A would-be thief tried to steal a stripper pole from a store — then bit an employee who wrestled the booty-shaking booty away from her, according to reports.

The dirty dancer came into the Spencer’s gag-gift store at an Arkansas mall Wednesday to return an item for cash or credit, then decided she’d rather just take the $40 stripper pole, police told KTHV.

But when the worker — who claims she recognized the lady as a suspected shoplifter — told her the item wasn’t worth $40, the woman just grabbed the pole and walked off with it, police said.

The staffer chased her into a common area where a tussle over the ill-gotten shaft ensued, and the lady sank her teeth into the worker’s upper right arm.

But she eventually ran off, leaving the worker with both the pole and a swollen arm, cops said.