Inflation in recent years has forced Quebecers to steal more everyday products. Hats, toys, toothpaste… more than $1.8 billion worth of goods were stolen from stores in 2023, a 15% increase.
• Also read: Shoplifting: $1.8 billion worth of goods stolen in Quebec in 2023
“In view of inflation and the interest rate crisis, people are stealing more and more basic products such as food or warm clothing,” observes Damien Silès from the Conseil québécois du Commerce de Retail (CQCD).
The major chain lobby he heads just released shoplifting figures for 2023: an average of $50,000 per store in Quebec.
The data comes from a survey conducted by AppEco of 12 retailers, all members of the CQCD, representing a combined 9,000 jobs and 1.5 million square feet of retail space.
On the ground floor, rather than in the mall, police have opened twice as many shoplifting cases in the past two years. The SQ provided the 2023 data to the Journal on Wednesday.
“We agree, these are rare files. If we rob someone with something worth $5 in their pocket, we ask them to come out, we don't call the police,” said store owner Dominique Bélanger.
When customers enter his RONA hardware store on Masson Street in Montreal, they are greeted five times within two minutes. “We are on a human scale. High-quality service is also the best way to prevent theft,” he says after a career of more than 30 years.
The RONA on Masson Street in Montreal is “human-sized,” describes its owner Dominique Bélanger. Customers are greeted “Hello” by clerks at regular intervals. Photo Julien Mcevoy
Hats, socks, mittens, boots
Shoplifting has always happened, says the man whose father did the same job. His RONA loses tens of thousands of dollars in goods every year.
We also know the song at Latulippe, an established outdoor store in Quebec. Losses related to theft are similar to those of RONA.
Hats, wool socks, mittens, boots: the theft of important winter products is increasing significantly, especially in the branch on Saint-Vallier Street, says its president François Latulippe.
“Sometimes we find an old pair of boots in a new box,” explains this other father-son dealer. All of this has to do with the rising cost of living, he says, thinking about the line he often sees at the grocery store in his neighborhood.
- Listen to the interview with Damien Silès, Director General of the Quebec Retail Council, on the microphone by Alexandre Dubé via
QUB radio
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But the entrepreneur does not want to “portray himself as a victim” but instead adopts an attitude that he describes as “benevolent”. He states that he works with several neighborhood organizations, particularly donating items to the most disadvantaged people.
Giants like Canadian Tire and Home Hardware, two members of the CQCD, are even more affected by the phenomenon than Dominique Bélanger or François Latulippe.
Thieves can more easily move through the aisles of their megastores without being detected. Your goods are also worth more.
If the local RONA doesn't sell table saws or generators and is better protected by their good service, that doesn't stop them from targeting thieves.
In 2022, Dominique Bélanger's drills, grinders and grinders will be on display. He noticed that the tools had been deliberately stolen.
The tools have been sitting in locked displays at the RONA store on Masson Street in Montreal for more than a year. The owner was dealing with numerous thefts of drills and grinders, so he adapted. Photo provided by Dominique Bélanger
More violent than before
There is also more violence in Quebec, particularly in Montreal, according to the 12 retailers surveyed by the CQCD.
“We haven’t seen that before. Robberies and assaults are more common. This is not without consequences for the employees,” says Damien Silès.
For this reason, François Latulippe asks his employees not to put themselves in unnecessary danger. “You never know if a knife or a gun is going to come out,” he said.
Toys under high security
The Benjo toy store, Monday, March 25, 2013, in Quebec. SIMON CLARK/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC/AGENCE QMI Archive photo, Simon Clark
The Benjo toy store, a downtown Quebec institution, just installed new surveillance cameras to prevent shoplifting. Stuffed animals and LEGO boxes are particularly popular with thieves.
Tools under glass cover
Photo provided by Dominique Bélanger
The tools have been sitting in locked displays at the RONA store on Masson Street in Montreal for more than a year. The owner was dealing with numerous thefts of drills and grinders, so he adapted.
Shoplifting in numbers
Number of files opened by SQ
- 2021: 1478
- 2022: 1902
- 2023: 2640
A year full of flights
- $1.8 billion of goods stolen in Quebec in 2023
- 15% Increase compared to 2022
- $50,000 after business
- 12 retailers responded to the survey
- They represent 9000 jobs And 1,500,000 square meters the sales area
Source: AppEco study commissioned by the CQCD
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