In recent days, a group of people in the United States organized themselves via social media to rush into stores to “clear out stuff” and then quickly make off with the items they found. Such blatant robberies were even derided by Americans as “zero dollar purchases.”
At Macy’s department store in Northridge Mall in Los Angeles, USA, a display case was broken and $20,000 worth of perfume was lost. Dozens of people looted Nordstrom, a luxury department store in Los Angeles, and an Yves Saint Laurent store was also looted in Glendale, California. About $300,000 worth of goods were lost… Recently, several similar cases were reported in the United States. In fact, such incidents have occurred frequently in recent years.
A report published by the US National Retail Federation shows that organized crime against retail in the US will increase by 26.5% in 2022 compared to 2021. In 2021, U.S. retail losses reached $94.5 billion, up from $90.8 billion in 2020. Facing this crisis, retailers had no choice but to close their merchandise sales. Los Angeles, once known as a “shopping paradise,” is suddenly very deserted and many retail stores have closed.
Given such widespread robberies, should US police step up enforcement? However, the reality is that America is facing a shortage of police personnel. According to several media reports, the number of police resignations in the US is expected to increase by 47% in 2022 compared to 2019, under pressure from high crime rates, intensive work and conflict between police and citizens. There are many cases, but very few police officers.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. unemployment rate rose 0.3 percentage points in August from July, reaching its highest level since February 2022. With high inflation and the high cost of living, some Americans can’t even afford groceries or a gas station.
Some analysts said these things reflect the wide gap between rich and poor in American society. The report shows that the total wealth of the richest 1% of people in the US reached a record $45.9 trillion in the fourth quarter of 2021. On the other hand, the poverty rate in the United States reached 11.4% in 2020, an increase of 0.9 percentage points compared to 2019. Currently, 37 million people in the United States still live below the poverty line.
