Current Affairs Czechs top the list of Europe’s biggest shoplifters
Shoplifting is a serious problem in the Czech Republic. Last year, almost ten billion crowns worth of goods was stolen from shops across the country. Despite a slight drop from the previous year, shoplifting together with thefts by shop employees accounted for nearly 1.4 percent of total retail sales, making Czechs Europe’s biggest shoplifters.
“Czechs don’t steal here” read the signs some Austrian and German
shopkeepers put up after Czechoslovakia’s borders opened following the
fall of communism. Nineteen years later, it seems that the same signs might
be useful in shops and supermarkets across the Czech Republic. A study by
the British Centre for Retail Research revealed that Czechs top the list of
Europe’s biggest shoplifters.
The research compared the value of stolen goods in proportion to total retail sales in 22 European countries. The Czechs placed first, with almost 10 billion crowns, or nearly 480 million US dollars, worth of stolen merchandise. That accounted for 1.38 percent of total retail sales last year. It was some 0.3 percent less than the previous year, but still enough to defend the country’s top position, ahead of runner-up Hungary and France in third place.
Petr Chadraba is a communication manager for Ahold, the Dutch-based owner of one of the largest supermarket chains in the Czech Republic. I asked him what kinds of goods are most popular with shoplifters.
“Every year, goods to the value of millions of Czech crowns are stolen from our stores. Shoplifters most often steal confectionery, alcohol, electronic appliances, cosmetics and clothing. The number of thefts usually rises before Christmas and Easter; during these periods we also register organized groups of thieves.”
The fact that Czech shoplifters are busiest during the times leading up to the two most significant Christian holidays of the year might be part of the explanation why Czechs steal more than most, if not all, other Europeans. Religion with its moral code of conduct was suppressed during the communist era, and never made a comeback. After 1989, the society, corrupted by the unethical practices of the totalitarian regime, embraced consumerism. With all this combined, many people just give in to the temptation to get things without fear of moral repercussions.
Experts agree that a change of morals in the society will take generations. In the meantime, as Petr Chadraba points out, Czechs have to get used to shops with tightened security and magnetic tags on pretty much everything there is to buy.
“To protect our goods, especially during the risky periods, we put more
emphasis on the protection of the products themselves, for example by means
of magnetic tags, and we also focus on the security of the whole store.”
