How Gap Inc.’s LP leader also helps preserve
 the planet

Keith White has a unique title and position. As the executive vice president of loss prevention and global sustainability at Gap Inc., the skills and knowledge acquired through a career in loss prevention help him look at the bigger picture — much bigger than just himself or the company. “I feel like there’s a better nexus between global sustainability and loss prevention,” he says: In one way he’s charged with the responsibility to protect the planet, in the other he’s working to preserve it. On this episode, White joins the Retail Gets Real team to discuss emerging trends in the loss prevention world and how the apparel retailer is taking corporate social responsibility to the next level.

White sees three emerging trends in LP. First, active shooter and other emergency incidents are a growing threat. He stresses the importance of proper training for retail stores, team members, corporate headquarters and everyone on the supply chain so they are prepared to respond appropriately in emergency incidents. The opioid epidemic is “driving people who are educated and have access to wealth to make decisions or to do things that they typically wouldn't do,” White says, “whether it's shoplifting behavior or it's violent behavior.” He urges those in loss prevention to understand the effect the drug has on their businesses. nrf.com

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Detroit Police Can Continue to Use Facial Recognition
The Detroit’s Board of Police Commissioners approved a policy for police to use facial recognition technology.

The policy only allows facial recognition to be used on still images of people suspected of violent crimes or home invasion. It prohibits the use of facial scanning for “surveillance,” through livestreams or on mobile devices, and at “First Amendment events” such as protests or other constitutionally-protected activities.

The directive states that police analysts must verify any facial recognition matches the software produces, and get that verification approved by a supervisor. Any facial recognition identification is only a lead for investigators and can never be used as the sole basis for an arrest, says the policy. securitymagazine.com

CNN: Asking customers not to bring guns into stores is one thing
Enforcing the policy is another
Walmart and seven other retailers made major political statements earlier this month when they asked customers not to openly carry firearms in their stores.

But enforcing the new gun policies will be complicated. Employees are on the front lines of enforcing the rules. Educating workers about how and when to approach armed customers requires training, and many employees may feel uncomfortable about asking gunholders to leave a store. There is also little data on whether banning open carry really does keep people safer.

That's why the policies, though well-intentioned, may not have much impact on reducing guns in stores. cnn.com

Carnegie report says facial recognition and AI surveillance spreading faster than thought
At least 75 countries around the world are actively using artificial intelligence tools such as facial biometrics to conduct surveillance on citizens, according to The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

A new report from the organization says that IBM and Cisco are among the government AI surveillance market’s leaders. The technology is used by autocratic regimes, as well as liberal democracies such as the United States and France.

Major findings include that the spread of AI surveillance technology is much faster and wider than previously understood, with 64 countries actively using facial recognition, 56 implementing smart city systems, and 52 using smart policing technologies. biometricupdate.com

Report: 10% Year-Over-Year Increase in Gift Card Sales
According to Paytronix Systems Inc.’s Paytronix Annual Gift Card Sales Report: 2019, there is a consistent 10% year-over-year growth in gift card sales for the 220 brands surveyed in this year’s report versus the 190 brands surveyed for its 2018 reports.

The Paytronix Annual Gift Card Sales Report: 2019 includes an in-depth look into holiday gift card sales, sales by channel and service type and anticipated redemption.

The report also reveals new insights on eGift cards, such as average load to a virtual stored value card and how restaurants can anticipate their eGift card sales to look during the busy holiday season. cstoredecisions.com

Apple's Ron Johnson - Amazon's Disruption is Over
Amazon has to 'figure out how to compete with Target and Walmart'
Target and Walmart’s online sales are growing three times Amazon’s in the U.S. Forty percent pick up at store, they’re getting it same day. Amazon can’t do that. So they’ve got to figure out how to compete with Target and Walmart.” Ron Johnson, Enjoy CEO and former CEO of JCPenney (JCP), told Yahoo Finance’s The Final Round.

Amazon has changed the retail landscape over the past 25 years, but now the industry it disrupted is beating the company at its own game, he said. Johnson said that the company’s lack of physical locations is putting it a disadvantage.

“Once the physical companies took advantage of online shopping, fast shipping, pick-up in store, great technology, their traffic in stores is growing and their online is growing. So Amazon is kind of left out not having a physical footprint, and so they’re trying to compete with this fast delivery which is going to be very expensive for them.”

As Walmart and Target maintain rapid e-commerce growth, it’s clear that the merging of online retailing with traditional retailing is becoming more important in the success of a company’s e-commerce business.

“Amazon disrupted for a while, that’s over now. Now the big stores have disrupted Amazon back” Johnson said. yahoo.com

Vast Majority of Consumers Already Plan to Return Holiday Gifts
During the upcoming holiday season 77 percent of consumers surveyed said they plan to return a portion of their gifts, with nearly 20 percent expecting to return more than half of their presents (sorry grandma!). This is both a blessing and a curse for retailers planning for the holiday season. While 32 percent of those polled noted they plan to return gifts via mail, 65 percent intend to return them to the store, giving brick-and-mortar retailers another opportunity to engage customers and boost post-holiday sales.

“Preparing for returns is a best practice, leveraging returns intelligence to inform product development and new customer acquisition strategies is next practice retail.” oracle.com

Nashville, TN: Gun store burglaries contribute to dangerous trend

1,000 Protesting Uber Drivers Brought NYC Traffic to a Standstill


Quarterly Results
Sears Hometown & Outlet Q2 comp's down 21.7%, sales down 44.3%

Checkpoint Systems Announces CBD Product Protection Solutions for Retailers

Provides Security Keepers and Labels for theft prevention on products containing CBD

THOROFARE, N.J., Sept. 18, 2019 - Checkpoint Systems, a leading global supplier of Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS), RFID solutions and Alpha High-Theft Solutions for the retail industry, today announced its line of specialized security labels and Keepers® to protect against retail CBD theft.

The portfolio of solutions offers retailers the ability to openly display popular CBD and other high value products by removing them from locked cabinets, assuring easy access for customers. Security Labels and Keepers are proven to increase sales and decrease shrink with an impressive ROI.

According to Stuart Rosenthal, Vice President of Sales for Checkpoint's Alpha High-Theft Solutions, "By having such a wide variety of Keeper sizes available, it makes protecting new products, such as CBD, straightforward and simple."

Keeper features include:
● Available in AM or RF technology
● Durable construction
● Quick application and removal
● Keeps original package intact
● Customization options available

Label features include:
● Visible EAS circuit provides a strong visual deterrent against shoplifters
● Clear viewing window complements product packaging
● Offers covert protection without brand degradation
● Uses aggressive packaging adhesive
● Designed to support high-speed @source integration
● Custom printing available