Who Gets Hurt by Shoplifting?

A good shoplifting class will tell you that everyone pays for shoplifting. It's not a victimless crime.

The first party injured by shoplifting is the merchant. Stores are not just a public good, but are there to make a profit. Stolen goods mean less profit. When a store makes less profit it has no alternative but to increase it's prices and security (which costs more money).

This leads to the second group affected by shoplifting, consumers. If stores have to raise prices, consumers have to spend more for their products. This is often a direct result of shoplifting and increased security measures.

The third group affected by shoplifting is our entire society. While one store having to raise prices for its products as a result of shoplifting only affects its customers, the thief being prosecuted uses valuable tax dollars to be arrested, prosecuted and punished. These extra dollars needed to process the shoplifter through the legal system will create greater need for increased sales and property taxes. If the city raises property taxes, all retailers have to increase prices to cover the added tax cost.

Getting back to the original question, it seems obvious that everyone pays for shoplifting.