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Paid to Steal?
To Combat Shoplifters, Retailers Are Hiring Them to Steal

As retail theft soars in the UK, companies are spending more on store security - including hiring "mystery shoplifters" to test it firsthand.

A former criminology professor, Martin Gill is founder of Perpetuity Research, a Tunbridge Wells, UK-based consultancy that helps retailers improve their security strategy. Jack, a pseudonym, is one of three formerly incarcerated people working for Gill on what are known as "penetration tests" (a phrase also used in cybersecurity) or, more prosaically, "mystery shoplifting."

Gill characterizes his mystery shoplifters as "career criminals who have been heavily involved in theft and fraud." He met each of the men through research conducted in prisons, probation agencies and drug rehabilitation centers, and says they're able to offer specific insights that only an experienced shoplifter could provide.

"They've lived their life stealing," Gill says. "In some ways that has more resonance with retailers than does a professor of criminology."

Perpetuity provides a niche service, but it's part of a sprawling industry that helps retailers address theft. In the UK, spending on crime-prevention measures increased 67% to £1.2 billion ($1.5 billion) between 2022 and 2023, according to the British Retail Consortium. A recent survey of US retailers found that nearly two-thirds had increased their budgets to train employees on theft.

Gill declined to name his clients or say how much he charges them for his services. But every job is different. A company will usually reach out to Gill with a specific security concern or query, and they will together set a mystery shoplifting target. That might mean focusing on a particular part of the store, a particular product, or the strengths and weaknesses of a particular security measure.

Gill's team typically tests one store location in the morning, another location in the afternoon, and sometimes a third later in the day. If the first test goes well (i.e. the goods are successfully stolen), they'll repeat the operation to feed as much information as possible back to the company. The shoplifters mimic techniques used by professional thieves: Lining a bag in foil, for example, prevents electronic security tags from triggering an alarm. bloomberg.com


Theft In-Store & Online Continues to Surge
Retailers struggle to prevent thefts as high-income buyers ramp up online fraud
UK retailers say store crime is "spiralling out of control," after thefts and violent incidents skyrocketed in 2024. The number of customer thefts rose 22% YoY to 20.4 million-or an average of over 55,000 per day-according to a survey by the British Retail Consortium (BRC).

In total, customer theft cost retailers £2.2 billion ($2.8 billion) in 2024, an increase of 21% YoY.

Retailers' drive to keep staffing levels lean by expanding self-checkout and other so-called labor-saving technologies has created more opportunities for people to steal. It is also unclear precisely how much merchandise is lost to crime. Reports from both the BRC and NRF extrapolate losses based on data from a small number of respondents, and retailers themselves are reluctant to disclose the precise dollar value of retail shrink (which includes, but is not limited to, theft).

Most of the discourse around retail crime has focused on in-store theft, but online fraud is becoming a bigger headache for retailers-particularly since, unlike shoplifting, it is more likely to involve higher-income consumers.

Roughly 7 in 10 US retailers (68%) said that ecommerce theft and fraud were a bigger concern in 2024 than the year prior, per an NRF report.

Digital shoplifting is also seen as a victimless crime: 39% of US consumers believe first-party fraud causes no harm, while 63% of those who engage in the practice believe that large retailers have the resources to cover potential losses.

Increasing staffing levels in stores would help eliminate blind spots and act as a greater deterrent to would-be thieves. Retailers also need to develop more sophisticated online fraud detection mechanisms to root out repeat offenders and crack down on policy abuse. content-naf.emarketer.com


'Endless Row of Locked Cases' Aren't Going Anywhere
Why Walgreens says unlocking products won't help solve deep financial problems
Walgreens CEO Timothy Wentworth said on an earnings call earlier this month that one thing that hurts sales is what seems to be endless rows of locked cases.

"When you lock things up ... you don't sell as many of them. We've kind of proven that pretty conclusively." More and more products are under lock and key at places like Walgreens, CVS and Target, making it inconvenient for customers trying to quickly grab items like toiletries and beauty products.

A Consumer World survey of 1,100 readers found that 55% say a locked case makes them shop elsewhere while 32% will call over an associate to unlock the case.

Case in point: The Walgreens at Dearborn and Division in the Gold Coast neighborhood keeps products such as lotions, body and face wash, lubricant (but not condoms), vibrators, baby formula, detergent and cleaning supplies in locked display cases.

Reality check: The company isn't getting rid of the cases. "It is a hand-to-hand combat battle still, unfortunately," Wentworth said, referencing revenue lost through "shrink," which is inventory loss due to issues such as theft.

Locked display cases aren't meant to deter small-scale shoplifting. They address organized retail crime - the theft of multiple products with the intent of reselling them. Organized retail theft is a felony in Illinois and costs businesses nearly $2 billion each year, the Illinois Retail Merchants Association says.

Walgreens locks up items based on data of what's stolen and where, spokesperson Marty Maloney tells Axios. Despite "testing and gaining insights on new solutions that enhances our ability to keep inventory secure but empowers our customers to have easier access to products" locked display cases are the "most efficient solution to combat retail theft," Maloney says.

In 2021, after "smash and grabs" became common around the pandemic, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul started the Illinois Organized Retail Crime Task Force to work with retailers, including Walgreens, to stop these types of crimes.  axios.com


Some Stores Taking Shoplifting Arrests Into Their Own Hands - Literally!
Store owner cuts shoplifting rates by 80% - by arresting thieves himself
A United Kingdom shopkeeper says he has managed to turn the tide on the record rates of shoplifting seen across the nation - by carrying out his own citizen's arrests.

Shoplifting in the UK hit a record $2.74 billion last year, alongside surging crime levels and rising violence and abuse against staff, data revealed today.

Martin Gaunt, 62, runs his gift shop, Happy Piranha, in Truro and was fed up of shoplifters - and what he says was a lack of "proper" support from the police.

So he started taking action himself - using his powers of arrest under Section 24A of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 - to detain them until police arrive.

And after more than 50 arrests in 2023 and 2024 and says it's working - cutting theft at his shop by 80%.

He says retailers and police "invite shoplifters to come and steal" by "doing nothing" to tackle soaring theft rates.

And taking security out of stores, and businesses telling staff "don't get involved" has led to "the perfect storm."

"Because we have taken proactive measures in our shop, it has reduced," he said.

"My shoplifting is down dramatically but the crime has gone elsewhere. "There are less people in physical shops these days, and larger shops have removed security because it's cheaper to take the loss. nypost.com


Tales from the Frontline of the Shoplifting Epidemic
'Some steal to order': on the frontline of UK shoplifting epidemic

As retailers record 55,000 thefts a day, we talk to a supermarket worker, a security guard and a shopkeeper about their jobs

UK retailers are warning that crime in their stores is "spiralling out of control" with 55,000 thefts a day and violent and abusive incidents rising by 50% last year to 2,000 a day. What is it like to be on the frontline? We speak to a supermarket worker, a security guard and an independent shopkeeper.

Denise Bartrum, supermarket worker in Kent

When I first started in stores shoplifting was just homeless people coming in for a sandwich or deodorant. Now there is no average shoplifter. It could be anybody. We have well-dressed women and men going through self-service or scan-to-shop and they might have not scanned half of it.

George Bass, security guard on university campus, with shops and cafe open to public

We get all sorts of characters coming through, from dealers to local kids. I'm on the frontline. There has been a lot more stealing to order since the cost of living crisis. I heard a local drug user reading out a shopping list from her phone. They will steal anything on display - food or headphones from the bookshop. They do steaming - where they overwhelm you. A group will rush towards you and you might be able to chase one or two but the rest have bolted.

Youngsters are more brazen. They are not frightened of cameras, even bodycams. The idea of being photographed and that being sent to the police doesn't bother them. People know the police are not likely to come.  theguardian.com
 

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Providence, RI: Twice-deported Guatemalan national sentenced for role in ring involving at least 35 retail thefts in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey
A twice-deported Guatemalan national, described in court documents as being "the most consistent member" of an organized group of individuals that repeatedly stole high-end construction equipment, building supplies, and clothing from national retailer's stores has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, after which he will be deported, having been convicted on charges of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property and illegal re-entry into the United States, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

As described in court proceedings, Marvin Estuardo Morales De Paz, 30, of Cranston, was one of as many as a dozen members of a Rhode Island-based conspiracy of individuals who traveled to home improvement and clothing stores in at least five states to commit thefts, then transported the stolen merchandise to Rhode Island to sell. Morales was present for nearly every theft and set prices for, and directed sales of, the stolen items. According to information presented to the court, the ring was involved in at least 35 documented thefts in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. It is estimated that members of the conspiracy stole more than $280,000 worth of merchandise. Tens of thousands of dollars' worth of stolen goods was recovered from Morales's residence when he was arrested on April 11, 2024.

Morales was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Court Senior Judge William E. Smith to 30 months of incarceration to be followed by one year of supervised release. Morales will be turned over to ICE and faces deportation upon completion of his term of incarceration.  fallriverreporter.com


Mt Juliet, TN: Three arrested after police locate $7K worth of stolen sporting goods
Three people were arrested after police reportedly found them in possession of thousands of dollars worth of stolen merchandise. The Mt. Juliet Police Department said a trio at Academy Sports caught an officer's attention due to "suspicious behavior." Police were then able to conduct a traffic stop on their vehicle when they failed to use a turn signal, MJPD said. During the stop, officers located multiple stolen baseball bats and pickleball rackets from Dick's Sporting Goods. The theft had reportedly been so recent that the store had not realized anything had been stolen.  wsmv.com


Waterloo, ON, Canada: Six suspects attempt Jewelry store theft at Conestoga Mall
An attempted robbery of a jewelry store at Conestoga Mall is under investigation by regional police. At roughly 6 p.m. on Friday, February 1 six suspects went into the mall and approached a jewelry store, but fled the scene when a security guard intervened. All the suspects fled in a grey Honda Civic that had been stolen earlier that day in Toronto. The vehicle has since been recovered outside of Waterloo Region. No injuries were reported as a result of the incident, and anyone with information is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers.  kitchener.citynews.ca


Coral Springs, FL: Woman Arrested After Shoplifting Nearly $2,000 in Fragrances from Macy's at Coral Square Mall

Ottawa, ON, Canada: Game store thieves target Pokemon cards; 2 locations of Ottawa hobby store GameZetera burgled in a single week