'National Theft Crisis' Continues to Make Headlines
ORC needs stricter penalties, US Chamber of Commerce tells Congress
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce - the world's largest business organization - is imploring Congress to step up enforcement against rampant retail theft.

In a letter to Congress (published in the D&D Daily on March 30), the organization outlined specific actions - including passing legislation seeking to stop the resale of stolen goods - that it hopes policymakers will take to tackle the "significant increase in retail theft and organized retail crime" impacting large and small businesses across the nation.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Chief Policy Officer Neil Bradley cited a recent survey indicating that 54% of small business owners experienced an increase in shoplifting in 2021.

Meanwhile, another survey conducted by the National Retail Federation showed that larger retailers lost an average of more than $700,000 per $1 billion in sales in 2020 due to organized retail crime. That's an increase of more than 50% in the last five years.

These crimes are not only affecting businesses, but harming the entire community, according to Bradley.

"These crimes are not victimless," he said. "In addition to the growing number of thefts that turn violent, innocent consumers, employees, local communities, and business owners and shareholders bear the costs of rising retail theft."

As a result, 25% of businesses raised prices in order to offset losses, according to Bradley. Some businesses were even forced to close in response to these crimes, he added.

The organization wants Congress to pass the "Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces for (INFORM) Consumers Act" to prevent stolen goods from being resold on online marketplaces. foxbusiness.com chainstoreage.com

Retail 'Siege Mentality' Amid Theft Surge
You're Not Imagining It. Stores Are Locking Everything Up.
Retailers have rushed to lock things up - from razors and soap to socks and pistachios - as theft has soared during the pandemic, prompting frustration among shoppers encountering an increasingly long list of everyday items that suddenly require flagging down an employee. They are looking to reduce shoplifting, as well as more coordinated attacks by criminal gangs that target products they can steal in bulk and easily resell online, with some groups netting millions in profits.

Nearly 70% of retailers reported a rise in organized retail crime last year, contributing to theft and losses of as much as $69 billion a year, according to the Retail Industry Leaders Association and the Buy Safe America Coalition.

"Everyone is locking everything up. It's a siege mentality," said Joe Budano, CEO of Indyme, a San Diego-based company whose security devices are used by Walgreens and other big chains. Its help buttons, which sit on top of locked cases and when pushed begin flashing and issuing a request for assistance over the store's loudspeaker, are selling in record numbers, with sales up 40% this year.

RTC sells a line of plastic windows that sit on shelves and prevent thieves from grabbing more than one or two products at a time before an alarm is sounded. They can be left unlocked, but a larger percentage of retailers are now asking for the locks. "We can hardly make enough of them right now," said Gary Cohen, a vice president at the company.

While the rush to lock things up may have started in big cities like San Francisco plagued by rampant theft, it hasn't stopped there. As thieves have found it more difficult to steal items in urban areas, where stores have locked things up or even closed permanently after being targeted, they are increasingly stealing from suburban and rural stores, prompting efforts to lock items up there, too, said Jeff Jones, CEO of Vira Insight, a major manufacturer of locked cases.

Retailers aren't clueless. They know customers hate finding stuff locked up. It typically results in a 15-to-25% reduction in sales, said Budano, who adds that customers who don't want to go through the hassle of flagging down and waiting for an employee will just leave. forbes.com

Thefts Up 70% - Burglaries Up 36% in Chicago
Chicago records 36 percent jump in crime as some violent crime drops
Chicago has seen a 36 percent increase in overall crime since last year, though shootings and murders fell slightly. The city, which has a history of high gun violence, saw other crimes like burglaries, thefts and car jackings rise over the past year.

Shooting incidents declined by 11 percent and murders were down 6 percent from this time last year, when Chicago recorded the most homicides in 25 years.

Burglaries were up 36 percent, thefts were up 70 percent and carjackings were up 43 percent, according to police data tracking crimes through March 27.

The crime trends in Chicago were similar to those in major cities including New York and Los Angeles. Overall crime complaints in New York City rose by nearly 45 percent thus far this year, city data showed. However, murders in the city dropped by roughly 5 percent, with shooting incidents up by about 17 percent.

Across the country in Los Angeles, homicides were down about 13 percent this year compared to last, and shootings declined by around 8 percent.

But robberies and car jackings were up, and the city recorded a nearly 12 percent jump in violent crime overall, Los Angeles Police Department data indicated. thehill.com

Minnesota's ORC Effort
Sen. Limmer champions legislation to address organized retail crime
"In 2020, 75% of retailers saw an increase in organized crime, and I authored my bill in response to this drastic surge," said Senator Warren Limmer (R-Maple Grove). "Currently, 34 states have already defined organized retail crime, and by putting this definition into Minnesota law, we will have a modernized tool to address the changing ways organized retail crimes are carried out."

He continued, "This bill will have an important impact on distinguishing between common petty shoplifting and organized crime. My hope is that this bill will provide prosecutors and law enforcement an updated tool to help address the theft going on at retailers of all sizes across Minnesota."

S.F. 3487 would establish the crime of organized theft. This crime occurs when a person steals or fraudulently obtains retail merchandise from a retailer; resells or intends to resell it; advertises or displays it for sale; returns it to the retailer for anything of value; or the act occurs withing five years of a previous conviction.

In addition, receiving stolen retail merchandise with the intent to resell it and possessing shoplifting-related devices with the intent to use them to shoplift are violations. Penalties for the new crime range from a gross misdemeanor to a 2-, 7-, or 15-year statutory maximum felony depending on the value of the property stolen and whether the offender violated the crime in the past.

This bill also provides for enhanced penalties for violations that create a reasonably foreseeable risk of bodily harm to others and allows aggregation of the value of retail merchandise stolen in a six-month period for charging purposes. hometownsource.com

Ohio Bill to Combat ORC
Ohio bill to combat organized retail crime approved by General Assembly
Ohio House Bill 272 championed by State Rep. Haraz Ghanbari, R-Perrysburg, passed the General Assembly Wednesday after a 33-0 vote in Senate. The legislation, jointly sponsored by State Rep. Phil Plummer, R-Dayton, requires high-volume, third-party online sellers to disclose certain pieces of identifying information in order to protect consumers.

Specifically, the bill defines a high-volume third-party seller as a participant in an online marketplace that, in any continuous 12-month period in the previous 24 months has entered into at least 200 discreet sales for new or unused consumer goods resulting in at least $5,000 of gross revenue. The required identifying information for sellers on product listings would include details such as name, email address, or business tax I.D. number and would further require the online marketplace to verify such information within ten days of the seller qualifying as high volume.

Ghanbari said that having this information available will allow consumers to be able to contact these sellers if necessary. Additionally, the bill allows the attorney general to adopt rules to enforce the bill's provisions. Additionally, the bill will help combat organized crime as Ghanbari identified that crime rings find a source of revenue through the online selling of stolen or counterfeit goods. sent-trib.com

In Case You Missed It: Illinois turns attention to epidemic of retail thefts

Retail theft on the rise in Tulsa area

Bad Trend for Workplace Safety
Workforce Drug Test Positivity Climbs to Highest Level in Two Decades

The study showed increased drug positivity rates in the safety-sensitive workforce, including those performing public safety and national security jobs.

The rate of positive drug test results among the U.S. workforce reached its highest rate last year since 2001. This number increased more than 30% in the combined U.S. workforce from an all-time low in 2010-2012, according to a new analysis released on March 30 by Quest Diagnostics.

Overall positivity in the federally mandated, safety-sensitive workforce based on nearly 2.7 million urine drug tests stayed even year over year (2.2% in 2020 and 2021) and was 4.8% higher than 2017 (2.1% in 2017 versus 2.2% in 2021). In the general U.S. workforce, positivity increased 1.8% (5.5% in 2020 versus 5.6% in 2021) and was 12% higher than in 2017 (5.0% in 2017 versus 5.6% in 2021) and up each of the last five years.

"Our Drug Testing Index reveals several notable trends, such as increased drug positivity rates in the safety-sensitive workforce, including those performing public safety and national security jobs, as well as higher rates of positivity in individuals tested after on-the-job accidents," said Barry Sample, Ph.D., Senior Science Consultant for Quest Diagnostics, in a statement.

After five years of steady declines in several drug categories, positivity rates based on urine drug tests for the federally mandated, safety-sensitive workforce increased in 2021. Of note, marijuana increased 8.9% (0.79% in 2020 to 0.86% in 2021), amphetamines increased 7.8% (0.64% in 2020 to 0.69% in 2021) and cocaine increased 5.0% (0.20% in 2020 to 0.21% in 2021). ehstoday.com

The Hayes Report on Loss Prevention
Quarterly - Spring 2022 - Vol. 37 No. 2

Topics: Stemming the Tide of Shoplifting - Robin Hood - Testing for Success - Safety Violations - The Bulletin Board

Mark Doyle Talks ---
A New Year and Unfortunately Theft Continues

Out with the old (2021), in with the new (2022), but retail thefts remain the constant. Some of these thefts are getting crazy (ie. woman carrying pick-axe stealing alcohol; brazen midday smash and grab thefts; Flash Mob thefts initiated on social media, etc.). The one positive of all this is that with retail thefts now being constantly in the news, and the public getting informed and educated about retail theft, maybe our elected officials, the courts and some police departments will take retail theft more seriously and begin taking steps to make things better.

On the subject of shrink/theft, how were your 2021 shrink results? Hopefully you met or Surpassed your shrink goals and 2022 will be another banner year. If not, give us a call and let's talk about your shrink.

Click here to read the full newsletter

Nearly 50K New Retail Jobs Added in March
Economy added 431,000 jobs in March despite worries over slowing growth
U.S. employers added 431,000 jobs in March on a seasonally adjusted basis, the Labor Department said Friday. The unemployment rate was 3.6 percent, down from 3.8 percent a month earlier and just a touch higher than its levels right before the pandemic.

The economy has recovered more than 90 percent of the 22 million jobs lost at the peak of the pandemic's lockdowns in the spring of 2020 - a far swifter rebound than forecasters initially expected.

Parts of the labor market that were already strong generally got stronger: Professional and business services added 102,000 jobs in March, and retail trade employment added 49,000 workers to its payrolls. nytimes.com

LPF Announces LPC & LPQ Professionals for March
The Loss Prevention Foundation would like to recognize and congratulate the following individuals who successfully completed all of the requirements set forth by the board of directors to be LPQualified (LPQ) and/or LPCertified (LPC). View Full List Here

Five Below looks to triple store count by 2030
The retailer set a goal of tripling its store count to more than 3,500 locations by 2030, up from 1,190 stores at the end of 2021.
 
Sony Has Reportedly Laid Off 90 Amid Shift Away From Retail

Lawsuit alleges Burger King sandwich sizes in ads mislead customers

Biden will tap oil reserve, hoping to push gasoline prices down

European fast fashion retailers struggle amid inflation and Russia-Ukraine war
 

Senior LP & AP Jobs Market

Macy's Posts Three New Director-Level AP Positions
As Market Director, Asset Protection you serve as Market Lead in AP execution, and provide hands on direction and assistance to all stores and Divisions within assigned area in all asset protection related areas. As a Market Director; Asset Protection, you will drive the Asset Protection and shortage program in assigned stores in order to achieve their shortage goals and therefore maximize profitability. Key partners include Divisional VP, Store Managers, AP Leaders, Sr. Regionals, and Regional Director of Stores. Perform other duties as assigned.

● Market Leader, Asset Protection - San Jose, CA covering all of Central Valley
● Market Leader, Asset Protection - Minneapolis, MN covering all of MN & MI
● Market Leader, Asset Protection - Boston, MA (Covering New England)
 

Last week's #1 article --

Target: Worst Store to Steal From?
I'm an ex-Target employee - why it's the worst store to steal from as there are dark consequences no one talks about

An ex-Target employee has issued a warning to shoplifters, claiming that security tracks people stealing in their stores.

The woman claimed in a TikTok that people caught stealing could rack up hefty bills and fines, as cameras are always able to see what they take. In response, @hoesticia warns the user to never steal from Target. As a past employee, she is familiar with their punishments and restrictions.

"If you want to continue to go to Target, don't steal from them," she said. "Most likely, they already know that you're stealing. They see you on the cameras. Someone's following you. Most likely, they're building a case against you. You're going to get caught."

She also alleges that Target security guards go undercover, dressing in plainclothes and following around anyone they might suspect. In the video's comments, several people confirm @hoesticia's claims, writing that Target purposely allows shoplifters to steal up to a certain amount before taking legal action. the-sun.com

Seattle's 'Operation New Day' leads to 49 shoplifting arrests
Seattle Police officers working with stores involved the city's Retail Theft Program conducted a citywide shoplifting emphasis on Thursday that yielded 49 arrests. Eight businesses, including major brands like Home Depot, Lowe's, Target and Fred Meyer, participated in the undercover operations. The emphasis was part of the Mayor's "Operation New Day" which is intended to focus on crime spots in the city. Shoplifting has become nearly a daily hardship for stores throughout the region. "This emphasis is something that was asked for by the City and directed to us from City Hall because retail theft is a priority" said SPD Officer Aaron Johnson who was part of a 12-officer unit that targeted the Lowe's on Rainier Avenue South. SPD's Community Response Group were joined by patrol officers, detectives of the General Investigative Unit, Narcotics and other units in operations performed in each of the city's five police precincts. City and county prosecutors also participated in the emphasis. Police say their emphasis is to go after people stealing not because of poverty but because of profit. q13fox.com

Chicago, IL: 5 suspects stole merchandise from Gucci store on Mag Mile
Five suspects stole merchandise from the Gucci store located along the Magnificent Mile Friday afternoon. The store is located in the 900 block of North Michigan Avenue. At about 4:41 p.m., Chicago police say the suspects entered the business and took property. The offenders fled in a vehicle southbound on Michigan Avenue. No injuries were reported. fox32chicago.com

Apple Valley, CA: 3 women arrested for allegedly stealing $8,000 worth of cosmetics from several IE retail stores
Three young women were arrested and accused of stealing thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from stores in Apple Valley and Hesperia. Deputies found 13 garbage bags filled with $8,000 worth of stolen cosmetics and over-the-counter drugs in the suspects' car, according to the Apple Valley Police Department, which is operated by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. abc7.com

St. George, UT: Man appears for sentencing on case involving identity theft affecting dozens of people
One of three people from Nevada who was arrested in St. George following a retail theft that resulted in the recovery of more than 100 gift cards and other evidence appeared in court for sentencing on Wednesday. During a search of the car, officers recovered at least 100 gift cards, two debit cards and a notebook containing several lists documenting the names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers belonging to at least 75 other individuals. Officers also recovered a second book containing a list of debit card numbers in Perkins' pocket. All three were transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility and booked into jail. stgeorgeutah.com

Fultonville, NY: Distribution Center Employee stole $3.5K from Dollar General

$2,300 theft from Clarion Walmart by switching price tags

Chico, CA: Maine woman arrested in Chico for stealing from Best Buy