Shoplifting and Risk Perception: Does Shoplifting Cause a Change in Juvenile’s Perceptions of Risk Over Time?

• In Event: Consequences of School Suspension, Delinquency, and Police Contact

Abstract

Businesses lose $31.3 billion annually due to inventory shrink. Inventory shrink can arise from shoplifting, employee theft, vendor fraud, and human errors. Shoplifting alone accounts for 32% of the losses for businesses amounting to around $10 billion each year. As a result of inventory shrink, businesses are forced to increase prices of items for the consumers who actually purchase the merchandise. A majority of criminological studies focus on shoplifting behaviors. This strict focus in research neglects the underlying mechanisms that are effecting risk perceptions for shoplifting. The current study sought to understand the influence of shoplifting behaviors on juveniles’ perceived risk for getting caught, as well as the influence of race, gender, parental household, and how these risk perceptions change over time. Overall and as predicted the more participants shoplifted, the less risk they associated with getting caught shoplifting. Juveniles also increased the risk associated with shoplifting as time passed.

Authors

• Jennifer L. Jarrett, University of Florida

• Richard C. Hollinger, University of Florida