APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The holiday season is one of the busiest times of the year for businesses and an increase in customers can also mean an increase in shoplifting.
“It doesn’t happen here very often, but when it does happen, it is normally this time of the year,” said Jennifer Brown, an optician for Faces Eyewear.
Brown tells FOX 11 the store can get pretty packed during the holidays.
“We have very attentive staff, normally our clientele that comes in here, we can usually kind of tell if there’s somebody we have to keep an eye on.”
She said the most recent shoplifter stole several items of eyewear. She said the value of the items stolen were so high the thief was charged as a felon.
Appleton P-D’s Megan Cash tells FOX 11 the shoplifting increase could be from out of town folks.
“I think it’s just a larger population coming into the city obviously to do their shopping, I think that’s part of it.”
Cash said thieves typically target big ticket items during this time of the year.
“It seems to be any stores you can think of; sometimes stores you wouldn’t think would be a target still manages to have some shoplifting as well.”
Cash said stealing seems to have dropped throughout the years because of online shopping.
Still, police remind store owners to be mindful. They say if something doesn’t feel or look right, it probably isn’t.
