Shoplifting
Broadly speaking, shoplifting is a term that refers to stealing from a shop, store, or other retail establishment, usually by a would-be patron or customer.It is one of the most common crimes that police and the courts deal with. It also has significant effect on retailers. About 0.6% of all inventory disappears to shoplifters. Perpetrators often justify shoplifting as a 'victimless crime', but in practice the aggregate cost of shoplifting is covered by the store owners having to increase prices to maintain profit. As of 2001 it is estimated that shoplifting costs US retailers $25 million a day.
Companies have introduced many technologies to combat shoplifting. Many stores have video cameras filming all areas of the store, larger ones often have undercover investigators. Security devices are often affixed to products that set off alarms at the store exit if they are not deactivated by a cashier.
Most shoplifters are amateurs; however, there are people and groups who make their living from shoplifting, and they tend to be more skilled. One technique is to have a group of people rush a store and grab as much merchandise as possible and then rush out, the large numbers making it difficult to pursue. Shoplifting is a very common crime for those with mental disorders such as kleptomania. Drunkenness and senilty also can lead to shoplifting, even by wealthy individuals. Young children also often shoplift as they do not understand the full ramifications of their actions.
A common slang term for shoplifting in America, Britain and Australia is 'Five fingered discount'
In most states in the United States, shoplifting is a misdemeanor crime of petty larceny when specifically committed against a retail establishment by a patron. The law does not distinguish between shoplifting and other forms of petty larceny, although a judge may consider the context of any crime in sentencing.
In some jurisdictions within the United States, certain egregious instances of shoplifitng involving large dollar amounts of merchandise and/or a high degree of criminal sophistication may be prosecuted and punished as burglary. California law, moreover, states that any instance of a person entering a store with intent to shoplift constitutes burglary irrespective of the value of that which is actually shoplifted; this state also makes it a felony when an accused shoplifter has any prior theft conviction, whether such prior conviction was for shoplifting itself or not - see felony petty theft.Canadian Law
In Canada shoplifting is regarded as theft. If under $5,000 CAD it is thus up to the prosecutor to decide if it will be prosecuted as a summary or indictable offence. In most cases it is treated as a lesser summary offence.United States Law