Global Retail Theft Barometer Study Finds Shrink Cost Retailers $128 Billion Worldwide
Shrink, comprised of shoplifting, employee or supplier fraud and administrative errors, cost the global retail industry more than $128 billion last year, $42 billion in the US alone, according to the latest Global Retail Theft Barometer. This represents 1.29 percent of retail sales, on average.
Per household retail crime across the 24 countries surveyed ranged from $74 to $541. The annual cost of shrink to US shoppers, as passed on from retailers, averaged $403 per household.