Coop Keeps Shoplifters Away With Posters and Prosecution

The Harvard Coop will catch about 1000 shoplifters this year and 15 percent of them will be area college students, James A. Argeros the Coop's general manger, said this week.

Then fall registration season bring increased shoplifting, Argeros said, and students waiting in September's long line may have noticed a new abundance of posters warning them not to steal. The posters depict a young woman in a jail cell and state that the Coop prosecutes shoplifters.

The posters have been up since April said Argeros adding that they "are part of our continuing effort to light shoplifting or shrinkage as we call it in the business."

"About three years ago we noticed that shrinkage had gone up considerably, and that's when we really increased our commitment." Argeros explained.

The Comp follows standard department store practice by using floorwalkers--plainclothes security people--and electronic surveillance to deter shoplifters, Cashiers and other employees who are not specifically responsible for security can receive rewards for catching shoplifters.

Argeros said that the Coop loses about 1.5 percent of its revenue to shoplifte3rs. According to the National Retail Merchants Association that figure is significantly below the national average of about 2.11 percent for department stores.

Books and women's clothing departments experience the greatest revenue loss. "It's common at the end of the day to find two or three old bras in the women's dressing rooms--someone takes off their old one, puts on th4e new one and walks out." Argeros said.

Shopper Reaction

A survey of 20 Coop shoppers revealed that the majority had not noticed the new posters. But some said they thought this new deterrent to shoplifting was a good idea and would be effective.

Most people don't realize what the penalty for shoplifting is, and these posters clearly outline the consequences of the crime," said one Umass student who asked to remain anonymous.

Donnell Patterson, a teacher at Agassiz Elementary School in Cambridge, agreed that the posters would help. "With the huge number of people filing in and out of here every day, the Coop really has to watch closely for shoplifters, "he said, adding. "The posters will at least make a few people stop and think."

Student Reaction

Argeros declined to say how many of the shoplifters caught are Harvard students. "I'll say this throughout all of society6," he said, adding. "One big factor is that the person who drops a 20-cent pen in his pocket and walks out doesn't think he's done anything significant. Multiply that by 1000 and you cut into profits."

Dawn Krasinski, Coop security director, agreed. "There's no such thing as a profile of the typical shoplifter--they come in all shapes and sizes."

But handling shoplifters in an academic community can have its amusing moments. Argeros said he receives a few letters a month from former students whose past crimes have been irritating their consciences. The letters tell stories of textbooks stolen as long as 15 years ago. They also contain checks to cover the merchandise--sometimes with the amount adjusted for inflation.

"One letter I received last year, from a former MIT student, a born-again Christian, was three pages long and included an expansive theological justification for returning the money," Argeros said, adding, "I guess repentance finds many avenues."

And another recent letter was sent anonymously, Argeros said, but the return address on the certified check inside was "Congressional Office Building, Washington, D.C."