Shoplifting costs supermarkets 100 mln euros per year
The cost of shoplifting at supermarkets is estimated at over 100 million euros per year, with the phenomenon being on the rise despite improved surveillance systems.
The economic crisis appears to have made thieves more inventive as they constantly discover new ways to get past the systems and the security staff, the Standards Money Conference 2013 heard on Tuesday in Athens.
“They used to steal razors. Now they take the trolley to the till while pushing a 5-liter bottle of olive oil underneath so that they are not seen by the employees,» said Michalis Fandridis, general secretary of ECR Hellas, a committee whose members include suppliers, retailers and academics.
In recent years, some shoppers have been known to open packages, consume the product and throw the box away before reaching the till and leaving the store.
