By the Numbers: Retail Employee Theft in 2022

Retailers assume that shrink—a measurement of lost inventory as a percentage of sales—is an inevitable occurrence. An anticipated amount of shrink helps create forecasts for how the coming months and years will develop for retailers, balancing out anticipated profits with the tempering effect of a loss. While some sources of shrink can stem from clerical errors and damaged or expired goods, other losses can be caused by retailers’ own employees who steal clothes, electronics, toys, and other goods.

So, what was the impact of internal theft in 2022 in the United States?

The data in this video was sourced from the 35th Annual Retail Theft Survey, an annual survey produced and published by Jack L. Hayes International, Inc. The retailers surveyed included 26 large companies representing 22,182 big box, department, specialty apparel, and supermarket stores in the United States.