In Case You Missed It

Macy's VP of AP Will Talk RFID & ORC at RFID Journal LIVE!

Discover RFID and IoT Technology Solutions With The World's Largest Gathering of Qualified RFID Buyers and End Users May 17 - 19, 2022

RFID Journal LIVE! is the world's largest conference and exhibition focused on radio frequency identification and related technologies. Now in its 20th year, LIVE! typically features more than 150 exhibitors from 26 countries showcasing best-in-class RFID tags, readers, software and implementation services. Innovative new products are introduced at LIVE! each year, so you will be among the first to see the newest RFID products.

With attendees from all over the world, RFID Journal LIVE! unites the global RFID community with a unique educational conference. Our 2022 conference will include three days of industry-specific and how-to tracks, as well as general education for those new to the RFID market. Our educational sessions and conference offerings are specifically designed to help all attendees and exhibitors to plan strategies, network, buy and sell, and learn and share ideas.

Joe Coll, Macy's VP of asset protection, will sit down for an in-depth discussion of how RFID technology can be used to bring down organized retail crime (ORC). Macy's has long been employing radio frequency identification to improve inventory accuracy and enhance on-shelf availability, but RFID has provided new insights into what is stolen, as well as where and how this occurs. Coll will explain how RFID and video can be linked to combat ORC.

RFID Journal LIVE! 2022 will feature more than 90 educational sessions in eight industry-specific and nine technical and how-to conference tracks, plus RFID Professional Institute certification training, the co-located IEEE RFID 2022 event and the RFID Journal Awards. What's more, the conference will offer exhibits and demonstrations conducted by the industry's leading technology firms. For more information, visit rfidjournallive.com. rfidjournal.com

Mall Violence & Security Fears Grow After Shootings
Are malls safe? South Carolina, New Jersey shootings raise questions about security, procedure
A pair of shootings at shopping malls this month, first in New Jersey and then in South Carolina, sent shoppers and employees scrambling for safety. The incidents left security experts to answer the question of what malls are doing to keep millions of visitors safe.

In Columbia, South Carolina, 14 people were injured in a shooting Saturday at Columbiana Centre Mall as shoppers browsed on Easter weekend. In East Rutherford, New Jersey, on April 7, a 37-year-old man was shot multiple times at the American Dream mall, one of the country's largest retail and entertainment complexes.

Shopping malls present more security challenges than other public locations because of their large open spaces and interior doorways that lead to restaurants and shops – dead ends with no exterior exits, experts said. Unlike schools, where students participate in emergency drills for active shooters, fires and many other scenarios, shoppers in malls are not clued in on the best action to take.

Brian Higgins, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan and former chief of the Bergen County Police Department, stressed the importance of being prepared for a shooting or similar situation when visiting a mall, even though the chances of such an event are very low.

If a shooting does happen, Higgins said, getting out of the building is the ideal first step. If that is not possible, people should try to hide behind or under something and remember to silence their cellphones.

Mall security and 'run, hide, fight'

As police find faster and more efficient ways to respond to shooting incidents in public spaces, mall officials have ramped up their security systems, responses and training.

Dan Kennedy, senior vice president of U.S. security operations at Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, the owners of Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey, and 24 other U.S. properties, said he sometimes stays up at night thinking of worst-case scenarios.

Every year, all Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield properties undergo a security assessment, and twice a year, they conduct active-shooter and natural disaster training, Kennedy said. At least once a month, if not weekly, the general manager and security directors meet with police to review security plans. usatoday.com

K9 Store Security Sweeps Chicago As Theft Surges 145%
Demand for gun-detecting K-9 units at retail stores skyrockets after Mag Mile Neiman Marcus arrest

The latest solution to Chicago's skyrocketing shoplifting problem has four legs and a tail.

As CBS 2's Tara Molina reported, a gun-sniffing dog already found a firearm on somebody at the Neiman Marcus store on Michigan Avenue. Molina got in contact with a local security company providing those same services – where they say with the growing crime problem, the arrest at Neiman Marcus has their phone ringing off the hook.

"We know firsthand that K-9 is the biggest deterrent out there – period," said Tim Clancy.

The calls that Action K-9 Security is getting now are from retailers and other private businesses. "We are overwhelmed with business," Clancy said. "We're getting calls one after another because of one dog incident."

The firm with the K-9 unit for which Neiman Marcus is working is not a local one; it's based out-of-state. But the calls received by Action K-9 Security – which is a local firm based on the city's West Side – are for services they haven't provided in the past. Clancy said Action K-9 Security worked for a while in the Macy's that has since left the Water Tower Place.

Now, he said, "There's a big trend here about how to protect your stores so you don't leave Chicago." Action K-9 Security could be part of continued ramped up private security efforts we're tracking across the city, with crime continuing to spike.

We found with retail theft up 145 percent in the Near North Side community area, which includes the Magnificent Mile - with more than 330 cases. That makes the Near North community area the hardest-hit area of the city.

"We're bringing something more to the table to deter anyone – including up to three, four, or five individuals from coming in and smash and grab," Clancy said. Clancy said Action K-9 Security is working on plans now where they could have teams work in multiple stores in one day. cbsnews.com

Lawmakers Must Take Action to Fight Soaring Retail Theft
Political leaders must lead fight against organized retail crime
Organized retail crime has a detrimental effect on our neighborhood stores and retailers. Oftentimes, stores find themselves the repeat victim of theft. Not only do the financial losses of stolen goods pile up, but they are often left with shattered windows and broken locks.

Encountering one of these crimes can be traumatic for consumers and employees. And there is no solace when it’s known that there are little repercussions even if perpetrators are caught. We shouldn’t take lightly the real fear this causes for shoppers and employees.

It’s not just stores that are victims of organized retail crime, but our neighborhoods and residents too — partially those in communities of color. As a result of being repeatedly targeted by coordinated thieves, neighborhood stores in many communities have reduced their hours and in some cases even closed permanently.

There is not just one simple fix to solve this problem. That’s why we have formed Californians for Safe Stores and Neighborhoods which is advocating for the governor and Legislature to support a comprehensive solution to dismantle organized retail crime.

First, we need to continue the investment made by Gov. Newsom and the Legislature in last year’s budget with funding for the retail crime task force. Next, we need to address the problem of the digital black market. Senate Bill 301 (Skinner) is a common-sense, online marketplace transparency reform that will disrupt high-volume ‘fencing’ operations and bring criminal enterprises out of the shadows.

Finally, AB 2390 (Muratsuchi) gives members of the Legislature a highly sought-after opportunity to pass a balanced policy proposal that safeguards existing criminal justice reforms while demonstrating that Sacramento is attentive to public safety concerns of Californians.

This desperately needed legislation would open the door for thousands of additional offenders to be eligible for diversion programs established by Proposition 47 — which would deter serial theft and provide individuals an off-ramp from incarceration and into effective and life-changing diversion and job training programs. capitolweekly.net

Cutting Off Retail Theft at the Source
Several states consider legislation targeting theft & online reselling
Retail theft has spiked during the pandemic, and as states wait for federal action, a growing number are taking matters into their own hands when it comes to online marketplaces.

Recent measures aim to prevent both theft and fraudulent sales on platforms like Amazon, eBay and Facebook. Illinois, Ohio, Arkansas, Alabama and Colorado have all passed legislation and more are considering it, according to the Retail Industry Leaders Association.

“Really what we're trying to get at is to make it harder to sell stolen goods from behind a fake screen name, a fake business,” said Jason Brewer at the Retail Industry Leaders Association. “Folks that are using the anonymity of the Internet to dupe consumers into buying something that's stolen.”

RILA says this is a win for both online retailers and the general public. However, Amazon has raised concern that states doing this on their own will create a patchwork of regulations and end up hurting law-abiding sellers.

They're encouraging states to wait for the bill in congress to pass. RILA agrees a federal measure would make things more cohesive but says most states have been following the bill in congress as a framework.

There won't be different kinds of regimes that folks will have to sign up for. It'll just be (…) if you're a small business, you're really providing the marketplace you're selling through with some very basic business information. So it really wouldn't matter what state you're in where you were buying from where you were selling to,” Brewer said.

For those in states that don't have protections yet, Brewer suggests double-checking that a seller is legitimate before buying what may seem like a good deal. thedenverchannel.com

Violent Easter Weekend
US rocked by 3 mass shootings during Easter weekend; 2 dead
Authorities in South Carolina are investigating a shooting at a nightclub early Sunday that wounded at least nine people. It was the second mass shooting in the state and the third in the nation during the Easter holiday weekend.

The shootings in South Carolina and one in Pittsburgh, in which two minors were killed early Sunday, also left at least 31 people wounded.

The three Easter weekend mass shootings are in addition to other gun violence in recent days. Last week, a gunman opened fire in a New York subway car, wounding 10 people. A suspect was arrested the next day. Earlier this month, six people were killed and 12 others wounded in Sacramento, California, during a gunfight between rival gangs as bars closed in a busy downtown area just blocks from the state Capitol. apnews.com

Gun safety activists decry inaction as US shootings surge

Baltimore Police Department plans to hire civilian investigators

New Progressive Crime Agenda Relieving Harm From Past Progressive Agendas

US: 82.4M Cases - 1M Dead - 80.2M Recovered
Worldwide: 506.1M Cases - 6.2M Dead - 458.3M Recovered

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

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 354  
Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 755
*Red indicates change in total deaths

Vaccines ‘Holding Up’ Amid New COVID Surge
Covid Cases Rise In 32 States Amid New Virus Strain
Covid-19 cases are rising in more than half of all states due to the new coronavirus subvariant, but White House Covid-19 advisor Dr. Ashish Jha said Sunday the vaccines are still “holding up” against the virus and the new strain does not cause more severe infection.

The country averaged just under 35,000 new infections in the seven-day period ending Friday, up 42% from two weeks prior, though cases are well below their January peak, when the U.S. faced over 800,000 daily infections, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

New daily coronavirus cases have risen in 32 states over the last two weeks, while 18 saw declines in that period, according to data compiled by the New York Times, with cases increasing by 145% in Michigan—by far the largest increase of any state. forbes.com
 
The Post-COVID Brick & Mortar Comeback
COVID May Have Made Online Shopping Top-Of-Mind, But Traditional Stores Are In Comeback Mode.
While the pandemic has been good to Amazon and other shop-at-home websites such as Wayfair and Etsy, many of which saw record profits over the past two years, current data shows bricks-and-mortar stores making a steady comeback, with consumers finding a balance between online and in-person shopping with vaccines and boosters commonplace and the worst of COVID, for now, in the rear-view mirror.

While online's share of total retail sales during the lockdown-driven second quarter of 2020 hit 15.7%, according to seasonally-adjusted U.S. Census Bureau data, it had fallen to a near-pre-pandemic 12.9% by Q4 2021. This past March marked the first time since COVID where e-commerce sales fell from the same period a year earlier – off 3.3%, the first year-over-year decline since November 2013 – while bricks-and-mortar stores sales increased 11.2%, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse, which tracks transactions made over their payments network as well as survey-based estimates for cash and check spending.

As reported in The Wall Street Journal, several major retailers have seen the trend first-hand. Recent quarterly online sales were down 11% while bricks-and-mortar were up 14% at Dick's Sporting Goods, while Macy's share of online sales moved from 44% a year ago to 39%, and Walmart's overall sales gained 5.6% with online up just 1%. Best Buy, meantime, showed a fiscal year revenue increase even as online sales slipped 12%.

Recent research shows while foot traffic at shopping centers has yet to return to pre-COVID levels, monthly visits to the top indoor malls were up 17% in March from the prior month, according to data-analytics firm Placer.ai, while retailers also opened more physical stores in 2021 than they closed for the first time since 2017, according to an analysis of more than 900 chains by research and advisory company IHL Group. insideradio.com

Why Employees Are Reluctant to Return to Offices
Workers are back in offices. Why does it feel so weird?

From rusty social skills to handshake uncertainty, returning to offices is unavoidably awkward.

As of April 11, an average of 43 percent of workers had returned to offices across 10 of the country’s top business centers, including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and the District, according to data monitored by Kastle Systems. In late December, during the omicron surge, occupancy averaged just 17.5 percent.

The upward creep of office occupancy is charting a major milestone in the country’s emergence from the pandemic, a sign we’re attempting to pick up where we left off. But reunions with colleagues and forgotten Girl Scout cookies and old phone chargers have been accompanied by feelings of uncertainty. Some workers are coming back to the same desks but no longer know their colleagues. Others are braving offices for the first time, having joined the workforce in the remote-everything era.

As singular and transformative as the past two years have been, workers have broadly been having parallel experiences until now. Companies shuttered operations and adopted remote work by necessity and in unison in the early phases of the pandemic. But as the virus recedes and firms are forced to chart their own courses, we’re in “this weird liminal state” that presents an even greater degree of uncertainty. washingtonpost.com

Opening Up the Travel Floodgates
CDC shakes up COVID travel advisory system, removes every country from
its 'Do Not Travel' list
After months of warning all travelers to avoid a long list of countries due to "very high" COVID-19 levels, the CDC has removed all countries from its "Do Not Travel" list.

The federal agency on Monday removed 89 countries from its "Do Not Travel" list. The highest Level 4 designation will now be reserved for "special circumstances" reflecting a dangerous spike in COVID cases, a new variant or health care infrastructure collapse. While the Level 4 list had at one point included well over 100 destinations, there are currently no Level 4 countries. yahoo.com

Uber, Lyft end mask mandates for riders, drivers as COVID cases fall
Uber Technologies and Lyft Inc have scrapped face mask mandates for their riders and drivers in the United States, the ride-hailing companies said on Tuesday, as COVID cases have fallen sharply from their January peak. reuters.com

China’s ‘Zero-Covid’ Crackdown Threatens Global Economy