$5k a week in shoplifting losses from a store that does 700,000 a week is not so bad, is it?
Well, that is $5k a week in one aisle, the HBA aisle! And that is on top of spending over $100,000 per year to have a Baltimore City cop and a security guard on duty.
I am speaking of the supermarket across the street from the target that is closing for theft.
First, let us keep in mind that of that $700,000 a week only $35,000 is potential profit.
Supermarkets have a huge overhead. The rent for this location will be over a million a year, easily.
The Gas & Electric bill will be at least $50,000 a month.
This is what the loss prevention detective told me:
“We catch shoplifters all day long. We bar them and they come back with a ski mask or scarf on. They are so bold and unashamed and what is worst, there is no community shame.
“All of our customers—all—do not think that shoplifters deserve to be arrested. All of our customers are willing to buy the stolen goods.
“Doing business in a neighborhood where theft is not regarded as wrong is functionally impossible in the long run. If we ever lose the police presence we’re done.”
War Drums: Forty Miles from The Big House
link › jameslafond.blogspot.com
The wise thief lives in a jurisdiction where property rights are upheld rigorously. What good is booty if it can't be secured?
The shoplifter and your home's burglar are the same guy on a different day.
It is very hard on people who work in neighborhoods where these guys live. I had a friend and numerous employees who routinely had their houses burglarized while they were at work.
Thieves' honor!