There is a shoplifting epidemic sweeping the United States, and experts say it has cost the retail industry close to $45 billion in the last year. Thieves walk into stores, take hundreds of dollars of items and walk out – many times without being stopped. Store assistants and security guards in certain states just watch because some say they'll actually get fired for intervening.
 
Emily says she believes shoplifting is justified in certain circumstances. “I would argue that the corporations themselves are the ones that have caused this shoplifting, let’s say, epidemic, due to their inability to provide livable wages to their workers,” she tells Dr. Phil on Thursday’s episode. “So, they turn to shoplifting, you know, in order to make ends meet.”
 

Hear more from Emily in the video above, and see how she responds when Dr. Phil asks her, “How do you respond to the fact that there are more jobs available now than there are people who are unemployed?”
 
On Thursday’s episode "License to Steal: The Shoplifting Crisis," Dr. Phil devotes his platform to the shoplifting crisis. Hear from a store manager who got into a physical altercation with a thief, an admitted organized retail criminal, and what law enforcement says are the biggest challenges. Check local listings to see where you can tune in.

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