Coronavirus Update: April 27

US: Over 1 Million Cases - 56K Dead - 137K Recovered
Worldwide: Over 3 Million Cases - 210K Dead - 915K Recovered

U.S. Law Enforcement Deaths | NYPD Deaths: 33
Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 79+
 

NRF Launches Operation Open Doors

Guidance for retailers on reopening stores

NRF launched "Operation Open Doors" and a new online solution center. As retail businesses open to employees and customers, this effort will provide operational guidelines and considerations developed with input from hundreds of retail industry leaders convened by NRF. The Operation prioritizes four functional areas for America's retail sector: health and safety; people and personnel; logistics and supply chain; and litigation and liability.

Here is a letter announcing the program to the President, key administration officials and elected leaders. Reopening the retail sector and putting our economy back on track will require a gradual, phased-in approach. The smart, iterative strategies our members are building will help guide policymakers and business leaders through dozens of critical topics as we work to restore the American economy.

Explore the Operation Open Doors Checklist, an outline of key topics to consider as retailers seek to reopen operations. The checklist and other Operation Open Doors resources will be available only to NRF members beginning Tuesday, April 28 at 12 p.m. ET. Click here more information about NRF membership.

Resources are currently being developed by a broad mix of retail brands and professionals. If you would like to be involved, please sign up here. nrf.com
 

Retailers Unveil Blueprint for Shopping Safe

Blueprint encourages uniform statewide rules of operations to reopen retail

   

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) and the National Retail Federation (NRF) released a Blueprint for Shopping Safe today outlining a phased-in approach to reopening retail. The plan urges governors to issue uniform, statewide protocols for retailers to adopt as they reopen stores and work to keep employees and customers safe.

The Blueprint was developed in accordance with CDC guidelines and benchmarking by leading retailers with a focus on ensuring the health and wellness of employees and customers. Retailers have been learning from each other throughout this crisis, sharing leading practices and protocols to keep stores clean and sanitized, and keeping customers and employees as safe as possible.

The Blueprint details three phases for reopening retail:
● Phase 1 - Allow E-commerce, Contactless Curbside Pickup & In-Home Delivery
● Phase 2 - Re-Open Stores to the Public, with Social Distancing Protocols & Reduced Occupancy
● Phase 3 - Establish Protection, Then Lift All Restrictions nrf.com rila.org

 

Reopening Has Begun. No One Is Sure What Happens Next.

"It's going to take much longer to thaw the economy than it took to freeze it"

The economy shut down almost overnight. It won't start back up that way.

Politicians and public health experts have sparred for weeks over when, and under what circumstances, to allow businesses to reopen and Americans to emerge from their homes. But another question could prove just as thorny - how?

Because the restart will be gradual, with certain places and industries opening earlier than others, it will by definition be complicated. The U.S. economy is a complex web of supply chains whose dynamics don't necessarily align neatly with epidemiologists' recommendations.

Georgia and other states are beginning the reopening process. But even under the most optimistic estimates, it will be months, and possibly years, before Americans again crowd into bars and squeeze onto subway cars the way they did before the pandemic struck.

And it isn't clear what, exactly, it means to gradually restart a system with as many interlocking pieces as the U.S. economy. How can one factory reopen when its suppliers remain shuttered? How can parents return to work when schools are still closed? How can older people return when there is still no effective treatment or vaccine? What is the government's role in helping private businesses that may initially need to operate at a fraction of their normal capacity? nytimes.com

What Will In-Store Shopping Look Like When Stores Reopen?
Once physical stores are permitted to reopen in the US - and that date continues to slide as many states extend stay-at-home orders - what kinds of shopping options will be available to consumers? The "New York State on PAUSE" executive order closing all nonessential businesses was issued on March 22, and the absolute earliest date that stores can reopen has now been extended twice - to April 15 and most recently to May 15. US orders vary drastically state by state. For example, in contrast to New York, Georgia began reopening certain types of service businesses (such as barbers and other esthetic businesses) from April 24.

Given that the coronavirus is unlikely to be vanquished on a global scale by mid-May, we expect consumers to remain extremely cautious about protecting themselves - and retailers to be cautious about the safety of their staff and customers. This means that retailers anxious to reopen stores and generate revenue may open gradually, in stages. It is likely that companies are honing plans based on multiple reopening scenarios.

When stores do reopen, several new safety measures are possible:

Social distancing | Masks (and possibly gloves) for everyone | Temperature checks | Contactless payments | Virus-free certificates or apps | BOPIS/BOPIM | coresight.com

 

The LP Industry is Facing Some Hard Decisions
As LP Warning Signs Begin to Appear

American's Mental Health & Shopping
Half of the Nation's Workforce Have Lost a Job or Income Due to Coronavirus

How Does LP Operate in the Stores Themselves?

With many businesses shut down and job losses mounting nationwide, just over half of the nation's workers (55 percent) now say they have lost a job or had their incomes reduced as a result of the health and economic crises sparked by the novel coronavirus pandemic, the latest KFF Health Tracking poll finds.

In recent poll 28% say they're having difficulty controlling their temper and they've increased their alcohol and drug use.

In addition to those who personally experienced a coronavirus-related job or income loss, 16 percent say they have a spouse or partner who has lost their job, had hours reduced, took pay cut, or been furloughed. In total, 42 percent of all U.S. adults say they or their spouse or partner has been affected in such ways.

For many, the loss of a job and income is affecting the ability to keep up with their bills, the poll says.

Most Affected Workers Expect Their Situations to Improve Within the Next Six Months. Worry and Stress Related to Coronavirus are Affecting Most People's Mental and Physical Health.

The coronavirus outbreak's impact on mental health and well-being also seems to be affecting a larger share of those who experienced a loss of employment income, the poll says. securitymagazine.com

Editor's Note: With states releasing restrictions, a lot of these people will be shopping in the stores with 28% already reporting temper and drug and alcohol issues and 36% falling behind on their bills. A recipe for possible increased conflict, aggression, and theft. Loss Prevention personnel simply must be aware of this and sensitive to it.

The question begs to be asked: Do you make apprehensions? Under what conditions? How are they managed? And what happens if it turns aggressive?

And what about catching Coronavirus? And what happens when the suspect threatens the agent with spitting coronavirus at them? Are they aware that this is a federal domestic terrorism charge now? Does the local police department know it? And how do they plan on responding to it?

Only once before in the industry have we seen a no apprehension policy. In the 80's Target effectively used it to clean house of the old war horses that went more on gut then they did the five steps. (We'll hear about this comment)

As an industry we need to come together and make some hard choices and decisions.
 

The Simple Law of Supply & Demand Drives Organized Crime, Too!
Grocery Retailers - Meat Shortages Coming - Increased ORC?
Increased Organized Crime Cargo Theft?

Increased Focus on Meat Supply Chain

Meat plants across the nation are shutting down, as reported last week, due to COVID hitting the employee populations. Resulting in a large numbers of processing plants literally having to shut down operation. And it seems to be increasing over the last week.

Now the increased news coverage could also be playing into the perceived problem as well. But fact is this is happening.

From Smithfield to Tyson to the farmers supply surpluses, this has never happened before and shortages are about to hit the market with most news outlets are already covering it and we'll see increased coverage this week. Which also drives the attention of thieves. From the larger more sophisticated gangs right down to the local gangs. They know they can make even more money stealing meat.

Meaning organized crime syndicates, small local groups, and especially where the smaller retail operator is steering the gangs may focus their theft activities on meat even more so, with the increased demand and higher prices.

The grocery retailers may want to focus on the entire meat supply chain over the next few weeks. Especially when all of the restaurants open up. That first two months, there will be so much demand the supply won't be there. Just some thoughts  - Gus Downing

'The food supply chain is breaking,' Tyson CEO says as plants close

180,000 People Conducting Contact Tracing
Health Experts Want $46.5B to Expand Contact Tracing

Once this Gets Legs - It Won't Stop

A group of leading health experts on Monday sent a letter to Congress calling for $46.5 billion to expand contact tracing and isolation of infected people in order to safely reopen the economy. 

The letter asks for $12 billion to hire 180,000 new workers who would conduct contact tracing, meaning interviewing infected people to find out who they have been in contact with and then notifying those people so they can self-isolate for 14 days. The experts say this is important until a vaccine is developed.

While increased testing has been a focal point recently, the experts say that the contact tracing and isolation capacities are key steps as well, and capacity is currently well short of what is needed.

The remaining funds 34B would be used to house and support those while they self-isolate for 14 days.

Two Senators have proposed legislation to provide $55 billion per year for a new Health Force to hire hundreds of thousands of workers to do contact tracing and other health tasks to fight coronavirus. thehill.com

The Real Apocalypse - There Are No Sacred Cows
S&P: Pandemic 'catastrophic' for retail

With S&P Global forecasting nonessential retail and restaurant sales to decline 30% this year, analysts with the ratings agency said in a new report that the COVID-19 pandemic has created "catastrophic" financial conditions for the sector. And they don't expect sales to return to 2019 levels until 2022.

Since the pandemic began roiling the industry, S&P has downgraded about one-third of the retail companies it covers. That includes retailers that have investment-grade credit ratings such as TJX Cos. and Ross Stores.

And there is no certainty about what happens when doors open again.

Department stores, apparel, and off-price retail face the highest impact from the pandemic, according to the S&P report. The first two sectors - department stores and apparel - went into 2020 with deep troubles in the form of flagging sales, deteriorating profits, multi-pronged competitive issues and declining foot traffic in malls, among other issues. 

TJX announced mid-March that in addition to its brick-and-mortar locations, it was also temporarily closing its online operations, and has yet to reopen either. Ross has no e-commerce presence and Burlington recently announced it would wind down its online store. 

"Off-price is worst positioned given they are solely reliant on store traffic returning, which could take time." retaildive.com

Some States Ease Lockdowns
More U.S. states and cities began to ease lockdown orders Monday, allowing patrons back into establishments and certain employees to return to work. Some residents and business owners remain skeptical that it is safe to do so, and public-health officials have cautioned that lifting restrictions hastily could lead to a surge in new cases.

Health experts say states need to meet certain thresholds for new daily infections and have increased testing capabilities and public-health workers ready to track new infections. wsj.com

States Reopen for Business, but Many Big Chains Sit It Out for Now

Macy's, Gap and TGI Fridays and other national chains say they will pass on the early phase of reopening in states such as Georgia and South Carolina

Macy's, Gap, and TGI Fridays, are among the big national chains saying they will sit out the early phase of reopening in states such as Georgia and South Carolina, citing health concerns and uncertain customer demand. Other businesses, including Best Buy, and Starbucks will also continue in lockdown mode, keeping stores closed to shoppers and fulfilling online orders or curbside pickup.

Big chains say their phased reopening plans will rely on state and local guidelines, along with infection rates, their own market analysis and consumer surveys. Many large retail locations aren't profitable if the number of shoppers who can safely enter is restricted to just a handful of people, consultants say.

Retailers are likely to reopen gradually to avoid financial strain, considering some shoppers will be uneasy going into physical stores for some time, said Jean-Emmanuel Biondi, retail consultant at Deloitte. The firm is using cellphone location and credit-card data to advise clients which areas are likely to see store traffic return first.

Reopening would require national retailers to rehire thousands of workers and add cleaning costs, even though it could be weeks before shoppers return in large numbers.

Kohl's Corp. plans a phased reopening based on state and local guidelines, health data and the installation of protective equipment, a spokesman said. When the lights come back on, the department-store chain may add safety measures including removing beauty-counter testers and signage reminding shoppers to keep a safe distance.

Anderson Mall in Anderson, S.C., will reopen Friday, one of the few malls in the state opting to do so after restrictions were lifted on retailers there this week. Shoppers will be encouraged to wear masks, and frequent cleaning and sanitization will be the norm.

Hibbett Sports, Trends, White Willow Boutique, Chick-fil-A, Books-A-Million and Philly Cheesesteak Express are among mall tenants expected to open Friday, the landlord said.

Orders requiring malls to close in Tennessee and Georgia haven't been lifted yet. Saks Fifth Avenue plans to open for curbside pickup at its Houston and San Antonio locations Friday, part of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's "retail-to-go" plan to get the economy moving. Saks hasn't set a date for opening stores to shoppers.

Landlords of open-air shopping centers say tenants generally decide whether to reopen, though property owners are considering how to manage popular restaurants, such as Chick-fil-A, that may have lines out the door. wsj.com

Retailers Improvise on Shopping Bags, Other Areas, During Pandemic

Store Occupancy Rates Vary Around the Country

During the pandemic, retailers are setting their own customer limits either voluntarily or via mandates from government officials, another source of potential confusion, while dealing with pressure from workers to back those limits even in the absence of mandates. New ideas are regularly popping up. In Maryland, for instance, the Calvert County Health Department has asked food retailers and customers to follow a voluntary guideline that would limit shopping to one trip every five days. Consumers would shop according to their last names - the first letter of a last name would correspond to a specific shopping date, according to a Fox News report.

Now, of course, retailers beyond those who sell groceries face the choice of whether to open up in Georgia and certain other states that have taken their own steps to restart their economies. The pandemic is causing all businesses to improvise, and those efforts will continue for the foreseeable future.

California Suspends Plastic Bag Ban - Shoppers Own Bags May be Infected

PA., Render's Markets Ask Shoppers To Refrain From Using Their Own Bags retailleader.com

OSHA Gets Employee Complaints Nationwide on Unsafe
Working Conditions @ Dollar Tree

OSHA proposes $539,934 fine for La Vista Dollar Tree, citing alleged safety violations

OSHA cited the retailer for what it called willful, serious and repeat violations. Last summer, OSHA also cited another Family Dollar store.

According to OSHA, the La Vista store didn't provide workers with the proper safety equipment and training to handle helium gas, improperly stored compressed gas and allowed for haphazard placement of merchandise and other items in a way that obstructed fire exits and threatened worker safety. Some stacks were more than seven feet high, the agency said. The store is in Brentwood Square.

OSHA this was the fourth time that exits in the storeroom were found to be obstructed.

"OSHA continues to receive complaints about unsafe working conditions at Dollar Tree stores nationwide," Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for OSHA Loren Sweatt said. omaha.com

Jailed Huawei Workers Raised a Forbidden Subject: Iran
China arrested five former employees who had discussed the tech giant's Iranian sales in a chat group, raising questions about its government ties.

At least 79 security officers have now died from the COVID-19 virus

Aurora, CO: Widow of security guard who worked at Walmart and died of COVID-19 says she warned store of dangers

J.C. Penney in talks with lenders for bankruptcy funding, according to report

Bed Bath & Beyond Extends Store Closings To At Least May 16th

Bed Bath & Beyond converts 25% of its stores into regional fulfillment centers

Washington state's Snohomish County Sheriff says he won't enforce governor's stay-at-home order

Why 'constitutionalist sheriffs' won't enforce coronavirus restrictions

Flight attendant union to America: Please don't fly for leisure amid coronavirus

Woman gets 3 years for posing as FBI agent on dating websites


Quarterly Results

This will be the worst reporting quarter in the history of retail. The issue is everyone's in the same boat.

Adidas Q1 net sales down 19%, predicted Q2 sales fall by 40%
 

Last week's #1 article --
 

Will COVID-19 further accelerate the decriminalization of shoplifting in the US?

By Bobby Haskins, Director of Market Development - North America & Retail Asset Protection at Auror, the Retail Crime Intelligence Platform.

Since 2000, 40 states raised their felony thresholds and 9 states have done that twice. This is leading to an increase in ORC activity for all retailers. In fact, the National Retail Federation (NRF) National Retail Security Survey found that total shrink topped $50bn in the USA for the first time in 2018. The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) estimates Organized Retail Crime is responsible for $30bn in loss per year nationally.

Click here for the full article.