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If they jack with the jewelry, perfume, or a few other areas, they can escalate the dollar value (and thus, the classification of the crime) quickly. If they even threaten harm against an employee on the way out it can become robbery. If they pick something up and threaten somebody it can be aggravated robbery before they know it.
In general (assuming no priors):
Class C Misdemeanor: Theft under $50
Class B Misdemeanor: Theft between $50 and $500
Class A Misdemeanor: Theft between $500 and $1,500
State jail felony: Theft between $1,500 and $20,000
. . . I'd assume most thefts from Kohl's start out at Class B Misdemeanors and the greedy ones can get to a Class A pretty quick.
IMO, grabbing for somebody's gun is the same as already having one. . . time to engage.