REHOBOTH, Del. - Assistant manager of Stoneworks Lapidary, Jessica Hubbell, said that the store has experienced items going missing on a daily basis. The products gone are costing the small business thousands of dollars.
"We have a lot of smaller items and the way the store is laid out, it's easy to take things from one room to another and take them. And we're really really busy in the summer time so it's hard to keep an eye on everything." said Hubbell.
Hubbell also claims that it is the size and shape of the store that makes it difficult to prevent people from stealing, even after adding additional security cameras.
Rehoboth Police Chief Keith Banks said that while any time a business has encounters stolen goods, thefts in Rehoboth overall are down.
"90% of our thefts are actually from the beach. In other words, some sunglasses missing, tennis shoes, or jewelry and things while people are in the ocean and things like that. But a lot of times it's misplaced. We get a lot of property turned in." said Chief Keith Banks.Â
He encourages those with businesses who are facing similar situations to reach out to the police department to conduct an assessment of the store. This way police can give safety and precautionary feedback, such as keeping inventory away from the door.
Other business owners like Steve Fallon of Gidgets Gadgets, down the street from Stoneworks Lapidary, said shoplifting is part of having a shop.
"-you can either write it into your program or not write it into your program or hire more people to staff the floor but at the end of the day it's gonna happen." said Steve Fallon.
Stoneworks Lapidary will be open at the Rehoboth location until the end of November.