Shelf Raiders: The $45 Billion Shoplifting Crimewave | The REAL Story with Dr. Phil

The Dr. Phil Podcast

Dr. Phil McGraw

Mental Health, Self-improvement, Society & Culture, Education, Health & Fitness

4.4 • 13.2K Ratings

🗓️ 23 June 2025

⏱️ 11 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Forget the kid swiping candy. This is organized, high-stakes theft costing retailers $45 billion a year. Serial shoplifters hitting Ulta for $80K. Cartels cleaning out Walmart shelves across states. A professional thief tells us how it works—and why some now justify it as “social justice.”From beauty heists to Whole Foods raids, this isn’t petty crime—it’s a nationwide epidemic hiding in plain sight. This is The Real Story.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, when you hear the word shoplifting, what do you think about?
0:04.0	You may think about a teen stealing candy from a convenience store or somebody that sees a toy
0:11.4	or a video game and slides it into their pocket.
0:14.4	Well, today we're going to talk about the real story.
0:17.2	If this doesn't shock you, it should.
0:20.0	Shoplifting costs retailers, $45 billion, with a B, $45 billion a year, according to Capital One shopping research.
0:32.0	That's staggering, and it should shock you because guess who's paying for that?
0:39.5	You and me.
0:41.5	We're paying for it because these retailers can't afford it,
0:45.0	so they roll it into the price of the goods that we're buying.
0:48.5	It's just figured into the cost.
0:50.8	It's just in their overhead.
0:52.4	Here are some recent headlines.
0:53.9	$80,000
0:55.1	beauty heist. Video shows serial shoplifter in Mayfield Heights, Ohio. Paula Andrea Lopez
1:03.2	Korea caught on camera. Police call her a serial shoplifter accused of stealing from
1:08.7	Ulta beauty locations across multiple states. more than 81,000 in losses.
1:15.9	Here's another headline, Speedy Gonzalez accused of $20,000 Walmart shoplifting spree across North Georgia.
1:23.7	Copsay Gonzalez hid high-priced items in larger containers, paying only for the container, and leaving with the concealed goods.
1:32.6	Nationwide retail crime crackdown nets 500 arrests.
1:38.1	This involved more than 100 law enforcement agencies across the country, and they arrested shoplifters at 60 stores, including
1:45.9	Walgreens, Macy's, Target, Home Depot. So let's add it all up. Again, $45 billion in retail
	...

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