GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – It’s something business owner Krista Evrard knew she might deal with from time to time…but never as much as she has over the last few years.
Evrard owns Zulou retail shop along N. Broadway in Green Bay with her sister Betsy Gallagher.
It was a dream of theirs they turned into reality.
But that reality came with much more than what they bargained for.
“It kind of blew our mind when we first opened as to how many dishonest people there are,” Evrard said.
Retail theft has plagued their shop since it opened 3 years ago and it’s gotten worse, with criminals becoming more creative with their approach.
“We had a lady with a coffee cup, like a to-go Starbucks, and she took the top off, dropped a necklace in put the cover back on,” said Evrard.
Or what about this one…
“We had two girls come in and they shopped and took a dress off the rack, laid it on a chair, folded it and rolled it and then she lifted her sweatshirt and put it in the top of her pants.”
The list goes on… and the actions more bold by the minute.
And it’s not just teenagers stealing from them. It’s grown, professional women taking their chances on a five finger discount.
“We’ve had a lady that was almost 30. We’ve had an almost 60 year old,” Evrard explains. “One was a travel agent, one is a nurse.”
The sisters have lost thousands of dollars since opening.
Evrard says she feels violated and it makes her distrust people, even though she doesn’t want to.
“It’s like someone coming into your house and taking something because you paid for it. I don’t think people realize we paid for everything in here and it’s really just stealing outright from people.”
Broadway business owners have taken matters in their own hands by creating a closed Facebook group.
If they see someone come into their store trying to stealing merchandise, they immediately alert neighboring businesses so they don’t fall victim next.
“If anyone has any suspicious activity, any thefts, they post it…they post pictures,” Evrard explains.
Evrard has a message to all would be retail thieves.
“You’re stealing from people. We’re just like everybody else. We’re trying to make a living, we’re trying to get this running.”
According to recent statistics from Green Bay Police Department, retail theft accounted for 37% of all thefts in the city in the first quarter of this year.
See the full interview with ZuLou co-owner Krista Evrard by clicking on the latest episode of Green Bay Crime above.
