A Sustainable, Eclectic, Inspiring, Retail Fashion Brand Story
Five Reasons Swiss-Retailer FREITAG Epitomizes the Future of Retail

By Tony D'Onofrio, Global Retail Influencer

Retail inspiration can be found in every corner of the world and for this blog post we visit Switzerland. FREITAG is the quiet Zurich based fashion accessory brand selling over 300,000 of its unique products across the globe every year.

The visit to the Zurich store was a great reminder that on five levels, this Swiss brand epitomizes the future of retail.

● Focus on sustainability - 93% of global consumers expect more of the brands they use to support social and environmental issues.

● Each product being individualist and unique to the person using it - 1 in 4 consumers are willing to pay more to receive a personalized product or service.

● The global reach of innovative brands in finding their market which is getting easier - The Internet of Things (IoT) market size for retail is set to exceed $30 billion by 2024. Markets will be global faster for differentiated cult brands.

● Every day products around you, even those being discarded can be a source for a successful new business model.

● Innovation needs to be continuous and evolving. tonydonofrio.com

Facial recognition is becoming a competitive tool in the fight against fraud
Return policies are coming back to haunt some retailers. Customers - and some people who are not customers - seem to have an insatiable appetite for bringing goods into a store and asking about credit for returned merchandise.

Some retailers are using facial recognition technology to combat returns fraud, comparing the facial image against a database of known shoplifters and fraudsters.

Merchandise returns cost retailers in the United States more than $350 billion in sales last year, including up to $22.8 billion attributed directly to fraudulent returns and abuse, estimates data analytics firm Appriss.

"Fraud is such a big number in retail, one that largely goes unchecked," says Peter Trepp, CEO of FaceFirst, a software firm that provides a security face recognition platform for use in industries including retail, air transportation, casinos, sports and event venues. The company recently unveiled Fraud-IQ, which it calls the first facial recognition product built specifically for use against retail return fraud.

"It's hard to find tools to combat fraud," Trepp says. "Part of this is because criminals have become so sophisticated. We think [facial recognition] is a contribution to battle this."

The new Fraud-IQ works in two ways to assist retailers. "First, it can identify people entering the store without a package and then showing up at the return counter with goods to return," Trepp says, "and the second works against repeat offenders."

This latter involves patterns, analytics and software. "It arms retailers against previous offenders," he says.

ADDITIONAL LP USES The technology has the capability for multiple uses inside stores. "It absolutely can be of help" in combatting employee theft, Trepp says, because it can track how many times an employee leaves and re-enters the store during a work shift. It can also track how often a friend might visit an associate and buy a few things, not all of which are necessarily rung up, or how frequently friends are showing up in a store just around an employee's quitting time. stores.org

Google employees around the world are walking out today to protest the company's handling of sexual misconduct
Hundreds of Google employees will walk out of more than 20 offices around the world to protest the company's handling of sexual misconduct in the wake of a bombshell New York Times report.

The protest is meant to send a message that the company needs more transparency around its handling of sexual harassment as well as more employee empowerment overall.

The demonstrations - set for 11:10 a.m. at each local time - come in in the wake of an explosive New York Times' report that detailed how Google shielded executives accused of sexual misconduct, either by keeping them on staff or allowing them amicable departures.

Demonstrators were seen pictured in Singapore, Tokyo, London, Berlin and Zurich in a number of Twitter posts shared by the organizers, accompanied with the hashtag #GoogleWalkout.

Previously, employee organizing has appeared to sway company business decisions. In June, Google's cloud unit said that it would not renew a controversial Pentagon contract next year following intense internal backlash.

Most recently, Google employees expressed outrage after plans leaked that it had considered a censored search app in China. A handful of employees quit in protest and hundreds of others signed a letter saying that it raised "urgent moral and ethical issues."

Other tech companies, too, have had employees protest recent projects. Representatives from Amazon, Salesforce, and Microsoft have signed petitions and held demonstrations concerning how their work is being used for surveillance or separating families at the U.S. border.

The Tech Workers Coalition, an employee activist group, says that it's seen an increase in interest and events over the last year.

Here is the full statement from employee organizers. cnbc.com

It's a Make-or-Break Season For a Few
These 8 retailers can't afford a disappointing 2018 holiday shopping season
Department store chains Sears, J.C. Penney and Neiman Marcus are ailing, while strip-mall stalwarts Kmart and Bed Bath & Beyond are struggling to lure customers. And flailing mall retailers like Claire's and Charlotte Russe must deliver results.

Many major retailers are already showing signs of suffocation. Seventeen have defaulted on their debts since the start of 2017, including Sears, Payless, GNC, Rue 21, Bon-Ton Stores and David's Bridal, according to S&P Global Ratings.

Even during the financial crisis it wasn't this bad. Only five defaulted in 2009 and five in 2010, the worst individual years until 2017. Companies that fail to pay their debts on originally promised terms qualify as defaulters and are often considered at serious risk of bankruptcy - if they're not already there.

Flourishing apparel retailers like T.J. Maxx and Marshalls - part of parent company TJX Companies - as well as adaptable specialty chains like Best Buy are proving that retailers can succeed when they cater to their customers.

But they are the exception to the rule in the retail business, as many others are grasping for traction, especially retailers that rely heavily on mall foot traffic. Vacancy rates at regional and super-regional malls hit 8.6 percent in the second quarter, marking a six-year high.

Here are several key retailers that can't afford a bad holiday season this year:

1. Sears and Kmart
2. JC Penney
3. Bed Bath & Beyond
4. Neiman Marcus
5. Claire's Stores, Charlotte Russe and J. Crew  usatoday.com

London's Met Police to Launch Branded Clothing Line
Cashing In On NYPD-inspired Merchandise Range
London's cash-strapped Metropolitan Police Service is to launch a range of branded clothing and souvenirs in a bid to boost its funds.

Seeking to emulate the popularity of merchandise bearing the NYPD logo, the Met hopes the plan will help ease the burden of recent budget cuts on frontline policing.

The force, which serves more than eight million people across 620 square miles in the UK capital, has enlisted the branding company The Point.1888, whose former clients have included the country's prestigious Tate art galleries, its Olympic contingent -- Team GB -- and the healthy-fast-food chain Leon. cnn.com
 

A Call for the Thin Purple Line - "Thin Line" - Colors By Discipline
One of the most common and recognizable symbols for law enforcement support is the "Thin Blue Line."

The "Thin Blue Line" American flag represents law enforcement and is flown to show support for the men and women who put their lives on the line every day to protect America and its citizens.

The "Thin Red Line" is used by the firefighting community to show support for firefighters as well as to memorialize firefighters who are killed in the line of duty. The "Thin White Line" represents Emergency Medical Services and the "Thin Gold Line" represents Communications Operators (dispatchers). The "Thin Green Line" represents Federal Agents such as Border Patrol, Park Rangers, Game Wardens and Conservation Personnel whereas the "Thin Silver Line" represents Corrections Officers.

"Security personnel in the public and private sectors form an essential part of the protective apparatus of most nations. Globally, there are an estimated 20 million private security workers. In the United States, the U.S. Department of Labor statistics states there are more than 1.1 million private security guards in the U.S. compared to 666,000 police officers.

But how is the security profession, both public and private, symbolized? At present, security professionals don't have their own "Thin Line" color. That may be changing.

The ASIS Law Enforcement Liaison Council (LELC) voted on July 11, 2018, unanimously to recommend the color purple (Velvet Purple [Pantone 2612]) be adopted as the official "Thin Line" color for the security profession. Tom Conley has written a white paper, "The Case for the Thin Purple Line," that outlines the issue and offers reasons why the proposal should be adopted by the security industry at large.  securitymagazine.com

It's three weeks to Black Friday, and retailers have a problem
Desperate for labor, retailers offer workers more hours
One solution: Offer workers more hours, which can make them eligible for health benefits and other accoutrements of full-time work.

"These candidates are demanding 40 hours a week, and they can," says Erika Mendez, senior vice president of a staffing firm called Pyramid Consulting Group. "A lot of the power is in their hands, and the employer has to bend to that power."

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in September that the average workweek for retail jobs has rebounded to 31 hours, up from a low of 29.4 hours in early 2014.

According to an analysis by the career website Indeed.com, jobs in retail experienced the largest decline in the share of all jobs posted that are part-time since 2016 - by nearly 40% in some positions.

"It is my understanding that in order to attract people, we are giving them additional hours," says Jack Kleinhenz, chief economist at the National Retail Federation. cnn.com

Visa Becomes the Official Payment Technology Partner for NYC's Hudson Yards
To attract international and domestic visitors to Hudson Yards, Visa will work to establish cardholder benefits and moments that offer preference and access, and allow customers to tap to pay with their contactless card or payment-enabled device at checkout. Using a contactless card to tap to pay is becoming the preferred way to pay around the world with more than 40 percent of Visa domestic transactions - excluding the U.S. - occurring with a single tap1. businesswire.com

Will Albertsons have robots filling online grocery orders in its stores?
First National Grocer to Implement AI-Driven Micro-Fulfillment
Albertsons announced earlier this week that it is engaging in a pilot to test a micro-fulfillment center that makes use of artificial intelligence and robotics to fill online grocery orders at the store level.

The system that Albertsons has chosen for the test creates a designated area within an existing store location, typically somewhere between 6,000 and 10,000-square-feet, where the most popular items ordered online are stored. When an order is received , the system uses totes and conveyors to deliver the selected items to an Albertsons' associate, who will prepare the order for delivery. The vendor behind the system, Takeoff Technology, claims it greatly reduces the time it typically takes stores to fill individual customer orders. globenewswire.com

Employers Can Be Liable for Distracted Driving
It's easy to imagine: A manager takes a business call while driving to work, a driver browses social media while delivering packages, or a salesperson who's stuck in traffic sends a text to a client. So what happens when distracted drivers cause accidents while they're working? Employers could be on the hook for damages.

About 100 people die in car accidents every day, and distracted driving is a leading cause of fatal crashes, 40% of all workplace fatalities in 2016 involved transportation incidents. Roadway accidents accounted for more than any other type of transportation incident that led to a worker's death.

If an employee is driving a work vehicle, even when off duty, the employer could be held responsible. Furthermore, an employer may be liable when an off-duty worker is driving his or her own vehicle and causes an accident while making a work-related call or sending a text.

"It's all about risk management," Barnett said. What level of risk is the employer willing to take? shrm.org

OSHA Clarifies Safety Incentive Programs and Post-Accident Drug Testing
Action taken under a safety incentive program or post-incident drug testing policy would only violate 29 C.F.R. § 1904.35(b)(1)(iv) if the employer took the action to penalize an employee for reporting a work-related injury or illness rather than for the legitimate purpose of promoting workplace safety and health.

In addition, most instances of workplace drug testing are permissible under § 1904.35(b)(1)(iv). Examples of permissible drug testing include:

● Random drug testing.
● Drug testing unrelated to the reporting of a work-related injury or illness.
● Drug testing under a state workers' compensation law.
● Drug testing under other federal law, such as a U.S. Department of Transportation rule.
● Drug testing to evaluate the root cause of a workplace incident that harmed or could have harmed employees. If the employer chooses to use drug testing to investigate the incident, the employer should test all employees whose conduct could have contributed to the incident, not just employees who reported injuries. osha.gov

Political Discussions at Work
A Conversation With Your Field Teams Worth Having?
Ahead of the Nov. 6 midterm elections, the nation is as divided as ever along partisan lines. Employers need to remind employees that they expect any political discussions at work to be civil.

Many political discussions are "extremely divisive in the workplace, reflecting our country's current polarized political climate," said Audra Jenkins, chief diversity and inclusion officer with Randstad North America, based in Atlanta.

Over half-55 percent-of 807 respondents of a Randstad survey conducted in August had witnessed heated political discussions at work, and more than a third-38 percent-had participated in them. Although 38 percent said they'd changed their opinions based on discussions with colleagues, 72 percent felt anxious when heated arguments occurred, and 44 percent said the arguments hurt their productivity.

Read the rest of the story: Employers Should Defend Civility as the Midterm Elections Near shrm.org

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JMJ Phillip Group Executive Search Firm Post on Indeed
VP Loss Prevention Job for Retail Chain in Dallas ($145k to $165)
A Vice President of Loss Prevention job opening in the greater Dallas, Texas area. An industry leading retail chain company is searching for a qualified individual to fill the position of Vice President of Loss Prevention in the greater Dallas, Texas area. The Dallas Vice President of Loss Prevention will be responsible for developing and leading the loss prevention, safety, security, and audit teams for all company locations. indeed.com

Editor's Note: Sounds Like JC Penney. However the money seems light.

QVC & HSN Merge - Cut 350 Jobs

Quarterly Results

Yum Brands Q3 Global comp's up 2%, systems sales up 5%
   KFC Division comp's up 3%, sales up 7%
   Pizza Hut Division comp's down 1%, system sales even
   Taco Bell Division comp's up 5%, system sales up 8%

Sprouts Q3 comp's up 1.5%, sales up 10.2%