US: 36.5M Cases - 633.1K Dead - 29.8M Recovered
Worldwide: 203.6M Cases - 4.3M Dead - 182.9M Recovered

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

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 285  
Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 332
*Red indicates change in total deaths

Coronavirus Briefing: Highly Vaccinated States Keep Worst Outcomes in Check
Every highly vaccinated state has below average Covid-19 hospitalizations, while deaths are rising more in places with weaker vaccination rates, a Wall Street Journal analysis showed.

In the first big test of Covid- 19 vaccines during a Covid-19 surge, places with higher vaccination rates are dodging the worst outcomes so far, while cases and hospitalizations surge in less-vaccinated areas.

There are more tests yet to come, including when cold weather forces people in the well-vaccinated Northeast back indoors. But as the highly contagious Delta strain tears through the country, the trends thus far suggest vaccines can turn Covid-19 into a less dangerous, more manageable disease.

A Wall Street Journal analysis shows sharp geographic divides in vaccination and hospitalization levels, with every state that has an above-average vaccine rate showing below-average hospitalizations, including in well-vaccinated New England. In the South, meanwhile, fewer people are vaccinated on average and hospitalization rates are climbing faster.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says fully vaccinated people are much less likely to be hospitalized or die than people with similar risk factors who aren’t vaccinated. Vaccines also reduce the risk of fully vaccinated people getting infected or transmitting the virus, the agency says, though somewhat less so against Delta than previous variants. wsj.com

U.S. is averaging more than 100,000 new cases a day
Infections and hospitalizations are increasing rapidly as the Delta variant spreads. For the first time since February, the United States is averaging more than 100,000 new cases a day.

Louisiana is leading the nation in an explosion of new cases. nytimes.com

Elderly & Weak Immune Systems May Need Boosters
Fauci says COVID-19 booster shots likely for some groups
Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday that it’s likely that the elderly, along with others with compromised immune systems, will need to get booster shots to protect them against COVID-19.

“There’s no doubt that over time, you’re going to have an attenuation of protection,” Fauci said on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”

Fauci said that the booster shots will begin to be administered to vulnerable groups “as soon as the data gets to us.”

His comments come as the Food and Drug Administration is reportedly gearing up to approve boosters for those with weakened immune systems in the next week or two. nypost.com

Everybody's Worried About Delta

Impacting Everything
From Corp. America to Retailers to Executives to Workers & Parents

Retailers Update Masking Policies as Cases Surge
Target, Home Depot, other retailers update mask guidelines
More retailers are revising their mask requirements in the wake of the updated recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Target said that, effective Aug. 3, it will require face coverings for its team members and “strongly recommend” the same for all shoppers in areas with substantial or high risk of transmission, as defined by the CDC. Target, similar to most retailers, had dropped its mask mandate.

In a similar move, The Home Depot will require all employees, contractors and vendors to wear a mask while indoors at all U.S. Home Depot stores, distribution centers, office locations and customers’ homes or businesses, regardless of vaccination status. The home improvement retailer said it will also ask its customers to wear masks while in its stores and continue to offer masks to those who don’t have one.

The Kroger Co. is “strongly encouraging” all employees and customers, regardless of vaccination status, to return to wearing masks while inside stores.

In this new round of masking guidelines, only one major retailer has made masks mandatory for its customers as well as its employees: Apple.

In announcing its updated masking guidelines, Target added that it will continue to encourage its employees and shoppers to get the COVID-19 vaccine by offering vaccine appointments at nearly all CVS at Target locations. The retailer is also providing paid time and free Lyft rides to team members when they get their vaccines. chainstoreage.com

The Great Vaccine Dilemma for Retailers & Other Businesses
Covid-19 Vaccine Mandates Split Corporate America

With Delta cases rising, Tyson and Walmart are insisting employees get the shot; others are sticking with persuasion and cash incentives

Both strategies come with risks for employers, their workers and their customers, and both could shape the course of the pandemic.

More than a third of American adults have not gotten vaccinated, according to the latest U.S. data. Firms using a lighter touch risk workplace outbreaks. Those mandating shots risk losing workers in a tight job market.

Each CEO cites myriad reasons for their vaccine strategy, though many also point to new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines relating to how vaccinated people transmit the Delta variant.

Some companies want to reassure the public it is still safe to shop in their stores or visit their theme parks. Others want to prevent worker illnesses or absences from crippling their operations again. Still others want to end remote work and get staff back into offices. Union rules for a number of companies are complicating matters further. wsj.com

Companies Thought They Had Plans for Fall. Now They Are Scrapping Them

The fast-spreading Delta variant has managers revamping schedules, with bosses delaying office reopenings and canceling events

Up until a few weeks ago, corporate leaders felt confident about what to expect this fall.

Offices would reopen after Labor Day. Business travel would resume more broadly. Long-delayed work gatherings, conventions and off-site meetings would finally take place.

The pandemic has, once again, upended many of those plans.

The swift, startling resurgence of Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations across the U.S. is causing corporate leaders to rip up playbooks for the next few months.

No longer is a September return a target for many companies. A range of other prominent companies now predict it will be 2022 until most workers return. wsj.com

Shopping - Schools - Traveling - Mounting Uncertainty
Delta's Throwing a Wrench at Everything

Delta Variant Clouds Back-to-School Shopping Plans
Retailers predict record spending even as parents navigate concerns about rising Covid-19 cases and product shortages.

Concerns over the Delta variant and supply-chain issues that have made it hard to find items like backpacks are upending back-to-school shopping plans for families, prompting some to curtail spending.

The uncertainty comes just as retailers are gearing up for what has been expected to be record back-to-school shopping.

“People are questioning whether students will actually go back to school and parents are crossing their fingers hoping it really will happen.”

Not just retailers are facing mounting uncertainty from the summer rise in U.S. coronavirus cases. Companies are delaying plans to bring workers back to the office, organizers canceled the New York International Auto Show, and New York City will impose vaccine requirements for indoor dining. Last week, Frontier Airlines said its bookings had started to slow more than they typically would at this time of year, a change it attributed to the Delta variant. wsj.com

Return to Work? Not With Child Care Still in Limbo, Some Parents Say.
The rise of the Delta variant and the uncertainty over schools and child care are keeping these parents from applying for jobs.

Especially as the Delta variant spreads, many parents of young children — those under 12 who cannot yet be vaccinated — say they’re unable to return to workplaces or apply for new jobs as long as there is uncertainty about when their children can safely return to full-time school or child care.

Companies have been struggling to hire and retain workers for other reasons, too, and many parents have had no choice but to work. (In a recent Census Bureau survey, 5 percent of parents said their children were not currently attending child care for pandemic-related reasons.) But for the group of parents who still have children at home — they’re disproportionately Black and Latino, and some have medically vulnerable family members — it’s a significant challenge.

Fall is looking increasingly uncertain. Some workplaces have paused reopening plans because of Delta, and parents worry schools may follow. nytimes.com

Conventiongoers’ Health & Safety Concerns Growing
Business Travel Resumes, Hesitantly
Convention centers are reopening. Hotels and airlines report an uptick in bookings. But the rise in virus cases has tempered forecasts for a major recovery.

Business travel has started again, but in fits and starts. But the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus is throwing a new wrench into businesses’ plans, and the question is whether the spike in cases will be brief or more long-lived.

Even the experts who were most optimistic about the prospects for business travel a month or so ago have begun to temper their forecasts. The quick change was captured by a survey of 1,200 American travelers that Destination Analysts, a market research firm conducted from July 21 to 23. Among business travelers, it found, nearly 25 percent expected the “coronavirus situation” to worsen in the next month.

Conventiongoers’ personal health concerns also rose, while their confidence in their ability to travel safely fell. nytimes.com

Heads Up Travelers - Updated Info:
Mask Up For All 25 Top Summer Destinations
Where should you wear a mask when traveling? What the CDC says about 14 top U.S. cities.
New recommendations last month from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention call for everyone, vaccinated or not, to wear a mask in public indoor spaces in areas with substantial or high transmission of covid-19.

As it turns out, that applies to more than 85 percent of U.S. counties — including many of the places travelers are heading this summer.

Of the top 25 destinations this summer for flight bookings on the Hopper app, most had high transmission and just five had substantial transmission category as of Aug. 6, according to CDC data. Officials recommend masking indoors for all 25, a list that contains popular cities across the country that are seeing cases rise rapidly as the delta variant spreads.

The CDC’s covid data tracking site has county-specific breakdowns that include vaccination rates, coronavirus case numbers, hospitalizations, deaths and the level of community transmission. nytimes.com

OSHA Inspecting High-Risk Industries - No Complaint Needed
Federal Covid-19 Workplace Safety Inspections on Rise in South
Federal inspections targeting workplace Covid-19 hazards have increased in many southern states in recent months, while declining in the Northeast and Midwest, reversing a pattern from earlier in the pandemic.

In most southern states, including Texas and Louisiana, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration conducted more inspections from May 1 through July 13 than during the same period a year ago, according to a Bloomberg Law review of the most recent enforcement data the agency would provide.

Top 2021 OSHA Target: Inspections in Texas registered a 171% boost—57 from May through mid-July this year compared with 21 during that time in 2020.

Inspections are increasing in states with low vaccination rates at a time when the highly contagious delta variant is fueling a rise in Covid-19 infections and hospitalizations. But OSHA said its new emphasis program targeting Covid-19 high-hazard workplaces is driving up inspections.

Unlike last year, when OSHA often needed a worker complaint or fatality report to begin an inspection, the nationwide enforcement initiative has enabled OSHA to launch an inspection if it believes the business is in a high-risk industry. bloomberglaw.com

Employers React to Workers Who Refuse Vaccination as COVID-19 Cases Rise
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has weighed in with guidance that answers some workplace vaccination questions. For example, the agency said that federal anti-discrimination laws don't prohibit employers from requiring all employees who physically enter the workplace to be vaccinated for COVID-19. Employers that encourage or require vaccinations, however, must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other workplace laws, according to the EEOC.

"An employee with a religious objection or a disability may need to be excused from the mandate or otherwise accommodated," noted John Lomax, an attorney with Snell & Wilmer in Phoenix. "Additionally, if an objecting employee is a union-represented employee, the employer may need to bargain and reach an agreement with the union before mandating vaccines."

A vaccination mandate should be job-related and consistent with business necessity. Under the ADA, an employer can have a workplace policy that includes "a requirement that an individual shall not pose a direct threat to the health or safety of individuals in the workplace." shrm.org

That Guy Hiding in the Corner
Ask him for his vaccination card & Let's see if he's one of those...
They Don’t Want the Shot. They Don’t Want Colleagues to Know.
Nearly 40 percent of Americans over the age of 18 remain unvaccinated, and could return to their offices with policies in place that make that status clear.

A growing number of companies are mandating vaccines as a condition of employment, leaving unvaccinated workers at risk of being fired. CNN, which has required full vaccinations for all employees working in its offices and in the field, said on Thursday that it had fired three people who went into the office unvaccinated. Many others are adopting less sweeping — but perhaps more conspicuous — approaches, including mask mandates for unvaccinated workers or the requirement that they work remotely.

For employers, keeping workers safe while being equitable is one of the thorniest workplace challenges of the pandemic to date. In addition to potential legal ramifications if any of their policies are viewed as discriminatory, many companies are concerned that implementing separate protocols for unvaccinated workers could lead some of them to quit amid an already tight labor market. As of Aug. 5, roughly 39 percent of Americans ages 18 and over were not fully vaccinated, representing a large pool of people who could be in close contact with others at their jobs.

Tension between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated has simmered since the shots became more widely available in the spring. But with the virus’s resurgence has come mounting frustration among vaccinated Americans toward the unvaccinated, making some unvaccinated workers especially circumspect about revealing themselves.

That is partly why some unvaccinated employees are so troubled by workplace policies that clearly distinguish them, though it seemed unlikely the protocols would change their minds about getting the shot. nytimes.com

Workers Quitting in Record Numbers - Even Their Dream Jobs Seem Less Attractive
Pandemic triggers 'great resignation' as employees reassess work/life balance
The pandemic has led to millions of Americans losing their jobs, but a large number also are choosing to leave voluntarily. In April, nearly 4 million people, or 2.8% of the workforce, resigned. That's the highest one-month "quit rate" in decades.

The growing national "great resignation," as the trend was recently described by Prof. Anthony Klotz of Texas A&M University, is due partly to pent-up desires to quit that were put on hold last year. But it may also be emerging from employee epiphanies during the long lockdown about their workload, feeling undervalued or a re-evaluation of what they want from their lives.

The resignations are reaching all the way to the top of the professional heap. Even those with enviable dream jobs are now seeing their work — and themselves — through a very different lens. startribune.com

Walmart to Require Workers to Wear Masks in High-Risk Counties

Walmart said corporate staff as well as management-level employees must be vaccinated against Covid-19 by Oct. 4
 

Nike Pop-Up Stores Manager Gets Fed Prison For Embezzlement
Former Nike Marketing Manager Gets 31 Months Fed Prison & $1.6M in Restitution - in Scheme to Defraud Company
Errol Andam, 47, formerly of Beaverton, Oregon, was sentenced to 31 months in federal prison and 3 years of supervised release. Andam was also ordered to pay more than $1.6 million in restitution. The Internal Revenue Service had already seized $212,838 in criminally-derived proceeds from Andam, and those were forfeited as well.

From 2001 until his termination in 2018, Andam was employed by Nike and worked as a manager in the company’s North American Retail Brand Marketing division wherein he managed the design, build-out, and operation of “pop-up” retail venues, temporary Nike shops situated near and tailored to sports competitions and other special events around the U.S.

In the summer of 2016, Andam recruited a childhood friend to establish a company to design and build the pop-up venues as an independent contractor for Nike. Andam used his authority as a manager at Nike to ensure that his friend’s company was consistently awarded the contracts for these jobs. Though he had no formal role in his friend’s company, Andam assumed control of much of the company’s financial operations, managing financial accounts and issuing invoices to Nike.

To conceal his role in the scheme, Andam used an alter ego, “Frank Little,” to invoice Nike and manage the contract company’s account with Square, Inc. and formed a shell company to funnel proceeds diverted from Nike and his friend's company. Beginning in September 2016, Andam caused credit-card sales at various pop-up venues around the U.S. to be run through card readers associated with a Square account owned by his friend’s company. From September 2016 through December 2018, Andam diverted and embezzled nearly $1.5 million in Nike proceeds for his own use.

On February 4, 2021, Andam was charged by criminal information with wire fraud, money laundering, and making false statements on a loan application. On April 12, 2021, he pleaded guilty to all three charges. justice.gov

Wexner's Ties to Epstein Just Keeps Stinging
L Brands Agrees to New Policies Tied to Sexual Harassment Claims
The owner of Victoria’s Secret will release current and former employees from certain nondisclosure agreements as part of a settlement of a shareholder lawsuit. and take steps to to promote diversity, equity and inclusion as part of a settlement with shareholders announced on Friday.

Each brand will spend $45 million each in the next five years to fund its new policies. Other changes include the establishment of a diversity, equity, & inclusion council and an overhaul of internal policies and training for sexual harassment and discrimination. The company will also exempt claims of sexual harassment, gender discrimination and related retaliation from mandatory arbitration.

The settlement followed allegations from shareholders, including the Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund, that officers and directors of L Brands breached their fiduciary duties by fostering a culture of misogyny at the company, including around models, and by maintaining ties with Jeffrey Epstein, the sex criminal who was close to Leslie H. Wexner, the former chief executive of L Brands.

“There was a clear pattern at L Brands of a board that allowed key executives to use their power to promote a culture of fear, discrimination, and harassment,” Ellen F. Rosenblum, Oregon’s attorney general, said in a statement.

The brand has come under scrutiny since Mr. Wexner’s close ties to Mr. Epstein came to light in 2019 and a Times investigation showed that Mr. Wexner and his former chief marketing officer, Ed Razek, presided over an entrenched culture of misogyny, bullying and harassment. nytimes.com

Zoom reaches $85 mln settlement over user privacy, 'Zoombombing'
Zoom Video Communications Inc (ZM.O) agreed to pay $85 million and bolster its security practices to settle a lawsuit claiming it violated users' privacy rights by sharing personal data with Facebook, Google and LinkedIn, and letting hackers disrupt Zoom meetings in a practice called Zoombombing.

Subscribers in the proposed class action would be eligible for 15% refunds on their core subscriptions or $25, whichever is larger, while others could receive up to $15.

Zoom agreed to security measures including alerting users when meeting hosts or other participants use third-party apps in meetings, and to provide specialized training to employees on privacy and data handling. reuters.com

Talk about Spinning Investors - The CFO's Have Got That Down
Reporting Quarterly Results - Comparing Numbers to 2019
They're calling it the 'Two year Stack' - Comparing 2021 Comps & Nets to 2019's
Trying to get the reader/investor to skip over last year's numbers and see the brighter side of things.

Now that's good old legitimized American spin. Hey and it works quite frankly. Some aren't even providing this years comp's or last year's. With one even saying it's not a fair comparison.

Hey, just reporting on what we're seeing. - Gus Downing

The 'Fight for $15' Rally Disappeared
Retailers are bracing for a holiday worker shortage — & shoppers should be, too
Sign-on bonuses are being offered by 44% of retailers on Snagajob, which says it’s the largest platform for hourly work and counts almost all the top 50 U.S. retailers as clients.

Wages were up in the second quarter at the fastest annual rate in 13 years. Turnover rates have spiked, and voluntary quits are at an all-time high, leaving every employer trying to retain its workers, Stevenson said.

As the holiday season approaches, Stevenson said there are almost 70% more job vacancies than pre-pandemic levels and 10% fewer people looking for work. “That’s the greatest gap in recorded history,” he said.

The current holiday hiring environment is unprecedented, said Craig Rowley, senior client partner in Korn Ferry’s Dallas office.

More than half (51%) of retailers surveyed in July said they were having moderate trouble hiring store employees, and 36% said they’re facing significant challenges, he said.

“Customers will see less service and notice more stocking of shelves happening during the day instead of at night, because it’s easier to get people to work 9-to-5,” he said.

Many frontline workers are experiencing psychological burnout, and they’re worried about their own safety, higher costs for child care and lingering concerns for at-risk family members. dallasnews.com

NRF Releases Hot 25 Retailers List

Walmart dangles $1K bonuses for warehouse workers to skip summer breaks

CVS Health hikes Minimum to $15 an hour


Quarterly Results
Costco July comp sales up 13.8%, U.S. comp's up 13.1%, Canada comp's up 16.5%, Int. comp's up 14.4%, net sales up 16.6%

Ralph Lauren Q1 NA retail comp's up 176%, NA sales up 301%, Europe comp's up 98%, Europe sales up 194%, Asia comp's up 43%, Asia sales up 68%

Bloomin’ Brands Q2 combined comp's up 84.6%, Outback comp's up 65.8%, total sales up 86.2%

The Container Store Group Q1 TCS net sales up 64.1%, Elfa net sales up 34.8%, consolidated net sales up 61.7%

Boot Barn Q1 comp's up 52.3%, e-commerce comp's up 55.8%, total net sales up 64.9%

Rocky Brands Q2 retail sales up 36.8%, wholesale sales up 195%, net sales up 134.2%

Lumber Liquidators Flooring Q2 comp's up 31.3%, net sales up 30.9%

CDW Q2 Corporate net sales up 27.3%, Small Business net sales up 59.8%, Public net sales up 2.9%, total net sales up 17.9%

Travel Centers of America Q2 retail up 23.7%, fuel sales up 22.6%

Rent-A-Center Q2 store comp's up 16.6%, total revenue up 21.6%

Jack in the Box Q3 comp's up 10.2%, sales up 10.6%

CVS Health Q2 Pharmacy segment sales up 9.8%, Retail/LTC comp's up 12.3%, pharmacy comp's up 12.4%, front store comp's up 12%, sales up 14.2p%, total revenue up 11.1%

Publix Q2 comp's up 2.3%, sales up 3.9%

Restaurant Brands International Q2 TH comp's up 27.6% sales up 33%, BK comps up 18.2% sales up 37.9%, PLK comps down 0.3% sales up 10.5%, total sales up 31.9%

Ingles Q3 no comp provided, net sales up 7.4%

ODP (Office Depot) Q2 Retail sales flat, Business Services up 12%, total sales up 6%

Wayfair Q2 net sales down 10.4%

*Comp's not provided in most cases. And we don't report 2 yr stacks numbers.
 

Senior LP & AP Jobs Market

VP-Risk Management job posted for YRC Worldwide in Overland Park, KS
Direct the development, implementation, and administration of the Risk Management program to provide maximum protection of the company’s assets at the most economical rates. Determine all casual risks of loss to which the organization’s assets are exposed and analyze such risk to determine whether they can be eliminated or minimized. Develop risk minimization programs. yrc.taleo.net

Senior Dir. of Governance & Compliance job posted for Jack Henry & Associates
You will be responsible for the leadership, innovation, governance, and management necessary to identify, evaluate, mitigate, and monitor the company's posture for resiliency, regulatory compliance, and internal controls. Jack Henry & Associates, an S&P 500 company with more than $1.5 billion in annual revenue and 6,500 employees, serves more than 9,000 customers nationwide as a leading provider of technology solutions and payment processing services. We are looking to hire an experienced Senior Director of Governance and Compliance, reporting directly to the Chief Risk Officer (CRO). indeed.com

Dir AP Operations Execution job posted for Walgreens in Charlotte, NC
The Director, Asset Protection Operations & Execution (APD) is responsible for the development and execution of the asset protection plan, Asset Protection talent and resources, as well as resource and expense budgets. Develops and executes on all Asset Protection strategies and resources to ensure safety, security, profitability, and resiliency. Partners with organizational leadership to determine necessary asset protection programs, activities, and resources to support and execute on corporate strategy at an appropriate level. jobs.walgreens.com

LP Director job posted for The Company, Retail Gas Stations in Upland, CA
The Loss Prevention Director develops, plans, directs, and implements an effective strategy and programs for the protection, safeguarding and security of employees, intellectual property, integrity, reputation, and physical assets of the company. Responsible for setting and championing the Loss Prevention strategy for the enterprise, including retail convenience stores, and the corporate offices. monster.com

Sr. Manager Supply Chain Asset Protection job posted for The Home Depot in Atlanta, GA
The Sr Manager Asset Protection is responsible for ensuring that Asset Protection programs are fully implemented and are being executed per expectations within assigned distribution centers. Key responsibilities include analyzing and managing safety programs, shrink performance, partnering with field Senior Directors of Operations and General Managers, monitoring shrink indicators and theft and fraud investigations. careers.homedepot.com

AP Manager - Retail Cannabis job posted for Sweet Flower in Culver City, CA
The Loss Prevention Manager works under the direction of the Vice President of Operations and creates and implements company programs relating to shortage control, and theft resolution. Assists in the training of store associates in the areas of physical security, shrink and safety awareness, cash handling, merchandise protection standards, receiving processes, alarm standards, and alarm response protocols. Owns all facets of the Loss Prevention Program nationally. indeed.com