Quoted By:
In a just world, there would be no crime against shoplifting. It's a well known fact that shoplifting is a crime because of the efforts of large corporate retailers like Wal-mart and Target. Shoplifting laws have unjustly filled the community jails of America with millions of college-age kids who otherwise have no criminal record. Shoplifting laws stigmatize the countless Americans who engage in non-violent behavior. Arrest and prosecution of shoplifters costs Americans countless millions of dollars, maybe billions of dollars every year, costs that retailers pass onto the rest of us. (In contrast, shoplifters re-sell a lot of what they...ummm..,take, often at a discount).
Shoplifting laws are extremely archaic. What's next, charge people for downloading music for free? Hey, it's the 21st Century, dawg!!