Sensormatic Solutions by Johnson Controls collaboration with Unacast extends shopper insights beyond the store

NEUHAUSEN, Switzerland - Sensormatic Solutions, the leading global retail solutions portfolio of Johnson Controls, announced an expanded collaboration with Unacast, combining consumer mobility data with in-store traffic data to help retailers build world-class shopper insights capabilities that span the entire path to purchase. The enhanced collaboration will provide retailers with a better understanding of how far their customers travel to stores and where they go before or after their visits.

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Major Retailers Call for Action Amid Nationwide Theft Wave
Retailers Push AGs for Stricter Punishments for 'Out-of-Control' Shoplifting

Rite Aid shuttered in NYC's Hell's Kitchen had $200,000 in goods stolen in two months and CVS says it has experienced 300% increase in theft since the pandemic started

Retailers are pushing lawmakers for stricter punishments against shoplifters as a crimewave sweeps the nation, including in New York City where a Rite Aid store in midtown Manhattan has closed its doors after having $200,000 worth of product stolen in just two months.

CVS has also been plagued by a 300 percent increase in retail theft since the pandemic began, the company confirmed to DailyMail.com on Friday.

In addition to petty theft, stores in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago are experiencing large numbers of brazen thefts, burglaries and looting by organized crime gangs.

Leaders in the retail industry - which was already hard hit by the impacts of the pandemic, labor shortages and supply chain interruptions - argue theft has gotten out of control and security guards have their hands tied, as they are told to 'observe and report' and not get physical with criminals.

Retailers and citizens alike are urging state attorney generals and Congress to take action by passing new legislation, stricter laws on bail reform and felony thresholds, and creating anti-shoplifting task forces.

Crime has become so rampant that even the Rev. Al Sharpton has called on New York City Mayor Eric Adams to crack down on shoplifting, saying basic items such as toothpaste are now locked up at local pharmacies to try and prevent theft.

'It's out of control — it is just out of control,' Lisa LaBruno, SVP of operations and innovation at the Retail Industry Leaders Association, told Axios.

The CEOs of nearly two dozen retail companies have called on Congress to pass the INFORM Consumers Act, which would require online marketplaces like Amazon and eBay to verify sellers and allow buyers access to seller verification and contact information. dailymail.co.uk

Is Theft Really the Reason Behind Big City Store Closures?
Shoplifters Aren’t the Reason New York’s Chain Pharmacies Are Closing
The tabloids ran with claims that out-of-control theft was killing our local drugstores. (This particular store did see a lot more thefts reported in 2021 than in previous years: 249 petit larcenies, compared to 48 in 2019.) The Post alone ran at least five related articles in the following days, pushing its crime-and-chaos narrative and dinging new Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg for some of the policy changes he’d promised in his “day one” memo.

Almost immediately, Bragg announced the formation of the Manhattan Small Business Alliance with a mission to reduce shoplifting. And last week, he reversed several of his criminal-justice reform policies in response to related backlash.

Asked about the Manhattan store closures — and whether shoplifting played any role — a Rite Aid spokesperson says only that that the decisions “are based on a variety of factors that retail businesses consider such as overarching business strategy, lease and rent considerations, local business conditions and viability, and store performance.” Again, no mention of shoplifting.

This general contraction is also an industry-wide trend: The prior month, CVS said that it would be closing about 10 percent of its stores in the coming three years — some 900 locations — in response to “evolving consumer needs.” A spokesperson for CVS tells me that the company has not closed any stores due to shoplifting.

Regardless of the actual reasons for the closures, has there been a recent surge in shoplifting in New York’s chain pharmacies at all? We don’t really know. “The data that is shared with the public on the NYC Open Data Portal does have info on shoplifting, but it is only shared quarterly,” meaning that the most recent data aren’t yet available. In general, though, he says that shoplifting information tends to be unreliable because its reporting is variable and arbitrary. There’s no national database, and across jurisdictions, shoplifting data is classified in many different ways that don’t match. This makes it really hard to figure out what’s going on at any time, let alone to compare across times and places.

“Let’s put it this way, because you want evidence: Right now it is, by and large, anecdotal,” says Read Hayes, a researcher at the University of Florida’s engineering college and director of the Loss Prevention Research Council, which analyzes and models data for corporations on product loss from things like flooding, storms, and theft. (Hayes describes the politics of his work as “alt-middle.”) “Unfortunately, shoplifting is not reported well, by the victims or the police,” Herrmann says. curbed.com

NYC Shootings Up 30% - Robberies Up 35% - Grand Larceny Up 62%
Op-Ed: Weekend horrors show NYC must have new crime policy
Another weekend, another raft of horrors - from stabbings to shootings to hate crimes: How many will it take for the Democrats who run the Legislature to pass the modest reforms Mayor Eric Adams requests?

Driving it all is the progressive soft-on-crime ideology, district attorneys committed to not enforcing the law and legislators determined to keep lawbreakers out of jail.

Lawmakers and pols know the policies now in place enable crime. Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg has spent the past weeks reluctantly ceding only the most outrageous of his directives. The Legislature’s leaders, meanwhile, refuse to make fundamental fixes to the no-bail and Raise the Age laws.

And so city crime rises on: Shootings up 30% over 2021; rapes and robberies, 35%; grand larceny, 62%. Accused felons with felony priors who get released under the no-bail law routinely get caught re-offending within months, as every potential Nash is basically encouraged to get worse.

Progressives’ only priority is the safety of alleged criminals. Thus , alleged attempted murderer Darius Mungin was cut loose from Rikers this month after Bragg’s prosecutors — called “very sympathetic” by Mungin’s lawyer — worked to lower his bond, citing concerns over his safety in the prison. What of the safety of law-abiding citizens? nypost.com

NY's Bail Reform 'Disaster'
43% of people let go with no bail on a serious charge in NYC were rearrested
In 2019, the state legislature passed the new bail laws (slightly amended in 2020) that essentially replaced bail with “non-monetary release.” Under this program, a judge who found that a defendant was a flight risk, or likely to not appear in court, could release the defendant on NMR, and place conditions on his release — pretrial services, pretrial supervision, passport surrender, maintain employment, for example. These are, essentially, the defendants who would have had bail set but are now released into the new NMR.

When we look at the numbers from that perspective, they are truly alarming. The bail laws passed by the Legislature have been a disaster for New York state and particularly New York City.

Consider: In New York City between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021, 26,535 people were arrested for a felony. 69% of them, 18,239, had a prior conviction or a pending case. 4,062 of these defendants were released on non-monetary release. Of the 4,062 released on NMR, 1,737, or 43%, were rearrested while their case was pending.

Think about what that means. A defendant who has a prior conviction or a pending case gets arrested for a felony. A judge reviews his record and finds that he is a risk of fleeing. The judge cannot set bail and releases the defendant on non-monetary conditions. Almost half of them, 43%, get rearrested while their case is pending. nypost.com

Another State, Another ORC Bill
Missouri Bill Targets Organized Retail Theft Crime Rings
Mobs of thieves have hit up retailers around the country recently by quickly raiding stores and taking off with piles of merchandise in a matter of minutes. State Representative Lane Roberts, R-Joplin, is sponsoring a bill meant to address these organized retail theft crime rings, such as so-called smash-and-grab robberies. A Missouri House committee is considering his proposal.

“Currently retail theft has become a major issue for our retail industries in addition to the loss those deaths have become more and more violent,” says Roberts. “Currently that lack of transparency online has made it easy to hide behind a screen name and fake business information and peddle stolen products.”

The legislation would create the felony offense of organized retail theft and require online marketplaces to obtain and regularly verify certain information from high-volume third-party sellers.

Jeremy Sutherburg, Asset Protection Director with Walgreens in Missouri, says the company supports the plan. He says Walgreens noticed an uptick about three years ago in organized theft of items in bulk, including violent incidents, especially in St. Louis and Kansas City.

“About three years ago, I spent about $1.5 million a year, believe it or not, on security, and off duty law enforcement’s just for our Walgreens stores to keep our team members protected. This year, I’m on pace to spend almost $4.5 million. Because when these individuals come in, if anybody gets in their way or even perceives to get in their way, they’re immediately going to threat with violence,” he says.

Tom Dempsey, who lobbies on behalf of Amazon, says the online retail company opposes the plan. missourinet.com

The Evolution of Shoplifting in San Francisco
Viral Retail Theft Videos Spark Outage - But What Does the Data Say?
Incidents of shoplifting in San Francisco have taken a prominent place in both local and national dialogue. Public perception of the crime has been fueled by viral videos, media coverage and the outraged calls of some residents. Yet according to statistics from the San Francisco Police Department, incidents of reported retail theft are down compared to years prior.

So we wanted to know: How has the city been talking about—and addressing—shoplifting over the past 15 years?

We took a look back at Board of Supervisors meetings, Police Commission meetings, and other legislative forums, scouring for major milestones in San Francisco’s long-running effort to stem retail crime.

And what we found might surprise you. Watch the video for a rundown of that evolution. sfstandard.com

Baltimore: City and state leaders back crime fighting initiative for "The Block"

US: 79.5M Cases - 946.1K Dead - 50.2M Recovered
Worldwide: 414.5M Cases - 5.8M Dead - 336.6M Recovered

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

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 346  
Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 643
*Red indicates change in total deaths

COVID Cases, Hospitalization & Deaths Decreasing

End of 'Public Health Emergency'?
COVID-19 cases drop by 40% in US
The COVID-19 surge caused by the Omicron variant continues to recede in the United States, with the nation reporting a 7-day average of 175,492 new daily cases, with 2,458 daily deaths, according to the Washington Post tracker.

New daily cases fell 42% in the past week, deaths fell 6%, and hospitalizations fell 19%. The United States reported 32,531 new COVID-19 cases yesterday, and 441 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 tracker.

The drop in cases—almost 2 years into the pandemic—has caused lawmakers across both sides of the aisle to dismantle pandemic restrictions in states and cities.

Late last week, Republican members of Congress said it was time for President Biden to end the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), which is set to expire on Apr 15.  cidrap.umn.edu

Amazon Inches Toward a Return to 'Normal Operations'
Amazon rolls back mask mandate for some vaccinated warehouse workers
Amazon will no longer require its fully vaccinated warehouse employees to wear face masks at work in states that have eased up on mask mandates, the company said in an internal memo Thursday.

The announcement comes as a string of states, including California, Delaware and Oregon, have said they plan to end or scale back their mask mandates soon.

Under the new policy, those who are not yet fully vaccinated or whose states have not scaled back mask regulations must still wear face coverings in Amazon facilities.

"There has been a sharp decline in COVID-19 cases across the country over the past weeks," the memo said, a copy of which CNN obtained and whose authenticity was confirmed by Amazon. "Along with increasing vaccination rates across the country, this is a positive sign we can return to the path to normal operations."

In the same memo, the e-commerce giant also announced plans to restrict its offer of Covid-related paid leave. Starting March 18, the memo said, only fully vaccinated employees will be eligible to receive Covid-19 paid leave in the United States. The restriction does not apply to those with medical or religious exemptions. cnn.com

Another Retailer Lifts Mask Mandate
Wegmans updates mask policy after NY lifts mandate
Wegmans shoppers will no longer be required to wear masks while inside the chain’s stores. The new policy is effective today, according to Wegmans. The move comes after Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday that New York’s statewide indoor mask mandate for businesses would end today.

Businesses and local governments are still allowed to require masks if they choose to. New York’s indoor mask mandate had been in place since Dec. 10. Businesses could forgo the mask requirement if they got proof of Covid-19 vaccination from all customers and employees.

The change in state policy also means masks are no longer required for shoppers at other big retail chains, including Target, Walmart, BJ’s and Costco. The companies have all said they follow local and state rules on Covid restrictions.

Declining Covid numbers prompted the decision to end the mask rule for businesses now, Hochul said Wednesday. Cases and hospitalizations in the state have been falling rapidly in recent weeks. syracuse.com

Retail Executive Resigns Over COVID Views
Levi’s exec says she resigned rather than end her campaign against COVID school closures
A Levi’s executive who has repeatedly attacked government efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19 announced her resignation from the company Monday, writing that she was “condemned” by colleagues and corporate leaders for expressing her opinions about the pandemic and particularly about reopening schools.

Jennifer Sey, an executive vice president at Levi’s overseeing marketing and merchandising, said she was pressured by the company to refrain from making public statements about what she believed to be “draconian policies” related to school closures.

Sey has publicly supported the recall of three San Francisco school board members and has tweeted extensively about the response to the pandemic, including her dismay at the “demonization” of the unvaccinated and her critique of “hypocritical and unproven policies.” Sey said her family moved from San Francisco to Denver in order to escape the city’s pandemic-related restrictions.

Ancel Martínez, a spokesperson for Levi Strauss & Co., confirmed in a statement that Sey resigned from the company but declined to comment on Sey’s characterization of the reasons behind her departure. sfchronicle.com

America's Patchwork of Mask Guidance
Mask mandates are lifting in many states, but not everywhere
Since a parade of blue-state governors began loosening restrictions last week in response to rapidly declining caseloads, more states and cities have since followed suit. But officials in some cities and school districts are keeping mandates in place, with rules varying county by county in some cases.

Mask mandates in Rhode Island, Delaware and Nevada ended last week. Restrictions are loosening despite the United States reporting about 2,400 deaths each day — more than at any point of the pandemic except last winter — and more than 150,000 new cases.

While the movement to ease restrictions began in swing states like Colorado, Pennsylvania and Michigan, its spread to some of the bluest states reflects a country entering a new political phase in the nearly two-year pandemic. Many indoor mask requirements have evolved, but vaccine mandates have largely remained unchanged.

Federal rules still require masks on all forms of public transportation and in transportation hubs, including in subway stations, bus terminals and airports, at least until March 18. nytimes.com

Nearly 1,500 NYC Workers Fired Over Vaccine Mandate
N.Y.C. fires 1,430 workers, less than 1% of city employees, over a vax mandate
New York City fired 1,430 city workers on Friday for failing to comply with its vaccine mandate, a figure that represent less than 1 percent of the city’s work force, but likely the nation’s largest mass termination of municipal employees in response to a Covid vaccine mandate.

Mayor Eric Adams announced on Monday that 1,428 workers, who had already been on unpaid leave for months, were sent termination notices after they failed to receive a first dose of the vaccine. Two newer hires, who faced more stringent requirements, were also fired for failing to receive two vaccine doses. Nearly 4,000 city workers had faced a deadline of Friday to comply with the vaccine mandate.

Mr. Adams celebrated that many of the city’s 370,000 workers got vaccinated by the deadline. About 95 percent of the city’s workers have received at least one dose of the vaccine, an increase from 84 percent when the mandate was first announced in October.

About 900 of the fired staff worked at the Department of Education; about 100 worked at the New York City Housing Authority, the public housing agency; 36 were from the New York Police Department. nytimes.com

Only 3% of white collar workers want to return to the office full-time
Just 3% of white collar workers want to return to the office five days a week, according to a poll, which warned employees will quit if bosses force them back full-time.

Washington, D.C., will drop its indoor mask and vaccine mandates

Moderna, Pfizer stocks fall as Covid omicron wave subsides in U.S.