I saw this article about the top ten shop lifted items and I think I am as disgusted at what they steal as I am with the whole concept of theivery. It is one thing to steal bread, rice or beans - but apparently, people tend to steal pricier items and items more akin to luxuries or indulgences. Criminy - you can buy soap at the dollar store or, for that matter, I expect someone's mama would give them some. Anyone's mama. Stand out on a corner with a sign begging for soap and I bet you'd get it. With thanks for using it, no less.

If you look at the list, men tend to steal electric toothbrushes (regular toothbrushes are apparently not good enough), soap, razors and deodorant. Makes me wonder about the guys who look so good for the ladies! : ) The only thing on this list that looks theft worthy might be the power tools. I can understand the temptation, at least.

http://shine.yahoo.com/fashion/the-most-shoplifted-items-of-the-season.html


1. Filet mignon

So many people are tucking choice cuts of meats under their jackets that supermarkets are now considered the stores with the most theft.

2. Jameson
Those with an unquenchable thirst for booze just help themselves to a free bottle of expensive liquor.

3. Electric tools
Apparently the the most common items men nab are electric toothbrushes and power tools. At least they’re fighting cavities.

4. iPhone 4
Electronics like smartphones and video games are high risk items, and one research group claims 100,000 laptops are stolen annually from big box stores.

5. Gillette Mach 4
Anyone who uses non-disposable razors knows they’re pretty expensive, so in tough financial times people don’t want to pay for them anymore.

6. Axe
The men’s deodorant and body wash we love to hate are often stolen in mass quantities and resold at flea markets and corner stores. Dial is popular amongst thieves too.

7. Polo Ralph Lauren
Clothing theft is up 31 percent since 2009. It’s hard to look good in a bad economy, so some score fresh threads the illegal way.

8. Let’s Rock Elmo
The Sesame Street toy topped the Toys’R’Us "Hot Toys" list this year, so parents are stealing this must-have toy for their kids if they can’t afford it.

9. Chanel No. 5
Who wouldn’t love a bottle of this popular woman’s fragrance? Expensive perfumes make up nearly four percent of loss in stores that carry them.


10. Nikes

As Ad Week points out, some shoppers wear flip-flops into a store, try on a pair of sneakers, and walk out wearing them. Sneaker heads will do whatever it takes to score the kicks on their wish list.

When I worked at the Skaggs in Bethany during high school we had someone try to steal ceiling fans, they passed them over the rail to someone who ran out the doors on the Rockwell side and then the other person tried ducking under the rail to get out, they got caught.

Did they order that list by number of thefts or total theft(shrink) dollars? I know from my years in retail that our list would look nothing like that.

A couple of those items looks like things people would steal, fence and repeat in a different store. Though it is going to be more difficult to determine separate lists for items most stolen for personal by random people and for selling on a gray market by career criminals.

@HewenttoJared - Those items do seem more likely to be in a list based on total dollars than numbers stolen.

Did they order that list by number of thefts or total theft(shrink) dollars? I know from my years in retail that our list would look nothing like that.

The Gillette and Axe seem a little bit out of place if its measured in dollars, but they are also the easiest to steal items. It can't be by total items with the iphone 4 being number 4 on the list.

Not to mention that those iPhone 4's are being lost internally. It's not like people are stealing them the way that teenage girls steal makeup.

Some of the Walgreen's and CVS stores have the razor blades in a locked cabinet, not all the stores do. The Walgreen's closest to our house in Austin does and the one that I usually go to (was on the way home from work) had them on pegs in the open. The one that had them in a cabinet also had other, higher dollar items in cabinets as well, I guess they have a bigger shrinkage problem at that location.

There's a ring that has been traveling for years stealing millions from Sam's. Sam's doesn't like to talk about it though. Apparently the ring steals enough to fill up U-Haul vans. They simply create their own receipt and walk in an use it like a shopping list. Then they simply walk past the little old lady who gladly checks the receipt and lets them go on.

Years ago when I worked at WalMart we had tons of shoplifters. Some were the run of the mill, stuff it in your pants and run. Lots of people would try and go out the garden center without paying. Some got creative. They's steal a price gun and create their own UPC sticker and price to be scanned. Some would put smaller items inside of larger items. Also, when the 10 for a penny CD's were advertised in magazines etc. people would bring them in to exchange at full retail value.

We also had some local jail/prison that would bring prisoners in for shopping trips after we were closed (I never knew that happened before working there). They'd try and steal stuff but I'm told they were cavity searched once they got back to the jail/prison.

I would suggest putting up at least several big screen monitors in the store with changing views to give shoplifters the uncomfortable feeling that they're being watched.

I would suggest putting up at least several big screen monitors in the store with changing views to give shoplifters the uncomfortable feeling that they're being watched.

You may be on to something. I am not sure that hiding the presence of cameras is much of a deterent.

The iPhone on the list reminded me of my days working for SW Bell Mobile. Back then all the display units were dummy phones and every once in a while some idiot tried to steal one. Phones and plans were pretty expensive back then and not everyone could afford one so it was more of a status symbol; so I guess it could be argued that they wanted it so that they at least looked like they owned a cellphone. They even tried making the dummy phones in day-glo plastic so it was obvious that they weren't real, but thieves seemed to like them even more. Go figure.