Charlottetown retailers say spike in thefts putting pressure on small businesses

A number of business owners in Charlottetown say they're experiencing an unprecedented level of theft.

"This summer season was the worst that we've ever experienced," said Kimberly McIntyre, who owns Kuriosities Jewelry and Crow's Nest on Victoria Row in Charlottetown.

She said this summer she and her staff were catching shoplifters on a weekly basis sometimes multiple times per week.

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Just a few years ago, there were only a handful of thefts, she said.

Nowit's become a regular occurrence that is costing her not just money, but time.Between looking at security camera footage and filing a police report, one incident can take up her whole day, McIntyre said.

"Everything is being stolen. If it's not nailed down, behind glass, it's being stolen," she said."This can range from small items like stickers and pins to jewlery."

Because much ofher merchandise is handmade, a lot of labour goes into creating each piece. When something is stolen, that time goes with it, she said.

"It's hours of work that's just taken from you," she said."When you're making your inventory, you don't get to just order in more hours of your time."

Shoplifting incidents on rise, say police

McIntyre isn't the only one who's noticed a spike in thefts recently.

According to Charlottetown Police Services, shoplifting complaints this summer more than doubled compared to last summer, with 44 cases reported between July and September of 2022 and 102 cases reported over the same months this year.

Julia Campbell, owner of JEMS Boutique and the Anne of Green Gables Store in downtown Charlottetown, said she's also felt the increase in thefts.

She said her financial losses from shoplifting have doubled in the last couple of years.This summer alone, she said she's lost up to $4,000 in merchandise at her stores.

"You have to think, when does the shopper feel unsafe? At what point do staff feel unsafe?I'm not saying that we're there right now, but for the first time ever, those thoughts have actually crossed my mind," Campbell said.

She's also noticing a lot of repeat shoplifters, who have become more difficult to manage, she said.

Retail thefts up nationwide

Jim Cormier, Atlantic director for the Retail Council of Canada, said retail theft isincreasing at an alarming rate.

"Retail crime is growing from coast to coast. And it's not simply an urban problem; we're seeing it from our members regardless of the province in rural communities mid-sized communities right up to the largest cities in the country," he said.

This includes more violent retail crimes, repeat thefts and organized crime, where thieves are stealing thousands of dollars' worth of merchandise to resell on black markets, he said.

"We're not talking about the kid that goes into a grocery store and steals a chocolate bar," Cormier said.Shoplifters are becoming more brazen and seem to care less about the consequences, he said.

This has an obvious impact on a business's bottom line and can also raise safety concerns for staff, he said.That's a message he wants governments and police to take seriously.

"Retail crime is not a victimless crime, especially when we're talking at the levels that we're seeing."

Retailers lean on each other

Business owners like Campbell and McIntyre have had to put new measures in place to protect their stores and their staff, including high-definition security cameras, having more staff in the store to monitor merchandise, and keeping shelves organized, with items in clear view.

They both said encountering a shoplifter can be intimidating. Theytell their staff not to confront people, but instead collect images and descriptions that can be handed over to police.

McIntyre said downtown businesses have also started to lean on each other for support.After she noticed the number of thefts start to rise, she started talking to business owners and discovered many were experiencing the same thing.

So, they created a group of more than 20 retailers and started sharing information like photos, descriptions of shoplifters and the date and times of when items were stolen to help each other keep tabs on thefts.

"If we have a timestamp, it helps other businesses go back and check their cameras from around that time and they catch the shoplifting on their cameras as well.It's kind of like a neighbourhood watch for business owners," McIntyre said.

That gives business owners more evidence to report to police, she said.

"It's also been a good emotional support for the business owners because we know that we're not the only ones that are dealing with this and we share ideas of what we do to keep our stores and staff safe."

She encourages all businesses to invest in a good security camera system, to keep stores organized with high-value items kept somewhere secure, and to be diligent when it comes to reporting shoplifting.