Successful shoplifting incidences usually cannot be reported in detail. Second, retailers generally schedule loss prevention people for specific hours. It makes sense that most apprehensions would occur during the hours when floor detectives are scheduled. And third, the data is skewed toward the retail segments that supplied the most information. At least it provides a place from which to begin.
Men are the typical customers in auto parts stores, and women frequent supermarkets more regularly.
It is noteworthy that the study also suggests that female thieves steal more per incident than men do. The juvenile statistics are very interesting. Teenagers tend to steal things that they either can't afford or are prohibited from buying, such as recorded music, cosmetics, stylish apparel, tobacco products and consumer electronics. It is well documented that shoplifters target merchandise either for their own consumption or for a quick conversion to cash, so the items most frequently stolen tend to be expensive and in high demand. The data on hourly activity is probably skewed a bit because most stores are not open around the clock.