From The Bergen Record - February 2, 2002
DRIVEN TO STEAL
For chronic shoplifters, the merchandise is rarely the point
When Winona Ryder was arrested in December for allegedly shoplifting $4,760 worth of hair ornaments, handbags, and dresses from the Beverly Hills Saks Fifth Avenue, many asked the same question:
Why?
Why would Ryder, a movie star who commands $6 million per picture and lives
in a $3 million home, put herself in such a mortifying, legally uncomfortable,
position? On Friday, authorities charged her with four felony counts of theft,
burglary, vandalism, and possession of a controlled substance in connection
with the incident at Saks.
If Ryder was trying to steal the merchandise, national experts speculate that she may have done it for the same reason that many shoplifters do: They think it's worth the risk at the time.
''They do not consider themselves criminals:' says Peter Berlin, director of the Jericho, N.Y.-based Shoplifters Alternative. The 24-year-old non-profit organization has treated more than 300,000 court-referred shoplifters across the country. Court records show that 98 percent do not shoplift again - at least not in the same community - after completing the comprehensive educational program.
"Shoplifters just have this one little secret, this quirk," says Berlin. "And depression is the single biggest psychological factor [in shoplifting]- Each shoplifter has her own meshugas [craziness]."
Berlin says that an inability to articulate complicated feelings drives some shoplifters. They are not driven by greed, immorality, or survival.
Shoplifters are acutely aware of what they're doing and can stop it. They revert to the behavior when life gets hard or painful again. It's rarely about the cost, rather the act and what it represents. Most shoplifters steal within their means and can afford to pay for what they steal.
Berlin says shoplifters often feel entitled. "Their attitude is, 'Once I see it and I want it, it's not the store's anymore. It’s mine. And I will not leave here without that thing.'"
According to experts, most shoplifters - who often begin shoplifting as teens - are white, middle-age, and middle or upper class. There also is no gender gap when it comes to shoplifting - the numbers are similar for men and women.
Veronica, a 45-year-old Bergen County housewife and mother, began shoplifting at age 6, when she stole a doll. Born to a poor family, Veronica felt deprived without toys or new clothes. Classmates taunted her for looking tacky. By high school, fitting in meant wearing what the cool girls wore: drugstore makeup and designer jeans. And the only way to get those things was to steal them.
"I had no choice," says Veronica, who requested that her real name not be used. "The peer pressure made me feel I had to have exactly the right measurements, face, and clothes."
"Shoplifting is a symbolic communication," explains West Orange psychoanalyst Patricia Bratt, who counsels affluent shoplifters.
"It's a way of saying, 'I get something for nothing, and I take what I don't need. Look at me. I need help.' "
Bratt adds that such shoplifters are often in a state of anxiety and ambivalence. That flurry of mental activity says: "I don't know who I am, but I do know I'm entitled, rebellious, special, daring, skillful, vengeful, sad, helpless, mad, hurting, and insecure."
These feelings build up because the shoplifters haven't learned to cope with them. Even getting caught releases these pent-up emotions, Bratt says, so in some ways a shoplifter believes he or she has nothing to lose.
Leo, 47, is a New York City computer consultant and recovering shoplifter. When his estranged father died in 1994, Leo went into a tailspin, becoming a “booster," or one who shoplifts to "boost" his mood.
"Nobody in their right mind would conceive of doing something so completely self-destructive [as shoplifting]," says Leo, who heads the New York City Shoplifters Anonymous. "But ifs a habit you don't plan, like cigarettes, it takes a tremendous amount of effort to figure it out."
It took Leo five arrests. Though he was "as lost as Alice in Wonderland" he admits that shoplifting made him feel euphoric.
"And it's so easy! Food, clothing, books, CDs. It's all around you. The
opportunity's always there. That's what makes it so hard to stop. The trouble
is, you get out of control."
Shoplifters Alternative statistics show that shoplifters steal about 50 times
before getting caught.
Shoplifters view what they do as a victimless crime because a store isn't a person.
As Veronica says, "I was never hurting the store. They're making all the money. I don't believe them when they say the markup is because of shoplifters. They're just greedy."
"In their eyes it's victimless in terms of who loses the item," says
Bratt. "But there is a victim. It's not an attack against a person except
yourself. Individually, you are the real victim."
New Jersey has always been tough on shoplifters. In the past, shoplifters could
face stiff fines and probation. Recently, the laws became even tougher. Basically,
the dollar amount ($200 or more) of the theft and any prior shoplifting convictions
determine your fate. You could be indicted, convicted, and face jail time for
shoplifting, say, a really nice bathing suit.
Which is what Veronica stole seven months ago, when she was arrested for the third time in 20 years. As the self-proclaimed "brilliant shoplifter" tucked the $140 maillot and coverup in her purse, she noticed a saleswoman watching.
"I was totally out of it that day," she recalls. "I was PMS-ing and feeling low. I almost didn't care whether she saw me or not. And that stupid bathing suit was outrageously expensive!"
As she walked out, Veronica heard a man say, "Ma'am?" It was a security
guard.
This would be Veronica's third court appearance. Previously, she had never faced
any harsher punishment than $1,000 fines, which her husband paid. She was also
ordered each time to do 10 days of community service
But this judge was different, and he had new laws to work with.
"He looked at me: a nice, comfortable, white, suburban woman. He said, 'You've been lucky so far, but this is it. Next time, you're going straight to jail.' "
Veronica had been seeing a therapist for years, but she could never bring herself to admit her shoplifting " problem.”
"My therapist knew I was depressed, but I was too ashamed to tell him the truth as to why," says Veronica. "It would be easier to be an alcoholic than a shoplifter. At least with alcohol, people understand you have a disease. With this, what are you going to say?"
When the judge fined Veronica and issued his warning, she was terrified. Only
her husband knew about her shoplifting. 11 she "went away" for a month
or longer, her two teenagers would surely learn the truth. Through the Internet,
Veronica found Leo's group. She's been attending weekly meetings since, and
credits the group with changing her life.
"I'm not a bad person," Veronica says. "I have a bad problem.
The trouble is that it's not out in the open. Nobody talks about it. Nobody
realizes what a white-collar epidemic it is."
Retailers do, though.
Richard Santoro, director of Public Affairs for the New Jersey Retail Merchants Association, says that all 3,500 of his members want and need protection from "shrinkage." Santoro says shoplifting makes up 35 percent of that shrinkage; employee theft accounts for 44 percent.
According to Shoplifters Alternative, 30 million shoplifters - one in 11 people - steal more than $25 million worth of merchandise daily. The average theft in department stores is $150; in supermarkets it's $25."Shoplifting hurts everyone," Santoro says. "Unfortunately, the price of theft is rolled back to the customer. The stores can't eat it. Competition is high, and profit margins are very tight.
"We don't care why shoplifters shoplift. We care how they do it. What's [the stores'] incentive to care, really? People are surrounded by temptations every day. Either they know stealing's not the right thing to do or they're scared of the punishment - or not."
"That's a punitive mentality, not a rehabilitative mentality," says Berlin. "We're not trying to give anybody a break. We're just trying to fix the problem, and that takes time. These are basically decent people, most of whom can be rehabilitated."