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Several major chains declined to discuss their efforts to thwart the growing theft in stores by shoppers and employees. But the National Retail Federation says big merchants are spending about $11.5 billion a year to fend off losses. They're trying to improve their technology, such as surveillance methods and tagging of merchandise with security devices. They also are working with competitors and law enforcement agencies more than ever by sharing more information, such as what criminals are taking and how they are targeting individual merchants. Retailers' efforts are important, prevention experts say, because theft not only costs them, but society as a whole. Theft drives up retailers' costs and those are often passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices on everything from blueberries to blouses. "I think one of the things we have to remember is shoplifting is a crime," says Staib, with the prevention group. "Shoplifting is not just an economic issue, it's a social issue." Shop owner Travis Maynard, who has been on both sides of the shoplifting fence, agrees. As a teenager running with a bad crowd, he used to steal regularly -- Visine to cover up his drug use, condiments to finish off his sandwich and even a flowering tree as a gift for his mother. That is, until he got caught stealing a Misfits CD as a teen and decided to turn his life around. Maynard, 31, now watches for shoplifters at Lime Tigard Studio, a shop in Murfreesboro, Tenn., where he sells antiques, vintage clothing and other items. He says he knows the tricks and is on high alert when someone is lingering too long in a certain spot. "For someone to come in and pretend to be a patron of my business and steal, to me it's the most disgusting thing someone could do," Maynard says. "It's one of the highest levels of dishonesty."
[Associated
Press;
Sarah Skidmore reported from Portland, Ore.
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