Comment on Chocolate kept in anti-theft boxes as retailers warn it's being stolen to order
scholar@lemmy.world 13 hours agoBecause the targets of theft then have to invest in more security while making less money, raising prices for customers.
The shop that bought the item legitimately has to pay the full price of the item from the manufacturer / distributor. They have to sell the item at cost + VAT + a percentage to make money
The thief can sell at whatever price they like because they have no costs and don’t pay VAT on the sale.
The second shop has to sell the item at the new cost + new VAT + a percentage to make money. They save twice, on the cost of the item and the amount of VAT they pay.
The people who lose from this are:
- The legitimate business owners who pay full price and make nothing.
- Legitimate customers who pay increased prices
If the legitimate shop goes out of business then the whole system fails. Your cheap coke is being subsidised by honest customers.
tetris11@feddit.uk 12 hours ago
The thieves aren’t taking all their warehouse stock and leaving the sales people on their knees tearing their shirts and cursing the sky.
We’re talking 1-2% maximum shrinkage from theft. In the 90s where theft was rampant, such losses were part of doing business, they just soaked it up.
I can believe them upping their security somewhat might incur some cost, but not to the degree of price inflation that we’re seeing
scholar@lemmy.world 12 hours ago
Most of the price inflation is because of global supply factors, such as war and climate change driving up the cost of wheat and cocoa, for example.
Shop attendants are absolutely affected as the number of violent and abusive confrontations was estimated around 1300 per day in 2024.