Despite Sales Impact, Walgreens Pushes Ahead With Anti-Theft Measures
Walgreens admits locking up items hurts sales. But it's still doing it
Shoppers can't stand when toothpaste, deodorant and other items are locked up behind glass display cabinets at stores. Customers, accustomed to taking whatever they want off a shelf, don't like to push a button on the display case and impatiently wait for an employee to come open it so they can buy something for $5. No surprise then that locking up products leads to lower sales for retailers.

But the company plans to keep doing it anyway. That's because "it is a hand-to-hand combat battle still" to stop merchandise from being stolen, Wentworth said. Walgreens is looking at "creative things" to stop theft without resorting to locking up products, Wentworth said, but he didn't "have anything magnificent to share" yet.

Walgreens and other retailers are trying to balance deterring theft with making stores easy to shop. Companies must walk a delicate line between protecting their inventory and creating stores that customers don't dread visiting. Chains are willing to accept lower sales that result from locking up some products rather than lose the products to shoplifters, which hits their profits, analysts say. It's also cheaper for them to lock up products than add more employees, security and other major investments that may limit theft but make the store unprofitable to operate.

A Walgreens spokesperson told CNN that locked display cases were the "most efficient solution to combat retail theft." The company "continuously review(s) the impact of these actions on sales" and tests new strategies to protect inventory and make it easier for customers to access products, the spokesperson said.

Analysts say putting merchandise under lock and key isn't a long-term solution. It keeps customers away - and possibly sends them into the waiting shopping carts of online retailers like Amazon. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said last year that the "tough experience" of going into a store with locked-up products was pushing people to shop online.

"Locking a lot up is not a good strategy," Scott Mushkin, a retail analyst at R5 Capital, told CNN. "Why go to a store if you have to wait for someone to open up the case? It's a blunt tool and self-defeating." cnn.com


What Retail Theft Laws Will Take Effect This Year?
California: New Year, New Laws for 2025

Retail theft, property damage

AB 2943: Shoplifting - Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Los Angeles)

This law makes the possession of more than $950 of stolen goods - with the intent to sell, exchange or return them - a felony. It also allows prosecution of defendants without requiring district attorneys to prove that a defendant knew the goods were stolen. The law also clarifies that local law enforcement/jurisdictions are barred from bringing a nuisance action against a businesses for reporting retail crime, unless they make a false report. It also extends the probation period for shoplifting and petty theft from one year to two.

SB 1242, Senator Dave Min (D-Irvine; now member-elect of the U.S. House)

This law is part of the effort to reduce smash-and grab robberies, imposing higher penalties for thieves who set fires to facilitate organized retail theft.

AB 1960 by Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Salinas)

AB 1960 will would mandate courts impose enhanced sentences for large-scale felony property theft crimes, and assist local law enforcement and prosecutors to hold criminals accountable. It mandates steeper penalties for suspects that steal, damage or destroy property valued at over $50,000 in the commission of any theft, which includes retail theft.  thebusinessjournal.com


Police Effort in Canada is 'Making a Dent' Against Theft
Thieves 'more brazen,' Brandon store manager says, but police think new initiative is showing results
A long-time retailer in Manitoba's second-largest city says retail theft is a problem that has exponentially worsened over the last few years. But police in Brandon say a new initiative targeting retail theft has already proven successful in its first few months, even if it's only made a dent so far on a wider problem.

Walter Kosior, the general manager of the Aurora TV and Radio repair shop - which has been in business in the southwestern Manitoba city for more than 60 years - said the store hardly had any issues with retail theft for most of that time, but that's changed.

On Tuesday, the Brandon Police Service said a provincially funded blitz in the city that began late last year has led to the recovery of over $10,000 in stolen goods and 70 arrests. Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said the project builds on a similar anti-theft initiative launched in Winnipeg last May, which has since been made permanent.

The city received $85,000 from the province for the initiative. Chief Tyler Bates said the Brandon Police Service will continue working on proactive efforts to crackdown on crime, including community-based solutions and training.

"While this success is encouraging, we know that the fight is far from over. The data tells us that while we've made a dent, retail theft remains an ongoing issue that continues to evolve within the Westman region." ca.news.yahoo.com


Fight Organized Retail Crime & Empower Law Enforcement Act Signed Into Law
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signs Ghanbari's FORCE Act into law
State Rep. Haraz N. Ghanbari (R-Perrysburg) has announced the signing of the Fight Organized Retail Crime & Empower Law Enforcement Act by Governor Mike DeWine during a bill signing ceremony earlier this month at the Statehouse.

The legislation, officially known as House Bill 366, prioritizes the safety and well-being of Ohio retailers and their customers.

The law, which is scheduled to take effect in 90 days, will enhance the legal framework to safeguard both retailers and consumers against large, intricate Organized Retail Crime (ORC) networks. A key feature of the FORCE Act is the establishment of a statewide task force in collaboration with the Ohio Attorney General and the Organized Crime Investigations Commission. This task force will offer vital resources and assistance to local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors.

In addition, HB 366 provides resources for a statewide real-time information sharing platform so loss prevention executives and law enforcement can communicate and respond to ORC incidents as they occur and act accordingly. The FORCE Act also makes the necessary updates to the law to aggregate offenses and show a clear pattern of behavior that differentiates ORC from petty shoplifting. sent-trib.com


California: Brentwood Police to hold Town Hall Meeting on Prop. 36 and organized retail theft Jan. 30

Dearborn, Mich. police briefing on 2024 crime stats
 

Update: Retail crime 'queenpin' to pay millions in restitution to Ulta, other retailers for theft ring
The California mom who pleaded guilty to running an organized retail crime ring that stole millions of dollars in beauty products from Ulta Beauty and Sephora to resell on Amazon will now have to pay those retailers back as part of her sentence. Michelle Mack, who began her five-year prison sentence on Jan. 9 following her arrest outside of San Diego in December 2023, was ordered to pay $3 million in restitution to Ulta, Sephora and a number of other retailers after striking a plea deal with prosecutors last year. As part of the deal, Mack, 54, forfeited her 4,500-square-foot mansion in Bonsall, California, which was sold in December for $2.35 million, property records show. Any funds left from the sale, after bank debts were satisfied, will go toward restitution, while Mack and her husband Kenneth Mack, 60, will pay back the remainder "over time," California Attorney General Rob Bonta's office said. It's not clear if Mack had a mortgage on the property, but she originally purchased it for $2.29 million in 2021, according to property records. It's also not clear how the restitution will be divvied up among Mack's victims. The crime ring she admitted to running primarily targeted Ulta stores, but it stole from other retailers, including Sephora.  cnbc.com


Redlands, CA: California Highway Patrol arrests 19 in retail theft operation
The California Highway Patrol conducted a successful retail theft blitz at Mountain Grove and Citrus Plaza shopping centers, resulting in 19 arrests. The operation, held on January 17, 2025, also recovered 95 stolen merchandise items valued at $3,731.The operation was initiated at the request of numerous retailers, with CHP's Organized Retail Crime investigators carrying out surveillance to curb theft and hold offenders accountable, according to a press release from the California Highway Patrol. The CHP expressed gratitude to retailers and law enforcement personnel for their efforts in protecting the community from organized retail crime.The California Highway Patrol has dedicated Organized Retail Crime Task Forces throughout the state, working with retailers to combat sophisticated theft crews victimizing merchants statewide. The operation highlighted the importance of collaboration in ensuring a safer shopping environment for everyone, stated the department.  newsbreak.com


Oak Brook, IL: Men Assault Worker In Oak Brook Store Robbery
Four men stole nearly $5,000 worth of sunglasses Monday at an Oak Brook store, pulling an employee to the ground as they got away, police said. Two of the men were listed as having Chicago addresses. All four were labeled as Venezuelan "illegal migrant offenders" in a news release from the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office. About 2:30 p.m., Oak Brook officers received information about suspicious activity involving a silver Ford Fusion in the Oakbrook Center mall parking lot, according to the release. The officers started surveillance. The four men then stole 13 pairs of sunglasses from Sunglass Hut. After a brief struggle with an employee, the four men ran to the Ford, police said. In a police chase, the driver reached 93 mph on Butterfield Road and made his way to eastbound Interstate 290, police said. The driver exited at Mannheim Road after officers successfully deployed tire-deflating devices.  patch.com


New Hartford, NY: Man with Extensive Criminal Record Arrested for Theft at Home Depot
A 41-year-old Utica resident, who has a lengthy history of drug offenses, theft, and falsifying business records, has been arrested. The New Hartford Police Department reported that Joe Lopez has an extensive criminal record, with 13 active warrants issued by the department. According to NHPD, Lopez was involved in a theft investigation at Home Depot on Tuesday. "Lopez and his co-conspirator, Erin Holden, 53, of Utica, allegedly stole over $500 worth of merchandise from the Home Depot store," according to NHPD. Lopez's warrants arise from multiple incidents of merchandise theft from retailers such as Kohl's, TJ Maxx, Dick's Sporting Goods and Home Depot. Lopez faces 14 counts of petit larceny and grand larceny. He was processed and taken to court to respond to these charges.  wktv.com


Windsor, ON, Canada: Suspect arrested after alleged retail theft totals $30K
Windsor police have arrested a man for suspected retail theft stretching back to the fall of 2024. From September 14, 2024, to January 13, 2025, investigators took at least 20 reports of shoplifting. All allegedly involved the same person. The businesses that were hit were hardware stores, with a total amount of stolen items valued at $30,000.  windsornewstoday.ca


Cleveland, OHL $6000 Serial shoplifter busted by Westlake police... and she had a favorite store to 'shop'

Allen County, IN: Multi-state fugitive sentenced for corrupt business influence

Hartselle, AL: Police arrest pair on $500 retail theft charges