Posted on 12/23/2008 6:26:55 AM PST by reaganaut1
...
Police departments across the country say that shoplifting arrests are 10 percent to 20 percent higher this year than last. The problem is probably even greater than arrest records indicate since shoplifters are often banned from stores rather than arrested.
Much of the increase has come from first-time offenders like Mr. Johnson making rash decisions in a pinch, the authorities say. But the ease with which stolen goods can be sold on the Internet has meant a bigger role for organized crime rings, which also engage in receipt fraud, fake price tagging and gift card schemes, the police and security experts say.
And as temptation has grown for potential thieves, so too has stores’ vulnerability.
“More people are desperate economically, retailers are operating with leaner staffs and police forces are cutting back or being told to deprioritize shoplifting calls,” said Paul Jones, the vice president of asset protection for the Retail Industry Leaders Association.
The problem, he said, could be particularly acute this December, “the month of the year when shoplifting always goes way up.”
Two of the largest retail associations say that more than 80 percent of their members are reporting sharp increases in shoplifting, according to surveys conducted in the last two months.
Compounding the problem, stores are more reluctant to stop suspicious customers because they fear scaring away much-needed business. And retailers are increasingly trying to save money by hiring seasonal workers who, security experts say, are themselves more likely to commit fraud or theft and are less practiced at catching shoplifters than full-time employees are.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
part of the reason we are in a recession is widespread dishonesty on all sides (bankers, brokers, borrowers) in the housing industry. Senators, Congress Critters, etc. etc..
SARC/
“Come on kids, time to go do our Christmas shoplifting.” (sorry, I couldn’t resist)
I dare to ask - could this also be a case of certain people feeling emboldened and feeling they have a modicum of "immunity" nowadays?
My daughter makes some of her college money working at a Victoria's Secret store.
There is a gang of Hispanics who travel the north-south corridor from Florida to NY who steal thousands of dollars worth of VS stuff.
My daughter's store got hit by them not too long ago and they stole over two grand in underwear.
Between the under-manning to save money and the lax policies on shoplifting, no wonder VS stuff is so expensive.
I think you are right. It doesn’t make it right, but people see rich folks stealing right in front of their eyes (bailout + half million dollar “retreat” to a spa...) and they think “What about me?
How to shoplift corporate style in 2008. Run your company in the ground making a fast buck, pay yourself $12 million dollar “bonus”, wait for government bailout...
let us not forget the likes of Chris Dodd and Bwarney Fwank and their misdeeds in all of this. The Obamanation and the other dems will give them cover, but they are up to their slimey necks in all of this.
It’s NOT shoplifting it’s spreading the wealth so everybody has a chance.
Only Two Shoplifting Days ‘Til Christmas!
I KNEW it wasn't because of the large swaths of fabric required in the manufacture of Victoria's Secret undies!
There's the rub. The managements' short-sighted "save via payroll cuts" comes back to bite them time and again. There have been numerous times in various stores where my wife and I have walked out because there wasn't a clerk in sight. We've even paged them and no one showed. Despite all the cameras and "stiff enforcement" the stores brag about, the shoplifters still have a field day.
On one occasion when I worked nights at Wally-World, the maintenance guy found 72 (that's right) empty CD and DVD cases in the men's washroom. Now you know the guy had to make multiple trips to do that, but no one would have known that they were even missing until inventory time.
Another time the State Police returned TWO plasma TVs that some perps had stolen (no door greeters at night). The theft was only discovered when they were stopped by the cops in Utah. Those two tales are symptomatic
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