A RETAILOR has warned people about the rise in shoplifting incidents over the holiday period and what could be done to help.
The general manager of The Centre at Salisbury in Salisbury, Maryland has claimed he has seen a rise in thefts across its stores.
General Manager Paul Tomaszewski pointed out restrictions the mall faced in its attempts to crack down on theft.
Tomaszewski said that individual stores have made anti-theft measures harder for the mall due to differing policies, according to CBS and Fox affiliate WBOC.
He explained that if a large retailer, within the mall, does not press charges against a suspected shoplifter then the mall also can’t take legal action.
“We cannot do anything without the stores,” he said.
READ MORE ON RETAIL THEFT
“If the stores prosecute, we back them 110%. If the stores don’t want us in their store, there’s really nothing we can do.”
“Our main goal has become to keep the common area safe,” he added.
Tomaszewski claimed that thefts have increased due to this policy and that shoplifters supposedly know which stores to target because of this.
“Numerous people that would come in, and they would just load up,” he added.
Most read in The US Sun
These policies have supposedly also had an effect on smaller businesses according to Melissa Cardona who runs several stores in the mall.
“We’re all focused on helping the customers, and then you have those that might just want to steal,” Cardona said.
“It increases our payroll because we have to have extra people,” she added.
Cardona claimed that these costs and thefts could be cut down if large stores started to prosecute shoplifters.
The Centre at Salisbury claimed it had taken an active role in addressing the problem and the impact on security and stores.
It has responded to this growing issue in the holiday season by hiring more security staff and by collaborating with Salisbury Police.
https://www.the-sun.com/news/9740475/nothing-can-do-retailer-holiday-shoplifting-fight-crime-mall/