While economic conditions are slowly improving, a considerable number of Americans are still without jobs or any means to support themselves. This, in turn, has lead to an increase in shoplifting, and retailers should reconsider their store operations in response.

Scott Stanton, the owner of County Market in Indiana, has noted a significant lift in product theft. It's frequently difficult to make the appropriate changes because of how sporadic shoplifting can be – one week there are no instances, the next there could be a dozen. Additionally, people from all walks of life are stealing food, clothing and other products – there is no way to profile thieves.

Fortunately, other shoppers are noticing and are helping retail merchants fight against these thieves.

"You'd be surprised. Customers will come and tell you when they see something," Stanton told Commercial-News. "They understand if you're stealing from our store, that customer realizes they're also stealing from them. It all trickles down."

In North America, it frequently isn't the shopper that brands need to worry about. According to the Center for Retail Research, employee theft was the biggest source of concern for shoplifting.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Sunday, April 1st, 2012 at 9:50 am .