The Massive Way Kohl's Department Store Let One Small Florida Community Down

By Ron Flatow

Ever since Hurricane Charlie decimated this little town known as Port Charlotte it has been struggling to rebuild itself and bring in new companies to help generate economic growth. This effort apparently got the attention of Kohl's department stores, a clothing and household retailer whom has been steadily opening stores around the sunshine state in Fort Myers, Boynton Beach, Tallahassee and most recently a grand opening last month in Port Charlotte on Cochran in-between the Peachland and Quesada intersections with other expected locations in Venice and Sarasota coming soon.

Excitement and anticipation spread about Kohl's coming along with possible employment opportunities for an area that really has been hard hit economically but while Port Charlotte greets Kohl's with open arms and wallets there is a flip side to Kohl's hiring strategy and economic growth plan, there isn't any. During Kohl' early hiring phases they attracted 2000 resumes by some accounts and out of those twelve were hired as full time managers, supervisors and human resources. Another two hundred were then hired as part time sales associates, cashiers, stock and signage people and which make up the bulk of their stores employees however, Kohl's is apparently using these part timers like pawns in a chess games. Because once Easter came and went a large majority of them had their hours either cut to five hours weekly and/or according to once source were given pink slips, in other words let go, fired.

Kohl's came to Port Charlotte promising stable part time work to their workers and our community allowing up to 32 work hours per week, according to company policy and this was conveyed through all the time slot interview circles. However their wages start at the bare minimum of $7.25 and up to $8.00 an hour and that's for experienced people. These part timers are either in college, retirees and/or people trying to supplement their income with a second job because their main source of income doesn't support even a simplistic lifestyle thanks to the rise in gas, food and rent. Many people also put some of the blame on the snow birds as they travel back north due to Florida's summer humidity. While there is somewhat of a retail boom occurring in Port Charlotte the wages are other than fare especially if the work load doesn't match the pay. Another part time worker quite his other part time job because of the promises Kohl's had been offering regarding thirty two hour work weeks unfortunately that decision cost him dearly because Kohl's is now only offering him four work hours weekly. It is time that the retailers stop taking advantage of the lowest persons on the wage scale and stop making false claims and promises.

Also another issue that popped up occurred during the initial interviewing stage which was three months before Kohl's grand opening. Possible candidates were asked to fill out scheduled availability sheets on the spot. Many where uncertain about the hours that would be needed for their schedule and were told by Kohl's Human Resource representatives to fill out their availability if uncertain, as (open 8-9). These candidates were told that once the applications were in process they would have the opportunities to change their availability to better suite their needs at a late date. However this for many turned out to be a misleading guidance especially when it came time to change their schedules due to lack of communication and coordination by managers, department supervisors, and human resource staff and by one other account, too many egos. In some cases it took close to five weeks to correct the schedule and that was after an email was sent to the corporate headquarters asking for assistance. The email that was sent also never received a response back and yet word of the email was circulating through-out the Port Charlotte store through the supervisors and managers. There is something called common courtesy which kohl's doesn't seem to practice within its ranks, among other things.

Kohl's also has resorted to having one person handling recovery for four departments along with assisting customers. For those unfamiliar with the recovery stage every evening all employees take an hour to clean and collect miss-placed items and return them to their correct departments. The problem is there are supposed to be two people for each department and Kohl's by any standard is a very large store.

And yet another situation that has popped up is in regards to wrongful pressure of their cashiers being told if they do not produce or ask customers to apply for Kohl's credit cards applications at the point of sale over cash they will be terminated. That's interesting because according to Kohl's handbook policy it definitely does not state anything about the use of fear tactics. So, just how low will Kohl's stoop to creating a profit within Port Charlotte or should I reiterate one of the own lines that was constantly used in their hiring and orientation process "Kohl's is here to help stimulate the Economy"

There was a time when the Human Resources dept was your ally for communicating any type of concerns, questions and/or circumstances within the company for which you work. Unfortunately that perception has changed now they tell you to follow the chain of command. Maybe by adopting this type of mind set the companies feel they get a better hand on dictating control and anyone that doesn't agree with their views will either be fired or given the opportunity to resign. Kohl's created an atmosphere of excellence, toting their integrity of how they treat customers and part time employees and yet from behind the scenes it is a completely different story at least for the employees. The moral is down and according to one part timer the supervisors, managers and corporate heads are scratching their heads wondering why.

Don't get me wrong Kohl's happens to be among the better of the department stores, it is very clean and all products neatly organized. But did Kohl's factor in their financial goals for this time of the year? Did they research our area enough to know about our migration patterns and how business slows down due to those patterns? I question weather Kohl's did enough research into the Port Charlotte economy area because unlike any other state Florida has snow birds, people whom come down from up north to get away from the colder temperatures and spend the winters down here until summer comes back and then leave to go back north because of Florida's summer humidity.

Applicants that can remember have conveyed that were told in a group process by Kohl's human resource representatives that "Kohl's is here to help stimulate the economy". Which is a nice thought, I mean what company wouldn't want to take credit for it and actually have it occur which by anyone's standard is an honorably action. But for a company that has only been open for a month they didn't waste any time in showing their true colors and creating much disappointment.

But truthfully folks, tell me how does one stimulate the economy by only offering low wage scale jobs? Who's benefiting here besides the customers? Maybe Corporate Kohl's. I can tell you it's not the sales associates, cashiers, stock and signage persons.

For those of you seeking employment with Kohl's enter at your own risk. While I am uncertain if this is how all retail stores similar to Kohl's treat their employees this article is food for thought as to what to possibly expect.

Ron Flatow is a published freelance writer and lyricist in magazines and small press and collaborates with musicians, keyboardists and composers. He has also received several poetry awards and has completed a lyrical poetry book, a biographical dream book based on personal experiences and is in the process of writing a children's picture book. His creative ambitions also touch on graphic and laser engraved designs. Ron is also involved within the spiritual metaphysical community as a Reiki level 2 practitioner.

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Why I Love Books by Unknown Authors

By Donovan Baldwin

Years ago in college (we won't say how many years ago, okay?), I was exposed to the wisdom of "college professors" for the first time. My parents had insisted I get a good education, and they were themselves somewhat well read and there was often opera heard in our home, anything on TV by William Shakespeare had to be watched, every classical presentation was viewed, and books of poetry not only rested on the bookcase but were actually picked up and read. However, my first real personal exposure to those who embodied the notion of "wisdom" were the professors I encountered in college and many of the students as well. For the first time in my life, I was actually hearing and participating in discussions and debate which included give and take, opinions, wit, knowledge...the very fabric of intellectualism. Additionally, I encountered new authors with ideas I had never thought of, or had not had the words to articulate.

Eventually, amidst all this intellectual stimulation, I performed what was probably the defining moment of my future...at least from the intellectual standpoint. I remember it well. It was in my Junior year at Florida State University in Tallahassee, 1966, while majoring in accounting, when the transition began with one simple event. I flunked out for the second semester in a row and was refused readmission.

This opened the door for a REAL education. Like college, it began a few weeks later with a letter. "Greetings. Your friends and neighbors...." I had lost my college exemption, and had just received a draft letter. This was 1966, and I had just been invited to one of the major educational happenings of the 60's...Viet Nam. Nominally, of course, I was just being informed that the time had come to fulfill my obligation of military service. No mention was made about 'Nam, Southeast Asia, or anything else hinting at actual combat, death, destruction, dismemberment...all those things that teenage boys in the 60's thought about pretty regularly.

I fooled 'em. Instead of letting them draft me for two years, I enlisted in the U. S. Army for four. Let me see. How did that go again? I was only going to have to serve four years doing it my way instead of two...wait a minute!

Actually, enlisting rather than getting drafted was the smart move because I had some option in selecting what sort of training and subsequent assignment I might get. If drafted, I would have had to become whatever they told me to be which had a good chance of being what was officially known as an "eleven bravo" or 11B, but which many of us called a "downrange bullet catcher" or more succinctly, "cannon fodder" or "target". An 11B was a combat infantryman. Now, just to set the record straight, 11B's are the backbone of the army, and the battles you hear about are being fought by those guys. I have worked hand-in-hand with them over the years and have some stories I could tell. I respect and admire the hell out of them. I just didn't want to be one.

So, what does all this have to do with used books, unknown authors, and intellectual stimulation...not to mention the Polish woman I lived with in Germany (that's another story too)?

Well, I entered the U. S. Army not quite wet behind the ears but with a few dewdrops still attached. They snatched the head of cabbage I rode in on out from under me, and my real education begin. I found out that while a lot of the intellectual stuff I had been stuffed with DID matter, a lot of times there were other things that were of a more practical matter at the moment.

It was kinda like the old joke I heard in college about the college professors who went camping. They had a can of beans, but no can opener. The chemistry professor suggested heating the can to expand the gasses, and the can would explode open. The economist pooh-poohed the idea saying they would lose the beans in the explosion. The physics professor suggested that a sharp, heavy rock striking the can at the appropriate angle with the appropriate force would split it open. The economist demurred, saying that the beans again would be scattered by the force required. Both professors then asked if HE had a solution, to which he replied, "Why, yes, of course." Lighting his pipe, he leaned back and in his best professorial voice began, "First we must assume the can is open..."

In the army, one had to figure out how to open the can, or be prepared to explain why in the hell it wasn't open. However, not only was I a soldier in the army, but once again I found myself among men and minds who ranged from the intellectually not of this world to those whose judge told them to go in the army or go to jail...one for homicide. I met whores, pimps, Venezuelan revolutionaries (one an amigo of Che Guevara, by his telling), spies, criminals, artists, musicians, and just plain drunks. I was awash in a mix of reality and intellectual stimuli far beyond anything I had ever known before.

When I returned to the mundane world of "college" to complete my degree after four years of this, I began to notice how shallow and meaningless so many things proposed as important or necessary were to me. I saw people and events in a new light, from the boys on the night time stock crew I temporarily bossed at a grocery store to the lawyers and doctors I later interacted with as an accountant, fiscal consultant, budget analyst, and business manager. Even my own profession began to seem shallow and uninteresting to me. These feelings, coupled with a few negative experiences gave me the excuse I needed to return to the U. S. Army where I finally completed 21 years of service and eventually retired.

Another change had to do with books and the thoughts and ideas therein. Where before I would hear that a book was excellent or found it on the NY Times best seller list and read it in hopes of finding new insights that would elevate my own thoughts and dreams, I now found myself regularly disappointed. Oh, it wasn't that the people weren't smart, educated, intelligent, insightful, or competent...both as researchers or as authors. It was just I always seemed to be hearing either what I had heard before, or it seemed to scream from the page that, "I was written to appeal to the masses!!!!!" In other words, so much was written simply in the hopes of making money off of it.

Up until that time, I had always bought the best books, glorying in the fact that I was friends with Plato, Shakespeare, Jefferson and Franklin, and that I could point to these as things I owned. Somewhere, sometime, however, I went into a used book store. I have absolutely no memory of what the first books were I bought, but for some reason I eschewed buying "name" authors and bestsellers from second hand book shops. As I began to read works I had never heard of on topics I had never thought of written by authors who were only known to be so by immediate friends and family...and the Library of Congress, of course...I found myself once again amid ideas and concepts that flipped switches and started the old dusty motors of my mind.

Of course, not every book was worth reading, but there amid the half-price bins of castoffs and renderings I found nuggets, tapestries, new worlds, and wonders. Many of the authors had taken on subjects that no one else wanted to deal with, or had taken a different approach, or simply did not write the way everybody else did. It was a little bit like being back in Germany in the 60's.

I don't remember the last time I bought a new book or knew anything about the author. I'm having too much fun scrounging through the musty, dusty bins of books in second hand book stores.

Donovan Baldwin is a Texas writer and a University of West Florida alumnus. He is a member of Mensa and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. In his career, he has held many managerial and supervisory positions. However, his main pleasures have long been writing, nature, and fitness. In the last few years, he has been able to combine these pleasures by writing poetry and articles on subjects such as health, fitness, yoga, writing, the environment, happiness, self improvement, and weight loss.

Take a cheap course on the basics of search engine optimization at http://www.donovanbaldwin.com/ebooks/search_engine_optimization.html

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Scott Ridder's Book and Scott Ridder's Behavior - Let's Talk

By Lance Winslow

Perhaps you have picked up a copy at a Big Box Book Store of Scott Ridder's Book "Target Iran". Indeed at this point, I am going to advise you not to read it, as Scott Ridder has chastised the US over the Iraq War and damaged our State Department's and President's negotiation power to prevent the Iraq war and end the entire event by Saddam folding cards. We all know what happened next and history is a good teacher indeed.

Not long ago, someone from academia had contacted the Online Think Tank to remind us that an Iranian Strike to take out Iran's Nuclear capability would be an unwise choice for the US. The academic thinker has an ally in with the President of Iran, who is also threatening dire consequences when we attack. This is the same gentleman who denied the Holocaust, has gays executed and is interfering in Iraq bringing in weapons to kill US Troops. The academic from the US who contacted the Think Tank stated:

Scott Ridder's book 'Target Iran' dissects the diplomatic squabbles on Iran, the US and the IAEA regarding their non-proliferation status. It paints a detailed picture of Iranian compliance, infractions and frustrations. This portrayal includes the US diplomatic bullying, connivances and lying. It's a sad book to read.

Well that is an interesting factoid, however let it be known that personally, I am not one bit into Scott Ridder's logic. It was a disgusting book and I threw it out when I was done reading it. Scott Ridder in my opinion should be excommunicated from the US. As such, I cannot entertain Scott Ridder's comments, I believe anyone who goes out of their way to act as he did previously or anyone who undermines by way of their government position and works to discredit the US in international affairs is guilty of treason. I believe, he has caused our Nation extreme and great harm, and believe he is a traitor. Something to Contemplate in 2008.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington

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Journey of the Early Man - Africa to America

By Rajkumar Kanagasingam

Prof. Pitchappan, a Senior Professor from the School of Biological Sciences in India played an important role in the discovery of first coastal migration of the early man from Africa to Australia through India, which had taken place 50,000 years ago and the second migration to Central Asia around 45,000 years ago.

The second wave of the early man's migration expanded in Central Asia leading to dispersal towards Europe, the Americas, South Asia and China.

His research confirmed the first coastal migration from Africa to Australia, through India. He came out with evidence by genetics that could not be obtained by archaeology. Even there were other researchers who came out with various findings along with genetic ones. Their studies showed that there were three waves of early humans from Africa that swept across India and Australia.

There were three major waves of migration of quite different ancient people who came to the Australian continent from Southeast Asia. More than 40,000 years ago, when sea levels were much lower and Australia, New Guinea and Tasmania comprised one landmass.

The first to arrive were a slightly-built people of pygmoid stature with dark skin and very frizzy hair.
They were Negritos and they provided the initial population for the whole of the Australian continent.
The frizzy-haired pygmoid Negritos or Barrineans still survive in Northeast Queensland, Australia and in the Andaman Islands.

About 20,000 years ago, a second type of people arrived from Asia. These newcomers, called Murrayians, were comparatively lightly skinned, wavy-haired, and stocky in build, with a lot of body hair. They drove the Negritos who came before them until the latter retreated to the highlands of New Guinea, the rainforests of North Queensland and to then ice-capped Tasmania. The Murrayians became the dominating population on the east coast of Australia and the open grasslands of the south and west of the continent. The Murrayians or Veddoids still survive mostly in Southern Australia and in Sri Lanka.

Then, about 15,000 years ago, a third wave of hunter-gatherers arrived. They were comparatively tall, straight-haired and dark skinned, with very little body hair. Named Carpentarians, they colonised northern and central Australia. The Carpentarians might be the proto-Dravidian who populated most of India and north and central Australia. This group ultimately came from Sudan in Africa.

The Tasmanians were mixed Murrayians and Barrineans.

The early man from Africa in different waves crossed to Australia through Asia and then to the Americas by crossing the Pacific Ocean. The first hint of an American aborigine settlement of South America came from cave paintings in Brazil. The paintings, which some archaeologists claim are older than the supposed date of arrival of the Siberian migrations to the area and the depict rituals never before seen in native American art. The ritual costumes shown in the paintings are claimed to be similar to those used by Australian aborigines today.

Anthropologists Walter Neves and Mark Hubbe studies confirm the oldest settlers of the Americas came from different genetic stock than more recent Native Americans. The Africans crossed the Atlantic and reached various parts of the Americas as well.

There were a number of Black tribes including Washitaw Naton, the Black Californian, the Yamassee of Georgia, the Caracole, Guanini, and Black Caribs of South America dwelling from South America to the Mississippi Valley, the Eastern United States, California and Florida, came to Americas before Columbus and mingled with the present South and North American population and passed the beneficial genetic traits.

Recent studies show the presence of partial White ancestry in some groups of Amerinds by the Pre -Colombian European migrations towards the Americas. The early European Cro-Magnon peoples probably crossed by sea into the Americas, as it is seen in the odd DNA relationship of some Amerindian tribes and North-Western Europeans.

What Spencer Wells, the geneticist from Oxford University said in the 'Journey of Man' in the National Geographic Channel could be well remembered: "All of us are literally Africans underneath the skin, Brothers and Sisters separated by mere 2000 generations"

Rajkumar Kanagasingam is the author of the fascinating book - German Memories in Asia......A collection of memories by the author in his discussion with German university students who have been volunteering in Asia on the sensitive issues of Early Human Migration, Asian & European historical events especially the German since the Roman Empire era to the times of First & Second World Wars and about the Germans around the world and their Migrations, Life styles, Encounters and Assimilations since the ancient times, his experiences in an American NGO as an officer in the rebel-held war-torn jungles and then in a tsunami relief mission there with German students, and the German students' life and fashion in Asia....

The book could be ordered at over 30,000 retail outlets world wide & is listed on Amazon.com & more...

More about the book: http://www.authorhouse.com/BookStore/ItemDetail~bookid~41609.aspx

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Think Links - A Simple Solution To A Complicated Problem

By Jim Hart

Having spent endless hours researching the net and reading what feels like every computer geek’s perspective on Google page ranking, search engine optimization and site promotion I have come to the following conclusions:

1. Don’t develop your website to make Google spiders happy, develop your site to make your visitors happy. Why? Because “people” are what will make you successful, not Google spiders that crawl your site. Sure, it’s important to do what you can to improve your site rankings and promotion. But once you have applied the basics of setting up your site, fined tuned your meta and page tags and submitted your site to various search engines and directories, STOP and ask yourself what is the ROI on your time? What are you REALLY getting out of pouring your life away over another promo trick or one more article written by some geek who has little or no ability to relate to the “human side” of the Internet equation? What ever happened to plain old customer service?

2. There are only three (3) possible actions a person can take when they arrive at your site. They can click the back button and go back to Google or some other search engine. They can visit the site and review your offerings or they can click a link and go on to the next site. Out of these three options, the best are “they visit and check out your offering” and they “click and go on to the next site” so that the next business might have an opportunity to make a presentation of their offering. The worst thing a visitor can do is click the back button and go back to Google or some other search engine. Why? Well ask yourself, what has Google or any other search engine done for you lately? Will Google or any other search engine let you advertise for free? Well, when you have done a lot of hard work whether it is writing articles or online and offline advertising to get your visitor to your site, why in the world would you want that person to go to Google for free? I don’t know about you but I would much rather have my visitor come to your site so you have a chance to make a buck in this dog eat dog market.

3. Back to people for a moment—I got news for you, people are SICK of hyper advertising get rich quick crap that promises to show them how to be successful by giving up their email address and other confidential information for another false promise. People don’t buy into that hype. It repels them. It repels me. If you have a viable product or service, put up the best site you can, tone down the hype, get honest and make your site a place people want to visit and bookmark (.) A place that people will visit again and again because of the content of the information on the site that benefits them. If your site has quality information on it people will bookmark it and spread the word to their friends and family. And word of mouth is the most powerful advertising tool you will ever find to promote your site.

I have a comprehensive business background—and at 48 years old I have seen and done it all, management, marketing, direct sales, real estate and mortgage banking. I have authored and published books, been a media spokesperson, appeared on local, regional and national TV, I have signed autographs and personally filled orders and all of it revolved around customer service to people. People make you successful. And I have a new found skill set developing a website to help promote my products. But I don’t hype it. It’s a simple site that has a really BIG bang for the buck—the BANG is for the people who visit the site. I think it’s a cool place for information people need. And that brings me around to the meat of this article.

THINK LINKS—people get to your website because of links. Traffic is what you want—lots of traffic. I have had people tell me that they only wanted to exchange links with very qualified, targeted “vertical markets”. One case was a guy trying to sell a computer book, I offered to exchange a link with him because my website is called Smart Books and we sell real estate and business kits and books but not technology products. I thought it would be a nice link to offer my visitors. He declined. Which makes about as much sense as having a computer store in the mall and rejecting all visitors who don’t read computer books. Another technical geek idiot who doesn’t understand that eyeballs on product is what sells products. He lives in that stupid “geek universe” where offline buzzwords like “target market” and “vertical market” are more important—he read to many articles written by other geeks. Sure, it’s important to have link relevancy on your site but the key is to diversify—give your visitors alternatives.

So here’s the deal: I am on your side in the quest to serve customers and develop a site following. The quest to drive the market to your website. But if you are on a limited budget like I am, THINK LINKS. Relevant link exchange is one of the most powerful tools you have to promote your site and improve your site page rankings. Visit our website at the link below, check it out—there is a link button on the home page that will explain the linking process with us and provide everything you need. If you think your site is relevant to ours, submit your site. We will check out your site and if your site is relevant, we’ll link you! It’s just that simple! We are all in this together and when you consider all the help you are getting from Google and given the fact that Yahoo directory wants $300-$600 to submit your site for "review" link exchange has tremendous value.

Copyright © 2006

James W. Hart, IV

All Rights reserved

SMART BOOKS: http://www.smart67.com FREE DOWNLOADS: We have a variety of free, high quality, problem solving EBooks you can downloaded directly at Smart Books. We don't hyper-advertise at you either. MEDIA INTERVIEWS Yes-See Bio for booking information

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Ship and Drop Business Models For Internet ETailers Considered

By Lance Winslow

Is the Drop Ship Business a decent business to be in right now? Regarding the eCommerce Niche wedged with brick-and-mortar drop ship location; well, I have noted a location in North Las Vegas that was doing a bang-up business with a line out the door and during Christmas I noted near Sun City, AZ a very business "eBay Drop Store" that was busy.

Although I am not an expert in this industry sub-sector and do not know much about it - I have been watching state governments licking their chops to get at the sales tax revenues and the Canadian Government too looking at eTailers avoiding income tax.

So, all these little Internet "trinket sellers" and eBay wannabes trying to move their garage sales online is going to continue. Especially considering the pawn shops are filled and do not want anything but name-brand jewelry - like Rolex watches and such where there is actually a market. I think I read something about that in the WSJ or Investor's Business Daily.

The business model appears to be sound, but buying a franchise may not be wise - as the Franchisor needs to stay in business too and may be hyper-stressed with franchisee closures in non-performing regions, thus, lawsuits and no capital. I'd be weary of that. I did notice a few listed in the Entrepreneur 500 that I browsed thru the other day at the bookstore.

You know with all these consumers charging up a storm for a decade or more, they have a lot of junk they do not need willing to sell for pennies on the dollar to make ends meet now. So maybe a drop ship location for the independent Internet eCommerce sector makes sense. Think on this.

Lance Winslow - Lance Winslow's Bio. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/.

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Kleptomaniac Confessions

By Angelique Van Engelen

Ever felt urged to steal a piece of bubblegum from the grocery store and given in? Then you are likely training to become either a kleptomaniac or an addictive compulsive thief. Do not despair – you’re not alone. Not a threat. And there is a way out.

True kleptomania is by standard practitioners of psychology viewed as a very rare condition. Lay people often confuse it with recurrent failure to resist obsessive, addictive, or compulsive thoughts or urges to steal objects which they often will use. Kleptomaniacs will steal without ever needing the things they steal. They do not feel anger, but they also don’t premeditate their actions. On the other hand, compulsive thievery is inspired by anger and there’s also a degree of premeditation involved, because often the items stolen will come in handy for the thief.

The ways in which psychologists cure these diseases is by attempting to find out what is the motivating factor for the person involved and address it. Honest people steal, they say. Not only through shoplifting but also through embezzlement and fraud.

“A kleptomaniac is someone who steals a lot but not particularly for monetary gain", says Terry Shulman who is a self confessed ex-shoplifter. He says that most people that shoplift in any compulsive manner are really crying out for help. His own story shows that it is quite possible for people to overcome the habit, once a person understands the often complex causes. Where it gets tricky is where stealing has become an addiction. People who get hooked on shoplifting need specialized treatment.

However, owing up to the ugly truth and seeking help is already overcoming the biggest hurdle before someone will be able to stop the habit. Many shoplifters that contacted Shulman after he published his book and was interviewed on Oprah told him afterwards that they had been at the end of their ideas of how to tackle the problem. Shulman refuses vigorously to believe people that steal are bad, inhumane or evil. He condemns the crime but not the person committing it and says that stealing is symptomatic of something else in most of the cases.
This is also the view of Will Cupchik, an psycho analyst who’s authored a book outlining a method to treat honest and otherwise normal people with a compulsive shoplift problem. Claiming that he’s found the pattern of behavior of ‘Atypical Theft Offenders’, Cupchik provides interesting insights into the minds of shoplifters. He offers treatment courses with certified diplomas for people who’ve kicked the habit for good.

Both Cupchik and Shulman cite cases of high profile offenders that have lost their jobs for getting caught shoplifting and go on to analyse the events that are elemental to the habits. It appears that the factors that motivate people to steal items are largely similar in nature.

“[My story is not] intended to make excuses for stealing or shoplifting. I’m not suggesting shoplifting addicts go unpunished. Any illegal act, be it illegal gambling, drug offenses, or drunk driving, must have legal consequences”, he says. After his book was published a string of self help groups throughout the country was set up by people facing this problem. The first such a group was his home state Detroit, where he in 1992 set up Cleptomaniacs And Shoplifters Anonymous (CASA) because he wanted to provide a safe, confidential and non-judgmental space for compassion, understanding and recovery from "addictive-compulsive" dishonest behavior, primarily shoplifting, fraud, kleptomania and embezzlement.

“Our stories illustrate how good but vulnerable people try to cope with life at pivotal times and how punishment is not enough to stop shoplifters. [They] go more in depth than previous stories in the scant literature available on shoplifting or kleptomania. I hope this will provide clarity and hope for those who have little of either,” Shulman says.
His website shopliftersanonymous.com cites figures that show just how endemic the situation is and what bearings it has on the economy. Shopping proletariat style does actually run into quite hefty sums in terms of dollar value. Retailers lose some USD25 million a day alone due to shoplifting. This is the largest ‘target area’ for the shoplifters; some 69% of them steal in department stores; 63% steals in supermarkets; 57% specialty shops; 54% convenience stores; 47% drug stores and 27% all other type stores.

And, interestingly, shoplifting is about the only area of crime that women get involved in on a par with men; the split is 50%-50%. It seems that this also is something people don’t easily give up on, because the large majority of culprits – 75% - is of adult age.

Many people that steal in some way or other will have less difficulty moving to different crimes. According to a study by Ernst & Young LLP and Ipsos-Reid in 2002, businesses can lose 20 percent of every dollar earned. “[When you] can justify one type of fraud [you] can justify another," said George P. Farragher, an accountant and certified public fraud examiner at Ernst & Young's Cleveland office commenting on his firm’s findings.

Twenty percent of the employees cited in that study said they were aware of fraud at their companies and the most common form was expense account fraud. Of the 20 percent of the people in the know, 37 percent even knew about theft of office items. What’s perhaps even worse; 16 percent knew employees who claimed extra hours worked and 7 percent said they knew people who inflated their expense accounts!

Angelique van Engelen is a freelance writer who works and lives in Amsterdam. She creates tailormade, keyword rich content, articles, news, features about arts, society and culture. Contact her on http://www.contentclix.com

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