Thefts of Tide puzzle police
Though it seems an unlikely target for thieves, a particular brand of laundry detergent is being stolen across the country.
It's a crime wave made for creative reporting, or at least bad puns: Police attempt to stem rising Tide of thefts. Thieves clean up with stolen laundry detergent. Scum steal laundry soap.
In a story headlined "Grime Wave," The Daily reports that thieves from Oregon to Maryland are stealing large quantities of Tide laundry detergent by loading it into shopping carts and pushing it out of the stores, often to waiting getaway cars. Here's a TV news report from late last year about Tide thefts in Maryland. (Post continues below)
Harrison Sprague, a detective in Prince George's County, Md., and other police across the country have linked the Tide thefts to drug sales, according to The Daily. Sprague said, "We think (users) are trading it for drugs."
In Gresham, Ore., "They'll do it right in front of a cop car -- buying heroin or methamphetamine with Tide," detective Rick Blake told The Daily.
Others say stolen Tide is sold on the black market. "They've done the same thing with baby formula for years," West St. Paul, Minn., police Chief Bud Shaver told the Star Tribune. "It's an essential. You're going to buy it." The Star Tribune reported recently that a Wal-Mart in West St. Paul had lost an estimated $25,000 worth of Tide over the span of 15 months.
Why Tide?
Laundry detergent is something all households need, and the price of Tide -- $10 to $20 per bottle retail -- translates to $5 to $10 on the black market, which makes it a stable currency, according to The Daily. Also, detergent is not perishable, and -- unlike electronic items -- carries no identifying information.
Police say the Procter & Gamble detergent is the most popular and most recognizable of the name-brand laundry soaps, partly because of its bright orange packaging.
"We don't have any insight as to why the phenomenon is happening, but it is certainly unfortunate," a Procter & Gamble spokeswoman told The Daily.
More on MSN Money:
can posters on this thread hit the spam button in the lower right corner whenever they come across those inappropriate dating sites and money making sites. they continue to come up on posts everyday. Also check the posters name and picture as that is another way they get their annoying ads through. Maybe this way they will get the message that robo-posting their company will not be tolerated.
PAY FOR YOUR ADS LIKE EVERYONE ELSE!!!!!
RELATED ARTICLES
DATA PROVIDERS
Copyright © 2013 Microsoft. All rights reserved.
Quotes are real-time for NASDAQ, NYSE and AMEX. See delay times for other exchanges.
Fundamental company data and historical chart data provided by Thomson Reuters (click for restrictions). Real-time quotes provided by BATS Exchange. Real-time index quotes and delayed quotes supplied by Interactive Data Real-Time Services. Fund summary, fund performance and dividend data provided by Morningstar Inc. Analyst recommendations provided by Zacks Investment Research. StockScouter data provided by Verus Analytics. IPO data provided by Hoover's Inc. Index membership data provided by SIX Financial Information.
Japanese stock price data provided by Nomura Research Institute Ltd.; quotes delayed 20 minutes. Canadian fund data provided by CANNEX Financial Exchanges Ltd.
ABOUT SMART SPENDING
LATEST BLOG POSTS
A new federal safety report shows toddlers and minority children make up a disproportionate number of drowning victims.
VIDEO ON MSN MONEY
TOOLS
Best rates on savingsFind the highest rates on savings accounts, CDs and money market accounts.
- Are you saving enough for retirement?
- Find a great credit card
- Car insurance premiums by model
