The sad fact of the matter is that, where there are retail stores, there is shoplifting. Organized retail crime, which gets much of the press today, has been estimated to cost the industry somewhere between $15 billion and $30 billion a year. Individual theft remains a major problem, as well. With so much going out the doors illegally, retailers have engaged in a wide variety of loss prevention tactics.
Some Chinese grocers have gotten the attention of shoplifters in New York for the price they pay when nabbed by store security. According to a New York Times report, these grocers are applying the "Steal one, fine 10" rule when a thief is caught. In essence, individuals caught shoplifting have the option of paying up with interest or getting turned over to the police.
"We usually fine them $400," Tem Shieh, the manager of A & N Food Market on Main Street in Flushing, Queens, told the Times. "If they don't have the money, then we usually hold their identification and give them a chance to go get it."
The store operators will also photograph the perpetrator holding the stolen merchandise and threaten to display the shot in the store. Most people, according to retailers interviewed for the article, find a way of coming up with the money to avoid public embarrassment and possible arrest. Others, who might be not be U.S. citizens, may have concerns about possible deportation.
"Two weeks ago, a woman tried to take two bags of grapes worth maybe $10," said Mr. Shieh. "She came back with eight new $50 bills."
While many think the system works to deter criminals, others question whether the practice is legal.
"If a store owner says he'll call the police unless you pay up, that's extortion, that's illegal," said Steven Wong, a community advocate in New York's Chinatown, told the Times. "And putting up pictures in public, calling someone a thief who has never even been formally charged, that's a violation of their civil rights."
Discussion Question: Have Chinese grocers in New York developed an innovative way to deter crime or are they committing crimes themselves?