Shrink and theft losses near $1 billion at Lowe's — here's how much they're costing other retailers
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A range of retailers are again blaming shrink as one of the reasons they saw another quarter of lackluster profits. But some of those companies have started to offer more detail than ever on how much shrink, or items lost to factors like external or employee theft , damage or vendor fraud, is cutting into their bottom lines. At the same time, certain retailers pulled back on their contention that organized theft is a primary cause of losses, as scrutiny grows over claims about how much crime contributes to their struggles. During second-quarter earnings reports in August and September, nearly two dozen retailers said shrink has continued to weigh on profits. But the details each company provided, and the explanations they gave for losses, varied widely. Many of them said that shrink is at an all-time high and said the industry is struggling to control it. Still, it's difficult to compare the losses to past years because most of the companies have never previously disclo