BOARDMAN Cigarette prices are on the rise, and so is theft

Many retailers are keeping the tobacco out of customer reach.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- As the price goes up, so does the theft rate, particularly when it comes to cigarettes.
Township police said that cigarette theft has noticeably increased since the cost of tobacco has gone up. Last weekend township police made four arrests.
A 36-year-old man and 38-year-old woman were arrested Saturday on allegations that they tried to steal 18 packs of cigarettes from a grocery store. The man reportedly fought with employees who tried to detain him.
Three other individuals were arrested in separate weekend incidents. Police said they tried to steal anywhere from a single pack of cigarettes to a carton. Reports say all four incidents took place at the two township Giant Eagle grocery stores.
Large grocery stores
Terry Kushner, a spokesman for Giant Eagle, said the company leaves individual packs of cigarettes in open display cases for customer convenience. Whole cartons, he said, are kept locked away where employees can get them for customers.
"It all comes down to striving to maintain convenience and ease of accessibility for our customers while limiting inventory loss and shrinkage," he said.
Giant Eagle stores do employ uniformed and plain clothes officers, but police Lt. Don Hawkins said cigarette theft is becoming increasingly common in large stores.
According to Hawkins, thieves like to steal cigarettes from large grocery stores because cigarettes are often left out in the open and the high volume of customers make the thief feel as if he or she is not being watched.
"What seems to be getting hit more often than anything else are our larger grocery stores. The cigarettes are accessible and can be easily sold on the street for cash," he said.
Employees at both the South Avenue and Market Street Sparkle supermarkets say cigarette theft is no longer a problem because the cigarettes have been moved behind the counter. Customers simply ask for whatever brand they want.
Roxanne Schaeffer, Market Street Sparkle manager, said the process has worked well; there have been no complaints.
Gene Bellatto, owner of Plaza Book and Smoke, said he can see where cigarette theft could be a potential problem, but his store has not had any problems. Cigarettes at his store are also kept behind a counter, not accessible to customers.
Hawkins said for smaller stores and places that keep cigarettes out of customer reach, thieves often take a different approach. He said windows have been broken in the middle of the night and thieves run off with as many cigarettes as they can carry -- a method often called "smash and grab."
Financing addictions
Most of those attempting to steal cigarettes, said Hawkins, are not taking them for personal use. Many of them have an addiction to some type of drugs.
"This is one of the biggest arguments against the legalization of illegal drugs," he said. "Arrest on drug charges would drop, but crimes like this would go through the roof in order for people to get money to pay for the drugs."
A carton of cigarettes, which just a few years ago cost $20, now costs about $32. Hawkins said that thieves sell the stolen cigarettes on the street for less than half the retail price.
jgoodwin@vindy.com