Chief Deputy Leif Lunde and Sheriff ’s Deputy Pat Eliasen will speak about shoplifting and employee theft at this month’s Business Networking Luncheon Jan. 29 at 11:30 a.m. at the Higher Education campus in Grand Marais.
Eliasen and Lunde are running for Cook County sheriff this fall. This presentation is a great opportunity to get to know the candidates better as they present their perspectives on how to help prevent/reduce shoplifting and employee theft as well as react to known or suspected theft.
Did you know that more than $13 billion worth of goods are stolen from retailers each year? That’s more than $35 million per day.
Other facts shared by the presenters:
. Approximately 25 percent of shoplifters are kids, 75 percent are adults; 55 percent of adult shoplifters say they started shoplifting in their teens.
. Shoplifters steal from all types of stores including department stores, specialty shops, supermarkets, drug stores, discounters, music stores, convenience stores and thrift shops.
. Many shoplifters buy and steal merchandise in the same visit. Shoplifters commonly steal from $2 to $200 per incident depending upon the type of store and item(s) chosen.
. 89 percent of kids say they know other kids who shoplift; 66 percent say they hang out with those kids.
. Shoplifters say they are caught an average of only once in every 48 times they steal. They are turned over to the police 50 percent of the time.
. Most non-professional shoplifters don’t commit other types of crimes. They’ll never steal an ashtray from your house and will return to you a $20 bill you may have dropped.
. Habitual shoplifters steal an average of 1.6 times per week.
. 37.1 percent of thefts are committed by a manager.
. It takes about two years to detect office fraud.
. On a per-case average, dishonest employees steal 5.5 times the amount stolen by shoplifters ($715.24 vs. $129.12).
. One third of bankruptcies in corporate America are directly caused by employee theft.
February’s Business Networking Luncheon will be a follow-up to the January performance: Shoplifting and Employee Theft Part II, presented by a panel of local business owners/managers to discuss best practices, share ideas, and brainstorm for better communitywide protection.
There is a $15 fee for the catered lunch provided by Harbor House Grille which includes soup and sandwich, pickle and dessert.
Cook County Higher Education’s Business Networking Luncheons are made possible thanks to the support of the Cook County Chamber of Commerce, Sivertson Gallery, Lake Superior Trading Post, and the Grand Marais State Bank.
For more information or to RSVP call (218) 387-3411.
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