According to Yahoo news, this ongoing recession has sparked an out of control shoplifting spree:
“The global recession isn’t just making jobs scarce and spending money tighter – it’s also turning more people into thieves. According to an annual survey released Tuesday, incidents of shoplifting rose by nearly 6% over the past year, representing nearly $115 billion in losses for businesses. And one of the more surprising findings: a growing number of new shoplifters are outwardly reputable, middle-class people who are walking off with French cheeses, quality meats, cosmetics, mobile phones, clothing and other goodies that they feel they need to maintain a quality of life they can no longer afford.”
As startling as this may seem at first, it isn’t really that surprising. If shoplifting existed before the recession, then hard times would only cause more people desperate to maintain an unachievable lifestyle to resort to measures that they would normally never stoop to, including stealing.
And, it’s easy to convince yourself that stealing a scarf or a pair of earrings just once or twice isn’t really going to hurt anyone and you have wanted them for so long. Who’s to say you haven’t earned it, especially now when you’re working so hard and getting so little, if anything in return. But, just consider this one little fact: you may not be the first person to steal from that shop, and after you leave, there may be others who do the same. So, a $20 gift stolen five times over, has just cost the shop owner $100, and because sales are down due to this recession, the shop owner is already at a loss, even before any theft has occurred. And, if the shop owner can’t make rent, they are forced to cut back their hours and their loyal staff, and then more people are left unhappy and desperate, and the cycle continues.
People often lose sight about what the holiday season is really about. As a shop owner and an avid shopper, I have learned that whatever significance the days ahead hold in your life and heart, the most cherished and sought after gifts will not be the ones you steal, and perhaps, not even the ones you can buy.
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