ShopperTrak releases its prediction of the top ten busiest shopping days of 2018

Black Friday projected to be busiest shopping day again for 2018
The five Saturdays between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day also among biggest traffic
days of the season

Tyco Retail Solutions today announced the ShopperTrak list of the most anticipated holiday shopping days of 2018, and the top 10 busiest days to bring in nearly half of a retailer's seasonal shopper traffic. Black Friday, November 23, earned the top spot again this year. Super Saturday, December 22 and Saturday, December 15 are expected to be the second and third busiest shopping days, respectively.

The full list of predicted busiest shopping days is as follows:

1. 11/23/2018 - Black Friday
2. 12/22/2018 - Super Saturday
3. 12/15/2018 - Third Saturday in December
4. 12/23/2018 - Sunday before Christmas
5. 11/24/2018 - Saturday after Thanksgiving
6. 12/08/2018 - Second Saturday in December
7. 12/21/2018 - Friday before Christmas
8. 12/26/2018 - Day after Christmas, aka "Boxing Day," in some global regions
9. 12/01/2018 - First Saturday in December
10. 12/29/2018 - Saturday after Christmas

"Our historical analysis indicates that Black Friday is again and has been the biggest shopper traffic day of the year, and each Saturday in December gets progressively busier as you approach Christmas Day," said Brian Field, senior director of retail consulting practice at ShopperTrak. "The Thanksgiving Day weekend - including Black Friday as the busiest day, and the Saturday after Thanksgiving, November 24 as the fifth busiest day - will be a crucial span of days for retailers as they approach the holiday season."

These key dates account for nearly 45 percent of all shopper traffic for the entire holiday season, and so it will be essential for brick-and-mortar retailers to align their staffing, inventory and merchandising efforts in relation to these dates.

"Ensuring that key merchandise is in stores especially during these ten days and scheduling associates for the right days at the right times will allow retailers to provide their customers with the intended experience and keep them coming back well beyond the holidays, added Field."

Please see the infographic for more insights on the Top 10 Busiest Shopping Days.

To learn more about ShopperTrak solutions, please visit: www.shoppertrak.com.

Vector Security Awarded Contract to Provide Security for All New Habitat for Humanity Homes in Jacksonville, FL
Vector Security to install security equipment inside new homes built during the 2018-2019 contract year.

PITTSBURGH, September 18, 2018 - Vector Security, Inc., the leading provider of intelligent mobile security and home automation solutions, and the nation's fourth largest security company, has been awarded a contract to provide security for all new Habitat for Humanity homes built in Jacksonville, Florida during the 2018-2019 contract year.

"Vector Security is pleased to assist Habitat for Humanity in its work to provide safe and affordable housing for those in need," said Walter Smith, General Manager of Vector Security's Jacksonville branch. "Homeownership is a huge milestone, and we are proud to be able to help Habitat homeowners protect their homes with reliable security equipment."

"In addition, we will be supporting the construction of one Habitat home in the Jacksonville area via financial and employee volunteer support," Smith added.

The contract is part of a long-standing relationship between Vector Security and Habitat. Over the years, employees from all around Vector Security's footprint have volunteered to help build Habitat homes. Additionally, Vector Security provides protection for HabiJax outlet stores, ReStore of Jacksonville.

Jerry Ingle, Vice President of Construction and Real Estate for HabiJax. "Vector Security is providing an extremely high quality product to our client families. I was also very touched that they have agreed to donate a security system for one of this year's homes. vectorsecurity.com

CLEAR ORC Conference Oct. 8-11, 2018 in Myrtle Beach, S.C. is Still On
Target & Scheduled
"The CLEAR Conference in Myrtle Beach is still on track for October 8-11, 2018. Hurricane Florence had minimal impact on our conference hotel, and they expect to be fully operational for the conference."

The Crown Reef Beach Resort has also extended the conference room rate! Take a look at the agenda

The CLEAR Team hopes you can join us! Register now at: www.clearusa.org

Global Electronic Article Surveillance Systems Market 2018-2022
Adoption of Source Tagging in the Retail Sector to Boost Growth
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 18, 2018--The global electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems market is expected to post a CAGR of over 3%, according to the latest market research report by Technavio. However, the growth momentum of the market is expected to decelerate on a year-over-year basis during the forecast period.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180918005937/en/

In this report, Technavio highlights the adoption of source tagging in the retail sector as one of the key emerging trends in the global EAS systems market:

"Apart from the adoption of source tagging, the increased spending on security systems and inclusion of data analytics in EAS systems are two major factors that are expected to boost the growth of the global market in the next few years," says a senior analyst at Technavio for research on IT security.

The Americas led the market in 2017 with a market share of close to 46%, followed by EMEA and APAC respectively. However, during the forecast period, the APAC region is expected to show the highest incremental growth. businesswire.com

Is Your Workplace a 'Threat Place'?
High stress workplaces are like psychological Petri dishes; they are perfect places to grow nasty things.

Most employers realize that it's to their advantage to assure that their workplace is free of health threats to their employees. Whether it's the fear of OSHA fines, high workers compensation claims, or lost productivity, it makes strong business sense to shape the work environment with an eye to health and safety.

Can the same be said for psychological threats to health?

Just a few months ago, Mental Health America released a report following their two-year project with the Faas Foundation about the psychological impacts of the nation's workplaces. "Mind the Workplace" gives a troubling message to employers and supervisors in large and small organizations alike. It makes the point that workplace stress has not only negative health consequences for the employee but also negative business results for the enterprise.

"Mind the Workplace" reports their analysis of 17,000 surveys from workers in a wide variety of employment settings. A 20-question online tool was used to assess some of the possible causes of stress on the job and the influence this may have on the person's health.

It turns out that U.S. employees may perceive their workplace as a "threat-place," a setting that's not fair, not focused on the right things, unsupportive and unhealthy emotionally.

Consider a few of their results:

● 81 percent think that job stress affects their relationships with family and friends, at least sometimes.

● 63 percent think that this stress produces unhealthy behavior, like drinking or crying.

● 63 percent think that their workplace is unhelpful or hostile, such that they want to work alone.

● 66 percent don't trust their coworkers or team to support their work activities. sentinelsource.com-request

Amid McDonald's strike, fast-food workers often vulnerable to sexual harassment
First Job in a Women's Life - Makes them more vulnerable
Fast-food staffers also are vulnerable to unwanted physical advances, lurid comments, graphic pictures and gestures as they do everything from flip burgers and brew coffee.

McDonald's workers in 10 cities across the U.S. are scheduled to strike to protest sexual harassment on Tuesday, right before the anniversary of Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein's downfall, which crystallized the #MeToo movement. 

Forty percent of female fast-food workers have been sexually harassed on the job, according to the Washington, D.C. firm Hart Research Associates. Most affected are African-American and Latina women.

More than 76 percent of women ages 18 to 24 and an estimated 35 percent of men in that age group report that they've been sexually harassed, according to research by Stop Street Harassment, a Reston, Virginia-based not-for-profit dedicated to safe public spaces.  usatoday.com

McDonald's workers go on strike over sexual harassment
Now in the midst of the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment, McDonald's workers who have faced sexual harassment and their supporters began to strike Tuesday afternoon in 10 cities.

In Chicago, protesters gathered outside the McDonald's headquarters chanting, "We're here, we're loud, sexual harassment is not allowed" and "respect us, accept us, don't try to touch us."

Some held a banner emblazoned with "#MeToo McDonald's" and other had tape with #MeToo written on it covering their mouths.

The striking workers will demand that McDonald's form a committee made up of workers, representatives from corporate and franchise stores, and leaders of national women's groups to address sexual harassment, according to a statement released by the group Equal Rights Advocates, which is providing legal support for and sponsoring the strike.

"This committee would chart a path forward to make sure nobody who works for McDonald's faces sexual harassment on the job," the statement said.

In May, 10 McDonald's employees, including Morrow, filed sexual harassment charges against the company with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The charges detail claims of on-the-job sexual harassment and instances of managers ignoring such claims or women facing retaliation after reporting them, according to the statement from the National Women's Law Center.  nbcnews.com

Woman warns others after being targeted by potential human trafficking tactic at grocery store
A Florida woman is taking to social media to warn others about a potential human trafficking tactic she recently encountered at a local grocery store. Lynne Knowles says a man followed her through several aisles at her neighborhood Publix, recording her with his cell phone.

"I was so scared and felt so uncomfortable," said Knowles. "It made me very nervous and I purposely went down an aisle that most men wouldn't go down and he popped up on that aisle too."

After confronting the stranger, Knowles says he ran outside where two other men were waiting in the parking lot. Since then, she says several friends have come forward with similar stories.

WFTS also uncovered another Tampa-area mother warning others about a strange man taking pictures of children at International Plaza. Tampa Police say mall security did contact them about the incident, but they have not found any unlawful behavior. ktnv.com

How Eggs Get in Our Grocery Stores
Hazardous & Illegal Immigrant Child Labor Trafficking in OH
Defendant Pleads Guilty: OH Labor Trafficking-Immigrant Minors
Pablo Duran Ramirez, 50, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Cleveland, Ohio, to encouraging the illegal entry of Guatemalan nationals, including unaccompanied minors, into the United States for financial gain. Duran Ramirez is the fourth defendant to plead guilty in connection with a labor trafficking scheme that forced Guatemalan minors to work at egg farms in central Ohio.

Haba Corporate Services, contracted to provide labor to Trillium Farms, knowing that the workers were unlawfully present in the United States. He further admitted to knowing that some of the workers were unaccompanied minors who had been coerced or threatened to enter the United States and then housed in an isolated trailer park in Marion, Ohio. In 2013 and 2014, Trillim Farms paid the defendant's company approximately $6 million for its labor services.

"This defendant, in conspiracy with three other previously convicted individuals, coerced and assisted individuals to enter the United States illegally, many of them children, forcing them to live in deplorable conditions and work for little to no wages,"

Those defendants admitted to recruiting workers from Guatemala, some as young as 14 or 15 years old, falsely promising them good jobs and a chance to attend school in the United States. The defendants then smuggled and transported the workers to a trailer park in Marion, Ohio, where they ordered them to live in dilapidated trailers and work at physically demanding jobs at Trillium Farms for up to 12 hours a day. The work included cleaning chicken coops, loading and unloading crates of chickens, de-beaking chickens and vaccinating chickens.

"This defendant profited off the desperation of children and their parents and other relatives," said U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman for the Northern District of Ohio. "He knew some of the workers he delivered to Trillium Farms were underage, in the country illegally and were threatened or coerced. We will continue to work to eliminate human trafficking in all its forms." justice.gov

Out of Stock This Holiday Season: Store Workers
Retailers Scrambling to Staff Their Stores
The holiday shopping season is still two months away. But faced with record-low unemployment and rising wages in other industries, U.S. retailers already are scrambling to find enough workers to staff their stores.

Retailers have begun their annual push for holiday workers earlier than ever, raising pay and offering perks such as profit-sharing and paid time off for part-time associates. They also are hosting recruiting marathons with the goal of hiring thousands of workers in a single day.

Kohl's Corp. and J.C. Penney Co. started hiring seasonal workers in June-about three months earlier than usual. Target Corp. said last week that it plans to hire 120,000 seasonal workers, 20% more than last year. In recent months, retailers from Walmart Inc. to CVS Health Corp. have been raising starting hourly pay.

The moves to lure and keep workers are an about-face for retailers who in recent years have closed stores and trimmed staff to cut costs as sales and profits came under pressure from the shift to online shopping. It isn't clear whether the new incentives will be enough to woo and retain staff. wsj.com

What Are an Applicant's Tattoos Telling Potential Employers?
Researchers reach widely different conclusions on what employers think about job candidates' tattoos.

The job candidate sitting in front of you has tattoos covering most of her left arm. Fair or not, you may conclude that the markings paint her as a renegade and, possibly, even as irresponsible or unreliable.

Yet a different manager sitting across from the very same woman might see her tattoos as a sign that she's progressive, creative and able to relate to younger customers.

That is how differently today's employers view body art when they consider how well-equipped candidates are for the jobs they're trying to fill.

In fact, the research findings on how tattoos affect a job candidate's hiring prospects differ widely.

On the one hand, a study published in August by professors at the University of Miami and the University of Western Australia found that tattoos make no difference in terms of getting hired.

"Obviously, all tattoos are not created equal. The genre and quality of a tattoo, as well as its placement, can impact employer decision-making. But the results suggest that, in aggregate, there is no employment discrimination against employees and job applicants with various forms of tattoos."

Yet a study released in July by professors at Colorado State and California State universities found the opposite-that there are hiring and wage biases against people with almost any type of tattoo or body piercing. shrm.org

DOL Focuses on Compliance-Based Programs
New - Office of Compliance Initiatives (OCI)
Employers may get a little more help from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) through its Office of Compliance Initiatives (OCI). The new office will assist employers in preventing workplace violations and protecting employees' wages, benefits and other rights under federal labor laws.

"OCI appears to be a promising program that has the potential to help both employers and employees alike," said James Plunkett, an attorney with Ogletree Deakins in Washington, D.C.

Small businesses and employees don't generally have the time or resources to navigate the constantly changing interpretations of all the laws that fall under the DOL's purview, he said. "OCI is intended to provide these stakeholders with straightforward answers to the questions they face every day."

The DOL oversees compliance and enforcement efforts under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and other employment-related statutes.

"Vigorous enforcement and compliance assistance go hand in hand," Acosta said in a statement. "The Office of Compliance Initiatives expands our efforts to promote full compliance with federal labor law."

Establishing the OCI is one in a series of steps that the department is taking toward creating compliance-based programs that offer education and assistance to businesses. shrm.org

Director - DC & Artistree Loss Prevention & Safety Posted for Michaels in Irving, TX
We are currently recruiting for a Director - DC and Artistree Loss Prevention & Safety located in our Support Center (Global Headquarters) located in Irving, TX. The Director - DC, Artistree, LP and Safety will lead
the DC, Artistree organizations in the protection of assets and the reduction of financial loss, achieving industry leading results in safety and shrink reduction, while maintaining expense rates.

The Michaels Companies, Inc., is North America's largest arts and crafts specialty retailer, with more than 1,340 stores in the United States and Canada. With net sales on $5.36B in 2017. hrsmart.com

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