The Shoplifting Problem in the Nation

Shoplifting remains one of the most frequent crimes committed by adults and juveniles with 1 in 4 youth admitting to having shoplifted before the ages of 12-16. The estimated 27 million shoplifting offenders and the cost of their repeat offenses are a daily drain on criminal justice and retail resources alike. Since community response to shoplifting is often inconsistent and unclear, shoplifting continues to escalate putting store associates, customers and communities at risk.

Shoplifting Facts

  • The frequency and magnitude of shoplifting results in nearly $50 billion in retail crime annually
  • Approximately 1 in 11 Americans shoplift
  • 550,000 shoplifting Incidents per day
  • Stores lose more than $45 million a day to shoplifting; communities lose the corresponding tax revenue
  • Shoplifters say they are caught, on average, just once in every 49 times they steal
  • Chronic offenders say they are arrested once in every 100 times they steal
  • 79% of criminal justice professionals surveyed state that shoplifting is a gateway to more costly and violent crime
  • Each time an offender enters the criminal justice system, the cost to taxpayers is upwards of $2,000