US: 34.2M Cases - 612.3K Dead - 28.1M Recovered
Worldwide: 174M Cases - 3.7M Dead - 157.1M Recovered

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

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 279  
Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 305
*Red indicates change in total deaths

U.S. Covid-19 Deaths Fall to Lowest Point Since March 2020
As vaccinations rise, the seven-day average of reported deaths has dropped below 500

“This milestone reinforces that the U.S. is in the homestretch of the epidemic, thanks to vaccinations,” said Andrew Brouwer, an assistant research scientist in epidemiology at the University of Michigan.

The high rates of vaccinations among elderly people, who are most likely to die from Covid-19 infections, have helped push the number of deaths lower. And the steady decline in newly reported cases indicates that deaths, a lagging indicator, will continue to shrink. wsj.com

Fry's Foods, Kroger Division, HR Mgr - Fraudulent COVID Testing Invoices & Ghost Employee Payroll
Human Resources Manager Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Employer Through Payroll and COVID-19 Testing Schemes
BOISE – Douglas Wold, 48, of Meridian, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, one count of mail fraud, and one count of money laundering based on schemes to defraud his employer, Fry Foods, Inc., during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to court records, Wold worked as a Human Resources Manager for Fry Foods, Inc. in Ontario, Oregon, and executed two separate schemes.

First, beginning in at least May 2020 and continuing through August 2020, Wold committed wire fraud by submitting fraudulent payroll requests for individuals who never worked at Fry Foods or who no longer worked at Fry Foods at the time of the payroll requests. Payroll checks were processed based on Wold’s requests. Wold then deposited these fraudulent payroll checks into his own bank accounts.

Second, Wold committed mail fraud with respect to a COVID-19 testing program at Fry Foods’ Weiser, Idaho location in May 2020. Wold issued a fraudulent invoice to Fry Foods in the name of his business, Hala Lallo Health, for $39,995 when, in fact, the testing was provided by another entity and at a greatly lower cost. When Fry Foods paid Hala Lallo Health for the testing, Wold deposited the funds into a bank account he controlled and the company that actually provided the testing was not paid.

Wold committed the offense of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from unlawful activity by transferring $69,116.48 in proceeds from his frauds for the purchase a speedboat and trailer.

Wire fraud and mail fraud carry a penalty of up to 20 years in federal prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. Money laundering carries a penalty of up to ten years in federal prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. justice.gov

CFOs' essential role in promoting employee mental health
For professional accountants, mental health issues heighten the risk of not identifying errors in financial reports or spotting indicators of fraud.

The coronavirus pandemic has put a long-overdue spotlight on mental health. Clinical studies have found a strong correlation between pandemic-related anxiety and behaviors, such as hopelessness or substance abuse, that companies cannot afford to ignore. Implementing an organizational framework to support mental health is not only the right thing to do, it's smart for business. With the potential to alleviate human and financial costs, support for mental health should be seen as core to the finance function’s role in promoting sustainable value creation.

In 2019, the World Health Organization estimated that mental health issues cost the global economy upward of $1 trillion per year. In the wake of the past year, that cost is likely to increase considerably, reinforcing the need for mental health to be a key priority for employers and organizations worldwide. cfodive.com

UK Retailers Not Paying Rent During Lockdown
2/3 of retailers face legal action once the moratorium ends in July over £2.9bn in unpaid rents
With non-essential retailers closed due to lockdowns for eight of the last 15 months, many have accrued huge debts that they are only just beginning to be able to pay. For the first quarter of the year showed that one in seven shops currently lie empty, and this number is expected to rise.

The BRC said that without action, and where agreement between landlords and retailers cannot be reached by July 1, thousands of shops will be at risk of shutting down.

“Without action, it will be our city centres, our high streets and our shopping centres that suffer the consequences, holding back the wider economic recovery.” retailgazette.co.uk

'Hybrid Dressing'
You’re Finally Going Back to the Office. What Are You Going to Wear?
The rules about what to wear to the office are gone. Now retailers, workers and employers are trying to figure out what will work in a world in which the traditional dress code might never come back.

After more than a year of working from home, millions of Americans are heading back to the office—and they need new clothes. That offers a rare opportunity to retailers, who are trying to anticipate what their customers will now want to wear to work. Many brands are scaling back their production of suits, adding more stretch to their pants and using new phrases such as “workleisure.” They are turning out yoga pants that look like dress pants, T-shirts you can wear to work and a dressier version of cork-lined sandals dubbed the “Work Birk.”

‘No one is tucking in their shirts’: wsj.com

Dallas City Council Cracks Down on C-Store Crime With New Ordinances
Here’s how Dallas convenience stores must beef up security to deter crime
An extra camera and lighting are some of the changes now required by the city.

All Dallas convenience stores are now required to have more surveillance cameras, working outside lights and ATMs bolted to the floor.

The changes are part of new city code to address neighborhood businesses linked to crimes and quality-of-life concerns.

The new rules approved by the Dallas City Council on Wednesday will allow the code enforcement department to take over most convenience store inspections from the Police Department. The change is meant to free up officers to only focus on stores that draw the most crime and resident complaints. It’s also to increase the frequency of inspections and tracking of convenience stores.

A sharper focus on convenience stores in the city that drive criminal activity is part of Dallas police Chief Eddie García’s recently unveiled plan to try to decrease violent crime.

Increased outdoor lighting also has been previously identified by Mayor Eric Johnson’s task force on safe communities as a possible crime deterrent. The city has since launched an initiative to improve streetlights in certain areas.

Johnson in March said city data showed crime and 911 calls were down this year in the area surrounding South Dallas’ Opportunity Park after more than 70 new lights were installed two months earlier.

Before Wednesday, the city required convenience stores to install at least two color, high-resolution surveillance cameras, one with a clear view of the cash register and the other where the faces of everyone who enters are visible.

The new requirements would call for at least a third camera that clearly captures the faces of people leaving the store.

The cameras would be required to have a minimum resolution of two megapixels that record at least 15 frames per second. The footage must be kept for a minimum of 30 days.

The new rule would also require working lights that illuminate all sides of the main building, parking area and any fuel pump stations. ATMs need to be secured or bolted to the floor at least 12 feet away from glass windows and doors.

Store owners found violating the new rules could be fined up to $500. dallasnew.com

King County ban on police use of facial recognition software spotlights local movements across US
As federal legislation on law enforcement's use of facial recognition software stalls, dozens of cities and counties are taking measures into their own hands.

Facial recognition opponents rejoiced this week after the local government of King County, Washington voted to ban local police from using the technology.

The move was notable for a number of reasons. The ACLU of Washington said in a statement that the new King County ban on police use of facial recognition software was the first in the country to be county-wide and cover multiple cities.

Electronic Frontier Foundation senior staff attorney Adam Schwartz added that it was the most populous government body to institute a ban, with more than two million residents within its borders. The ban was also hailed among privacy advocates as a direct shot at Microsoft and Amazon, both of which have headquarters in King County's biggest city: Seattle. zdnet.com

Biden Leaves Security Providers on Chinese Blacklist
Biden Expands Blacklist of Chinese Companies Banned From U.S. Investment
Move shows Biden’s willingness to continue some of the hard-line China policies started by former President Trump

An executive order Mr. Biden signed Thursday brings to 59 the total number of Chinese companies banned from receiving American investment and shows how his administration is continuing some of the hard-line China policies left by former President Donald Trump.

The action is one of the firmest to date as the Biden administration conducts a broad review of China policy, including how to deal with tariffs and other trade measures taken by Mr. Trump. So far the administration has advanced few concrete actions against Beijing, though the U.S. recently joined allies in imposing sanctions against Chinese officials engaged in the mass incarceration of mainly Muslim ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang region. wsj.com

Korn Ferry says expect more retail CEO turnover
Just eight new CEOs, which include heavyweights Amazon and Walgreens, manage a big slice of retail with more than $1.7 trillion in market cap.

If you work in retailing, chances are you have a new CEO — or you will soon.

Changes at the top began in earnest during the pandemic, and the momentum of new CEO announcements will continue through 2021 “because new leaders are needed to drive growth in this radically new retail environment,” according to a new report from the largest executive search firm, Korn Ferry.

Most of the moves so far have been from founder/CEOs and longtime CEOs who triggered succession plans. At Amazon, Walgreens, Ulta Beauty, Kendra Scott and The Container Store, the new leaders were chosen to drive dramatic changes that were planned even before the global health crisis forced the industry to re-evaluate its future. dallasnews.com

Benchmarking: Walmart gives 740,000 associates a free Samsung smartphone
The retailer is outfitting nearly half of its US workforce, amounting to 740,000 employees, with a free phone by the end of the year for personal and professional use. The phone, a Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro, normally retails for $499 and Walmart is giving employees a case and protection plan, too.

Walmart said the primary use of the phone is for its new employee app called Me@Walmart, which the company explained in a release is meant to "simplify daily tasks, serve our customers and plan for life outside of work."

Some of the app's features include scheduling, clocking in to their shift and a voice-activated personal assistant for work that "saves time by letting associates ask the app questions to quickly locate merchandise and get answers for customers."

Walmart claims it doesn't have access to any personal data on the phone and employees can access the app only while they're working. Prior to this program, Walmart employees had to share company-owned smartphones and the response following the initial test with personal phones was "good." cnn.com

Macy's adds another 30 days on AP's to vendors - Up 21.6% from LY
Some Companies Are Taking Longer to Pay Suppliers Despite Recovery
Macy’s and Mondelez are among the businesses negotiating longer payment terms after getting used to them during the pandemic

Big U.S. companies on average took 58 days to pay suppliers in their first quarters of fiscal 2021, up 5.5% from 55 days in the comparable period last year, according to research from Hackett Group Inc.

For fiscal 2020, businesses took 62 days on average to settle their dues with suppliers, up 7.6% from the previous year, Hackett said. The full-year data set includes 1,000 companies.

“Term extensions have not gone away,” said Craig Bailey, an associate principal at Hackett Group. Companies, particularly in industries hit hard by the pandemic such as retail, remain cautious about the year ahead as changes to consumer spending patterns during the pandemic have made forecasting demand more difficult, Mr. Bailey said.

Department-store operator Macy’s Inc. has benefited from longer payment terms with its suppliers, Chief Financial Officer Adrian Mitchell said on a May 18 earnings call. It took the company 163 days on average to settle its bills during the first quarter, up from 134 days a year earlier, up 21.6%, according to Hackett. The company in its latest quarter had about $1.8 billion in cash on its balance sheet, up 18% from a year earlier. wsj.com

Editor's Note: Just one example of many. As the solution providers feel the final impact. A traditional role for everyone.

Amazon Hits the Bullseye - Fooling Everybody in the Process
From $6B to $1B Price Tag in 5 Yrs - Amazon Wins in 5 Yrs
Staples Proposes To Acquire The ODP Corporation's Consumer Business for $1B (Stores & Direct Channel business)
Editor's Note: In 2016 the FTC blocked the merger of Staples and Office Depot shocking many who believed the merger was necessary to keep the companies competitive with Amazon.

After several months of battling in court, the FTC blocked the approximately $6 billion merger of Staples and Office Depot in 2016. While most seemed shocked by the news, wondering why the FTC would block a deal that could potentially help Staples and Office Depot keep up with the internet giant, Amazon.

'There's no doubt Amazon was the big beneficiary of the merger falling through'. Just follow the money. In 2016 Staples was willing to pay $6B and today the price is $1B. That's $5B less in 5 years. So in essence Amazon cost those two retailers $1 billion a year. Not to mention hundreds of jobs and lost stock value for pension funds who failed to read the tea leaves and sell.

Now there's a lot more to the story, but leave it to say that the FTC thought they knew better, the Judge over thought it and Amazon, who played a significant role in the entire process including testifying in court, the FTC actually studying their office supply business and strategy - and Amazon coming out against the merger claiming it created a monopoly on the business services side. Bottom line is that Amazon pulled the wool over everybody while they watched Staples and Office Depot struggle in this harsh retail climate while Amazon pointed their guns right at them. Which was the plan all along that the Judge failed to see or recognize. With Amazon knowing full well were it would end up. And quite frankly even with this proposed merger it's only a matter of time before they dwindle even more.

Huge Boon to Crypto Currency - 1st C-Store Chain Adopts it
Sheetz 622 C-stores to accept crypto currencies
The Flexa payment system works by converting crypto currencies to their real-time dollar value as payment to retailers. A few other retailers have piloted Flexa, including Barnes & Noble, Bed Bath & Beyond, Crate & Barrel, GameStop, Lowe’s, Nordstrom, Office Depot/OfficeMax, Petco, and Whole Foods Market.   retailleader.com


Quarterly Results
Costco May Comp's Up 22.8% overall, net sales up 24.2%

Nordstrom Q1 Brand net sales up 37%, Rack net sales up 59%, digital sales up 23%, total net sales up 44%

Five Below Q1 comp's up 162%, net sales up 197.6%

Lululemon Q1 company operated store revenue up 43.8%, E-commerce up 44.4%, sales up 88%

Dollar General Q1 comp's up 4.9%, net sales up 0.6%

SpartanNash Q1 retail business unit comp's down 7%, retail unit net sales down 5.5%, food distribution segment net sales down 2.6%, overall net sales down 7%