Top ten items lifted through five-finger discounts

It is highly doubtful you will find baby formula, our 4th ranking item, on the shelves at grocery stores. I was stunned when I went to purchase baby formula for my four-year-old granddaughter a little less than four years ago and could find none on the shelves. The store manager said he could not keep it in stock if left on the shelves due to the pilfering that took place.#3 on our list is top-shelf booze. It appears the high cost of entertaining in the 21st century has created this problem. Where exactly would one hide a magnum of champagne?In our highly paced society, it should not shock anyone that people would seek energy boosters. As such, energy drinks #2 on our list even though they can be purchase for $2 - $3 per drink.View the list ยป
Surprising, cigarettes are #1 on the top 10 most shoplifted items. Is it because the cost ranges anywhere from $5 - $15 a pack, depending on where one lives in the United States, their highly addictive nature, or both?

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What is the allure that propels certain people, no matter who they are or how much money they're worth, to chance going to jail in exchange for concealing an item from store clerks and walking out the store without making payment? Is it the thrill of the chase, pun fully intended; the high some get from getting over on someone; or just a moment of insanity?

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Should there be different penalties for those who steal out of necessity as opposed to those who steal for convenience or pleasure? If you had a child for whom you could not provide through circumstances not of your making, would you be tempted to take some of those five-fingered discounts? If you got caught, would you feel assured your family's needs would be viewed by a jury of your peers as more important than those of the store owners?

Surely, there will always be a justification for pocketing unpaid for merchandise - my family has a need I cannot fulfill due to my circumstances. How do you think you would rule - guilty or not guilty - if such a case came before you while you were serving on jury duty?

While you ponder that, take a look at the list of the top ten most shoplifted items as compiled by ABC News and the National Retail Federation. You will not be surprised by some; shocked by others; and feel some sadness for the remaining group.

Either way, do not allow temptation cause you to pay a far more costly price than that of the original item - the cost of your freedom!

View the list
  • Surprising, cigarettes are #1 on the top 10 most shoplifted items. Is it because the cost ranges anywhere from $5 - $15 a pack, depending on where one lives in the United States, their highly addictive nature, or both?
  • In our highly paced society, it should not shock anyone that people would seek energy boosters. As such, energy drinks #2 on our list even though they can be purchase for $2 - $3 per drink.
  • #3 on our list is top-shelf booze. It appears the high cost of entertaining in the 21st century has created this problem. Where exactly would one hide a magnum of champagne?
  • It is highly doubtful you will find baby formula, our 4th ranking item, on the shelves at grocery stores. I was stunned when I went to purchase baby formula for my four-year-old granddaughter a little less than four years ago and could find none on the shelves. The store manager said he could not keep it in stock if left on the shelves due to the pilfering that took place.
  • If you live in the southeast region of Virginia, allergy medicine is a requirement in every medicine cabinet. However, it appears those cooking in home labs are mixing these ingredients with their own to make their own brand of drugs, making allergy meds #5 on the list.
  • Diabetic testing strips rank 6th on our list. It is amazing that diabetics can receive free glucose monitors and needles in order to test their glucose levels, but testing strips are very expensive.
  • Sliding into 7th place are pain relievers. I understand, but do not condone, those who lift a bottle of these if they or a family member are in serious pain and cannot afford to purchase legal relief. However, as with allergy meds, far too much is stolen to be mixed with other ingredients for the purpose of making illegal drugs.
  • America's unhealthy emphasis of having to have a super-model shape (close to anorexic, if not already there), it's small wonder weight loss pills rank #8 on this infamous list.
  • What? Are electric toothbrushes being used to polish shoes these days? Jiminy Cricket suggests it is not worth spending time in a cell in exchange for pocketing this 9th ranked item. Besides, he says you will not be allowed to use it in jail.
  • Rounding out our top ten are lotions and face creams. On one hand, one may think these are much cheaper and less painful than face lifts. On the other hand, when one weighs the cost of losing one's freedom with spending $40 for the best jar of lotion/cream - spend the money every time.
View the list
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, Suffolk Public Schools Examiner

Janice Holland is a retired public school educator having served her hometown of Suffolk, VA as as the assistant superintendent for administrative services; an elementary principal; a high school assistant principal; and, as a high school mathematics teacher. Since retiring, Janice has worked as...

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