Nine Arrested in Eight Hours for Shoplifting Points to Widespread Problem
By: Marci Manley, KARK 4 News
Updated: March 20, 2013
"That's five dollars that can just walk out," he said, pulling out a drawer of hardware.
Bolts are in drawers, chain links in cages, and roach repellent is hidden behind the counter, because those are items that are stolen most often from Fuller and Son Hardware.
"We are always actively looking for shoplifters all the time," said V.P. of Operations J.R. Fuller.
Fuller tries to protect his family business, keeping an eye out for those who want to walk out without paying out.
"It makes it hard for us to pay our employees, hard for us to keep the lights on, when people are stealing from us," he said.
In his store, small shoplifting can be expensive.
"Higher priced items that are small and people can pocket, they are always going to be disappearing," he said, picking up a discarded, empty packet -- the tell-tale sign a shoplifter has struck.
So, there are a lot of items in hardware stores that can be easily pocketed but are very expensive. But the irony of all ironies...you have to lock the padlocks to keep them from being stolen.
"We average anywhere between 2 and 3 calls a day at time," said Sgt. Todd Crowson with Bryant Police.
According to Crowson, they've arrested 28 people in the past six weeks for shoplifting. In the past six months, Saline County jail has boked in, on average, a shoplifter a day.
"We couldn't even go back that far, six months, because there were so many of them it would take days to get it all figured out," Crowson said. "But it's a lot of calls. And that takes up our officers' time and the store's time, for stealing. Because that is what it is -- stealing."
Calls we made to other local police departments show a similar trend: shoplifters continue to cost police and personal businesses money.
"Economy being rough, that's not a valid excuse. It's rough for us as well," Fuller said. "And it's infuriating to know that no matter what we do, there are still people who walk out of here taking stuff we paid for."
Local stores like Fuller's will still welcome you with open arms, but they'll be sure you're leaving with empty pockets.
Bolts are in drawers, chain links in cages, and roach repellent is hidden behind the counter, because those are items that are stolen most often from Fuller and Son Hardware.
"We are always actively looking for shoplifters all the time," said V.P. of Operations J.R. Fuller.
Fuller tries to protect his family business, keeping an eye out for those who want to walk out without paying out.
"It makes it hard for us to pay our employees, hard for us to keep the lights on, when people are stealing from us," he said.
In his store, small shoplifting can be expensive.
"Higher priced items that are small and people can pocket, they are always going to be disappearing," he said, picking up a discarded, empty packet -- the tell-tale sign a shoplifter has struck.
So, there are a lot of items in hardware stores that can be easily pocketed but are very expensive. But the irony of all ironies...you have to lock the padlocks to keep them from being stolen.
"We average anywhere between 2 and 3 calls a day at time," said Sgt. Todd Crowson with Bryant Police.
According to Crowson, they've arrested 28 people in the past six weeks for shoplifting. In the past six months, Saline County jail has boked in, on average, a shoplifter a day.
"We couldn't even go back that far, six months, because there were so many of them it would take days to get it all figured out," Crowson said. "But it's a lot of calls. And that takes up our officers' time and the store's time, for stealing. Because that is what it is -- stealing."
Calls we made to other local police departments show a similar trend: shoplifters continue to cost police and personal businesses money.
"Economy being rough, that's not a valid excuse. It's rough for us as well," Fuller said. "And it's infuriating to know that no matter what we do, there are still people who walk out of here taking stuff we paid for."
Local stores like Fuller's will still welcome you with open arms, but they'll be sure you're leaving with empty pockets.
