Shoplifting

I've always thought it was amazing how a retail operation simply assumes a high quantity (as high as 30%) of their profits will regularly be lost to theft - most often in the form shoplifted items.

Like the barbarians at the gates, we've seen for 1000 years that complacency doesn't resolve the problem, it only makes it worse. Thats what retail outlets are now finding out as organized crime is wrecking havoc on them.

But theft has been growing so fast that retailers are only now recognizing the role that organized crime is playing in the industry's growing losses. Wade of Hecht's said sometimes a major theft will go unnoticed until the store does inventory and finds, for example, 400 missing ties and 200 missing shirts.

Of course, what can they expect when there has been a history of turning the other cheeck.

"I'm going after a guy right now that's been arrested 56 times," Walgreen's Biggs said. "I've got to put together a case that can show this isn't your typical little shoplifter."

The day after making that statement, Biggs called back to say he had just arrested the same shoplifter for the 57th time.

I know people get upset about 3 strikes and your out laws, how about a 50 strikes and your out law. Why should this thing be allowed back on the streets?? Its not as if someone who has been caught shoplifitng 57 times (and not caught 5,000 times) is stealing the basics needed to live.

All of this reminds me of a friend who used to work undercover security at the West Town Mall in Knoxville. He was employed by a department store to act as if he was just shopping - he would wear tie dyes and jeans (or shorts) to work - and then catch people in the act. Problem was, in this particular store, they had a tremendous amount of "gay cruising" in the rest rooms that he would end up spending half his time chasing random lovers out of the rest roomes (and sometimes the dressing rooms) that he often didn't have enough time to police the store.