Subscribe to Receive the Daily Report

Wednesday, August 7th, 2024

Rates of Shoplifting Reach Staggering Level

Author:     Suzanne Blake
Source:     Newsweek
Publication Date:     Aug 02, 2024 | 7:19 PM EDT
 Link: Rates of Shoplifting Reach Staggering Level
Stephan:  

Think about this story. What it is telling us is that the United States has such grotesque wealth inequality that large number of Americans have become shoplifters out of necessity. I hate reporting these trends, and I hate what it says about our country. PLease vote only for Democrats. They are far from perfect but the alternative is Project 2025 and that is despicable. We need a Democratic President and Vice President, and a strong majority of Democrats in both the Senate and the House. This is not about partisan politics. It is about saving democracy in the U.S., and cleaning up the mess we have become. They won’t do it perfectly but they will make it much better.

Locked-up deodorant to prevent shoplifting are seen at a Duane Reade drugstore and pharmacy on August 24, 2023, in New York City. More than one in five Americans said they had shoplifted, according to a new report
 Credit: Angela Weiss / Getty

Shoplifting has reached staggering levels as inflation continues to force Americans to pinch pennies and forgo necessities.

Shoplifting increased by 24 percent in the first half of 2024, according to the Council on Criminal Justice’s mid-year report, even as other crime levels decreased.

In many cases, shoplifting is seen as a “crime of necessity” for low-income Americans. As inflation continues to impact both businesses and families, shoplifting rates have surged even higher.

“Shoplifting as such a widespread crime during a time of high inflation is actually quite common when you look at similar times from other countries in the past,” Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor at the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek. “The one-two punch that consumers face is not just higher prices, but also a drawback of additional financial resources […]

Read the Full Article