Shoplifting and Employee Theft

The first article about shoplifting and employee thefts that I have selected revealed that employee theft is on the rise and shoplifting, even though it is up 11% is not the biggest hurdle for employers. The reason employee theft is on the rise mainly falls on the amount of layoffs in the workplace. When layoffs are high, employees that remain have to work longer and harder with little, if any, extra benefits. According to the article “We are in an economy of desperation. People are desperate” Davidowitzt said “some people haven’t gotten raises or bonuses in years. They feel cheated. They think, ‘this is a way I can get a little back.’ A lot of employee thefts comes from that attitude.” (Pearman,2011). This ideology is not only felt by employers, but also the general public in the form of increased costs.

When thefts are up, items will cost more and employers will also consider cutting other costs, such as wages, healthcare and other benefits to make up for the lost dollars. The second article that I looked at pointed out that organized retail crime is also on the rise because of the economy. The article discusses that in these times of economic downturn, organized retail crimes rise to meet the demands of unwitting consumers for cheaper products. Hot on today’s “shopping list” are electronics, DVDs, CDs, razor blades, liquor, over-the-counter medicine, baby formula, health and beauty care items, and meat, among other goods. (Thuermer, 2011).

The last article that I consulted was about behaviors and how the thief feels little remorse for their actions. The article explains the statistics of shoplifting and employee theft from the cost of the theft to the percentage of people that are likely to steal. In the article it is explained how an “honesty test” can reveal future behavior based on past behavior. (Unknown, 1994). From these three articles I conclude that employee theft is on the rise because of the economy and past behaviors may predict an employee or thief’s future behavior. At the same time the external influences of organized crime do influence the increase in shoplifting. The black market these organized criminals feed are often times unknowing legitimate businesses.

References Cited

Perman, Cindy (2011). What does rise in shoplifting say about the economy? CNBC, July 17