'Sneaking fruit in handbag, wearing new shoes & leaving old pair in store': Vendors reveal lengths they go to to curb theft

Shoplifting and general theft are a major problem in Kenya, affecting both wholesale and retail stores.

Supermarkets, M-Pesa, retail, grocery, second-hand clothing shops, and boutiques have all been affected.

From snacks to perfume, and cooking oil, supermarkets have borne the brunt of shoplifting, with some making losses to the point of closing shop.

The culprits are some times as young as eight years - some looking for their next meal, while others simply engaging in the vice because they can.

Wananchi Reporting visited several shops to find out about the shoplifting menace and the store manager, who chose to remain anonymous, said it is most rampant during the weekend, when students have free time.

"Many times, they operate in groups. Snacks are the major items they frequently steal. It happens mostly with kids from humble backgrounds or low income households," she said.

However, adults have been found to engage in theft of much more costlier items, from perfumes to cooking oil.

“There is a case in a supermarket I was working for, where two adults entered the supermarket and picked the same item that was relatively expensive, one of them paid for it and left. It was around the back to school period so cashiers were busy. We did not understand how the other person who was in the store, got the receipt from the one who paid and left the store without paying for the item," she said.  The worker said when the security asked the culprit if he had paid for the items, he boldly said yes.

"The security guard did not buy the story and alerted the management and the payment time did not add up,” a supermarket manager reported. 

In another instance, a second-hand clothes vendor recounted his experiences with theft.

"We have CCTV to monitor the store but the fitting rooms do not have the cameras. That is where dishonest customers put on several pairs of clothes inside their original outfit then leave," he said.

The vendor said he finds himself in a Catch-22 situation because CCTV cameras cannot be installed in fitting rooms because of intrusion of privacy.

In Gikomba market, the situation is no different, hawkers tell of how theft occurs as large bales of clothes are spread for customers to go through, but in the process, some items get stolen.

"It is hard to monitor everyone because it is a busy place," on hawker said.

Another vegetable vendor said the situation was no different in her case.

“ Mtu akichagua viungo vya kupika haswa masaa ya jioni, wateja wakiwa wengi, anachukua vingi na vingine wanaeka kwa mkoba. Ni hasara kubwa kwetu kwa hii biashara yangu ndogo (During rush hour, some customers pick more than they pay for and put the extra vegetables and fruits in their bags because it's hard to monitor everyone buying items),” she said. 

Traders have had to come up with different tactics to minimize the rate of shoplifting even though they cannot stop it completely.

Supermarkets have installed CCTV cameras throughout their stores, in addition to having workers stationed across the shop to monitor what customers are doing.

There are also automatic sensors at the exit door which make loud sounds should one try to exit with an item that has not been paid for.

However, as with any technology, these sometimes fail to detect unpaid for items, or in worst case scenarios, go off on customers who have actually paid for purchases.

Traders say culprits found to have stolen items are not only made to pay for the item, but also told to pay a fine on top, failing which, the police are involved.

In the case of minors, their parents are involved. 

Some second hand clothes stores have also come up with ways to minimize these actions by following in the footsteps of what their new clothes store counterparts do -  customers are given tags listing the number of clothes they getting into the fitting room with and they provide the same while leaving the fitting room as the attendants count the number of clothes returned.

When it comes to shoes, some stores have taken to only displaying one shoe leaving the other pair in storage.

One vendor said he has had instances where thieves put on the new pair of shoes and leave theirs before quickly exiting.

Supermarkets and large retail stores also chain or lock their items on the shelves due to increase in the number of thefts. Items from cooking oil, to lipstick and even baby formula have locks that are only removed when the item is taken to the counter and paid for.