Shoplifting has been one of those areas in German society that has dramatically increased. If you look around a shopping district (Wiesbaden for example).....a number of stores have added multiple detectives, put in an abundance of cameras, and tried to impact upon the criminal network.
The chief things aimed at in these shoplifting crimes? Perfume, Tabs, and Cellphones. Why? They easily go to a middle-guy who offers the kid or young criminal ten cents on the Euro for the item. That guy turns around with a local corner shop (usually selling sodas, cellphones, beer, or cigarettes), turning the item to them to sell from their shop. They can also deal to a person who does flea-market activity. By selling the item at 30-to-40 percent off the normal price....it moves along quickly in the private market.
Where to base yourself if you want to watch the criminal act? In Wiesbaden, there's three central zones in the shopping district.
1. In the Luisenforum, there's the electronic's shop Saturn on the top floors. If you base yourself on the westward exit area....going to Schwalbacher Strasse, the shoplifters are typically on the run and heading for the escalator. The detectives know the strategy and have one or two young guys around this area to knock the guy down and hold until the chief of the detectives arrives.
2. Karstadt perfume department (first floor). You can stand and see the various cameras pointed toward the department. On two occasions, I've seen young guys (maybe 14 or 15 years old) eyeballing the perfume, and the security guys just out of sight....then a 'run' will start up with the kid grabbing the perfume and heading for the doorway. Both kids made it away, and were simply faster than the detectives.
3. Across the way from Karstadt is the Douglas perfume shop. Same case there, detectives around and cameras.
All of this snatch and go stuff has simply bulked up the cost for products in these stores. You have to pay for detectives, cameras, and add in the cost of appearing in court later.
Why the necessity for shoplifting to this extent? Well....the government is only giving you as an asylum-seeker....Hartz-IV level 'cash'. Unless you prove some type of talent or skillcraft, you can forget about any kind of job leading to a better lifestyle. Lets be fair and admit this....Germany isn't exactly the cheapest place around to handle grocery shopping or enjoying a great lifestyle.
So all of this nickel-and-dime shoplifting....marginally putting 50 Euro in the hands of these teen or twenties shoplifters per week? Yeah.
Identified in court? Prosecutors and judges don't really want to handle these because there's no substantial amount of stolen property (a 40-Euro perfume bottle?). You put the guy's name down, and note this for the records. Two years down the line, you notice that the guy has been detained five times, and no one seems to really care....they just release the guy for another opportunity.
Eventually, I think that the electronic shops will put everything behind a wall, and if you want to purchase something.....you pay before they put the item into your hands. That might also happen with perfume.
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