What shoplifters are taking these holidays

Msnbc.com staff

If it is the season to give, it may also be the season to take. As in shoplift.

As shoppers crowd the malls supermarkets and liquor stores (stay with us on this), the tarde publication Adweek has some distressing stats on the crime and a sometimes surprising list of what gets taken the most.

The economy doesn't help.

"The economic environment has led to stealing for need-based purposes," Johnny Custer, director of field operations for Merchant Analytic Solutions, told AdWeek.

"Most shoplifters simply succumb to temptation," he said. "But add a sense of desperation because of the economy and holiday pressures, and you have the recipe for theft soup."

A couple of the stats:

• Shoplifting is up 6 percent compared to 2010
• Three-quarters of shoplifters are adults, and most of them have jobs.

A few of the items on the most-shoplifted list:

• Filet Mignon
• Let's Rock Elmo
• Electric toothbrushes
• Axe deodorants and body washes (ewwwwwww)