 According to Brian J. Nadeau, former program manager of the FBI's Organized Retail Theft Program, “These aren’t shoplifters taking a pack of gum.These are professional thieves.”

The FBI has estimated that the losses attributed to organized retail crime could reach as much as $30 billion a year.” In the UK, respondents to the British Retail Consortium's annual crime survey for the financial year 2013-2014 estimated that organized retail crime accounted for 40% of all shop thefts.Gangs consistently steal high-value merchandise that can be easily hidden, such as medications, infant formula, razor blades, apparel, camera film, batteries, DVDs, CDs, and smoking cessation products.