Willey never expected to be caught.

He said he went to Wal-Mart, 3300 Iowa St., in summer 2008 with a friend to get house painting supplies. After shopping around for a while, Willey stuffed a can of bug spray in his jeans pocket.

“I didn’t want to pay for the shit,” said Willey, a 20-year-old Lawrence native who did not want to disclose his last name. “I bought something and walked out, but since my pants were a little tight, they noticed.”

Willey said Wal-Mart employees followed him out of the store, saying, “Excuse me, sir, can we talk to you? We know you have stuff under your shirt.”

He denied the claim, but after a few minutes, he decided to return the bug spray. But, as he was handing the Wal-Mart employee his driver’s license, he became nervous.

“I ran,” Willey said. “Security followed me into the wetlands, but I knew as soon as I heard they were bringing dogs out to search that I was fucked, so I turned myself in.”

Willey said he hadn’t thought twice about shoplifting. He said he had been stealing since he was a high school freshman, even though monetarily it had never been necessary.

“It’s kind of a rush to know that you could get caught, I guess,” he said.

According to a study by the National Association of Shoplifting Prevention, 89 percent of teenagers reported knowing someone who shoplifts. NASP studies also said 55 percent of people who shoplift regularly started when they were teenagers.

Motives for shoplifting

According to a National Retail Security Survey, shoplifting costs retailers an estimated $10 billion every year. The rate of retail theft rose from 1.44 percent in 2007 to 1.52 percent in 2008, which turned out to be a $36.5 billion loss for retailers and in turn, will also cost taxpayers and consumers.

Jerry Little, Lawrence city prosecutor, said there was a range of possible ramifications for shoplifting.

“It’s usually considered a misdemeanor, but the maximum penalty is up to a year in jail and a fine of $2,500,” Little said.

According to the NASP studies show the rush and impulse of stealing something and not being caught, called kleptomania, is the most common shoplifting motivator.

“I know the mentality,” said Capt. Schuyler Bailey of the University Public Safety Office. “It’s not a very common occurrence on campus, but it does happen more often elsewhere.”

For Sam, Lawrence junior, shoplifting began at age 5. He was on a trip to the grocery store with his mother. While at the checkout counter he spotted a pack of Bubblicious gum. Quietly, he stuck the gum in his pocket and left the store, unnoticed. Once home his luck ended.

“My mom saw it and made me take it back,” said Sam, who did not want to provide his last name.

Ever since the bubblegum incident Sam said he has become a regular shoplifter.

“It’s usually a split-second decision,” he said. “There’s always a thrill of getting caught, but I never have.”

Shoplifting prevention methods

To minimize shoplifting losses, every store has its own method to preventing shoplifting. Larger chains, such as Wal-Mart and Kohl’s, put signs up warning customers of the possible consequences of theft.

Smaller stores have a less confrontational way of dealing with suspected shoplifters.

Rita York, General Manager of The Community Mercantile, a health food store on 9th and Iowa Streets, said when employees suspected someone of shoplifting, they monitored them closely and, as suggested by the police department, would write the shoplifter a letter.

“We can’t accuse somebody of shoplifting unless we’re 100 percent positive and until after they have passed the point of purchase,” York said. “When we do suspect someone, we write them a letter and hand it to them and say ‘We’re uncomfortable with your shopping patterns, you are no longer allowed to shop here.’”

York also said to prevent theft, The Merc has increased customer service, floor coverage and encourages engagement with customers so they know they are being watched.

“The most common items people shoplift are vitamins and meat,” York said. “Things that are more expensive.”

Sam, however, said he tried not to steal things that were worth too much or to steal from local stores whose profits could be hurt by his actions. He said that as long as he continued to shoplift, he would probably get caught.

“I don’t shoplift that often,” he said. “And when I do, I don’t take anything worth more than a couple dollars.”

Consequences of shoplifting

Every merchant has his own way of dealing with shoplifting. The Merc, for example, bans shoplifters from the store and charges them for trespassing if they return.

Corporations such as Wal-Mart and Dillon’s refused to discuss their shoplifting policies, simply saying, “consequences vary based on the situation.”

Little said there was a range of possible ramifications for shoplifting.

“It’s hard to say there’s a typical,” Little said of punishments. “If someone stole a pack of gum or a television it’ll turn out differently.”

Little said there were also alternatives for being arrested and fined. Sometimes an offender can pay off a fine by doing community service. For each hour they work, $7 is deducted from their fine.

A diversion program is also available for those who don’t want the crime on their records.

“Through diversion you are never convicted,” Little said. “You sign a contract with prosecutors office and pay a diversion fee of $352. Then you have to go to a theft class for a day.”

A representative from Heartland Medical Clinic in Lawrence said theft classes required each participant to complete three one-hour sessions. The sessions provide individual cognitive counseling to address “errors in thinking,” empathy for others and values.

After Willey was caught for shoplifting at Wal-Mart, he decided to go through with the diversion program.

“I had to borrow money from my mom to get a lawyer and go to court,” Willey said. “At that point, I felt like they were stealing money from me.”

Willey said that since getting caught, he hasn’t shoplifted.

If Willey were to shoplift again and get caught he could face jail time, a fine and a possible felony charge, all depending on the item stolen.

“It felt so surreal,” Willey said. “I’d shoplifted a lot before and never gotten caught. It wasn’t worth what I had to go through afterwards.

— Edited by Megan Morriss