Shoplifting

The stock control in shops is so deficient that few retailers know how many goods they lose to shoplifters, or even to their own staff. So long as theft and damage of goods, known in the retail industry as shrinkage, does not rise above 2 to 3 percent of goods sold, retailers pay little attention to shoplifting. Some retailers believe that there is nothing that police or anyone else can do about the problem, so they dont take legal action

Some reasons include:

  • Shoplifting is often regarded as an entry crime, from which juveniles graduate to more serious offenses.
  • Shoplifting can be said to fuel the drug trade, because it provided the income some addicts need to buy drugs.
  • For stores in deprived neighborhoods, shoplifting can seriously erode profits and result in store closures. This can depress employment prospects and further erode the amenities in such neighborhoods.
Related Problems:

Shoplifting is only one of crimes that occur in the retail environment. Other problems requiring their own analyses and responses include:

  • employee thefts;
  • credit card and check frauds;
  • buglaries;
  • smash-and-grabs;
  • thefts from open-air or covered market stalls;
  • thefts and frauds by delivery personnel;
  • vendor frauds, shortchanging and other offenses; and
  • harassment of immigrant shopkeepers.
Factors Contributing to Shoplifting:

Goods Sold

Furniture stores have much lower shoplifting rates than convenience or drug stores. The smaller your store's merchandise is, the more chances that your store will be a target for shoplifters.

Seasonal and Temporal Patterns

Most shoplifting occurs when stores are the busiest, with the majority of incidents occuring late in the week, between Wednesday and Saturday. Seasonal shoplifting corresponds with the demand for goods, which means that much shoplifting occurs during the pre-Easter, pre-Summer and pre-Christmas periods.

Store Layout and Displays

This factor mostly relate to the staff's ability to supervise shoppers, and stores at greater rik include those with:

  • many exits, particulary where they are accessible without passing through the checkout;
  • passageways, blind corners and hidden alcoves;
  • restrooms or changing rooms;
  • high displays that conceal shoppers (and shoplifters) from view;
  • crowded areas around displays of high-risk items; and
  • aisles that staff cannot easily survey from one end.

This page was created with the help from the U.S Dept. of Justice