Five Below’s mission reflects an understanding that life is all about having fun and being free. Unfortunately, some shoplifters take that mission as offering free merchandise for the taking.
With the recent uptick in theft across the country, Five Below is hardly left out of the loop.
We’ll tell you about all we could find about Five Below’s shoplifting policy, what it entails, and more. The information is scant, but there are a few things to note and some accounts that provide a bit of information. Other than that, Five Below is just another target for those who don’t think stealing is wrong.
About Five Below’s Shoplifting Policy
On Five Below’s website, they list their privacy policy. In it, they have a brief description of their shoplifting guidelines under “Legal Compliance and Fraud Protection.”
It simply indicates that they prevent fraudulent transactions, monitor theft and protect customers in various ways.
They also mention that they assist with or respond to law enforcement for legal and/or regulatory inquiries. Other than that, there’s not much else they discuss. So, in lieu of this, we contacted their customer care center to see if they would expand on this policy. After three days, they have not replied.
This is probably for the same reasons as most major retailers. Oftentimes, they don’t want to reveal their procedures to combat shoplifting so they don’t tip off would-be thieves and maintain their security effectiveness.
Other Inferences of the Policy
However, in piecing together several personal accounts, media articles, and some captured on videos, we’re able to draw a greater picture.
Unfortunately, these are the only things that provide us a glimpse into Five Below’s shoplifting policy.
From the little that one can find, we know some of their locations have security officers and others do not. One thing is certain, it doesn’t seem as though they have surveillance cameras, although some customers mention how they have seen a few.
But, in those instances, the cameras tend to be more like props in preventing theft rather than actually recording video of the store.
Security Measures & Loss Prevention
But, this depends on the location. Areas, where there are higher occurrences of shoplifting, have more coordinated security systems in place.
It’s clear that the more rural and rarely visited locations do not have as much security. However, for stores that experienced an unmanageable volume of theft, the company shut the doors to that location for good.
It also appears that Five Below is frequently shutting down standalone locations and moving to malls and shopping centers.
These places definitely have their own security guards in place along with cameras, alarms, and other theft-deterrent mechanisms.
Senior Director of Loss Prevention
The indication that Five Below has increased security measures is the announcement made in Loss Prevention Magazine about the hire of their Senior Director of Loss Prevention in October 2014. Gregg Smith is responsible for Five Below’s first loss prevention program for the company.
His experience is vast too, using his BA in criminology prelaw and minor in economics. He’s worked with Donna Karan, The Home Depot, The Children’s Place, and Bloomingdale’s.
This is the extent of what we could officially find about Five Below’s efforts in preventing theft.
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Online Accounts & Media Articles
While information about their shoplifting policy is scant and videos about shoplifting at their stores are minimal, the accounts we can see and read about are quite the drama. Some are comical but many are very sad and heartbreaking.
Employees Confronting Shoplifters
Indeed, an employee account on Glassdoor from 2016 briefly mentions how they attempted to stop a shoplifter from exiting the store with stolen goods.
The thief proceeded to contact corporate headquarters and labeled this employee a racist. Corporate headquarters immediately fired the employee without a second thought and without asking the employee what happened.
In another news report from 2016, one employee attempted to stop two female shoplifters from leaving her Five Below location. She followed the two up the street to which the thieves then ended up pulling out knives.
They stabbed the employee in the neck and back. It’s unclear what happened to the employee and if police ever apprehended the suspects.
Theft Interception by a Security Guard
There’s another video featured with social commentary by The Young Turks about a woman wrestling with a security officer, in which a witnessing customer films the interaction.
In the video, the officer is clearly trying to apprehend the woman and recover the stolen goods. She curses and swears at him, threatening to sue him.
Then, after letting the shoplifter walk freely out the door, she returns to the store to explain why she stole in the first place.
Clearly, not only is the female thief down on her luck, as indicated by the loss of her job, but she’s also not completely in control of all her mental faculties.
An Encounter with an Off-Duty Cop
There’s yet an additional instance from September 2021 of a shoplifter using pepper spray on an off-duty police officer in Pasadena, Maryland. Apparently, the off-duty officer spotted four female shoplifters while passing by the store.
He showed the women his badge and they took off running with the merchandise in tow. In that moment, one of the shoplifters pepper sprayed him.
The manager was able to retrieve one of the bags of stolen goods before they got away.
Five Below’s Losses & Shoplifter Reasoning
You can find a few other minor instances like the ones mentioned above. But, even with their new loss prevention program in place, it’s not deterring as many shoplifters as they’d like.
In fact, Five Below has publicly announced they they’re still experiencing losses in the billions.
There are many reasons why shoplifting is on the rise, especially at places like Five Below. Aside from an increase of relaxed laws in regards to shoplifting and prosecuting attorney’s refusal to press charges in some cities, the public in general seems not to have a proper moral compass.
Rampant Immorality
If you peruse a few discussions on Reddit about people stealing from Five Below, the comments are more impressive than the actual account of admittance. In one confession, a shoplifter displays their remorse and guilt for taking items that didn’t belong to them.
Actually, they were habitual offenders in one particular store. They stole a defunct magic wand and about 100 cans of silly string.
What compounded their guilt was how the employees would tell the shoplifter to “have a nice day.” But, this shoplifter does mention there were no security measures at all; no cameras, security guards or sensor alarms.
A surprising number of people in the comment section tell the poster that there’s no need to feel bad about shoplifting. One person talks about how all kids do it, passing it off as typical underage behavior.
Another said that if that’s the extent of their theft, the shoplifter shouldn’t be sorry for it and then admits to stealing from people, like TVs.
An additional responder said it’s okay to steal from Five Below because they are a million dollar company.
Conclusion
Five Below’s shoplifting policy is difficult to come by. They seem to have something in place, but it definitely is not a widespread practice at every one of their locations.
Some have security while others do not. Yet there are those who have good Samaritan off-duty police and employees who attempt to stop shoplifting when they see it.