Manhattan's only Costco faces significant shoplifting 'problems'

Manhattan's only Costco is reportedly grappling with a shoplifting issue , despite the company's claims that their closed-door policy has helped them avoid the recent retail crime wave . The store, located in the East River Shopping Plaza at E 117th St and the FDR Drive, is said to be losing a significant amount of money due to theft, according to a recent Reddit thread.

A photo posted on the site, allegedly taken in an employee-only area of the store, shows a bulletin board detailing the losses from the most stolen items over the past financial year. The shrinkage, a term used in retail to describe lost or stolen merchandise, reportedly amounts to tens of thousands of dollars.

According to the photo, the most costly item was a cordless Dyson vacuum cleaner, costing the company -$6,210. Packs of Gillette men's razors were next, costing -$6,189. Surprisingly, multi-packs of Costco's Kirkland brand premium paper towels have also been disappearing, resulting in losses of -$5,021, reports The New York Post.

• Costco shares huge news on membership fee increases amid rising inflation

• Costco announces huge change in massive blow to publishers and authors

• Costco shoppers should know these three things before buying gold bars

Batteries and vitamins also seemed to be very popular with the snatch-and-run set. AA batteries amounted to -$3,527 and AAA battered totaled -$2,916 on the board, while Centrum women's pills came in at -$3,407 and Nature's Bounty D3 supplements amounted to -$1,694.

For all the latest news straight to your inbox, sign up for our FREE newsletters here .

Commenters were baffled by the high rate of theft - noting that the wholesaler requires people to have a membership to enter, and employs people for the sole purpose of checking receipts on the way out the door. In perspective, the tens of thousands that the Uptown location reportedly got taken for represents the tiniest sliver when compared to the national theft epidemic.

Major US retailers collectively lost $112 billion due to shrink in 2022, more than double an already-climbing $50.6 billion in 2018, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF), which counts both employee theft and shoplifting when crunching the numbers. Experts say the issue has only worsened since.

For the latest local news and features on Irish America, visit our homepage here .