A THIEF has been charged after he stole goods worth $585 at a Walmart store.
Cops said Charles Martin made a “small purchase” at the self-checkout machine before carrying out his shoplifting spree.
Police said that the incident unfolded in February last year at a supercenter in Midland City, Michigan, per The Midland Daily News.
Martin, 53, was seen at the self-checkout kiosk before taking empty bags and putting items in them.
Staffers requested Martin to show his receipt as he tried to leave the store.
Martin then swore at the employees before fleeing the scene, per cops.
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He has been sentenced to 10 months in prison with 240 days credit after he was charged with six counts of retail fraud. He pleaded no contest to the charges.
Martin has also been sentenced to five years of intense probation.
Prosecutor J. Dee Brooks told the court: “This is his last chance to avoid prison.”
Organized retail crime has become an issue for retailers across the US.
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Mark Mathews, the vice president for research development and industry analysis at the National Retail Federation, described organized retail crime as a “burgeoning threat.”
He warned: “These highly sophisticated criminal rings jeopardize employee and customer safety and disrupt store operations.”
The NRF has revealed that shrinkage costs retailers $94billion.
Walmart CEO Doug McMillon is among the retail execs who have warned about the risks of theft.
He told CNBC Squawk Box in December last year that theft was “higher than what it has historically been.”
McMillon feared that theft, if not combatted, could cause shops to close and price hikes on customers.
In November 2022, Michael Fiddelke, the chief financial officer at Target, warned that theft had an impact on the popular retailer’s profits.
The scourge of shoplifting has led to retailers introducing measures that have divided opinions.
Jeff Gennette, the CEO of Macy’s, revealed that the chain is using radio frequency ID tags to track its inventory.
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The company is also hiring more security personnel for stores and securing high-end brands with locked cables and censors.
Chains such as Walmart have resorted to protecting goods in spider wrap, and have installed signage warning customers about the impact of theft.
