New York —

Coming out of the pandemic, many retail chains , political leaders , law enforcement officials and others told America there was an unprecedented level of shoplifting.

Shoplifting became a political lighting rod, and videos of thieves smashing store windows and grabbing merchandise rocketed across the news and social media as a symbol of a breakdown across cities.

But national crime data never showed a retail theft wave, though shoplifting did spike in certain cities like New York.

William Blair retail analysts in 2023 suggested that chains had “overexaggerated” the impact, using it as an excuse for inventory mismanagement and strategic mistakes. Walgreens’ then-chief financial officer even said “maybe we cried too much” about lost merchandise and overspent on

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