NRF 2023: Retail's Big Show Kicks Off
Feeling social? Get together at NRF 2023: Retail's Big Show

Connect with friends and colleagues over store tours, table talks, happy hours & more

Stock up on business cards and practice that elevator speech, because the networking and connecting opportunities will be endless at NRF 2023: Retail's Big Show.

From the opening party to invitation-only dinners to activations on the Expo floor, there are spontaneous moments to get together around every corner.

It all kicks off with NRF Retail Week, a week-long celebration of parties, high-profile partner events, innovative store tours, experiential tech, workshops, educational sessions and more. The festivities, which take place throughout New York City, will start on Friday, Jan. 13 and end Wednesday, Jan. 18.

Check out the events calendar

More News Surrounding NRF 2023: Retail's Big Show

Click here to see the NRF Big Show's full agenda

NRF 2023: How Retailers Can Win Over Customers as They Return to Stores

Sensormatic Solutions by Johnson Controls to showcase digital solutions enabling the future of retail at NRF 2023
 

Face matching prevents deadly violence, ORC loss

Retailers note public, political support for face matching technology

Baltimore residents endured 333 homicides and thousands of other violent crimes in 2022. The new year brought the city a ray of crime-fighting hope: Baltimore's short-lived facial recogntion ban expired December 31, 2022. It's the latest example of the legislative trend away from outright bans and toward use of the technology with appropriate guardrails.

The guardrail model's already proven. The influential 2018 California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) provides clear facial recognition guardrails for retailers and privacy safeguards for the public. A majority of Americans surveyed support facial recognition's enhanced safety benefits and accuracy. According to independent polling firm Schoen Cooperman Research, 68 percent of respondents say facial recognition can make society safer.

Other states have followed California's lead, including Colorado and Utah. In April, Virginia legislators reversed a facial recognition ban for the commonwealth's law enforcement agencies. The measure passed with bipartisan support from the majority of each party.

New Orleans, which led the nation in murders halfway through the year, embraced facial recognition technology in July. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell supported the city council measure, which reversed a law enforcement ban in effect since 2020, and signed the ordinance July 28.

Add Cobb County, Georgia, to the list of jurisdictions embracing face matching technology, too. In December, the Cobb Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to allow its police department to use facial recogniton as a crime-fighting tool. Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer said the department's first use of the technology helped identify a murder victim.

Practically speaking, retailers can deploy face matching technology in every state except Illinois.

Here's what you need to know: Modern face matching technology transforms security cameras from passive, reactive tools to proactive, real-time violence prevention tools. FaceFirst's face matching software provides retailers with immediate notifications when ORC thieves, violent offenders, and other known threats enter—a vital situational awareness advantage when seconds matter.

Retailers using facial recognition software have matched active-shooter threats, disgruntled ex-employees, violent ex-spouses, members of ORC syndicates, murder suspects, arsonists, and sex offenders. They have also helped find missing Amber Alert children, missing elderly citizens, and human trafficking victims.

FaceFirst considers the use of AI with human oversight vital for retailers. Calculate the risks of being caught unaware when a known offender enters your store. If you knew there was a proven solution to keep your valued customers and associates safer from violent offenders, would you implement it? The real risk is answering no. FaceFirst's solution is fast, accurate, and ethical—take action today at facefirst.com.
 

'Collective Action to Protect our Stores'
NYC grocery coalition seeks action on retail theft

The group, Collective Action to Protect our Stores, seeks new laws targeting repeat offenders

A new coalition of grocery store operators based in New York City is asking state and city leaders to crack down on shoplifting. In a letter to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and other state and municipal leaders, the group, Collective Action to Protect our Stores (CAPS), outlined specific measures for reducing retail theft, including:

• Creating units in the New York City Police Department and District Attorney's office dedicated to retail theft

• Setting bail for repeat offenders by using so-called "harm on harm" provisions in the state's bail reform laws

• Making assaults on store owners/workers a Class D felony

• Enacting legislation that would allow prosecutors to combine charges to elevate petit larceny to grand larceny

• Enacting legislation that would create new offense, "fostering the sale of stolen goods," a Class A misdemeanor

The group, which includes the National Supermarket Association, the Bodega and Small Business Group, and the Metro Supermarket Association, also said the city should run a public service campaign against shoplifting.

In a recent WABC radio interview, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said his office is seeking to tackle retail crime from two angles: by directing repeat offenders who are stealing to survive toward resources where can obtain food and other assistance, and by working the district attorney's office to pursue organized retail crime rings that often hire people to steal specific products that can then be resold, often online. supermarketnews.com


ORC Surge Driving Demand for EAS Technology
Electronic Article Surveillance Market Is Likely to Experience a Tremendous Growth in Near Future

Global Electronic Article Surveillance Market to reach USD 1.2 billion by 2027.

Global Electronic Article Surveillance Market is valued approximately at USD 0.97 billion in 2020 and is anticipated to grow with a healthy growth rate of more than 3.60% over the forecast period 2021-2027.

In the electronic article surveillance market, APAC is projected to have the fastest growth rate. An increasing number of apparel and fashion accessory retailers, as well as supermarkets and mass merchandisers, are projected to drive increased demand for EAS systems.

Major market players included in this report, among others, are:

• Checkpoint Systems, Inc.
• Sensormatic Solutions
• All-Tag Corporation
• Nedap N.V.

The EAS system prevents theft from shops, bookstores, and libraries, as well as the removal of property from office buildings. The market is driven by the key factors such as high adoption of Acousto Magnetic System for wider protection in retail stores and protection against inventory losses, shoplifting, and theft.

Organized retail crime (ORC) costs the retail industry about USD 30 billion per year, according to the NRF (National Retail Federation). Shoplifting is also a major cause of shrinkage in the retail market, according to the National Retail Security Survey (NRRS).

All of these incidents have prompted retailers to install a theft-prevention system, resulting in increased demand for EAS. However, disruption in retail sector affecting the demand may impede market growth over the forecast period of 2021-2027.   digitaljournal.com


Shopkeepers Fear Criminals More Than Ever
Opinion: We all pay for grocery theft

Cases of grocery store theft are grossly under-reported, and obtaining food theft data is extremely challenging

Grocery theft has always been a major problem, but with food inflation as it is, shopkeepers now fear the wrongdoers more than before. Most such incidents are handled by store management itself. Cases of grocery store theft are grossly under-reported, and obtaining food theft data is extremely challenging.

Most thefts are in-store, off-the-shelf, of only a few products, and usually thefts by people driven by desperation, negligence, or a mixture of both. But the most troublesome and financially damaging incidents for grocers are those carried out by internal employees. These cases rarely make headlines due to their sensitive nature, as the optics can be embarrassing.

Theft, in general, in food retail is taboo. But with the food inflation rate exceeding the prevailing inflation rate for more than a year now, the industry realizes that its theft problem is worse than before.

Some stores are increasing security to prevent theft these days. There are certainly security guards at the entrance, but there is also more security personnel dressed in civilian clothes, patrolling the stores all day pretending to do their shopping.

Elsewhere in the world, certain methods are much more visible. Some stores in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere have even installed anti-theft alarms directly on certain products, especially on meat cuts, cheese, and confectionery.

The other challenge facing grocers is self-checkouts. In a recent survey by our Lab, more than 65 per cent of consumers now prefer to use a self-checkout with an order of fewer than 20 items. They are increasingly popular. But monitoring at the point of service is challenging: the technology is still not yet ready to limit theft. thespec.com


Restricting Guns in Public Places - Including Stores?
Supreme Court Leaves New York's Gun Law in Place for Now

The law, enacted in response to a decision in June striking down a restrictive gun control law, imposed new requirements on carrying guns in public.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed New York to enforce, for now, a law placing strict limits on guns outside the home that was enacted in response to a landmark ruling in June.

The law, enacted in July, requires people seeking gun licenses to show that they have "good moral character" and bans guns in many public locations. In addition, the law bans guns on private property unless the owner consents to their presence.

After the Supreme Court decision, Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York convened an extraordinary legislative session to seek an alternative law, vowing to combat a "gun violence crisis."

"They may think they can change our lives with the stroke of a pen, but we have pens, too," she told reporters during the session, in July. State lawmakers ultimately passed a new law that they said protected public safety while complying with the Supreme Court's decision. nytimes.com


Another Major Mall Facing Theft Explosion
Concerns about thefts around Wolfchase Galleria after latest smash & grab
This latest crime makes around 10 thefts at the Wolfchase Galleria since Jan. 1, 2023. The data of thefts, robberies, breaking and entering and property crime at the mall increased by about 100 incidents from 2021 to 2022. Memphis police said officers routinely patrol the area around Wolfchase Mall.

During heavy shopping seasons, they work alongside the Shelby County Sheriff's Office and the Bartlett Police Department. When we went to the mall Wednesday, there weren't any Memphis police officers patrolling the outer perimeter, but there are three Skycop cameras setup around the mall area.

Memphis police also encouraged everyone to lock their cars while shopping but said they do have an auto theft task force working to combat crime in the area. localmemphis.com


Crime is Top Issue Facing NYC Businesses
Citadel's Griffin Tells NYC Mayor That Crime Is No. 1 Priority
The hedge fund founder and other business leaders attended a roundtable with Mayor Eric Adams to discuss issues facing New York.

Citadel's Ken Griffin told New York City Mayor Eric Adams and other business leaders that public safety is the top priority, and that the city can't be attractive to companies if crime is an issue.

New York has the highest density of financial talent in the world, including more than 1,500 Citadel employees, but crime trumps everything, Griffin said, according to people at Thursday's roundtable meeting, which was closed to the media. bloomberg.com


In some zip codes, men face more risk of gun deaths than those deployed in wars
A study led by Brown University researchers puts the risk of firearm-related death in perspective and calls attention to the urgent need for violence reduction interventions in the U.S.

Retailers are Locking up More and More Items in Texas Stores

How does a child become a shooter? Research suggests easy access to guns and exposure to screen violence increase the risk

US: 103.3M Cases - 1.1M Dead - 100.1M Recovered
Worldwide: 670.1M Cases - 6.7M Dead - 641.2M Recovered

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 362  
Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 828

The Pandemic's Retail Impact
COVID's Impact on Shopping, Supply Chain Remains Profound
The coronavirus pandemic had a profound impact on how shopping and supply chains operate, experts said Jan. 10 during a session at Transportation Research Board's annual meeting.

"During COVID, because we were at home, e-commerce, online shopping, received a huge jump in how much sales they got," Miguel Jaller, a researcher at the Institute of Transportation Studies at Davis University of California, said. "Now back in the last quarter of 2022 they're almost all already at the same trajectory as they had been before the pandemic. And there are many things that are affecting those values."

Jaller noted that at the start of the pandemic, online retail sales jumped in three months nearly as much as they did in the prior decade. But then the trends started to change as the pandemic progressed. The availability of vaccines and relaxation of pandemic restrictions led to the trends beginning to normalize. In the last year, market pressures furthered that.

"There are things like inflation, there are things like the money stopped flowing on the financial incentive that were provided in the U.S.," Jaller said. "We have supply chain issues. Life is returning to a little bit normal. It's now basically still growing at a double-digit, e-commerce is still getting a large market share, but it is not as profound as during those cases in the pandemic." ttnews.com


COVID's Risk in the Workplace
Workplace requirements a strong tool to reduce COVID-19 risk: expert
Workplace requirements are one of the strongest tools for changing behaviors, especially when it comes to COVID-19 vaccinations and masking, according to a cognitive psychologist who spoke Wednesday during a LeadingAge membership call.

Many people were "gleefully happy" to put away their masks, she said, arguing, however, that the increasing number of cases and highly transmissible variants means that it is time to mask up again. But, Chapman said, mask-wearing is an example of the "power of situation."

"We behave in different ways in different situations depending on the context. The important part of context is social norms, or what other people are doing," she said. "If we can structure the situation so mask-wearing looks like the normative thing to do, then a lot of folks are going to follow along and follow that norm."

"Workplace requirements are one of the strongest tools we have for changing behavior," Chapman said. "Psychology shows that when you're trying to persuade someone to take a behavior that they're not super committed to, that even small differences in convenience can make a difference.". mcknightsseniorliving.com


"Long COVID" Grips the Workplace: 2023 Predictions
2023 Workplace Predictions from The Workforce Institute at UKG show that the pandemic's impact is still being felt deeply by employees, leaders, and HR practitioners

China is 'heavily underreporting' number of COVID-19 deaths, WHO says

China's Precarious Moment: Covid Everywhere and Few Restrictions
 

Another Example of Facial Recognition Improving Security
Facial recognition will transform airport security checkpoints

Imagine using technology that never forgets a face, while improving airport security and shortening lines. Such technology exists and may be coming to an airport near you.

Every flyer over the past two decades knows that airport security procedures involve a lot of unpacking, screening and repacking. This is the price that must be paid for using commercial air travel.

Yet, it does not need to be this way, and the Transportation Security Administration has the right idea in testing and deploying biometrics such as facial identification technology at airport security checkpoints.

Although travelers believe that the most important task undertaken by the TSA is detecting threat items, the true role of airport security screening is ensuring that you are the person you claim to be.

The launch of facial identification technology enhances such efforts and has the potential to revolutionize the way that airport security checkpoints are designed and operated.

Facial identification technology ensures that you are who you claim to be. When presenting yourself at a checkpoint, your face becomes your entry pass, based on a repository of pictures that you have voluntarily provided in the past.

After more than two decades in a post-9/11 world, most travelers believe that airport screening is about stopping threat items from getting onto planes. In reality, the focus on detection is a surrogate for stopping bad people from inflicting harm to the air system. By elevating identity validation, the need for threat item detection is reduced. chicagotribune.com


The Blueprint for How to Respond to Union Organizing
How Businesses Should (and Shouldn't) Respond to Union Organizing
Today, more workers than ever say they would join a union if given a chance, and public approval of unions is at its highest level in more than 50 years.

If you respond to worker organizing in a combative or dismissive way, you might be putting your company at risk: tarnishing your brand for consumers, poisoning productive workplace relationships, and deterring future talent from joining. If a union does eventually form at your company, you'll have thrown away an opportunity to build a collaborative relationship. You'll start from a place of dysfunction. Such problems can burden your company for decades.

When your workforce organizes, it can feel like a direct attack on your leadership. You may feel defensive, confused, or angry, especially if organizers single you out, as some do. That may prompt you to lash out or to blame a "third party." After all, your workers couldn't possibly feel this way, so national union operatives or somebody must be fomenting their resentment.

So set your pride aside, try not to take organizing personally, and definitely don't tell workers what's in their interest. They're experts at their own lives and interests, and they're unlikely to accept that you — a powerful leader whose reality may be removed from theirs — know what's best for them. Avoid condescension. hbr.org


Big Lots is closing stores in 2023 — see the full list
The retailer is closing stores in and around big cities and opening them in small towns.

CEOs Say They Expect a U.S. Recession, but Most Think It Will Be Short
Most executives surveyed expect growth to return in 2024 and are trying to weather a slowdown without widespread job cuts

Subway reportedly looking to put itself up for sale in deal that could exceed $10B

Morphe parent company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

Workers at REI store in Orange Village seek union representation