CNN Business: Best Buy’s simple strategy for beating shoplifting
UC criminologist John Eck weighs in on the increasing wave of retail crime, specifically shoplifting
According to a CNN feature on the shoplifting crisis now plaquing the nation, electronics are among the most stolen retail items. Yet, the article states that retail chain Best Buy is effectively doing something that most retailers — regardless of the type of merchandise — have not done or cannot afford to do: Increase the number of employees to discourage shoplifting.
Criminologist John Eck, a professor in the University of Cincinnati’s School of Criminal Justice, told the media outlet that Best Buy’s approach is commonsensical: “If you’re being watched, you’re generally more careful. Not too many things in criminology are better understood than that.”
The article points to reductions in staff and technologies that place more of the retail experience on the customer (i.e., self-checkout lanes) as partially to blame because they make storefronts more attractive to criminals.
“The more retailers go toward reducing their labor costs and putting more of the energy on shoppers, the higher the shoplifting,” Eck stated.
Feature photo at top iStock Photo/Михаил Руденко.
Impact Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
The future, decoded. UC scholars reveal what’s next
May 20, 2026
The University of Cincinnati’s NEXT Innovation Scholars presented Gen Z-fueled insights on possible future trends at the Futures Forum 2026. Here’s what they see ahead.
6 ways starting a GLP-1 medication could affect your emotions
May 20, 2026
When patients first start taking a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medication, they probably expect to feel full. But they might not anticipate how it can influence their emotions. The medications act on the stomach and the brain, said Malti Vij, MD, a University of Cincinnati adjunct associate professor in the College of Medicine's Department of Internal Medicine and a diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine.
Donald P. Klekamp College of Law at the University of Cincinnati naming celebration
May 19, 2026
Joy reverberated in the atrium at the Donald P. Klekamp College of Law at the University of Cincinnati on Friday, May 15, 2026. Laughter, smiles, heartfelt speeches and an appearance by the Bearcat made for a special afternoon for the family, friends, University of Cincinnati alumni, students, faculty and leadership who gathered to celebrate the renaming of the college.