The U.S. Crime Surge
The Retail Impact

Amazon Stuck in Dilemma Over 'INFORM Act'  
Eyes on Amazon as Etsy & eBay support bill to deter counterfeit and
stolen goods online
Amazon must decide whether to go it alone in the fight against a bill meant to deter online sales of counterfeit and stolen goods, after its e-commerce peers Etsy and eBay threw their support behind updated House legislation set for a Thursday hearing.

Between the lines: The fierce and unanimous opposition from online marketplaces has splintered, potentially easing the path forward for the latest legislation.

Driving the news: A House Energy & Commerce subcommittee will consider the online retail bill, known as the INFORM Act, Thursday. The bipartisan INFORM Act, from subcommittee chairwoman Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and ranking member Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), would require online marketplaces to collect and verify identification information of vendors who have made at least 200 sales in a year that together are worth $5,000 or more.

The bill also requires platforms provide customers with a way to contact sellers who have more than $20,000 in annual gross revenue after buying from them.

Requiring such information and disclosure, lawmakers say, will discourage criminals from using the platforms to sell counterfeit and stolen goods - a problem that ballooned as e-commerce swelled during the pandemic.

Flashback: Earlier this year, senators tried to hitch their version of the INFORM Act to the China-focused competition bill, the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, but that effort failed amid intense lobbying by Amazon and others.

The intrigue: Lawmakers who are eyeing including the measure in the House version of the competition bill negotiated with the smaller platforms to gain their support. Etsy said the House version does a better job of protecting the privacy of its sellers, many of whom sell out of their homes, in how it requires the disclosure of their information.

eBay said changes to the verification requirements also helped garner the company's support, as did increasing the threshold for when platforms must provide customers a means of contacting sellers. The House bill also would preempt similar legislation that has popped up in statehouses across the country.

The big picture: The legislation was also praised by Consumer Reports, the National Association of Manufacturers and the Buy Safe America Coalition, which represents Home Depot, Walgreens and other major retailers.

Yes, but: Amazon, which staunchly opposed the Senate version, declined comment on the House version. The Makers and Merchants Coalition - funded by the Internet Association, a trade association that represents Amazon - said it is reviewing the latest bill. axios.com

Op-Ed on San Francisco's Progressive DA & Crime
Think recalling Boudin is the answer to San Francisco crime? Think again
San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin is an easy target for those dissatisfied with the state of public safety in San Francisco. Statistics showing that crime is down are outweighed by the general perception that our current situation is bad and not getting any better. San Francisco Superior Court Judge Bruce Chan recently took the highly unusual step of publicly commenting on the situation: "I cannot express in any more certain terms my disapproval of the manner in which the Office of the District Attorney is being managed," and "we simply cannot have the current levels of inadvertence, disorganization, and expect there to be any confidence in what we do here collectively."

But in my opinion, the criminal justice system has teetered on the verge of collapse for decades, long before Boudin took office.

Under each district attorney, unclear or inconsistent priorities, internecine power struggles and a variable work ethic among staff have hindered the efficient administration of justice. The perpetual emphasis on conviction rates has overshadowed the welfare of those who live, work and visit San Francisco. The constant friction between the police and the district attorney has also contributed to delays in prosecutions and disparities in outcomes that undermine public confidence in the system.

Things have worsened with COVID, no doubt. Court backlogs have increased to record levels because emergency COVID orders closed some courts and extended all speedy trial deadlines by months. San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju sued the courts last month for failing to provide defendants with timely trials. Having to sit in an enclosed space with strangers has made jury duty even less appealing than it was before. Because of jail overcrowding during COVID and the abolition of cash bail in California, judges are called on more often to decide which pretrial detainees (all of whom are presumed innocent) are released and who remains in jail. Some of those released will commit more crimes.

The criminal justice system is a machine that needs the gears to mesh and work together. Prosecutors have to accept and implement the policies of the district attorney. The police have to fairly and conscientiously investigate crimes and make arrests. Prosecutors, defense attorneys and judges have to prepare, evaluate and resolve cases through restorative and rehabilitative programs, pleas or trials. Even in the adversarial criminal system, civility helps. Recalling Boudin will not be the magic bullet that improves public safety. sfchronicle.com

San Francisco Crime Surge Shoplifting up 7.8% year to date San Francisco Police Sgt. Tracy McCray joins 'America's Newsroom' to speak about the crime spike in the city, says the impact is felt throughout the community and neighborhoods. foxnews.com

NYPD's Top Cop Speaks Out Against Bail Reform Laws
NYPD boss blames spike in violent crime on Democrats' bail reform laws which have led to 'drastic reduction in incarceration levels'

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea says bail reform laws to blame for crime wave

New York City's top cop blames bail reform laws enacted by the Democratic-dominated state Legislature for the spike in violent crime, including Monday night's gun battle between NYPD officers and a gang of suspected jewelry thieves.

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea blamed the 'drastic reduction in incarceration levels' for several high-profile incidents of gun violence throughout the five boroughs.

Shea was reacting to the incident from early Monday morning in Manhattan's Flatiron District, where an NYPD officer fired at suspected members of a violent gang dubbed Own Every Dollar as they cased a high-end restaurant. The theft was the latest of 12 jewelry heists that the gang is believed to be behind.

When asked on Tuesday whether New York City is experiencing an increase in gang activity, Shea said: 'The gangs have always been an issue here. We've talked about it for a number of years.'

'You have to look at the incarceration levels. It's a hard topic to talk about but there's been such a drastic reduction. I think that's part of what you're seeing play out. At the state level, we are down significantly. Many people get out of prison and turn their life around, but, unfortunately, we all realize that many do not. You're seeing those unintended consequences on the street at times.'

In early 2020, criminal justice reform measures passed by the New York State legislature and signed into law by then-Governor Andrew Cuomo took effect. The new law has received increasing scrutiny over its rules that allow New York courts to release people who would have remained in jail under the old rules.

The statute, which went into place at the beginning of the year, eliminated cash bail and pretrial detention for a wide majority of low-level cases and nonviolent felonies. The law also allows courts to release a person under certain conditions, such as a travel or firearm restriction. Shea and others have claimed that the new law is to blame for the increase in violent crime. dailymail.co.uk

Illegal Guns Driving the Murder Epidemic?
Philly officials point to abundance of illegal guns as driver of homicide surge
Philadelphia police officials pointed to the seemingly infinite supply of guns available in the city as a significant factor in the local government's failure to stem violence.

"Our firearm possession arrests are tracking along our homicide and shooting victims, which lead us to believe that more guns on the street are meaning more victims for us," said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw Wednesday at a hearing organized by City Council's Special Committee on Gun Violence Prevention

The goal of the hearing was to lower the murder rate in the city. The homicide count this year is 15% higher than last year and shooting victims are up 10%, Outlaw noted.

Erica Atwood, who directs the city's Office of Policy and Strategic Initiatives for Criminal Justice & Public Safety, said public agencies must work together to decrease the number of firearms on the city streets.

"We cannot hug our way out of this problem when we have guns at the per capita that we have in the city," Atwood said.

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, in his testimony, met the call for collaboration with a subtle rebuke of City Hall's decision to cut his office's budget.

"Our Gun Violence Task Force, which is doing amazing work, only has seven lawyers," Krasner said. He noted that his office is fighting high levels of attrition during the pandemic in part due to stagnant wages.

Testifying that more money for the police department to beef their presence is "not going to work," he also asked for more money for the city's public defenders. whyy.org

More Surveillance & Tougher Sentences to Tackle Rising Crime?
Raleigh police chief pledges more patrols, cameras to tackle rise in violent crime
In response to an uptick in violent crime, Raleigh police will conduct more patrols and install more cameras in parts of the city seeing "repeat calls of violence," Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson said Wednesday.

Patterson spoke about her strategy for tackling violent crimes like homicides and aggravated assaults during a news conference outside the Raleigh Police Department's Northwest District.

She also discussed the number of crimes that occurred between July 1 and Sept. 30, as part of a new initiative to share and analyze crime statistics every quarter. Patterson was named the new police chief this summer and was sworn in Aug. 12. Wednesday was her first quarterly crime briefing.

Raleigh saw 12 homicides during the third quarter of 2021, up from the nine homicides recorded in the third quarter of 2020, and four during the same period in 2019.

To address the rise in violent crime, Patterson said the department will conduct more high visibility patrols and seek to install more cameras in areas experiencing higher rates of violence.

Police also will work with other law enforcement agencies and the Wake County District Attorney's office, to pursue "enhanced" charges and sentences for violent offenders, Patterson said. A sentencing enhancement can be used to "increase the offense level or punishment for crimes," and can be pursued for charges at the state level or the federal level, department spokesperson Donna-maria Harris said in an email. newsobserver.com

NYC's Crime Surge Impact
NYPD officers collected record $837M in overtime amid skyrocketing violent crime

In 2020, more than 5,300 New York police officers retired or quit

Some officers in the New York City Police Department (NYPD) are almost doubling their annual salaries by collecting overtime amid the city's skyrocketing violent crime. Officers, whose base salary is $42,500, are managing in some instances to rake in six figures by making petty arrests at the end of their shifts, according to Bloomberg.

Overtime costs for the department broke records in 2020, when officers clocked in more overtime than any other major city in the United States. One precinct in Brooklyn doled out $7.8 million in overtime.

Most officers logged approximately 375 hours in overtime during fiscal year 2020, though around 500 officers managed to get paid for 1,000 overtime hours. During the same time period, violent crime in New York City has increased 5.6%.

In 2020, more than 5,300 New York police officers retired or quit, which represented a 75% increase from 2019, according to the New York Post. Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, who is running for mayor as a Democrat, has promised to cut the police department's overtime budget by half. foxnews.com

Liquor Store LP
UK: Tesco fences off alcohol aisle in bid to prevent shoplifters
Supermarket giant Tesco has put security barriers on the alcohol aisle on one of its stores as a trial to prevent shoplifting. The barriers completely block off the booze section of the Tesco Extra in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, and can be programmed to open when customers get close or be locked until a member of staff opens them for a shopper. The barriers have been put up because the store has a shoplifting problem at night when fewer staff are working and could be rolled out to other stores, the Sun reports. The move comes in the same week that another Tesco Extra branch started checking customer receipts to stop theft. chroniclelive.co.uk

Arkansas' violent crime rate hits all-time high

 

COVID Update

405.4M Vaccinations Given

US: 45.6M Cases - 741.8K Dead - 35.2M Recovered
Worldwide: 240.4M Cases - 4.8M Dead - 217.7M Recovered

Former Senior Loss Prevention Executive
Know of any fallen LP exec? Let's remember & recognize.

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 320   Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 473
*Red indicates change in total deaths

The Delta Surge May Have been the Last
'Lurching Between Crisis and Complacency': Was This Our Last Covid Surge?
It is difficult to tease apart the reasons that the virus ebbs and flows in this way, and harder still to predict the future.

But as winter looms, there are real reasons for optimism. Nearly 70 percent of adults are fully vaccinated, and many children under 12 are likely to be eligible for their shots in a matter of weeks. Federal regulators could soon authorize the first antiviral pill for Covid-19.

But the pandemic is not over yet, scientists cautioned. Nearly 2,000 Americans are still dying every day, and another winter surge is plausible. Given how many Americans remain unvaccinated, and how much remains unknown, it is too soon to abandon basic precautions, they said.

"We've done this again and again, where we let the foot off the pedal too early," Dr. Bhadelia said. "It behooves us to be a bit more cautious as we're trying to get to that finish line." nytimes.com

The Delta Variant's Economic Slowdown
Post-Covid Global Economy Falters Due to Inflation and Supply-Chain Woes

A stream of new data suggests a third-quarter slowdown as manufacturers struggle to get materials and components

The outlook for the global economy darkened as a stream of data from Europe and Asia suggested growth faltered in the third quarter, hobbled by world-wide supply-chain snarls, sharply accelerating inflation and the impact of the highly contagious Delta variant.

From Sweden and the U.K. to Germany and Japan, jammed-up ports and bottlenecks in the global flow of raw materials and components have rocked manufacturers, causing factories to halt production and executives to warn customers they will have to wait for urgently needed goods.

In the U.S., growth is expected to slow to 1.4% in the third quarter compared with an average of 6.5% in the first half of 2021, according to IHS Markit, which revised the figure down because of a sharp drop in consumer spending.

Consumer-price inflation in the U.S. rose 0.4% on the month in September and was 5.4% higher than a year earlier, data Wednesday showed, as shortages of goods and labor drove up prices for groceries, new vehicles and furniture. wsj.com

Pandemic Burnout for Retail Workers?
Study: 50% of frontline workers planning to resign; burnout cited as top reason
Burnout is causing frontline workers - particularly those in the retail and grocery industries - to leave their jobs.

Nearly 50% of all frontline workers said they are planning to leave their current jobs, citing burnout at work as the No. 1 reason (58%), according to Axonify's 5th annual "Global State of Frontline Work Experience Study." Gen Z workers are the most eager to leave, with 63% planning to quit.

The other top reasons driving frontline resignations are a lack of appreciation from management and/or peers (53%) and a lack of interest in daily work (52%). Poor compensation (52%) came in fourth. When looking at the different industries, retail workers reported burnout (63%) as being a more important motivating factor for resigning compared to compensation (50%).

How can employers prevent frontline employees from jumping ship? Compensation matters, but employees say they also want more flexible scheduling (44.2%), more appreciation (42.6%) and more positive relationships at work (42%), according to the study. chainstoreage.com

75% of Workers Will Remain At Least Partially Remote
Is remote work here to stay? Here's what Americans think in a new poll
Forty-five percent of full-time workers in the September survey said they were working from home - including 25% who said they are exclusively working from home and 20% who said they are doing so some of the time.

The 45% of respondents who said they are working remotely is down from 53% in January, when COVID-19 vaccines were just becoming available to the public and down from 69% in early 2020, near the beginning of the pandemic.

Will Remote Work Continue?

The poll found that about 75% of remote workers surveyed said their employers will allow them to continue working from home at least "on some basis." Even more workers said they expect to continue working remotely for "the rest of the year and beyond." Among all remote workers surveyed, 27% said they anticipate working fully remote, 61% said they anticipate a hybrid schedule between remote and in-person work, and 9% said they don't expect to work remotely. miamiherald.com

Could Halloween Spark Another COVID Surge?
OC health officials worry Halloween could jump-start a COVID winter surge
Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, deputy county health officer said she is concerned that the upcoming holiday season, starting with Halloween, will spur another winter surge. She encouraged parents to get their children vaccinated for the upcoming flu season. She noted it takes two weeks to develop full immunity after the shot - so if they get it now, it will be in time for Halloween festivities.

"The flu is right around the corner," Chinsio-Kwong said Friday. "Some are asking, 'Can you get the flu and COVID at the same time?' and the answer is yes."

Chinsio-Kwong said it was "technically safe to go trick-or-treating, especially if it's outdoors," but everyone should be mindful of continuing efforts to avoid infection such as social distancing, good hand hygiene and wearing a mask. spectrumnews1.com

COVID-19's presence is declining in Florida, but should we brace for a winter surge?

 

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Target's Success Story
Target keeps inventory moving in face of supply chain congestion
As retailers grapple with supply chain problems, Target is confident its proactive investments in fulfillment technology, distribution hubs and 24/7 supply chain operations are paying off as the holiday season approaches.

In a corporate blog post on Thursday, the discounter said its inventory is up "substantially" this year over the same time in 2020. Target attributes much of its success in keeping products in stock, despite continuing backups in the global supply chain, to a number of steps it has taken to improve distribution efficiency in recent years.

These include allocating a significant part of a $4 billion annual investment toward opening two distribution centers, one in Delaware and one in Chicago, during 2021, with two more planned in 2022 to support the east and west coastal areas. And to add capacity to its fulfillment operation and further scale its stores-as-hubs model, Target is opening four new sortation centers in major markets across the country - including sites in Houston, Dallas, the Philadelphia area, and Lawrenceville, Georgia. All four facilities were built after an initial pilot sortation center which opened in Minneapolis in 2020.

Under the sortation center model, when a customer places an order on Target.com, store teams pick and pack shipments, then sort them for delivery partners like Shipt to deliver to customer homes. Sortation centers are designed to make this process faster by retrieving packages as soon as store teams are finished packing and sorting, batching and routing them for delivery to local neighborhoods.

In addition, Target just launched an initiative to hire 30,000 new supply chain employees for the holiday season and beyond.

Target has also joined a new collaborative program to expand efforts to help with ongoing supply chain bottlenecks and shortages resulting from the pandemic. Initiated by the Biden Administration, the program also includes Walmart, The Home Depot, FedEx and UPS. Target is also a member of national supply chain initiatives including the White House Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force and the National Shipper Advisory Committee at the Federal Maritime Commission. chainstoreage.com

Unexpected Retail Surge in September
Retail sales unexpectedly gain in September as consumers keep spending
Consumers spent at a much faster pace than expected in September, defying expectations for a pullback amid pervasive supply chain problems, the Census Bureau reported Friday.

Retail sales for the month increased 0.7%, against the Dow Jones estimate for a decline of 0.2%. Excluding auto-related sales, the number rose 0.8%, better than the 0.5% forecast. Compared to a year ago, sales were up 13.9% on the headline number and 15.6% ex-autos.

Sporting goods, music and book stores led the way with a 3.7% increase. General merchandise increased 2% while miscellaneous retailers rose 1.8%. As gas prices pushed higher, spending at fuel stations jumped 1.8%, for a 38.2% surge over the past year.

The increase came during a month when the government ended the enhanced benefits it had been providing during the Covid-19 pandemic and against forecasts that growth would slow in the third quarter due to the delta spread and a perceived pullback in consumer activity. But with coronavirus cases continuing to drop, spending accelerated.

Still, there are concerns that the supply problem will hamper the upcoming holiday shopping season, and consumers are being encouraged to shop now to avoid problems later. cnbc.com

In Case You Missed It
NRF Statement on White House Supply Chain Summit
The National Retail Federation today issued the following statement from President and CEO Matthew Shay following NRF's participation in today's White House meeting with the business community, carriers, as well as labor and port representatives in order to find solutions to address supply chain challenges.

"We thank President Biden, Vice President Harris, Secretary Buttigieg, Director Deese and Port Envoy John Porcari for their leadership to address the ongoing global supply chain disruption. It is critically important that we all come together - business, labor and government - to address the current issue regarding port congestion, and the long-term need to create a more reliable supply chain globally and within the United States. The retail industry greatly appreciates President Biden's personal commitment to marshal the power of the federal government behind efforts to reduce the disruptions our members are currently facing, and retailers remain committed to working with all stakeholders to ensure consumers have access to the products and services they want and expect. NRF has been urging more focus and resources to address supply chain failures for many years, and we look forward to continued efforts that result in sustainable solutions for this growing problem." nrf.com

NYC Retail Leasing Finally Sees Positive Growth
Manhattan retail leasing grows for the first time since 2019
Retail leasing in Manhattan went through its first period of growth since mid-2019, ending 24 months of declining activity, according to data from CBRE.

Nearly 1.6 million square feet were leased in the borough during the 12 months leading up to the third quarter of this year-a 4.4% bump from the prior quarter, but still 45.5% below a year prior. The largest deal driving the uptick was Wegmans' 89,000 square-foot lease at the former Kmart store at 770 Broadway, making the grocery category the most active in the market in terms of space.

It was followed by a 34,000-square-foot lease for Brooklyn-based spa Bathhouse. Both deals were the first Manhattan outposts for the tenants. The food and beverage category took first place for the number of leases signed during the third quarter. crainsnewyork.com

Retail growth to cool after 2021's burst of demand: Moody's

Gift cards poised for big holiday season amid inventory, shipping concerns

UNFI partners with DoorDash to offer grocery delivery