PPS Launches Innovative LP App

Swansboro, NC, May 26, 2020 - Product Protection Specialists (PPS), an innovative leader in retail security, is announcing the launch of LP Now, the first-of-its-kind mobile app specifically for Loss Prevention and Asset Protection professionals. The LP Now app allows users to quickly order their product protection supplies using PPS's patented Scan&Protect technology. Simply by scanning a product's UPC, LP/AP professionals gain instant visibility to the precise protection device they need for that particular product. The app also allows users to instantly engage PPS to customize a product protection solution for any high-theft items not yet protected.

In addition to the time-saving benefits of LP Now, users can also stay updated on security-related news with a simple click of the app's LP NEWS button.

PPS continues to stand ready to meet the needs of retailers and restaurants as we face our new challenges together. productprotectionsolutions.com
 

 

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In Case You Missed It Friday

A New Refreshing Perspective
Some Reflections on Retail Loss Prevention in a Time of COVID-19

From the author of 'Total Retail Loss', Adrian Beck, Emeritus Professor at the University of Leicester, has written a new paper that offers his perspective on how the COVID-19 Pandemic might be impacting upon the world of Loss Prevention.

He starts by identifying what he sees as the four phases of the Pandemic - from the initial Panic Buying period, through the lockdown phase when most retail was shuttered, on to the current social distancing period, and finally the post-pandemic phase. At each stage he offers his insights on how retail losses and their management might be impacted, both negatively and positively.

Professor Beck's paper offers a refreshing counterbalance to some of the more doom-laden commentaries on the likely consequences of the Pandemic on retail losses, noting that the unprecedented nature of the event requires a much more considered and cautious approach to be adopted.

An incredibly instinctive read, well worth your investment. Just our thoughts Gus Downing

For those who haven't, make sure you also read Total Retail Loss.
 

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Coronavirus Tracker: May 26

US: Over 1.7M Cases - 100K Dead - 466K Recovered
Worldwide: Over 5.6M Cases - 349K Dead - 2.4M Recovered

U.S. Law Enforcement Deaths | NYPD Deaths: 43
Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 126+
 

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Fall's Second Wave Closures?
Trump Declares He 'Won't Close Country If Second Wave'

Trump expressed confidence in the country's ability to contain future outbreaks, referring to them as "embers."

"People say that's a very distinct possibility. It's standard. And we're going to put out the fires. We're not going to close the country. We're going to put out the fires," Trump told reporters during a tour of a Ford manufacturing plant in Ypsilanti, Mich., when asked if he was concerned about a second wave of COVID-19.

"Whether it's an ember or a flame, we're going to put it out. But we're not closing our country," the president continued.

"I hope that if we do have the threat of a second wave we will be able to deal with it very effectively to prevent it from becoming an outbreak not only worse than now but much, much less," Fauci said last Tuesday in virtual testimony. The top infectious disease expert also warned that reopening states too quickly would cost lives.  thehill.com

Editor's Note: Regardless of Trump's stance, if the fall brings a huge up-tick, retailers may be pressured to increase restrictions and possibly even close stores in high outbreak areas. And the Governors may indeed themselves return to tighter phases to include shutting down non-essential businesses.

The best plan would be to anticipate closures in epicenters and maintain a high degree of vigilance on monitoring outbreaks across the country. As there's just too much public pressure and potential negative consumer criticism and the overall health of the individual communities.

U.S. & Canadian Retailers Facing Potential Competing Rights Issue
No mask, no service? Businesses have the right to require masks on customers

Face mask requirements are growing in popularity as retailers beginning to re-open.

Experts agree with remarks Ontario Premier Doug Ford made on Friday, reminding Canadians that companies have the right to ask you to slip on a face covering or seek products and services elsewhere.

"Any business has the right to refuse anyone." Richard Powers says the policy is well within a company's rights.

"The safety of retail workers and staff trumps the customers right to refuse wearing a mask," he said.

Continue reading

Should Apple and other stores require shopper temperature checks?
A number of retailers have begun checking the temperatures of employees before shifts. Apple last week, however, became the first major retailer to require customers to have their temperature checked before entry.

Requiring customer checks is still rare but is being considered by retailers and food establishments as a safety step as the country reopens. Stores are using a non-contact forehead thermometer similar to testing that has been adopted in some Asian countries.

Checking employees' temperatures has become more common but is not standard practice. Walmart, Amazon and Kroger check employees at the start of each shift. Starbucks' stores have been equipped with thermometers so employees can monitor themselves and Home Depot is providing staffers thermometers to take their temperatures at home before reporting to work. In most cases, any employee with a temperature over 100 degrees is sent home.

The American Civil Liberties Union issued a report warning that screenings could pave the way for new permanent forms of surveillance and social control.

A regional German data protection office has already launched a probe into whether customer temperature checks at Apple Stores "violates EU privacy rules." Temperature checks would also come at a time when requests to wear masks have led to altercations over personal freedoms in the U.S. retailwire.com

Top Retailers Putting Health & Safety at Forefront
Amazon, Costco, Walmart, Publix and Kroger Top Retailers in 'most favorable' COVID-19 response, shoppers say
Five other retailers had a more favorable differential of 19% for their coronavirus measures, including BJ's Wholesale Club, Meijer, Whole Foods Market, Target and Trader Joe's.

Respondents in Magid's latest tracker, who were surveyed in early May, were asked how well retailers selling groceries and/or household supplies adapted to higher demand, busier stores and health concerns since the COVID-19 outbreak.

These retailers are putting the health and safety of their shoppers at the forefront and are doing their best to keep items in stock. They have effectively managed busier shopping times in stores, often designating special shopping hours for the elderly, and have limited the amount of people that can be in a store at a time," supermarketnews.com

Washington State "The Concealment Bill" Would Prevent These Lawsuits?
Why shoplifters are often not pursued by retail staff

Injured Bystander Lawsuit Exemplifies Why Retailers Don't Chase Shoplifters

85 year-old woman knocked down by Staples employee who was pursueing a shoplifter and sustained a broken hip which forced her to move into assisted living facility. An attorney representing her is researching the industry and now wondering why Staples employees chased his client.

With most retailers have a "strictly hands-off, non-pursuit" policy is "very common" at many retail stores.

Tom Geiger, communications director at UFCW 21 - which represents many union retail workers - told KIRO 7 that "all the employees, at least at the grocery stores that we represent, the big grocery stores as well as a lot of the independents, the policies are generally do not intervene. Do not become the security cop."

This hands-off approach is helping to fuel crime throughout Western Washington, according to Mark Johnson of the Washington Retail Association, who says shoplifters know it's often company policy to not pursue.

"Retailers have to balance convenience to consumers and customers, and the theft and loss that they undergo," Johnson said. "A lot of the people, unfortunately, who are committing these crimes are either mentally ill or have a substance abuse addiction, or both."

The Washington Retail Association advocated for a bill this past legislative session that would have allowed employees to detain suspects inside stores, rather than wait for them to leave the premises -- as state law now dictates. Called "The Concealment Bill," it would have allowed employees to detain anyone once they see them conceal an item.

Johnson believes the law would have decreased shoplifting throughout Washington State. However the bill failed to progress. kiro7.com

Background Co., Infomart Account Supervisor Charged With Felony Theft of $600,000 Over 2 Yrs.
Joshua A. Knight of Kennesaw is charged with felony theft by conversion, according to his May 18 arrest warrant. Knight worked as an account supervisor for Infomart, a Marietta company that specializes in corporate background checks. He wasn't authorized to write checks to himself, his arrest warrant states. But according to the Cobb County Sheriff's Office, Knight wrote himself 130 checks worth $587.926.10 between January 2018 and September 2019. Knight was not in custody Friday, jail records show. wspa.com

People Analytics Guide Return-to-Work Choices
Human resources leaders are turning to people analytics tools to help make difficult decisions as their staffs return to the workplace and face a damaged economy. Whether it's figuring out how to keep workers safe, making decisions on furloughs and layoffs, or ensuring the right number of employees are in the right roles, these technologies collect, blend and analyze people data to guide HR leaders in their "what if" scenario planning.

Research shows the use of people analytics software was on the rise even before the coronavirus crisis hit. Now experts say many HR leaders are doubling down on the use of those tools.

COVID-Specific Employee Health and Safety Tracking
Platforms Integrate Data - Employee Coaching Analytics - Measuring Inclusion During Remote Work - Employee Surveying & Sentiment Analysis shrm.org

America's Malls Dependent on Struggling Retailers
14 of the 20 largest mall tenants are either apparel retailers or department stores
Department store operators Macy's, J.C. Penney and Dillard's take up the largest share of mall space in the U.S. And Sears is 5th largest still.

And this could prove to be an even bigger issue for mall owners as the rate of retail store closures accelerates rapidly because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Under such intense pressure, some malls could go dark forever.

"If you are well located, chances are you come out of this just fine," Joe Coradino, CEO of mall owner PREIT, said in an interview.

"Some people sit here and believe we are going to spend the rest of our lives sitting at home in our pajamas and ordering everything online," he said. "That's not it." cnbc.com

United Airlines debuts cleaning protocols with Clorox to lure back flyers
United Airlines unveiled new cleaning protocols and travel safety measures in a move to rebuild trust in flying, the company announced in a press release.

The airline partnered with Procter & Gamble's Clorox and medical experts at Cleveland Clinic to develop its new United CleanPlus program. The platform will serve as a guide for United's new cleaning, safety and social distancing measures. marketingdive.com

Northgate Mall in Durham, N.C. Closes Due to COVID-19

Will anyone save Stage Stores From Liquidation?

Bed Bath & Beyond to reopen 600 stores by June 13; expanding contactless curbside pickup


Last week's #1 article --

Bad Guys Using the 'Old West' Masked Bandits For Hold-Ups
The coronavirus pandemic is making things easier for thieves in masks
There's a troubling new reality for law enforcement: Masks that have made criminals stand apart long before bandanna-wearing robbers knocked over stagecoaches in the Old West and ski-masked bandits held up banks now allow them to blend in like concerned accountants, nurses and store clerks trying to avoid a deadly virus.

Across the United States, masks have become more and more prevalent, first as a voluntary precaution and then as a requirement imposed by governmental agencies and businesses. And people with masks - as well as latex gloves - have found their way into more and more crime reports. businessinsider.com