Chris Dancey’s small boutique pet food and accessory shop at Uptown shopping centre has done well over six years next to Whole Foods, with a loyal customer base and a handful of dedicated staff.
But when a woman shoplifted from The Bone & Biscuit four times over the past month, the small business owner became fed up.
He printed a photo of the woman from his in-store surveillance cameras and posted it on the front door with this caption: “This is a small business. Stop stealing from us.”
Dancey said the woman, who is in her late 30s or early 40s, has stolen about $500 in merchandise. She enters the store, quickly grabs items ranging from dog treats to a dog raincoat, slips them into a shopping bag and leaves. She has even used a distraction tactic by asking staff to place something on the counter, then makes a grab and a quick exit.
“As an owner, you’re out of pocket and it starts to add up,” Dancey said. “We’re not a high-margin business and it’s hard to take those losses. Do I have to raise prices? Or lock down the entrance?”
Dancey’s public shaming seems to have worked. Customers are taking a close look and commenting “good for you.”
Dancey said that recently, the woman was about to enter the store with a male companion when the man pointed to the woman’s photo on the front door. The woman quickly pulled the man away. Both left the area.
“Sometimes it’s just what you have to do to stop this,” said Dancey.
Saanich police Const. Markus Anastasiades said shoplifters often want to go undetected, so making an effort to greet and offer assistance to all customers could convince potential thieves to change their minds and leave the store.
He said high-quality security cameras could also dissuade potential thieves, as well as providing evidence for police. He advised shop owners to call police instead of intervening in shoplifting cases because it can put the owner and staff at risk.
The Canadian Tire store in View Royal is also posting photos of known shoplifters for everyone to see.
The collage of surveillance photos hangs over the customer service desk, showing men and women of all ages, some with their faces covered in pandemic masks, others plainly identifiable with lifted goods in hand.
Store owner Kim Reynhoudt said stealing is a constant problem, costing the business more than $100,000 a year. “One guy not that long ago was in on a scooter with a blanket over him, acting really old and cold. He actually put a big food mixer under his blanket [on the scooter floor] and just scooted out of here,” said Reynhoudt. “The general manager caught him in the parking lot.”
Tools, batteries and outdoor items are common stolen items. Last week, a man put a complete power tool set in a shopping bag and headed for the door. During the summer, security had to stop a transit bus where a passenger had boarded with a pinched bicycle.
Reynhoudt has hired a private security firm to have a “uniformed presence” at the entrance and in the store aisles. They also do random overnight patrols to protect against “smash and grabs,” which have become common during the early-morning hours.
The security is an added $100,000 annual cost for Reynhoudt.
My biggest concern is the protection of the staff and making sure they feel safe,” he said. “They have a guard here, knowing there is someone to call.”
He said the store has also shortened hours in the evening, closing an hour earlier to deter thieves who might think there are fewer staff members in the store.
Despite more than 30 security cameras, thieves can find blind spots, said Reynhoudt.
Bruce Williams, chief executive of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce, said besides losses from theft, businesses worry about having staff in potentially dangerous situations if they have to confront a shoplifter.
“Hiring staff and retaining them is the No. 1 issue for businesses right now,” said Williams. “It can be intimidating for staff if they are confronted by an aggressive person, and some might reconsider their employment.”
Williams said businesses are already navigating a tricky landscape with supply issues, competition from online shopping portals and vandalism.
The Retail Council of Canada, which represents about 45,000 merchants, estimates retailers are losing $5 billion a year to shoplifting. And storekeepers and employees are facing increasing threats of violence.
The council has created videos and guides for business owners and employees on combating retail crime, from robberies to fraud and shoplifting, as well as dealing with abusive customers, suspicious individuals, intoxicated customers and individuals experiencing a mental-health crisis.
Last week, Victoria police made 17 arrests and recovered about $5,000 in stolen goods after targeting prolific thieves downtown and in the Hillside and Mayfair shopping centres.
Some shop owners suggest thieves are provided with lists of merchandise to steal by an organized element, and then paid in drugs or cash.
Reynhoudt said that practice has been going on for years. “They used to meet in bars and someone would say: ‘I need a chainsaw,’ ” he said. “So someone would steal one.”
Terri Hustins, who owns four stores downtown with husband Andrew Millen, including Kaboodles toy store, said staff have code words and signals for suspicious people in their stores and keep a close eye on them. Staff are posted at doorways as greeters, but also to watch people exiting with “five-fingered discounts,” she said.
“If you have 30 people in the store, staff have to be attentive, and that’s not always easy to do in a busy store,” said Hustins. “Shoplifters hate attentive staff.”
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