• There are an estimated 40 million shoplifters globally.

• Retailers lose $50 million a day to shoplifting.

• There is no profile of a typical shoplifter. A shoplifter can be anyone.

• Shoplifters steal in all types of stores...
  • 69% say they steal in department stores
  • 63% in supermarkets
  • 57% specialty shops
  • 54% convenience stores
  • 47% drug stores
  • 27% all other type stores

• Contrary to popular belief, men and women shoplift equally as often.

• About 25% of shoplifters apprehended are juveniles, 75% adults.

• Shoplifters say they are caught an average of only once every 49 times. They are turned over to the police 50% of the time.

• A small percentage of shoplifters are "professionals" who steal solely for resale or profit as a business. These include drug addicts who steal to feed their habit, hardened professionals who steal as a lifestyle, and international shoplifting gangs who steal for profit as a business.

• The vast majority of shoplifters are non-professionals who steal, not out of financial need or greed, but as a response to social and personal pressures in their life.

• Approximately 70% of non-professional shoplifters don't plan their thefts in advance. 30% do.

• Shoplifters often buy some merchandise and steal other merchandise:
  • 59% frequently
  • 35% sometimes
  • 6% never

• Shoplifters classified as "first offenders" admit to stealing from retail stores at the following frequency:
  • 13% say they steal daily or several times a day
  • 57% say they steal monthly or more often
  • 27% say they steal weekly or more often
  • 43% say they steal less than monthly

• The excitement generated from "getting away with it" produces a chemical reaction resulting in what shoplifters describe as an incredible "high" feeling. Many shoplifters will tell you that this high is their "true reward", rather than the merchandise itself.

• Drug addicts who have become addicted to shoplifting describe shoplifting as equally addicting as drugs.

• 89% of kids say they know other kids who shoplift.

• 66% say they hang out with those kids.

• 1 in 5 adults say they started shoplifting in their teens.

• 57% of adults and 33% of juveniles say it is hard for them to stop shoplifting, even after getting caught.

• In one survey of shoplifters who called the Shoplifters Anonymous Helpline, 69% said they had been previously caught and prosecuted, 12% said they had been caught but not prosecuted, and 19% said they were never caught at all.

• Most professional shoplifters don't commit other types of crimes. They'll never steal an ashtray from your house and will return to you a $20 bill you may have dropped. Their criminal activity is restricted to shoplifting and therefore, any rehabilitation program should be offense-specific for this crime.

Information from:  http://www.shopliftersanonymous.com