Audio By Carbonatix
Something about the holidays inspires shoplifters. Maybe it’s those crowded malls, which provide camouflage for organized gangs and run-of-the-mill kleptos. With the economy in the dumps, retail theft is expected to be especially brisk this year. The National Retail Federation says the winter holiday season accounts for nearly a third of the more than $30 billion that the industry loses each year to thieves and scammers.
The Boca Raton Police Department stepped up surveillance at the Town Center mall on Black Friday; this hyper-vigilance should last through the New Year.
After the jump, some of the items that shoplifters tried to nab on Black Friday:
–A $187 Ed Hardy hoodie embellished with a skull & gun at Nordstrom. Click here to view the police report.
–A $65 Tommy Hilfiger striped shirt at Macy’s. Police report here.
–Hair clips worth $5.50 from Claire’s (hey, the would-be thief is 12!). Police Report
–Assorted
clothing worth $379 (including another piece of Ed Hardy) from Macy’s
with the help of a horny sales associate who was “trying to hook up”
with the thief, a classmate. Police Report
The lesson? For those who covet Ed Hardy shirts, karma’s a bitch. Also, that the holidays bring out the best, and worst, in us.
— Amy Guthrie
