B.C. retailers are gearing up for one of their biggest challenges of the year: a sudden rash of shoplifting.
They say the rate of shoplifting doubles during the week before Christmas and on Boxing Day.
Some of the increase is due to people stealing their Christmas gifts and also because professional shoplifters take advantage of the fact that the stores are so crowded, making it harder for sales staff to keep track of the customers.
Retailers in this country lose 3.5 billion dollars a year to shoplifters, but not all are professional thieves. Experts say many are just average Canadians feeling the pinch.
“It seems that more people in our communities are struggling to get by and when you add the season influence as well with people feeling compelled to give and also feed their families, we do see this spike in thefts,” says Cpl. Drew Grainger with Surrey RCMP.
Supermarkets are also reporting a troubling trend: people stealing food.
Police say the pressure to provide means food and drinks, like meat, cheese and alcohol are also high on the list of products targeted by thieves. It's part of the reason, some liquor stores keep all the pricy bottles behind the counter this holiday season.
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