Downtown Charlottetown shoplifting at an 'all-time high,' some shop owners say

Some businesses in downtown Charlottetown are increasing security at their stores, due to a surge in the number of shoplifters.

Charlottetown police show shoplifting reports have nearly doubled since 2022. That year, police received 209 complaints about shoplifting compared to 411 in 2024.

Blank Canvas Art Supplies moved into its new location at the Confederation Court Mall since May 1, and already owner Beth Arsenault has had to boost her security measures. There are more cameras, as well as prominent warning signs about them. 

"I put everything of mine into this place," she told CBC News. "All my money is tied up into this store. I'm not a big company, so it's just me.

"For someone to be stealing — or multiple people to be stealing — from us... It makes you feel pretty bad, and kind of makes you start to think, 'Now, who else is stealing?'"

Arsenault said she doesn't want to treat customers with suspicion, but she has to protect her stock and her investment.

"It's very disheartening as a small business owner," she said. "You have to really be watching everyone who comes into the store, and I don't want to treat everyone like that."

Arsenault said even a couple hundred dollars' worth of inventory is a lot to a small business owner. And she said she's not the only one dealing with this issue.

"It's on a very regular basis... It's happening every day to people, and it's all from small businesses downtown," she said.

Charlottetown's acting police chief, Jennifer McCarron, said officers used to be dealing with smaller thefts, like a candy bar, bag of chips, pack of gum. Now you see people walking out with $1,000 worth of groceries, she said. 

"[It's] very important for anyone who deals with shoplifting to let us know, if they have video to send it to us. At least we can try to identify these people and get them charged," she said.

"If they're doing it to one business, they're probably doing it to a number of businesses and it would be helpful to us to get them off the street."

Shoplifting a weekly occurrence

Nathan Clark is the owner and operator of Courtside Sneakers on Queen Street in downtown Charlottetown. He has also had a spate of shoplifting incidents recently.

"I think it's grown quite a bit over the past few years, but it seems to be at an all-time high right now. I'd say it's a weekly occurrence we're dealing with something," he said.

"Prior to the past week, we didn't have a visible security system in place... We've always had security, but this is the first time we've had an active feed in the retail space."

Like Arsenault, Clark said shoplifting losses can really add up for a small business.

"It's tough. The last number of years have been difficult, with the economy and the state it's in, so every dollar counts," he said.

"Somebody might think they're just stealing a $150 pair of pants or a sweater or a pair of shoes or whatever, but you know, at the end of the year, it adds up. And it can make or break a small business." 

'We identify them super fast'

Clark said Courtside recently began using social media to identify shoplifters.

"I think social media helps... We usually identify them super fast," he said.

"The bigger thing for me is — especially if it's a situation where we've lost product — it's trying to make a positive out of a negative situation. When we post that stuff, the interaction is quite high… I'm sure people find out about Courtside that never knew about it before."

He said he feels shoplifters are getting more daring.

"I think there's a level of boldness with shoplifting now, that it's so easy because there's not much repercussions, they can come in and take something and walk out and it's not a big deal," he said.