The Dark Side Of Grocery Store Shoplifting

Estimated reading time: 9 minutes

Delving into the world of grocery store shoplifting and its financial impact. Find out why it happens and how it affects paying customers.

From self-checkout shoplifting to retail shoplifting to grocery store shoplifting, it’s a business that costs Canadians BIG bucks because it’s coming out of your pockets.

You pay the price as a consumer because when the store loses, so do the paying customers.

Today, I want to focus on grocery store shoplifting during operating hours because it happens far more often than you think.

Prevent Grocery Store Shoplifting, Not Fight It

You might ask yourself why anyone would want to shoplift at the grocery store.

There are many reasons, which I will discuss below, but the main reason is money.

Often, there is just not one person involved in grocery store shoplifting.

It can be an organized family event, so there is much to be aware of, but you may never see a thing if you’re just there to shop.

You’ve seen it, I’ve seen it, and everyone has seen opened packages lying on shelves, on the floor, or tossed in a bunker and the product missing.

Where do you think that product went?

Out the door or into someone’s belly, that’s where.

You might have heard that the grocery store is the best place to be a shoplifter.

If you get caught shoplifting, at least you have an excuse that makes more sense than someone stealing a car.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean you will be let off the hook that easily.

Being hungry is no laughing matter, although food is needed in Canada to keep humans alive.

Product Resale On The Streets

So many resources are available to those who are hungry that grocery store shoplifting often goes beyond personal consumption.

What does that mean?

It means a big market for buying stolen products, whether electronics, furniture, clothing, or food.

Although I believe that grocery store shoplifting happens more for resale, it could happen because someone wants something they can’t get elsewhere.

For example, a person may be able to get free food at the food bank but not get the products they want.

Every person is different, and every theft has a meaning, but only the thief knows that reason.

Good food means big bucks on the streets, especially when the seller obtained it for nothing.

There is never an excuse to shoplift, but the reality is that it happens every day worldwide.

The Thrill Of Shoplifting

For some, theft is more about the thrill than the need.

“If someone is hungry and they only have five bucks, they’ll come to you and say, ‘What can I get for this?’ They don’t steal because they’re hungry.

They steal because they want money.” – Munther Zeid, owner and manager of Winnipeg’s Food Fare chain.

Source

You have the right to remain silent!- Remember that if you are caught shoplifting.

First Offence Shoplifting

Can you get in trouble for shoplifting even if it is your first offense shoplifting?

YES, and the last thing you want is theft charges under your name, especially when looking for employment.

Breaking the law can follow you for a LONG time, and even if you think you got off, you may have more problems to sweep up down the path.

Even if you get a shoplifting fine from the judge, you may still have it on your police record, and food theft is not something that should ever happen, especially with so many organizations offering free food to those in need.

Common punishments for being found guilty of shoplifting include court fines and fees, potential jail time, damage to your reputation and career, and restrictions on travel. Source

Small theft charges can be classified as theft under $5000 and anything from a small to a big fine, depending on how many times you’ve been caught stealing.

It may be the last straw before the judge throws you in jail because you have a long list of things you’ve done on your police record.

No one can give you a definite answer, not even your lawyer but what is certain is that it’s not right.

How does the law distinguish between theft under $5000 and theft over $5000?

The difference is how the crown prosecutor handles the charge.

In the case of theft under $5,000, the crown prosecutor can decide to handle the charge as either a Source or an Indictable Offence.

Of the two, indictable offences are the more serious, and the court procedures are more complicated.

The penalties can be more severe if a person is convicted of an indictable offence.

What are the penalties if my daughter were convicted of theft as a summary offence?

A person convicted of theft under $5,000 as a summary offence can be fined up to $2,000 or imprisoned for up to six months or both.

These are maximum penalties, however, and the penalties for a first offender would likely be much less severe.

Other options are available for a young offender.

You can read more at Canadian Legal FAQs -Shoplifting

Grocery Store Shoplifting Methods

With the rise in self-scanners at many big retailers, grocery store shoplifting via the do-it-yourself checkout method is big.

Whether it be typing in the wrong product code or simply forgetting to ring something in when the self-checkout staff member isn’t looking, it is very common.

It’s a busy area, and those who are grocery store shoplifting will take advantage of that.

Imagine your city has a big parade, and almost all the police officers are in the parade, with few left on the streets for a couple of hours.

That is the time burglars will swoop in and do their thing.

The same goes for any grocery store; when no one is around, there is limited staff, and the shop is busy or late at night, these thefts will happen.

Professional shoplifters have been doing it for years and know how to get what they want without the eyes above and below catching them.

These people are a part of product price increases because when they steal, they steal from everyone, even you, the consumer.

After all, you end up paying.

The Food Retailers Association of Quebec estimates that $600 million worth of food is stolen from stores in Quebec each year. – Source

Grocery Store Shoplifting Tactics

• Unwrap packages and put them into another bag example: Steaks, Fish
• Add items under the cart and forget to ring in.
• Walk out with an entire cart full of groceries.
• Distraction theft – where the thief uses charm to get out of the store without being suspected of grocery store shoplifting
• Open boxes and insert other items before closing the box back up again.
• Removing price tags or swapping tags
• Eating or drinking products in the grocery store
• Using kids to steal or baby carriers
• Slipping items in jackets, purses, or their body
• Doubling up on clothing or adding sunglasses, gloves, hats, or scarves they never came into the grocery store with
• Employee theft
• Leaving items at the bottom of a shopping cart
• Failure to scan products at the self-scanner

Thieves Come From All Walks Of Life

Don’t Stereotype and treat all thieves equally.

I’m sure there are many other methods I’m not thinking of above, but you get the point, and it’s not just low-income people doing this.

People caught grocery store shoplifting come from all social classes and groups.

Don’t make the mistake of assuming the troublemakers are only the ones who fit the stereotype.

If you focus only on the tough-looking suspects you’ll miss the one’s who learned to fit in.

– Retail Council of Canada

Sometimes it happens for other reasons beyond the scope of the thrill or resale where doctors must get involved.

Even if the charges are dropped, the person is often banned from the store or given a suspension for a year.

Grocery Store Shoplifting Prevention

These days, grocery stores are taking theft very seriously, especially retailers that offer more than just food, such as Costco and Walmart, where you can buy everything and anything.

First and foremost, prevention starts with educating staff on what to look for when it comes to customers who are shopping to steal.

Watch customers’ eyes as the enter the store. Normal customers look for sale items, flyers and carts, while thieves look for staff. – Retail Council of Canada

Walking out of Walmart the other day, I noticed what seemed to be grocery cart strips outside the store.

So, if you were to rush out with your cart trying to steal, your cart would go flying or tip sideways if you hit the strip hard.

It seemed like a reasonable explanation for what I saw on the ground.

Upon leaving the building, you can’t enter or exit Costco without greeting a staff member and producing your Costco membership card and receipt.

Your entire shopping cart is looked over and checked against your receipt.

This is theft prevention by the store because grocery store shoplifting in bulk is an even bigger business than the small stuff at the local supermarket.

Perhaps you’ve noticed that certain products are not in packages because you only get the item once it is paid for.

Other items, especially medicine, might be kept in a display case or on shelves behind the counter.

The pharmacy is a big area for grocery store shoplifting because drugs sell on the streets, whether it’s headache pills or cough medicines.

You might even notice that the pharmacy section is locked up at certain times of the evening, but the store is still open.

This is to prevent theft later in the evening.

Theft Preventative Measures

• Extra staff
• Extra eyes via surveillance
• Security guards
• Door checkers
• Alarms
• Product tags
• Security fencing
• Outdoor/Indoor cameras

Grocery store shoplifting is part of Canada’s pricing problem, which means that the more that gets stolen, the higher we will see prices increase.

Everything is part of the problem, but we are all part of the solution, which means teaching our kids from a young age that stealing is a big no and that it’s never OK.

That might not deter them into adulthood but giving them a head-start is better than saying nothing.

Discussion: Why do you think people steal from grocery stores?

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