There is a new term for shoplifting rings–ORC, or Organized Retail Crime. Nasty Stuff. Retailers are having a tough time preventing this highly organized and sophisticated method of retail theft. Organized boosters do not just steal the big stuff, but the smaller and seemingly incidental items they can resell within the underground market.
According to the article on ABC–“Tide detergent is currently a hot target because it is compact, expensive and easy to sell on the streets for profit, police said. The Street name: “liquid gold.”
“Sometimes we get rings that just do alcohol,” Lee said. “And then we get some that do just meat and seafood.”
Investigators say boosters move the loot for cents on the dollar to fencing operations — the black market resellers of the stolen goods — which sell the stolen merchandise in plain sight in stores. Boosters, fencers, Mr. Bigs, all of those involved in these shoplifting operations can potentially make millions a year from boosting and re-selling stolen goods.”
According to the article, annual losses to retail shrinkage are as high as $37 Billion.
Police are cracking down on the boosters. There are raids galore and secret warehouse are filled with contraband confiscated from the raids.
