Local shops seeing uptick in theft, say store owner and retail council

While many stores are alive with busy holiday shoppers, one business owner says shoplifting has become an increasing problem in recent years.

"In the last year and a half, two years, things have been on the uptick exponentially," said Liz Miller, the owner of Good Fibrations, a fibre arts supply store on Germain Street in uptown Saint John.

"And of course, shop owners talk to each other, so I'm always hearing about who's had what stolen," she said."It's just one more thing that you have to be careful with at this time of year when we're trying to go all out to be welcoming and inviting to the general public."

Miller said it's a balancing act trying to protect the shop's inventory while also maintaining a welcoming demeanour. 

For example, last week Miller said she recruited extra staff and installed convex mirrors so that she could watch hard-to-see places in the store during the annual Uptown Sparkles festival.

And before the event, she said she spoke with three other shop owners in the area about the possibility of not participating in the event because of they were worried about theft. 

While the festival went off without a hitch, Miller said, the increase in shoplifting remains frustrating, particularly because anything that does get stolen isn't covered by her insurance. 

She is especially worried about staff who don't have experience dealing with conflict and could get hurt, she said. 

"We've taken lots of steps, and we make sure there's always two of us in the shop," Miller said. "When there's somebody in the shop, we can no longer say, 'Can I help you?' And then go back to our work. We have to stay out front, present."

Jim Cormier, the Atlantic director for the Retail Council of Canada, said Miller's story isn't a one-off. He said retailers are experiencing the same thing from Vancouver to St. John's.

"It's a really frustrating and growing issue," he said.

"It's in particular since the pandemic, we found that there's just been a different mindset among different customer groups," he said. "They're coming in with impunity, feeling like they can come in and steal whatever they want, whenever they want, and there are no consequences."

In 2023, according to Statistics Canada, police-reported shoplifting increased by 18 per cent from the previous year. 

Police departments are stretched thin and business owners are being told that even if police are able to make an arrest and build a file against someone, they are often being let go because of court backlogs, Cormier said.

"It's a really vicious circle," he said.

Cormier wants government and individuals to understand that theft isn't a victimless crime. He said the council is working with police in Nova Scotia on solutions. And in New Brunswick, he has asked for a meeting with Minister of Public Safety Robert Gauvin and Premier Susan Holt to discuss the problem.

"It is beyond just a niche issue," he said. "It's something that's impacting every community and every part of New Brunswick. So we're hopeful that in 2025, people will finally start to understand that we're not talking about the kids stealing a candy bar — we're talking about huge amounts of organized retail crime, crime with violence, and it needs to stop."