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Michael Rubino was promoted to Director of Loss Prevention for Village Super Markets, a Co-Op of ShopRite/Wakefern
Michael holds a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice from Kean University. Michael started his career as a store detective with A&P/Pathmark stores, and held several positions there including: Manager of Investigations, Regional LP Manager, and Divisional LP Director. Michael was also previously a Regional LP Manager for Stop and Shop. Congratulations Michael!
 

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The D&D Daily's Publicly Reported
2017 Robbery & Burglary Report

Retail Robberies & Burglaries Down 5% From 2016
Up 15% From Q3 to Q4 2017

California Saw Most Incidents in 2017 - Houston Remains Top City
C-Stores & Dollar Stores Most Victimized

Read the full 2017 Robbery & Burglary Report here

Sponsored by

Tyco Retail Solutions congratulates customers 7-Eleven and Big Lots
on industry operational excellence awards
Tyco Retail Solutions acknowledges two of its customers, 7-Eleven and Big Lots, on industry recognition for innovative and successful store operational strategies implemented this past year.

Honored with the Retail TouchPoints Store Operations Superstar Awards, 7-Eleven and Big Lots effectively balanced store operations and the shopper journey across customer touchpoints. In today's environment, in order to be profitable and stay ahead of the competition, retailers must focus on new digital strategies, unified commerce expectations, employee motivation and retention, and a better, overall customer experience to convert shoppers into buyers.

7-Eleven was recognized in the Loss Prevention category for successfully completing a new system rollout of 5,000 stores in North America in less than one year, while all stores remained open for business 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

7-Eleven engaged Tyco Retail Solutions to execute against a four-pillar strategy based on revenue assurance, inventory variation control, incidents and investigations, and safety and asset protection awareness to improve store performance and deliver a consistent, positive shopper experience while also investing in multiple innovative solutions. Read full press release here.

Retail Case Study: 7-Eleven Enhances Security and Store Operations 24/7

Verizon says it's locking its phones down to combat theft
Verizon is taking an extra step to protect its phones. The nation's largest wireless carrier said Monday that it would begin locking the phones it sells to consumers, which will prevent them from using a SIM card from another carrier. Initially, the phones will be unlocked as soon as a customer signs up and activates the service. But later in the spring, the company will begin the practice of keeping the phone locked for a period of time after the purchase -- in line with the rest of the industry.

Verizon said it's doing this to deter criminals from stealing phones, often on route to retail stores or from the stores themselves. Unlocked phones make attractive targets because they can be resold on the black market or used overseas with different carriers. That's particularly the case for iPhones, which are a top target for thieves because of their high resale value.

"We're taking steps to combat this theft and reduce fraud," Tami Erwin, executive vice president of wireless operations for Verizon, said in a statement. "These steps will make our phones exponentially less desirable to criminals." cnet.com

3 Applebee's employees in Missouri fired over racial profiling allegations
Restaurant closes to 'regroup' after viral video shows women upset
Three employees have been fired and a restaurant closed down after a Missouri woman posted a video on Facebook that she says demonstrates the racial profiling that black people in America deal with.

The video is a recording of her and her friend's encounter with a police officer, a mall security guard and a manager at the Applebee's restaurant at Independence Mall on Saturday.

The women were eating dinner there when two officers approached them about an incident that had happened the day before, in which two women, apparently resembling them left without paying for their food. However, the women say the server's description of the dine-and-dashing women was vague, with few details other than skin color and body size.

"We have not been here!" Asia Hardy repeatedly exclaims to one officer.

In a statement released Monday evening, Applebee's said the restaurant's manager, a server and another employee involved in the incident have been fired after an internal investigation.

The franchise also said the Independence Center location is now temporarily closed "in order for the team there to regroup, reflect, learn and grow from this." fox4kc.com

Walmart to Trim Store Management Ranks
Walmart Inc. is cutting some store management jobs as it works to keep labor costs low while investing in higher wages and e-commerce efforts to fend off Amazon.com Inc.

The retailer this week is eliminating two department manager positions in some of its 4,700 U.S. stores, including managers who oversee cellphone departments and online-grocery pickup areas, according to a person familiar with the plans.

The stores facing cuts have lower sales in those areas or will rely increasingly on contract workers from wireless carriers to sell cellphones, said this person.

A Walmart spokesman declined to say how many positions are being eliminated with the change. Many of those workers affected will move into open positions at Walmart, he said. wsj.com

Omaha, NE: Debate over Nebraska's Habitual Criminal Law; Prosecutors can add at least 10-years to your sentence
Nebraska calls it habitual criminal. It means if someone has served prison time for serious felonies - the third time you're caught - prosecutors can add at least 10-years to your sentence.

Right now, 182 people locked up in Nebraska's prisons have the official label of habitual criminal. It's three percent of the inmate population. Senator Brooks wants to cut back on the felonies that qualify for habitual criminal as a way to reduce the prison population. The criminal defense attorneys association supports it. wowt.com


Trump budget's 'Blue Apron-style' SNAP proposal raises industry eyebrows
Food retailers take notice
A small section of the White House's proposed budget for fiscal year 2019 could have big implications for recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and food retailers. As part of President Donald Trump's proposed changes to the Dept. of Agriculture - which include a 16% decrease in its budget from the 2017 enacted level - is a plan to send food benefits directly to beneficiaries' homes that White House director of the Office of Management and Budget Mick Mulvaney compared to Blue Apron.

The effort, which the USDA has officially dubbed America's Harvest Box would impact roughly 81% of SNAP households, or 16.4 million households that receive $90 or more per month in SNAP benefits. The USDA projects that the box will make up roughly half a household's SNAP benefits, with the remainder delivered via Electronic Benefit Transfer card.

CNBC reported that SNAP purchases drive 7.5% of overall supermarket sales, according to Customer Growth Partners. The Food Marketing Institute's chief public policy officer Jennifer Hatcher on Monday noted that the proposal "makes major changes, but not changes that SNAP-authorized food retailers see as positive or even efficient." drugstorenews.com

Cargo theft dropped by 15% in 2017
However, the threat of cargo theft remains "high" in the U.S., with 54 thefts occurring per month, according to the SCIC. An annual report compiled by SensiGuard's Supply Chain Intelligence Center (SCIC) indicates that the number of recorded cargo thefts in the U.S. dropped to 649 in 2017, a 15% decline in volume from 2016 - roughly averaging out to 54 thefts per month in the U.S. or about two per day last year. However, the average value of cargo thefts increased slightly in 2017 - up 0.01% - compared to 2016, the group noted, with the U.S. still ranked "high" on the SCIC five-point risk scale.

Cargo theft was recorded in 35 states in 2017, down from 39 in 2016. Three states accounted for 55% of total recorded theft in 2017: California, Texas, and New Jersey. Overall, geographical "hot spots" have tended to remain largely unchanged, per the report. trucker.com

E-Commerce Startup Alleges CTO & CMO Joined Company to Steal Trade Secrets
Indiezone Inc. asked the Ninth Circuit on Tuesday to rethink its decision that a lower court correctly sanctioned the startup and its lawyer for bringing a "sham" company into its case alleging that former employees conspired to steal its $1 billion e-commerce processing software.

Indiezone and eoBuy filed suit in September 2013, alleging that former chief technical officer Todd Rooke and former chief marketing officer Joseph Rogness came to work at the company with the specific intent of stealing its proprietary system for processing payments under $1 on the internet - a system that had been valued at $1.3 billion, according to the complaint. law360.com

FBI warns of online romance scams ahead of Valentine's Day
Just in time for Valentine's Day, the FBI is warning of online dating scams. The bureau received more than 15,000 reports linked to romance scams last year with more than half of those complaints involving losses of money. Over the past three years, those scams cost Americans up to $210 million. The FBI says romance scams account for the largest online financial crime losses.

"Once a victim sends money to a scammer, they'll put them on a suckers list," said special agent Steven Shapiro, who oversees the FBI's confidence fraud program. "The truth of the matter is the victims tend to be well-educated ... and unfortunately have some kind of emotional vulnerability."

Shapiro says romance crimes are rising as online dating popularity increases. In 2016, about 15 percent of American adults said they had used an online dating website or app. cbsnews.com

NRF: January retail sales continue strong after holidays, up 5.4% over last year

Genesco Initiates Process to Explore Sale of Lids Sports Group

Amazon overtakes Google as most valuable brand - Walmart is #9

Former Taco Bell CEO to lead Chipotle

Home Depot Launches Interview Self-Scheduling to Attract 80,000+ Spring Hires

Wauwatosa, WI: J.C. Penney to close distribution center, cut 670 jobs


Quarterly Results
Ace Hardware Q4 comp's up 3.1%, sales up 6.8%; full year comp's up 3.6%, sales up 5.1%
 

Vector Security to Award Loss Prevention Foundation (LPF) Scholarships for 10th Straight Year

More than $213,000 awarded to date to support loss prevention certification

PITTSBURGH, February 8, 2018 - For the 10th year in a row, Vector Security, Inc., the provider of intelligent mobile security and automation solutions to homes and businesses, is accepting applications for its Loss Prevention Foundation (LPF) scholarship program from now through March 31, 2018.

Applications can be submitted via the Vector Security website at www.vectorsecurity.com/lpfscholarship.

  ● 209 scholarships valued at $213,220 have been awarded since the program began in 2009.
  ● 10 LPC, 10 LPQ and 5 Canadian scholarships will be awarded.
  ● The scholarships cover all course and examination fees.
  ● Anyone currently in the LP industry, or with an interest in the industry, may apply.
  ● The deadline to apply is March 31, 2018.

Read more here.

Equifax hires Home Depot's CISO to lead security turnaround
Equifax said Monday that it has appointed Jamil Farshchi as its new chief information security officer (CISO). The move comes as Equifax works to overhaul its security systems and cope with the ongoing fallout related to its 2017 data breach.

Farshchi has some experience cleaning up data breach disasters. He comes to Equifax from Home Depot, where Farshchi was brought on after the retailer disclosed that its payment systems were breached in a malware attack in April 2014.

Clearly, Equifax is hoping that Farshchi can help the company restore the tattered shreds of its reputation. Equifax's interim CEO Paulino do Rego Barros praised Farshchi and said he "possesses the talent and skillset needed to continue our journey toward developing industry-leading security practices and, ultimately, to help us regain trust with consumers and customers." zdnet.com

Read Equifax's press release on the new hire here

Cybersecurity is 'greatest concern' at Senate threats hearing
For the top intelligence agencies in the US, technology has pushed aside terrorism as a top national security threat. The leaders of six of those agencies, including the CIA, the NSA and the FBI, testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday, during its annual "Worldwide Threats" hearing. They discussed concerns ranging from terrorist attacks to nuclear strikes, but a major portion of the hearing was dedicated to discussing threats coming from technology.

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said in his opening statement that cybersecurity is his "greatest concern" and "top priority," putting it ahead of threats like weapons of mass destruction and terrorism.

"From US businesses to the federal government to state and local governments, the United States is threatened by cyberattacks every day," Coats said. cnet.com

Retailers say data breach notification law should cover all affected businesses and 'leave no holes'
Any new data breach notification law passed by Congress should cover all industries that handle consumer data and "leave no holes" that would allow events like last year's Equifax breach to remain hidden, the National Retail Federation and other groups told lawmakers today.

The House Financial Services Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on data breaches on Wednesday, and NRF is concerned that the session will lead to a repeat of unsuccessful 2015 legislation that would have made notification mandatory for retailers but voluntary for financial institutions. Banks will be represented at the hearing but retailers have not been invited. nrf.com

Data breach fatigue requires better response planning
Data breach fatigue is a phenomenon that occurs when data theft becomes so normalized that individuals essentially grow numb to the threat of losing their personal data. It can lead to an increased sense of inevitability, often accompanied by apathy or indifference. They start to think, "If someone already has all my information, why should I bother protecting it? If it's already out there, why do I care if another company loses it?"

So what impact does this trend have on companies trying to navigate the increasingly complex process of planning for and responding to a data breach?

At first glance, this trend may be seen as a positive. One of the toughest parts of handling a breach is communicating about it with your customers. If data breach fatigue means they are less inclined to react negatively, it could potentially lessen the pain that comes with informing them that their data was lost. It's always easier to tell someone bad news, if they don't get upset easily.

Unfortunately, this does not actually equate to an easier notification process. In reality, it has the opposite effect. Because consumers view a data breach as a routine occurrence, it means the notification process has become routine, as well. The same phenomenon that makes them more likely to shrug their shoulders about the actual breach, makes it more likely that they will notice if your response deviates from that routine.

This actually puts more pressure on you to execute a flawless incident response, because while the breach itself may not attract much attention, your response easily could. csoonline.com

H-E-B rolls out curbside service across Texas

Use Microsoft Outlook? Update now to fix these two dangerous bugs

Could Toronto be home to Amazon's HQ2?
Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau meets with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos
Trudeau, the first Canadian leader to visit San Francisco in years, met Amazon.com Inc. founder Jeff Bezos, no doubt hoping to bolster Toronto's bid for the company's second headquarters, as well as chief executives from companies such as EBay Inc. and salesforce.com Inc.

The Amazon headquarters in particular offers the biggest potential prize for Trudeau, who's become the salesman-in-chief for an industry he hopes will transform the Canadian economy into a center for brainy tech companies, from its traditional role as commodity producer.

Toronto is the only Canadian city among 20 on Amazon's list of 20 finalists to be the possible home for its second North American headquarters, with a promise of as many as 50,000 jobs and up to $5 billion in investment by the online retail giant based in Seattle.

Trudeau outlined commercial, cultural and social reasons why Amazon should call Canada home to the new "HQ2" complex including universal health care that lowers the cost to employers, stable banking systems, and a deep pool of highly educated prospective workers from both at home and abroad. bloomberg.com thestar.com

Pot brands race to claim retail dominance in budding marijuana landscape
Pot producers have been ramping up production in preparation for the legalization of marijuana for recreational use later this year and -- realizing there is a healthy collective pipeline of product coming online over the next few years -- are looking to deploy their cash in more profitable ways, said Russell Stanley, special situations analyst with Echelon Wealth Partners. Retail is high on their priority list, said Stanley.

Edmonton-based Aurora Cannabis Inc. announced last week that it will acquire a 19.9 per cent stake in Liquor Stores N.A. Ltd., which operates throughout Alberta and in British Columbia, for $103.5 million, fuelling Liquor Stores' plans to launch a cannabis store brand and convert some of its existing outlets.

Alberta, where Liquor Stores has a vast retail footprint, is among the provinces that will allow private retailers to sell recreational cannabis when it is legalized in Canada this summer. ctvnews.ca

HBC Halts Downtown Montreal Bay Reno and Saks Fifth Avenue Flagship
A previously announced overhaul to downtown Montreal's Hudson's Bay building, which would have included adding Canada's largest Saks Fifth Avenue store to the property, has been put on ice. That's according to an exclusive french language report in TVA Nouvelles, which quoted sources familiar with the situation. retail-insider.com

DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse Announces 3 Spring 2018 Canadian Store Openings

B.C. to hike minimum wage to $12.65 in June, and $15 in 2021

HBC names CVS Health executive Helena Foulkes as its new CEO

Canada Goose books strong Q3, names new CFO

Six Ways to Fight Fraud on Valentine's Day
For e-commerce merchants, Valentine's Day can be a welcome cure to the post-holiday blues. Sales numbers spike after a typically slow month, but so do the risks associated with higher-than-normal volume.

Namely chargebacks and fraud: both of the "friendly" nature and the less friendly. Whether it be legitimate customers who simply missed the mark at playing Cupid, or fraudsters seizing yet another opportunity to cash in, Valentine's Day can break a merchant's heart if they're not prepared to prevent and properly deal with costly chargebacks.

Here are six ways to alleviate the headaches on Feb. 14:

Implement Strict But Fair Policies

Embrace Transparency

Make Customer Service a Top Priority

Utilize Chargeback Prevention Tools

Use Address Verification/Card Code Verification

Keep Meticulous Records cardnotpresent.com

The customer journey in m-commerce checkout:
How to navigate security roadblocks
Regulators around the world are mandating secure customer authentication (SCA) to protect consumers from online fraud. In Europe, the PSD2 requires payment service providers (which include banks, e-money providers, and payment institutions) to apply SCA for all electronic payments initiated by the payer (such as card payments and credit transfers) above EUR 30, unless the payment qualifies as low risk. So how to balance the demand for a "click and pay" experience with the requirements for secure payments?

Payment companies have found a solution for the customer experience versus security conundrum in risk based authentication (RBA).

With RBA, the company will test the transaction against a series of parameters in real time-e.g., the device used by the customer, the IP address, the location, and the typical behaviour of the customer. If no anomalies are found, the transaction can be approved without invoking step-up authentication, allowing a smooth payment experience for the majority of legitimate transactions. As it comes to the effectiveness of RBA, almost half of the survey respondents that implemented RBA solutions said that 70% or more of m-commerce payments were approved without requiring a second factor. thepaypers.com

M-commerce accounts for 60% of total global ecommerce as it grows to $1.4tn in 2017

Sotheby's Expands E-Commerce Program

Update: Mother, Daughter Stole Nearly $15K Worth of Merchandise From Ventura County Victoria's Secret
Mother, Daughter Stole Nearly $15K Worth of Merchandise From Ventura County Victoria's Secret Stores. A mother and daughter, as well as a teen, have been arrested in connection with stealing nearly $15,000 worth of merchandise from Victoria's Secret stores in Oxnard and Thousand Oaks and were possibly involved in Bay Area thefts as well. Ventura County Sheriff's Department officials said that the stores had been hit five times in the last five months and all of the incidents were captured on surveillance video. In the incidents, three people filled a baby stroller with the stolen goods. Store officials determined that the women are responsible for at about $250,000 in thefts from Victoria's Secret locations across the state since 2016. ktla.com

Butler County, OH: Thieves from local ORC Ring target Liberty Center, hitting Dillard's, Victoria's Secret and Footlocker
A ring of thieves targeting area stores for items to resell on social media hit the Dillard's store at Liberty Center last week, making off with at least 30 bottles of expensive perfume with a total value of $3,750. The same suspects are believed to have stolen items from Footlocker and other area Dillard's. In addition, thieves have also been stealing women's underwear regularly at Victoria's Secret at Liberty Center. journal-news.com

Grand Rapids, MI: 8 arrested in 'Felony Lane' scheme bust
Federal authorities arrested eight Florida residents in Grand Rapids late last month in connection to a string of smash-and-grab purse thefts and subsequent bank frauds. The feds say the suspects were pulling what's referred to as the "Felony Lane" scheme. The suspects each face charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. Police recovered nearly $7,000 in cash and Credit Cards and ID's that belong to 19 victims. woodtv.com


Wallingford, CT: 3 purchased more than $4,000 worth of electronics from Walmart with counterfeit credit cards
Two women and a man faces charges after police said they purchased more than $4,000 worth of electronics from Walmart with counterfeit credit cards. Mariah Nunn, 22, of Groton, Tyra Barber, 22, of Brooklyn, New York, and Pierre Louis, 34, of Philadelphia, were charged Tuesday with payment card theft, third-degree larceny, third-degree identity theft, receiving goods obtained by illegal use of a payment card, as well as conspiracy to commit all charges. myrecordjournal.com

Nashville, TN: Serial Shoplifter sentenced to 8 years for assaulting Police Officer, Store Clerk in 2016 incident
Chimayne Talley, 24, was sentenced for multiple charges Monday for an incident in Sept. of 2016, including theft of merchandise, aggravated assault against an officer for ramming a police cruiser to evade capture, assault against a store clerk andtrespassing. He was known to shoplift from area malls and even released a video on Facebook about a yard sale he and an accomplice held in East Nashville to sell all of the stolen merchandise. Talley has been jailed since his arrest in 2016 in lieu of a $171,500 bond. He also faces charges of felony theft and assault convictions in incidents prior to his arrest. wsmv.com

Butler, PA: 3 charged in Shoplifting cases face felony charges
Between them, authorities said, the trio has racked up more than two dozen prior shoplifting convictions, upgrading a summary or misdemeanor offense under state law to a third-degree felony. Terry Williams, 53, has 15 priors - 11 of which are felonies. Butler Township police on Monday obtained an arrest warrant for Williams. He's charged with a felony count of retail theft and a summary charge of defiant trespass following a Jan. 13 incident at the Walmart at the Butler Commons shopping plaza.

Police on Monday also charged eight-time convicted shoplifter Marjorie G. Gold, 48, of with felony retail theft after a Jan. 9 incident at the Sheetz convenience store. Already in the Butler County Prison for felony shoplifting is Joyce M. Anderson, 35, who has four prior convictions for the same crime. butlereagle.com

Bellefontaine, OH: Walmart Employee admits to stealing for 5 years; busted for total of $83

Shootings & Deaths

Lakemore, OH: Tractor Supply thieves shot by Police; rammed a Patrol Car
Early Tuesday, the Lakemore Police received a call of a theft in progress at Tractor Supply. The store was closed at the time, but at 4:46 a.m., an employee working inside overnight heard the merchandise alarm go off outside the front of the store. According to police, she saw a person attempting to load merchandise into a van and flee. Lakemore Police located the van at 1271 Main Street in the village, and Springfield officers arrived to back up the Lakemore officers.

The driver of the van, according to a police report, put his vehicle in reverse and rammed the Lakemore cruiser that was parked behind the van. Shots were fired at the scene and two male subjects who were in the van were transported to Akron City Hospital. thesuburbanite.com

New Orleans, LA: 2 killed, 3 wounded in gunfire outside a Gas Station

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Want a High Performing Team? Culture and Kindergarten Rules Can Help
 

Want a High Performing Team? Start with Culture
Everyone wants to be considered a leader, one who inspires action and sets a vision for the future but if your team was asked which you were, would they say leader or manager? If you want a high performing team, first become a leader. Show love

Techniques to Help You Build a High-Performing Team
Teams who work well together and move fast don't happen overnight or by accident, but they are worth it and can provide so much value to any workplace. Here's what every leader needs to do to build a team who works together effectively. Faster decisions

Want a Higher-Performing Team? Follow Kindergarten Rules
From the age of 5, we learned how to be a team player, but as we moved through school and beyond, somehow we become disconnected from those team-building skills. Here's how to build a better performing team from things you learned in kindergarten. Be kind

A Four-Star General's Approach to Team Building
The U.S. Military is known for generating great leaders. The principles they instill upon those who join are perfectly outfitted for creating dynamic and effective leadership. So how do four-star generals create such amazing and strong teams? General Dunwoody has the answer. Higher standards

It's always the basics, the simple things.

The simplest things can always have the biggest impacts. From having a firm hand shake, turning off your cell, not chewing gum, shining your shoes, cleaning your briefcase, having multiple copies of your resumes, getting business cards from everyone you interview with, taking the water they offer, stopping by the facilities merely to clear your head, making direct eye contact, and making sure you wear a smile and you're upbeat with everyone you meet. These are the basics of every successful interview. And it seems that many great executives lose opportunities because they don't practice the basics.

Just a Thought,
Gus

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