Dollar General is taking checkout back out of your hands because of theft

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Two people, one wearing a pink hoodie and pink sandals, the other pushing a stroller with a toddler in it, walk on the sidewalk past a brick building and a yellow-and-black sign that reads
Dollar General is cutting self-checkout at hundreds of stores.

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Self-checkout theft is a bigger problem than you may have thought

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People wearing coats and other cold-weather clothing scan and pay for groceries at a supermarket in New York City. Lighted signs that read
Shoplifters or shoppers?

Andrew Kelly/Reuters

What is retail shrink, and how does it differ from theft?

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walmart checkout
Shrink often comes up in discussions about theft and organized retail crime.

Walmart Media Relations

It's time for retailers to stop blaming theft for so many of their problems

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Target Checkout
Losses from customers stealing products at retailers were only slightly higher than those from theft by employees in 2022, according to data from the National Retail Federation.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Shoplifting and other inventory loss cost retailers $112 billion last year

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Tide laundry detergent bottles locked up inside CVS store
Tide laundry detergent bottles with a security locking system to prevent theft at a CVS pharmacy, Queens, New York.

Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Costco, Lowe's, Best Buy, and Tractor Supply are winning the battle against retail theft in a strikingly similar way

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A sales associate processes the purchase of a hard drive at a Best Buy store after doors opened at 5 a.m. on Black Friday, Nov. 26, 2021, in Lone Tree, Colo.
A sales associate processes a purchase at a Best Buy store in Colorado. Retailers say adequate staffing is one way to fight retail theft.

Lowe's CEO says the 'greatest deterrent' for retail theft is hiring and training workers

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Lowe's employee
Earlier this year, Ellison said Lowe's spending on employee compensation had increased by $3 billion since 2018, and would grow by another $1 billion over the next three years.

Jay LaPrete/AP Images

The main reasons retailers are posting weaker profits this year have nothing to do with theft

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A man walks past shelves of items locked behind a case in a grocery store.
The National Retail Federation estimates shrink topped $94 billion in 2021, which would put this year's figure well north of $100 billion if the rate remains the same or increases.

Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images

How Tractor Supply managed to shrink theft rates when they're surging almost everywhere else

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Shoppers visit a Tractor Supply Co. store in Wisconsin
"Organized retail crime is worse now than I've ever seen it," Tractor Supply Co. CEO Hal Lawton told Insider – but not at his company.

Dominick Reuter/Insider

Major retailers say shoplifting is a huge problem. So at least one is now considering removing brand names from its shelves altogether.

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Shopping trolleys are seen near the Walmart shop in Williston, United States on June 19, 2023.
Shopping trolleys are seen near the Walmart shop in Williston.

Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

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