An employer doesn’t send you your pay cheque and after months of fighting to get the case heard, they’ll eventually get told by a court to send you your pay cheque. That’s about it.

But if you walked into a store, grabbed an arm full of stuff and walked out, not interacting with anyone while there (no threats, violence, or weapons, just casual); you’ll definitely be fined far above the cost of what you took, while also likely being imprisoned from the moment police officers encounter you (be that outside the store, or later); for most of a day at minimum, possibly several days/weeks depending on sentencing.