Beautiful You Boutique knows about the ugly facts.
"That's my money walking out the door," said Dianna Folkers.
The Sterling, Illinois, store joined 97% of American stores with shoplifting cases in 2015.
These cases are especially hard on mom-and-pop shops.
According to the National Retail Federation, it costs stores nearly $30 billion in yearly losses.
"When it's your own store and your business, this is your livelihood," she continued. "When somebody comes in and steals from you, that comes out of your pocket."
At Tuff Dog Bakery in Sterling this summer, an out-of-state customer wrote a bad check for nearly $200.
People have also lifted custom dog treats from the shop.
The experiences left owner Vicki Mandrell with questions.
"Is it okay to search their bag, or should I try to keep them there and call police?" she pondered. "So, you don't always know what to do."
Reasons why police and prosecutors held a special meeting with store owners on Tuesday evening.
They want to make store employees expert witnesses and comfortable dealing with police when shoplifting happens.
"The bad guys seem to come up with new and inventive ways to try to get away with this stuff," said Lt. Tim Morgan, Sterling Police.
Just last month, a security camera caught two men stealing from Sterling's County Market.
Officers are working to solve the case.
Beautiful You Boutique is among the lucky ones.
It retrieved the stolen merchandise by catching the suspect in the act.
"It's a hard thing to do," Folkers concluded. "It's hard to confront somebody, to say something to them."
The hard facts about shoplifting for one Illinois city trying to help its stores to thrive this holiday season.