Shoplifting isn’t happening because of capitalism.
It’s happening because the local government won’t prosecute the people that do shoplift
Or it’s because many grocery chains used COVID as a reason or excuse to raise prices and refuse to lower them despite supply chains healing, during a time where literally everything a modern human needs to survive becomes nearly unreashable expensive.
But sure, it’s because cops aren’t shooting enough shiplifters.
A lot of it is because of need. The lower rungs of our society have been pushed to the point where the risk of being caught and jailed is less of a driver than hunger. The social fabric is unravelling. I just hired someone and I’m giving them a living wage and I’m getting suspicion in return.
Are you suggesting that nobody ever stole anything from a store in a socialist/communist country?
Shoplifting is happening because the economy is fucked, and plenty of people see the risk of shoplifting to be worth the reward of access to the things they need.
You can be a compassionate person, and work fix this problem by offering better safety nets and access to human needs to the needy, or you can take the fascist route and demand expansion of the state to punish the poor even further.