Get Our Email Newsletter

Shoplifting Continues to Rise – 8 of Past 10 Years, According to the Annual Retail Theft Survey

Over 432,000 shoplifters and dishonest employees were apprehended in 2017 by just 21 large retailers who recovered over $188 million from these thieves, according to the 30th Annual Retail Theft Survey conducted by Jack L. Hayes International, a loss prevention and inventory shrinkage control consulting firm.

“Theft continues to plague the retail industry, with shoplifting leading the way! In 2017, shoplifting apprehensions increased 2.3%, with the dollars recovered from these shoplifters increasing almost 13%. This is the 8th rise in both shoplifter apprehensions and dollar recoveries in the past 10 years. Recoveries from shoplifters where no apprehension was made increased for the 21st consecutive year, up an amazing 18% in 2017,” said Mark R. Doyle, President of Jack L. Hayes International. Mr. Doyle added, “While dishonest employee apprehensions and recovery dollars were down (almost 4% and 7% respectively), retail theft overall continues to be a serious problem for retailers negatively impacting their bottom-line, which results in higher prices to consumers.”

Highlights from this annual theft survey include:

- Digital Partner -
  • Participants: 21 large retail companies with 16,409 stores and over $428 billion in retail sales (2017)
  • Apprehensions: 432,046 shoplifters and dishonest employees were apprehended in 2017, up 1.7% from 2016
  • Recovery Dollars: Over $188 million was recovered from apprehended shoplifters and dishonest employees in 2017, up 8.1% from 2016
  • Shoplifter Apprehensions: 391,760 shoplifters were apprehended in 2017, up 2.3% from 2016
  • Shoplifter Recovery Dollars: Over $149 million was recovered from apprehended shoplifters in 2017, an increase of 12.9% from 2016. An additional $185 million was recovered from non-apprehended shoplifters
  • Employee Apprehensions: 40,286 dishonest employees were apprehended in 2017, down 4.0% from 2016
  • Employee Recovery Dollars: Over $38 million was recovered from employee apprehensions in 2017, down 7.0% from 2016
  • Shrink: 61.9% of survey participants reported an increase in shrink in 2017, with 28.6% reporting a decrease in shrink, and another 9.5% reported shrink stayed about the same.

Full survey results are available by clicking here.

Loss Prevention Magazine updates delivered to your inbox

Get the free daily newsletter read by thousands of loss prevention professionals, security, and retail management from the store level to the c-suite.

What's New

Digital Partners

Become a Digital Partner

Violence in the Workplace

Download this 34-page special report from Loss Prevention Magazine about types and frequency of violent incidents, impacts on employees and customers, effectiveness of tools and training, and much more.

Webinars

View All | Sponsor a Webinar

Whitepapers

View All | Submit a Whitepaper

LP Solutions

View All | Submit Your Content

Loss Prevention Media Logo

Stay up-to-date with our free email newsletter

The trusted newsletter for loss prevention professionals, security and retail management. Get the latest news, best practices, technology updates, management tips, career opportunities and more.

No, thank you.

View our privacy policy.