Sr LP Exec. Experiences the Red Cross' Incredible Work
Senior Loss Prevention Director Evacuated During California Fires
California wildfires death toll climbs to 87, 500 still unaccounted for, 19,000 buildings destroyed
The number of people missing or unaccounted for in Butte County was down to 475 on Friday evening after having reached 605 on Thursday, according to the Butte County Sheriff's Office. The number is expected to continue fluctuating as officials account for residents.

Deadly wildfires that have ravaged northern California for weeks are almost contained thanks to several days of rain.

More than 800 volunteers searched for remains on Thanksgiving and again on Friday - two weeks after flames swept through the Sierra Nevada foothills.

While all this is happening one senior Loss Prevention Director was evacuated from his home and spent the night in a Red Cross shelter. msn.com

In an email he wrote: I experienced the work the Red Cross does when I was evacuated during the CA fires and spent a night at a shelter. The Shelter filled quickly so I helped the Red Cross team by setting up cots, handing out blankets and checking people in. Please keep the drum beat supporting Donations. So many Californians are in need.

For me, The fire was within 100 yards of my Townhouse but thankfully there was no structural damage. After the evacuation, shelter, and a few nights in a hotel things are slowly returning to normal. yahoo.com

Here's the link for the Red Cross:

Retailers Encouraged by Black Friday Shopper Traffic Results
ShopperTrak traffic data results put Black Friday again at the top spot for brick-and-mortar retail shopping

Tyco Retail Solutions' brand, today released preliminary shopper visit data for brick-and-mortar retail stores and shopping centers on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday. Findings indicate that shopper visits resulted in only a combined one percent decline for the two-day period compared to last year, with a 1.7 percent decline in traffic on Black Friday versus 2017. This slight traffic variance is consistent with data results over the last several years.

"The fact that the combined shopper visits remained almost the same this year compared to the last three years proves that the notion of Black Friday not being popular anymore is a myth," said Brian Field, senior director of global retail consulting for ShopperTrak. "Shopping in physical stores during the holidays continues to be an exciting annual event for consumers and based on the Black Friday traffic data, retailers are in for a successful holiday season."

Eight of the 10 ShopperTrak predicted busiest shopping days are still to come, including Super Saturday, which will fall on Dec. 22, and the Sunday before Christmas, Dec. 23. Notably, for the third year in a row, there are four Saturdays in December prior to Christmas Day, which will enhance the importance of both Dec. 8 and Dec. 15. In addition, similar to last year, the Saturday after Christmas, Dec. 29, is expected to be one of the busiest shopping days taking the last spot on the top 10 busiest day's list. businesswire.com

BOPIS Skyrockets 73%
Store Traffic Falls 5% to 9% on Black Friday but Not All News Is Bad
Online sales surge 26.4% & low-income shoppers are feeling flush
A surge in online shopping and higher spending by low-income Americans gave a lift to the start of the holiday season, even as initial reports showed that foot traffic to traditional stores continued its long decline.

During Thanksgiving and Black Friday, traffic to U.S. stores fell between 5% and 9% compared with the same days last year, estimated RetailNext, which uses cameras to track people in both mall-based and stand-alone retailers. Another measurement firm, ShopperTrak, estimated traffic fell less sharply, about 1% over the two-day period from a year ago.

Purchases continued to shift online as stores put many of their best deals on their websites and more consumers, even those earning minimum wages, shop on their smartphones. Internet sales for Wednesday through Black Friday surged 26.4% from a year earlier to $12.3 billion, estimated Adobe Systems Inc., which tracks activity on thousands of websites.

Store pickups of online orders rose 73% over Thanksgiving and Black Friday, said Adobe. wsj.com

"Thanksgiving Day the fastest growing online shopping day"
The announcement of sales prior to Black Friday drove a shift in consumer behavior. "Brick and mortars are finally realizing, 'You know what? We have to be agnostic as to where we get the sale. We just want the sale.' We saw a lot of that with the online sales coming out early," said Charlie O'Shea, VP senior credit officer at Moody's Investor Service.  retaildive.com

Are Black Friday results a sign of Christmas 2018 things to come?
While the shift to online selling continued, a number of other factors - including a recovery in lower-income household spending, an acceleration of in-store pickup and possible stabilizing of store traffic - may have provided a boost to sales over Black Friday weekend.

Online spending still booming - Mobile influence increases - Lower-income household boost - Foot traffic flattening? - Holiday pick-up: Buy online, pickup in-store (BOPIS) orders were up 73 percent from Thursday to Friday. retailwire.com

Black Friday 2018: A Not-So-Wild Day for American Shoppers
NY Times They Cover it the Best
Here we are again: Mildly annoyed by the obvious consumerism, but totally in love with the deals. It must be Black Friday.

Going to the Mall - But Not for the Shopping - Black Friday Has Lots of Competition - A Strong Start for Retailers - But There Are Hiccups - Hey Hey, Ho Ho, Black Friday Has Got to Go - Black Friday Goes Global ... - ... With Even Canadians on the Bandwagon ... - ... Though China Has Its Own Version - Shopping on 'Black Thursday' (a.k.a. Thanksgiving) - Shopping from the Dinner Table. nytimes.com

FBI Crime Data: Two Years of "Historic Increases in Violent Crime" & Attacks on Police
New Multi-Disciplinary - Scenario-Based Active Shooter Training Programs Coming
DOJ Awards $56 Million to Support Law Enforcement Health & Safety
The funds will be used to provide services designed to protect officers and improve overall public safety. We are providing them with bulletproof vests, body-worn cameras, training, and health and safety research. These grants awarded last month are helping us to take care of the men and women in blue--because they take care of us every day."

The FBI's official crime data for 2017 reflects that, after two consecutive, historic increases in violent crime, in the first year of the Trump Administration the nationwide violent crime rate began to decline. Despite this decline, violent attacks on police officers are on the rise. More than 60,000 line-of-duty assaults were committed against officers in 2017, a five percent increase from 2016, according to the FBI.

The Department of Justice is committed to ensuring officer safety. Over the past year, the Department has partnered with all levels of law enforcement, local organizations, and members of the community to reduce violent crime and make American neighborhoods safer, including the invigoration of Project Safe Neighborhoods and announcement of $30 million to help combat violent crime. Recently, the Department hosted a law enforcement roundtable and announced funds and technical assistance resources to help law enforcement investigate and prosecute hate crimes, and announced a new active shooter training grant to provide multi-disciplinary, scenario-based active shooter training to help better protect and equip first responders across the country.

Editor's Note: After reading numerous annual crime reports, the vast majority of which understate the trends the Daily sees in the public news, we finally see "historic increases in violent crime" and a "5% increase in violent attacks on police officers" in 2017. Which is the first time we've seen numbers that are more closely aligned with what we've been reporting on for the last few years.

Interestingly enough the two associations/websites that track police officer deaths are reporting even higher numbers regretfully. The point being that what virtually every LP/AP executive is saying about the increased aggressiveness and violence in retail is legitimate, as reflective in this one article. Which has been difficult to prove with senior management in some cases. And with many of the reports not helping to validate the needed resources to combat the issue. justice.gov

Published in Tulsa World Nov. 18th
Quick Trip Convenience Stores Hiring Armed Employees
Want to work for QuikTrip as an armed clerk? Bring a law enforcement or military background
QuikTrip hiring 'hybrid employees' who can work while armed to deter crime, keep customers safe.

A spokesman for the company said he was confident they've had "probably pretty significant" inquiries after advertising the position, which QuikTrip is looking to staff with certified peace officers, veterans or armed security guards.

"It's just kind of natural for us," said Mike Thornbrugh, a QuikTrip spokesman. "We tend to bring things inside if we think it works."

QuikTrip has been testing the hybrid employee program for six months at a few locations in Wichita. There are visual cues that make it easy to differentiate between regular QT workers and the hybrid employees, who are armed, according to a previous story.

According to a job description, the purpose of the hybrid employee's role is to "deter illegal activity, theft and vandalism," as well as protect employees, customers, visitors and the company's property. All that will be in addition to the regular, day-to-day activities comprising a clerk's duties.

"This is an extension of what we're already doing," Thornbrugh said. "What I mean by that is we utilize off-duty law enforcement, and we have contractual agreements with security companies to provide assistance.

"All we're doing is hiring some individuals to perform the same work who are going to be full-time employees, that's it."

When asked about its response to the hybrid employee program, Tulsa Police Department declined to comment, directing questions to QuikTrip corporate.

Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado said he is a bit apprehensive but supports any effort to enhance security, particularly when "it's no secret" that law enforcement frequently experiences shortages.

The hybrid employee job requires relevant certifications as armed security officer or a peace officer. The requirements for those certifications vary by state. QuikTrip wants protective agents certified in electronic stun devices, pepper spray, first aid, baton use and hand irons, according to the job posting. The level of experience QuikTrip requires for protective agents working as clerks - at least three years as a peace officer or five as a reserve officer, armed security officer or honorable military service - may preclude many less-experienced applicants from being considered.

QuikTrip began advertising early this month for the new position, with starting pay around $32 per hour. Thornbrugh said it was a challenge recruiting in Wichita for the job. The most challenging requirement, Thornbrugh said, was finding a fit for the QuikTrip corporate culture.  tulsaworld.com

Illinois Supreme Court Justices skeptical of defendant position on harm in biometric privacy suit
At least three of seven Illinois Supreme Court justices appear to be skeptical of the position expressed in oral arguments by Six Flags legal representation that plaintiffs must allege more harm than a technical violation under the state's Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) to establish standing, Law360 reports. The Rosenbach v. Six Flags case is expected to significantly influence the status of numerous lawsuits filed in response to technical or procedural violations of BIPA's informed consent rules.

Six Flags attorney Kathleen O'Sullivan argued that whether an individual is aggrieved under BIPA is a separate question from whether the statutes consent and disclosure requirements have been violated. While BIPA was crafted to address concerns about compromised data, O'Sullivan told the court that "did not mean the Legislature intended to create a private right of action for someone whose biometric data has not been compromised at all," according to Law360.  Read More on Page Two.  biometricupdate.com

"Enough is Enough" Says Cumberland, Ind., PD
Cumberland police cracking down on armed robbery spikes
They said 20 locations have been hit so far this year, after only 11 last year, and nearly half of that the year before. So far, Police are not sure why the spike is happening, but they do believe some of the crimes come from same group of thieves.

Week before last, CPD met with local businesses to give out tips to catch these crooks. They said workers need to be more aware of visual cues like height, weight, or clothing that stands out.

Police will be leaving flyers and stickers at business who take the training. The decals will go in windows to serve as a deterrent. fox59.com

'Being Black, I'm presumed guilty': Dallas shopper posts handcuffing video after being accused of stealing at Stonebriar
Finish Line Makes Bad Stop in Frisco's Stonebriar Mall
A Frisco police officer was waiting to handcuff Lockett and a friend when they left another sporting goods store.

Lockett, who is black, and his friend, Brandon Kibart, who is white, were suspected of shoplifting about $600 worth of items from Finish Line on Wednesday, according to a Frisco police report.

They were handcuffed for several minutes while a store employee rifled through bags filled with purchases from multiple stores - but nothing from Finish Line and nothing that they hadn't paid for. The two men were released after producing receipts for all the items in their bags. 

This is how it happens in America, people," Lockett can be heard saying in a recording of the incident posted to his YouTube channel, CreedCrudeTV. One of his children shot the video. dallasnews.com

Ex-Saks Workers Claim Bias Led To All-White Leadership
Eight men who formerly worked at Saks Fifth Avenue LLC claim systemic age and race discrimination results in younger and white workers being favored by the retailer for leadership positions, in a suit filed Tuesday in New York state court.

Five African-American, one Hispanic and two white men, aged 69 and 70, allege in their suit against Saks, its parent Hudson's Bay Co. and a handful of managers that discriminatory practices at Saks' Manhattan flagship store set them up to miss their sales goals. When they complained about the discrimination, the company retaliated against them by harassing them, denying them promotions and terminating them, the complaint says. law360.com

Google settled racism case from contractor 'treated like a terrorist'
Doing Undercover Work in Shopping Centers & Malls For Google in UK'
New contract offer withdrawn after 'Rashid' complained that undercover project left him vulnerable to profiling

Google was forced to settle a claim of race discrimination by one of its contractors after he claimed he was repeatedly treated as a terror suspect while working on a covert research project to navigate shopping centres for Google Maps.

Ahmed Rashid (not his real name), a UK citizen of Moroccan descent, had an offer of a new contract abruptly withdrawn after he complained to Google about being frequently harassed, racially profiled, and accused of acting like a terrorist while conducting undercover research, for Google in retail malls across the UK, gathering information about the strength and range of wifi signals inside individual stores in the targeted shopping centers without anyone's knowledge.

Rashid and his team had to walk around the targeted stores for set times of six, eight, or 12 minutes depending on the size of the shop. He said: "I was the only one on the team who was visibly Arab, and I was getting stopped and harassed so much by security and shopping centre staff.

Google denied wrongdoing, but agreed to pay Rashid £4,000 to settle the case this year. As part of the deal, Rashid agreed not to discuss the case, but decided to speak out after seeing Google staff stage a global walkout over various forms of discrimination at the company. theguardian.com

Gift Card Spending to Increase by 10%
Logical to Assume 10% Increase in Fraud?
Spending on gift cards is on the rise and is expected to reach $29.9 billion, up from last year's estimated $27.6 billion. Holiday shoppers plan to purchase an average of four gift cards worth approximately $49 each. The most popular gift cards include those for restaurants (purchased by 36 percent of buyers), department stores (32 percent), coffee shops (22 percent) and entertainment (17 percent). nrf.com

NYC's 20% Retail Space Vacancy - Rent Control Won't Help It
Lobbying group says market forces, not legislation, will drive down high vacancy rates

The Real Estate Board of New York continued to attack a potential proposal in the City Council to institute protections for retail stores that critics say would create a form of commercial rent control.

Controversy has also erupted over the number of empty stores in the city, with recent reports challenging a previously reported 20% vacancy rate that has been cited as a sign stores need legislative help. The REBNY report remained conspicuously mum on how much vacant space exists along Manhattan's prime shopping corridors. But recent data from CBRE appears to show that several shopping districts in the city are either close to having a 20% availability rate or one that exceeds it.

REBNY said that 15 out of 17 retail corridors it tracks saw asking rents decline since last fall. The steepest drops were seen in Midtown on East 57th Street where asking rates fell by 29% and on nearby Fifth Avenue from 49th Street to 59th Street where the ask was down 24%. crainsnewyork.com

Live in NYC at NRF's Big Show - LP's Only Digital Conference
Why You Should Get Involved - Shoot a Video - See & Hear Industry Leaders
"Global Spending on Video Advertising Has Skyrocketed & Expected to Continue Growing Rapidly"
From collaborating with influencers and live streaming to interactive and shoppable content, digital video has made a number of significant leaps forward this year, opening new opportunities for brands to engage shoppers - end users.

Digital video can connect with consumers on an emotional level that helps drive results for marketers, which is why global spending on video advertising has skyrocketed in recent years and is expected to continue to grow rapidly.

With digital video consumption on the upswing thanks to trends like cord-cutting, increased mobile use and the proliferation of hardware devices like the Amazon Echo Look and Google Home Hub, the need for a video strategy that runs the gamut from heartfelt stories to performance-drive snippets is crucial. retaildive

The D&D Daily Transfers to its Own Dedicated Server - No More Traffic Jams

Interpol Rejects Russian as President, Electing South Korean Instead
Former Interpol Chinese Chief Arrested When Returning Home By Chinese Authorities

Transparency A Key Trend in 2019


Quarterly Results
Foot Locker Q3 comp's up 2.9%, sales down 0.5%

Registration Now Open for ISCPO 2019
The International Supply Chain Protection Organization (ISCPO) is pleased to announce its 5th annual conference is open for registration at ISCPO.org. The conference will be held March 6-7, 2019 in Dallas, Texas where ISCPO members and loss prevention professionals will hear from industry veterans and get the latest trends in supply chain security, industry theft, global trends, and investigation.

The ISCPO's annual conference brings together loss prevention, security, and protection professionals working within the global supply chain for two days of networking, education, and collaboration. iscpo.org