DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A single thumbprint on a form is one of the cheapest and most effective ways of deterring thieves, according to one local consignment store.
"No fingerprint, no sale," said Richard Burns, owner of Plato's Closet.
It's a relatively new policy for the consignment store and Burns said it has helped them tremendously.
"We had no way to prove anything," he said.
That was until the Daytona Beach Police Department recommended adding a fingerprint system to their's store photo ID policy. Burns told News 6 that the store saw a spike in some customers trying to pull a fast one around the same time Tanger Outlet Mall opened for business.
"We've had people come in here to think that they can pass off and sell us hot items. So, this has really deterred that because we're able to tie in the actual article of clothing to the person who actually tries to do the selling," Burns said.
"I didn't know what to think," Casi Harrison said.
Some customers, including Harrison, said the fingerprint policy surprised them at first but they believe it's a smart move.
"If people get away with it, you could be wearing stolen property and it could eventually come back on you," Harrison said.
"They're very inexpensive and very effective," Burns said of the fingerprint system.
Burns said that most of his customers who sell their clothes appreciate being fingerprinted and said if they don't, they don't have to sell at Plato's Closet.
"All us honest businesspeople want to work together to try and deter dishonesty and I feel like this is really doing it," Burns said.
Plato's Closet's fingerprint policy is only for customers who are selling clothes. The store keeps the forms for up to five years.
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Loren Korn is a native Texan who joined the News 6 team as a reporter in May 2014. She was born and raised in Houston and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Journalism.
