The "five-finger discount" has a hold on the nation.
Pizzas, art supplies, baby formula, diabetic test strips, fancy lingerie, perennial plants ripped from the ground - just about anything is up for grabs in a sour economy as more Americans resort to shoplifting. Some filchers have gone pro - snatching the goods in organized raids and later unloading their wares at innocent swap meets or flea markets.
In separate incidents last week, police in Michigan, Nebraska, New York and New Hampshire reported that young mothers were apprehended shoplifting with the help of their toddlers. In Joliet, Ill., managers of a lingerie store were shocked to discover Thursday that someone had walked out with 140 bras worth a total of $5,440.
It's rampant: 61 percent of the largest retailers and chain stores report that "opportunistic" shoplifting has increased in the past four months, despite the fact that stores collectively shell out $12 billion a year in loss-prevention efforts, according to new research released last week by the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA).
None of the retailers - grocery, mass merchandise, apparel, electronic, crafts, appliance and specialty stores - reported that the shoplifting incidents have lessened.
More than half have been victimized by credit card or other financial fraud. In addition, three-fourths said they have seen a marked increase in "organized retail crime," or ORC, the catchall term for grand-scale shoplifting.
"Sophisticated crime rings steal and stockpile stolen merchandise, eventually selling the stolen goods to buyers usually unaware of the item's pathway to market. Stolen merchandise is sold through flea markets, swap meets, pawn shops and increasingly through Internet auction sites," the RILA report said.
"Unlike simple shoplifting or other crimes of opportunity, ORC growth is less likely to decline on its own as the economy improves."
The study warned that shoplifting funded serious crime, citing assassination attempts on federal prosecutors and police in Texas that were completely funded by more than $1 million in gang-related baby formula thefts from retailers.
The group showcased a specific incident. In March, federal and regional authorities shut down a central Florida shoplifting ring, arresting 21 suspects - all illegal immigrants - who were paid up to $300 a day to steal baby formula. The group stole $17.5 million worth of formula, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, which had 40 detectives assigned to the case.
