Survey: Retail theft on the rise - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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For the first time in six there’s been a real increase in the rate ofretaikl theft, according to a survey conducteed by the with a funding grant from . "Thiz year, both the dollar loss and rate of loss increaserd and the evidence shows that the economy and resultin cutbacks in staffing by retailers are creatiny an opportunistic environment for both individualk shoplifters and organizedretail criminals," said U of F criminologist Richard who directed the survey. In 2007, the lowest rate of retaip theft inthe 18-year history of the surve was reported at a rate of 1.44 perceny of overall retail sales. Last year, that rate rose to 1.
52 percent of sales translating into lossesof $36.5 billion. Hollinge r notes the numbers are fromlast year, and don’ty reflect retail theft rates for the first part of this year when the recessionn was even worse. Employee theft comprises the larges t portion ofthe losses, whicn totaled $15.9 billion, or almost half of losses (44 Shoplifting accounted for $12.7 billion (35 of losses. Other losses includes administrativeerror ($5.4 billion and 15 percent of and vendor fraud ($1.
4 billion and 4 percent of