It’s a difficult enough job to stay in business these days without customers robbing you blind, adding to the list of financial pressures. While big-name stores may have the added advantage of security cameras to aid the fight against the rising tide of shoplifting, smaller independent retailers can’t afford that luxury.
And neither are they in a position where they can absorb the financial loss that has been affecting so many.
Northern Ireland is witnessing the highest level of shoplifting on record — and that’s only the incidents which are reported. A fiver here and a tenner there can add up over the weeks, and by the end of a year thousands of pounds worth of goods could be walking out the doors.
Those who get away with it may take great delight in getting something for nothing, but it’s the law-abiding citizens, the vast majority of us, who end up paying the price. When profits in shops are hit, the difference is normally made up by an increase in the prices we pay.
There were approaching 10,000 shoplifting incidents reported to police in the year to April. The scale of the epidemic was highlighted in September by George Weston, boss of high street giants Primark, who said the overall cost to the business was even higher than the £70m rates bill across the company’s 191 UK stores.
And with Christmas coming fast, the temptation will be even greater, with some stores already taking precautions by moving tills closer to the exit where staff can keep a closer eye on potential criminals.
Coupled with that temptation is the growing realisation that it’s perceived as an easy crime to get away with. All the ingredients are there for a pre-festive shoplifting spree when crowded shops make it even more difficult to spot a crime in progress.
Police say they are “committed to tackling business crime”. But the PSNI can only commit what resources they have.
The burden of protecting stock, particularly in small independent stores, falls on the owners and staff themselves. They need all the help they can get.
While it shouldn’t be down to us as customers to show we value our shopkeepers, keeping an eye out, and having a quiet word with staff if we do notice someone helping themselves, would be a big help.
Shoplifters aren’t just robbing the business community blind, they’re robbing us all blind. Quietly turning them in rather than turning that blind eye elsewhere can help turn the tide in favour of the hard-pressed retailers we all want to see remaining on our streets.
Standing by and allowing shoplifters of the world to unite and take over will do no one any good.