Whatever about its image as a time of giving, Christmas for retailers means just the reverse, with shoplifting due to exceed €30 million in Ireland over the festive period, according to new research.
"The Season of Taking" is how Christmas is disturbingly depicted in the report, published today by the UK-based Centre for Retail Research.
Basing its figures on regular surveys of European sales outlets, including 15 major Irish retail chains, the report says shop crime doubles at Christmas, partly due to a demand for presents.
According to a European Retail Theft Barometer, published last September, the level of retail theft - or "shrinkage", as it is known in the business - was found to be lower in Ireland than the European average but is rising quickly.
The trend means that this Christmas a higher value of goods will be stolen per household in Ireland than in Europe as a whole - €33.41 compared to €32.43, according to today's report.
Britain, however, tops the league for Christmas shoplifting, with €35.46 worth of losses per household predicted.
The centre's director, Prof Joshua Bamfield, said the increase in "shrinkage" in Ireland may be linked to the recent economic expansion, and the greater demand among young people for luxury or "lifestyle" goods.
He warned people against thinking that only retail profits were hurt by shoplifting.
"If, say, a shop in Ballsbridge has a high rate of crime then it might close down and the staff will be sacked. From the point of view of retail in Ireland, if crime doubles over five years, retailers will have to try to recover that in higher prices."
