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Businesses that are customer-facing are unfortunately well aware that there are some people who will take advantage wherever they can - even to the point of stealing stock or making off with expensive equipment.
But it is not always easy to spot such individuals. They don't tend to wear black and white stripy tops or carry swag bags around with them - instead, prospective shoplifters are likely to look like anyone else around, which is why it might be a good idea to invest in office safes so you can lock away anything of value.
Small businesses are particularly vulnerable because they tend not to have the same high levels of security as larger companies, which is one reason cited by shoplifters as to why they target such places.
According to the Brighton Argus, some thieves are choosing to make shoplifting their full-time occupation due, in part, to the ongoing financial crisis and precarious jobs market.
Lisa Perretta, manager of the Brighton and Hove Business Crime Reduction Partnership, told the newspaper that there has been a change in the type of people who are stealing from retailers and other companies.
"There are more people out there doing it for a living now, where they can't get jobs. They don't come across being like that. We see people who you wouldn't look at and think might be dodgy," she explained.
"There are people out there that do it as a job. They started off and realised they could get away with it. Those people haven't got very good educations. They might be lucky to get a job full time."
Last week, celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson was cautioned after admitting to stealing cheese and wine from Tesco 16 times in a five-day period, showing that there is no set type of person who gets itchy fingers in shops.
Indeed, what drives people to take a five-finger discount could be their own emotional issues rather than the desire for material goods.
Cognitive hypnotherapist Lysette Offley told the Mirror: "Most people who steal high-end items try and rationalise their actions. They might take some luxury cheese and think 'it's -payback time, it's not fair I can't afford this'.
"Really, it's an unconscious way to make them feel better for their loss of ¬status. Others might choose healthier ways to deal with these emotions, by going for a run or talking to a friend."
According to the newspaper, £147 million worth of goods were stolen in the UK last year, but just three per cent of shoplifters take items for profit - the rest do so in response to social or personal pressures.
"Only a very small percentage of those who shoplift have a mental disorder like -kleptomania," commented Ms Offley. "Mostly it's normal people - many over 55 - dealing with a lot of stress. Often there can be a link with what they've stolen and what's going on in their life."
Whatever is behind a shoplifter's motives to steal, retailers are the ultimate victims, and with figures showing that people are lifting goods from shop shelves every seven minutes, customer-facing companies might agree that having security safes to store items of value is a good idea.