Did you know that theft from grocery stores has reached epidemic proportions? I can tell you from personal experience that was where I first got my start down that illegal path. For us kids (11-year-olds) it was a pack of gum or candy bar.

Professional Grocery Thieves

Police in Chandler, Arizona have arrested three men who they accuse of being professional grocery thieves. They steal everything from teeth whitening kits to laundry detergent to fabric spray.

Police were aided by local grocery stores who supplied extra goods on the most desired stolen items. The three men arrested were Sami Shiha, 32, Samer Shiha, 23, and Hane Shiha, 32, who stole more than $50K in items that they resold in their convenience stores.

Thieves are increasingly targeting non-food items such as cosmetics, cleaning products and personal hygiene items because they are easy to sell. They are known to load grocery carts with expensive cleaning products or grab dozens of clothing or jewelry items from retail racks without looking at prices or sizes. They ignore commands from unarmed store security, and by the time police arrive, they have driven away with the goods.

Consumers can help by being observant, writing down license-plate numbers or discretely taking pictures with their cellphones. I know I will be more vigilant for these types of thieves in the future. After all, these thefts increase the prices across the board for those of us who legitimately buy their groceries.