The brazen act was captured on video and shared on social media, showing the man melting one of the plastic bins holding the merchandise to open it before stuffing the items into his bag and walking out of the store. The suspect remains at large.
Retail theft has become a growing problem in the US, with shoplifting incidents in New York City increasing by 45 percent in 2022, totaling 63,000 incidents. According to NYPYD statistics posted by the Crime in NYC Twitter account, shoplifting has grown by 77 percent in the city over the last five years.
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A study by the National Retail Federation revealed that approximately 75 percent of Americans have to shop at stores where products are locked in cabinets. Retailers such as Walgreens have resorted to placing many items behind locked cabinets, while others are redesigning their retail spaces to have employees gather customers' orders, with only two aisles being open for browsing.
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Walgreens is among several stores that have closed down due to crime in the area, with five stores in San Francisco shutting down in 2021. Other retailers such as AT&T, Nordstrom, and T-Mobile have also closed stores due to rising crime rates. Walmart, Cracker Barrel, and outdoor clothing brand REI have closed stores in Portland due to high theft rates.
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