Crime & Safety

Tide Theft Trend Hasn't Hit Fairfax

Police from other areas, including D.C., report thefts of laundry detergent from supermarkets.

The trend of Tide laundry detergent thefts in many cities, including Washington, D.C., has not come to Fairfax County, police said.

Since January 2011, Fairfax County has had 19 cases of larceny that mention the word “detergent” in the police report, but only two of those have been in 2012, Fairfax County Police Department Public Information Officer Lucy Caldwell wrote in an email to Patch.

Thieves are stealing Tide detergent from local supermarkets and drugstores and selling it for cash, according to police departments across the country, USA Today reported.

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“For a variety of reasons, the detergent in the familiar flame-orange bottle is well-suited for resale on the black market: Everybody needs laundry detergent, and Tide is the nation’s most popular brand. It’s expensive, selling for up to $20 for a large bottle at stores. And it doesn’t spoil,” The Washington Post reported.

The retail price of a gallon-size (64 loads) bottle of original Tide liquid detergent is $15 - $20.

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