Employees of a half-dozen businesses came to work on Thursday to find themselves without power, and for some, out of a day's work. It wasn't just an electricity issue, it was a theft issue with copper wire being stolen from an electricity box outside of a strip mall.

El Paso Electric said this type of theft has been a recurring problem for years, one that's starting to grow worse.

New graf-->Business owners said they were surprised it happened to them.

"First of all I wanted to make sure the breakers were on, that nothing tripped, and from there I knew there was an issue. I called the El Paso Electric Company," said Bear Creek Coffee owner Steven Svoboda.

"If we had electricity we would be getting ready for classes , maybe have a hundred students coming in tonight and training with their families," said Christian Arias manager at AB Karate.

Businesses in the mall said they're supposed to have electricity by around 6 p.m. Thursday.