A new study has found that Australians are more accepting of theft as retail crime grows.
The Consumer Deviance Spotlight report by Monash Business School’s Australian Consumer and Retail Studies (ACRS) research unit found that across blatant forms of theft, more than one in four consumers believed retail theft was justifiable to some degree including specific behaviours like taking an item without paying for it (27 per cent), changing price tags on products (30 per cent), not scanning some items when using self-checkout terminals (32 per cent) and scanning items as cheaper items when using self-checkout terminals (36 per cent).
“What we are seeing is that a growing number of Australian shoppers, particularly younger people, consider some form of retail theft to be justifiable, whether that is taking an item without paying, changing price tags or deliberately misusing self-checkouts,” lead author of the report and ACRS research and strategy director, Stephanie Atto, notes.
“These findings are concerning because while most people acknowledge such behaviours are illegal, there is a growing acceptance of them in practice.”
Apart from blatant theft, the research also found an increasing acceptance of other deviant behaviour in retail settings.
“Many Australians consider manipulating deals and promotions to be justifiable. Shoppers reported increased acceptance of lying about a child’s age to get a cheaper price, creating multiple email accounts to redeem a one-time offer and claiming a lower price at a competitor to secure a discount, with 47 to 64 per cent of Australians indicating these behaviours are justifiable to some extent,” Atto adds.
The report adds to recent ABS data showing 595,660 victims of theft nationally in 2024, the highest in 21 years and a six per cent increase on the previous year, with almost half of all incidents occurring in retail settings.
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) says the ABS Recorded Crime—Victims data confirms what retailers see every day: theft is rising to crisis levels, with retail stores a top target.
ARA CEO Chris Rodwell says the data paints an appalling picture of the state of retail crime across the country and the impact on innocent victims.
“These numbers reflect what retailers know too well,” he says.
“We are confronting a full-scale retail crime crisis. The fear and reality of retail crime is experienced daily. Thefts at retail locations rose from 32 per cent of all thefts in 2010 to 45 per cent in 2024, with the number of incidents at the highest recorded level in more than two decades. The number of incidents continues to surge. In Victoria, the situation is particularly grim with a 29 per cent increase in theft in 2024.”
