Shoplifting surging during pandemic
Posted February 2021
By T Gedi
Staff Reporter
As Coronavirus cases have risen, shoplifting occurrences have also drastically surged despite a year-long lockdown.
Small business owners have claimed that they have been experiencing a rise in shoplifting, especially during the December holiday season. Stores have faced shoplifting from customers and employees alike. Business.org finds that business owners have faced a 40% increase in shoplifting cases throughout 2020. Business owners have also reported that 28% of confronted shoplifting incidents have escalated to violence.
National Association for Shoplifting Prevention (NASP) estimates that retailers lose $13 billion in merchandise because of shoplifters. To make up for this, retailers have increased the price of goods to cover losses.
“We’re seeing an increase in low-impact crimes. It’s not a whole lot of people going in, grabbing TVs and running out the front door. It’s a very different kind of crime—it’s people stealing consumables and items associated with children and babies.” -Jeff Zisner, chief executive of workplace security firm Aegis
As the pandemic prolongs and many are still tight on money, people are becoming desperate for resources such as food, water, clothing, and sanitary products. It can be assumed that the rise in shoplifters is connected to the rising cases of unemployment in the United States.
Families and individuals are struggling to get by, receiving little aid from the Federal government. The $600+ stimulus package, which not all living in the U..S received, failed to accomplish its goal, and Americans are resorting to stealing.
Shoplifting is a tale as old as time and there haven’t been any clear solutions on how to prevent it. Resolving the series of shoplifting cases proves difficult and attempts have not been successful. In some states, police officers will not make arrests for non-violent crimes in order to practice social distancing. This means the most business can do is retrieve merchandise and ban shoplifters from returning.