NEW data has revealed that shoplifting has become a huge issue in major cities, which is impacting everyday shoppers.
Shoppers are devastated as retail crime has been running rampant in a Washington, D.C., CVS, with thieves brazenly leaving the store with products.
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A customer who regularly shops at her local CVS on 14th Street in Columbia Heights, reveals the shelves are often completely empty due to shoplifting.
“Empty. There’s nothing there. I’ve seen people walk out with stuff in their hands,” she told local NBC affiliate WRC-TV.
Washington, D.C. is the second most impacted place that is affected by retail crime, according to a survey by Forbes Advisor.
“So what that means specifically for D.C. is that it accounted for 68% more retail crime than you would expect based on the national average,” Alexandria Cremer, a senior digital and PR strategist for Forbes Advisor, said.
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Theft not only effect shopkeepers but residents as well. The publication revealed that shoplifting costs people an average of $336 per person in 2021
Organized theft was found to be the main reason for merchandise loss in the area. Places like Maryland and Virginia have also been impacted by the crime as well.
“Organized retail crime typically involves a criminal enterprise employing a group of individuals who steal large quantities of merchandise from a number of stores and have a fencing operation that converts the stolen goods into cash,” Cremer said.
56% of small business owners expect the theft to get worse as we near the holiday season.
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One CVS in the Washington, D.C. area had to go to extreme lengths to protect its merchandise.
The drug store lined its shelves with pictures of toilet paper and paper towel products, forcing shoppers to have to call a store employee for assistance, according to WTOP News.
Sources in the area had told the station that the homeless population had been among those stealing from the store.
One tourist visiting the area, Mark Davis of Yorkshire, England, told WTOP News: “It seems to be a case that people don’t care about laws or respect that anymore
“In the United Kingdom, we are seeing shops closing down because they’re losing so much money from people shoplifting, which is obviously having an impact on the economy in general.
“I just think society is starting to change. And it’s a deeper thing that we need to look at altogether.”
https://www.the-sun.com/news/9637559/cvs-shoppers-thieves-walk-store-retail-crime-wave/