NCJ Number
89797
Date Published
1983
Length
22 pages
Annotation
Based on reports from 1,040 supermarkets, drug stores, and discount stores in the United States, this document presents 1982 statistics on shoplifting, including loss estimates, methods of concealment, shoplifters' age and sex, items recovered, and when incidents occurred.
Abstract
Computer-tabulated apprehension reports were received from 762 supermarkets, 167 drug stores, and 111 discount stores, of which 89 percent were located in southern California. The report first presents statistics to demonstrate that the number of shoplifters apprehended is proportional to the effort to apprehend. The average value of merchandise recovered per apprehension is $10.77 for supermarkets, $13.48 for drug stores, and $29.00 for discount stores. These figures used in conjunction with the number of incidents per day and operating days per year provide estimates of annual shoplifting losses. Other tables cover avgerage number of items recovered for the three store types; value range of merchandise recovered; adult and juvenile shoplifters referred to the police; and when apprehension occurred by month, day, and time of day. The report also details the age and sex of shoplifters, noting that persons under 30 comprise 64 percent of supermarkets, 63.8 percent of drug stores, and 76.7 percent of discount store shoplifters. Additional tables detail categories of merchandise recovered and methods of concealment, with purse, pockets, and underclothing accounting for almost three-quarters of all concealment methods. The final chart compares theft of cigarettes from 8 companies reporting 777 or more apprehensions. A sample apprehension form is included.