Consumer responsibility refers to individuals taking own responsibility for the goods they buy and how they consume them (consumption behaviour). It is deliberate and conscious choice that consumers make based on their moral and personal beliefs on the goods they buy. Shoplifting can be defined as theft of goods by shoppers in places of shopping. It involves picking items from retail stores and leaving without paying for them. Shoplifting can also include swapping of price tags of different items or eating food/ snacks in the outlets and then not paying for them. According to the National Association of Shoplifting Prevention, about 550,000 cases of shoplifting are reported everyday in the United States. It further indicates that more than 13 billion dollar products are shoplifted every year.
How does shoplifting affect a company? Consumer perspective
One of the ways that shoplifting affects consumers is that when goods are lost this way, consumers will not have goods when they need them. The consumers alternatively could end up being forced to buy goods they did not intend to buy as replacements of the goods shoplifted. The consumers also end up paying for the goods shoplifted ( Ifezue & Ama, 2013). That is, these costs are passed on to them.
Consumers also have to bear with extra security checks which ends up embarrassing them at times. This also brings inconveniencies to them as more time is spent during the checks. Due to prevalence in shoplifting, employees may experience pressure from their bosses to curb it. They in turn pass these frustrations to the consumers who are innocent so the consumers end up experiencing low quality customer service and dissatisfaction (Ifezue & Ama, 2013).
How does shoplifting affect a company? Corporate perspective
When goods are lost, it affects a company in that it may not be able to offer a product when it is needed by a consumer. This damages a company's reputation in that it will be associated with lack of goods and customers may shun it altogether. The company due to such losses is forced to put preventive measures like installing extra cameras or security alarms which ends up into its revenue and thus lower profits (Gill, 1994). The reduction in profits may make the company adjust prices upwards in order to recoup investments and this too may make it be shunned by consumers due to the escalating costs.
Shoplifting also divides employees attention. They will be more concerned in monitoring theft of goods rather than laying focus on meeting customers' needs. This may make customer no to get proper information when they enquire on a product and they may end up buying the wrong product. This often leads to customer dissatisfaction and they may shift to other outlets which results in dipping of profits. Shoplifting also kills employees morale which decreases productivity and work commitment.
Shoplifting can also be brought about by company's employees. This makes a company to terminate contracts of employees involved. Profits that would have gone to other areas to benefit the company in other areas is instead channeled to new employee recruitments to replace fired ones (Gill, 1994). This reduces the productivity in a company since the new employees need time to learn the ropes of the work.
References
N. Ifezue, A., & O. Ama, N. (2013). Consumers’ Attitudes toward Shoplifting and Shoplifting Preventive Devices in Botswana (1st ed.). Retrieved from http://www.onlineresearchjournals.org/JSS
Gill, M. L. (1994). Crime at work: Vol. 1. Leicester: Perpetuity Press.
