The circumstances that lead to the decision to steal or shoplift are complex to say the least. Economic problems, addiction issues and societal pressures are just a handful of the contributing factors that can drive people to theft. It’s also endemic in poorer communities and areas, and can often be the only option for those in truly dire economic straits.
It’s a double-edged sword, however, in that it places an increasing pressure upon retailers, from smaller, family-run enterprises right through to huge, nationwide shops.
That’s especially true for supermarkets who, the British Retail Consortium found in their latest publication, bear the brunt of an eye-watering £953 million lost to customer theft. That’s not even touching on the abuse retail workers face, which has seen a huge spike following the COVID pandemic.
Today, we’re taking an objective look at theft from retailers, what the biggest targets for shoplifters are, and why we currently find ourselves in the midst of a wave of shoplifting. We’ll also look at the preventative measures supermarkets can put into place, and where modern security measures play a pivotal role.
While more concrete figures for the most shoplifted items across the UK aren’t available, we’re able to see exactly where supermarkets and retailers are hit the hardest. Let’s look at 10 of the most stolen items (in no particular order), and why they’re among that illustrious list.
What many assume is the most stolen item, alcohol has actually never been among the UK’s most stolen items, with our next entry actually taking that unwanted crown according to the Associated of Convenience Stores. However, that’s not to say that there’s no issue around the theft of alcohol from shops and supermarkets nationwide.
You’ll no doubt have seen the countermeasures that retailers deploy in order to deter the theft of alcohol, and particularly more expensive items like whiskey and champagne. Tags, cases and even dummy bottles are all common on shelves up and down the country, and for good reason -thefts of alcohol can often cost stores in the tens of thousands of pounds.
The theft of alcohol is also one driven by addiction. Those who suffer with alcoholism, or steal the booze to fund another addiction (like drugs or gambling), will often go to extreme measures to ensure they can get what they need, with some even resorting to hiding alcohol on their person to get away with it.
Plus, with its highly desirable nature, and small businesses struggling to keep up with rising supplier costs, even corner shops and smaller stores are resorting to gangs of thieves to bring stock to their shelves. It’s that black market that often drives some of the higher profile alcohol thefts across the country.
Officially the most stolen item from supermarkets and shops according the Association of Convenience Stores, the sweets and chocolate aisle of a supermarket are a hotbed for shoplifting.
We originally broke this revelation back in our piece on retail crime statistics, but one of the limitations of both that report and the current statistics is that we’re unable to determine who is stealing these items.
The general assumption is that it’s predominantly children or young adults stealing the chocolate and sweets. This would make sense – peer pressure, rebellious teen phases and even behavioural issues can all prompt inappropriate actions or “acting out”. However, the black market for sweets, chocolate and confectionary does exist, and thieves are well aware of its desirability.
With sugar taxes and other levies increasing the price of chocolate and confectionary, and an ever-worsening cost of living crisis driving these costs up even further, there’s no end in sight for the countrywide issue with the theft of chocolate, sweets and other confectionary items.
One of the most stolen items from any supermarket, baby formula and jarred foods are often among the largest losses for supermarkets, and the biggest target for thieves and shoplifters. An expensive item, and an integral step in the growth of your child, there’s little substitute for the right balance that formula and food offer.
That’s arguably the main reason behind its desirability as a target for theft. Its necessity means it’s an essential for new and experienced parents alike, and, for those struggling with money, it becomes the first option for theft, with some families opting to go without to ensure their kids are provided for.
It’s far from an isolated example, either. Sky News spoke to multiple families who found themselves in a similar scenario, resorting to theft to stay afloat and keep their children fed. Many feel a sense of shame or embarrassment, but with rising costs of living, it’s clear that the theft of baby formula and food is far from a passing problem.
Another key takeaway from that same article is just how much prices have risen in that period. Event he cheaper brands of formula milk rose by a worrying 45% in the last 2 years, with others rising by as much 30% in the same time frame.
However, where this does become an issue is with black market thieves – those who look to steal formula to sell on for profit – and people who see the rising cost of living as an opportunity to pile additional pain onto society’s most vulnerable.
It’s abhorrent but all too common, and takes advantage of desperate parents who’ll pay for it, either through cash or more illegitimate means. It’s a dim reflection of modern society and, as we’ll touch on in a later section, it’s an issue that’s only been exacerbated in recent years.
Closely linked with our previous point, and another integral part of raising a healthy and happy child, nappies and baby wipes are among the most stolen items from our supermarkets. That’s perhaps unsurprising, as the latest estimates place the average cost of nappies for just one child at around £12 – £24 every month.
Wipes are lower in cost by comparison, but still represent a necessary expense for new parents. With budgets tighter, nappies have quickly become one of the more commonly shoplifted items, especially for those who can’t afford the initial outlay for reusable nappies, or the monthly upkeep costs for nappies.
Parents cite nappies as one of the major, unavoidable costs for a growing child, with many resorting to food banks and charitable endeavours to see them through the month, especially during the latter half of maternity leave. Others look to theft to supplement dwindling resources, using prams and bags to take what they need.
Further continuing the theme of baby-related products being among the most stolen items from supermarkets, it’s a damning indictment of the current economic state that new parents are forced to steal clothing for their children.
The reasoning behind it is inescapable, too – children grow at an incredibly quick rate, and for some, that’s simply impossible to keep pace with. Baby clothes are one of a parent’s biggest expenses, and, with changing trends and societal pressure pushing for parents to only kit their kids out in branded gear, outside noise plays a role too.
For some, this peer pressure becomes too much, meaning they turn to theft to try and outfit their child. For others, it’s a struggle to even find clothing that’s affordable under an incredibly stringent budget, especially with washing and cleaning costs for the baby’s existing clothing thrown into the mix as well.
This is an area that really does blur the lines between theft for necessity, and theft for profit or pleasure. Keeping your child protected and warm is a crucial consideration for all parents, but there’s still more who’ll seek to take advantage of that.
One of the more popular products for supermarket thieves to target, there’s a substantial black market for meats, especially more premium or desirable items like bacon, chicken, steak and beef mince.
That’s not new, either. The illegal sale and trade of meat products (amongst others featured on this list of the most commonly stolen items from supermarkets) has been a cloak-and-dagger fixture at local pubs, precincts and gathering areas for decades. That’s particularly true of more economically deprived areas, or those that have seen little investment in recent years.
You’ll no doubt have seen preventative measures sneaking into mainstream supermarkets, too, with some shops opting to place meat into protective casing that’s only removed once it’s been scanned at the counter.
While police initiatives like this one based in Nottinghamshire seek to stamp out what’s long been an issue, an exponentially rising cost of living have only seen this become more commonplace in communities up and down the UK.
There’s an inherent danger to this, however. Meat products naturally need to be refrigerated, and there’s no guarantee that any products bought illegitimately – either through necessity or through trying to save costs – will have been properly stored to stop the growth of bacteria.
In much the same vein as our previous entry on this list of the most shoplifted items across the UK, cheese and other dairy products have a substantial black market behind them. While it’s difficult to trace the roots back, given the illicit nature of the sale of these products, stories like this from The Times show it’s only become more commonplace in cost-stricken Britain.
Cheese is often viewed as a luxury, and with prices per kilo seeing their highest ever average price in the last couple of years, it’s become simply out of reach for many of us. For those that use cheese regularly, that’s meant a drastic change to meal planning and preparation.
It’s a similar story for other dairy products, such as yoghurts, milk and butter. A steep rise in price, coupled with scarcity issues following Brexit, has created a perfect storm in which prices have only seen year-on-year rises.
That’s naturally fed into an increase in these products being stolen, so much so that some smaller retailers have opted to put premium cheeses and more expensive spreads in the protective casing we’d normally only see on high-end electronics.
An essential for any bathroom, it’s no secret that the costs of toiletries have risen substantially in recent years. In a damning report from The Guardian, toothpaste prices alone could more than double in a single year. Prices of mouthwash and deodorant saw an equally concerning 4% rise when compared to the prices we saw in the same period of 2023.
That’s arguably the key driver behind the increase in shoplifting of toiletry products. Price rises are a factor of commonality across all the most stolen items in the UK – many are simply being priced out of the market, and resorting to crime to secure the essentials.
However, this further creates the chance for opportunistic thieves to capitalise, and we’re starting to see the beginnings of a black market for those bathroom essentials. There’s perhaps a slight hangover of the early days of the pandemic in that, especially when products like toilet roll were dwindling in stock, but we’re now far past that.
Thieves can and do target smaller ticket but expensive items like antiperspirants, deodorants, mouthwash and face washes to sell on later for profit.
With the global market for makeup valued at a staggering £32 billion, and growth expected over the coming years that will take that above the £50 billion, there’s little doubt that cosmetics are big money. Even in a cash-strapped UK, new makeup stores and stalls represent a great opportunity for businesses big and small.
However, with that indisputable popularity comes the inherent danger of shoplifting, and makeup products are swiftly becoming a target for thieves and shoplifters, especially in larger chain stores and supermarkets where focus may be placed elsewhere. We’re already starting to see that, with many retailers opting for more robust security measures in their makeup departments.
There’s multiple elements to the theft of makeup, however, and the product in itself creates a dilemma. For those who steal because they’re unable to afford the product, it’s a way to match with the trends and alleviate social pressures, but there’s equal concern around those who steal to sell on for profit.
With makeup being ubiquitously popular across the world, and different shades and brands fetching inflated prices, thieves are recognising this, and targeting smaller yet valuable items (like mascara, foundation, and lipstick) to turn quickly for cash.
The theft of clothing isn’t what many of us immediately think of when we think shoplifting in supermarkets. However, with many retail stores having extensive clothing sections, and even smaller stores having a corner dedicated to fashion accessories, it’s a problem that perhaps flies under the radar.
Brazen shoplifters will often swap one of their own items of clothing for an off-the-rack item, leaving the stores with their new gear without arousing too much suspicion. Some shoplifters even see this as an opportunity to take more, and look to sell them on.
There’s also seasonal spikes. Clothing theft tends to rise over winter, when customers tend to wear bulkier jackets, leaving more scope to hide the stolen items. Accessory theft sees a steady rate throughout the year, with both sunglasses and scarves often a target for shoplifters as the seasons change.
In short – yes. In the last year alone, instances of shoplifting rose by a staggering 30% (comparing June 2023 – March 2024 to June 2022 – March 2023), with the last year alone seeing 443,995 incidents, or around 1,126 incidents every single day. That’s just those that resulted in prosecution.
A deeper dive into the British Retail Consortium’s latest report reveals that those offences are just the tip of the iceberg, with their latest report placing the number of customer thefts at closer to 8 million. That equates to an estimated 1 in 16 instances of shoplifting result in an arrest or police involvement – a startling revelation, and one that truly highlights the issues retailers are facing.
The reasons behind this are hazy at best, but many point to the rising costs of living as the primary reason behind such a sharp rise. We’re still in the aftershocks of a devastating global pandemic, and rising costs of all our essentials have driven many to desperate measures.
That truly forms the crux of the issues we face with shoplifting. People are, as we’ve seen throughout this article, using shoplifting as their only resort, or in direct response to the insurmountable costs of essentials like baby formula, toiletries and even food items. That’s not set to stop any time soon, either.
The Office of National Statistics places the overall level of inflation at 4.2% – a marked decrease from the near 9% we saw in 2022 and into 2023. The level of inflation for food and beverages (non-alcoholic) is substantially higher at 7%, as is the inflation rate for restaurants and other eateries (8.2%).
But what does that mean for the future? We’re yet to truly see the changes to inflation reflected on the supermarket shelves, and we can’t say for certainty that inflation rates will continue the steady decline they’ve experienced in recent months. In fact, they seem to have stabilised, with that 4.2% remaining consistent for the last month.
As we venture into uncharted territory, and new governmental changes mean new budgets, there’s opportunity for change. What remains to be seen is whether that will help with the issues faced, or whether we’re set to see even more items join the ranks of the most stolen items from supermarkets.
That change has to begin close to home, though. Keeping pace with the latest trends, as well as the state of your local economy and area, can help you to ensure you understand the demands of your community, and where you might be most at risk of shrinkage. A data-driven approach is crucial, and is the ideal way for retailers big and small to proceed.
There are other measures you can put into place, however.
Of course, as a retailer, you’re naturally going to want to reduce the amount of theft that goes on in your store. While we’ve explored circumstances that lead customers to steal – both through necessity and through gain – we’re also keen to provide actionable, reactive actions you can take to alleviate those issues.
You’ll find comprehensive guidance to preventing theft from your supermarket in our recent guide, but the key takeaway from that piece is that more robust security measures are able to allow for a drastic decrease in the levels of theft your store sees.
Among the recommendations we made in that piece are:
All of this boils down to choosing a retail security firm you know you can trust, and Churchill Support Services are the ideal choice. We’ve been among the UK’s industry leaders since our inception back in 1996, and our extensive levels of experience mean we know exactly what it takes to truly keep your store protected during the difficult times we’ve seen of late.
With all of that in mind, your shop’s safety – and that of your staff, customers and stock – is absolutely paramount, and our in-house experts are on hand to help. Get in touch today to discuss your options in much more detail, and to receive your free, no obligation quotation.
