Shoplifting increased by 40% in Poland

Photo Unsplash

August 9, MINSK . In the first half of 2023, 40% more cases of shoplifting were registered in Poland than in the same period last year, the Rzeczpospolita newspaper reports, citing data from the country's Main Police Department.

Retail market expert from Offerista Group Robert Bigay named one of the main reasons for the current situation inflation, which resulted in the rapid "impoverishment of the Poles".

"People are stealing more because they just can't afford to shop at the same level as before inflation," he said.

it is noted that mainly two categories of goods are subject to theft. The first category includes food and everything that can be quickly sold, and the second - luxury items, including expensive ones.ALCOHOL , perfumes and electronics.

Robert Bigay pointed out that retail chains that suffered from theft and suffered losses would want to compensate them. And compensation, in his opinion, will be that they will raise prices in proportion to the losses incurred.

According to Anna Charchinskaya, an economist at the Kozminsky University, the scale of the problem is large enough and shows "a kind of rebellion against a sharp rise in prices that is disproportionate to income growth."

She noted that for large chains, the increase in thefts means "increased security costs, moving away from the self-service model and increasing employment, which in turn causes higher prices for customers."