Margaret and Oliver's on SE Hawthorne is a fab vintage venue that opened for biz this fall—a volatile time for retail, especially when many have had to close their doors all over the city. But, Margaret and Oliver's has done steady business and, with the holiday shopping season officially here, they, like other retailers, certainly hope to do well.
A few weeks before Black Friday (the official shopping season opener) however, owners Chrys Tobey and Nate Szytel experienced what all retailers fear: shoplifters absconded with two necklaces, one a real prize—right under the owners' noses. "We didn't know what to do," laments Szytel, "but I went to many other businesses on our block and asked them if they had seen the two girls we seriously suspected had stolen our goods. Everyone's watching each other's back here on Hawthorne. It's a great community."
Earlier this fall, another friend finally felt compelled to part with her vast vintage collectables—from art to clothes to jewelry—in order to make some extra cash for the holidays. She posted an ad on Craigslist, as most do, for the sale hosted in her Irvington home, and sold most items over the course of three days. On the last day of the sale, however, her cash box was stolen—there were thousands of dollars inside (which was her fatal mistake of course—not emptying the cash each day). Beyond heartsick for a variety of reasons, she believes that people scoped out the sale on its first day, and then came back to for the opportunity to make some easy money.
Such risks exist, of course, in any city, in any season. But these are tough times and chances are that shoplifting crimes are up this year. You can find out about various reported crimes in your hood on PortlandandMaps.com. Just type in an address, and then click on the Crime button in the upper right corner menu to access CrimeMapper. There's a lot of information to sift through here, but please note that this tool only captures reported crimes. Obviously.
"It was interesting that no one suggested to me to report that incident, " reflects Szytel. The feeling is perhaps, that it's a hassle, and that there's nothing really to do except see if the goods show up for sale at Buffalo Exchange or on Craigslist," He recounted a tale from a Metro Clothing salesperson that really hit home: an entire rack of pants was stolen right in front of her. "The 20 pairs of pants showed up at Red Light, and they called Metro immediately to report it."
Reporting shoplifting—and all crimes—is important and shouldn't be considered a hassle by any means. Reporting helps deter crime and promotes awareness. Also, many shop owners like Szytel note, "it feels awkward to operate on a stereotype, but I had a bad feeling about those girls right when they walked in our store." Listening to your instincts is an important part of deterring crime, too.
Tips to Minimize Potential Shoplifting Risks
Portland's Office of Neighborhood Involvement Crime Prevention Program wants us to report crime, to trust our instincts, and to be even more aware of what's going on around us than we probably typically are during our hectic days. The Program presents a Shoplift Prevention guide offering helpful information about typical shoplifting behavior, common shoplifter traits and techniques, and tips on what to do if someone shoplifts in your store.
The best prevention is, of course, enlisting in good, attentive customer service. But, even so, at busy times, people become distracted and vulnerable to potential crime.
Some highlights from the Shoplift Prevention guide:
Your preventative behavior
- Greet all customers
- Make eye contact
- Provide adequate staff
- Trust your instincts
Common shoplifter traits
- Searching eye movement
- Continual head movement
- Jerky body movements
- Aloof behavior
Shoplifting methods and techniques
- Concealment
- Diversion
- Team shoplifting
- Cover ups
What to do if someone shoplifts in your store
- Report the crime
- Gather details
- Talk to neighboring businesses
- Pursue charges
There are other helpful tips in this document, as well as important contact numbers you should keep handy in your store and home. Hopefully, people won't find a reason to shoplift this holiday season. But, it's important to be aware and equipped to effectively handle such a situation if it does, in fact, occur on your watch.
*None of the stolen goods mentioned above have popped up in any local retail outlets or on Craigslist for resale.
