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Increased Cases Of Shoplifting In New York City Prompt Catsimatidis-Owned Businesses To Hire More Security
WLNY ^ | 2/10/2022 | Alice Gainer

Posted on 02/10/2022 9:48:27 PM PST by Right Wing Vegan

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — A couple of Rite Aid stores in Manhattan are closing following an uptick in shoplifting.

Rather than following suit, another store chain says it’s doing something else to deal with the problem, CBS2’s Alice Gainer reported Thursday.

Though the 30 Gristedes and D’Agostino supermarkets in New York City have seen a significant increase in shoplifting, chairman and CEO John Catsimatidis says he won’t close any. He’s just upping security.

“We are hiring more and more security. We hired a lot of retired cops,” Catsimatidis said.

READ MORE: Gristedes Manager The Victim Of Hammer Attack In Chelsea; Former Mayoral Candidate Catsimatidis: ‘I’m Concerned For Our City’

Some businesses have told their employees not to confront shoplifters, but Catsimatidis said he is taking a different approach.

“You want to stay in business? You want to keep the store open? Do what you have to do,” Catsimatidis said.

Just last month, Chris Paliophilos, the store manager on 40th Street and Second Avenue in Murray Hill, said he went up to a guy stealing more than 70 pints of ice cream.

“I fought with the guy. I grabbed the bag. The handle broke and he realized he can’t win so he ran off,” Paliophilos said.

He has been with the company for more than 40 years. He says in the past would-be thieves felt threatened by a call to police.

“Now? Call the police. I don’t care. What they gonna do to me? So that’s why they leave, they come back, they leave, they come back,” Paliophilos said.

READ MORE: NYPD Reports Shoplifting Levels Not Seen In Nearly 30 Years As Organized Retail Crime Ramps Up Nationwide

There has been an outcry for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to do something. On Wednesday, he addressed the issue with the Association for a Better New York, saying he’s working with his newly formed small business alliance to brainstorm solutions regarding repeat offenders.

“So if someone is taking $200 from four stores and sort of going along, for lack of a better word, their route, being able to aggregate that conduct so they can be charged at a higher level is something that we’ve been talking to retailers about. You know, the charge then being more significant,” Bragg said.

NYPD data shows citywide retail theft complaints that include petit larcenies, grand larcenies, and robberies that initially began as shoplifting were up more than 11,000 in 2021 from 2020 and nearly 6,000 from 2019.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events; US: New York
KEYWORDS: alicegainer; alvinbragg; anarchotyranny; chrispaliophilos; crime; dagostino; defundthepolice; dystopia; ericadams; gristedes; johncatsimatidis; manhattan; newyork; newyorkcity; softoncrime
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To: Right Wing Vegan

Looters should be shot on sight. This isn’t hard. A few dead looters = no more looting. That is tough love and harsh, but in the long run would result in less violence and death than what we are getting by encouraging criminals.


21 posted on 02/11/2022 4:59:41 AM PST by Freedom_Is_Not_Free (America -- July 4, 1776 to November 3, 2020 -- R.I.P.)
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To: Right Wing Vegan

What they need is actual prosecutors and judges who take crime seriously.


22 posted on 02/11/2022 6:00:24 AM PST by pas
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To: Right Wing Vegan
The problem is not just the shoplifter, it's the prosecutor who refuses to charge them and lock them up for multiple offenses.

New York City advertises its financial problems by refusing to incarcerate criminals.

23 posted on 02/11/2022 6:03:59 AM PST by T.B. Yoits
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To: Right Wing Vegan

I met a nice guy at the battery store yesterday from New York City. I live near Atlanta. He said he can’t wait until his wife and kids come down and move into his new house. Then he said, “Look at me! I’m standing in my shirt sleeves talking to another conservative without a liberal in sight!”.


24 posted on 02/11/2022 7:27:25 AM PST by GingisK
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To: rxh4n1

Correct!


25 posted on 02/11/2022 8:40:22 AM PST by Ken H (Trump won.)
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To: Right Wing Vegan

In Costa Rica, by no means a third-world hellhole, neighborhood shops have a big burly guy at the front door to let you in. You get the distinct impression that he would not let you leave without paying.

On the other hand, your complaining to the local district attorney about the beating you received would likely fall on deaf ears. Don’t know if that would be the case in NYC.


26 posted on 02/11/2022 8:49:50 AM PST by hanamizu
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To: Right Wing Vegan
“Now? Call the police. I don’t care. What they gonna do to me? So that’s why they leave, they come back, they leave, they come back,” Paliophilos said.

So instead of coming back, maybe they should be found dead in an alley. Happens all the time in NYC; what's a few more?

27 posted on 02/11/2022 12:01:56 PM PST by JimRed (TERM LIMITS, NOW! Militia to the border! TRUTH is the new HATE SPEECH.)
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