A recent survey found that 27% of Americans who use self checkout have intentionally stolen items, up from 15% just two years ago. Let that sink in for a second. More than one in four people are casually admitting to theft. Not making excuses for it in whispered tones. Just straight up saying yeah, I steal.
When did that become okay?
The survey breaks down the usual suspects. Millennials and Gen Z are leading the charge at 41% and 37% respectively, while only 2% of Baby Boomers admit to it. Men are twice as likely as women. But here’s where it gets interesting. The people making over $100,000 a year? They’re stealing at higher rates than people making under $30,000.
So, when these same people claim they’re stealing because of financial hardship or unfair prices, the data doesn’t exactly back that up. The excuses don’t match reality. This isn’t about survival. This is about entitlement dressed up as justification.
And maybe the most telling part? About a third of people who’ve stolen say they don’t feel remorseful. Another 35% see self-checkout as “unpaid work” so taking items feels like compensation. We’ve moved from “stealing is wrong but I had to” to “stealing is fine because I feel like it.”
Here’s what this means for loss prevention professionals. If casual theft becomes socially acceptable instead of something people are ashamed of, your job just got exponentially harder. You’re not just fighting opportunistic thieves anymore. You’re fighting a cultural shift that says taking things without paying is no big deal.
The question you need to ask yourself is this: Are you ready for that? Do you have the tools, the technology, the strategies to combat theft when the people doing it don’t even think it’s wrong? When 55% of the people who admit to stealing say they’ll probably do it again?
This mentality shift matters. Pay attention to it. Because trends like this don’t just affect shrink numbers. They fundamentally change how you approach your role. When theft moves from taboo to acceptable, everything about prevention, detection, and prosecution has to evolve with it. Is your investigation team trained up? How about your self-checkout technology? Exception-based reporting? Health-monitoring for your CCTV systems? Better get a move on.
The world is telling you loud and clear that stealing is becoming normalized.
Your move.