VIRGINIA BEACH -- Despite the discounts already offered by many merchants this holiday season, some people in Virginia Beach took a discount of their own during the Black Ffriday weekend… the five-fingered type.

13News Investigators uncovered a spike in shoplifting in the resort city this past weekend.

Police advise merchants to have adequate staffing and good security cameras to control shoplifting.

Sean Clark manages Hobbytown USA in Loehmann's Plaza in Virginia Beach. He says protecting the store from shoplifters has become a significant priority this holiday season.

"If the store is busy, we do put someone at the front door, otherwise it's taking care of them one-on-one no matter how busy it gets," said Clark.

A 13News’ investigation reveals that merchants take those extra precautions with good reason. We pulled police reports from Black Friday and the holiday shopping weekend, and found shoplifting prevalent all weekend long. Everything from blue ray players to eye cream were lifted from area stores.

Police spokeswoman Margie Long said merchants can take specific measures to cut down on shoplifting losses.

"The stores should have adequate staffing. If you don’t have enough people working, it’s difficult to watch those coming in your store."

Video: Police records show increase in shoplifting last weekend

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Beach police say they see shoplifting spikes during the holiday, but this season they're extra concerned. As this Black Friday shows, there is good reason for their concern, and police are warning store owners to protect themselves and help them catch the crooks.

"You have to have the adequate camera systems so you can give pictures to authorities, and we're able to locate individuals," said Long.

That’s what most businesses are doing. If they keep costs down, they can keep sales up, and hopefully keep customers coming in the door, credit card in hand.

"We basically utilize good customer service. If they are not being taken care of, they're more tempted to do something like that," said Clark.