Fashion among young people loots the shops: here are the ‘blueberry farmers’

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a large negative movement on social media.

‘Blueberry’ is the slang chosen to describe a new trend that is emerging: thefts committed by young people in large-scale retail trade. The specification of the target store size was defined as a sort of “ethical code” for the group to avoid small local businesses.

This scenario, a consequence of the importation of an international practice that has gained prominence on social media, with posts by its professionals showing stolen objects and even giving advice on how to circumvent security aspects in shops, brings a new risk to the retail trade , which must be adequately addressed.

But how to deal with the risks of this new practice? First of all, it is necessary to consider the profile of these new criminals, who are, for the most part, minors and belong to the middle-upper classes. In short, a group that is difficult to identify, but which can cause significant losses to shops. Added to this is the problem of trivializing a crime provided for by the penal code, trying to transform theft into entertainment.

Relaxing laws make the situation worse

The probable motivation of the ‘bluebirds’ is linked to mass behavior, which leads them to commit these crimes to experience the desire to belong. However, society must not allow this shift away from criminal matters, at the risk of going down the trajectory that is happening in the United States, where, in cities like New York, shoplifting has increased by 81% after the easing of laws against it type of crime.

Given the complexity, retailers must, as a priority, invest in better property security practices that allow crime to be anticipated to avoid problems generated by repression and personal injuries, which, when they occur, tend to bring negative consequences on the reputation of the companies.

In other words, it’s time to review the risk matrix to better understand the problem and how to address it.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a large negative movement on social media. Other times there have been movements such as the “rolezinho” in shopping centers or challenges such as the Blue Whale, which have led to suicide. Therefore, companies responsible for social networks must necessarily play a role in banning content that discourages these practices.

And while retail is certainly the biggest victim of this trend, society as a whole needs to be concerned about it. Families, the media, schools and public authorities must all “remind” these young people what is right and what is wrong and, in this case of the “blueberries”, point out that this is a new practice of organized commercial crime retail.

Fernando Fleider is CEO of ICTS, a holding company that provides risk prevention, compliance and security solutions.

Source: Terra

Ben

Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.