1) Is shoplifting any different to any other kind of theft?
2)Why do people who can afford to buy things shoplift them instead?
In this case Lois couldn't afford the ham so put it in her handbag instead but this later escalated to her shoplifting all sorts of things, and as brian pointed out, she was stealing car parts in a shop that she clearly didn't need. I find it hard to comment on this in a serious way when referring to Family Guy because it doesn't seem wrong at all that Lois is stealing from shops but more comical but I was trying to put myself in her position. I love shopping, maybe a little bit too much and I have an obsession with clothes, shoes and such things. If I haven't been shopping at least twice a week I would probably go a little insane. However, I have never once in my life shoplifted anything, it just never appealed. If I was to go into a shop and see a skirt I like and it was a bit expensive I'd have to ponder over it but never would I consider stealing it because then it just wouldn't feel right. I wouldn't feel excited about having the skirt because I hadn't paid for it and achieved it myself so I do think that shoplifting is wrong but when thinking about the harm it causes it doesnt seem TOO bad. I mean the shops are ripping us off anyway, big department stores that is and if someone is to steal one item such as a top or skirt then it's not like they'll lose anything. But still, I wouldn't have the guts to do it. I think that stealing from a shop such as asda or stealing from a small shop owned by little old mrs brown in the village is different because little old mrs brown would lose profit whereas asda probably wouldn't notice if you took a few sweets out of the pick and mix. Speaking of which when I said I hadn't shoplifted I meant big items but I did used to eat the pick and mix in asda while walking around with my parents. But who doesnt! I don't class that as stealing...its try before you buy :) But seriously, that sort of thing to me isn't stealing because I hardly thnk someone will miss a few smarties or whatever.
Shoplifting in my opinion isn't as bad as stealing from a person, such as taking somones purse because that person can't get it back and has lost it. I think it is really wrong to steal from someone in that way because it affects them so much whereas a shop won't cry over a missing top. I still think it's wrong and shouldn't happen though because we are really fortunate to be living in a country with food and water and health care so to shop lift for no reason seems just greedy. If a homeless person stole food from a shop then I couldnt understand and that isn't really that bad. I personally prefer to pay for everything I have because it gives me that sense of achievement like I've earned what I have. If a person shoplifted all the time every day then I'd be a bit worried because it would probably be an obsession and thats when the person is doing it for psychological reasons rather than for own benefit maybe. Here I found a website who help people with shoplifting addictions NASP and it explains that "about 550,000 incidents per day resulting in more than $10 billion worth of goods being stolen from retailers each year. That is more than $25 million in losses per day. Current estimates are as high as 1 in 11 Americans who shoplift in our nation today." Which makes you think just how bad shoplifting is. When you think of just one person stealing something from a shop it doesnt seem that bad but combined with everyone who is shoplifting everyday adds up to ALOT of stolen things. An exapmple fo someone who shoplifted when they would definitely afford it is Winona Ryder when she stole items from a store in the US. This was probably either for the thrill of it to see if sh could get away with it or could be something more psychological. I think some people who develop an addiction to shoplifting are doing it for many easons such as:
1) To get attention
2) For the thrill of danger
3) To fill aspect of their lives they can't fill with anything else, such as depression
4) Psychological problems that lead to the person feeling they need to control their lives and by shoplifting they feel incontrol
There are many reasons but at first it doesn't grasp you as being THAT BAD but when you start to read figures and facts on how common shoplifting is then thats only when it seems bad in my opnion.
I still wouldn'd shoplift whether I was guarenteed to not get count or whatever, I just don't see the point but even if I couldn't afford anything then I stll don't think it would change, I would just go without because an item of clothing or something to me isn't that important that I would shoplift to get it.
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