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OPEC – Inflation isn’t the only force behind inflation The former CEOs of Walmart and Home Depot say retail theft is growing at epidemic levels.
It’s a problem that costs retailers nearly $100 billion nationwide.
All that theft is hurting small businesses.
You can find dozens of family-owned small businesses in downtown Ogden. Big box stores get hit to some extent with the same things you get, but they don’t have the same resources to fight back.
“I believe we all have stories to share,” says Jonathan Pust, owner of Heebeegeebeez Comix and Games on Washington Boulevard. “A lot of our goal here is to recapture the joy, safety and innocence of childhood. You remember when life was good.”
He is sensitive to that. And when someone steals, it hurts that much.
“You try not to take it personally, but you can take it personally because you feel like this is my home,” Pust said. “I welcome the people to my place.”
Retail theft affects businesses of all sizes. According to the National Retail Federation, big-box stores have increased their budgets for loss prevention and tracking by more than 50% in recent years.
“It’s surprising how many are out there,” said Riverdale Assistant Police Chief Casey Warren.
Some large stores report multiple thefts in a day. “We’re going to try to work with them to see what’s going on, what’s causing it,” Warren said.
Most thefts are drug-driven, but they also try to point criminals to wealth.
“We really try to encourage them to seek help, and if there’s anything the court system can do to help them through that process,” Warren added.
If you don’t have resources, it can be difficult to catch thieves. That’s why business owners like Pust depend on others to be considerate and follow through.
“Every guy has the ability to go, ‘Hey, he’s stealing something,’ or ‘Hey, don’t steal that,'” Pust said.
He also points out that big retailers get big discounts on their items, but on some items, it can only be 20% to 30% profit.
If an item is stolen, more must be sold to make up for the loss.
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Mike AndersonMike Anderson often doubles as his own photographer, shooting and editing the stories. He came to KSL in April 2011 after working for several years at various broadcast news outlets.
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