We haven’t heard much about supermarket shoplifting lately. But the situation has apparently only gotten worse since we last checked. A new survey found that more than 30 per cent of US super-market shoppers admitted to stealing…
Estimates range as high as 10 million individual shoplifting
incidents per year at North American supermarkets…
LendingTree is a respected market research firm that keeps track of consumer trends. It’s most recent survey on supermarket shopping behaviours revealed some shocking developments…
Look at the people either side of you…
There was once a popular device used by motivational speakers and other ‘teachers’ to demonstrate the incidence of a behaviour or phenomenon to workshop attendees…
“Look at the people either side of you,” the speaker would start. “On average, one or the other of them has stolen something from the supermarket!”
If that didn’t trigger a visceral response in those assembled, I don’t know what would!
That’s just one of the key findings of the new LearningTree survey of supermarket shoppers…
What they found…
- 30% of Americans say they’ve shoplifted, up significantly from 23% in 2024.
- Economic conditions remain a leading factor cited by respondents who shoplift. Among those who say they shoplifted in the past year, 90% cite inflation and the broader economy as contributing factors.
- Respondents who shoplift most commonly report stealing everyday essentials, particularly from major retailers.
- Grocery stores remain the most commonly reported shoplifting location, cited by 39% of respond-ents who say they’ve shoplifted. They’re followed by dollar stores (28%) and department stores (25%). Walmart is most frequently identified as one of the easiest stores to shoplift from (47%), followed by Family Dollar (21%), Amazon Fresh (14%) and Kroger (11%).
Clear demographic lines
Survey results are clearly delinieated along demographic lines: “[Shoplifting] is most common among younger generations, with 39% of Gen Zers ages 18 to 29 and 38% of millennials ages 30 to 45 report-ing they’ve shoplifted. By comparison, 24% of Gen Xers ages 46 to 61 and 18% of baby boomers ages 62 to 80 say they’ve shoplifted.”
Survey data also indicates, ” men are more likely than women to report having shoplifted, at 36% versus 23%.”
The consequences…
More than half of respondents who said they’ve shoplifted (52%) reported never being caught. Among those who’ve been caught, the most commonly reported consequence is receiving a warning (38%), while 27% say they were arrested. Other reported consequences include being fined or banned from a store. Meanwhile, 7% say they faced no penalty.
My take
First of all… I was totally gobsmacked to realize that some Gen Xers are now over 60 years old! But that’s another rant for another day. Maybe…
Anyway…
It’s clear that the shoplifting ‘problem’ is a direct result of folks not being able to afford what they need and want from the supermarket. And the problem is getting considerably worse, as more and more folks fall below the poverty line and food prices remain high.
I don’t know what they’re planning in the US. President Donald Trump hasn’t shown much sympathy for starving Americans. But here in Canada, the government has launched a massive investigation into competition in the food sector. The results can’t come soon enough. And even then, we’ll have to wait for regulators and politicians to act on them!
~ Maggie J.