NRPLUS MEMBER ARTICLE {A} mid the news coverage of unchecked crime in our cities, there is a missing story: the immense damage this lawlessness does to everyday consumers.
We’ve all seen the videos of wiped-out store shelves in places such as San Francisco, which is but one example of how retail-theft rings steal billions from retailers for resale through their own channels, including online and in foreign countries. But it isn’t just empty shelves that hurt; it’s the way that the lawlessness is driving up prices, shutting stores, putting families at risk, and making lives worse for regular people who are dealing with enough already.
Rogue prosecutors are full-scale enablers of this mess. California has relaxed criminal penalties for theft of retail goods. Prosecutors in places such as Los Angeles and San Francisco go further still and release suspects via cashless bail or refuse to press charges at all. And the problem isn’t confined to liberal states. Consider how other progressive lawmen, such as Dallas County’s John Creuzot, have stopped prosecuting shoplifting altogether.
It is families and consumers who are getting quietly hit by the fallout from the mess that these rogue prosecutors and their allies have wrought.
For starters, the crime wave sparked by these prosecutors has led to stores closing, which is horrible for consumers. In September, Target announced a wave of store closures, citing theft and organized retail crime. As more stores close like this, it becomes harder for families to shop for what they need or rely on things being available when they need them.
Most of us take for granted the ability to find what we need, when we need it, where we live. But it isn’t far-fetched to believe that many of these lawless jurisdictions will soon feel like retail deserts, where consumers in at least some neighborhoods will have no reliable in-person options for things such as diapers, baby formula, and other common household items that families rely on.
Theft is also driving up prices while consumers battle inflation. Someone has to pay for the goods that go missing, and that is going to be the people who actually pay for things at the register, otherwise known as everyday consumers.
But the pain for consumers goes well beyond retail deserts and higher prices to include literally being at risk of being poisoned by spoiled or expired products.
The retail-theft rings that capitalize on the left-wing approach to prosecution resell what they steal. They haul heaps of things from stores and then turn around and get the products back on the market through various channels, including online auction sites, flea markets, and third-party sellers operating on major e-commerce marketplaces such as Amazon.
“Fences,” middlemen who traffic in stolen products, bring the goods to market. And here is where things get dangerous for consumers. You see, fences aren’t exactly following standard commercial operating procedure as they traffic in stolen merchandise. Fences run schemes out of garages, storage units, and other side channels. Beyond just mishandling things, they also alter expiration dates so stolen inventory holds its value.
Mishandling and manipulating products helps the retail-theft rings, but it can be a nightmare for the consumers who unwittingly buy these products from an e-commerce marketplace through a third-party seller.
Newborns and patients managing chronic conditions are particularly vulnerable.
Baby formula is a common target for retail crime syndicates because it is pricey, easy to conceal, and relatively simple to transport (formula accounts for as much as 13 percent of all stolen items from stores). But quality control is absolutely essential for infant formula. The CDC directs parents to store formula indoors, in a cool, dry space; “use by” dates are hard and fast; and comingling formula with other substances can be deadly.
The story is similar with over-the-counter medications, which are also a common theft-ring target. Altered expiration dates make an unsettling prospect for patients who rely on a daily dose of common drugs.
To protect consumers, it is high time that policy-makers start working around left-wing prosecutors. Federal legislation adopted last year authorizes state attorneys general to file civil claims against online marketplaces that fail to appropriately monitor and flag high-volume third-party sellers.
But there is more that can be done. Empowering governors and attorneys general to depose worthless prosecutors, or step in and bring a full array of charges in their stead, would be a huge win for consumers. Some will say that is extreme. But it is well and truly time for someone to come in and protect consumers from the lawlessness these faithless prosecutors and their allies have wrought.