They stock up, but they don’t check out. Grocery store surveillance video shows a team of shoplifters at work.

Retailers say organized packs of shoplifters are sweeping shelves clean, then reselling stolen goods on eBay or at flea markets. “We have not seen regular shoplifting rise over the last several weeks or months because of inflation," said Kroger spokesman Garry Huddleston. "What we have seen increase is organized retail crime.”

Grocery stores are fighting back. For instance, Kroger employees now hand mark every can of infant formula to make it harder to resell.

Same for many expensive razors; when shoppers lift a plastic lid covering the razors, a computerized voice speaks to them. If the lid stays up too long, an alert sounds.

The new diet drug Alli proved so popular with thieves that some stores now keep it behind the counter. "Many times they'd take everything off the shelf into a basket," Huddleston said.

Grocery stores are tagging more and more products with sensors, just like department stores. Not only are they putting more sensors outside packages — especially medicines — in many cases, they're inside the packages.

Thieves think they're getting away clean until the alarm sounds.

Earlier this year, Florida authorities busted a huge retail theft ring. A room full of suspects in orange jail jumpsuits stood before a judge. They are the alleged “boosters” who stole items for two people accused of reselling the products for up to $100 million.

The Texas Retailers association puts losses at $2.4 billion a year, with $170 million in lost tax revenue.

E-mail jdouglas@wfaa.com