Shoplifting offers cheap alternative - A number of students, tired of being ripped off, have turned to the five-finger discount

Ever shoplifted? If so, you are among the majority. Although it is technically a crime, shoplifting has become widely prevalent among young Americans today. It is safe to say that most people have shoplifted at some point in their lives, whether it be a major or minor offense.

We've all heard of or taken part in shoplifting from RoFo, the bookstore, MegaBYTES and other convenience stores. RoFo is often victim to late night drunken excursions for the munchies. One student explained, "On several drunken occasions I've gone in there, opened several bags of chips to decide which flavor I wanted; then after eating like half the bag, I'd get a completely new one and pay for that. Also, I've ordered food from the deli section and just never paid for it, because all you have to do is give them your ticket and then you can walk out with it."

Connections also help in shoplifting from places such as this. When you have a friend working at the store, you can usually get free stuff through them easily. One student used such a connection to obtain a number of free things from 7-11, including free gas anytime he needed it.

Shoplifting also occurs pretty often at MegaBYTES, where it's usually pretty congested so the employees just don't seem to notice all the tricks we pull for a free meal or snacks. It has happened on more than one occasion that I've realized after I left that I'd forgotten to pay. Or you can wait till after you've paid to get a soda, to save those extra cents. With the high prices at MegaBYTES, most students don't consider stealing there as immoral and wrong. One student remarked, "This place is such a rip-off that you have to steal from it!"

Stores face losses from shoplifting that amount to billions of dollars each year. Although the number of perpetrators is far greater, approximately 5,400 people are detained every day for shoplifting, according to http://shoplifting.com. Some detainees get off with giving their information and paying a small fine. Others, however, are sent through the criminal or juvenile justice system.

A number of the accused will file civil suits against the store or security agents, claiming they were wrongly accused. For this reason, a set of guidelines are often suggested to security personnel in ascertaining the act of shoplifting. Before detaining a suspect, they must follow these rules:

1. You must see the person approach the merchandise.

2. You must see the person take possession of the merchandise.

3. You must see where the person conceals it.

4. You must maintain an uninterrupted surveillance to ensure that the person doesn't dispose of the merchandise.

5. You must see the person fail to pay for the merchandise.

6. You should approach the person outside.

This last point, one student explained, is basically to serve the good image of the store. This student was told never to shout "shoplifter" at the store she worked at, so as not to scare away any potential customers.

Once a person has been caught, punishment will usually be determined upon the severity of the crime. One lucky student was caught having shoplifted $293 in merchandise. Why was she lucky? Because the felony limit was a minimum of $300, a mere $7 more than she had stolen.

Truth be told though, most perpetrators of shoplifting do not get caught. And they have some pretty amusing stories of the stunts they will pull to steal the coveted merchandise. Indeed, most of these students shoplift for the mere thrill and challenge involved in it. Studies have found that perpetrators, for the most part, are perfectly able to afford the items they steal, and in many cases they don't even need the merchandise. Shoplifting tends to be more prevalent among women as well.

One of my best friends, I guess, you might consider a bit of a klepto. She lives by the five finger discount. This girl always brought me along with her to Victoria's Secret, where she would miraculously leave every time looking several sizes bigger than she actually was, probably accountable to the fact that she was wearing half the store under her shirt. This is the same girl who complained to me about stealing something that she'd forgotten she had already stolen the week prior.

If this girl doesn't sound crazy enough yet, then check out the ingenuity she used in stealing an expensive dress: "I was shopping at Hechts and wanted a dress, but I couldn't get the security tag off. So I went up the escalator and went to the purse section (the purses don't have any tags). I grabbed a purse, went back downstairs, and returned it for merchandise credit to get the dress."

Shoplifting, obviously, is not uncommon. Yes, it is a crime, but most students I talked to didn't see it as such. They figure they are being ripped off by stores in the first place and so are justified in occasionally stealing merchandise. The stores counter this argument in saying they are forced to charge the high prices in compensation for the large amount of merchandise frequently stolen.

But if they're charging these higher prices, are they not encouraging increased shoplifting? Who's right in this cyclical debate? Well, as with most things, the decision over shoplifting is personal. Fact is, it's not hard to get away with shoplifting, you just have to decide for yourself what to do.

-The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of the News-Letter, which does not condone shoplifting.