New report reveals Aussies worrying attitude to petty theft

Retailers across Australia are already feeling the sting from rising thefts and a new report shows the problem isn’t just a few bad apples. It seems many shoppers think a little rule-bending is perfectly fine.

According to Monash University’s Australian Consumer and Retail Studies (ACRS) Consumer Deviance Spotlight 2025 Report, more than a quarter of Aussies think some form of theft is “a little to completely justifiable”. That includes everything from “tasting fruit and not buying it” to walking off with items unpaid.

The self-checkout shuffle

The study surveyed more than 1,000 shoppers in June 2025 and found some worrying attitudes towards retail honesty. A whopping 15 peer cent admitted they think it’s at least somewhat OK to scan items as cheaper ones at the self-checkout, while another 10 per cent said not scanning an item at all is justifiable.

Even more troubling, only 89 per cent of respondents recognised that taking an item without paying is illegal. That means around one in ten Australians doesn’t actually see shoplifting as a crime.

The report suggests this behaviour may reflect a growing normalisation of small-scale theft and consumer deception in tough economic times: behaviour that ultimately hits retailers in the hip pocket.

Dodgy discounts and creative returns

The dodginess doesn’t stop at the checkout. The survey found almost half of shoppers think it’s fine to manipulate deals or promotions. Think things like lying about a child’s age to get a cheaper ticket or using multiple email accounts to claim one-off offers.

When it comes to returns, a third of Aussies believe bringing back used goods for a refund or returning items after a single use is “somewhat justifiable”. Around half admit they know it’s illegal, but they’re just doing it anyway.

Who’s OK with theft?

It turns out the older you get, the less likely you are to nick a nectarine. The report found older consumers (55 and up) were far more likely to say theft is “not at all justifiable”, while younger shoppers aged 18–34 were more inclined to give themselves a moral hall pass.

This age divide, the researchers note, may reflect generational attitudes toward retail ethics, with younger consumers more likely to view small transgressions as “harmless”.

Retail crime on the rise

These findings land amid a string of reports about escalating retail crime across the country. From Victoria’s  retail crime crisis to brazen daylight robberies in Sydney and Brisbane, many small business owners are struggling to cope with theft, abuse, and even violence.

The ACRS study backs this up: while most shoppers said they hadn’t personally witnessed concerning behaviour at shopping centres, 14 per cent reported seeing shoplifting and another 14 per cent had witnessed verbal abuse of staff or other shoppers. Smaller but still alarming numbers had seen vandalism, physical violence, or robbery.

When retail crime did occur, the victims were most often other shoppers (78 per cent) or retail staff (65 per cent). No wonder so many retail workers report feeling unsafe.

Safety first… sort of

Despite the headlines, most Australians still feel safe heading to their local shops. Only about 5 per cent of respondents said they felt unsafe or very unsafe in shopping centres, though many pinpointed car parks, entrances, and food courts as the most unsettling spots.

Most shoppers noticed security staff during their visits, but whether that’s enough to stop theft and abuse is another question entirely.

The report’s findings are a double whammy for business owners: not only is retail theft rising, but consumer attitudes towards “minor” deviance seem to be shifting too.

The line between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour is getting blurry for some consumers, and that makes prevention and education more important than ever.

So next time you see someone “sampling” the grapes, remember, it’s not just a taste test. It’s part of a growing culture of everyday theft that’s costing Aussie retailers millions.

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