As Economy Dips, Arrests for Shoplifting Soar

[RamboLiberal]

Source: NY Times

Richard R. Johnson is the first to admit it was a bad idea.

Recently laid off from a job building trailers in Elkhart, Ind., Mr. Johnson came up a dollar short at Martin’s Supermarket last month when he went to buy a $4.99 bottle of sleep medication. So, “for some stupid reason,” he tried to shoplift it and was immediately arrested.

“I was desperate, I guess,” said Mr. Johnson, 25, who said he had never been arrested before. As the economy has weakened, shoplifting has increased, and retail security experts say the problem has grown worse this holiday season. Shoplifters are taking everything from compact discs and baby formula to gift cards and designer clothing.

Police departments across the country say that shoplifting arrests are 10 percent to 20 percent higher this year than last. The problem is probably even greater than arrest records indicate since shoplifters are often banned from stores rather than arrested.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/23/us/23shoplift.html?_r=1&hp

[superconnected]

1. How tragic. There's no excuse for the designer clothes, but baby formula and sleep aids... that

shows where our economy is at.

How utterly tragic.

[regnaD kciN]

5. Paging Inspector Javert...

:eyes:

[superconnected]

13. I would assume they're counting the average thiefs in there with the ones that normally wouldn't

steal. Why the Les Miserable reference and the juvenile eyes?

[regnaD kciN]

21. Because, of course...

...Javert was responsible for hounding a normally-honest man who stole a loaf of bread to feed his sister's starving family.

I suspect there will be a demand (from the powers that be) for a lot more Javerts in our future.

[superconnected]

23. Ah. I think with articals like this, a least they are druming up empathy for the people who take

because they need necessities.

[Acadia Blue]

6. well said. Tragic that one would steal necessities but not designer items.

[acmavm]

2. He swiped a 4.50 bottle of sleep aid, he went directly to jail. The Wall

Street thieves stole billions. We're giving them billions more.

Go figure.

edit: I can't spell for bupkiss at 4:30 a.m.

[antimatter98]

3. I am thinking the same thing.

This country locks down the little guy and the elite
go free with free billions. Class war is what we have here.

My grandmother, who lived through the depression of 1929, said
she never trusted banks and now I see why.

[Acadia Blue]

7. But Bush, Cheney, and the parasites who get billions while taxpayers

pay their bonusus are sitting high and dry.

[SpiralHawk]

18. Gack, the awful truth of Republiconism

you nailed it acmavm

[sarcasmo]

20. Thank Ronnie Raygun.

[wilt the stilt]

4. Thank God we have Obama

if not it would be Dickensian times and we would be back to debtor prisons

[Acadia Blue]

8. Obama can't change everything, but he can set a decent moral tone

and we have to be active to push through real change, starting with the corporate pig democrates who enable the new nasty GOP.

[Haole Girl]

9. I'm afraid it goes way beyong shoplifting

Crime is on the rise, throughout the U.S. :-(

[Hugin]

12. Yeah, I'm sure home burglaries and other categories will rise.

Only difference is that these will occur due to people trying to eat.

[Tansy_Gold]

19. I expect to see a rise in insurance claims, too

Many people don't understand that their insurance premiums -- car, house, etc. -- are partly based on their credit ratings.

My insurance agent told me quite bluntly, "People with financial difficulties are seen as much more likely to file a claim, especially a fraudulent one, so even though you've never filed a claim with us in over 20 years, you're a widow now with much lower income so we're putting you in a higher risk category."


I do subcontractor work providing support services for several major insurance companies. I don't have figures, but our workload has definitely increased.

TG

[Doctor_J]

10. I am sure our busted budget can find the money for additional prisons

that's one thing we're still leading the world in.

[Hugin]

11. It's a growth industry.

In this Privatized nightmare we're living in.

[Ozma]

14. I felt like shoplifting some dishwasher detergent today!!! Because

when I bought the bottle of store brand discount dishwasher detergent 3 months ago, it was $1.19.......today $2.79

That's more than 100% increase. Lots of other things have gotten smaller, or went up in price 25% for the same amount of stuff.

WHY???? Gas prices were $4 a gallon in JULY!!!!!!! Not December 15!!!!!!!!!!!! Now gas is close to $1.65 a gallon, so I am being charged 15% more for tuna, 20% more for milk, 19% more for bananas than in JUNE!

So where is all that extra price %age going???

[slackmaster]

15. I almost felt like I had been shoplifting after I went to a supermarket on my lunch break

I scored a 12-pound goose for $45.

[WriteDown]

17. Sounds almost Dickensian.

:)

[brentspeak]

16. Steal a bottle of aspirin, go to jail; steal billions from taxpayers, get more billions

[lovuian]

22. there won't be enough prisons to hold us

they are in for a rude awakening