Letters: Stopping shoplifting is a good thing

So, who is the bad guy in the Wal-Mart war on shoplifters? Is it the retailer that catches shoplifters, or is it the shoplifters? The July 25 front-page article, “Is Wal-Mart a crime magnet in the Midlands? A look at the numbers,” seems to put the onus on victim.

Of course, the ultimate victims of shoplifting are customers, employees and all of us who pay the bill for shoplifting. The estimated cost of shoplifting and other retail fraud was a whopping $44 billion in 2014, according to the National Trade Federation. That’s $44 billion that could have been used for higher wages, lower prices and higher industry reinvestment.

We should extol Wal-Mart’s shoplifting-prevention efforts instead of sensationalizing them; we all win when shoplifting is reduced.