The circle of life. Stores fail for complex reasons → retailer quietly posts accurate analysis of its own mistakes → retailer loudly posts press release blaming shoplifters and gangs → media likes …
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for sticking it to big corporations, but we could just be honest about what we're saying: I don't care if shoplifting costs retailers money.
You're 100% right on the second point, though, they anticipate some amount of shrinkage when setting prices.