[Electron]

Copper wire is stolen from the big box stores. Some stores are not stocking bare copper wire that is used for grounding and other sizes of wire that have less insulation and more copper.

A Lowes that I visit often . If you are buying copper wire , a employee will walk you to the check out counter and make sure you pay for it.

Employees will say that there is no copper wire , so the employee does not have to get tangled up in a issue of walking you to the check out counter or stolen wire.

Thieves are going into buildings and taking the copper wire and copper pipes. You come in the next day and the walls are sliced open and the copper is gone.