The recession hit retailers hard, sending them scrambling for ways to save money, from shoring up inventories to adjusting prices.
But one of the hardest ways to save, they've found, is simply stopping money from walking out the door.
Last year, retailers reported they'd lost 1.4 percent of sales, or $33.5 billion, to theft — by shoppers and employees — according to a survey commissioned by the National Retail Federation.
The audit, conducted last month, reported that 43 percent of the total losses, or $14.4 billion, came from employee theft. Customers were a close second with shoplifting accounting for as much as $11.7 billion, or 35 percent.
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