HARRISBURG, Pa. — Amidst a nationwide rise in shoplifting, central Pennsylvania convenience store owners are finding ways to push back.
Raj Tulasi, the co-owner of Market on Market in Harrisburg, says shoplifting has taken a bite out of the finances of both his store and others like him.
"More than $2,000 per month has been lost because of the shoplifting that we have analyzed," Tulasi said. "We also have some food stores inside Strawberry Square, and they also had the same thing. Recently, somebody robbed their tip box."
While Tulasi says other convenience stores have more resources to fight shoplifting, Market on Market has had to get creative this year by placing surveillance monitors right in front of them at the counter, to watch the store at all times.
Tulasi says this effort has worked in reducing shoplifting by 80-90%, according to his estimate.
"There are some spots where it's like a sweet spot for the customers to keep the things in their pockets or bags," Tulasi said. "And we we easily identify them so we can stop them."
Tulasi also keeps photographs of shoplifters on display at the front of the store to keep them away.
He says the shoplifting issue should not have reached this point, but the customers who cross the line make these changes necessary.
"If they have no money, they could have asked us," Tulasi said. "We could have supported them. But shoplifting is not an ethical thing to be considered when it comes to business, and it's a big problem for us."