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German shopkeepers experience the consequences of open borders.
German Stores Lock Up Goods as Migrant Theft Surges
New figures reveal that non-German nationals made up a third of all identified shoplifters in 2024.
https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news/german-stores-lock-up-goods-migrant-theft-surges/
A wave of shoplifting across Germany—with migrants increasingly behind the thefts—is forcing major retailers to lock away goods and rethink how they operate. As losses mount into the billions, supermarkets are now treating everyday items like high-security stock.
Junge Freiheit reports that a Kaufland supermarket in the eastern state of Thuringia has removed expensive alcoholic drinks from its shelves, replacing them with tokens that customers must take to the information desk after purchase. Staff say the move became necessary after organised thieves began clearing out shelves “rucksack by rucksack”.
“The situation became untenable,” a shop assistant told local media. “They just haul the bottles out in bulk. It’s out of control.”
She added that many of those caught stealing were of migrant background—an observation echoed by national police figures. According to Germany’s latest criminal statistics, out of 361,568 resolved shoplifting cases in 2024, around 124,000 suspects were not German citizens. That’s approximately one in three.
Other major chains such as Rewe, Aldi and Edeka have responded by installing more security cameras, locking up high-risk goods, and deploying additional surveillance tags. Items most frequently targeted include alcohol, cigarettes, cosmetics, designer clothing, and electronics.
A 2024 report by the EHI Retail Institute estimated that theft cost German retailers €2.95 billion last year — the highest figure on record. Researchers also believe as many as 24.5 million thefts go undetected annually.
One Edeka shop owner in Regensburg caused controversy late last year when he publicly accused groups of North African asylum seekers of carrying out coordinated thefts. He claimed they routinely stole luxury items and escaped through emergency exits, inflicting up to €10,000 in losses each month.
After being branded “racist” in some quarters, the grocer defended himself by pointing out his own migrant background and the diversity of his workforce. Still, he insisted: “The situation is no longer tolerable.”
The link between crime and migration in Germany is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore, and the growing impact on businesses is fuelling public concern—especially in areas with strained policing and high levels of recent immigration.
Retailers warn that if current trends continue, consumers may face higher prices and stricter access to goods across the board.
German retail notes rise in gangs and violence among shoplifters
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/german-retail-notes-rise-gangs-075333769.html
Shoplifting is rising sharply in Germany, and prosecution of the thieves is too lax, in the view of the country’s retail sector.
“Losses from shoplifting rose to €3 billion ($3.5 billion) in 2024, 20% up on the 2022 figure,” Stefan Genth, head of the German Trade Association (HDE), told the t-online news portal.
Genth noted the organized nature of much of the theft. “Gangs move in a focused way through inner cities, stealing expensive goods, such as perfume, shoes, electronic goods, and then sell them on the grey market,” he said.
In addition, thieves operating solo are increasingly aggressive when caught, Genth says.
And he is critical of prosecutors. “Shopkeepers lay charges, and prosecutors then drop the cases on the grounds of efficiency. As a result, many retailers no longer report shoplifting to the police,” he says. He puts the unreported ratio at as high as 98% of all shoplifting.
Genth called for changes to the law, investment in security and increased funding for the judiciary.
“I fear conditions as in the United States, where almost everything is behind glass. That’s an expression of mistrust of the customers, while more than 90% are honest,” he said.
Genth rejected any correlation between self-scanners and theft. “We cannot confirm this link,” he said.
Also see:
https://www.dw.com/en/germany-crime-shoplifting-organized-crime-poverty/a-73145599
https://www.euronews.com/business/2025/07/05/shoplifting-hits-record-high-in-germany-are-criminal-gangs-behind-it
German taxpayers experience the consequences of open borders.
Welfare payments rise by €4 billion in 2024
https://www.dw.com/en/germany-updates-welfare-payments-up-by-4-billion-last-year/live-73511575#liveblog-post-73511627
Germany paid out about €46.9 billion ($54.4 billion) to recipients of state welfare benefits in 2024, a rise of €4 billion compared with the previous year, the government as said.
The Social Affairs Ministry provided the information in response to a parliamentary question from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the Bundestag, Germany’s lower house of parliament.
About €24.7 billion (52.6% of the total) went to German citizens and €22.2 billion (47.4%) went to non-German nationals, according to the data — roughly the same distribution as in 2023.
The latter group included several hundred thousand Ukrainians who have fled to Germany following Russia’s full scale invasion that started in 2022. The Ukrainian nationals received €6.3 billion altogether.
The rise in welfare payments has been in part attributed to a large increase in standard rates due to inflation adjustments, as well as to a rise in accommodation and heating costs.
The anti-immigration AfD criticized the payments to non-German nationals, saying they were “spiraling out of control.”
“Foreigners should generally be denied access to citizen’s income [Bürgergeld],” said AfD Bundestag member René Springer.
It’s worth noting, however, that millions of non-German nationals work in the country, paying into the system via taxes and obligatory social program payments.