11/19/2010 Retail stores are faced with overhead each month and one frustrating
expense is caused by theft of inventory. The amount of theft loss includes the security
measures that have to be put into place to discourage five-finger discounts. This article
looks at the different types of shoplifters, their methods, and the role of closed-circuit
television camera systems to counter both professional and amateur shoplifters.
Stores of all sizes are targeted by shoplifters or have inventory stolen by employees.
Almost everybody knows somebody who knows somebody who can get you a DVD player or laptop
"straight off the back of the truck", meaning the employees are deleting inventory entries
and taking the units to the trunks of their cars instead.
Security cameras
are now widespread and necessary so store owners can deal with retail shrinkage from both
the public and their employees. Security
systems and surveillance cost money as well but even marginally profitable stores find
them a vital part of staying in business. As a side note, the
CCTV cameras are a good
protection against lawsuits regarding injuries from falls on the property.
Theft of merchandise is not an occasional problem; the rate of loss is measured
monthly as a fairly steady statistics. When discussing numbers that have been compiled
through surveys it's shocking to realize that Canada has similar stats to those surveyed
in the U.S. even though Americans have double the unemployment rate, more crime, and
far more poor neighborhoods than Canada. This indicates that not all shoplifters are
motivated by desperate poverty; there are other issues related to factors such as
adolescent rebellion, thrill-seeking, social pressure to provide Christmas gifts
(December is the heaviest shoplifting month), drug addiction, homelessness, and
psychological problems related to gaining attention, self-hatred, and anger over
perceived persecution by the powers that be.
It's estimated that 1% to 2% of all shoppers enter a store with the intention of
stealing something. Shoplifting is Canada's number one property crime and 1 in 10
people are shoplifters - most are opportunists rather than professionals, known as
"boosters". There are several different categories of shoplifters and they can be
broken down into five types: professionals, amateurs, addicts, kleptomaniacs, and
vagrants. Although people of all ages have been caught in the act, nine out of ten
shoplifters are under the age of thirty.
Vagrants and addicts steal to support liquor and drug habits and of course kleptomaniacs
are compelled to steal psychologically even if they are wealthy - even people with celebrity
status such Winona Ryder, Caroline Giuliani, Shannon Marketic (Miss USA 1992), Britney Spears,
tennis star Jennifer Capriati, and Farrah Fawcett have all made news with their inexplicable
behavior. The items are often cosmetics and designer clothes that these ladies could easily
afford. Research doesn't turn up any male celebrity shoplifters, likely due to the relative
value placed on money that someone has worked for.
Amateurs are classified as opportunistic in nature; they might be shoppers who have
gotten away with leaving a changing room with extra clothes underneath or slipping something
in their pockets a few times and found that it cuts costs to lift a few items. They are often
employees who have figured out a scam that can give them an extra income by way of their access
to the store's goods. Amateur shoplifters going through the store are usually nervous and
visibly self-conscious, especially now that virtually all stores have video surveillance.
Professionals on the other hand know exactly what they're doing and remain smooth and cool
as they take items that can be sold to a fence or returned to the store for cash. They gravitate
towards target items that are small and easy to sell. Booster rings have crews that carry
"booster bags" lined with aluminum foil to block the scanners and then head for racks of items
like razor blades, scooping them into the bag and leaving the store to a waiting car before
security measures can catch them. Even a live security guard wouldn't be fast enough to catch
them. More enterprising souls, sometimes a couple, will visit stores that sell expensive jewelry
and ask to see some items below the glass, then create a small distraction as one of them blocks
the salesperson's view as the partner palms an item into a coat sleeve or pocket.
Professional boosters generally have long arrest records; it's the type of crime that will be
caught every so often. The shoplifters know they can expect to get arrested regularly, but the
penalties are light since it's a non-violent crime. The damage to the store owner is no laughing
matter though. They lose customers by having floor staff shadowing you as you shop, asking "May
I help you?" and following you around. Many shoppers get uncomfortable and leave the store without
buying anything. The store owner usually has to sell 20 or 30 of the item stolen in order to make
back his investment so some stores have undoubtedly been put out of business by experiencing heavy
losses at the critically busy shopping period of Christmas when everything is riding on a successful
60 days of shopping.