Schnucks deploys new tool against in-store coupon fraud

Midwestern grocery retailer successfully detecting counterfeit coupons
at the point-of-sale with a new, free solution.

St. Louis-based Schnuck Markets Inc. is the first retailer to roll out the Inmar Intelligence CNFRM tool, which is free for retailers and prevents the redemption of counterfeit coupons in real-time at the register. Schnucks says it has already begun intercepting fake coupons at the POS in the first week of deployment.

The retailer can instantaneously identify valid and invalid offers at the POS through CNFRM's cloud-based decision engine that leverages both positive and negative offer file data. This real-time process is designed to allow cashiers to accept or reject manufacturer coupons without slowing shoppers down in the lane. Moreover, CNFRM enables accelerated detection and arbitration of new unknown offers that may be counterfeit, resolving them within hours.

According to Inmar Intelligence, CNFRM's cloud-based architecture validates scans within 50-200 milliseconds. The solution also provides access to a comprehensive coupon database maintained by Inmar Intelligence, which it says represents 90% of the offers in market.

"Reducing coupon fraud helps Schnucks remain focused on nourishing people's lives so that customers can feed and care for their families," said Schnucks VP of asset protection Mason Keller. "We are excited to continue partnering with Inmar because we share in the commitment to prevent loss by identifying coupon fraud in our stores without causing a disruption to the customer experience." chainstoreage.com

San Francisco DA's office tackles rampant shoplifting at Walgreens

Shoplifting has closed at least one store in the city. Could it close even more?

Shoplifting incidents at Walgreens and similar retail stores have become almost commonplace, perhaps especially so in the pandemic. The Walgreens at 30th and Mission reported 16 shoplifting incidents, including the one above, between early November, 2020, and early February, 2021, according to the Ingleside Police Station newsletter, compiled by Capt. Christopher Woon. Another Walgreens in the district, at 965 Geneva Ave., reported 30 incidents in the same time period.

Walgreens reportedly takes a hands-off approach to shoplifting. Interfering with a would-be shoplifter can lead to assaults, injuries and insurance liability; instead, employees are encouraged to call the police only after suspects have left the store, according to their posts on Reddit. But when rampant shoplifting has forced other San Francisco Walgreens stores to close, and so many residents rely on their local Walgreens for vaccinations and medications, that policy could leave customers scrambling.

Matthew Donahue, an assistant district attorney in the San Francisco District Attorney's Office, has been working for the past few months with the ALTO Alliance, a consulting firm that helps retailers like Walgreens figure out how to deter shoplifting. Together they are working through a list of more than 100 shoplifting cases in San Francisco, some with identified suspects and many without, to support some of the hardest-hit stores and begin to prosecute repeat shoplifters. missionlocal.org

United Paid Over $32M+ By USPS For Intentionally Falsified Delivery Information
United's Cargo Division Defrauds Post Office

United Airlines to Pay $49 Million to Resolve Criminal Fraud Charges and Civil Claims
United Airlines Inc. (United), the world's third largest airline, has agreed to pay over $49 million to resolve criminal charges and civil claims relating to fraud on postal service contracts for transportation of international mail.

Between 2012 and 2015, United's Cargo Division engaged in a scheme to defraud USPS by submitting false delivery scan data to make it appear that United and partner airlines with which it worked were complying with the ICAIR requirements, when in fact they were not. Instead of providing USPS accurate delivery scans based on the movement of the mail, United submitted automated delivery scans based on aspirational delivery times. These automated scans did not correspond to the actual movement of the mail, as mandated by the contracts. Because this scan data was not tethered to the actual delivery of mail to the foreign recipients, payment was inappropriate under the ICAIR contracts. Through this data automation scheme, United secured millions of dollars in payments from the USPS to which United was not entitled under the ICAIR contacts.

United further admitted that it concealed problems related to scanning and mail movements that, if known, would have subjected United to financial penalties under the ICAIR contracts. Certain individuals at United worked to conceal United's automation efforts from the USPS, as they knew that the data being transmitted was fabricated. These individuals further knew that the transmission of false data violated the terms of the ICAIR contracts. The attempts to hide the automation practices included efforts to revise the falsified delivery times to make the automated scans appear less suspicious to USPS.

United has further agreed to strengthen its compliance program and to specific reporting requirements, which require United to submit yearly reports to the Fraud Section regarding the status of its remediation and implementation of United's compliance program and internal controls, policies, and procedures aimed at deterring and detecting violations of U.S. fraud laws in connection with government contracting. justice.gov

Retailers Calling for Federal ORC Law
Charlotte, NC: Retailers want law to help stop stolen merchandise
from being sold online
A Fox 46 investigation is sparking new calls for a law that would help curb organized retail crime. The Buy Safe America Coalition says it's sharing a FOX 46 investigation into retail racketeering with North Carolina's Congressional delegation. The group, which advocates for tougher measures to stop the sale of stolen and counterfeit items, says lawmakers plan to reintroduce a bill this year that would provide more transparency when you shop online.

"The story, Matt, that you ran before, I'm going to send that up to Capitol Hill to show how big this issue is from your reporting and how it affects businesses," Buy Safe America Coalition spokesperson Michael Hanson told FOX 46 investigative reporter Matt Grant.

The INFORM Consumers Act, which was introduced last year but did not get a vote, would make online marketplaces like Amazon, eBay and Facebook Marketplace verify the identities of high-volume sellers by requiring photo IDs, addresses, phone numbers and bank account information. The goal is to make sure sellers are legitimate and stop the stolen and counterfeit merchandise from being sold to bargain hunters, who don't have a clue they're being products that could be on a police report.

"Providing this kind of transparency online would protect consumers," said Hanson. "And stop criminals from hiding behind anonymous accounts and selling stolen and counterfeit goods to consumers."

Home Depot says a federal law is needed. "I do think a piece of legislation, federal legislation, in the area of organized retail crime," said Home Depot spokesperson Christina Cornell, "is absolutely necessary to combat this problem." Professional organized shoplifting rings cost retailers more than $700,000 for every $1 billion in sales, according to the National Retail Federation. wnct.com

Calif. Supreme Court upholds law ending adult trials for 14- & 15-year-olds
The California Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the state's 2018 law barring 14- and 15-year-olds from being tried as adults and sent to adult prisons even for serious crimes such as murder, arson, robbery, rape or kidnapping. The ruling cements California's status as the first state to take the step, said The Sentencing Project, an advocacy group. The high court found the law did not conflict with Proposition 57, approved by voters two years earlier, that allowed judges to decide whether young suspects should be tried in adult court. "The amendment is fully consistent with and furthers Proposition 57's fundamental purposes of promoting rehabilitation of youthful offenders and reducing the prison population," Associate Justice Joshua Groban wrote in the unanimous decision. Five lower appellate courts previously found that there was no conflict, but a sixth appellate panel ruled in 2019 that SB1391 was superseded by the ballot measure and therefore was unconstitutional. Opponents of the law argued that the state Constitution says such ballot measures can't be changed by the Legislature, only by another statewide vote. ktla.com

Chicago: Orland Square mall new policy restricts access to unaccompanied youth
Orland Square mall in Orland Park, Ill. is putting a policy in place that will ban some unaccompanied teens from being in the shopping center. The shopping center will require those under 18 to be accompanied by a parent or adult, 21 or older, after 3 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays beginning March 12. Unsupervised guests under 18 will have to either leave the mall by 3 p.m. those days or be joined by a parent or adult. One adult may accompany up to four youths, who must remain with the adult at all times, according to the policy. chicagotribune.com

How About Your DE&I Program?
Are You Holding Your Team Accountable?

Report: Most Companies Are 'Going Through the Motions' of DE&I

Research identifies practices companies can adopt for success

Corporate attempts to improve diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) are falling short, according to new research that raises serious doubts about traditional approaches to the business and social issues surrounding DE&I.

"Roughly 80 percent of companies are just going through the motions and not holding themselves accountable," according to the report, Elevating Equity: The Real Story of Diversity and Inclusion.

The report mapped 84 DE&I practices to determine the five essential strategies and 15 practices that have the greatest impact on business, organizational and workforce outcomes across all industries, geographies and company sizes.

The survey found that:

● 76 percent of companies have no diversity or inclusion goals.

● 75 percent of companies do not have DE&I included in the company's leadership development or overall learning and development curricula.

● 40 percent of companies view diversity work as a way to mitigate legal, compliance or reputational risks, with HR in an enforcer role.

● 32 percent of companies require some form of DE&I training for employees; 34 percent offer training to managers. shrm.org

Best Buy cuts 5K jobs as it shifts to more part-time workers
The cuts followed a 17% reduction in workforce over the previous fiscal year. Best Buy CEO also noted that the company plans to close more large format stores, with plans to accelerate beyond the 20 annual stores the retailer has closed in recent years. retaildive.com

Costco raises its min. wage to $16 - above rivals like Amazon, Target, Best Buy
More retailers and restaurant chains have also moved to a $15 an hour minimum rate. Amazon raised its starting wage to $15 in 2018, while Target and Best Buy bumped up their minimums to $15 last year. Walmart, the largest US retailer, has an $11 minimum wage, and it said last week that it planned to raise pay for around 425,000 employees, a quarter of its workforce, to at least $13 an hour. cnn.com

Sephora plans 260-store expansion through Kohl's, owned stores - Focused Off-Mall locations

L Brands to move away from Malls & close 30 to 50 Victoria's Secret stores

Pallet Alliance Gets Patent for 1st Embedded Tracking Technology for IoT-Enabled Wooden Pallets

Zoom: We're bringing our live transcription service to free accounts

Black History Month Had a Little Less Hashtag Activism This Year


Quarterly Results
L Brands Q4 comp's up 10%, up 22% at Bath & Body Works, down 3% at Victoria's Secret, E-commerce up 74% & 33% respectively, net sales up 24%
SpartanNash Q4 retail comp's up 8.7 & 13.1% for FY 2020, Q4 net sales up 12.5% & up 9.5% for FY 2020