Why Do People Shoplift? 5 Reasons, and Ways To Prevent It (2026)

Why do people shoplift? While there isn’t just one simple answer to this question, digging deeper can help us better understand the problem and how to address it. 

Is shoplifting done out of necessity, or because shoplifters want a luxury item they can’t afford? Is it done out of desperation, or is it a psychological disorder? And if a person steals once, are they likely to commit another crime?

Shoplifting continues to be a growing concern for retailers and affects both big-box chains and independent stores. 

According to the National Retail Federation’s 2025 Impact of Retail Theft and Violence Report, retailers experienced a combined 19% increase in shoplifting and merchandise theft incidents from 2023 to 2024. That trend is set to continue; based on recorded events in the first half of 2025, 53% of retailers expected these theft incidents to continue to rise throughout the remainder of the year.

Ahead, read up on some common shoplifting traits so you and your staff know what to look out for. Learn how to curb those traits, and discover the tools you need to implement a loss-prevention policy for your retail business.

Why do people shoplift?

From seeking a thrill to stealing out of necessity, people shoplift for a variety of reasons. Certain individuals are also compelled by psychological factors like depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder—both of which make it harder for people to overcome the urge to steal.

5 reasons why people shoplift

 Understand the driving factors behind theft to help curb shoplifting in your store.

1. Psychological factors

Psychological issues lead some people to shoplift. These might include depression, emotional distress, unresolved trauma, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and kleptomania. Disorders like these can influence anyone to steal, regardless of what they look like, their demographic, or their salary bracket.

“Mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder can impact an individual’s decision-making and increase the likelihood of shoplifting,” says Dr. Raffaello Antonino, counseling psychologist and founder of Therapy Central. “For instance, someone who’s feeling overwhelmed by anxiety might grab something off the shelf without realizing what they’re doing.”

2. Financial difficulty

Not everyone has the luxury of disposable income. Nearly three quarters of Americans say they’re worried about the cost of living.

Economic pressures may compel people toward theft, as those with a low income might feel they have no other option but to shoplift essential goods. If a single parent is struggling to feed their children, for example, they might shoplift baby food because they feel they have no other way to get it.

3. Low risk

Shoplifting is a crime that rarely results in legal consequences. In 2025, 64% of retailers reported that they had recorded fewer than half of store-related theft incidents. Therefore, some shoplifters consider it a low risk offense worth the reward of getting something for free. 

4. Peer pressure

Peer pressure happens when friends or family influence a person to steal. This is especially true for younger people who might suffer from low self-esteem. They are likely to want to fit into the crowd and be accepted by their peers.

5. Emotional problems

Emotions have a major impact on the things we buy. The shopping experience has been proven to release dopamine in the brain—a neurotransmitter that makes people feel pleasure.

If people with emotional problems don’t have the financial means to buy new products, they might shoplift to get the short-term dopamine rush they crave.

6. Rationalization

When asking why people shoplift, understand that most shoplifters wouldn’t identify themselves as criminals. They use a psychological process called neutralization, which means creating excuses that allow them to steal while holding the belief they are fundamentally good people. It’s an internal dialogue that frames theft as something harmless, necessary, or even deserved.

Justifications fall into a few patterns:

• Minimizing the impact: “It’s a massive corporation; they won’t even notice the difference.”
• Targeting the victim: “They overcharge customers anyway, so I’m just evening the score.”
• Deflecting responsibility: “I had no other choice. I’m doing this for my family.”
• Moral comparison: “I’m just taking a shirt. It’s not like I’m committing a violent crime.”

Financial pressure can start the process, but rationalization gives the shoplifter emotional permission to go through with it. Whether excuses are made before the act or after, they still protect the individual from the reality of their actions. 

7 groups of people who shoplift

The reasons why people shoplift can vary, but there are certain characteristics shoplifters often share. Terrence Shulman’s book Something for Nothing: Shoplifting Addiction and Recovery highlights seven types of people most likely to shoplift. Understanding these archetypes can help you to identify and prevent theft in your store.

1. Compulsive

People with psychological issues such as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) or low serotonin may have an uncontrollable impulse to steal.

Oftentimes, shoplifters struggling with compulsive disorders feel guilt and regret after they steal, but the actual act is an urge they’re unable to resist.

2. Professional

Professional shoplifters often work in groups and are referred to as “career criminals.” Multiple factors drive their shoplifting activities, though many steal items they can resell for a profit.

Jeff Moriarty says that when it comes to his jewelry store, Moriaty’s Gem Art, thieves target the business because its products “are high-ticket items” As Moriarty puts it, they can sell them easily online and to pawn shops. And because we are family owned, they think we are easy targets.”

3. Addict

Why do people shoplift? For some, it functions as a habit that delivers a rush they can’t stop chasing. This group also includes people struggling with drugs or alcohol. They might steal to pay for their next fix, or they might simply make poor choices because they are under the influence.

4. Struggling financially

Not all shoplifters have malicious intentions. People who are struggling financially might turn to shoplifting to steal items they need to survive, such as food, hygiene, or baby products. This shoplifter profile is often referred to as economically disadvantaged, since they feel they have no other option than to steal.

5. Thrill-seeker

Shoplifting gives some people an adrenaline rush they constantly want to chase. A thrill-seeking thief is oftentimes a young person trying to push boundaries and impress their friends with stolen goods and bravado.

6. Unintentional

Not all shoplifters predetermine their thefts. Visitors to your store can steal inventory without realizing it, like people who leave the store for an emergency while unintentionally carrying your product.

These people rarely conceal the item they’re stealing, since the product isn’t top of mind and the incident isn’t intentional. Once they realize, the shoplifter might return to the store with an apology.

7. Kleptomaniac

Kleptomania is a psychological disorder that gives people an uncontrollable urge to steal. It’s similar to obsessive-compulsive disorder in that people can’t resist their temptation. 

There’s rarely a reason behind the drive to steal. The impulse is disconnected from any actual need for the product. A kleptomaniac’s actions are spontaneous and lack a clear motive, which makes them hard to identify with any standard risk assessment. 

How to recognize a shoplifter

There isn’t something about the way a person looks that will help you identify whether they’re likely to shoplift. Shoplifters are just as likely to be male or female, have any skin color, and be rich or poor. There are, however, behavioral cues and traits that you and your staff can look for.

Works in groups

In fictionalized dramas and movies, shoplifters are typically portrayed as entering stores alone and stealing items when no one is watching. The reality, however, is that many shoplifters work in pairs or groups. 

A member of the group might distract sales staff, asking questions about an item or sending the sales associate to another section of the store. Shoplifting is most likely to happen when sales staff are occupied or distracted. Training your team on the essential skills of a sales associate can help them identify these group dynamics more effectively.

Carries bags or coats

It’s true that bold thieves will just grab an item and run from the store. The majority of shoplifters, however, are likely to conceal what they’ve stolen in clothing or other items they bring into the store.

This includes, but isn’t limited to:

• Handbags
• Shopping bags from other stores
• Large coats
• Umbrellas

Some thieves will actually purchase something as a way to conceal other items in it, or in the same bag as they walk out of the store.

Takes many items into changing rooms

In clothing stores, shoplifters will often take many items into dressing rooms without any intention of trying them on. They do this to stuff one or two items into bags, as well as to distract sales people in the fitting room area.

Shoplifters will often leave items they don’t want inside the dressing room so sales associates can’t tell which ones they’ve taken and left behind.

Switches price labels

Price label switching is when a shopper changes the price tag on one item for a cheaper price tag. They might still go up to the cashier to pay for it, but the item will ring in at a lower price.

Attempts fake refunds

Shoplifting doesn’t always consist of stealing store items. Thieves steal cash as well through refund and return fraud, which the National Retail Federation found accounts for 9% of all returns. A return policy can mitigate these losses and discourage shoplifting. 

Trying to refund an item that wasn’t previously purchased at the store for cash is a common form of shoplifting. Scammers enter the store with a counterfeit receipt or product they purchased from another store, hoping for a cash bonus of the entire product value. 

How to prevent shoplifting

Now that you’ve seen some common reasons for why people shoplift, what can you do about it to maintain a safe retail customer experience? 

Shoplifting prevention is key, especially given that retailers reported a 93% increase in the average number of shoplifting incidents per year in 2023 versus 2019. Businesses have also reported a 90% increase in dollar loss from shoplifting over the same period.

Here are five shoplifting prevention tips that retailers can take to curb theft in their stores.

Greet customers

Acknowledging customers when they enter the store is more than just good customer service.

Greeting customers makes them feel welcome—but it also tells potential shoplifters that staff can see them. That verbal and visual acknowledgement can sometimes be enough to scare potential shoplifters into rethinking their actions.

Staff your store appropriately

One of the most effective ways to prevent shoplifting is to make sure there are enough employees on the floor.

Large stores often assign specific floor sections to employees so they’re responsible for greeting and assisting customers who enter that specific area. By having staff spread out across departments or areas, shoplifters know they’re being watched.

Need help managing staffing for your business? The hourly work app Homebase can be integrated with Shopify POS, so you can manage timetables and deter shoplifters with adequate coverage.

Organize your store layout

The layout of a store can affect how easy it is for shoplifters to steal. Some things to keep in mind include:

• Group high-demand goods in a specific zone with a single entry point and constant staff presence.
• Fix mirrors in areas that are hard to see from the counter.
• Hang anti-theft signage to deter shoplifting in unattended corners. 
• Use messaging that shows the real damage theft causes to your shop.
• Keep store windows clear to aid visibility.
• Place the cash wrap, or checkout center, near the entrance to the store where customers pass before leaving.

Limit changing room items

Implement a store policy that limits the number of items a customer can take inside the room at a time. This will help retail staff take account of which items enter and exit the changing room area.

Have staff count out the number of items and hang or fold them so that each item is visible inside the dressing room. Only when a customer is finished with one item can they swap it with another they’d like to try on.

When the customer is done, ask them to bring all of the items out of the change room. Have staff count them quickly to ensure that the same number of items are returned.

Train your staff to prevent shoplifting

Perhaps the most important tip is to educate any floor staff on loss prevention through formal customer service training. 

Training employees on why people shoplift and shoplifter traits, and providing a store policy on how to handle these customers is a retailer’s most effective tool. This includes:

• Having a staff member approach a suspicious customer and ask, “Can I help you?” or “Can I ring that up for you?” to deter shoplifting without sounding accusatory or rude.
• Providing cashier training as cashiers are typically located near the exits.
• Let staff know that if they see a customer steal something, they should alert a manager immediately and not try to take action on their own or chase down the shoplifter. Understanding how to deal with angry customers is also important if a confrontation occurs.

Why do people shoplift: conclusion

When it comes to stopping shoplifting, a little can go a long way. Customer service, store layout, and staff training all contribute to protecting your business by knowing what to look for—showing potential shoplifters that you are alert and watching.

These approaches can help reduce intentional and unintentional shoplifting incidents—and add greater security to your retail business.

Need help managing your retail store? With Shopify POS, you’ll have one dashboard that manages all aspects of your retail store—from staff schedules to sales performance and inventory management.