Here's how many Americans admit to shoplifting, and where they do it most often
FILE - Making a purchase with a smart phone. Getty Images
As the check-out landscape continues to change in stores across the country, from the addition of sophisticated cameras to the closing of self-checkouts, 23% of Americans admitted to shoplifting in a recent LendingTree survey.
Of those recent shoplifters, 90% said they were motivated to do so because of inflation and the current economy.
LendingTree polled 2,000 U.S. consumers ages 18 - 78 in June 2024. Here’s what the survey found:
Americans admit to shoplifting
More than 1 in 5 Americans admitted to shoplifting, and, of those, 23% admitted to doing so within the past year.
Notably, 6% said they do it regularly.
"I’m sure some of the instances were young people being reckless and seeing what they could get away with for the thrill of it," said LendingTree chief credit analyst Matt Schulz, "but that’s not the whole story, and it’s likely causing problems for businesses across the country."
More than half of shoplifters (52%) were older than 16 at the time.
RELATED: Nearly half of shoppers who stole using self-checkout machine say they'd do it again: Survey
Inflation driving shoplifting
Among those who admitted to shoplifting recently, 90% said the current economic climate played a role in their decision.
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Which stores shoplifters target
A majority of those who admitted to shoplifting said they’ve stolen from chain stores (52%), while a smaller amount have stolen from local shops (28%).
Overall, shoplifters said stealing is easiest from grocery stores.
This story was reported from Detroit.