3/14/24

LP, AP & Cybersecurity's #1 News Source

"In an era marked by retail theft, violence, and cyber threats, these professionals have risen as exemplary leaders," said Michelle Ribout, Vice President of Education and Partnership at RCC. "They're not only protecting businesses but setting a standard of excellence and resilient leadership essential for today's retail challenges."

The Retail Secure Conference promises to be a pivotal event for retail safety, IT, financial leaders, and security experts. Discussions by well-respected speakers will cover essential topics like in-store violence, combating organized retail crime, and crime prevention strategies.  retailcouncil.org


ChatGPT's Impact on Security Jobs
Will It Put Us All Out of a Job?
What does this mean for people in the security field? Will it replace any jobs in our industry? In the short term, no. But in the long term, it might replace some customer service jobs. ChatGPT is very good at answering basic questions, which makes it a good frontline tool for any customer service or help desk position.

In the next few years, I see ChatGPT as a great tool for augmenting customer service, reviewing plans and policies against known frameworks, providing basic technical guidance, consulting and helping with initial design work. More complex tasks will still need to be done by humans. Certain jobs may go away, but I don't think that is the big picture with AI, at least not in the next decade. AI will free up precious hours that we lose every week on small tasks so that we can focus on work that AI can't do. If you find yourself getting scared of the future, just remember that once upon a time people were worried that cars would put thousands of people out of work, but it had the opposite effect. Technology tends to create more job opportunities and better-quality jobs.

ChatGPT has some obvious limitations in our field; for example, it can't do physical installs, and it certainly won't be able to anytime soon. It also can't think outside of the AI training, so it can augment some jobs in our field but not replace them. If a customer needs a security or surveillance system installed, they will still need experts to make sure that they are getting the right products for their application, that the products are installed correctly and that the system is maintained.

Change is coming, whether we like it or not. If we don't adopt it, then someone else will. I think there is more value in embracing the change and finding out how to leverage it than in resisting the change and being left behind. To bring back the automobile reference from earlier, will you be the one holdout still making horseshoes long after the industry has moved on, or will you adapt and learn how to make tires?  i-pro.com


How the Warm Winter Impacted Retail
This winter was weirdly warm - and rough for retailers

It led to unpredictable consumer demand, causing headaches for retailers and other businesses.

The unseasonable weather further complicated what is already a somewhat unpredictable period in the retail sales calendar. For Dick's, warmer weather means that sales skew toward lightweight fleeces rather than pricier down parkas, she said. Hobart's hopes didn't really pan out.

In fact, the warm winter was yet another weird season in what Tractor Supply Co. CEO Hal Lawton called "one of the worst setups, every month and every quarter of last year" in terms of favorable weather.

In other words, the weather has been so unpredictable over the past year, Lawton isn't bothering with so much weather-related financial guidance this year.

Lowe's saw a lift from the milder conditions as DIY customers stocked up for home projects, but CEO Marvin Ellison said sales fell off in January when the mercury dropped below normal levels and kept shoppers from stores for a period. businessinsider.com


Settlement in Walgreens Baby Formula Price Gouging
Walgreens Busted: NY Attorney General Secures $200K Worth of Baby Formula to Aid Families in Need
New York Attorney General Letitia James secured 9,564 cans of baby formula, with a wholesale value of $200,000, to resolve an Office of the Attorney General (OAG) investigation into Walgreen Co. (Walgreens) which illegally raised prices of baby formula during the 2022 shortage.

The OAG investigation into Walgreens price gouging of baby formula follows reports and consumer complaints about unreasonably high costs associated with this essential product. Attorney General James secured the Walgreens settlement in the form of baby formula to make it available to New Yorkers in need. In addition to the over 9,500 cans of baby formula, Walgreens will pay a $50,000 penalty to resolve the OAG investigation. longisland.com


CSA reveals winners of 2024 Breakout Retailer Awards
Selected by Chain Store Age editors and industry consultants, the winning lineup for 2024 includes American Freight, Chicken N Pickle, Lids and Yesway.

10 Retailers Geared Up For Growth in 2024

Convenience tops pricing for grocery preference in new survey

What's Small And Round And Makes Lots Of Sound?
The Tick-R-Tape Tag and Super Mini Tape Tag!

The Tick-R-Tape Tag can be used alone with just the base or secured to the package with conductive tape or a conductive label, creating additional alarm capabilities. It can replace wire package wraps and "keepers". When the merchandise goes through the POS, the associate keeps the tag and leaves the base and tape on the package to go home with the customer for removal later, with no damaged packaging. Through testing and research with the LPRC, it has been established that the customers are not bothered by that and actually feel better knowing the package had not been opened by others. See the report on our website, or in the LPRC knowledge Center.

This tag has 6-alarm capability when using 2-pieces of conductive tape and can self-alarm out the door while activating the EAS pedestals. Its 98 dBl alarm can be heard throughout the store. The Tick-R-Tape Tag uses our handheld decoder to deactivate the alarm before removing it from the package. This will prevent unauthorized detachers from being used. The Tick-R-Tape Tag has unlimited life due to having a replaceable battery. It is water resistant and cannot be "jumped". With our new modifications, the Tick-R-Tape Tag can be used with the new Gen6 SP on large, boxed goods like vacuums.

The Super Mini Tape Tag can protect most items, with or without using the conductive tape or label. Prevent shoplifters from taking the product out of the box and leaving JUST the box! Use the Super Mini Tape Tag to keep all the components together. It is perfect for small fragrances and electronics.

The Tick-R-Tape Tag can provide up to 630% more available shelf space compared to keepers and can provide up to 33% more available shelf space compared to small wire package wraps. Both the Tick-R-Tape Tag and the Super Mini Tape Tag can be placed anywhere on the package to optimize merchandising and visual appeal.

Reduce shrinkage, increase available shelf space, reduce check-out time by up to 50%, and reduce labor at the front end.

We may not stop shoplifting in its tracks, we can deter, displace, and slow down thieves from targeting your stores by using the CIS Tape Tag solutions.

Call 772-287-7999 or visit www.cisssinc.com for more information on these and other solutions from CIS Security solutions.

Cannabis Retail Shoplifting
How to Prevent Shoplifting in Cannabis Retail
While all businesses face the risks of theft or diversion of product, retailers face the added risks associated with shoplifting. Additionally, cannabis retailers could be targeted for their valuable cannabis products and cash on-site if not properly secured. Despite this, there are many ways that cannabis business owners can prevent shoplifting in cannabis retail by utilizing effective security policies and procedures, as well as adhering to state and local regulations.

Shoplifting Risks in Cannabis Retail v. Standard Retail

Although security systems and procedures will likely vary, there are typically stricter state or local regulations to which cannabis businesses must adhere than retailers in other industries. Cannabis retailers utilize advanced video surveillance, alarms, and access control systems, as well as security personnel, to ensure that cannabis products and currency are not subject to shoplifting tactics. These advanced security measures make it much more difficult to shoplift at a cannabis retailer than a standard retail store.

Though some had feared that the spread of cannabis legalization across the United States would increase crime rates, recent research suggests that this is not the case. Current data indicates that cannabis legalization does not appear to significantly impact crime rates. Additionally, the Denver Police Department found that cannabis stores were 3% less likely to be robbed or burglarized than liquor stores and 17% less likely than banks. The Denver Police Department concluded that the statistics of cannabis robberies were most similar to rates associated with pharmacies than any other business type.

Secure Displays and Product Security

In addition to advanced security systems and devices, cannabis businesses also utilize vaults, safes, and secure storage areas to store cannabis products, currency, and other high-value items. When cannabis product is outside of secure storage areas, like when it is out for display on the sales floor, it should always be inside of a locked and secure display cases or tethered sample pods. At the close of business hours, cannabis products should be returned to secure storage areas for overnight storage.

Instead of using authentic cannabis products for retail displays, some cannabis business owners opt to use sample "dummy" products. These dummy products appear to be real product to give the customer an idea of what they would be purchasing, but the packaging contains rice, cotton, or some other filler instead of cannabis.

Additional Tips for Preventing Shoplifting: sapphirerisk.com


Biden Shifting His Cannabis Position?
Biden Makes a Rare Mention of Marijuana in the State of the Union
Buried in President Biden's fiery re-election pitch in his State of the Union address on Thursday night was a brief mention of an issue he has often been reluctant to embrace: marijuana.

It was the first time Mr. Biden had raised the subject in the annual address, a high-profile inclusion that could represent a shift toward promoting the efforts he has made to liberalize cannabis policy. And it renewed speculation that a president who has long been personally conservative on the issue might be ready to tiptoe more fully into positions that enjoy wide support not only in his party but in the broader public as he gears up for a difficult campaign.

Federal law puts marijuana in the same category as drugs like heroin and LSD, and Mr. Biden has shied away from calling for its legalization. But in his speech, he touched on the more limited steps he had been taking to sand off the hard edges of the law.

As he rattled off goals and initiatives on guns, police reform and domestic violence, he also included "directing my cabinet to review the federal classification of marijuana, and expunging thousands of convictions for the mere possession, because no one should be jailed for simply using."  cannabisbusinessexecutive.com


More States Move to Pardon Those Convicted of Pot Possession
Mass. governor to issue pardons for those convicted of cannabis possession
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey plans to announce this week that she's following the lead of President Joe Biden and issuing pardons to those convicted of simple possession of cannabis at the state level, her office said Monday.

The move could touch the lives of tens of thousands of Massachusetts residents with simple possession convictions on their records. 

It wasn't immediately clear how far back the Democratic governor would reach to issue pardons. If she follows the wide-ranging pardons championed by Biden, the number of pardons could be in the tens of thousands.

In 2016, Massachusetts voters approved a question legalizing pot, the same year voters in California and Nevada also legalized recreational marijuana. In the years since 2016, a bustling legal pot industry has sprouted up in Massachusetts, even as the drug remains illegal at the federal level. cannabisbusinessexecutive.com


Pennsylvania's path to legalizing cannabis faces numerous hurdles

California Senate Bill 69 Adds CEQA Requirements for New Cultivators

Criminals Taking Advantage of E-Commerce Shipment Boom
Pushing Millions in Fake Products Through the Mail

Customs: Seizure of $11M fake designer watches shows bigger e-commerce problem

E-commerce criminals use mail to avoid paying taxes on small packages

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said on Monday it seized counterfeit designer watches at the Port of Louisville with retail value of more than $11.7 million.

The de minimis shipment contained 35 fake designer watches, which arrived from Hong Kong with the protected trademark of Richard Mille. The watches were on their way to Puerto Rico and originally stopped by Customs officers on March 6.

The de minimis shipments, by statute, provide an admission of articles free of duty of any tax imposed. De minimis shipments are, as the Latin phrase notes, minor ones that typically are of little importance. De minimis shipping rules apply to one person per day, and individuals typically are exempted from paying a duty of more than $800.

"Criminals are trying to exploit the mail environment by peddling their counterfeit products," La Fonda D. Sutton-Burke, director of field operations in U.S. Customs Chicago office. "Even though this package had a low declared value, they pose the same potential health, safety, and economic security risks as larger and more traditional containerized shipments."

Officials said criminals are trying to take advantage of the unprecedented volume of e-commerce shipments entering the United States and the global supply chain to get more illegal shipments through the small-package environment.

Customs said they believe that 90% of shipments coming into the United States are now entering through the small package environment. From 2015 to 2023, de minimis transactions have increased from 135 million to 1 billion, a 646% growth in eight years, making spotting fake a challenge for agents. upi.com


Why Walmart's quick success in generative AI search should have Google worried

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon has talked up the retail company's generative AI search capabilities, one more threat to Alphabet's internet dominance.

Walmart is talking up its ability to use generative AI as a one-stop shop to search when you need to plan an event, rather than online destination to search for individual items. During a call with analysts after its February earnings, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon talked about the gen AI search capabilities in its app.

"The thing we're most excited about that's already happened is the way search has improved, and the way generative AI helped us really improve a solution-oriented search experience for customers and members," McMillon said on the earnings call. "And it happened pretty quickly."  cnbc.com


Authors push back on the growing number of AI 'scam' books on Amazon

Sources: Amazon to construct distribution center in Dothan, Alabama

None to report.

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