More people leaving shops without paying amid cost-of-living crisis
More people leaving shops without paying amid cost-of-living crisis
Posted on 1 Sep 2022
This covers the type of theft where on the spot payment is expected. It can include leaving a restaurant without paying the bill, putting fuel into a car and driving away, jumping out of a taxi without paying, or failing to scan items in a shopping basket through a self-service till.
It could also involve using a credit card to buy goods without the authority to use that card, depending on whether the card company honours the payment. The increase in this type of offending is partly due to shops reopening after the pandemic - but it also comes as costs are rising at an unprecedented rate.
These rising figures coupled with the cost-of-living crisis have raised fears that many may turn to this type of offending through desperation. Andrew Goodacre, CEO of the British Independent Retailers Association (Bira), says:
“It is disappointing to see the increases in making off without payment.
"This type of event is damaging to retailers whose margins are already being eroded due to the rising costs of running a business. The increase may reflect shops being open as usual, but I believe there may also be other factors starting to influence this.
"The cost-of-living crisis will invariably influence consumer behaviours and desperate people will do desperate things."
In almost eight out of 10 completed making off without payment investigations last year (78%) no suspect was identified, while only one in 100 cases (1%) resulted in someone being charged or summonsed to appear before a court.