Sociology 3357F/G Lecture 2: WitheCollarOccupationalcrime2
18 Aug 2015
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Retail businesses are often thought of as victims of crime, heater by pilfering or embezzling employees, shoplifters, or robbers and burglars. Retail stores engage in a wide range of deceptive and illegal activities. Paul blumberg has documented illegal and unethical practices by businesses. He identified other deceptive practices in retail crime. Adulteration of products. ex. selling tap water as bottled water. Bait-and-switch. lures customers in with sales items which are often unavailable, then sells them more expensive items. Wage theft. forcing employees to work off the clock. In a study conducted by david caplowitz, he found that the poor were: Victimized by deceptive credit practices, complicated consumer contracts, and lawsuits threatening wage garnishment. Despite new laws and consumer affairs initiatives, these fraudulent practices are hardly extinct. Repair service businesses have a notorious reputation for cheating customers. Complaints about auto repairs constitute the largest percent of consumer complaints.
