Shoplifting Is Ruining the Retail Experience

Everything is getting really expensive, so a discount sounds nice. The latest promotion: 100% off.

Of course, that’s too good to be true, and it isn’t true, legally.

However, legality hasn’t been stopping people from the occasional five-finger discount. In 2021 “shrinkage” cost retailers nearly $100 billion, and an estimated 38% comes from in-store theft.

It appears shoplifting is becoming the latest life hack. Whether people are doing it because self-checkouts make it easy or they’re learning to do it online, retailers are feeling the pain. And now, the legit shoppers seem to be the ones paying the price.

To be clear, I’m not telling anyone to steal, but we can’t ignore reality. More people are finding ways to shave a few dollars off their bills — but I’m not one of them. Whether this is a moral objection or purely fear of punishment… that’s up for debate.

Where are all these sticky fingers coming from?

If you told people shoplifting was on the rise, I doubt they’d be shocked. Why? Because shit’s getting expensive.

In 2022, inflation rose by 6.5%, and that follows a 7% increase in 2021. And everything is impacted from food to clothing to household goods. While unemployment rates have fallen from their pandemic-related peaks, people are still struggling. Sometimes, you need to take some risks to merely put food on the table.

But if you think people are only stealing to survive, you’re gravely mistaken. The problem is coming from a variety of places, and in most cases, it’s not a necessity.

People do it for a thrill

In 2002, when Winona Rider got caught stealing over $4,000 from a Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverley Hills, people were shocked. If it happened in 2022, she’d be in good company.

Rider’s compulsion to steal would likely be classified as kleptomania, which does have a body of knowledge behind it. Today, in the age of the internet, communities around shoplifting have formed. In some cases, people share tips and tricks, but there are also people helping each other recover. Regardless of their motives, the groups have helped people see just how many shoplifters there are.

It rebels against inflation

Watching prices rise is frustrating, to the point that some people feel inflation is a form of theft. When companies raise prices, they encourage people to spend rather than save. And it’s hard to deny that there isn’t some merit behind this because corporate profits have been a major factor driving inflation.

So, how do you combat this? Some people fight greed with greed. When companies jack up prices simply to earn a larger profit, there will be customers who want to keep them in check. They do this by sneaking a carton of eggs or a bottle of shampoo out the door — because the business is already making enough money.

To be clear, shoplifting probably hurts inflation more than anything. But in these cases, the theft is about short-term rebellion rather than playing the long game.

It’s their ‘employee discount’

It’s well-known that retail workers get discounts at their places of employment, but now, transactions look a little different. Many stores offer self-checkout where the shopper does their own scanning and bagging. Some people feel that they’re doing an employee’s job, so they should get a discount like an employee.

What does this look like? It could be sliding a bag of chips across the barcode reader without it scanning or paying for your expensive toilet paper by weighing it as bananas.

Regardless, stores with self-checkouts have over double the theft of those without them according to a study from the University of Leicester in the UK. So, some people see this scenario as an opportunity to snag a freebie.

What’s the real issue?

It’s hard to isolate the biggest driving force behind the rise in shoplifting. Inflation, or a looming recession, seems to be the obvious factor. In 2008, shoplifting surged by 34% as people dealt with that economic struggle. And I’d argue that this plays a role, but it’s not the reason people are stealing more.

Rather, it’s an attitude shift. Slowly, fewer people are finding shoplifting morally objectionable.

People are finding reasons to justify their petty theft, and it doesn’t help that laws seem to align with this mind shift. Somewhat recently, California received criticism for Prop 47 — a regulation passed in 2014 that makes shoplifting up to $950 of property a misdemeanor. Previously, it was set at $400.

Despite criticism, California is actually behind the curve. In 2023, 40 states only consider shoplifting a felony if the merchandise is valued at $1,000 or more.

But let’s be clear, shoplifting is still illegal — regardless of the amount. Under Prop 47, the first offense can carry up to six months in jail, but the actual penalty doesn’t matter much when it’s a misdemeanor. Focusing on these laws and their lack of a felony punishment can create an illusion that they’re not severe infractions, and for some people, the risk may be worth the reward.

Add in the fact that people see successful shoplifters online, hear stories in the news, and maybe even know a few people who have gotten away with the crime. Many people are impressionable, and they start to think what if?

What’s the real punishment?

With all this banter about shoplifting, people may question their judgment. This could turn into a change in attitude, then a change in action, which could look like a few unpaid tubes of makeup leaving in your bag.

Maybe you can get away with this, but then, stores need to take action. This leads to another issue in the retail experience: security locks. Many items are being put in cases, and customers need to get an employee to open them.

It seems a bit backward that people are stealing everyday items, but instead of getting punished, the products get locked up. Paying customers become the ones burdened by the additional steps in their shopping experience. And the list of secured products just seems to keep growing, so don’t be surprised if your makeup, deodorant, or toothpaste requires you to summon a store employee.

Really, this is just another inconvenience in the retail experience — assuming that you intend on being a paying customer. Not only does it make checking every item off your list more difficult, but it also poses an issue for retailers. Some companies, like Macy’s and Target, have chosen to close stores in high-theft areas.

This can be frustrating but don’t rebel against stores by stealing. It’s better to just stay at home and shop online. In the end, everything that makes brick-and-mortar stores feel undesirable pushes retailers closer to relying on e-commerce stores.