Surprising Theft Class Statistics
Often when I teach an shoplifting class, I’m surprised at how few people know how prevalent shoplifting is in our society. Obviously my students learn a lot of this information in our program. Here’s just a snapshot of some of the most interesting shoplifting and theft statistics.
- Retailers see $13 billion worth of their product taken anually. That adds up to more than $35 million per day.
- An estimated 27 million people shoplift in our nation. In the last 5 years, more than ten million people have been caught in the act of shoplifting.
- Approximately 25 percent of people who shoplift are kids, Three in four are over 18 55 percent of adult shoplifters say they began shoplifting in their teens.
- A lot of shoplifters buy and steal merchandise in the same visit. they commonly steal from $2 to $200 per incident depending upon the type of store and item stolen.
- Shoplifting is infrequently a premeditated crime. Three quarters of adult and juvenile shoplifters didn’t make plans in advance to steal.
- Shoplifters say they are caught an average of only once in every 48 times they steal. The police are called about 50% of the time.
- About one in thirty of people who shoplift are “professionals” who steal solely for resale or profit as a business. These people include people on drugs who shoplift to purchase more drugs, hardened professionals who shoplift as a life-style and international shoplifting gangs who steal for profit as a business. These types of shoplifters are responsible for 10 percent of the total shoplifting activity.
If you are interested in finding out more, I highly recommend that you sign up for an online theft class!






