7-Eleven Cuts 14 AP Positions out of Team of 85
As the company had a round of company cuts Friday impacting the entire organization.

Two Other Retailers Are Making Cuts This Week
One today, which we'll be reporting on tomorrow, and the other towards the end of the week.

The Urban Rush - Smaller Stores - Bigger Risks
Millennials Deserting Suburbia
Competing With Amazon on Last Mile Delivery
With retailers from Walmart to Target, and a host of others, now rushing to open smaller urban stores after recognizing that the Millennials, now the biggest consumer group out there, are deserting suburbia. Quite frankly given the over saturated suburbs and the online sales vacuum it makes a lot of sense, especially if you can use them to fill online sales and service the Mellennials now flocking there and if you're looking for any domestic store sales growth.

The problem is, as evidenced by today's article about Portland's urban crime spike (listed below), those stores are going to be facing a multitude of risk factors that the suburbs don't normally contend with. From the spiraling homeless rates, burglaries, theft, panhandlers, drug use, violence, and regretfully tightened city budgets causing police shortages and impacting response times.

We're already hearing these issues out of a number of North American cities. From Toronto to San Francisco to Los Angeles, the urban markets are going to be new challenges for Loss Prevention and keeping stores safe is going to take center stage even more sp than it is today for many. As in virtually every documented report the number one concern is customers don't feel safe shopping in a number of large and growing sections or Districts within these cities. Even if some are used as black markets, as is the case in San Francisco.

Just in the last few months retailers have just gotten the attention of the police chief to start dealing with it in the Bay and that program really hasn't even gotten off the ground yet, and that's after media coverage that should have had city leaders fuming.

The issue is, that as retailers start this small store urban push, Loss Prevention has to be a critical part of the roll-out, which isn't going to be easy. Given the overwhelming need to level the playing field with Amazon on last mile delivery and the constant pressure for domestic sales growth.

This past Friday we reported on how retailers need to look at China now for store growth and that's because we saturated Canada to get out of the great recession and Europe is feeling the same pressures and issues we are. So what we have for growth is China and the small store push in urban America for many.

How we get out in front of this is the question and developing a strong LP model for these stores is the answer. Just a thought. Gus Downing

Downtown Portland's paradox: Crime, public perceptions threaten growth, retailers say
Employment and wages are up, and more businesses have opened than have closed. Vacancy rates remain near historic lows. Skyscrapers command record prices, and cranes loom over the skyline as development dollars and new residents continue to pour in.

Paradoxically, downtown retailers and others are faced with theft, break-ins, human waste and the detritus of the opioid epidemic on a regular basis. These problems are made worse by a shortage of police making the rounds, they say.

As the year drew to a close, the problems remained vexing and defied solutions that are both compassionate and effective. The underlying data raise as many questions as answers, and city leaders, pressed to respond to a situation some retailers feel has reached crisis levels, vow to keep downtown livability and safety as top priorities.

But just the presence of panhandlers or others lingering on the sidewalk can discourage some from visiting downtown's restaurants or shops. Meanwhile, recurring crime, no matter who commits it, wears thin for some.
Now, with more calls and a smaller force, Portland officers spend more time responding to high-priority calls, rather than looking for crime or people in trouble, Turner said.

Overall, Portland crime rates have dropped since the 1990s, mirroring a nationwide decline.

But data show that this year, reported crime has climbed in Portland overall and in downtown, Old Town/Chinatown and the Pearl District. oregonlive.com

Editor's Note: We're starting to see this all over North America, from Toronto to Miami to Portland and San Francisco. All under tight police budgets lacking staffing while the homeless rates continue to climb and the drug market deepens, driving the crime rate and pharmacy robberies.

The one major point the media has left out in their reporting is that with legalizing marijuana across the country we're taking Cartel cash flow away from them, and reports are that they intentionally drove up the potency of heroin and introduced this new drug to the market at cheaper prices to jump start their own cash flow.

So is it all the prescription problem or is it a combination of huge factors driven by supply and demand with the Cartels mainly to blame? The one recent ATF report showing a 163% increase in pharmacy robberies in California alone speaks to the epidemic certainly. Just a thought

Walmart attempts to combat theft while easing burden on police
Walmart reported losses of nearly $3 billion dollars last year – or 1% of its $300 billion in revenue.

“It's a foot-traffic issue,” said Walmart spokesperson Ragan Dickens. “Our stores tend to have more foot-traffic than other retailers.”

Walmart is stepping up anti-theft efforts. Nationwide, new high-tech techniques and training to deter crime lowered theft in Walmart stores by 15 percent this year.

Walmart's newly appointed vice president of asset protection, Joe Schrauder, has been tasked with lowering theft and reducing police calls at Walmart stores.

Anti-theft training has improved, Dickens said. Customer hosts, formerly called door-greeters, are also trained in theft prevention and detection.

Our asset protection teams are now using mobile video, and we have an increased (closed circuit television) presence throughout our stores,” he said. “We've added more cameras to our parking lots, and have improved those at our self checkout stations.”

Additionally, Dickens said the company has also started more covert and advanced technologies to bolster anti-theft efforts.

“We, as a company, have taken a very serious stance against theft,” Dickens said. palestineherald.com

North Texas Dillard’s Hires Cops to Check All Outgoing Customer Bags & Receipts - Illegal Searches
Videos obtained by CBS11 show hundreds of customers at a Collin County department store may have unknowingly been subjected to illegal searches. Some of those customers are outraged and demanding answers from a Dillard’s department store as well as Fairview Police and the Collin County Sheriff’s Department.

Ed Thayer started recording video inside the Dillard’s department store in Fairview on Monday. That’s after the former law enforcement officer saw armed, off duty Fairview Police officers and Collin County Sheriff’s deputies, hired by the store, going through shopping bags of customers before they were allowed to leave.

“There was a line of people probably 30 deep waiting to get out of the store,” he says. “No one could get past the officers unless they had the receipt in their hands and open their bags.”

Fairview Police say the store misled them and should never had put its officers in that role. cbslocal.com

---

Announcing December's LPQ and LPC professionals!
The Loss Prevention Foundation would like to recognize and congratulate the following individuals who successfully completed all of the requirements set forth by the board of directors to be LPQualified (LPQ) and/or LPCertified (LPC):

● Casey Alexander, LPC - Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc.
● Sherry Cramer, LPC - Levi Strauss & Company
● David Cuva, LPC - Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc.
● Douglas Fessenden, LPC - Vector Security Services, Inc.
● Jessika Fields, LPC - Stage Stores
● Amye Goady, LPC - Stage Stores
● Frank Gunning, III LPC - Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc.
● Bryan Halbur, LPC - Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc.
● Juan Interiano, LPC - Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc.
● Jennifer Keisler, LPC - Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc.
● Michael Mazze, LPC - Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc.
● Joshua Meins, LPC - Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc.
● Sean Odell, LPC - Sears Holdings Corp.
● Stephanie Ojeda, LPC - Walmart Stores, Inc.
● Emery Orozco, CFI LPC - Rite Aid Corporation
● Ruben Quinonez, LPC - Bloomingdale’s
● Jeffrey Tungol, LPQ - Walmart Stores, Inc.
● Dennis Wamsley, LPC - Publix Super Markets, Inc.

---

Brokerage Firm's Top Management Running for the Hills
Mattress Firm $40M Real Estate Fraud Suit Update
Founder/Boss & EVP of Real Estate Broker/Fraudster Abruptly Retires From Colliers International's Retail Platform
The founder of Colliers International's Atlanta retail platform — and the one-time boss of its embattled former top broker Alexander Deitch — has retired from the firm and given up his Georgia broker's license.

Colliers Executive Vice President and principal Jon Barry resigned from the firm late last month. Barry said his decision had nothing to do with Mattress Firm's lawsuit. He surrendered his broker's license Jan. 2.

Resignations come during a time when a cloud hangs over Colliers' Atlanta office, especially its retail division. Late last year, the nation's largest mattress retailer, Mattress Firm, sued Colliers International's Atlanta office, Deitch and two former in-house real estate executives, Bruce Levy and Ryan Vinson, for allegedly steering the retailer to locations with leases well above market rates.

Mattress Firm claimed Deitch, Levy and Vinson received kickbacks and lucrative gifts from developers. Mattress Firm did not name the specific stores that it alleges were part of the fraud, but during the trio's time steering the retailer's real estate growth, Mattress Firm inked more than 1,500 new stores.

Last week Mattress Firm announced plans to close 200 locations of their 3,400, on top of 90+ they've already closed. bisnow.com

IT Director & 2 Others Sells Employers Products Thru Shell Co. - $12M Fraud
Buying at Cost From Employer 'The Wholesaler House' - Selling to Retailers & Consumers
Justin Pennington, the mastermind, was employed as an Information Technology Director at The Wholesale House, an Ohio-based company with offices in Jacksonville, he and his co-conspirators created a fraudulent company, 3 Kings, LLC. who purchased $40M in products from The Wholesale House at or near cost and then resold those products to consumers and retailers and also ran up a huge debt for non-payment.

"The subjects in this case developed a sophisticated scheme to deceive a local business owner using a competing business."

Justin Pennington sentenced to five years and five months in federal prison and ordered to pay $4,075,000 in restitution. Two Co-Conspirators Sentenced - three years and five months’ imprisonment and were also ordered to pay $4,075,000 in restitution each. justice.gov

Walmart Looks To Decertify 80K Cashier Seating Class
Walmart asked a California federal court on Thursday to decertify an 80,000-member class of cashiers alleging the retail giant violated state law by failing to provide them seats, claiming that the members can't provide common answers in light of a recent state high court ruling.

The trial is scheduled for this fall. law360.com

JCPenney CEO Marvin Ellison says he's "Going after Sears"
JCPenney says it's helping to suck the life out of its embattled rival, Sears. JCPenney started zeroing in on its competitor two years ago, when it resumed selling home appliances — which represents Sears' most important category — after a 30-year hiatus. He suggested that Sears may eventually close all of its brick-and-mortar locations. businessinsider.com

Jobs are everywhere--except at stores
Retailers lost a total 66,500 jobs in 2017
The job market looks like it doing well right now. Unless you head to the mall.

Record numbers of store closings and a surge in retail bankruptcies, as well as the shift to online shopping, have forced retailers to slash jobs even as other employers scramble to find qualified workers.

General merchandise stores, the segment that includes department stores, were hit the hardest, losing 90,300 jobs, according to the Friday's December jobs report from the Labor Department. Clothing stores cut another 28,600 jobs. Drug stores lost 18,400.

The Labor Department's raw data shows that in December of this year retailers added 55% fewer jobs than they did in the same period of 2016. It was the lowest number of December retail hires ever, according to records that go back to the Great Depression.

"A lot of those jobs are being transferred to fulfillment which is included in warehouse workers or transportation workers. news8000.com

Amazon could buy Macy's, Kohl's, or JCPenney over Target
An analyst's prediction this week that Amazon would buy Target has ignited a fury of speculation about the ecommerce giant's acquisition plans in 2018. Many analysts, like Munster, are confident that Amazon will make another major retail acquisition this year.

Amazon is more likely to go after retailers that have strengths in apparel, furniture, home improvement, and other categories that are still deeply rooted in physical retail. businessinsider.com

Moody's: US retail - Apparel industry woes set to ease as 2018 progresses
As retail and apparel companies emerge from their worst year since the Great Recession, many will be happy to put 2017 behind them, Moody's Investors Service says in a new report. But while more defaults and rating downgrades are expected in the next several months, this year will be brighter overall, even for department stores. moodys.com

East Coast storm disrupts food retailers
Stores reopen quickly as powerful Nor’easter rumbles through. Food retailers along the East Coast appeared to keep their stores open as much as possible as the first major storm of 2018 dropped snow and caused heavy winds from Florida to New England.

Several food retailers, including The Fresh Market, Fairway, Stew Leonard’s, ShopRite and others, used social media to keep customers posted throughout the day Thursday about store closings. Several stores in the Northeast closed early, while others in the Mid-Atlantic re-opened as the storm passed. supermarketnews.com

Rumors Of Flash Mob Spur Increase In Security At Oak Court Mall in Memphis
This weekend, a Memphis mall is bulking up security and banning teenagers without adult supervision. Friday through closing Sunday, Oak Court Mall set up a “parental escort policy” for anyone under the age of 18. It comes a week after gunfire and fights by young people at Wolfchase Galleria, and social media chatter of a similar gathering this weekend at Oak Court. Mall management hopes this weekend's escort policy eases concerns, maintains order, and avoids more bad headlines. localmemphis.com

Holiday Sales Surpass Forecasts, Reflecting Consumer Rebound
Holiday sales were paced by:

● Online/direct-to-consumer sales: up 11.7%
● Home improvement: up 9.5%
● Off-price stores: up 8.4%
● Superstores/clubs: up 5.6%
● Apparel: up 5.1%

Not all retail sectors thrived, however, with women’s apparel retailers and sporting goods seeing sluggish sales at best. Department stores, while far lagging peak performance levels of many years ago, accelerated strongly from prior dismal results, with improved same-store-sales seen at many stores — albeit enabled by multiple store closures. chainstoreage.com

Looming Real ID Deadline Could Cause Airport Headaches for Some
The federal deadline on Real ID compliance has been extended for many states until October, though residents of a few states - Louisiana, Michigan, and New York - could face issues using their driver’s license at the airport in a few weeks.

A forthcoming deadline could cause some big problems for people traveling to your upcoming meetings, depending on where they live. On the plus side, the deadline is later for most states, and the number of states facing a January 22 deadline is far fewer than it could have been.

The federal government’s long-in-the-works Real ID requirements designate that states have ID cards that meet certain minimum standards for security. The deadline for Real ID compliance at airports is supposed to take place later this month, at which time travelers going through a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint at an airport would need to have an ID that meets federal standards. However, the TSA revealed to Condé Nast Traveler this week that it was extending the deadline until October 11, 2018, for a number of states in the process of complying with the Real ID regulations. associationsnow.com

Security Guard Saves Osage Beach Premium Outlets From Massive Fire

Vivint to pay ADT $10 million in deceptive sales lawsuit settlement

Sexual Harassment 101 for Convenience Stores



Holiday Sales

Kohl's holiday sales comp's up 6.9%
Ollie's Bargain Outlet comp's up 3.9%, sales up 19.4%
Barnes & Noble holiday sales comp's down 6.4%



Last week's #1 article --

Macy's to announce 11 store closings & Cost Cutting
AP Takes Cuts According to Sources
Eliminating a number of RVP's, DDAP's and APM's
Store operators are being placed in new AP/Ops positions and the current APM's can apply for remaining positions.

The retailer said it would close 11 Macy's stores as part of the August 2016 plan to shutter 100 doors. With these closures, the retailer will have closed 81 of the 100 stores. Since 2015 Macy's has eliminated 124 doors.

Macy's is also planning to cut costs through a new plan that will see staffing adjustments across the store's organization, with locations losing headcount and others gaining. The effort will also lead to a streamlining of non-store functions as well as one-time charge of about $160 million in the fourth quarter. wwd.com

Update on Macy's AP Realignment
They combined the Operations positions and AP positions at the store, district and regional levels, with keeping investigations and ORC as a separate function. They're also naming 3 Central AP VP's responsible for stores.

Only 2 Days Left! It's Not Too Late to Show Your Team Pride! Submit your Group LP Selfies! Send us your team pictures by January 10th and you'll be entered into our drawing at 'Live In NYC' Broadcast on January 15th for the chance to win a pizza party or trip to NRF Protect 2018!

All the News - One Place - One Source - One Time
The D&D Daily respects your time
and doesn't filter retail's reality  

The Current NRF LP Council Members Today’s Leaders Teaching Tomorrow’s - In Their Own Words NRF LP Council Member Van Carney National Director of Safety, Security & Loss Prevention, Domino's Van has over 34 years of loss prevention, security, safety and auditing experience. In his current role, he leads a distinguished team of men and women protecting the brand, it’s businesses and the people that make it happen. He is on the National Retail Federation’s Security and Loss Prevention Advisory Board. Van is a board member of the Restaurant Loss Prevention Security Association. Van holds a Master’s in Management and Organizational Behavior and an undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice. He is a graduate of the FBI’s Domestic Security Executive Academy and is a member of the FBI’s Domestic Security Alliance Council. Over the years, Van has provided guidance to franchisees and team members in areas of crisis management, employee safety, store security and exception base reporting. What value has being on the council afforded you? The loss prevention and security industry is ever changing. Being part of the NRF’s Loss Prevention Advisory Council has allowed me to work with experts in the field who are as passionate about the industry as I am and who want to continue to improve the industry. Bob Moraca, VP of the NRF Loss Prevention Advisory Council, as attracted a diverse group of loss prevention and security professionals in numerous segments of retail. This talented group of men and women come together several times during the year to discuss the issues, concerns and problems we face in the industry. These meeting and numerous conference calls create a forum to share ideas that can be implemented to improve our specific hurdles we face. In addition, the Advisory Council holds emergency calls when crisis issues occur to share information and best practices. Lastly, there are many loss prevention and security conferences held each year. The NRF’s Loss Prevention Protect is one of the best. The council works very hard to create a conference where the loss prevention and security professional can learn from subject matter experts in the field during various presentations and attend an expo to learn new security industry technologies and to meet key solution providers. It’s an honor and privilege to serve on the NRF’s Loss Prevention Advisory Council. See more NRF Leader Q&A's here COMING TOMORROW  Gary Johnson -Adjunct Faculty at MMTC & Advisory Board Member for ALTO - Former LP Council Chair

Robberies and Burglaries Sponsored by Scarsdale Security Systems ● Adult Store – Iowa City, IA – Robbery ● C-Store – Iowa City, IA – Robbery ● C-Store – Little Rock, AR – Armed Robbery ● C-Store – Jefferson County, OH – Armed Robbery ● C-Store – Centralia, WA – Robbery ● C-Store – Chesterfield County, VA – Robbery ● C-Store – Winston-Salem, NC – Armed Robbery ● C- Store – Decatur, TX – Armed Robbery ● C-Store – Festus, MO – Armed Robbery ● C-Store – Orange, MA – Armed Robbery ● C-Store – Durham, CT - Robbery ● Circle K – Sarasota, FL – Armed Robbery ● Circle K – Oklahoma City, OK – Armed Robbery ● CVS – Evansville, IN – Robbery ● Dollar General – Tulsa, OK – Armed Robbery ● Family Dollar – White Township, NI – Burglary ● Family Dollar – Topeka, KS – Armed Robbery ● Goodwill – Shreveport, LA – Burglary ● Gun Store – Anne Arundel County, MD – Burglary ● Liquor Store – Hicksville, NY – Armed Robbery ● Liquor Store – Madison, WI – Armed Robbery ● Liquor Store – Colorado Springs, CO – Armed Robbery/Shooting - victim found in parking lot ● Liquor Store – Lawrence, MA – Armed Robbery ● Mapco Express – Nashville, TN – Armed Robbery ● Metro PCS – West Covina, CA – Robbery ● Metro PCS – Vancouver, WA – Burglary ● Pharmacy – Volusia County, FL – Armed Robbery ● Pharmacy – Greenville, OH – Armed Robbery ● Piggly Wiggly – Sumter County, SC – Burglary ● Restaurant – Shively, KY – Armed Robbery ● Subway – Chili, NY – Armed Robbery ● Trucking Dealer – Cedar Rapids, IA – Burglary ● Verizon – Menomonee Falls, WI – Armed Robbery ● Walgreens – Sacramento, CA - Robbery ● 7-Eleven – Phoenix, AZ – Armed Robbery ● 7- Eleven – Newport News, VA – Armed Robbery ● 7-Eleven – Austin, TX – Robbery ● 7-Eleven – Waynesboro, PA – Robbery ● 7 – Eleven - Dallas, TX – Robbery Daily Totals: • 33 robberies • 6 burglaries • 1 shooting • 1 killing