Tide Theft Trend Not Hitting Fairfax County
Police from other areas, including D.C., report thefts of laundry detergent from supermarkets.
The trend of Tide laundry detergent thefts in many cities, including Washington, D.C., has not come to Fairfax County, police said.
Since January 2011, Fairfax County has had 19 cases of larceny that mention the word “detergent” in the police report, but only two of those have been in 2012, Fairfax County Police Department Public Information Officer Lucy Caldwell wrote in an email to Patch.
Thieves are stealing Tide detergent from local supermarkets and drugstores and selling it for cash, according to police departments across the country, USA Today reported.
“For a variety of reasons, the detergent in the familiar flame-orange bottle is well-suited for resale on the black market: Everybody needs laundry detergent, and Tide is the nation’s most popular brand. It’s expensive, selling for up to $20 for a large bottle at stores. And it doesn’t spoil,” The Washington Post reported.
The retail price of a gallon-size (64 loads) bottle of original Tide liquid detergent is $15 - $20.
Ben Glass
9:50 pm on Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Doesn't make a lot of sense. A large bottle of tide would be pretty heavy. And all thrives just figured out that tide can sell easily? An expensive pack of razor blades would seem easier to steal and sell
Beth Lawton
11:50 pm on Tuesday, March 20, 2012
It doesn't make a lot of sense to us, either. A lot of razor blades are already in secured cabinets at local grocery stores, but I see your point -- there are probably plenty of light, small objects in high-demand (deodorant?) that could be stolen more easily. That said, Patch is definitely NOT advocating theft of any kind.
Stuff
2:41 pm on Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Equally as surprising is how they get away with it. A basket full of large bottles of Tide should raise alarms. especially with it being in the news all over the area. Also, that amount of Tide in a basket can't be that easy to hide or unload so how are they getting away with these crimes?
Mary Ann Barton
3:43 pm on Wednesday, March 21, 2012
I saw a photo in the Washington Post of a bottle of Tide with an anti-theft device on it; Prince George's County police say thieves are stealing Tide to barter for drugs.
Kim
7:15 pm on Saturday, March 24, 2012
But I still don't get why they are stealing the Tide? Is it now fashionable to barter for drugs in clean clothing?
judith LOTHER
1:20 pm on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
This is a hot item in Prince George's County. The thieves steal the Tide (and only Tida) by the cartload and run out of the grocery store and into a waiting car. They then sell the Tide to local beauty shops or barber shops, etc, or whoever and make a profit.