On Theft

Let’s hone in on a basic benchmark truth that most of us all would be comfortable agreeing with.

Theft and stealing of any kind is bad.

Of course, one could dive much deeper and discuss and outline what it means for it to be “bad” and what the consequences should be if one were to engage in such behavior, however, we don’t feel it is the proper venue for us to do so, but we think it is worth personally pondering or even uncomfortably bringing it up at the family dinner table or with your friends.

Thinking is good.

But back to theft.

There has been an alarmingly high amount of discussion regarding theft occurring in the United States and globally, particularly in brick and mortar stores, however, we don’t want to in any way, shape or form diminish the negative impacts of bad actors within the cybersphere as well.

However, this article is rooted in retail theft.

Heck, one of the world’s largest and most prominent, relied upon retailers in the world, Bentonville, Arkansas-based Walmart, has laid out its plans of departing Portland, Oregon due to heightened rates of shoplifting.

While, for valid reasons and potentially unsensible ones, major corporations and businesses such as Walmart (among many, many others) tend to get a bad wrap for being big, bad, greedy corporations.

Irrespective of one’s views on the matter, one thing is for certain and that is companies such as Walmart, Dollar Tree and many, many others serve immensely important roles in the communities in which they operate.

Offering a broad assortment of essential everyday goods at relatively low prices (and in communities seldom served, in many instances, might we add) is a vital role that these companies fill, not to also mention the jobs they bring.

We’re not alleging that we are corporatists, but facts ultimately are just facts.

At any rate, we liken the core concept of theft to the butterfly effect.

If one person steals from their local convenience store, even if they deem it to be an insignificant cost the store owner can afford to eat, the implications and consequences that follow are all too real.

Let’s continue down this chain of thought for a moment.

Someone steals a candy bar and briskly walks out of the store so as to not get caught.

Upon performing an inventory check and matching it with the sales for that particular product, the store owner finds that there is a discrepancy.

As many companies have done in the past, they will opt to raise prices on that particular candy bar, making it more expensive than it already is after being initially marked up by the candy company and the owner of the convenience store.

In this simple example, it is clear how one “insignificant” instance of thievery can negatively impact everyone else.

Now consider this with essentials such as toilet paper, toothpaste, foods and a host of other products and consumables needed daily being treated the same way, pocketed by bad actors.

Theft is not only wrong, but impactful and frankly hurtful.

It’s fairly frightening how normalized theft is becoming and how unsurprising it is among the masses at this point.

What is equally as frightening is the seemingly lackadaisical attitude the relevant law enforcement entities and others are taking when theft occurs.

While we acknowledge there are a lot of moving parts and a lot of opinionated branches we could stem off of at this juncture, we will certainly opt to stay in our lane on this one.

A Final Note on Theft

This article isn’t like our others.

While we enjoy writing articles about stocks and the market(s) in general, the consequences of theft have been on our minds lately and it is truly a shame to see how people are hurt by the acts of thieves.

At the end of the day, theft is a short-term gain for one person but a long-term setback and pain for those who choose to abide by the law.

Theft (or as it is commonly referred to in the retail sector as “shrink”) is just plainly out of control and consumers, companies, law enforcement agencies and government officials need to put their heads together and focus on tackling this issue once and for all.

DISCLAIMER: This analysis of the aforementioned stock security is in no way to be construed, understood, or seen as formal, professional, or any other form of investment advice. We are simply expressing our opinions regarding a publicly traded entity.