Part 3 of Indyme's Q&A with the D&D Daily
Indyme: More than "that call button company!"

The D&D Daily's Gus Downing's Q&A with Hedgie Bartol, Vice President of Business Development for Indyme Solutions

Gus: Speaking of creative ways of resolving issues, the Freedom Case from Indyme seems to be getting a lot of attention. Tell me about that and what it does?

Hedgie: The Freedom Case is certainly game changing! Nowadays in our current retail environment, retailers are being forced to do something that I never thought I would see... Lock everything up. This is a tough spot for the retailers that they are being forced into due to the enormous amount of theft and ORC activity. However, this is a terrible experience for the consumer and a shame that 98% of the shoppers are being inconvenienced due to the 2% that are causing all the issues. Not to mention the impact on sales! The Freedom Case is the world's first self-service locked case. I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but the reality is, we have created a way for retailers to lock up high theft items while giving the honest consumer the ability to self-serve and at the same time deterring and preventing the bad actor from doing the same. In essence, a consumer walks up to the locked case. They always have the option to call for assistance the old-fashioned way, or they are able to key in their phone number. They will then receive a four-digit PIN that will unlock the case. During the transaction, we monitor the behavior and the analytics can determine if they do something that is uncommon for that category or goods. If they are doing "naughty" behavior, they are not allowed to self-service the next time and an associate is automatically summoned. If they access another case anywhere in that retailer's enterprise, the same thing happens.

Lots of other nuances and benefits, but suffice to say, we have seen a decrease in shrink identical to a traditional locked case, with little to no decrease in sales. While at the same time, reducing labor associated with a locked case by well over 80%! That labor savings adds up!

Gus: Great stuff, Hedgie! Very cool to see a company like Indyme that has been serving retailers for over 35 years, coming into the spotlight with new and innovative solutions! Look forward to chatting again soon about the next big thing!

Hedgie: Thanks, Gus! Always a great time with you!

Read Parts 1 and 2 of the Q&A here and here
 

 
Theft Surge is Driving Some Consumers Away From Stores
How Retail Theft is Altering In-Store Shopping Habits

Consumers are expressing significant concerns about crime and violence in their community in general.

Ongoing CivicScience tracking shows that as of October 3, an overwhelming 76% of U.S. adults are either 'very' or 'somewhat' concerned about crime and violence in their area. The percentage of those 'somewhat concerned' has reached peak levels in the last 365 days (44%) and stands two percentage points higher than in October 2022. Those 'very concerned' about crime and violence in their area is down from this time last year, but still a significant number of respondents are expressing severe concerns (32%).

Concerns about crime and violence likely influence whether consumers shop in-store or not, and increased safety measures could make shoppers feel more comfortable. Forty-eight percent of Americans notice stores taking retail theft precautions.

According to new CivicScience data, 48% of polled respondents say they've noticed stores increasing security measures, reducing hours, or making other changes due to retail theft.

How is retail theft affecting shopping habits?

Among those who shop in-store and have noticed retail theft, 38% say they've either been shopping in-person less frequently (24%) or started shopping at a different store altogether (14%). Another 9% haven't recently changed their shopping habits but plan to. However, the majority of consumers say they won't adjust their shopping habits (53%) due to retail theft.

Forty-six percent of those living in a city have changed how they shop, with a whopping 31% reporting they're shopping in-store less frequently.

Overall, retail theft could cause significant changes in shopping habits among consumers. civicscience.com


The Debate Over Retail Crime Data Continues
Report downplays retail crime data: 'Glimpse into retail theft'
Theft, a major cause of retail shrink, is a big focus of complaint these days-but research indicates that shrink has been more or less the same over the past seven years.

For some insights, we might look into the 2022 Retail Security Survey issued by the National Retail Federation. In fiscal 2021, the average inventory shrink percentage was 1.4 percent; the median, 1.2 percent. In fiscal 2016, the average was 1.4 percent; the median, 1.2 percent.

Nevertheless, 74.1 percent of stores surveyed reported "increase in risk and threat priorities" for external theft, excluding organized retail crime, and a 70.7 percent for ORC.

Another, more alarming trend was increased concern about retail violence. The reported increase in risk of violence since the pandemic is a shocking (though not surprising) 89.7 percent. It's not just a matter of crazed customers: employee-on-employee violence is also a major concern.

In any event, the relative stability of shrink percentages over recent years may cast doubts on the motives of recent Target store closures. Is theft an easy excuse for closing stores that are doing badly for other reasons?

Target says those specific stores faced higher theft and danger to employees and customers. Target also says it's working with the federal government to reduce theft.

Earlier this year, Walmart announced a number of closings in Chicago that some linked to retail theft, although Walmart simply claimed that the stores weren't profitable. producebluebook.com

   RELATED: Retailers Say Shoplifting Is Getting Worse, But Some Experts Disagree


Shoplifting Surge Signals The Breakdown of Law & Order in America
Is retail theft a sign of social breakdown?

There are signs that both virtue and order are breaking down in the United States.

One sign of this breakdown comes to us through the financial media, of all places. One of the earliest indicators was Walgreens' decision to close down several stores in San Francisco. Amid political criticism, the Walgreens CFO conceded perhaps they'd cried too much about theft. The numbers reveal, however, that the closures (and added security) did substantially reduce what the industry calls "shrinkage." Similarly, the CEO of Target declared that shrinkage cost the company half a billion dollars in profit this year. Other well-known retailers, such as Walmart and Home Depot, have shared similar problems.

To make matters worse, a new phenomenon has manifested. Shoplifting has morphed into organized retail theft. Some of the immediate impacts are obvious. Retailers will close more stores in higher crime parts of town. Areas that already have distress over a lack of food markets will find that other kinds of goods and services will also become scarce. Prices will rise everywhere else. Merchants who sell online to suburban consumers will avoid the problem of theft, but brick-and-mortar locations will suffer a comparative disadvantage and will be still more pressured.

These immediate problems are far from the biggest ones. The proliferation of shoplifting and its evolution into more organized forms signal a greater breakdown in the morals of the broader society. Rather than risk a confrontation, it seems that many retailers settled upon a no contest policy regarding theft. This approach appears to have fanned the flames of disrespect for the law. It may be that thieves have developed contempt for a system that lacks the will to oppose them.

We have eroded the fundamental trust and honor that must exist in order for a free republic to endure. How do we recapture it? First, local governments must demonstrate that they have the will and the moral authority to resist crimes such as organized shoplifting. They must recognize that tolerance of crime leads to greater crimes and a higher frequency of their occurrence. But second, and more important in the long term, we must recover the virtue and the responsibility of citizens. wng.org


Retail Theft is Hammering Gas Station C-Stores
Struggling police departments can't respond to all calls, prioritize 'violent calls' only

Gas stations getting hit hard by retail theft: "It's money right out of your pocket"
A week after Target said they were closing nine stores due to repeated theft, we are learning more about how the places we go to gas up are also getting hit hard. It's a store known for its convenience, but the owner of the Stop and Shop on 1st Avenue in Minneapolis is dealing with some crippling inconveniences.

Joe Zerka says shoplifting is rampant. "Oh, it's daily, dozens of times a day for sure, and that's what we're catching," Zerka said.

The MPD's 5th Precinct is directly across the street, but Zerka doesn't call or make reports. "No, we can't call the police 50 times a day. You know, they won't show up. If we call for a petty little thing, the person's already left, the person who stole is gonna walk away," he said.

WCCO got some insight on the response from former St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell, who is now a security consultant.

"The resources in police departments across the country continue to struggle. There are less officers on the streets we know today in Minneapolis and St. Paul than we've seen in decades," Axtell said. "We have to prioritize the most pressing, violent calls."

A spokesperson for the Minnesota Service Station & Convenience Store Association says owners in general are seeing a spike in thefts, and particularly lottery ticket smash-and-grabs. cbsnews.com


Retail Theft, Gun Violence & Fentanyl Crisis Top Priorities in California
California AG Bonta continues DOJ's work with local, state, and federal partners

Attorney General Bonta continues DOJ's work with local, state, and federal partners to:

Combat retail theft by securing felony sentencing in one of the largest organized retail theft operations ever busted in California history, announcing felony charges against members of a statewide organized retail theft ring, filing charges in operations involving thefts of Home Depot, Apple stores, and Microsoft, by bringing law enforcement and retailers together to address this problem head-on, and creating better communication and information-sharing with retailers and online marketplaces.

Prevent gun violence through the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, operations to get guns out of the hands of prohibited persons; and legislation to strengthen California laws and the hold the firearm industry accountable.

End the fentanyl crisis through efforts with state and local law partners, securing ongoing funding for DOJ fentanyl enforcement, operations to remove fentanyl from California communities including in Placer, Merced, Fresno, and Orange Counties, and legal actions to hold manufacturers and distributors accountable. Since April 2022, DOJ fentanyl seizures totaled approximately 9,348,852 fentanyl pills seized, 1,213 pounds of powder seized, and over 200 arrests. oag.ca.gov


Crime Closures Continue to Plague California
Louis Vuitton store in Walnut Creek, Calif. closes due to theft after neighboring Nordstrom suffered same fate
A Louis Vuitton store at a popular shopping complex has closed after over a dozen people targeted it for looting. The high-end designer outlet in Walnut Creek, California, outside Oakland, was targeted just years after more than $125,000 worth of goods was stolen from a nearby Nordstrom shop.

Cops said four cars were associated with the attempted theft at the city's Broadway Plaza mall on October 3. Police said the suspects fled the scene after officers rushed to the store. It's not known how much was stolen from the store, or how much damage the shop suffered. It's not known how much was stolen from the store, or how much damage the shop suffered.

The robbery at the Broadway Plaza Louis Vuitton comes just years after the mall's Nordstrom outlet was looted in a similar manner. Cops said at the time that the looters were in and out of the store within a minute.

Huge retailers, including Nordstrom and Whole Foods, have closed outlets in the city in recent months. Last week, Target announced that it would be closing a store in San Francisco. the-sun.com


Target's Store Closures Raise Eyebrows. What's Really Going on With Shoplifting?
Target garnered national attention last week when it said it would close stores in four major cities, citing rising problems with theft and violent crime. But while such moves make it clear that the retail industry is struggling with a theft problem, it's surprisingly hard to get concrete picture of just how big the problem is.

Op-Ed: Retail theft is robbing people of the American dream

RELATED: Organized retail crime on the rise

Private Officer International

Retail: The #2 Business Sector Where Security Uses Lethal Force
Top Seven Businesses Where Security Uses Lethal Force
Private Officer International recently used twenty-four months of news reports and other statistical information from our in-house databases, national news reports, law enforcement data, and other sources to compile the seven types of businesses where private security officers use lethal force the most.

These six types of businesses were also the sites where most security officer workplace injuries and deaths occurred during the same period.

We have ranked them from 1-6, with 1, being the business type that saw the most lethal use of force by security officers and against security officers.

1. Nightclubs, including local bars, hookah lounges, gentlemen's clubs, and restaurants.

2. Retail, including shopping centers and malls, big box, specialty, convenience stores, and gasoline stations with retail.

3. Residential, including apartments, condominiums, gated communities, long-term hotels, motels, and single-family homes located in a subdivision.

4. Armored Trucks including ATM repair technicians.

5. Casinos, electronic game rooms, poker, and other card rooms.

6. City, county, and state contracts patrolling public buildings, business/tourist areas, parking garages, parks, public lands, and assignments.

7. General patrols, foot, and mobile roving patrol services.

Of the use of force by security officers, 27% were deemed unjustified force, often leading to the arrest of the security officer. 183 security officers were murdered on duty.  privateofficerbreakingnews.blogspot.com


Cuomo Ask Judge For Mercy For Kenneth Cole's Brother - Neil Cole Founder of Iconix Brands
Powerful family in the retail world & This is only half the extent of the fraud

DOJ: Former CEO Of Iconix Brand Group Convicted At Trial Of Accounting Fraud
Southern District of New York, United States Attorney announced earlier today that a federal jury found NEIL COLE the former Chief Executive Officer of Iconix Brand Group, Inc. ("Iconix"), guilty of participating in a scheme to fraudulently inflate Iconix's revenue and earnings per share, making false filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), and misleading the conduct of audits. The defendant was found guilty following a four-week retrial before U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos. Sentencing Oct. 10, 2023

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: "As a unanimous jury has now found, Neil Cole deceived his company's investors and auditors in order to make his company appear to be performing better than it was. Cole tried to hide his conduct behind tricks and lies, but the truth is now clear: Cole cooked the books.

Iconix was in the business of acquiring various brands, including clothing and fashion brands, and then licensing those brands to retailers, wholesalers, and suppliers who, in turn, produced and sold clothing and other products bearing the brand names.

COLE, 65, of New York, New York, was convicted of one count of securities fraud, six counts of making false filings with the SEC, and one count of improperly influencing the conduct of audits. Each count carries a maximum prison term of 20 years. justice.gov

About: Iconix owner of the some of the world's most recognizable brand IP and the premier provider of brand management solutions to brand owners globally.

With 28 brands in 100+ countries and over $5B in sales. "Partner to the world's leading retailers."

Cuomo asks judge to have mercy on his friend, convicted fashion CEO Neil Cole
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo hopes a federal judge will hear his plea to be merciful to a friend facing prison time for cooking the books at his fashion powerhouse.

Cuomo is appealing on behalf of Neil Cole, the former CEO of Iconix Brand Group, ahead of his sentencing Oct. 10 in a Manhattan courtroom. Iconix was the largest brand licensor in the world after Walt Disney, according to court documents. Last year Cole, 66, was convicted at trial of securities fraud, improperly influencing audits, and issuing false filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Cole's brother, fashion designer Kenneth Cole, is married to Cuomo's sister Maria. Kenneth Cole expressed "unwavering support" for his younger brother in a letter to the judge. crainsnewyork.com


Bankruptcies Up 63%
Chapter 11 filings by businesses soar 61% so far this year, report finds

More small businesses and consumers also turned to bankruptcy in the first nine months of 2023, per Epiq and the American Bankruptcy Institute.

A wide array of U.S. businesses have struggled this year. In the first nine months of 2023, commercial Chapter 11 bankruptcies have soared 61% year over year to 4,553, according to Epiq Bankruptcy, which provides U.S. bankruptcy filing data.

Small business filings in that time rose 41% to 1,419, according to the research, released by Epiq and the American Bankruptcy Institute. In all, considering every type of bankruptcy, filings in the commercial sector rose 17% to 18,680.

After recent declines thanks in part to pandemic-era financial support, consumer filings also rose this year, up 17% to 313,458, per the report. retaildive.com


San Francisco's Doom Loop Woes Continue
Starbucks to shutter seven stores in San Francisco

Add Starbucks to the list of retailers closing some stores in San Francisco.

The coffee giant will close seven of its stores in downtown San Francisco during the next few weeks. (Locations listed at end of article.) Starbucks currently operates 59 locations throughout the city. There will be 52 effective October 22. The company noted that all employees at the closing stores will be offered the opportunity to transfer - no one will lose their jobs.

In recent months, several prominent retailers have shuttered locations in downtown San Francisco, including Nordstrom, which closed its store at Westfield San Francisco Centre in August. Last week, Target said it would shutter nine stores in key cities across the U.S., including one in San Francisco, amid theft and safety concerns. Starbucks, however, did not cite crime in explaining its decision to close the stores. chainstoreage.com


SIA Mid-Year Update
Federal & State Policy & the Security Industry: Update From SIA to Members
The Security Industry Association (SIA) government relations team works diligently on efforts that matter to our members and to the safety of our citizens, providing premier advocacy, member resources and events.

In this video, SIA's Jake Parker, Colby Williams and George Sewell provide an update on the latest federal and state policy developments impacting the security industry - on issues including artificial intelligence, school security funding, drone and counter-drone solutions, the responsible use of biometrics, right-to-repair legislation and data privacy - and how SIA is engaging on behalf of our members. securityindustry.org


68 Circle K stores are up for sale

Ross Dress for Less premieres 42 locations on October 7

Washington, DC: CVS store shelves bare as thieves in DC plan robberies around delivery times, workers say
The shelves are mostly bare at a CVS store in D.C.'s Columbia Heights neighborhood and people who live in the area are concerned. "It makes me not want to shop there to be honest. I just go in there and get my prescription and then when I need other things, I go elsewhere because there's nothing there to get," said Ilana Miller, CVS Customer. According to staff who work there, 45 or more kids are regularly going in to steal chips and drinks before school, after school, and late at night. CVS employees have been alerted that thieves are aware of when new shipments come in and that's when they target the store. They also say that street venders are allegedly paying people to steal so they can re-sell it and make a profit. FOX 5 walked down 14th Street passing by street venders and noticed were selling items like toothbrushes, men and women body wash, car fresheners, and laundry and cleaning supplies - which are some of the same items no longer available inside the CVS. However, there is no direct evidence that those goods came from the store. The CVS in Columbia Heights does have one security guard during business hours. However, customers and employees do not think that is enough and want to see the shoplifters prosecuted.  fox5dc.com


$175,000 worth of cosmetics, clothes stolen north of Toronto. Here's what police say they took
Police say a trio of suspects made off with $175,000 worth of high-end perfume, cologne and clothing in a string of retail thefts across Ontario, and investigators have released images of the alleged haul.

York Regional Police announced the arrests of three Markham, Ont. residents on Wednesday in connection with what investigators described as a "large-scale" theft in the city in August.

Thirty-year-old Ionut Bacan, 24-year-old Bianca Bascracea and 32-year-old Denis-Andreea Dumitrache were identified by police as suspects in the bust, and investigators believe their summer theft was not a one-off.

"Investigators believe these accused have been active throughout Ontario and that there are unreported thefts," police said in a news release.

All three have been charged with theft under $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000 and trafficking in property obtained by crime after search warrants were executed at "various locations" associated to them. cp24.com


Greenwich, CT: Update: Police charge NY man in theft of more than $84K in Chanel bags from Greenwich Ave. store
Police have arrested one suspect in connection with what they're calling a "grab-and-run" larceny on Greenwich Avenue in June, which led to the theft of more than $84,000 in high-end bags. The incident allegedly involved multiple suspects. According to a police document filed at Superior Court in Stamford, around 3:45 p.m. June 19, four men entered the rear of a Greenwich Avenue department store.  greenwichtime.com


San Jose, CA: Duo Arrested in $10,000 Organized Retail Theft Sting at Great Mall
Yesterday, authorities arrested two San Jose women for allegedly attempting to steal merchandise valued at $10,000 from two retail stores in the Great Mall. The Milpitas Police Department's Facebook details their ensuing charges-- felony theft-- and current detainment at the Santa Clara County Jail. As per the authorities, their apprehension was a joint operation involving mall security personnel, store employees, and police.  hoodline.com


Atlanta, GA: Video shows woman stealing high-end fragrances from Newnan store
Newnan Police are looking for a suspected thief who has targeted Ulta Beauty stores in metro Atlanta. The latest theft was $700 in high end-fragrances, police say. Surveillance video caught the woman in the act, taking what police say is hundreds of dollars' worth of perfume out of her basket and sticking it into her purse. When she went to pay, police say she acted like she was going to use her phone, but it wouldn't work. She ended up telling the cashier she had money in her car. That's when investigators say she walked out of the store with the merchandise. Investigators believe she never intended to the pay for the items she left at the register, and it was only a distraction for the workers. The different Ulta stores across metro Atlanta have compared notes and told investigators they believe she has hit other stores. Exactly how many were not immediately known.  fox5atlanta.com
 

NRF has declared Oct. 26 as Fight Retail Crime Day

 A day of action to unite the retail community to advocate
for solutions in combating organized retail crime.