Almost everyone has stolen something in his/her/their life, whether it be a Toblerone bar, your classmate’s pen, or even a parking spot. “Someone stole my parking spot at Mariano’s one time, and I spent almost ten minutes trying to find another,” said Tadzio Kurka ‘19. It’s easy to think that these small acts of thievery are no big deal, but stealing will always have a negative effect.

Every business has an elaborate system of calculating the costs of supplying their customers with their best goods. Stolen goods, rather it’s expensive Bose headphones or cheap snacks, through the system off completely, causing the company to often lose more money than the stolen good is worth.

What would you do if you found a wallet or money on the ground? Pocketing a wallet can greatly harm the person that has lost it. Wallets contain many essential daily items: cash, credit cards, identification cards, or even a priceless photo of a loved one. “I had my ID and ventra card stolen once, and it took so much time and effort to get replacements.” said Logan Banks ‘22. Stealing someone’s wallet will completely ruin their day, and it may take weeks for someone to recover, if they ever do. “My freshman year, someone stole fifty bucks out of my gym locker, and it completely ruined my plans to go out after school,” said Adam Surma ‘19.

Stealing is never worth it. The harm you inflict on others is never worth your personal gain.