Theft Surge is CA's 'Hottest Political Issue'
Opinion: Democrats can redeem themselves on crime
The surge in retail theft has unexpectedly become Sacramento's hottest political issue. Last week, Democratic lawmakers attempted to place a measure on the ballot to compete with a tougher anti-crime measure backed by district attorneys and retail stores. After contentious negotiations brought unwanted publicity, Gov. Gavin Newsom and his allies pulled their alternative measure.

The Legislature is, however, moving forward a package of anti-theft bills designed to win back public confidence and address the theft issue. The DA-backed initiative campaign would gut sections of Proposition 47, the 2014 ballot initiative that rolled back penalties for some lower-level crimes. The Democratic leadership opposes that effort.

The Democratic proposals overall reflect a measured attempt to toughen up theft laws without obliterating Prop. 47. The most significant bill will make it easier for prosecutors to "aggregate" charges so that thieves who rob different stores can be charged with a felony even if they stole less than the $950 threshold at each one.

But one bill takes a misguided approach that imposes huge burdens on legitimate businesses. Senate Bill 1144 tries to combat retail theft by requiring "high-volume" sellers to provide their personal bank-account, license and tax information to online marketplaces to assure that they are not selling stolen merchandise. But the definition of high volume is so imprecise that, essentially, the online marketplaces' "only way to comply ... would be to assume every single seller" fits that definition, according to an opposition letter from two tech-industry associations. Many sellers of household items will understandably be reluctant to provide that information.

Democrats bungled their approach to this entire issue. In addition to their club-footed attempt to qualify an alternative measure, they tried (but backpedaled) to encumber their bill package with "poison pill" amendments that would have killed their bills if the initiative passed. It mainly convinced people they aren't serious about crime.

Nevertheless, Democrats can redeem themselves by amending SB 1144, passing the package without cynical amendments and letting voters have their say on the ballot initiative. ocregister.com


L.A. Getting Hammered with Flash Mob Burglaries
Here's What You Need To Know About The Series Of Flash Mob Burglaries In LA
Local authorities are sounding the alarm on organized retail crime following a string of so-called flash mob thefts across Los Angeles County in recent weeks. Authorities define flash mob burglaries as a large, coordinated group of people rushing into a store, overwhelming staff and taking as much merchandise as possible before fleeing in multiple cars.

What's happened in the past month

The most recent series started with a Gucci store at the Westfield Century City mall on Aug. 1. The Yves Saint Laurent at the Americana at Brand in Glendale was targeted a week later when at least 30 people ransacked the store in the afternoon for an estimated loss of $300,000 worth of goods, police said.

And on Saturday, a Nordstrom store at the Westfield Topanga Shopping Center was sacked by at least 30 people wearing ski masks who stole an estimated $300,000 worth of merchandise. The East L.A. Nike Community Store was the latest target, with roughly $1,000 in shoes stolen Sunday by a group of three.

What authorities are saying

Authorities across cities and county agencies have vowed to track the suspects down. "The brazen organized retail thefts that have been reported in Glendale and Topanga are unacceptable, outrageous and harm our entire community," L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement.

L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna also warned the public against getting in the way of flash mobs, saying it's not worth the risk of injury.

The background

In Los Angeles, retail theft has increased by 14% since 2022, according to the LAPD. In June, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced an online form where people can submit tips and complaints related to theft as part of an agreement with retailers to address organized retail crime. msn.com


Retailers Battle 'Significant' Surge in Cargo Theft & Loss
Cargo theft trends and lessons learned

Experts from Walmart, NRS and the FBI discuss the latest trends and actions for retailers to protect themselves.

While the issue of "smash and grab" thefts and organized retail crime have grabbed headlines across the country, retailers and their transportation partners have also seen a significant uptick in cargo theft and loss over the past couple of years. For the first quarter of 2024, CargoNet documented a 46% increase in cargo thefts compared with the first quarter of 2023 and a 10% rise from the fourth quarter of 2023.

At NRF PROTECT 2024, supply chain and loss prevention experts discussed the increase in cargo theft, including traditional and cybercrime-related methods, and how it is impacting organizations. The panel included Steve Hunter, director, global intelligence with Walmart, DOJ-FBI Intelligence Analyst Torrey Kingcade and John Tabor, senior vice president of supply chain with NRS.

Cargo theft has changed

The panelists agreed that cargo theft has changed, especially in a post-COVID world. From a retail, transportation and law enforcement perspective, cargo theft has become more strategic. The thieves continue to go "where the cargo is," but that has expanded as import volumes grow. Thefts are not just happening during the peak holiday seasons or on the weekends - they happen all the time now.

Criminals know the penalties for ORC and cargo theft are minimal, but the crime has become very lucrative.

Fictitious pickups

One trend that has many in the industry concerned is fictitious pickups. Criminal organizations are obtaining legitimate bills of lading and then copying and manipulating the bill. They will alter the goods count in the trailer to steal the product, but then drop off the load to the retailer - which might not notice a shipment has gone missing, potentially for months.

What to do when an incident occurs? - Partnerships are key:  nrf.com


69% Believe Self-Checkout is Fueling Shoplifting
Growing number of retailers remove self-checkout lanes
A growing number of retailers are reconsidering their reliance on self-checkout lanes in an effort to clamp down on the shrinkage and theft of their merchandise.

Among those reworking its use of self-checkout lanes are bargain retailers Dollar General and Five Below, the former of which removed this option at 12,000 of its locations.

Target has also been reevaluating its self-checkout lanes, as it announced in March that most of its stores nationwide would only allow customers to use self-checkout when buying 10 items or less.

A study from last year found that 69% of respondents believe that self-checkout lanes are a contributing factor to shoplifting at stores. 15% of respondents also admitted to stealing items via self-checkout, with 44% of these respondents saying they were likely to use this method to steal in the future.

Management for Costco, which revealed last year that it was adding more staff to self-checkout lanes to prevent theft, stated that its shrink in merchandise had increased, at least in part, "due to the rollout of self-checkout."

Grocery retailer Safeway revealed earlier this month that it was also removing its self-checkout lanes in the San Francisco Bay Area in California, citing the need to create a safe environment for both its employees and customers.

Stores in the United States and Europe using self-checkout lanes and apps have had a loss rate of about 4%, according to a study. washingtonexaminer.com


Fighting Theft With Wheel-Locking Carts
Meijer & other retailers deploy theft-stopping carts in stores
Major companies have begun to use carts that have automatic locking wheels. The technology used involves underground grid structures that connect to the wheels of the carts owned by the store.

When the cart reaches a designated boundary - often the edge of the parking lot - the wheels will automatically lock up, making the consumer unable to push the cart any further.

Meijer has been using the technology for some time. Images shared to Reddit in 2022 revealed that some of the grocery store's carts even have a warning label informing shoppers of the tech.

"Shopping Carts may stop unexpectedly at exit doors and carts will stop if taken beyond the perimeter of the parking lot," the label reads.

There has been some support from customers that say they understand why retailers would make the change to protect the costly carts. the-sun.com


Target shopper rages over anti-theft tag on Lego & laments 'it's what it's come down to'
 

Safety is Top Issue in Keeping Employees Happy
Good Safety Cultures Can Attract and Retain Talent

Workers need to know that their companies value their safety above all else.

By now most hiring managers are used to hearing job candidates ask about their companies' environmental record or even their DE&I policies. Fielding questions about a company's safety record isn't quite as common, and yet job candidates and current employees are very focused on safety.

While this interest in workplace safety might have intensified with the pandemic, it has since expanded to a variety of forms of safety, both physical and psychological.

"Employees everywhere have experienced multiple crises over the past few years that have altered their view of the world and their perceptions of safety outside of the comfort of their homes," said Christopher Kenessey, CEO at AlertMedia, when announcing his company's report, The State of Employee Safety, in 2023. "These events impact how employees show up to work daily, and we're seeing a growing desire among workers for employers to implement a more integrated and hands-on approach to ensuring their safety, regardless of whether they're working in the office, from home, in the field or while traveling for business."

According to the report, 75% of employees say their employer's safety efforts have not been very effective. And the reason for that is that 71% of employees feel their employers are not following through on safety promises. They are also concerned about emergency situations, since 83% have experienced an emergency at work at some point in their careers. A similar number of employees (84%) believe that their employers can do more to make them feel prepared to face emergencies at work.

In addition to physical safety, employees and potential hires are concerned about psychological safety. The survey found that 66% of employees say their employer is not making an active effort to support their mental health. In fact, 62% note that their organization does not provide resources for mental health, and 67% say their workplace culture does not allow for open dialogue about mental health.  ehstoday.com


'Digital Retail Transformation'
Phygital vs Digital: How Retail Will Thrive in the Next Ten Years

By Tony D'Onofrio - President, Sensormatic

Digital retail transformation continues to be on my mind. This follows increased engagement with retailers on multiple continents and observing how they are embracing technology to create immersive experiences that drive more profitable operational efficiencies. From their lessons, the questions that I continue to contemplate include:

• Will the future of retail be phygital or omnichannel?

• How will current trends from next generation shoppers such as Gen Z change retail in the next 10 years?

• What emerging technologies must make progress to deliver a more profitable future of retail?

The Retail Boss nicely summarized the key differences between phygital and omnichannel retail strategies. "Phygital and omnichannel strategies both aim to enhance customer experiences but differ in their approaches. Phygital focuses on merging physical and digital worlds to create immersive, personalized experiences, often leveraging technologies like QR codes and augmented reality. On the other hand, omnichannel integrates various communication channels to provide a seamless and consistent brand experience across all touchpoints, such as physical stores, websites, and mobile apps. While phygital emphasizes the fusion of online and offline interactions, omnichannel prioritizes a unified customer journey across multiple platforms."

Technology will continue to disrupt retail business models. The industry's future requires increased digital strategies to turn consumers into brand ambassadors. Concurrently, the entire retail ecosystem and especially the physical store, must increase its digital stickiness through tech empowered store associates as equal brand ambassadors. linkedin.com


Industry Efforts to Streamline the Checkout Process
Target will stop accepting personal checks

The retail giant has announced several new store policies aimed at streamlining the checkout process.

Target will soon stop accepting personal checks as a form of payment at checkout. In a statement to NBC News, the retail giant said it was committed to creating an easy and convenient checkout experience - but that due to "extremely low volumes," it would no longer take personal checks starting July 15.

It said it has taken several measures to notify guests in advance of the move. It will still accept cash; digital wallet payments like Apple Pay; SNAP/EBT; buy now, pay later services; and credit and debit cards.

Rival Walmart will still accept personal checks.

Target has announced several new store policies aimed at streamlining the checkout process, some of which were also aimed at curbing theft. In March, the company said it would be taking steps to limit or eliminate self-checkout options at some stores this year. Last month, Bloomberg News reported that Target was allowing employees to stop thefts of $50 or more - lower than the previous $100 threshold. nbcnews.com


Noncomplete Ban On Hold - For Now
Judge delays ban on noncompete agreements for small number of employers
A federal judge on Wednesday preliminarily delayed a ban on noncompete agreements from taking effect for a handful of employers on September 4.

Unless the judge makes another ruling to the contrary before that date, the ban on noncompete agreements will go into effect for the majority of companies in the US. But they will learn later this summer if that still holds.

There is likely to be a concerted effort between now and the end of August to persuade the judge to block the ban nationwide, according to Jesse Coleman, a partner at the law firm Seyfarth Shaw in Houston, which represents SHRM, a human resource management association.

The ban, which prohibits employers from enforcing noncompete clauses in most existing employment agreements and bans companies from including them in all future ones, was approved by the Federal Trade Commission in April. cnn.com


Philadelphia stands alone in ditching remote work completely
The only other major peer city in Philadelphia's region to require municipal workers back in the office five days a week was New York, and they reverted to hybrid work last year.

Big Lots to close 35 to 40 stores; warns of ability to survive as 'going concern'

Express bankruptcy spurs layoffs at Ohio facility

Ikea, Hobby Lobby opening stores in Manhattan for the first time