Local authorities have been notified numerous times, but it seems McLanahan’s is still struggling to win its fight against retail theft.

In an attempt to curtail an increase in shoplifting, McLanahan’s is looking to add more security guards to its team. While the student store is not opting for the traditional mall-cop security guard, it will be stationing a full-time security staff instead of the part-time staff that is in place now.

When asked about the new security presence, Patrick Lasko, McLanahan’s security manager, stated, “Essentially, we are trying to beef up security and will not hesitate to notify the proper authorities if an incident were to occur.”

With the help of security cameras, the current team has nabbed around 25 perpetrators in the past couple of months, all of whom were reported to the State College Police Department. However, it seems that the threat of being charged and brought up on retail theft has been ineffective in stopping the criminal acts. Lasko said that, at minimum, 10 items per week are stolen from the store.

Ranging from your typical food and drinks to more expensive items such as Penn State hoodies and even bizarre items such as KY Jelly (this isn’t the first time), it is apparent that nothing is safe on the store’s shelves. Offenders may use embarrassment as an excuse or a light wallet as their motive, but public opinion would suggest stealing from one of State College’s oldest and most respectable convenience stores is highly frowned upon.

The staff is very confident and assured that the move from a part-time security staff to a full-time one will hinder shoplifter’s efforts in the near future. With that being said, offenders who are caught by the security staff will be reported to judicial affairs and will likely face charges of retail theft, a summary offense that carries a $150 fine and an unwanted criminal record.