Shoplifting 10K A Week

Bel Air Mall Stealing A Mobile retailer reports losing up to 10000 dollars in merchandise a week. News 5 takes a closer look at shoplifting

by Tiffany Craig

Published: Wed, June 04, 2008 - 6:36 pm CST Last Updated: Sun, June 08, 2008 - 6:52 pm CST

10-thousand dollars of merchandise is being swiped from a local teen clothing store a week... and retailers are fed up.

That same store is part of a nationwide chain and it reports being the 3rd most shoplifted in the company's nationwide chain.

After learning about the alarming trend, a task force to stop shoplifting was recently formed in Mobile.

Store and mall managers, Mobile County Juvenile Judge Edmond Naman and the District Attorney's office are looking for solutions to the 5-finger discount.

Naman plans to implement adding community service to the regular punishment. "It seems that shoplifting has gotten to be such a problem that if we allow it to go unchecked any further, it could drive major retailers out of this city. There will be a component of community service. If a child steals, we're gonna put them out and make them working to pay for their actions or at least to pay back society for what they've done. Their parents are gonna be asked to monitor that with them."

If you have ideas on how to curb shoplifting, add your comments to this story.

You can also email us at communitycoverage@wkrg.com or call in you ideas to our community coverage line at phone number (251) 662-3055.

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SumOneILove Says:

Mon, Sep 29, 2008 at 6:01 pm

That is a good idea making them wear a shirt that said I shoplifted. That would really get kids attention.

mustuknow Says:

Mon, Sep 29, 2008 at 5:14 pm

Also, kids know that they system is overloaded and that their parent(s) have to work to try and put food on the table and keep the lights turned on and quite frankly by the time the parent(s) get to dealing with the children they have very little left in them to deal with their children, good or bad. I remember when my brother was probably 10 or so he took a little matchbox car from someones house, when we got in the car he started playing with it. My mom asked him where he got it and he said “so and so” and mom asked him why he took that kids toy and all my brother could say was “he had more, he won’t miss it.” My mom immediately turned the car around, drove back to the peoples house, made my brother get out of the car, knock on the door and return the car and apologize for stealing it. When we got home he got his butt whipped for stealing, and then when Christmas came around he had to take one of his gifts and give it to the little boy. Extreme maybe, but he hasn’t stole again

mustuknow Says:

Mon, Sep 29, 2008 at 5:09 pm

Parents should be help accountable for their children’s actions. I’m not from Pensacola or Mobile but travel there frequently to see family and it is absolutely astonishing to me how many YOUNG PEOPLE are at the malls unsupervised. I am talking kids 10 + years of age. I could NEVER drop my child off unsupervised at a public place like a mall or movie theatre unsupervised. Personally, I think that kids that are caught shoplifting should be made to personally return the merchandise and apologize to the store owner, manager and personnel working at the time the offense occurred. Secondly, I think that kids that shoplift should be made to do some good ole manual labor such as sweeping up the mall floors, emptying the garbage, cleaning the windows, etc all the while wearing a shirt that says “I STOLE FROM_____ AND THIS IS PART OF MY PUNISHMENT”. Kids today get away with so much because they think I am a teen and they can’t do anything to me.