Updated

Updated · CBS New York · Jul 21

30% of Americans Report Shoplifting in 2026 as Inflation Drives Theft of Essentials

Updated

Updated · CBS New York · Jul 21

30% of Americans Report Shoplifting in 2026 as Inflation Drives Theft of Essentials

Q: Shoplifting costs retailers billions. How much is it adding to your family's grocery bill?

There is no reliable, widely accepted estimate for how much shoplifting adds to one family’s grocery bill. The available data show the cost is real, but it is not broken out in a way that lets anyone credibly say, for example, “it adds $X a month” to the average household. What is clear is the scale. U.S. retailers lost about $90 billion to shrink in 2025, and shoplifting alone was estimated at roughly $47.8 billion. Grocery stores are a major target, with food and drinks the most commonly stolen items in the LendingTree survey, and industry estimates putting grocery-sector losses near $10 billion. Retailers say those losses are partly recovered through higher prices, more locked merchandise, extra security, and reduced staffing or store closures. A rough way to think about it is through shrink rates. Retail shrink is running around 1.6% of sales on average, though that includes more than shoplifting, such as employee theft, fraud, and errors. Only part of that is passed directly into shelf prices, and the effect varies sharply by chain, neighborhood, and product category. That is why there is no solid per-family grocery number. The practical answer is that shoplifting is almost certainly raising grocery costs somewhat, but it is one of several pressures on prices, alongside inflation, wages, transportation, and supplier costs. The burden is real, yet the exact hit to your family’s bill cannot be pinned down from current evidence.

2 articles · Updated · CBS New York · Jul 21

Thirty percent of Americans said they shoplifted this year, up from 24% in 2024, according to a LendingTree survey of 2,000 people conducted in early June.
About 90% of those who admitted stealing cited affordability pressures and the broader economy, with respondents often taking necessities rather than discretionary goods.
Food and nonalcoholic drinks ranked as the most-stolen items, followed by clothing and personal hygiene products; toys, electronics and school supplies were also cited.
Major chains were targeted slightly more often than independent shops, and 47% of respondents named Walmart as the easiest retailer to steal from, ahead of Family Dollar, Amazon Fresh and Kroger.
LendingTree said the findings point to persistent household financial stress, while warning that shoplifting can bring fines, legal fees and longer-term damage to employment and housing prospects.