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`Chori Chori Chupke Chupke'
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Shoplifting is a new disease that is rampant in the city. RENUKA VIJAY KUMAR discovers
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PHOTO: MOHAMMED YOUSUF
SOMEONE'S WATCHING Most malls monitor the movements of their customers closely
A little trinket missing here, a hair accessory missing there and even the tags missing from clothes elsewhere. It may not seem like a big deal to you, but to malls, shops and supermarkets in the city it hurts the bottomline. It has a name as well- and it's called pilfering.
There are about 15-30 every month in some malls, and many more that go undetected. This shows that pilfering is widespread in the city and while the percentage of losses does not exceed the 0.25 per cent set aside for such cases, there are places in the city that have crossed the alarming 0.5 per cent mark of the turnover.
People pick up items like clothes, necklaces or accessories that can be worn to smaller items that cannot be tagged.. A spokesperson for Hyderabad Central says that pilfering does occur in malls but is contained to a large extent due to a strong security system. "Most cases happen over the weekends when there is a large number of foot-falls. . The shoplifters are usually first timers or people from other parts of the state who are not aware of the high-tech security system we have." And what's on the petty thief's agenda? "Belts, purses and other small items that they can wear or carry off on them," he adds.
But the petty thief profile is not a first time mall shopper or a person from an economically backward region. The profile includes college students, housewives, software professionals, children from well-to- do families and even doctors. It's people from upper middle class or affluent backgrounds who indulge in most cases of impulsive shoplifting or kleptomania
Naveen Bhavani, store manager of Lifestyle says, "We have about 108 staff on the floors of the mall and many security personnel in mufti to keep a watch. The 48 CCTVs are also there to keep an eye. But the excuses people come up with when they are caught are varied. One person blames his child while another says he was just walking out to show his friends how he looks in some clothes. Whatever the situation, these are sensitive issues and need to be dealt with tactfully."
Sharing databases
Some malls have formed an unwritten agreement that allows them to share their information and resources. As Naveen explains, "One time we caught a man who had also stolen from another mall. So we called the mall and told them of the situation. We also share our database since people may be stealing from many places. In such cases, we explain to them that they have not done anything wrong and let them go after they have bought what they have tried to damage or steal." Assistant manager Jagannath Rao adds, "Sometimes people decide to pinch things as a complimentary gift. They feel that since they have already spent so much in the store, they are entitled to not pay for an item of two." Even bookstores are not spared. Walden was subject to a large number of such cases, but these are now under control after a prominent school was asked to keep a tab on its students. Amar, the manager says, "Stationery items are the easiest things to shoplift. We have placed 50 people on the floor to keep an eye out for any pilfering." To prevent further losses, the shop is the process of putting sensor tags on all its products. Kleptomaniacs are shoplifters who are financially well placed but need to cater to an inexplicable whim or an impulse. It's only when they are caught do they realise what they have done. But their crazy whims and fancies is giving Hyderabad a bad name- the tag of being one of the most problematic cities to retail from. Do we really want that?
Don't be labelled a thief
The sensors in malls can get triggered by many things, not just if you are shoplifting.
There have been cases when people have walked through the sensitive security posts and have set it beeping.
The pace at which a person walks through these posts can be a factor as well. Don't get alarmed. It's not embarrassing either - it happens all the time. Just co-operate.
Tips to avoid being mistaken as a shoplifter:
* Don't hurry the cashier- he may mistakenly forget to deactivate a tag that may set off alarms.
* Imported clothes and shoes have a strong magnetic field that often trigger off the sensors in Indian malls.
Let the store help you by deactivating or removing these tags
* Don't carry large bags with you inside the malls.
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