Bold Thieves, Violent Customers Drive Retail Workers to Quit at Record Rates

America's retail workers, already stressed by low pay, long hours and irregular schedules, are quitting at record rates amid a rise in shoplifting and increasingly violent customers.

Their “quit rate,” is the highest in the U.S., according to an April 2022 study conducted by consulting firm McKinsey which used data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The sector has a 70% higher quit rate than any other U.S. industry, as frontline employees flee for other sectors. 

The recent string of thefts is part of a broader trend plaguing retailers. Target, for example, saw a 120% surge in retail theft incidents during the first five months of 2023, the retailer said during its August earnings call.

In June, the Minnesota-based company pulled its Pride collection from shelves after employees reported incidents of violence, allegedly inflicted by conservative customers.

That same month, a group of 30 people wearing ski masks and matching clothing ransacked a Nordstrom in California, breaking windows and dashing off with more than $100,000 in jewelry, handbags and high-end clothing.

H&M employee Artavia Milliam, who works at the store's Times Square location, told Bloomberg she once observed a knife-wielding thief threaten her manager, and on another occasion, a shoplifter physically confronted a coworker who was trying to prevent a theft.

Meantime, while retail wages outpace some other industries, workers' pay remains significantly lower than what typical U.S. worker earns. Between 2006-2022, median wages for retail salespeople increased, from $23,940 to $30,600, respectively, BLS data shows.

Still, they they remain underpaid compared to the average full-time worker, who earns an estimated $35,690 annually, according to employment assistance platform ZipRecruiter.