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They are well-aware of the consequences of their acts but cannot overcome their habit because what is at stake is their status among their peers, says Dr Abdul Hadi Zakaria, a former Universiti Malaya professor of deviant behaviour and criminology.
"It is a form of a reward to steal, get away with the act and be praised by their friends. They are like smokers who know the dangers of smoking but still smoke."
Hadi says there are also impulsive shoplifters, or kleptomaniacs, who commit the crime without thinking.
Both types usually do not seek counselling to treat their problem because they do not believe they have a problem.
According to US-based Kleptomaniacs and Shoplifters Anonymous, which was started in 1992 by a recovering shoplifter, people steal to express feelings of anger, revenge, or entitlement, to fill a sense of emptiness due to grief or loss, to try to make life seem fair and to get a thrill to escape problems, numb feelings or ease depression.
Hadi says he is not surprised that RM500 million ($211.8 million) will be lost to shoplifters in Malaysia over a 12-month period as estimated by a survey.
"Stores usually suffer losses of between 10 and 12 per cent each year to theft.
He says stolen items are also getting easier to sell as no one really questions where the goods come from.
The drop in consumers' purchasing power can also contribute to the rise in shoplifting, he adds.
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