If you’ve gone shopping recently, you may have noticed security cameras strategically placed around the store, merchandise with electronic article surveillance tags, or signs that said something like “We press charges for shoplifting.” Retail theft is a larger scale crime than most shoppers think, and many retailers have started taking extra precautions to minimize the loss of merchandise.

Nationwide, more than $13 billion worth of consumer goods are stolen every year. Each state is responsible for implementing its own [...]