Thefts from U.S. stores during the Christmas season will total $8.9 billion

Thefts from U.S. stores during the Christmas season will total $8.9 billion Checkpoint Systems recently released research showing that during this year’s Christmas sales season...

Checkpoint Systems recently released research showing that during this year’s Christmas sales season, store theft losses are expected to reach a record high of 8.9 billion yuan, and this huge amount of losses will eventually be passed on to consumers, with an average share of 98 yuan per household.

This year's estimated theft losses of 8.9 billion yuan increased by 4% compared with last year. Alcohol, women's clothing and toys will become the main targets of thieves. In addition, perfumes, electronic products, game consoles, watches and jewelry, chocolates and candies are also favored by thieves.

Director of the Retail Research Center Banfield said: "The loss of the store must be compensated from somewhere, thus becoming a tax imposed by criminals on consumers."

After the store is damaged, cost reduction measures must be taken, such as increasing product prices and laying off employees. Investors believe theft losses will also impact retailers' stocks.

Banfeld said that due to the weak economic recovery, many people use theft as a source of income. There are also many consumers who are not very vigilant and do not realize that the goods they buy will be targeted by thieves.

The Christmas shopping season is a prime time for thieves to commit crimes because the stores are bustling with consumers and the dazzling array of holiday merchandise makes thieves salivate.

Who the main festival thieves are is not as simple as people think. Consumers who steal goods will cause a loss of 3.8 billion yuan, while store employees who cheat and steal will cause a loss of 4.7 billion yuan.

Organized criminal gangs will account for a significant proportion of the losses caused by theft of holiday goods. They mainly steal bulk goods in order to sell the stolen goods for profit. "Organized theft is a major concern for businesses, and they steal far more than the average thief," Banfield said.