Cant believe a bottle of Tide can be traded for $10 of crack.. I guess the dealers have clothes to wash too :machinegu
-murph
You Stole What? 7 Bizarre Items Thieves Love
<cite class="byline vcard">By Emily Jane Fox | CNNMoney.com – <abbr title="2013-06-10T17:06:16Z">19 hours ago</abbr></cite>
The FBI estimates that retail crime costs the U.S. $30 billion a year, and some household items that people steal may surprise you.
1. The Bible
Francois Guillot/AFP/Getty ImagesApparently, thieves missed the "Thou shalt not steal" part of the Ten Commandments. According to experts, the Bible is the most commonly stolen book.
The Holy Bible is available for free at many places of worship, so perhaps there's less guilt associated with pilfering a copy. Let's hope they make it to the part about "repentance" in their stolen copy of the good book.
2. Pregnancy tests
ThinkstockA pregnancy test may not make your wish list, but it's popular among thieves for a couple of reasons.
First, they're easy to steal. Many little boxes can be stuffed quickly into a bag in one fail swoop.
Second, the tests themselves, like many other over-the-counter items at drug stores, can be pricey.
And third, people hate paying a lot for something they're only going to use once. Knocking a few bucks off the price tag takes the edge off.
Now, if only the thieves would offer a bundle deal to include diapers and baby formula ...
3. Nutella
Alberto Pellaschiar/AP PhotoWhat's better than the delicious chocolatey hazelnut spread? Apparently, not having to pay for it.
Back in April, German police reported that 5,000 jars of Nutella were stolen from a former railway station in Niederaula. The jars were valued at about $21,000.
But the Nutella snatching was also happening much closer to home. The Columbia Spectator, the student newspaper at New York's Columbia University, reported that the cafeteria was going though up to 100 pounds a day of Nutella when it first appeared in dining halls.
Vicki Dunn, executive director of dining services, told the paper that students were filling to-go cups with Nutella or even taking full jars with them. But within a few weeks, she said students slowed down on what they were making off with.
Whether it was fears of the Freshman 15 or guilty consciences that caused them to pull back, we'll never know.
4. Hair extensions
Jason DeCrow/AP PhotoA spate of hair extension heists has been sweeping cities like Chicago, Philadelphia and Houston. Thieves are targeting remy hair extensions, which are top-of-the-line human hair that cost up to $1,000 per pack.
The silkiness comes at a cost. The average person uses two packs each time and the hair needs to be replaced every three to six months.
On Monday, two burglars made away with thousands of dollars in hair extensions from a Chicago beauty supply store. Over the last several years, two different heists netted hair burglars $320,000 worth of extensions.
5. High-end vacuum cleaners
Bruno Vincent/Getty ImagesIt doesn't seem like these big household appliances would be easy to slink away with undetected. But according to Rich Mellor, the National Retail Federation vice president of loss prevention, the updated versions are lighter, sleeker and come in smaller boxes that don't attract a lot of attention.
So what makes them so desirable to thieves?
"These are highly valuable, very expensive and easy to resell," Mellor said. "But even though people need them, the only time people really want to buy them is when they can get them cheaper."
6. Energy drinks
Alexander Klein/AFP/Getty ImagesEnergy drinks are marketed to give you wings. Apparently, robbers are helping them fly right out of stores.
According to to the NRF's Mellor, the more advertising that goes into a product -- and energy drinks are marketed like crazy -- the more valuable of a target it becomes. Thieves are all but guaranteed to resell them quickly.
"One can could retail for $3, but they will sell it to another store or to a customer for maybe $1 or $2," Mellor said. "That's found money for thieves, who can make away with the small, compact bottles fairly easily."
7. Tide
REUTERS/Molly RileyThe most popular laundry detergent comes in big, bright orange containers, and you'd think that would make it tough to slip under your jacket. But thieves make big bucks off of stealing Tide because they're able to sell the detergent back to stores for significantly cheaper than Tide's maker, Procter and Gamble (PG), charges them. Stores still resell them at the same price, meaning more profit.
Criminals also reportedly exchange the detergent for drugs, with a 150-ounce bottle going for either $5 in cash or $10 worth of marijuana or crack cocaine.
-murph
You Stole What? 7 Bizarre Items Thieves Love
<cite class="byline vcard">By Emily Jane Fox | CNNMoney.com – <abbr title="2013-06-10T17:06:16Z">19 hours ago</abbr></cite>The FBI estimates that retail crime costs the U.S. $30 billion a year, and some household items that people steal may surprise you.
1. The Bible
The Holy Bible is available for free at many places of worship, so perhaps there's less guilt associated with pilfering a copy. Let's hope they make it to the part about "repentance" in their stolen copy of the good book.
2. Pregnancy tests
First, they're easy to steal. Many little boxes can be stuffed quickly into a bag in one fail swoop.
Second, the tests themselves, like many other over-the-counter items at drug stores, can be pricey.
And third, people hate paying a lot for something they're only going to use once. Knocking a few bucks off the price tag takes the edge off.
Now, if only the thieves would offer a bundle deal to include diapers and baby formula ...
3. Nutella
Back in April, German police reported that 5,000 jars of Nutella were stolen from a former railway station in Niederaula. The jars were valued at about $21,000.
But the Nutella snatching was also happening much closer to home. The Columbia Spectator, the student newspaper at New York's Columbia University, reported that the cafeteria was going though up to 100 pounds a day of Nutella when it first appeared in dining halls.
Vicki Dunn, executive director of dining services, told the paper that students were filling to-go cups with Nutella or even taking full jars with them. But within a few weeks, she said students slowed down on what they were making off with.
Whether it was fears of the Freshman 15 or guilty consciences that caused them to pull back, we'll never know.
4. Hair extensions
The silkiness comes at a cost. The average person uses two packs each time and the hair needs to be replaced every three to six months.
On Monday, two burglars made away with thousands of dollars in hair extensions from a Chicago beauty supply store. Over the last several years, two different heists netted hair burglars $320,000 worth of extensions.
5. High-end vacuum cleaners
So what makes them so desirable to thieves?
"These are highly valuable, very expensive and easy to resell," Mellor said. "But even though people need them, the only time people really want to buy them is when they can get them cheaper."
6. Energy drinks
According to to the NRF's Mellor, the more advertising that goes into a product -- and energy drinks are marketed like crazy -- the more valuable of a target it becomes. Thieves are all but guaranteed to resell them quickly.
"One can could retail for $3, but they will sell it to another store or to a customer for maybe $1 or $2," Mellor said. "That's found money for thieves, who can make away with the small, compact bottles fairly easily."
7. Tide
Criminals also reportedly exchange the detergent for drugs, with a 150-ounce bottle going for either $5 in cash or $10 worth of marijuana or crack cocaine.
