• Walgreens has been claiming that shoplifting is an existential threat to their business, but recently their CFO admitted that they may have “cried too much” about the issue.
• Publicly available data contradicts the theft-wave narrative, with shoplifting offenses dropping 46% between 2019 and 2021.
• Walgreens has been closing stores in San Francisco due to alleged shoplifting, but police data revealed that the stores had fewer than two recorded shoplifting incidents a month on average since 2018.
• Walgreens’ claims were spread unchecked by major news organizations, with the New York Times publishing at least six stories warning readers of retail theft.
• The overblown claims in this media coverage have political consequences, with California Republican Chair Jessica Millan Patterson using the Walgreens closures as evidence that “Democratic policies have created a crime spike.”
Published January 12, 2023. Visit Popular Information to read Tesnim Zekeria’s original post.
