Researchers in Victoria — a state grappling with rising crime and retail violenmce in stores, have found that many consumers now believe it’s acceptable to steal from stores.

The new Consumer Deviance Spotlight report, released today by Monash Business School’s Australian Consumer and Retail Studies (ACRS) unit, has uncovered what it calls a “relaxed attitude” towards retail theft and other deviant behaviour.

The findings come as major retailers such as Bunnings, The Good Guys, and Officeworks face criticism from regulators for using in-store camera systems and facial recognition technology to identify repeat offenders.

According to the Monash study, more than one in four Australians believe retail theft is justifiable.

  • 27% said it was acceptable to take an item without paying.
  • 30% thought it was fine to change price tags.
  • 32% believed not scanning all items at self-checkout was justifiable.
  • 36% admitted it was acceptable to scan items as cheaper products.

ACRS Research and Strategy Director Stephanie Atto (Seen below) said that while most people still recognised these actions as illegal, the growing acceptance — especially among younger consumers — was concerning.

“A growing number of Australian shoppers, particularly younger people, consider some form of retail theft to be justifiable,” Ms Atto said. “While most acknowledge these behaviours are illegal, there is an increasing acceptance of them in practice.”

The survey of 1,047 shoppers aged 18 and over, conducted in June 2025, also found significant generational differences.

Among those aged 55 and over, 93% said stealing an item was not justifiable at all.

But among 18–34-year-olds, more than half (54%) said theft was justifiable to some degree.

Beyond theft, many Australians admitted to manipulating deals and promotions or taking advantage of customer service:

47–64% said it was acceptable to lie about a child’s age for a cheaper price, use multiple email accounts to claim one-time offers, or falsely claim a lower competitor price.

34% said it was acceptable to mislead shop assistants about unpriced items.

40% thought writing fake negative reviews for compensation was fine.

60% said staying quiet when a bill was miscalculated in their favour was justifiable.

The research also explored attitudes toward shopping centre safety, with most consumers reporting they feel safe and regularly notice visible security staff.

The findings follow ABS data showing 595,660 theft victims in 2024 — the highest figure in 21 years and a 6% rise on the previous year.

Nearly half of all incidents occurred in retail environments.

Despite improvements in retail trade and consumer confidence in 2025, experts warn that rising theft and antisocial behaviour could erode those gains.

Ms Atto said the problem required a coordinated response:

“Retail crime is a shared problem that demands a united approach — integrating technology, better communication, and consistent laws across retailers, law enforcement, and government.”

With theft on the rise and regulators pushing back on store surveillance measures, Australia’s retail sector faces an increasingly difficult balance between consumer privacy and protecting its bottom line.

This is despite  theft in Victoria surging, with offences in 2024/25 increasing by 27.6% over the previous year to 41,667, according to data from the Crime Statistics Agency that reveals a significant rise in theft.

Retailers are demanding urgent political action to address the increasing problem of “retail crime” despite moves by Federal agencies to restrict detention.