Shoplifting in Salisbury on the rise

Shoplifting is up in Salisbury and with summer coming police said those numbers could keep rising.

“I would say the potential is there that there will be a rise. The summer months, the warm weather and holidays play a big role as well,” said Capt. Rich Kaiser of the Salisbury police.

Pemberton Pharmacy manage Angie Gore said numbers rise during the summer because people are bored and are looking for something to get into.

“Kids come in, it may be on impulse or it might be with a plan but we definitely get a lot of extra kids and extra people in the summertime,” Gore said. “We’ll go behind crowds of people and see evidence of stuff being misplaced or taken.”

The stolen merchandise not only affects the store’s profit, but also the people who work inside of them.

“It’s really frustrating when you work hard and you know you’re trying to make a balance of numbers and things profitable – and someone feels like they can just take it from you,” Gore said.

The lost revenue from stolen merchandise can even affect how much employees get paid.

“Ultimately it comes down to factors for myself you know getting paid, getting bonuses,” Gore said. “I mean I care because those numbers affect my job and my position in what I do.”

Police say using cameras, whether they’re functional or not, and even a dummy camera can deter would be shoplifters. Also putting signs in the window saying the whole store is under watch and greeting every customer who walks through the door can help decrease the chances of a store being shoplifted.