STORE THEFT JUMPS OVER THE PAST YEAR

When the economy is down, theft goes up. U.S. merchants suffered one of the biggest jumps in shoplifting and other retail crimes over the past year, a trend that cost the average American family about $435.

Retails crimes such as shoplifting, employee theft and supply chain fraud rose 8.8% in the U.S., to $42.2 billion, according to the 2009 Global Retail Theft Barometer report from the Center for Retail Research. In the prior year, retail crimes rose only 1.5%.

What are the products most likely to be stolen? The report said thieves took a wide range of items, but tended to focus on expensive popular branded items such as perfume, cosmetics, razor blades, small leather products and electronics such as Wii gaming systems, iPods and cell phones. In supermarkets, thieves went for fresh meat and cheese.