The Christmas shopping season has arrived, and along with it – shoplifting season!
David Overfelt, President of the Missouri Retailers Association, tells Missourinet that retail thefts also increase nationwide this time of year.
“It’s a big shoplifting season. I mean, with the malls not being as large as they used to be,” he said. “I can remember watching people trying to wheel out tool carriers – anything on wheels – they try to wheel them out the door on Black Friday. It was always, always something else to watch.”
Overfelt said product placement can play a role in shoplifting.
“That’s why, you know, putting too much stuff easy to grab by the entrance is not always a great idea,” he said. “You want to get the consumer’s attention, and so yes, you tend to put things where you’ll grab their eye and maybe get them to come further into the store, too, and buy.”
Overfelt recommended that one of the best deterrents to shoplifting is higher visibility for store security staff.
A U.S. Chamber of Commerce survey from September 2022 showed that 56% of small retail stores had experienced theft within the past year.
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