Why do people follow me when I try to steal their stuff?

I'm really tired of being followed around homes while trying to steal stuff. It seems that I have this problem more in some holds than in others. For example, in Solitude it doesn't matter what building I go in, the person or shopkeeper runs around trying to keep up with my every move. And they don't just walk either; they are fast and I can usually only grab about one item before they detect me. The worst part is that some of these people never sleep! I've tried entering many different times during the day/night and they are always there, waiting for me to take stuff.

I'm wondering if there is any way to stop this behavior in game. There isn't a disposition meter like in Oblivion, so I'm assuming I can't get friendly enough for the person to stop meddling. Does it somehow correlate with my standing in the hold (like Thane status)? Should I try selling to the person if they are a merchant to get into their good graces?

Solution 1:

I've had success with a few things when it comes to people following me. I'm not on a sneaky character, so I've had to get crafty for some missions. It sounds like you've tried some of these methods already, but I'll put them here anyway just for completion's sake.

One is to try during the day, when people are out and about or tending to their stores. I've noticed that some (not all) vendors will stay at their counters instead of following me.

Second, is to go in and scout a quick path while letting the person follow you, but not steal anything. Then, go out and come back in (this usually resets their position) and make a mad dash for whatever you needed to get. I may just be lucky at encountering slow people, even in Solitude. I'm not sure if their speed or concern with me stealing something is related to anything.

Finally, I've also had success with telling my companion to wait on the stairs or in smaller door ways to block the person from following me, or at least slow them down more. It seems to be hit and miss, but it's worth a try.

I've also read (and it's mentioned in a comment above) that buckets/pots on heads can work. I've never tried it myself, but it would be a lot funnier than any of my suggestions! Maybe some combination of buckets and companion blocking to slow them down would help.

Solution 2:

Do you have many open quests in Solitude? I would bet that this is caused by some quest causing people to be interested in you. I'm not sure selling things to the person would have any effect on your reputation with them specifically, but more so with your basic speech level.

Do they do this in other cities?