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 Dori Monson


Let the stores figure out the liquor theft problem

October 31, 2012 @ 9:38 pm (Updated: 2:43 pm - 11/6/12 )

People are stealing up to $1,000 worth of booze from stores every day and the solution may be to have the Legislature get involved? We just got the state out of the liquor business. We don't need to invite them back in to save us. Let the stores figure it out.

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Comments (8)


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  • ron prevost wrote...
    What's the problem ? Voters wanted liquor to be more convenient
    November 1, 2012 5:30 am
    And now it sure is.

    Store no stop policies on shop-lifting. ... Do they at least age ID the kids stealing the booze ?

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  • humbleservant wrote...
    Stop making sense
    November 1, 2012 7:44 am
    Dori, Coming up with simple, common sense solutions will not get the job done. In order to properly deal with an issue like this, the Legislature has to convene a special committee getting input from all of the stakeholders, making sure that all interested parties are represented, and then have their findings brought to a special governor-appointed Blue Ribbon commission on shoplifting alcohol so they can make recommendations back to the Legislature so they can ignore it and pass their own legislation that adds more liquor taxes so that money can be spent to cover the cost of the anti-shoplifting commisssion that monitors the problem and eventually figures out that other stuff is also being shoplifted at a $500-a-day clip so they can campaign on the platform of being tough on crime and protecting the state's interests and it's citizens. Don't you realize that letting the stores figure out the problem on their own will cost good-paying-family-wage state jobs? Silly Dori.
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  • anotherfencewalker wrote...
    The grocery biz..
    November 1, 2012 8:51 am
    has to start getting its own backbone when dealing with problems that aren't new like SHOPLIFTING!!. Letting people simply walk out the door with stuff and not stopping them because they're afraid that an employee will sue because he got hurt trying to do so is nuts. Tort reform is the big taboo subject in government that no one wants to touch. You thought health care overhaul was the biggie...no way. Wait until they start dipping into attorney legal fee income..Shoplifting is so easy that even I could do it. In fact, I have my eye on a nice 50 inch plasma TV on display at my local video mart. (chill out..kidding)
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  • irony wrote...
    stores think it's going to be easy money..
    November 1, 2012 11:03 am
    greed has a way of bitting. so now the stores need to do what most intelligent people think should be done. have an issolated separate area where you have to have ID to get in, or a customer service area expanded for sales there.
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  • NW Grocery Assn wrote...
    Organized Retail Theft Not Shoplifting is the Concern
    November 1, 2012 1:04 pm
    The NWGA represents 400 grocery retailers in the State of Washington that employ over 44,500 Washingtonians. The Northwest Grocery Association supported I-1183 and is pleased with the early results of the measure. Consumer satisfaction and convenience is at an all time high and revenues for state and local programs is exceeding projections by 5%. Two areas of concern (organized retail theft rings, and excessive wholesale pricing) have arisen and appear to be interrelated. Shoplifting: Due to the need to protect the integrity of our security measures we cannot comment on specific measures taken to prevent theft. However, we can state: • Theft prevention measures in retail grocery stores exceed measures that were used by State Run Liquor stores prior to the passage of I-1183. • More stringent measures such as locked up cases are being executed on a store by store basis depending on actual experience. • Common shoplifting by individuals has not increased. Organized Retail Theft Rings: Organized retail theft rings (ORT) have been an enemy to the retailer and consumer prior to I-1183 with a focus on elaborate scams to steal baby formula, razor blades, over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, fire arms, tobacco and other high value items. The retail community has a proven track record in effectively combating organized retail crime. In some locations grocery retailers have experienced a shift in the ORT rings' interest from traditional product targets such as beer and wine to liquor. We are already working with law enforcement to track and bust these activities. Prevention Targets: Staying ahead of the crooks is always an important part of theft prevention and we do that to the best of our ability. Due to rules added by the LCB to circumvent 1183's authority for retailer to restaurant sales, some small restaurants have been forced by the LCB to purchase liquor through wholesale distributors that are taking excessive mark-ups and charging high prices. As we look onto the horizon, this unnecessary cost increase coupled with the LCB restrictions on 1183 creates a large concern over ORT rings developing black markets on liquor to tempt restaurateurs with stolen merchandise sold at a much lower cost. We believe the LCB should move immediately to repeal the rules in question.
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  • soo purletiv wrote...
    @ NW Grocery Assn
    November 1, 2012 2:10 pm
    Sounds to me like the L C B is the O R T or is at least A & B(ing) "them".

    Either way, that S U X, and I agree with your conlusion.....

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  • Sir wrote...
    Oh really?
    November 3, 2012 5:52 am
    However, we can state: Theft prevention measures in retail grocery stores exceed measures that were used by State Run Liquor stores prior to the passage of I-1183 ____ WA liquor stores had a minimum of 1 employee with line of site monitoring of every square inch of the store and in my experience, usually had a 1-3 employee to customer ratio. I personally always felt nervous in liquor stores. ____ As for ORT, what are the suggestions there? Harsher penalties? I can get behind that, but it probably won't detur the problem. What retailers need is on-site security, but that is too costly. you enable ORT.
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  • Bloodsurf69 wrote...
    Shoplifting
    November 3, 2012 3:00 pm
    It's shoplifting. Who cares?
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