One shopkeeper is calling for more action against shoplifters, particularly those who are under-18.
Shane Gleeson runs five Spar shops in Limerick city and said things have gotten a lot worse since the pandemic.
He told Lunchtime Live people are also filming the events to put them on social media.
"We've had a lot of aggression, intimidation going on pretty much since COVID started", he said.
"I don't know whether people got cabin fever or whatever.
"People are coming in causing hassle, fighting with staff, creating a row - often videoing it... to put a clip of it up on social media.
"They seem to think they're brilliant, just because they had a fight with a staff member."
'It's getting too much'
Mr Gleeson said just last week, a staff member was assaulted.
"It's getting too much for staff; in some cases we've had extreme violence," he said.
"The number of times it happens is actually quite small, but it still does happen.
"As late as last week we'd a youth, 15 years of age, came to the shop [and] was trying to steal.
"He punched my staff member twice in the face.
"There's very little my staff member could do about it because the young man was clearly underage.
"There are actually no consequences for that young man for doing that".
'Arrested up to eight times a day'
Mr Gleeson said the Guards do come, but there is not much they can do.
"There's a bunch of these youths in Limerick that are particularly bad," he said.
"They're arrested up to eight times everyday, the Guards have to release them pretty much immediately because they know their age.
"The parents are no help, because they're equally bad; there's very little the system can do with them due to their age".
"The Guards know exactly who they are, they generally have a long record anyway".
He said a system alerting shops to certain people in the area, like local police forces in the UK provide, would be helpful.
"Every retailer would like to have advance notice if somebody's seen coming to town that is a bad person," he said.
"It's not something you put up for public view or anything... at least it gives you a sporting chance preventing him gaining entry to the shop.
"We already do that on an informal basis, generally just a phone call.
"We generally know the direction they're going and who else they're going to hit," he added.
Listen back to the full segment below:
