Shoplifting

Shoplifting (also known in slang as boosting and five-finger discount) is a popular term used for the unnoticed theft of goods from an open retail establishment, as opposed to burglary (theft by breaking into a closed store), robbery or armed robbery (stealing by using a weapon). Shoplifting involves concealing an item on the thief's person, in pockets or under clothes (or in a bag, baby stroller, etc.) and leaving the store without paying for it. With clothing, shoplifters may put on items from the store and leave the store wearing the clothes. Shoplifters range from amateurs acting on impulse to career criminals who habitually engage in shoplifting. Career criminals may use several individuals to shoplift, with some participants distracting store employees while another participant steals items. Amateurs typically steal products for personal use, while career criminals generally steal items to resell them in the underground economy. Other forms of shoplifting include swapping price labels of different items, return fraud or eating a grocery store's food without paying for it. Commonly shoplifted items are those with a high price in proportion to their size, such as disposable razor blades, vitamins, alcoholic beverages, and cigarettes. Retailers have reported that 0.6% of their inventory is lost to shoplifting.