Shoplifting Japanese granny arrested for stealing stew

A super market catches an elderly shoplifter [captions added for English language explanation]:

It turns out that this woman is a repeat offender, and has even been featured on a previous news report about shoplifting. (Which says a lot about the obsession some networks have with dramatic feature reports about shoplifting.)

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10 comments - What do you think? Posted by James - October 20, 2009 at 6:17 am

Categories: General Japan Tags:

longus dickus

i will wait to comment becuz we dont know what drawn her to steal..
kay

i feel really bad for that obaachan. I know it’s common for elderly to shoplift in Japan, but the loss prevention aren’t exactly understanding. I mean they could just spare her the humiliation. Search her, take the shoplifted items.. and just take her to jail. But i guess this is entertainment TV and this is Japan where mortification is key.

Hey who needs a counselor anyway!
norats

Well i see this all the time, if i see store rats watching them ill notify the shoplifter their being watched abinai, usually i see them stealing bentos, why? cos their hungry, with the little pension they get, and either their lonely and their family have forgotten them kowaiso…with what they pay the staff of these stores (about 690 yen an hour) and what they charge even their own staff can’t easily afford to shop there.
k

MSNBC’s how to catch an obaachan
aussie

this is shameless, 5mins on this? an old woman who probably has not money to buy food, shouldn’t that be the real issue?
Ajapa

Still only 5 comments but… It is surprising that “longus dickus” left the most reasonable and thoughtful comment here.

longus dickus,

This clip don’t reveal the reason why she had stolen, but she seems to have stolen randomly, a block of stew cubes, a pack of anko (candied red bean paste), dried seaweeds, and Japanese gingers. She didn’t just shoplift little but she bought far more foods and goods at the same time. After she had been caught by shoplifting guards and was asked to show everything she had stolen, she tried to cheat and trick guards like magicians do. Finally, she was foud a repeat shoplifter.

In this situation, poverty can hardly be thought as a reason, but maybe, it is somewhat related to mental or personality disorder?
Ajapa

Excerpts from “Shoplifting Addiction“:

Shoplifting addiction is a fairly common condition, although the motivation of compulsive shoplifters is different than what you might expect. Contrary to popular belief, people suffering from shoplifting addiction don’t steal because they can’t live without the merchandise.

and (highlighting and hyperlink added by me)

Researchers who study shoplifting say people caught stealing can be divided into seven different groups:

…[A list of groups omitted here]…

Of the categories listed above, only addictive compulsive shoplifters and cleptomaniacs suffer from a true shoplifting addiction. However, cleptomaniacs only make up 1% of all shoplifters, while addictive compulsive shoplifters make up 75% of those caught stealing.

An addiction to shoplifting is only possible if there is no real reason for the behavior other than the adrenaline rush that comes from stealing.

The above explanation of shoplifting addiction only treats cases in the United States. However, the situation seems to be similar in Japan. It is said that it was until early 70′s where poverty had been the main reason of shoplifting.

pixel_bomber

Even if she did it for a thrill there was plenty of time to get help after being caught so many times.
She is just lucky she didn’t try to steal beer (related link above). http://www.japanprobe.com/2007/09/05/shoplifter-killed-for-stealing-two-cans-of-beer

Ajapa

pixel_bomber,

Even if she did it for a thrill there was plenty of time to get help after being caught so many times.

I agree on this. I just wanted to offer a counterargument against people who naively believe that a poor elderly woman was treated badly by merciless guards.

In the above clip, it was suggested that she would have been forgiven if she had shown regret and conscience. However, the shoplifting prevention guards decided to report her crime to the police, since she was judged having no regret and her attitude wasn’t conscientious.

I don’t know the current situation exactly, but there should be some organizations to accept and help those repeat shoplifters who are suspected as some sort of addicts. There exist some amount of social recognition that even a relatively wealthy middle-aged woman might become shoplifter, but it seems that they are not considered a priority matter. Maybe, they’d better to consult a social worker or a counselor on the treatment of that elderly woman.

Ajapa

Why don’t you speak plainly?

Shoplifting Japanese granny arrested for stealing stew

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