Metro Detroit businesses addressing shoplifting
ROYAL, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) — Retailers across the country are taking action against shoplifting, including one small business in Royal Oak.
Julia Manzella is a buyer with Rail and Anchor, an eclectic shop in Royal Oak. She says a few years ago, the small business started noticing declining profits and missing merchandise, and they took action.
"To stop the theft we had to put money back into the store," Manzella said. "So we spent thousands of dollars on a security system."
The store started posting photos and videos of shoplifters on social media, in order to catch the crooks.
"Now we're actually finding the people and they're not coming back," Manzella said. "We're actually taking a stance on it."
Bloomberg reports that retail giant Target is also taking a stand. The publication cited insiders within the company who told them that Target had instructed employees to lower the threshold for confronting shoplifters from $100 to $50.
"Maybe that will help the problem if big companies like Target start taking a stand," Manzella said. "But it will also take a lot of local agencies to start prosecuting repeat offenders."
"I've had a lot of friends have to close their business because of this problem," Manzella told CBS News Detroit. "But we're not some small pot shop and they can't just abuse us. We have to keep the doors open and we have to make a business."
Target has not responded to CBS News Detroit's requests for comment at the time this article was published.