Holiday shopping is officially upon us, which means the highest consumer spending of the year. For some retailers, these high sales will account for a total of 20-40% of their annual sales.
But unfortunately for many retailers, their December sales will continue to be hurt by losses from shoplifting: $13 billion is lost every year in America due to stolen merchandise.
Whoa! That's a ton of cash! It turns out one in in 11 people will walk out of a store with at least one unpaid item this season.
Shoplifting is up 6% compared to last year, and the culprits aren't exactly who you may expect; the common conception that the thieves are usually rebelling teens in small town malls, is not entirely true.
In reality, three-quarters of shoplifters are indeed adults. Surprising? Let's not forget about the Winona Ryder scandal or Lindsay Lohan's jewelry theft accusations...
Adweek consulted with store security professionals to find out what items are on the top of the list this for thieves this Holiday season.
Adweek's list of the most frequently stolen items definitely has some unexpected (and totally random) items-- like filet mignon, razors, Axe deodorant, and the 'Let's Rock Elmo' toy.
The remainder of the list comprises of items that are a bit more predictable, mostly due to their hefty price tags. Expensive merchandise like the iPhone 4, designer perfumes (accounting for 4% of losses in stores that sell them), Nike shoes, and designer apparel (specifically Polo Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger) all made the cut for the most sought after stolen goods.
For the complete list of the most at risk products on the market, check out the entire article on Adweek.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article stated that $119 billion in sales is lost every holiday season due to shoplifting. In actuality, the $119 billion is lost annually around the globe due to the combined losses of employee theft, organized retail theft, process shrink, return fraud, paperwork errors, supply chain theft and shoplifting. $13 billion is lost to shoplifting annually in the U.S.