Wal-Mart may pride itself on rolling back prices, but for some the discounts are not enough — Athens’ superstore is home to almost 20 times more shoplifters than other stores in the area.
With 522 arrests in the past five years, Wal-Mart, 929 East State St., has accounted for over 60 percent of the total shoplifters arrested by the Athens Police Department.
Since 2007, Wal-Mart has seen 18 times as many arrests as the next highest store, Family Dollar, 4 East Carpenter St., and over 130 times as many as Lowes, 983 East State St., according to Athens Police records.
“We work with the local authorities in every community we serve,” said Kayla Whaling, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman. “We have a great relationship with Athens Police Department and we follow their expertise and guidance when dealing with shoplifting.”
In 2011, Wal-Mart saw a 54 percent increase in shoplifting arrests since 2007, said Athens Police Chief Tom Pyle.
“The numbers probably rise for a couple of reasons, just look at the economic strife in the area — (people) could be shoplifting out of necessity,” Pyle said.
“There’s probably a drug component to this — people are shoplifting to support drug habits, and that fluctuates with the rise and fall of drug use.”
Wal-Mart’s loss prevention program contributes to the large number of shoplifters that are apprehended.
“Bigger retailers have more sophisticated loss prevention programs that are more capable of catching people in the act and partnering with local law enforcement,” said Brian Dawes of the Retail Leader Industry Association, an American trade association.
Although Whaling declined to comment on the specific methods Wal-Mart uses to catch and deter shoplifters, she said the company takes crime very seriously and that they work to prevent repeat offenders.
Pyle said Wal-Mart is very active in catching shoplifters and helps Athens Police deter theft.
“(Wal-Mart) employs a full time loss-prevention officer who works just that store 40 hours a week, maybe more than that,” said Pyle. “Its clear that they (other retailers in the area) don’t have as prolific of a loss prevention program as Wal-Mart does.”
Although Kroger, 919 East State St., does not have its own loss prevention employee, the company works to maintain a good relationship with local police and doesn’t consider Athens to be a problem area, said Jackie Siekmann, a spokeswoman for the company.
“Our associates are trained to recognize shoplifting and to be aware of their surroundings,” Siekmann said.
Pyle said Wal-Mart’s wide range of goods could contribute to its high crime rate.
“I’ve seen people shoplift oranges, food items, video games, nail polish, video games, perfume, baby aspirin—you name it,” said Pyle. “It’s a pretty broad cross-section of their inventory."
d311710@ohiou.edu
