Retailers fight $30 billion theft rings

Reuters ^ | 08/02/2006 | Emily Kaiser

[Republicain]

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Jerry Biggs tracks gangs of professional shoplifters who can steal $20,000 worth of goods in a single day, but one of his biggest breaks came from the theft of a single tube of toothpaste.

Biggs, who fights organized crime for drugstore chain Walgreen Co. (WAG.N: Quote, Profile, Research), said a trio of thieves had stolen at least $68,000 worth of goods from Walgreen stores around the country in 2005.

The break came when an assistant store manager spotted a man stealing toothpaste and reported it to police, who stopped the man's car and found $10,000 worth of over-the-counter drugs.

"That toothpaste was being stolen for his own personal use," Biggs said, chuckling at the irony of a big-time criminal gang busted over a $4 tube of toothpaste. "People say that God is a policeman."

Retailers like Walgreen are less focused these days on individuals like Winona Ryder, the actress who was arrested for shoplifting in 2001, and more on organized crime rings.

These rings cost the U.S. retail industry more than $30 billion annually, a sum equal to electronics chain Best Buy Co. Inc.'s (BBY.N: Quote, Profile, Research) total sales last year.

Eighty-one percent of U.S. retailers have been victims of organized retail crime and 93 percent said the problem was getting worse, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation released in June.

[xcamel]

"the travelers" - one really nasty bunch - they will kill any member who rats them out - or torture their spouse/kids.

[1rudeboy]

Great film, though (if one is into that indie stuff).

[mad puppy]

3 months after this:

"You get a really good shot of the shoplifters leaving your store."

changes to this:

"You get a really good shot AT the shoplifters leaving your store."

then the problem will greatly diminish.

[no-to-illegals]

Eighty-one percent of U.S. retailers have been victims of organized retail crime and 93 percent said the problem was getting worse, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation released in June

no surprise here.....as the Rule of Law is applied selectively there is always greater portions of the 'un' vs the 'en'. As that applied logic practices itself in society, the wall no longer contains the turmoil. A slope is begun.

[Deguello]

I worked for Herman's Sporting Goods before they went belly-up. They had a policy not to stop the professional gangs, not alert anyone else in the store during a event nor go out and get a plate number as they were leaving.

One day the DM was showing off our store to the visiting VP of the chain and while they were on the floor of the store, the professional thieves came in and took six sets of golf clubs and walked out.

[KarlInOhio]

No wonder that Sam's Club has the old man at the exit to check your cart vs. your receipt.

[EagleUSA]

One day the DM was showing off our store to the visiting VP of the chain and while they were on the floor of the store, the professional thieves came in and took six sets of golf clubs and walked out.
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Really not much different than the old "protection" racket in organized crime...

[appeal2]

They need to get smart like the casinos and start with a national database of known shoplifters and facial recognition software. Then centralize all camera monitoring in regional centers if there's not enough action in the store to warrant a security operation there. Then just film those babies stealing the stuff and taking it out to their cars. Its very easy to distinguish between pros and amateurs.