7-Eleven AP Specialists Freezin' for a Reason

Swimming in a Slurpee. That might be what Liberty Zone Asset Protection (AP) Specialists Earl Winterling and Mike Yaede felt like when they jumped in at the Maryland State Police Polar Bear Plunge. The two plunged into Chesapeake Bay Jan. 26 with the Annapolis City Police team, part of the 988 registered first responders. The two super-chill 7-Eleven AP guys even got their photo with Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who also braved the icy waters.

The annual law enforcement event raises money for Maryland Special Olympics. The three days of plunges and fun brought in approximately $2.5 million. Earl's and Mike's PD team raised more than $200,000 for plunging into the icy waters. Earl said he hopes to become a super-plunger in next year's Polar Bear Plunge, which may require super powers. Super-plungers jump into icy cold waters every hour for 24 hours ... and raise at least $75 for each hourly plunge.

"Maryland has more 7-Eleven stores in the state than anyone," Earl said. "My goal in participating in events like this is to get the 7-Eleven name out there and show our commitment to the community."

As president of the Maryland Metro Crime Stoppers organization, Earl is also visible as he leads the volunteer organization helping local law enforcement agencies solve crime. The program covers Baltimore City, Annapolis City, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, Howard and Queen Anne's counties, home to more than 2 million people.

"I want to get a 7-Eleven team together for next year's plunge," Earl said. "I need at least 20 people brave enough to dive right in."

Thank you to Byron Smith, Corporate Asset Protection Manager - Corporate Security, International, Business Continuity & Supply Chain, 7-Eleven, for this article submission.

Lululemon Employees Report a Toxic 'Boy's Club' Culture
Lululemon's former CEO, Laurent Potdevin, created a "toxic" working environment, former and current employees told Racked.

The ex-CEO reportedly created a cutthroat working environment by favoring certain employees, one of whom was a designer he had a relationship with. The designer was reportedly given preferential treatment by Potdevin, flying first-class with him and being given extra time off, employees said. A spokesperson for the Lululemon declined to comment.

According to Racked, the company was aware of this relationship, as it was announced by Potdevin during a company meeting - called "clearing" - where employees are invited to share anything that could be holding them back at work. But employees said that the company did little to resolve potential conflicts caused by the relationship, which had been going on for nearly four years at the time of Potdevin's departure. His girlfriend had reportedly already left the company.

Potdevin reportedly also behaved inappropriately with other employees by inviting them over to his house or up to his hotel rooms to drink.

"Laurent would have Friday ping-pong matches or play pool with beer and wine, and he hand-picked who was invited based off of who he liked," a former executive told Racked. businessinsider.com

More than 60 women have filed sexual harassment complaints
against IHOP, Applebee's restaurants since 2010
Workers in low-paying restaurant jobs are often teenagers or adults struggling to pay their bills, making them easy targets for abuse, says Laura Palumbo, communications director for the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.

That's exactly what more than 60 workers at IHOP and Applebee's restaurants in eight states have reported since 2010, according to sexual harassment lawsuits filed in federal court. These were the two restaurant chains with the highest number of federal sexual harassment lawsuits during that time - four each. Though both restaurant brands are owned by the same company, the lawsuits were filed against individual franchise owners. vox.com

US restaurant workers target low wages in campaign against sexual harassment
Restaurant workers in seven U.S. cities on Tuesday lobbied state and local lawmakers to combat sexual harassment in the industry by shifting from the $2.13 federal minimum wage for tipped employees to a higher "fair" wage. Some 70 percent of workers who receive tips in addition to their hourly pay in the United States are women.

The combination of low hourly pay and dependence on customer gratuities makes them particularly vulnerable to harassment from customers and colleagues, said Saru Jayaraman, president of the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC) which advocates for better working conditions.

Women workers earning their state's full minimum wage before tips reported half the rate of sexual harassment as women in the states that pay $2.13 per hour, according to a study from ROC. cnbc.com

How Blockchain Could Help End Modern Day Slavery
In Asia's Exploitative Seafood Industry
In 2015, Nestlé--the world's largest food company--commissioned an audit of its own Thai seafood supply chains. The audit was outsourced to Verite, an NGO, and resulted in a landmark report that documented systemic labor abuses across the seafood industry, in Thailand and beyond. Since the Verite report, however, investigative reporting by The Guardian has revealed that human trafficking and labor abuses continue, virtually unabated.

But, could digital technology put a stop to these abuses? Blockchain technology is being deployed by civil society groups to make supply chains fully transparent, thereby achieving end-to-end traceability. forbes.com

Blockchain for Traceability and Independent Operators
By: Lucas Darnell, Director of Membership, Food Marketing Institute
This year's Independent Operator Executive Leadership Forum, held at FMI's Midwinter Midwinter Executive Conference, focused on digital and its potential applications and benefits for independent grocery stores. One of the highlights of these sessions was a presentation regarding blockchain and how it can help to create a digital transparent food system by Kerry Bridges, senior director, supplier food safety for Walmart.

Blockchain is a shared ledger technology that allows any participant in the business network to see the system of record. It's important to note that blockchain and Bitcoin are not the same thing. Blockchain is the technology that allows for the cryptocurrency of Bitcoin. That being said, blockchain has applications in many different fields, including food safety, finance, government operations... the list goes on.

Most food traceability systems are centralized or distributed. Blockchain allows for a decentralized system. It ensures appropriate visibility for each secure, authenticated and verifiable transaction. By getting everyone on the same page and using the same system, food retailers and suppliers alike will be able to provide a full snapshot of traceability in seconds, rather than days. fmi.org

Where Will Consumers Spend Their Tax Cut?
Income inequality has hurt retailers that serve the middle class
But the tax bill could give them a boost
Tax cuts aren't about to make America's inequality problem go away. But with an assist from a tight job market, they are bound to make the less-well heeled feel more flush. That should support middle class spending, benefiting many retailers and other consumer-facing businesses. It could also upend a longstanding trend in retailing where companies serving the lower and upper rungs of income performed well and those that traditionally served the middle class struggled. wsj.com

More retail stores closed than opened in 2017, Yelp data suggests
There were about 1,070,000 retail stores in the U.S. in 2015, according to census data that includes the types of stores you find in shopping malls as well as big box stores, gas stations, and other retailers. That's up slightly from a recession-era low of 1,063,000 in 2011. The problem is that the data lags, so it leaves out any carnage from the last two years.

Statistical modelers can use census data as a starting point. In one example, market-research provider Euromonitor used a combination of census data and company filings to estimate that the number of U.S. stores decreased by just a tenth of a percent in 2017 - hardly an apocalyptic level of die-off.

There's another way to measure recent retail closings: Ask Yelp.

Since the launch of local review website in 2004, Yelp has compiled millions of U.S. business listings. That makes its data a useful complement to government statistics, according to Harvard economist Edward Glaeser. "Changes in the number of businesses and restaurants reviewed on Yelp can predict changes in the number of overall establishments and restaurants," he wrote with co-authors Hyunjin Kim and Michael Luca in a Harvard Business School working paper published in October.

For some industries, including retail, leisure, and hospitality, the researchers found that Yelp listings are better at predicting economic change than statistical methods of extrapolating census data. Yelp tends to be more useful in denser, more affluent, and more educated areas.

So what does Yelp's data say about the retail apocalypse? Stores closed at a faster pace than they opened in 2017, the only time that happened in the four years of data that the company provided to Bloomberg. bloomberg.com

What Stores Do With $90 Billion in Merchandise Returns
Retailers still celebrating their strongest holiday sales in years now face the less-pleasant task of disposing of billions of dollars in returned merchandise. Often, retailers offload rejected clothes, appliances and toys for pennies on the dollar through a vast ecosystem of resellers, ranging from outlet stores and online auctions to flea markets and salvage dealers.

Retailing's secondary market saw volume surge this year, reflecting both the strongest growth in holiday sales since 2011 and the rise of online shopping, where purchases are more likely to be returned.

The National Retail Federation said holiday sales reached nearly $692 billion in November and December. About 13%, or $90 billion, is expected to be returned through the end of February, according to a forecast by Optoro Inc., a logistics provider that helps companies like Target Corp., Staples Inc. and BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. take back and resell returned merchandise. wsj.com

Survey: Nice restrooms have big impact on business
Americans are more likely to open their wallets at businesses with clean restrooms. That's according to the annual Healthy Hand Washing Survey in which almost half of Americans say they will "definitely" or "probably" spend more money at a business that has clean, well-maintained restrooms. In addition, nearly 60% of Americans make a conscious decision to visit a specific business because they know it has nice restrooms, the survey found. The survey shows that when businesses let restroom maintenance slip through the cracks, they are at a high risk of jeopardizing customer satisfaction and sales. chainstoreage.com

Director of Loss Prevention for Ollie's Bargain Outlet - Based in Harrisburg, PA
The Director of Loss Prevention assesses and mitigates both external and internal security related risks for the organization through the development and management of policies, procedures, programs, systems, and to conduct internal investigations into, fraud, abuse, or other misconduct. Additional responsibilities include directing and creating safety policies to create a company that is passionate about safety.

Ollie's Bargain Outlet is one of America's largest retailers of closeout merchandise and excess inventory. Our 269 "semi-lovely" stores sell merchandise of all descriptions and some beyond description. ollies.us

Dollar General - Director of LP - Northeast job was taken off website

belk - Manager of Corporate Security & RMC job was taken off website

Store Closing Sales Begin at 42 Select Bon-Ton Store Locations

Shake Shack aims to grow to 320 units by 2020

Wisconsin: Following three concurrent gun shop burglaries, state representative renews calls for mandating stricter store security


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JC Penney to close 8 stores in 2018 - Here's where they are

 

Do You Know Your Cyberattack Response Plan?
Most companies are prepared for daily disruptions and able to immediately address these instances without much thought. They can be as simple as an inoperable shipping door or a team member calling in sick, or as complex as a severe weather storm moving through the area. But is your team equipped to handle bigger challenges? Do they have a plan for a power outage that spans several hours, days, or even weeks? Expand that thinking to vendor partners. How will vendors maintain their service to you, their customer? What is their preparedness plan? In other words, what is your company's internal business continuity plan, or vendor plan, in the event of a cyberattack?

HOW TO PREPARE
The best strategy is to prepare a business continuity plan (BCP), which identifies financial and physical risks that arise from a crisis. If the plan is comprehensive, it will have the necessary implementation steps for operating critical functions during a disruption in business. Before creating the business continuity plan, however, the business impact analysis (BIA) needs to be completed. It is important to note the BCP and BIA are two distinct documents. Establishing this understanding when speaking about crisis management and business continuity will provide a clear road map for the shareholders, business owners, customers, and the leadership team. During an incident is not the time to share that you have a fire response plan but have not completed a full business impact analysis.

THE BUSINESS IMPACT ANALYSIS
When completing a standard BIA, each area of the company answers questions on the criticality of team, technology, and building. For those in the supply chain industry, it is critical to add third-party vendors and partners in the answering of these questions. Doing so will quickly reveal gaps with vendors and show the importance of these partners to your organization.

TEAM
Consider the human capital it takes to run your business. Do not identify individual people, but instead the positions that are critical decision makers and doers that keep the operation going. If there was an event that caused excessive absenteeism, are you prepared to continue operations?

TECHNOLOGY
Evaluate not only internal threats, but also the multiple touchpoints of the supply chain such as delivery, transportation, billing, etc. Security breaches are increasing at a double-digit rate year-over-year and are coming from a variety of sources, so it is important to evaluate with breadth and depth.

BUILDING
Determine how long your organization can afford to be nonfunctional. Depending on your business, this may be zero tolerance for nonfunctionality to considerable tolerance for nonfunctionality because you have both space and capacity to move operations to other physical locations. Keep in mind that natural disasters wreaked havoc in the southern part of the United States in 2017. You may not have a physical building in these impacted markets, but do you have third-party vendors operating in these highrisk areas?

THIRD-PARTY VENDORS AND PARTNERS
Rely on partners for physical and technological help. They can support your success through transportation or warehousing, staffing during peak load, or last-mile delivery services. They can also connect processes, whether it is the handoff of electronic data interchange (EDI) documents, load forecasting, or details of customer orders. losspreventioninsights.com

Spam Ticked Downward in 2017, but Phishing Was Up
The spam and phishing scene last year was a mixed bag: The average amount of spam in 2017 decreased to 56.63%, which is 1.68% less than in 2016. However, the number of phishing attacks increased - the Kaspersky Lab anti-phishing system was triggered 246 million times on the computers of Kaspersky Lab users, which is 59% higher than in 2016.

According to Kaspersky Lab's Spam and Phishing in 2017 report, spammers have shown themselves to be thoughtful actors, instantly monitoring global issues and major events worldwide with one main purpose: to capture and capitalize on their victim's attention. These cybercriminals have been following a global agenda by using hot topics such as the FIFA World Cup and Bitcoin to fool users and steal their money or personal information in the last 12 months. infosecurity-magazine.com

PCI Council Enables Mobile PIN but Ignores the Biometric Future
Merchants and networks are eliminating authentication techniques, including signatures and PIN, while the PCI Council announces a plan to enable PIN on mobile devices, a less convenient solution to a transaction where convenience is everything. While PCI may be looking backwards, at least they made an attempt. EFT debit networks appear to be frozen into inaction. Their response has been to eliminate PIN, which solves the convenience issue, but now fraud is increasing rapidly on EFT debit transactions (perfect!). paymentsjournal.com

IRS Scam Leverages Hacked Tax Preparers, Client Bank Accounts
Identity thieves who specialize in tax refund fraud have been busy of late hacking online accounts at multiple tax preparation firms, using them to file phony refund requests. Once the Internal Revenue Service processes the return and deposits money into bank accounts of the hacked firms' clients, the crooks contact those clients posing as a collection agency and demand that the money be "returned."

In one version of the scam, criminals are pretending to be debt collection agency officials acting on behalf of the IRS. They'll call taxpayers who've had fraudulent tax refunds deposited into their bank accounts, claim the refund was deposited in error, and threaten recipients with criminal charges if they fail to forward the money to the collection agency. krebsonsecurity.com

Zelle users are finding out the hard way there's no fraud protection
Scammers have taken to Zelle, the Venmo alternative backed by U.S. banks, to defraud consumers who believe the service includes the same protections they've come to expect from PayPal. A number of customers report having lost hundreds, or even thousands of dollars, over Zelle, when they used it for transactions with people they didn't know - like tickets bought off a Craigslist posting, for example. techcrunch.com

Intel Faces Lawsuits For Security Flaws In Microchips

Whitepaper: 7 Ways to Maximize Your Security Dollars

IoT to drive the connected retail market to $82.3B in 2025

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Scamming Amazon?
More people are getting sent mysterious Amazon packages they didn't order
No one knows exactly what's going on
Amazon packages showing up in the mail usually brings a smile to one's face, but for some unlucky people, it's just another mess to clean up.

One person - identified only as Nikki - told the Daily Beast that she unwrapped an unsolicited Amazon package, only to find a $25 sex toy inside. That wasn't all, though. She has continued to receive packages for things she didn't order, including junk like a charging cable for a Bluetooth device.

A retired couple in the Boston area told the Boston Globe last week that they also are being buried by an avalanche of junk from unsolicited Amazon packages over the span of several months. They've reached out to Amazon, and an investigation is ongoing, but the packages keep coming in the meantime.

The items are perfectly addressed, come with no note or receipt or packaging slip, and are paid with a gift card so there's no trace of the sender.

In a statement to Business Insider, Amazon said: "We are investigating inquiries from consumers who have received unsolicited packages as this would violate our policies. We have confirmed the sellers involved did not receive names or shipping addresses from Amazon. We remove sellers in violation of our policies, withhold payments, and work with law enforcement to take appropriate action."

Experts who talked to The Globe said the couple was probably the victim of a scam intended to game the reviews system on Amazon's website.

Here's how the scam works: A seller has something listed on the website, then a fake account created by them or someone close to them buys the item and sends it somewhere random. That account can then leave a glowing "verified review," which is worth a lot to sellers.

In a statement from a spokesperson, Amazon casted doubt on the supposition that scams were the motivation behind the sending of the packages. businessinsider.com

What retailers really think about 'Shipping with Amazon'
Within the next few weeks, Amazon.com Inc. is expected to launch "Shipping with Amazon," a service in which the online retail giant delivers online orders directly to consumers' doorsteps for Amazon marketplace sellers, according to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal. The program is set to launch in Los Angeles. Amazon will then evaluate the service before moving into other markets and, ultimately, expanding the service to deliver online orders for other merchants.

To examine how online retailers feel about the development, Internet Retailer surveyed web merchants over the last few days. In particular, Internet Retailer wondered: Would retailers trust Amazon to delivery online orders to their customers? Would they consider switching from their current carrier if the price was right? Read more for survey results. digitalcommerce360.com

U.S. e-commerce sales grow 16.0% in 2017

Mobile accounts for nearly 35% of 2017 e‑commerce sales

Ontario, CA: 3 men accused of $200,000 theft from Nordstrom Distribution Center, selling goods online
The stolen items included clothing and watches valued at more than $200,000, a news release said. Deputies who had been investigating the case for three weeks served search warrants Thursday, Feb. 15, and recovered more than $100,000 in stolen merchandise, cash from the sale of stolen goods, and stolen firearms, narcotics, and body armor, the release said. Dominique Harges, 29, of Rancho Cucamonga, and Francisco Garcia, 38, of Beaumont, were arrested on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm, conspiracy to commit commercial burglary and grand theft, and possession of stolen property. A third suspect, Joseph Bennett, 27, of Fontana, has a warrant out for his arrest. pe.com

Mt Juliet, TN: $128K stolen from Wilson sporting goods store in complex scheme
Wilson Sporting Good contacted the Wilson County Sheriff's Office after they noticed a significant amount of items missing from their warehouse. The retail value of the equipment, which included custom baseball and batting gloves, is more than $128,000. Two of the arrested suspects, 32-year-old Rebecca Knight and 34-year-old Rachel Patterson, are employees. The third suspect arrested in the scheme is 35-year-old Terry Averitt. Police say as Knight and Patterson stole the merchandise, Averitt received the items and transported them with his vehicle. fox17.com

Lowe's tracks Facebook posts for 14,000 ft of Romex Wire; 2 thieves now in custody
A Facebook post advertising Romex wire for sale helped lead to felony and other charges against a pair of suspected shoplifters, police said. The couple - Eric D. Letcher Jr., 36, and Samantha Jo Ray, 31, are accused of stealing nearly $4,000 worth of the electrical wire from the Lowe's store at Moraine Pointe Plaza.

On four separate occasions between Dec. 4 and Jan. 2, Butler Township police said, the duo made off with more than 14,000 feet of Romex wire. Police on Wednesday obtained arrest warrants for Letcher and Ray. A loss prevention employee for Lowes on Jan. 4 apparently provided a key clue to investigators, who already had store surveillance photos of the suspects but no names. The employee was monitoring social media and came upon a Facebook page for Samantha Jo Letcher, who was advertising 1,000 feet of new Romex wire for sale, police said. butlereagle.com

Beavercreek, OH: 5 Armed Men hit Verizon store at closing, steal over 50 phones
A male, who identified himself as a Verizon store employee, said the group of robbers armed with guns barged in through the rear door of the business as he was trying to lock up for the night. They grabbed at least 50 cell phones and ran out, the employee said. A store assistant manager corroborated the employee's version of events, and noted that the group apparently dropped one of the phones somewhere in the area. daytondailynews.com


Springfield, IL: T-Mobile thieves hitting stores in Forsyth and Springfield
Four teens suspected of stealing eight cellphones from a T-Mobile store in Springfield also are wanted for stealing phones in Forsyth, Crime Stoppers Coordinator Mike Badger said Sunday. The teens are suspected of a retail theft Feb. 12 at the T-Mobile store at Southwest Plaza. Police said the four teens entered the store around noon and diverted the attention of a clerk before grabbing the phones and fleeing. After the theft, Badger said, the teens drove to Macon County and conducted a similar theft at a retailer in Forsyth two hours later. sj-r.com

Brooklyn, OH: Home Depot Shoplifter escapes from Police Custody
The suspect had been arrested for shoplifting at Home Depot. The crime itself is only a misdemeanor, but the man did have some other warrants out for other thefts, drugs and for failure to appear in court. The suspect was sitting on the department's booking bench when he was able to slip out of a wrist cuff. He remained seated for a few more minutes before looking around and then running out the back door. fox8.com

Shootings & Deaths

Scottsdale, AZ: Suspect dead following officer-involved shooting at Fashion Square
Police say a suspect is dead following an officer-involved shooting at Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall on Sunday. Scottsdale police say an off-duty officer was working security at the mall when he was called to the third level of the parking garage near Macy's at around 5 p.m. for reports of a man acting erratically in one of the stores. When the officer approached the man, police say there was a struggle and the officer opened fire, killing the man. Police say a handgun was found at the scene. fox10phoenix.com

San Antonio, TX: At least 4 shot outside a Texas Roadhouse Restaurant
Police said two of the victims were taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. One of the victims, a 6-year-old boy, was shot in the leg, but did not have life-threatening injuries, authorities said. All of the victims are related. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said all of the adults are in their 20s.

According to police, the shooting occurred at 8:40 p.m. Sunday as the group waited outside the Texas Roadhouse near Ingram Park Mall, on San Antonio's west side. After opening fire with a semi-automatic handgun, the masked shooter emptied the entire magazine into the family. One round penetrated the restaurant wall. The suspect fled and neither the suspect nor any of the victims entered the restaurant. McManus said, "We do not believe that this shooting was random." The suspect is still at large. usatoday.com

Houston, TX: Man fatally shot in Walmart parking lot
Police are investigating a homicide that happened in the Walmart parking lot at Rowlett and Almeda Genoa around 10:30 Sunday night. Officers said when they arrived on scene, they found a man shot in a car. He was taken to the hospital where he died. abc13.com

Cleveland, OH: Consignment store Owner shot and killed in Armed Robbery
The owner of Priceless Consignment Boutique on St. Clair Avenue near East 141st Street was shot in the head and leg during a robbery. Three suspects walked into the store and began shooting. The victim, Yohanz Lawrence, 27, was taken to University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, where he died. fox8.com

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True Leaders Bring Out the Best In Everyone Around Them
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3 Ways Leaders Influence Company Culture (And Don't Even Know It)
A strong and positive company culture starts with a strong leader. Some leaders may be sending the right--or wrong--signals without even realizing it. Here's how to make sure you're influencing your workplace for the better. Own your actions

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5 Simple Things You Can Do Right Away to Feel Less Stressed
Stress can affect people in different ways, but by using these tips, you can help lower your stress levels and feel more relaxed even when under extreme pressure. If you're feeling stressed, here are five things you can do to help ease your mind. Make a list

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

Submit Your Group LP Selfie Today!

The "rumor mill" is a very treacherous and unforgiving world of fact and fiction that at times is filled with innuendos, accusations, untruths, and whatever gets added to the information being talked about regarding companies and people. Participating in it is human nature and we all know third-party information leaves a lot to be desired. So the rule of thumb should be to be cautious about believing, try not to form an opinion until you've heard both sides, understand the agendas that everyone has, and most importantly be careful about what you say.

Just a Thought,
Gus

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