Holiday Shoplifters Face Tight Security at Malls

Shoplifting in malls has always been an inevitable problem – and generally the trend increases during the holidays. Furthermore, a recessionary economy adds further incentive for shoplifting. Shoplifting is a crime that costs U.S retailers and malls approximately $30 billion. Given the rising trends of the five-finger-discount phenomenon and the ramifications manifested on commercial industry, malls and retailers are going to great lengths to keep their merchandise safe.

In Sacramento, Arden Fair Mall managers said employees have to be constantly vigilant in preventing thefts in their malls. April Wong who is a manager at Aldo Shoes advised that it gets really busy and hectic during Christmas season shopping, especially in enclosed areas.

Wong and her team have taken some precautionary measures such as including only the right shoe of each pair on display. Who wants to walk out of a mall with only half the product? Other measures malls are taking include relying on high-tech cameras and the security teams who reside over them. Steve Reed, who leads mall security at Arden Fair advised that the mall’s sophisticated, high-tech retail surveillance and security programs are one of the finest in the state. At Arden Fair mall, tens of thousands of dollars will be spent in high resolution surveillance cameras in 2010.