These goods are most often lost in stores. “We steal on impulse or opportunity”

Almost 70 percent losses recorded by retail stores result from theft – according to a study carried out by the Warsaw School of Economics and Checkpoint Systems. The most frequently appropriated items are food and excise products, as well as clothing and footwear.

As indicated by the authors of the study entitled “Breaking the taboo of theft in retail”, this phenomenon not only generates huge losses and a decrease in the profitability of retail chains, but also affects the increase in product prices.

Currently, the share of theft in the scale of overall losses is very high and amounts to 69%. A detailed analysis of the study results showed that the most frequently stolen items are food products (23%), excise products (20%), and clothing, footwear and textiles (16%).. “The most frequently identified categories include candy and sweets (14%), alcohol (13%) and clothing excluding underwear. These categories – due to their popularity, easy availability on shelves and relatively high unit value – also generate the greatest financial losses for retailers,” we read in the research report.

Researchers also noted that the structure of losses depends directly on the business profile and scale of the store. In large supermarkets, where the food assortment is the basis of the offer and constitutes a significant part of turnover, losses due to theft are usually higher than in small ones. Therefore – according to the report's authors – prevention strategies should be diversified. Large chains should focus on securing the everyday FMCG assortment (so-called FMCG products, including food, beverages, cosmetics, cleaning products), while smaller stores should pay special attention to protecting goods with higher unit value.

According to respondents, the most common perpetrators of theft in retail stores are people aged 20 to 40 – 53 percent answered yes. subjects. Incidents involving people over 40 years of age are much less common (11.9%), an even smaller percentage involves people under 19 years of age (2.2%), and the least numerous group of perpetrators are seniors over 60 years of age (0.3%). Every third respondent (33%) could not determine the most common age group of perpetrators.

Most thefts are incidental

Importantly, most thefts are incidental and are committed by the so-called accidental perpetrators, i.e. people acting on impulse or opportunity (83%). The share of organized criminal groups is negligible and amounts to only 2%.

According to prof. Małgorza Bombol from SGH, the phenomenon of losses in retail is a mirror that reflects the growing structural tension in our society, where ubiquitous consumption pressure collides with a real lack of means to meet basic needs.

“The dominance of adult perpetrators aged 20-40, stealing mainly food, transforms the trade problem into a macroeconomic indicator of poverty and inflation, heralding 'theft out of necessity' as a form of desperate survival,” the scientist believes. He adds that impulsivity is 83%. documented thefts reveal the fragility of human self-control and suggest that effective prevention must be an immediate, physical deactivator of the impulse, not just a distant threat of punishment.

The study showed that differentiated anti-theft systems are more often used by large chains, while every 10 small stores do not use any security measures. The most frequently used solution is anti-theft gates (EAS), used by 31%. stores, and 26 percent declares that it protects products with labels and stickers.

According to the director of Checkpoint Systems, Robert Głażewski, the phenomenon of trade theft cannot be completely eliminated, but it is possible to reduce it. “The study conducted together with the Warsaw School of Economics is intended to be not only a diagnosis, but also a reference point for the entire industry. We want it to become an impulse for cooperation between retail chains, public institutions, industry organizations and the academic community, so as to jointly manage risk more effectively and minimize losses resulting from theft,” he concluded. (PAP)

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