The butcher's holiday is now, and you are part of paying for it.

New Year is like fireworks and celebrations.

It's time for more expensive drops on supermarket shelves, more fancy fruit in colorful displays and meat in the cooler at a price that would make most people go in a long circle outside.

But it also means that it's the time of year when a little extra is put not only in the shopping cart, but also in pockets.

"Shoplifting is generally a big problem, but it's even bigger in the holiday months," says Jannick Nytoft, director of The United Grocers, which represents approximately 1,500 grocers here at home.

"In December, the number of shoplifting incidents is about five percent higher than in other months."

More shops lock ordinary items - here it is at 365discount in Nykøbing Sjælland, where beef is locked in. (Photo: © Flemming Kingo/Private photo)

Five percent may not seem like much.

But when you look at the total shoplifting records, it's not small amounts of money that are coming out of the doors.

The number of reported shoplifting incidents has increased by 80 percent from 2021 to 2024, according to statistics from Statistics Denmark.

This corresponds to 75 reported shoplifting incidents per day, stolen goods worth approximately 5.5 million kroner daily and a loss of approximately two billion kroner per year, estimates the grocers' trade association.

"It gives extra uncertainty to grocers and unease to employees, but first and foremost it is a huge economic burden," says Jannick Nytoft, director of DSK.

And it's not just shops that will feel it.

"It's you and me and everyone else who doesn't steal who will really pay for those who steal," says Jannick Nytoft.

"There is no golden insurance that pays for this for grocers. It's out of their own pockets, and that means higher prices for everyone else."

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Could have had three full-time employees for the money

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At Meny Domus Vista on Frederiksberg, where Jesper Guldbrandsen is a grocer, goods worth approximately one million kroner are stolen every year.

"We could have had three full-time employees for the money," he says.

It's especially spirits, champagne, Nescafe, Marabou, chewing gum and expensive meat that are in high demand among thieves, he tells.

On some of the items, there is already a kind of lock, but it seems to help less well than one might hope.

"We have many thieves who we suspect steal for resale. Often we don't notice it until they have been here and we can see that the shelf is empty," says Jesper Guldbrandsen.

"They can quickly get away with goods worth between 2,000 and 5,000 kroner. The biggest theft we have had was 17,000."

Shoplifting has become so bad that they are considering locking more items, putting a chip on expensive meat and using more so-called store detectives, who are civilly dressed people who walk around and look for thieves:

"The store detective catches someone every time he is here," says Jesper Guldbrandsen.

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Expecting a record year

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Despite locks and alarms, supermarkets expect 2025 to again write history by breaking the shoplifting record again.

It's something that can be felt in the stores as well as in the accounts, says Jannick Nytoft.

"Shoplifting is contributing to the stress of everyday life. It gives extra uncertainty to grocers and unease to employees, but it is first and foremost a huge economic burden."

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Shoplifting on the rise

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The number of reported shoplifting incidents increased from 15,342 in 2021 to 27,625 last year, according to statistics from Statistics Denmark.

This corresponds to an increase of 80 percent

The numbers for reported shoplifting incidents in the first three quarters of the year are at the same level as in the same period last year.

The United Grocers estimate in an analysis (https://dsk.dk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Analysenotat-Butikstyveri-koster-dagligvarehandelen-over-to-mia.-kroner-i-2024.pdf) that goods worth two billion kroner were stolen in 2024.

This year, The United Grocers expect the number to be even higher.

The United Grocers have among other things suggested introducing facial recognition (https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/butikstyveri-5-5-millioner-kroner-dagligt-koebmaend-vil-bruge-ansigtsgenkendelse-til-fange-tyve ) as a way to catch thieves.

Politicians do not reject (https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/politikere-afviser-ikke-ansigtsgodkendelse-i-butikker ) the possibility. But Salling Group, which among other things operates Bilka and Føtex, tested it actually back in 2021 by setting up facial recognition cameras at several self-checkout counters.

The daily grocery store dropped it quickly again due to widespread dissatisfaction from their customers.

For the time being, grocers are sticking to the more analog locks, but they are aware that you are not the only one who is tired of having to grab a employee to get hold of the expensive cheese (https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/kaempe-irriterende-tiltag-i-koebenhavnsk-supermarked-dyr-ost-saettes-bag-laas-og-slaa ) or the hacked beef (https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/butik-saetter-hakket-oksekoed-bag-laas-og-slaa-der-blev-stjaalet-meget-af-det ).

"We hate it too," says Jannick Nytoft.

You can read about how store guards feel about the increasing number of shoplifting incidents in the article here (https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/er-butiksvagt-og-oplever-tyverier-naesten-hver-dag-der-er-sket-et-moralskred ) :