.

"I told them this takes away the tremendous impact of what we're trying to do," Robertson said.

Robertson said he had long tried to get the store to agree to the punishment, but had been turned down. Then, he said, company officials agreed, but changed their minds after the shoplifters actually stood outside.

Wal-Mart spokeswoman Sharon Weber said the sentence might be an effective deterrent. She said, "Upon further review, we simply would rather the punishment not be carried out on store property."

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