WINE THE NUMBER ONE ITEM STOLEN FROM SUPERMARKETS

A European shoplifter’s favorite thing to steal is wine. According to the most recent study from the “Centre for Retail Research”, an English institute that supplies data on thefts in supermarkets, autogrills, shops and outlets throughout Europe, bottles of wine, champagne, and liquor seem to be the most sought after “prey” by thieves of all ages, and in 2005 they were responsible for a net loss of 32 billion euros. While Switzerland stands out for its honesty (it’s the country where the least amount of items are stolen), Great Britain wins the award for the nation with the most thefts. Italy ranks somewhere in the middle. The most commonly stolen items are those that have the highest value and are the least cumbersome, thus easier hide. After wine and liquor, the top goods stolen are mostly items like parmesan, cold cuts, dried mushrooms, and salmon.