"Coming out of the pandemic, many retail chains, political leaders, law enforcement officials and others told America there was an unprecedented level of shoplifting. Shoplifting became a political lighting rod, and videos of thieves smashing store windows and grabbing merchandise rocketed across the news and social media as a symbol of a breakdown across cities. But national crime data never showed a retail theft wave, though shoplifting did spike in certain cities like New York."
"For one, retailers' tools for tracking products became more accurate in recent years. Cities and states devoted extra resources to breaking up organized theft rings. Lawmakers and voters approved stiffer criminal penalties for smaller levels of theft and larger organized crime. And companies adapted by investing in internal securityincluding removing self-checkout stations and locking up products to the point it turned off customers."
Many retailers and officials claimed unprecedented shoplifting after the pandemic, with dramatic videos portraying urban breakdowns. National crime data did not show a nationwide retail theft wave, though spikes occurred in cities such as New York. Analysts argued chains exaggerated losses to mask inventory mismanagement and strategic errors, and some executives acknowledged overspending on security. Retailers and officials now report falling shoplifting rates and attribute improvements to more accurate product-tracking tools, targeted efforts against organized theft rings, tougher criminal penalties, and operational changes like removing self-checkout and locking products. Those changes coincided with a notable shift in public messaging.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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