High inflation? A pandemic disrupting millions of people's income? Rising inequality? Colour me surprised.
There was a wonderful and detailed article a while back about a baby formula shoplifting ring in the south that shows how this works. The people who are doing the shoplifting are often drug addicts who are promised cash payments or more drugs if they will go and shoplift by a middle man who then stockpiles the good and resales them on line. This isn't Jean Valjean stealing bread this is organized crime seeking to illicitly source goods.
No idea if it's really true, but it is suspicious how there's always a good explanation that something that looks like terrible injustice actually isn't.
This is a well documented phenomena and js evidenced by what people are stealing. You don't show up to Nordstrom with a garbage bag if you are starving and hungry you do it if you are looking to score.
Perhaps they drop off the ill fitting clothes the next day with a note.
Note: I personally think masks are a necessary and good thing right now. I just see it as something relevant to why we might see changes in certain statistics.