How It's Used

"It's like the little kid who shoplifts a candy bar. Emboldened by the snatch, the kid returns for a repeat only to discover the shopkeeper ready with cameras and Uzis.

"After the Sonics took a five-fingered discount of Game 1 Thursday in their tournament against Golden State in Oakland, they figured they could score at the candy counter again in Game 2 Saturday. For a half, they were right."

—Art Thiel, "Next Move Is Karl's in Coaching Chess Match," The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, April 27, 1992.

"The number of people on the make for the proverbial five-fingered discount always surges during holiday times as stores grow more crowded and thieves find it easier to blend in without detection. This year, however, loss prevention experts see a convergence of factors, including a weakening economy, psychological stress from the Sept. 11 attacks and the trend toward longer store hours with smaller staffs, that may swell the ranks of shoplifters much more than usual.

—Leslie Kaufman, "Shoplifting Is Adding to Retailing Difficulties," The New York Times, December 24, 2001.

"It's the closest thing there is to a five-finger discount while still being legal - education editions of major software titles are selling for peanuts. Well, slap my wrist and make me stand in the corner, it's so good it's rude!"

—Mark Camm, "Treasure seekers go back to school," The Age, August 9, 2007.

"Perhaps the saddest Canadian example of a high-profile plunge from power is that of Svend Robinson, the former MP for the B.C. riding of Burnaby-Douglas best known for his gay activism. In 2004, Mr. Robinson helped himself to a five-finger discount at an auction, pocketing a ring worth more than $20,000. In confessing to the crime, he admitted he knew he was being videotaped and would eventually be found out."

—Melissa Hughes, "Duh! Really, what were they thinking? Eliot Spitzer is just the latest. Melissa Hughes asks why so many high-flying figures succumb to sheer, dumb recklessness," The Globe and Mail, March 18, 2008.

Also Known As (AKA)

Five-Fingered Discount

Links

Related on eAlmanac
The Five Fingers

Beyond eAlmanac
Wikipedia article on Shoplifting