Shoplifting: When urges cannot be controlled

By Henrylito D. Tacio
And so it came to pass that a military officer was caught shoplifting at a US Army commissary inside Fort Benning, Georgia a couple of years back.  According to news reports, a closed-circuit camera caught him removing a 50-cent discount tag on a compact disc on sale and placing it over the $12.95 tag on another CD not on sale that he wanted to buy.
He is no Winona Ryder – the Oscar-nominated actress was once caught shoplifting more than US$5,500 worth of merchandise at the Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills – but he caught the attention of the Philippine media because he is the valedictorian of Philippine Military Academy Class of 2004.
A newspaper, Filipino Star News, published in Michigan, gives this bit of information: “Shoplifting, also known as ‘retail fraud,’ happens when a person takes or conceals something that is offered to the public for sale.  You do not have to leave the store with the item, it is sufficient that you altered, transferred, removed and replaced, concealed or otherwise misrepresents the price of an item with the intent to steal or take away an item without intention of paying it.”
There are two kinds of shoplifters: professional and amateur or casual shoplifters.  The professional shoplifters are those who usually take expensive items, like clothing and jewelry that they can resell easily. Amateur or casual shoplifters make up the majority of shoplifters. About 70% of the time, casual shoplifters don’t go into a store with the intention of stealing – they simply see the opportunity to take something and do.
Girls are more likely to do shoplifting than boys.  A study in the United Kingdom – where more than two in 10 shoplifters are under 18 – showed 7,528 girls aged 13-15 were caught shoplifting.  In comparison, there were only 6,370 boys of the same age doing the same thing.
In the Philippines, shoplifting is also very common. A Philippine Daily Inquirer report said that a 32-year-old woman from Biñan, Laguna was arrested after a security guard found in her tote bag several toothbrushes worth over P5,000 she allegedly stole from a supermarket in Quezon City.
There was also the case of a woman who shoplifted a pair of shoes worth P900+ in a mall.  “I was brought in the security office and made me filled-up a form writing a statement that I was invited in their office and would pay the goods that I had ‘forgotten’ to pay,” she recalled.
“I was so scared and shaking while I was filling-up the form.  The investigator told me what was going to happen: he said I had to pay the amount of the shoes double and still not able to get the shoes.  I beg to pay the exact amount of the shoes and not double but he said it was not alright because that was their policy. 
“I received no receipt or acknowledgement that I had paid and then I was taken a mug shot.  I begged him not to do it since I had already paid and nothing else was found in my possession.  But the man objected and still took a mug shot.”
There are many reasons why casual shoplifters steal, studies show. For teenagers, peer pressure can be a factor; they want to have the same expensive, stylish clothes they see their classmates wearing. Some people may also shoplift to prove that they fit in with friends who shoplift.
Unfortunately, many people who shoplift can’t explain why they do it. More often than not, they have enough money in their pockets to pay for the items that they steal. To think, shoplifters also know that it’s wrong and expect to be punished if they’re caught.
Shoplifting experts believe that these people are “acting out” by using shoplifting to relieve painful emotions, such as stress. Teenagers whose parents are going through marriage separation, for example, may turn to shoplifting because of the feelings of loss they’re going through.
Others may use stealing as a way of getting back at someone, like a parent or a friend, who has hurt them. 
Shoplifters are also frequently bored or depressed. Experts at the Shoplifters Anonymous in the United States say that teens also shoplift because they: think the stores can afford the losses; think they won’t get caught; don’t know how to handle temptation when faced with things they want; feel peer pressure to shoplift; and don’t know how to work through feelings of anger, frustration, depression, unattractiveness, or lack of acceptance.
Many people think that shoplifters have a mental disorder or that they must really need the items they are shoplifting to survive. But actually, kleptomaniacs (people who feel compelled to steal) or people who steal because they’re hungry and desperate only make up a tiny percentage of shoplifters.
Here’s something for Robert Ripley’s “Believe It Or Not.” Some recent studies have found that it’s possible for people to become addicted to shoplifting – like they do to alcohol or drugs.  In the United States, for instance, at least three million people are addicted to shoplifting.  There is no such statistics available in the Philippines but we’re sure there are a number of Filipinos who are also doing this.
For these people, shoplifting means more than simply stealing items.  It also robs them of their lives.  Ask Sandra, a grandmother who has been shoplifting for more than 40 years.  “I wasted most of my life – with an addiction that took over my life,” Sandra told Melinda Murphy, a correspondent who did a special report on the subject for ‘The Early Show.’
Sandra first shoplifted when she was just barely a teen. It was her way to deal with a painful childhood. At 21, she married Tom, a happy time, yet Sandra stole on her honeymoon.  “I had a wonderful husband who loved me no matter what. How could I do this to him?”
 Dr. Jon Grant, an American psychiatrist who has treated hundreds for this addiction, says, “The craving is so strong, much like an alcohol craving or craving for heroin, that they really feel out of control, they feel almost like robots.”
Terry Shulman, an American attorney, author and recovering shoplifter, agrees.  “I was so out of control, I scared myself. I couldn’t believe what I was doing,” he says. “And I actually contemplated suicide.”
Among shoplifters, the inability to stop is very common.  “After people become addicted to shoplifting, they will actually become agitated and anxious and won’t sleep, because they have got these cravings or these urges to shoplift and when they can’t do it, it affects them,” says Dr. Grant.
According to Dr. Grant, it is taking a long time for people to recognize it as an addiction because people don’t come forward and talk about it because of the shame and guilt associated with the behavior. Also, shoplifting is a crime and mental health professionals often don’t want to get involved in criminal behavior.
Now, if ever you caught your friend shoplifting, what should do?  “It’s not easy to confront a friend and ask about shoplifting,” says Dr. Mary Gavin, an American psychologist.  “Try saying that you’re concerned, and that you don’t want your friend to get hurt in the long run. You could suggest possible resources to break the habit. And if your friend won’t stop, be sure that you avoid shopping together.”
Another possibility: If you are concerned about a friend — or if you have a problem with shoplifting – ask an adult you feel comfortable talking to for help finding shoplifting treatment programs.
Still another: Encourage your friend to get help for any underlying problems like depression that may be the source of the shoplifting problem.  (Photos taken from the net)