Shoplifting rise puts US retailers on the back foot

Deputies seized two minivans full of large plastic storage bins stolen from a home improvements retail chain in Georgia last month. Inside the bins were stolen tools and batteries, according to a Fox network station in Atlanta. The deputies discovered 47 items totaling more than $9,000 worth of merchandise from the Home Depot stores.

"The individuals who put the items in the totes, sealed the totes, put them in a shopping cart, and then go by all points of sale. Once they passed all points of sale, they would run to their vehicles, put the totes in their vehicles, and then flee the area," Coweta County Sheriff's Deputy Antonio Vives said.

Investigators said five people were responsible for thefts at various Home Depot stores across the United States, totaling more than $300,000 in merchandise.

In August, twin brothers from Round Lake, Illinois, were sentenced to four years in prison for stealing almost $1 million worth of products from Home Depot in more than 20 states.

Retail theft has been a big problem for the industry. About $69.9 billion worth of products were stolen from retailers in 2019, according to data from the Retail Industry Leaders Association.

Retail theft increased when stores reopened following lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. The newly released 2022 Retail Security Survey by National Retail Federation shows that 74 percent of survey respondents reported that store theft — not including organized retail crime — has increased compared with five years ago.

Retailers also lose a lot of money to organized retail crime, which has increased. The survey shows that 52.9 percent of respondents reported increased incidents of such crime while none reported decreases in organized retail crime.

Multiple measures

Some governments also have increased the threshold or value of goods stolen to constitute a felony.

In California, Proposition 47 in 2014 reduced theft of goods valued at less than $950 from a felony to a misdemeanor, which some politicians have attempted to repeal.

Home Depot has been locking up more products during the past year while testing more customer-friendly, higher-tech solutions, reported The Wall Street Journal.

Scott Glenn, vice-president of asset protection at Home Depot, said that overall theft attempts at Home Depot continue to rise compared with before the pandemic. After a high-theft item is locked up, sales gradually go up because the store stays more consistently in stock, Glenn said. He also said that in stores where Home Depot has aggressive theft deterrents, losses have been reduced.

A Best Buy store in the suburbs of Houston has replaced items such as Bose speakers, the Journal reported. Shoppers must ask store workers for help in locating the merchandise.

Heng Weili in New York contributed to this story.