Drug store items under lock and key as shoplifting skyrockets

WASHINGTON (TND) — Drug stores are ramping up security amid surges in shoplifting.

In some places, even tuna cans are being placed in anti-theft containers and at the Duane Reade in midtown Manhattan, the canned meat product Spam is just the latest item to be locked up due to high levels of theft.

Some blame high levels of shoplifting on desperation due to high prices from inflation. Petit larceny complaints for midtown Manhattan are up 52% from the same time last year.

“What stage of inflation is the 'they’re locking away Spam,'" one Twitter user asked.

"It’s Official!! The Recession is Here!!!" another user wrote. "Spam in security case because it is so valuable."

On a larger scale, organized retail crime is causing problems. Crime gangs will steal products they can easily resell online or on the street.

According to the 2021 Retail Security survey, laundry detergent is the second most popular item stolen through organized retail crime. Allergy medicine, razors and teeth whitening strips also make the list.

Outdoor markets in San Francisco are full of basic goods that some suggest are obtained illegally given their proximity to stores hit by shoplifters. San Francisco is only behind Los Angeles on the list of cities hit hardest by organized retail crime.

The Wall Street Journal dubbed San Francisco a “shoplifter’s paradise.”

Many blame recently changed state laws decriminalizing theft under $950.

“It was absolutely taken advantage of as we thought it would be by those serial thieves and criminals who now use it in order to steal every day of the week on and on and on,” said Summer Stephan, San Diego County’s District Attorney.

Police staffing shortages, rising violence and, some argue, “soft on crime” enforcement policies make it difficult to track down crime gangs and hold them responsible.

Retail crime results in an estimated $45 billion of lost revenue every year.