Shoplifting has become retail’s latest trend, and you’re probably paying for it

Everything is getting really expensive, so a discount sounds nice. The latest promotion: 100% off.

Of course, that’s too good to be true, and it isn’t true, legally.

However, legality hasn’t been stopping people from the occasional five-finger discount. In 2021 “shrinkage” cost retailers nearly $100 billion, and an estimated 38% comes from in-store theft.

It appears shoplifting is becoming the latest life hack. Whether people are doing it because self-checkouts make it easy or they’re learning to do it online, retailers are feeling the pain. And now, the legit shoppers seem to be the ones paying the price.

To be clear, I’m not telling anyone to steal, but we can’t ignore reality. More people are finding ways to shave a few dollars off their bills — but I’m not one of them. Whether this is a moral objection or purely fear of punishment… that’s up for debate.

Where are all these sticky fingers coming from?

If you told people shoplifting was on the rise, I doubt they’d be shocked. Why? Because shit’s getting expensive.

In 2022, inflation rose by 6.5%, and that follows a 7% increase in 2021. And everything is impacted from food to…