Sensormatic E-Book:
Personalizing the Shopper Journey for Memorable In-Store Experiences

Get ahead of your consumers with traffic intelligence. The idea of the customer experience is not new, but today's data-driven world has put more control in consumers' hands with heightened expectations. This means personalization is a critical foundation for retail success and brand image.

Download the report to find out how to:

● Create an online experience offline
● Achieve high shopper engagement
● Optimize merchandising and floor planning
● Unlock the real value of data
● Determine the effectiveness of marketing and promotions

Download the Guide Here
 

Friday 160 NYC CEO's Plead Mayor For Law & Order - Today It's Philadelphia
Highest Murder Rate in Over 15 Years

United States Attorney McSwain Delivers Remarks on the Ongoing Public Safety Crisis in Philadelphia
On September 14, 2020, United States Attorney William M. McSwain convened a press conference to announce charges against Khalif Tuggle and John Allen Kane, both of Philadelphia. The United States Attorney's Office stepped in to bring federal charges in both cases after the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office failed to handle the local criminal cases appropriately. U.S. Attorney McSwain also spoke about the ongoing escalation of violent crime in Philadelphia and its causes. He highlighted several local cases in which the defendants received shockingly lenient plea deals from the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, returned to the streets and then allegedly committed murder. These cases highlight an undeniable pattern of cause and effect in which the application of the District Attorney's Office's misguided policies produce violence and tragedy.

Both cases are part of my Office's continuing efforts to fight the tidal wave of violent crime in the City that is the unfortunate result of local criminal justice policies that coddle violent criminals. These policies create a culture of lawlessness; they leave criminals emboldened; and they have inevitable consequences - one of which is a murder rate in Philadelphia that is the highest it has been in nearly 15 years.

Here's one case of the 10 examples he used to depict this "sad state of affairs."

Retail Violent Fatality
In March 2017, Timothy Sherfield was arrested and charged with numerous violent crimes, including two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of robbery, burglary, possession of an unlicensed firearm, and many additional misdemeanors. In February 2018, he was given a plea deal in which the vast majority of these charges were dropped. Sherfield received a minimum sentence of less than one year. This enabled him to be out on the streets and murder a 23 year-old man in April 2019. The victim was inside a mini market at the time that he was gunned down in cold blood. justice.gov

New York City Business Groups Add Private Security as Crime Rises
Business leaders cite quality-of-life concerns as firms reopen and workers return to Manhattan offices

New York City business associations have hired additional security guards this summer in the midst of a surge in violent crime and a decrease in arrests by police.

Three business-improvement districts in Manhattan and a neighborhood group in Queens said they have added private guards to patrol streets and public spaces.

Officials from the business groups said the additional guards, who are usually unarmed and report issues to police, are crucial as businesses reopen and more workers return to offices in Manhattan. The guards help visitors and workers feel more confident in their safety, the officials said.

Shootings and homicides have increased over the summer as the city began a phased reopening of its economy and loosened restrictions meant to stem the spread of the new coronavirus. Commercial burglaries rose during the pandemic, and some violence and looting followed protests in Manhattan over the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed in the custody of Minneapolis police on May 25.

Executives from security firms reported an increased demand for their services in New York City and other cities this summer after those services were reduced in some cases as business activity fell during the height of the pandemic.

Allied Universal Chief Executive Steve Jones said many businesses reduced their security operations by 25% during the height of shutdowns in the pandemic. Those companies have since increased their security operations by half, even though most workers haven’t yet returned to their offices.

“What we’ve seen is staffing going back to those normal levels because of the increased protests, criminal activity and homelessness,” Mr. Jones said. wsj.com

D&D Daily Crime Analysis:
Violence Remains Consistently High In Big U.S. Cities, Though Still Down from Historic July Fourth Weekend

148 shootings, 35 killed in 20 Major U.S. Cities from Sep. 11-13

This past weekend, the D&D Daily continued to analyze violent crime in 20 major cities across the country, including those under the umbrella of 'Operation Legend.'

According to publicly reported data and media reports, these cities saw a combined total of 148 shootings and 35 killings from Friday through Sunday, with an average of 49.3 shootings per day and 11.7 killings per day.

While the raw number of shootings and deaths declined this past weekend, the daily average was slightly higher than last week's long Labor Day weekend, which saw an average of 46.3 shootings per day and 11.3 killings per day.

July Fourth weekend remains a high point for violence this summer, with 233 shootings and 70 killings in 30 cities (big and small throughout the U.S.) over just two days during that holiday weekend, averaging 116.5 shootings per day and 35 killings per day.

Click here to view the complete breakdown of this past weekend's violence in 20 American cities and continue to follow along as the Daily monitors violence across the United States.

See our previously published four-week report covering this year's violent month of July.
 

Protests

Johnson City, Tenn., police searching for 'person of interest' in hit-and-run at BLM protest
Tennessee police are searching for a driver who was captured on video striking a pedestrian in a hit-and-run during a Black Lives Matter protest Saturday. The man seen being run over was taking photos of the demonstration, Chaffin told the Johnson City Press. Chaffin, an organizer of the protest, said demonstrators were marching to the Johnson City Police Department when they stopped on either side of a crosswalk at an intersection. foxnews.com

Lancaster, PA., protesters throw bricks, break glass at police station after shooting of knife-wielding man
Protesters targeted police officers, a police station and adjacent buildings in Lancaster, Pa., overnight, throwing bricks, glass, flower planters, and even plastic road barricades.

More than 100 people flooded the streets surrounding Lancaster Bureau of Police station early Monday morning to protest the fatal police shooting of a Black man armed with a knife during a domestic disturbance call hours earlier, police said.

At the station house, protesters "damaged a county vehicle parked in the front of the police station," police said in a Monday morning press release. foxnews.com

After sheriff's deputies shot in LA, protesters chant 'We hope they die'
No one other than the shooter is responsible for the gunfire ambush Saturday of two Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies as they sat in their patrol car. But the same can't be said for the protesters who blocked the entrance to the hospital where the two are being treated, and chanted "we hope they die." The latter is a cultural poison nurtured by the left-wing anti-police movement sweeping the country.

The two deputies were "ambushed by a gunman in a cowardly fashion" in the Compton neighborhood, said Sheriff Alex Villaneuva at a press conference. The deputies hadn't been identified by name as we write this, but press reports say one is a 31-year-old mother and the other a 24-year-old man. Both have been with the department a little more than a year. foxnews.com

BLM protesters clash with NYPD after marching onto George Washington Bridge
Six protesters were arrested outside of the 34th Precinct.

Shocking videos show Black Lives Matter protestors clashing with New York City police, according to reports.

Around 100 protesters took part in the rally, first marching from The Bronx into Manhattan. They next marched onto the upper level of the George Washington Bridge at around 7:30 p.m. They then crossed back to Manhattan and rallied at the nearby 34th Precinct. foxnews.com
 

COVID Update

US: Over 6.7M Cases - 198K Dead - 3.9M Recovered
Worldwide: Over 29.2M Cases - 929K Dead - 21M Recovered

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 186   Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 105
*Red indicates change in total deaths

Cases Dropping 'Considerably' Since July
COVID Cases Down 17% From Two Weeks Ago
At least 399 new coronavirus deaths and 33,369 new cases were reported in the United States on Sept. 13. Over the past week, there have been an average of 35,065 cases per day, a decrease of 17 percent from the average two weeks earlier.

Case numbers remain persistently high across much of the country, though reports of new cases have dropped considerably since late July, when the country averaged well over 60,000 per day.

But as many of the country’s most populous states saw vast improvement, and as the Northeast kept case reports low, new infections were rising by late summer across parts of the Midwest and South.

Deaths, though still well below their peak spring levels, averaged around 850 per day in early September, far more than were reported in early July.

The nation’s most populous places have all suffered tremendously. Officials in California, Florida and Texas, the states with the most known cases, have each identified more than 600,000 cases.

What you can do
Experts’ understanding of how the Covid-19 works is growing. It seems that there are four factors that most likely play a role: how close you get to an infected person; how long you are near that person; whether that person expels viral droplets on or near you; and how much you touch your face afterwards. Here is a guide to the symptoms of Covid-19. nytimes.com

COVID's Easing Up in Canada
Canada reports zero COVID-19 deaths in 24-hour time period
Canada reported no COVID-19 deaths in a 24-hour period on Friday for the first time since March, Reuters reported Saturday.

Canada's death toll from the virus was 9,163 as of Sept. 11, the same number of the deaths reported on Sept. 10, government data showed. Positive cases increased by 702 to 135,626 on Sept. 11 from the day before, public health data showed.

Most provinces are easing lockdown restrictions and schools reopened for in-person classes despite a mild uptick in infections in recent days. nypost.com

Does my employer have to say if a coworker has the virus?
Employers are generally not required to tell workers when someone in the workplace has tested positive for the coronavirus.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that companies monitor employees for symptoms and alert those who may have been in contact with an infected person. Some states may order businesses to follow such guidance.

Employers have the right to take employees' temperature and ask about symptoms or if they have been exposed to or diagnosed with the virus. If an employee doesn't respond to those questions, they can be barred from the workplace.

Businesses are required to provide a safe working environment. They also have to keep track of infections contracted on the job and report any hospitalizations or deaths related to the disease to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. king5.com

EEOC: ADA allows managers to report workers' COVID-19 infections,
but there are limits
Federal law does not prohibit a manager from reporting to company officials that an employee has COVID-19, or has symptoms of the disease, in order to take actions consistent with public health guidance, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said in a guidance document updated Sept. 8.

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires an employer to keep all medical information confidential, and this would include information about an employee's COVID-19 symptoms or diagnosis, EEOC said.

Employers may consider using a general descriptor when informing workers who may have contact with an employee who has COVID-19 or who has symptoms, even if co-workers may be able to determine who the employee is, EEOC said. hrdive.com

Only Makes You Feel Better - But Pretty Useless
Temperature Checks - Like Checking the Oil Before a Long Trip
It won't prevent anything or make the trip safer. But it does make you feel good.
"But it won't catch most people who are spreading Covid." nytimes.com

Business Interruption Insurance
Lawsuits Piling Up in the $$$Billions
Covering Future Pandemics?

What the CFO's Are Reading
Corporate America Up for a Fight with the Insurance Industry
This is going to be bloody & Who ends up paying?

Business Interruption: Insurers Balk at Paying Claims
Greatest Domestic & Global Economic Loss in History
Business interruption insurance has offered little protection from the large losses caused by COVID-19 government shutdowns.

Unfortunately, these businesses have had to make do without the benefit of insurance payouts, even though many held so-called "business interruption" policies that they thought would cover them. Companies filed claims as far back as early March, but they have been almost uniformly denied.

Insurance providers contend that given the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic-and the subsequent government-mandated business closures-the policies are not applicable in most if not all cases.

That stance has set off a monumental and precedent-setting debate over what expenses and lost revenue (if any) from the pandemic should be covered by such insurance.

Should chief financial officers, general counsels, and risk managers have had their companies better-insured? : Can future pandemics be insured by the private sector, and if so, how?

Further, Gordon points out, government closures "have now caused what is expected to be one of the greatest domestic and global economic loss events in history... in the range of $255 billion to $431 billion in losses per month." In other words, in Gordon's opinion, the scale of potential losses is too great for the private sector to shoulder.

John Doyle, CEO of Marsh LLC, a New York-based insurance broker, believes there is a potential middle ground between relying on the private sector and having the government underwrite pandemic coverage.

The Risk Management Society (RIMS) is backing legislation that would create a pandemic risk reinsurance program with the U.S. Department of Treasury. The APCIA has rallied for U.S. legislation to establish a workplace recovery fund.

"Ultimately this dispute will be resolved to some degree in the courts before insurers acknowledge coverage and start paying claims."

Business policyholders are not yet letting go of their insistence that insurers cover their losses. Particularly rankling for some owners and management teams may be that insurance companies have reaped enormous profits off of the business policies in question.

Says Reed Smith's Ellison, "Businesses have been purchasing business interruption insurance for decades, and most of them have paid huge premiums over the years with little or no claims made against those policies." cfo.com

Over 1,000 Companies File Suits Against Insurers
"Have to prove a direct physical loss"

Got interruption insurance? These companies found it's useless in the age of COVID-19
More than 1,000 companies have found themselves in the same predicament and have sued, with cases playing out across the U.S. and U.K. Insurers are arguing they don't have to pay out on pandemic claims in part because the coronavirus didn't damage property.

Ralph Lauren Corp. in its $700 million insurance case filed last month in New Jersey.

So far more than 1,000 lawsuits demanding insurance payments for business losses have been filed in state courts around the country.

Most of the current cases are still in the early stages and were filed in the first few months of the pandemic, Kammer said. That means courts in October and November will likely start deciding just how much, if any, property has been damaged by the coronavirus, he said.

Similar disputes have popped up in Europe. The U.K. markets regulator has taken some of the world's largest insurers to court to establish whether they should pay out pandemic-related claims made by small firms, with a judgment expected next week. Almost 30 insurers including Allianz, American International Group Inc. and Chubb Ltd. could be affected by the ruling. fortune.com

NYC Victim - Survived 9/11 - Denied $175M Business Interruption Claim
"Insurers Turned Their Back on Us"

Insurers helped Century 21 rebuild after 9/11
but not during the coronavirus pandemic

Off-price department store chain Century 21 filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Thursday and announced that all 13 of its stores would close. A key element of its bankruptcy, according to the company, was its insurers' failure to help it through the COVID-19 crisis.

"While insurance money helped us to rebuild after suffering the devastating impact of 9/11, we now have no viable alternative but to begin the closure of our beloved family business because our insurers, to whom we have paid significant premiums every year for protection against unforeseen circumstances like we are experiencing today, have turned their backs on us at this most critical time," co-CEO Raymond Gindi said.

A Century 21 store located across the street from the World Trade Center remained closed for nearly six months and underwent a $10 million renovation after suffering damage on 9/11.

Even with stores having reopened, Century 21 said it could no longer stay in business because its insurers "have turned their backs on us at this most critical time," declining to provide the $175 million it was seeking in coverage for business disruption losses resulting from the pandemic. cfo.com businessinsider.com

West Coast Wildfires

33 Victims from California to Washington State
West Coast had just experienced a record-shattering heat wave
As Wildfires Burn Out of Control, the West Coast Faces the Unimaginable
Firefighters across California and Oregon are bracing for stronger winds that could partly clear the air - but also fan the flames of uncontrolled blazes.

The flames have destroyed neighborhoods, leaving a barren, gray landscape in their wake, driven tens of thousands of people from their homes and cast a shroud of smoke over the region.

The arrival of the stronger winds on Sunday tested the resolve of fire crews already exhausted by weeks of combating blazes that have consumed around 5 million acres of desiccated forests, incinerated numerous communities and created what in many places was measured as the worst air quality on the planet.

The fires, which have killed at least 33 people in the last week alone, have engulfed the region in anguish and fear, as fairgrounds have turned into refugee camps for many who have been forced from their homes.

In Oregon, blazes are reaching into areas untouched by fire for decades. Oregon's fire marshal was forced out while a half-million state residents were ordered to evacuate or warned to be ready to leave.

"People are prepared, but not for a fire of this magnitude," said Aumsville's fire chief, Roy Hari. nytimes.com huffpost.com
 

Pandemic Is An Opportunity to Clean House, Compliance Experts Say

Compliance experts say they are looking hard at third-party relationships and tailoring their risk assessments to cut costs during the pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic is presenting companies with an opportunity to scrutinize due diligence processes, risk assessments and other routine tasks that help businesses avoid brushes with the law, compliance chiefs say.

The effort to make compliance departments more cost-effective is happening as companies grapple with the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

The pandemic has radically changed the business landscape for many companies, and in turn altered where legal risks such as bribery and corruption lie. Compliance officers should be asking themselves if they have the right policies in place or if they are doing business with third-party business partners that are no longer relevant.

In that way, reassessing a company’s risk profile during the pandemic should go hand in hand with the effort to cut costs across the business, panelists said. wsj.com

'Digital Educators'
Lululemon is ready to tackle holiday crowd control
Lululemon plans to use a mix of pop-ups, queuing technology and online assistance to manage Christmas holiday crowds.

The yoga-themed retailer's reopened stores are performing at 75 percent of last year's volume due to capacity restrictions, with lines forming outside some spots.

"Our stores are small and designed to be an efficient use of space with high levels of traffic, which results in high productivity," said Calvin McDonald, CEO, last week on the retailer's second-quarter conference call. The stores are among the most productive across retail, with average sales per square foot of $1,657 in 2019.

Pop-ups: Lululemon will open approximately 70 "seasonal" pop-up locations this holiday, up from 51 last year.

Virtual waitlists: The retailer will continue to use this method to notify shoppers when it's their turn to enter the store in order to ease wait times.

Curbside pickup: The chain will continue to complement its BOPIS service with curbside pickup to enable.

Digital educators: The number of "digital educators" will be expanded to complement in-store assistance. retailwire.com

Re-Building a Retailer's Reputation After $38M Bon Fire
Burberry plans ethical luxury investment
The planned bond sale comes as the socially responsible debt market grows and the UK company starts to get over the worst effects of the coronavirus crisis. Burberry, which came under public scrutiny in 2018 after it emerged it was burning unsold goods, has in recent years put emphasis on corporate social responsibility by turning to sustainable cotton farming and use of deadstock materials in a bid to attract ethically minded consumers. businessoffashion.com

Note: Suffered major reputation hit after pictures of its $38M bonfire of unsold goods went viral on the web and activists just piled on for some time. So much so that it's still referred to in the news outlets. Case in point.
 

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will not be live this year: de Blasio
There will be no live Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City this year, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday.

He said the famous Manhattan parade will instead be aired virtually. nypost.com

Editor's Note: I wonder if we've seen our last one? Just a thought given apparel and mall anchor sales.

Click here to read the Daily's previous reporting on how Macy's AP team & Law Enforcement join forces to keep the annual parade secure.

Five Below Proudly Announces Opening Of 1000th Store

Sur La Table to close 17 more stores for a total of 73


Quarterly Results
Kroger Q2 comp's up 14.6%, e-commerce up 127%, total sales up 13.9% excluding fuel
American Eagle Outfitters Q2 digital up 74%, total sales down 15%
 

Cargo Theft

Miami-Dade County, FL FBI offering reward for Cargo Theft fugitive; theft of a $3 million shipment of ventilators
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of 42-year-old Yoelvis Denis Hernandez. Hernandez was allegedly involved in the theft of a $3 million shipment of ventilators on or about Aug. 9, according to the FBI. The ventilators were being shipped to El Salvador by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and were intended to assist the country’s response to COVID-19. Investigators believe Hernandez may be somewhere in South Florida, but also has ties to Cuba, the FBI said. The USAID Office of Inspector General is offering a separate and additional amount of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Hernandez. cbs12.com