this post was submitted on 06 Jun 2022
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How does shoplifting at Walmart contribute to food deserts? Srs question
Retail outlets will tolerate a certain amount of product loss (shoplifting) as just a cost of doing business. But if an area has so much shoplifting that the location is losing money, it will eventually get shut down. It doesn't matter if they're a massive big box retailer or a mom and pop store. Stores cannot stay open if they are being bled dry by shoplifting, and they will leave eventual.
If frippa's efforts leads to any store shutting down I'd be impressed. But yes you have a good point. However it isn't limited to food deserts. Like it could lead to tech deserts if ppl keep on robbing an apple store
Alone, of course one person wouldn't. But if shoplifting is rampant in an area, it absolutely will make a difference. There's a mall near me that has slowly been hollowed out because the area had an increase in shoplifting. Retail typically runs on very low profit margins, so it's surprisingly easy to push them into being unprofitable.
I focused on food deserts because (1) food is a critical human need and (2) food must be bought frequently. Traveling to a consumer electronics store is something one would typically do only occasionally. Grocery shopping tends to be somewhere around weekly. But yes, it would equally apply to consumer electronics or other stores.
What stops the store from stepping up security similar to the way gas stations operate? where you tell them what you want and they bring it to you, and the staff don't let you into the store.