Harger: WA tolerating its way to dead last in retail theft

I keep saying we get what we tolerate, and it turns out we’re willing to tolerate a lot in Washington.

A recent Forbes study ranks us dead last in America for retail theft. Not the bottom five. Not near the bottom. Dead last. The thieves have apparently discovered what we already knew: Washington is different.

Here’s what that looks like in numbers. We have 48% more retail theft than our population size would predict. The average Washingtonian’s share of stolen goods? $347. The national average is $173. Small business owners report being hit with theft daily, weekly, and constantly.

Same thieves, same stores, zero consequences

We’re not talking about a desperate mom stealing formula just one time to feed her baby. I’ve introduced you in recent commentaries to people — drug addicted people —  stealing $500 to $1,000 of merchandise every single day. They sell it to black market dealers for pennies on the dollar.

They are occasionally arrested, released quickly, and return to the same stores the next morning. No detox or treatment required. No consequences that matter. Just catch and release, like we’re managing a fishing pond.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce puts a price tag on this: $2.7 billion in stolen goods in Washington in 2021. That’s $603 million in lost tax revenue. In a state that just passed historic tax increases because we’re supposedly broke, we’re letting $603 million walk out the door.

Democratic State Representative Mari Leavitt from West Pierce County deserves credit for actually convening the right people to talk about this. She brought together retailers, police, prosecutors, and loss prevention professionals. Not to wring hands, but to face reality.

What they discussed was sobering. This isn’t just about corporate profits; mom-and-pop stores are closing, and workers are being threatened physically. Prices go up for everyone, and the same names keep appearing on police reports, cycling through the system like it’s a revolving door designed by someone who hates doors.

The solutions aren’t mysterious. Target repeat offenders who commit most of the theft. Connect accountability with actual treatment for addiction. Give prosecutors tools to go after organized crews. Go after the black market stores that pay for stolen goods. Basic stuff that any functioning society would consider obvious.

But we’ve somehow convinced ourselves that enforcing laws is mean. That expecting people not to steal is judgmental. That businesses should just absorb the losses as the cost of doing business.

Here’s what I think is really happening. We’ve confused compassion with permissiveness. Real compassion would be getting that addict into treatment, not enabling their next theft. Real compassion would be protecting the immigrant family’s corner store from going under. Real compassion would be making sure tax dollars meant for schools and healthcare don’t disappear into the black market.

We get what we tolerate. And right now, we’re tolerating our way to last place in the nation.

That’s the commentary for November 11, 2025. Text us at 888-973-5476 or leave a comment at MyNorthwest.com.

Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here. 

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