With the subject getting more attention, 55% of consumers believe retail crimes such as shoplifting and looting stores have increased in their community since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a National Retail Federation survey.
NRF asked consumers a series of questions relating to crime, retail theft and organized retail crime, and it found that this number goes up to 57% for consumers who live in suburban areas.
Other survey findings include:
- 64% of consumers said they are concerned about gang-led shoplifting in their communities, a number that goes up to 75% among consumers who live in urban communities.
- 75% of consumers said they have personally shopped in stores where products were kept in locked cabinets to avoid theft.
- 79% of consumers said they believe retail theft impacts the price of goods that they buy.
- 51% of consumers said law enforcement and the courts are too lenient on those who steal from stores.
NRF has helped spearhead industry efforts to promote policy reform on ORC legislation including the INFORM Act, which was passed in December 2022 and will require online marketplaces to verify the identities of high-volume third-party sellers. It also has launched a grassroots campaign in support of the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act, legislation that would equip law enforcement agencies with the tools and resources required to address the issue.
NRF released the survey in advance of NRF Protect, where more than 2,000 retail professionals will convene from June 5 to 7 in Grapevine, TX, to examine the loss prevention community’s most prominent issues including ORC.
