Seminar - The booster, the snitch, and the bogus false arrest victim: retailers and shoplifters in interwar America and Britain
International Business and Strategy Seminar Series
Presenter: Peter Scott, Henley Business School

Event information | |
---|---|
Date | 21 April 2021 |
Time | 13:00-14:00 (Timezone: Europe/London) |
Price | Free |
Venue | Online |
Event types: |
You are cordially invited to attend a research seminar by Peter Scott, Henley Business School. Follow the link in your calendar email invitations(Join Microsoft Teams Meeting) to join the seminar on Wednesday, 21st April at 13.00.
Abstract:
This article examines shoplifting from department stores and variety chain stores in interwar America and Britain. Patterns of shoplifting showed strong similarities - with stores facing a predominantly female, and disproportionately affluent, army of amateur shoplifters, together with a much smaller corps of professional thieves. The incidence and characteristics of shoplifting are explored, together with the stores’ legal and other strategies to deter shoplifters. The article also examines why apparently prosperous women had the highest propensity to shoplift. Britain and the USA had strong commonalities in terms of open display retail formats; the methods used to deter shoplifters, and typical legal penalties. However, America had one critical difference – the much higher incidence of a type of store criminal who specialized in deliberately getting apprehended, in order to sue the store for false arrest and, often, false imprisonment, slander, and a range of related charges. This reflected the higher damages typically awarded by U.S. courts compared to their British counterparts, inflated by local antagonism to retail corporations, together with a system – at least in some U.S. cities - whereby corrupt lawyers and judges connived in shoplifting acquittals that paved the way for lawsuits.
You might also like
REP Research Seminar - Presenting in person - Franziska Sielker, Professor of Urban and Regional Research at TU Wien Title: "House for All: Access to Affordable and Quality Housing for All People"
The International Coaching Federation presents on membership, credentialing and the new ACC exam - Don Whittle & Kate Jayes
Finance Student and Alumni Social
This site uses cookies to improve your user experience. By using this site you agree to these cookies being set. You can read more about what cookies we use here. If you do not wish to accept cookies from this site please either disable cookies or refrain from using the site.