The Windy City ranks third in the country behind Atlanta and the Baltimore/Washington D.C. metro areas.
The report (nrf.com) does not refer to individual shoplifters, stealing for themselves, but organized groups of professional thieves. For instance, laundry detergent has become a commodity of choice and the stolen items is sold for near-retail price on the street. Other commonly stolen items: cigarettes, baby formula, denim jeans, designer clothing, allergy medicine, pregnancy tests, cell phones, high-end vacuums and Kitchen-Aid mixers.
About 96-percent of retailers say they've been hit by organized theft rings with annual losses estimated at between $15 and $30 billion.
