Shoplifters and dishonest employees stole over $7 billion in 2010 from just 23 major retailers, according to the 23 rd Annual Retail Theft Survey conducted by Jack L. Hayes International, the leading loss prevention and inventory shrinkage control consulting firm. The 23 large retail companies surveyed apprehended more than 1 million shoplifters and dishonest employees in 2010 while recovering only $148 million from these thieves, down 7.3% from 2009. “For the first time in over 10 years, total shoplifter and dishonest employee apprehensions, and the dollars recovered from those apprehensions all declined from the previous year,” said Mark R. Doyle, President of Jack L. Hayes International. Doyle attributes these declines to the economy, fewer store employees, and less loss prevention staffing. “Both shoplifting and employee theft continue to plague the retail industry, which results in higher prices to the consumer and can force companies to close unprofitable stores,” he added.
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