When I owned and operated gas stations, I was paying employees $2.25 per hour. I made 5 cents per gallon. If somebody drove off with $28.00 of gas, I had to sell an additional 560 gallons of gas to make up for the loss (not counting employee wages and taxes during the addtional 560 sales)
Personally I believe in vigilante justice. I think that since the car has replaced the horse that car thieves should be hung as were horse thieves.
Ultimately, the people who stole from me (including employees) put me out of business and way, way into debt at the time. Maybe that is why I'm not so forgiving.
Back then stealing 28$ worth of gas would have taken a tanker truck. :-)