The five-fingered discount is becoming more common as the economy sinks.
Retailers such as Black Bird Shopping Center have seen a rise in shoplifting as the recession continues, which reflects a national trend.
Every week, two or three pairs of high-end work boots walked out of Black Bird Shopping Center on the feet of thieves who left broken-down boots or stinky tennis shoes behind in the boxes on store shelves.
With the price for top-quality work boots nudging $300 a pair, store owner Bill Quitt reorganized displays of hiking and work boots so only one of each type of boot is on display and customers must ask to try on a pair.
The change is just one step Quitt and his employees have taken to help stem an increase in shoplifting.
They’re not alone: Local and national statistics point to a rise in thefts from retailers.
Read the full article in the Mail Tribune.
