ATLANTA – Retail theft is still on the rise and growing more formidable even after years of tougher laws and coordinated crackdowns. That’s according to the latest research from GreyOrange, a global leader in hyper-intelligent warehouse orchestration and store inventory management software.
State governments and law enforcement are targeting retail theft and violence with increasing urgency. More than 30 state laws have been enacted since 2022 to curb organized retail crime, including bills that enforce stricter penalties and lower felony thresholds. In June 2025, major retailers cooperated with law enforcement agencies to execute a first-of-its-kind blitz that led to 400 arrests in 28 states.
But despite these legislative and law enforcement efforts, US establishments say retail crime is increasing as thieves up their game. GreyOrange surveyed 500 U.S. middle and senior store managers in July 2025 to understand the changes they’re seeing in retail theft.
Among the key findings:
Most retailers say theft has increased or stayed the same
- 61% of managers have seen no improvement since the recent crackdowns on organized crime. Of those, 20% even say that theft has increased.
- Only 16% of retailers have noticed a decrease.
- Food and grocery stores were the most likely to report theft increases (28%). They were 1.6x more likely to say theft is up than to say it’s down.
Thieves are getting harder to catch: they’re more aggressive, coordinated, and stealthier
- 23% of store managers describe incidents as becoming more “aggressive.”
- 37% report that theft seems to be more organized.
- 35% say tactics are sneakier and harder to detect.
Retail staff say they’re worried for their safety
- Nearly two-thirds (64%) of store managers and teams have felt unsafe due to attempted or successful theft in the past few months.
- One in ten say they’re “frequently” worried about their safety.
- This problem is especially acute for health and beauty stores, where 77% report feeling unsafe because of theft incidents.
“Retail theft doesn’t seem to be easing up, despite recent crackdowns and tougher criminal penalties. If anything, store managers feel that tactics are evolving to be even more aggressive, coordinated, and sneaky,” said Troy Siwek, General Manager, gStore by GreyOrange. “High crime rates have a compound impact on the whole retail ecosystem. When team members feel unsafe at work, it’s harder to find and retain staff. When goods keep walking out the door, it’s harder to stay profitable. And when everyday items have to be locked behind glass, it’s harder for honest customers to enjoy their shopping experiences.”
