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In simple and concise terms... "TO GET SOMETHING FOR NOTHING."

While we all like to get things for free and the stores are constantly promoting and placing merchandise on "SALE" to generate excitement about getting a bargain, most people don't cross over the line and steal the item. But some people do. Why?

The answer is... to most shoplifters, "getting something for nothing" is like giving themselves a "gift" or "reward," which in turn gives them a "lift." Many people feel they need a "lift" just to get through the week or even the day. A recent study by MasterCard International found that shopping was second only to dining as the primary way people reward themselves. Take it one step further and you can see how "shop...lifting" the merchandise increases the reward.

It's important to understand that "getting something for nothing" always represents something more to the shoplifter than the value of the merchandise. For different people it can represent any of the following things:

• For some, it's a "substitute for loss" because they perceived they were unfairly deprived in some way (i.e., a divorce, a serious illness, death of a loved one, bad work related situation, loss of income from a job or investments, or an unexpected expense for a car repair, broken water heater or other item which can cause people to feel needy). Stealing a bottle of Tylenol, for example, can temporarily help to relieve the anxiety about their financial situation and gives them a feeling that they are more in control.
• To others, it's "justified payback" for all they give to others and how little they get back in return.
• For some, it's a "relief mechanism" for anxiety, frustration, boredom or depression.

Several studies have found diagnosed depression to exist in approximately 1/3 of the shoplifters studied. Depression was the most frequently found physiological problem. This helps to explain why so many shoplifters steal from stores on their birthday and around holiday times.

Any way you look at it, shoplifters perceive shoplifting as a form of self nourishment or as a way to relieve fear or pain in their life. In truth, shoplifting is self-destructive, not self-nourishing, but shoplifters often can't see the paradox.

For almost all non-professional shoplifters, stealing from stores is basically a reflection of a person's ability (or inability) to cope with a multitude of situations in his or her life. It's their response to their own personal life situations. While these unhappy life situations may not easily be changed (or may repeat themselves from time to time) shoplifters must learn how to cope with these situations in a way that's not so harmful to themselves or others. This may not be easy to achieve, because approximately 57 percent of shoplifters caught for the first time have already developed a shoplifting habit or even an addiction. Many admit that it will be hard for them to stop shoplifting... even after getting caught.

A person's addiction to shoplifting can develop quickly when the excitement generated from "getting away with it" produces a chemical reaction (i.e. adrenaline, etc.) resulting in what shoplifters describe as an incredible "rush" or "high" feeling, which many shoplifters will tell you is the "true reward," rather than the merchandise itself. In addition to feeling good, shoplifters quickly observe this "high" temporarily eliminates their feelings of anger, frustration, depression or other unhappiness in their life. Realizing how easy it is to get that "high" feeling, they are pulled toward doing it again..."just one more time"...and their addiction begins to develop. Even though most non-professional shoplifters feel guilty, ashamed or remorseful about what they did, and are fearful of getting caught, the pull is too strong for many to resist.

Of course, some people don't see shoplifting as a functional or psychological problem. They say, "What do you mean that a person can't stop shoplifting? Of course they can, they're just greedy". The idea that shoplifting is an addiction (except for a few "kleptomaniacs") is ridiculous, they say. People who shoplift should go to jail and not be coddled or told they have an addiction. This is like telling them it's okay to steal because they really can't help it.

The paradox is that most shoplifters who have developed a habit or addiction believe they should be punished according to the law when caught. What offenders often resent, however, is when they are simply thrown into jail with hardened career criminals and are never given any help or support to prevent them from repeating the offense.

If you were to ask juveniles caught shoplifting, "Why did you do it"? The most frequent reply would be "I don't know." Like adults, the reasons teens shoplift vary, but most commonly it is because they wanted nice things, felt pressured by friends, wanted to see if they could get away with it, or were angry, depressed, confused or bored. Sometimes they are just mad at the world and want to strike back.

While teens, like adults, usually know the difference between right and wrong, when their life becomes too stressful they become more vulnerable to temptation, peer pressure and other things that can lead them to shoplift. This is especially true when they feel unworthy, angry, depressed, unattractive or not accepted.

In summary, shoplifting for millions of our citizens, is simply another maladaptive way of coping with stressful life circumstances...ways similar to overeating, drinking, drugs or gambling. It is not an issue of good vs. bad people, rich vs. poor, young vs. old or education vs. illiteracy. At any time, or even many times in a person's life, the temptation to "get something for nothing" and reward oneself can easily be present. Although most people believe they could "never" do such a thing, if they do cross over the line, swift and effective action must be taken by both the retailer and the criminal justice system to help these people get back on track. While it is not appropriate for retailers or the criminal justice system to be sympathetic or forgiving after a shoplifting incident, what is appropriate is for retailers and criminal justice professionals to jointly support punitive sanctions along with community based educational rehabilitation programs.

Author

Peter Berlin is the founder and former Executive Director of Shoplifters Alternative, also known as the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention, a division of Shoplifters Anonymous, Inc. He also is an international consultant on retail theft, publisher of newsletters for retailers and the criminal justice system and a former Director of Retail Security.

Shoplifters Alternative

Information and statistics provided by the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention (NASP) a nonprofit organization providing research-based shoplifting prevention initiatives including education, prevention, justice and rehabilitation programs. Contact NASP: email nasp@shopliftingprevention.org; or visit www.shopliftingprevention.org.

Permissions

Used by permission of the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention (NASP) - www.shopliftingprevention.org .