Students’ names have been changed to protect their privacy. On Black Friday this year, junior Grace was shopping at The Grove, a shopping complex in Los Angeles, with a few of her friends from California. After trying on multiple pairs of designer sunglasses, she finally settled on a favorite — but instead of walking to the register and paying for them, she put them on her head and confidently walked out of the store. The sunglasses cost $1,200. By the end of the day, after visiting multiple other stores, she had stolen $16,000 worth of clothes, makeup and other accessories. In an informal Black & White survey of 51 students, 55% said they had shoplifted at least once. One in 11 Americans will shoplift at least once in their lives, and teenagers ages 13 to 17 account for 25% of all shoplifters arrested despite making up only seven percent of the U.S. population, according to a study from the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention. More than $13 billion worth of products are stolen annually from U.S. retailers, according to NASP. Students shoplift for a variety of reasons. In the same survey, many students who shoplifted reported that their motivation stems from laziness and anxiety related to spending money. One person surveyed said they shoplifted because “it’s easy and free.” “When you’re with friends, it’s almost like a fun thing to do,” senior Emily said. “My friends and I would go on ‘stealing trips.’ We would go to the mall to see a movie, and then the rest of the day we were at the mall. We would just steal from everywhere.” Junior Jacob had never been caught shoplifting until a trip to Macy’s at Westfield Montgomery Mall. He had been stealing from Macy’s for a few years, and it was the first store he and his friends went into that day. They stole about $100 worth of makeup products and then left the store. They proceeded to walk around the mall and shoplift from other retailers. At the end of the day, they returned to Macy’s for one last stop, he said. “My friends and I were walking out of Macy’s, and I noticed a man wearing all black walking right in front of us,” Jacob said. “He slipped behind us, and this guy got in front of me and grabbed my arm and said, ‘Macy’s Security, you’ll have to come with me.’ They had caught us on the cameras or one of the cashiers had seen us put one of the items in our bags.” The security guard then escorted Jacob to a small room that he described as “almost like a jail cell.” Rather than handcuffing him, the guard took Jacob’s bag and started going through it. Because he had stolen items from other stores, Jacob lied, saying that the only items stolen were from Macy’s in order to avoid further trouble. The security guard then explained to him that if the cost of everything he stole exceeded $100, it would be clas-
graphic by JACKY LOCOCO
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