Checkpoint set to present its latest technologies at NRF Protect 2022

Checkpoint will unveil its latest innovations in the US

THOROFARE, N.J., June 17, 2022 - During the upcoming NRF Protect event in Cleveland, OH from June 21-23, Checkpoint Systems – a leading provider of source to shopper solutions – will present its latest innovations, designed to enable retailers to better protect merchandise and increase sales.

NRF Protect is renowned for bringing together retail industry professionals who focus on loss prevention and other aspects of security. This year the event will be addressing the challenges being faced in the post-Covid-19 era.

New innovation on display in the US for the first time

Checkpoint's team of experts will be on-hand during the show to demonstrate its newest technologies and wide range of solutions developed for apparel, big box, discount, grocery and DIY retailers, as well as drug and department stores.

Read more here
 

For retailers and friends of Axis Join Axis on the EDGE [of the river] at Collision Bend Brewing Company for an evening of good food, drink, and conversation. This is a great opportunity to connect and catch up with your industry colleagues in a relaxed environment away from the show floor. All retailers, technology partners, and integrators are welcome.

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The U.S. Crime Surge
The Retail Impact

30,000-Foot View of SF's Cartel-Backed Organized Retail Crime
The Criminal Order Beneath the 'Chaos' of San Francisco's Tenderloin
The epicenter of the political earthquakes rattling San Francisco’s progressive establishment is a 30-square-block neighborhood in the center of downtown known as the Tenderloin. Adjacent to some of the city’s most famous attractions, including the high-end shopping district Union Square, the old money redoubt of Nob Hill, historic Chinatown, and the city’s gold-capped City Hall, it is home to a giant, open-air drug bazaar.

Nancy Tung, a prosecutor who once handled drug enforcement in San Francisco, called it “ground zero for human misery.” Kathy Looper, who has run a low-income, single resident occupancy hotel in the Tenderloin for more than 45 years, said, “It feels like we’re in Gotham,” adding that she once considered putting a spotlight on her hotel roof and projecting a Batman signal into the sky.

The crime and disorder of the Tenderloin may appear to be symptoms of deep and mysterious sociological forces. Chesa Boudin, who was ousted last week as San Francisco’s district attorney because of his lenient policies, argued, “We can’t arrest and prosecute our way out of the problems that are afflicting the Tenderloin.”

But there is a fairly straightforward kind of order beneath the chaos: an illicit market economy operating in plain sight. The Tenderloin is home to two sprawling, overlapping transnational organized crime networks – one centered on drugs and the other on theft – which thrive in that neighborhood because of the near-total absence of the enforcement of laws.

Crowded onto its street corners and inside the tents congesting the sidewalk, countless petty criminals play their roles in a structured and symbiotic criminal enterprise. Its denizens fall into four main groups: the boosters, typically homeless and addicted, who steal from local stores; the street fences who buy the stolen merchandise; the dealers who sell them drugs for the money they make from the fences; and, at the top of the stack, the drug cartel that supplies the dealers and the wholesale fences that resell the goods acquired by street fences.

Experts say the city could, in fact, arrest and prosecute its way out of most of the problems in the Tenderloin if it chose to. “Everyone knows what’s going on. The cops, mayor, and D.A.,” said Tom Wolf, a recovering addict. “Everyone knows it's organized and cartel-backed. They just don't think it's worth it to stop it, because nothing’s going to change anyway. They've surrendered.” realclearinvestigations.com
 
Lawmakers Target Online Marketplaces for Fueling the ORC Crisis
Stolen goods sold on Amazon, eBay and Facebook causing havoc for retailers
There’s a reason ORC is on the rise: “What fuels this as an enterprise is the ease of reselling stolen merchandise on online marketplaces,” said Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, who convened a national task force of state attorneys to make it easier to investigate across state lines. “It’s no longer the age where it’s done at flea markets or in the alley or in parking lots.”

Retailers say a total of $68.9 billion of products were stolen in 2019. In 2020, three-quarters said they saw an increase in organized crime and more than half reported cargo theft. Some big chains blame organized theft for recent store closures or for their decisions to limit hours.

For the U.S. Government’s Homeland Security Investigations unit, organized retail crime probes are on the rise. Arrests and indictments increased last year from 2020, along with the value of stolen goods that was seized.

While data is imprecise about the perpetrators, there’s growing consensus that an entirely different group should be held accountable: e-commerce sites. Amazon, eBay and Facebook are the places where these stolen goods are being sold, and critics say they’re not doing enough to put an end to the racket. The companies disagree.

Unlike products purchased off the shelf at Walmart or Home Depot, internet companies have claimed they’re not responsible for the quality and safety of products from outside merchants who use their platform. That defense doesn’t work when it comes to enabling the sale of stolen goods. In December, 20 major retailers, including Home Depot, Best Buy, Walgreens and Kroger, sent a letter to Congress, asking lawmakers to crack down on online marketplaces by requiring stricter verification of sellers.

The House has passed a bill called the INFORM Consumers Act, which would require some sellers on sites such as Amazon, eBay and Meta’s Facebook Marketplace to provide a verifiable bank account, tax ID and a working email and phone number. It’s now awaiting a vote in the Senate.

In its current form, the bill requires verification data only from sellers doing north of $5,000 in revenue every two years. It also requires marketplaces to give consumers a way to contact certain sellers after making a purchase, and a system for reporting suspicious seller behavior or illicit goods. Amazon, eBay and Meta all say they support the bill. cnbc.com

Prop 47 Fueling CA's Retail Havoc
Another California Shoplifting Victim

The state’s law on misdemeanor theft, eased by Prop. 47, is creating retail havoc.

Retailers in California warn that deadly encounters could become more common as criminals become emboldened. Blame Prop. 47, a 2014 ballot initiative that made stealing up to $950 in property a mere misdemeanor. Progressives such as George Soros, Gov. Gavin Newsom and socially conscious business executives backed the initiative.

They argued the change would save the state and localities money on jailing supposedly low-level offenders such as drug users. But it’s costing businesses a fortune. Thieves now often go from store to store, swiping shelves clean of merchandise. A common related search on Google these days for “shoplifting in California” is “How much can you steal in California without getting in trouble?”

Walgreens has closed 22 stores in San Francisco over the past five years largely due to the shoplifting epidemic. One Safeway in San Francisco has reduced hours, hired security guards and added barriers around self-check areas to reduce shoplifting. But retailers can’t arrest thieves, and many don’t bother reporting them because they are rarely charged.

San Francisco voters last week recalled progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin over his soft-on-crime policies. It’s a sign of how fed-up even many liberals are with rampant crime and public disorder. But Prop. 47 is hamstringing prosecutors and police statewide.

A Los Angeles Times-UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll in February found that voters by a two-to-one margin favor rolling back Prop. 47’s limits on felony prosecutions of property crimes. Why don’t Democrats in Sacramento ask voters for a mulligan and put reforms to this misconceived law on the ballot? wsj.com

Cartels Using Malls as Distribution Hubs for Fentanyl
Houston resident sentenced for attempting to bring kilos of deadly fentanyl to Galleria Mall
A 22-year-old man has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute approximately 4.65 kilograms of fentanyl, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery. Juan Alvarado-Vargas pleaded guilty April 5.

Today, U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo imposed a 72-month term of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release. In handing down the prison term, Judge Marmolejo noted that Mexican Fentanyl is extremely dangerous and responsible for deaths all over the United States.

On Oct. 3, 2021, Alvarado-Vargas attempted to drive through the Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint along U.S. Highway 59 near Freer. During a search of his vehicle, authorities discovered approximately 4.65 kilograms of fentanyl hidden inside his car battery.

At the time of his plea, Alvarado-Vargas admitted that smugglers had offered him approximately $4,500 to illegally transport drugs into the United States from Mexico. He further admitted that his ultimate delivery destination was the Galleria mall in Houston.

Fentanyl is a synthetic painkiller drug that has morphine and opioid-like side effects, but works at a mere one-hundredth of the/of a regular dose. Inadvertent exposure to high doses of fentanyl in micrograms can result in respiratory failure, overdose and ultimately death. Remember #OnePillCanKill

Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco J. Rodriguez prosecuted the case. justice.gov

More coverage of the case from ICE: HSI, federal partner probe results in sentencing of Houston man for attempting to bring narcotics to local mall

Policing Social Media for Mass Shooting Threats
N.Y. sheriff unveils threat assessment unit after Buffalo supermarket shooting

The Behavioral Threat Assessment Team will monitor social media and investigate potential threats, said the Erie County Sheriff's Office

That is the idea behind a new team to be formed within the sheriff's office that will investigate and act against potential mass shooters and others intent on doing harm to a large number of people, Sheriff John Garcia said.

The creation of the Behavioral Threat Assessment Team, plans for which were unveiled Thursday, comes in response to the recent mass shootings here and in Uvalde, Texas. Both attacks, Garcia said, shed light on the importance of police and government beginning to address the issue of behavioral threats that have also caused similar tragedies across the country.

The team's mission is to form a consortium of community stakeholders with diverse expertise and the resources to identify and close threat gaps in Buffalo and Erie County, the sheriff said.

The team will act as a clearinghouse of information and will also monitor social media and fringe ideologies online in an effort to identify individuals who pose a public threat in order for law enforcement to disrupt or redirect their activities, Garcia said.

Some of the new team's partners will include the District Attorney's Office, state police, Secret Service, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. police1.com

ORC Hitting Hawaii
Organized retail crime threatens Hawaii’s economy
Organized retail crime has become an increased threat to the economy, with groups making large purchases of stored-value cards, high-dollar wire transfers tied to wholesale companies involved with health and beauty supplies, among others.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS) have partnered to help combat organized retail crime, which is leading to more violent attacks in stores throughout the country.

“In Hawaii, organized retail crime is not something that only impacts large department stores. It hits small businesses particularly hard,” Special Agent in Charge John F. Tobon said in the announcement. “It hurts the economy, businesses owners and the consumer in many ways.”

The report highlights red flags associated with criminal organizations and serves as a guide for law enforcement — it outlines red flags associated with schemes generating billions of dollars annually. khon2.com

Crime Spreading into the Suburbs
Crime spills into dozens of Minneapolis suburbs, sparking fear among residents
A combined 51 homicides were recorded in 2021 across suburban areas - with the majority occurring in northern metro suburbs - compared to 22 in 2019. The majority of suburbs did not see an increase in violent crimes, but nearly all suburbs saw increases in property crimes, such as car and catalytic converter thefts, the report found.

He said the crime began increasing in 2020, pointing to the riots and protests of that summer, the coronavirus and various high-profile deaths during police interactions. foxnews.com

North Carolina lawmakers putting final touches on two-year spending plan
Legislation could focus on a number of policy issues, including efforts to deter organized retail crime

Buffalo mass shooting suspect appears in court on federal hate crime charges

Tampa police chief to host violent crime forum on Friday

 

COVID Update

592.2M Vaccinations Given

US: 87.8M Cases - 1M Dead - 83.6M Recovered
Worldwide: 543.2M Cases - 6.3M Dead - 518.4M Recovered

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

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 359  
Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 784
*Red indicates change in total deaths

COVID Continues to be a Great Disrupter
Covid-19 Disrupts Summer Plans as Variants Keep Case Numbers High
Many people are embarking on a summer of vacations, concerts and weddings put off during the height of the pandemic. Covid-19 is still finding ways to disrupt some of those plans.

Covid-19 isn’t causing acute illness and death on the scale it once did, thanks in part to protection built up by vaccines and prior infections. But Covid-19 is far from under control, epidemiologists say, and the virus is sickening and sidelining people from work or social events as it continues to spread.

The U.S. is logging some 100,000 known cases a day, and many more are being detected via at-home tests health departments don’t track. This is a stark difference from a year ago, when U.S. cases sank below 12,000 a day, the lowest level since the first surge, as vaccinations rose and many hoped the virus was in retreat. wsj.com

The Pendulum is Swinging Back After COVID's Retail Disruption
Retail Moves From “The Great Acceleration” To “The Great Rebalancing”
During the early part of the pandemic, it became popular to say that we had experienced 10 years of e-commerce growth in only 10 weeks. While that was rather obviously not close to being true, the idea of a “great acceleration” in just about all things retail made its way into the popular vernacular. Moreover, many media outlets and retail pundits declared that some trends—most notably grocery home delivery—were permanent sea changes. As it turns out, not so much.

While it’s clear that some important shifts did occur during the Covid crisis, it’s also quite apparent that right now we are experiencing much more of a “great rebalancing” and a rather clear return to more familiar shopping patterns.

As revealed in US Census Bureau monthly sales data report, spending in the areas with the greatest activity spikes over the past two years are almost all decelerating significantly, and the most pronounced spending shifts of the recent past are seeing a reversion closer to the mean.

This rebalancing, along with a growing (but eminently predictable) shift of consumer spending away from products to services, seemed to inexplicably catch quite a few retailers by surprise. As many companies work to aggressively lower their inventory levels, we may witness uncharacteristic shopping patterns in the goods most likely to be hit with steep markdowns in the coming months. But this too shall pass. forbes.com

Going to Stores is Cool Again
Shopping in stores is back and thriving. Here's why
The Covid-19 pandemic was expected to turn us all into permanent online shoppers, never to set foot in physical stores again. Instead, consumers have apparently gotten tired of ordering everything while sitting on the couch and have returned to shopping the old-fashioned way.

"As the pandemic has subsided, you're seeing consumers get back to their pre-pandemic activities," said Brian Nagel, who covers the retail sector at Oppenheimer & Co. "Consumers see benefits to shopping in stores."

Several factors are converging to dampen online sales growth, he said. Inflation is pressuring consumers' wallets. This has led some shoppers to forgo buying big-ticket discretionary items like electronics and furniture — products often purchased online — or balk at delivery fees. Other consumers have proven eager to get out and socialize after being cooped up at home during the pandemic.

"Shopping in stores is a social activity," Nagel said. The signs of this shift in consumer preferences are everywhere. In May, online retail sales increased 2.2% compared with the same month a year prior, according to payment data released by Mastercard Tuesday. In-store sales grew at a much faster clip of 13.4%. cnn.com

Luxury brands say China’s latest Covid wave has whacked consumer demand
Luxury brands have slashed expectations for their China business this year after the country’s latest Covid lockdowns

COVID-19 hits a US plateau: Why aren’t cases going up or down?

JD Retail CEO Sees Slower Consumption Recovery from Covid

Fauci says COVID-19 origin evidence points 'strongly' toward 'natural occurrence'

 

Retail's Wage War Continues
Walmart to Raise Wages for Pharmacy Workers

In a tight market for pharmacy staff, Walmart executives hope larger and faster raises help attract and retain skilled employees

Walmart Inc. is raising wages for its pharmacy technicians, a sign that large retail pharmacies continue to compete fiercely for some workers.

Starting next week Walmart said it would raise wages for pharmacy technicians to bring average pay for the role to more than $20 an hour. It also promised more frequent wage increases based on experience and time at the retailer, which executives believe will help attract and retain pharmacy employees.

Walmart said it also plans to hire 5,000 new pharmacy technicians this year. Starting pay for pharmacy technicians won’t change. It ranges from $15 to more than $22 an hour. Pharmacy technicians, who are certified to assist pharmacists in filling prescriptions and can answer customer questions, made $17.66 an hour, or $36,740 a year, on average in 2021, according to the Labor Department. The pay was up 8% from 2019, data show. wsj.com

Automated Driving System Crash Report
Waymo tops NHTSA’s list for autonomous vehicle crashes
Self-driving ride-hailing and autonomous trucking startup Waymo reported the most automated driving system (ADS) crashes over roughly the past year, according to a government report released on Wednesday aimed at creating more transparency into autonomous vehicle safety trends.

The “first-of-its-kind” data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revealed 130 crashes in vehicles equipped with ADS technology reported by manufacturers and operators between June 29, 2021, when NHTSA issued an order requesting such data, and May 15, 2022. Waymo reported 62 of those crashes, two of which involved its class 8 heavy-duty trucks, a company spokesman told FreightWaves.

However, the agency noted that the report shouldn’t be used to compare the safety of different companies because it doesn’t account for the number of vehicles each company has deployed and other key factors.

“New vehicle technologies have the potential to help prevent crashes, reduce crash severity and save lives, and the Department is interested in fostering technologies that are proven to do so; collecting this data is an important step in that effort. As we gather more data, NHTSA will be able to better identify any emerging risks or trends and learn more about how these technologies are performing in the real world.” freightwaves.com

Compliance Officers in the Hot Seat
A New Policy Is Making Corporate Compliance Chiefs Uneasy

A DOJ policy makes the chief executive and chief compliance officer personally liable for guaranteeing the effectiveness of their company’s compliance program

Compliance officers are worried that a new Justice Department policy, aimed at raising their stature within companies, will actually make their jobs harder—and even leave them open to criminal prosecution.

The policy, previewed by a senior Justice Department official in March, is meant to give compliance officers a voice and provide them with access to information and resources needed to guarantee that their company’s compliance program is effective. It was applied for the first time last month in a settlement agreement with commodities giant Glencore PLC.

But lawyers say the policy could have unintended consequences, and that it gives compliance officers leverage only by handing them the equivalent of a nuclear option.

The policy applies to companies that, like Glencore, are settling allegations of criminal wrongdoing. As part of such settlement agreements, companies are typically required to make improvements to their compliance programs and submit to increased monitoring over a several-year period.

At the end of that time, the new policy would require both the company’s chief executive and chief compliance officer to personally certify that its compliance program is “reasonably designed to prevent and detect” future violations. wsj.com

Feds Take Aim at Noncompete Agreements
As regulators target noncompete agreements, employers could seek alternatives
Employers have long used noncompete agreements to keep key talent from leaving, but recent headlines show the contracts have become increasingly controversial. Acknowledging this trend, federal regulators may soon take aim at noncompetes.

Nearly a year ago, President Joe Biden issued an executive order that encouraged the Federal Trade Commission to ban or limit noncompete agreements as a component of a broader directive covering potential barriers to economic competition. Last week, Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan told The Wall Street Journal the agency is considering regulatory action to do just that.

Though it may not ultimately make ethical or practical sense to subject some workers to noncompete agreements, the documents still have their place in workforce management, Gregory J. Hare, shareholder at management-side firm Ogletree Deakins, said Monday during a presentation at the Society for Human Resource Management’s annual conference. hrdive.com

McKinsey & Company on Fear's Role - It's With Us Everyday
Fear factor: Overcoming human barriers to innovation

The second-biggest human barrier to innovation is difficulty dealing with uncertainty and loss of control.

Such fears trigger the ambiguity effect, a cognitive bias that leads us to avoid options with uncertain outcomes. Management executives seeking more control over outcomes often prioritize incremental innovations they perceive as less risky or push teams for assurances that their projects will pay off, producing the counterproductive result of less experimentation, less-ambitious ideas, and less creativity. To allay their fear of uncertainty, some leaders treat past market dynamics as predictors of future performance—a risky assumption, particularly in dynamic times. mckinsey.com

America's Formula Shortage Continues
Enfamil Owner to Import Baby Formula to U.S. to Help Alleviate Shortages

Reckitt Benckiser to ship base powder from Singapore from now until November

Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC is to import infant-formula powder to the U.S. from a facility in Singapore, in what it said is the largest contribution so far from a manufacturer aimed at mitigating a nationwide formula shortage.

The Enfamil owner said it would send the equivalent of 66 million 8-oz bottles of base infant formula powder between now and November—enough to feed more than 130,000 babies a month, on average. The powder is set to begin shipping this month to a facility in Minnesota, where it will then be blended and packaged for distribution. wsj.com

Inflation-hit consumers are changing shopping behaviors, Kroger says

What led to the U.S. baby formula shortage, and how to fix it

Apple retail workers in Maryland to begin voting in historic union election


Quarterly Results

Kroger comp’s excluding gas up 4.1%, net sales up 8%

 

Senior LP & AP Jobs Market

Senior Vice President, Vision Care job posted for VSP Global in California
Serve as the process owner of all assurance activities related to the availability, integrity, and confidentiality of customer, business partner, employee, and business information in compliance with the organization's information security policies and standards. The CISO is accountable globally for protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of company’s vast information assets. Establish and maintain a corporate-wide information security management program to ensure that information assets are adequately protected. vsp.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com

Asset Protection Director, Chief Of Staff job posted for Gap in San Francisco, CA
In this role, you will embody Do The Right Thing by protecting People, Assets, and Brands. You will work in an energized, fast paced environment focused on creating a safe environment for our employees, teams, and customers; this is critical to driving our Brand Power, Enduring Customer Relationships, and exuding our commitment to Team and Values. gapinc.com

Dir II Security job posted for Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits in Syosset, NY
The Dir II, Security will provide a secure environment by developing physical and technical security programs. The Dir II, Security will implement security programs and procedures to protect company personnel, property and reputation. The Dir II, Security will ensure that security procedures are properly executed by employees. The Dir II, Security will conduct internal and external investigations to resolve theft, workplace violence and misconduct at company facilities. recruiting.southernglazers.com
 

Publishing Note: The D&D Daily will not be publishing Monday, June 20, in observance of the Juneteenth holiday. We will resume publishing on Tuesday.

Learn more about the history behind Juneteenth here.