Shoplifters steal from all sorts of stores—from big retailers to thrift shops. There isn’t a certain profile of a shoplifter—they are from all age groups, many work and they often pay for an item while stealing another. Here are some other statistics about shoplifting from the National Association of Shoplifting Prevention.

–Shoplifting is often not a premeditated crime: 73 percent of adult and 72 percent of juvenile shoplifters don’t plan to steal in advance.

–There are approximately 27 million shoplifters (or 1 in 11 people) in our nation today. More than 10 million people have been caught shoplifting in the last five years.

–Approximately 25 percent of shoplifters are kids, 75 percent are adults. Fifty five percent of adult shoplifters say they started shoplifting in their teens.

–Habitual shoplifters steal an average of 1.6 times per week.

–57 percent of adults and 33 percent of juveniles say it is hard for them to stop shoplifting even after getting caught.

According to the National Retail Federation’s 2017 National Retail Security Survey, shoplifting accounted for 36.5 percent of inventory shrinkage. The average cost per each shoplifting incident is $798.48—double what it was in 2016. The percentage of retail inventory shrinkage (mostly from shoplifting and employee theft) increased to 1.44 percent last year.

Shoplifting is not going away. In fact, it’s increasing. While large chain stores have the financial resources to install security cameras and hire security guards, small mom and pop shops may struggle to justify security costs. Yet, shoplifting is a crime of opportunity. By not investing in these and other loss prevention measures, you’re making it easier for shoplifters to steal.