Part 2 of Indyme's Q&A with the D&D Daily
Indyme: More than "that call button company!"

The D&D Daily's Gus Downing's Q&A with Hedgie Bartol, Vice President of Business Development for Indyme Solutions

Gus: So, what other solutions do you have besides these customer engagement buttons?

Hedgie: Well, from an exact solution standpoint, we have solutions for curbside pick-up, BOPIS, Fitting Rooms, Queue Management, Sweep Detection, Pushout Protection, Dwell sensors, Smart Domes and many more. But the even bigger picture is the fact that we can essentially give virtually any input the ability to output to another device, usually some form of communication such as a radio, PA or handheld device. With our Smart Response we address the issue many retailers are seeing today where they are building that “connected store” or “connected ecosystem” and providing the missing piece which is an event to action. When the various systems and solutions that are coming together provide actionable data, Indyme can facilitate that communication piece which closes that loop.

Gus: Very interesting! I had no idea! Can you give me an example of something that is unique and innovative?

Hedgie: One solution that we did that I thought was cool, was when a customer came to us and had an issue where a request for a service would be emailed into the store. However, the retailer’s IT department had determined that after 10 minutes of inactivity, the PC on site would require them to log back in. Well, the associates would not log in that frequently and would miss requests for service that come in, resulting in customers coming in without the store even knowing that a service had been requested. We used our technology to identify when an email came through to that service desk, we would trigger an announcement to the associate to go and check for the request. I thought this was pretty cool since I am a hardware guy and am used to hard inputs to an output, but this was all soft inputs and outputs. Here at Indyme, we can get very creative on resolving issues for retailers.

Stay tuned for Part 3, the final installment of Hedgie's Q&A coming tomorrow! Read Part 1 of the Q&A here.
 

RILA's Retail Store Walk Initiative in the News
DA, local retailers unveil initiative to tackle theft
The Parker County District Attorney’s Office is partnering with local business owners for a new initiative aimed at curbing retail theft. September marked the first Retail Store Walk Month, where DA Jeff Swain met with retailers, taking a tour of the stores and discussing options to deter, apprehend and prosecute thieves.

The initiative was launched by the National District Attorneys Association and the Retail Industry Leaders Association, targeting organized retail theft and habitual theft.

In September, Swain and Investigator Chawn Gilliland visited Teskey’s and Home Depot in Weatherford, Lone Star Dry Goods in Willow Park and Tractor Supply in Springtown, meeting with store managers and loss prevention personnel.

“At each of the stores, we discussed security measures they have in place, including security cameras, what their problem areas are for theft, and how they are addressing those,” Swain said. “We gave them input on things we saw that they might be able to upgrade. We also shared information about how we are seeing organized retail theft and professional thieves impact Parker County.

Gilliland added he was impressed with the advancement of security camera setups in many of the locations.

“They have really taken advantage of the reduced cost of technology and used to their advantage,” he said.

A commonality detected among the businesses was the use of customer interaction, which doubles as a greeting to shoppers as well as a theft deterrent.  weatherforddemocrat.com


The National Debate Over ORC Data
Is there a shoplifting crisis? What you need to know about retail crime.

Retailers have blamed growing theft and violence for lost profits and shuttering stores, though some industry experts say other factors are also at play

Target, Walmart and other large chains are blaming rising crime and violence for a heap of store closures. Meanwhile, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Dollar Tree, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Ulta have all raised concerns about disappearing inventory — known as “shrink” — in their last round of earnings calls. Retailers routinely stock deodorant and name-brand shampoo in plexiglass cages. And a recent report by the National Retail Federation found that “retail crime, violence and theft continue to impact the retail industry at unprecedented levels.”

Are we in the midst of shoplifting crisis? Here’s what you need to know:

How pronounced is organized retail crime?

It’s hard to quantify organized retail crime because companies categorize shoplifting losses as shrink, a term that also applies to employee theft, inventory miscounts and processing errors.

The closest tracking comes from NRF; according to its last annual survey, involving 177 retail brands, shrink was responsible for $112.1 billion in losses in 2022. That’s a 19.4 percent spike from the $93.9 billion reported in 2021. More than half of those losses were attributed to employee theft and operational and processing errors, which climbed 29 and 27 percent, respectively.

Nor is there much evidence that organized retail crime is having a significantly greater impact on retailers than in years past. External theft accounted for 36 percent, on average, of all theft last year, according to the survey, a slight decline from 2021.

But it is clear that in-store violence has increased and is “becoming more dire,” David Johnston, the retail federation’s vice president for asset protection and retail operations, said in a news release Tuesday. “Far beyond the financial impact of these crimes, the violence and concerns over safety continue to be the priority for all retailers, regardless of size or category.”

What are retailers doing to combat crime? | Where do police and policymakers fit in? | Why else are retailers closing stores?: washingtonpost.com


California Cities File Lawsuit to Stop Zero-Bail Policy
12 L.A. County cities file lawsuit to postpone zero-bail policy implementation

LAPD Chief Michel Moore blasted the policy, saying that book-and-release protocols provide no deterrent to keep people from committing crimes

Twelve Los Angeles County cities filed a lawsuit Friday seeking to postpone the controversial new zero-bail policy that allows some nonviolent defendants charged with felonies or misdemeanors to be cited and released after being arrested.

The cities of Whittier, Arcadia, Artesia, Covina, Downey, Glendora, Industry, Lakewood, La Verne, Palmdale, Santa Fe Springs and Vernon are seeking an injunction to postpone the implementation of the Los Angeles County Superior Court's zero-bail schedule, which went into effect Sunday, according to a news release from the city of Glendora.

The new bail policy was imposed by court officials who argued that a defendant's ability to pay bail should not be the key factor in determining whether they stay in jail after an arrest. The so-called zero-bail schedule has been a controversial issue around the country, with criminal justice reform advocates arguing that pretrial releases should be based on an individual's criminal history not on an arbitrary dollar amount.

Under the new schedule, almost all defendants accused of nonviolent felonies or misdemeanors in L.A. County will either be cited and released or freed on certain terms and conditions after judicial review within 24 hours of arrest, according to L.A. County Presiding Judge Samantha Jessner. police1.com


Another State Unveils ORC Legislation
Pa. Senate panel OKs bill to crack down on organized retail theft
Days after waves of store looting in Philadelphia, a Senate committee on Tuesday approved legislation to create the offense of organized retail theft and give state prosecutors tools to apprehend violators.

The bill creates the offense of organized retail theft and defines an “organized retail theft enterprise” as a corporation, partnership or type of association engaging in retail theft and receiving stolen property “with intent to resell or re-enter the merchandise into commerce.”

Law enforcement officials have said one of the goals of organized retail theft is to resell the stolen merchandise.

SB596 would create an office in the state attorney general’s office to combat organized retail theft that would be staffed by five prosecuting attorneys operating in different regions of the state.

The bill would also reduce current monetary thresholds for retail thefts to be graded as felonies of the third and second degrees. post-gazette.com


Spokane Police note surge of retail crime in northeast Spokane

Rep. Henry Cuellar's carjacking highlights rising crime rate in nation's capital


 
UK's Retail Crime Surge


Fighting UK's Shoplifting Surge with Facial Recognition, Biometrics
UK minister wants police biometric passport database searches to catch shoplifters
CCTV images from shoplifting, burglary and theft investigations in the UK should be compared against Home Office passport and immigration databases with facial recognition, Police Minister Chris Philp says according to the Daily Mail.

There are no legal restrictions to keep the government data from being used in criminal investigation, Philp said during the Conservative party conference. The College of Policing also said in August that police in England and Wales will be directed to consider all potential evidence to find suspects or stolen property.

This could mean not only retail theft scenarios, but also thefts from peoples’ doorsteps that are captured on CCTV or video doorbell cameras.

Shoplifting has increased by 27 percent in the UK’s ten biggest cities so far this year, The British Retail Consortium says, with violence against shop employees also rising sharply. Police stats show that almost three-quarters of reported serious retail crimes do not result in a visit from law enforcement, according to The Guardian.

Philp is asking for the checks to start immediately, and planning for a new platform to make the biometric searches efficient within the next two years, The Guardian reports separately. The plan follows on the heels of the launch of Project Pegasus, in which large UK retailers are funding face biometrics searches by police.

Goode intelligence CEO and Chief Analyst Alan Goode said, "With up to a 37 percent rise in retail theft this year and with pressures on police resources, the use of biometric technology to assist law enforcement in detecting people who are persistently stealing from retailers is a viable option but only when it is deployed with safeguards that ensure that the technology is accurate, bias-free and meets privacy principles and regulations,” Goode comments. “Retailers are increasingly turning to biometrics to support a wide range of use cases including payments, age estimation/verification, and anti-shrinkage measures.”  biometricupdate.com


UK Businesses Lost $2.13B Last Year
Rising Retail Crime Is Not Just an American Problem
On Sunday, leaders from 88 retailers across the U.K. — including top bosses from Clarks, Dr. Martens, Dune Group and JD Sports — have signed a new letter penned by the British Retail Consortium to U.K. Home Secretary Suella Braverman demanding action over rising rates of retail crime.

In the letter, leaders stated that they are seeking support for colleagues who continue to face “unacceptable levels of violence and abuse,” amid a rise in theft, much of it organized crime, and “anti-social behavior” which in many cases are the root cause of violent incidents.

Firstly, retailers are asking the government to create a new statutory offence of assaulting, threatening, or abusing a retail worker, allowing for tougher sentences for offenders — similar to the 2021 Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-restricted Goods and Services) Act passed in Scotland.

Secondly, retailers are asking the government for greater prioritization of retail crime by police forces across the U.K. “While the police face challenges across numerous competing priorities, 44 percent of BRC members rate the police response as poor or very poor,” the letter stated.

According to the BRC’s 2023 Crime Survey, violence and abuse against retail workers in the U.K. had almost doubled on pre-pandemic levels to 867 incidents every day in the period of April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022.

The U.K.’s retail trade organization also put the scale of retail theft in the country at 953 million British pounds ($1.2 billion), despite retailers spending more than 715 million pounds ($867 million) on crime prevention. This means the total cost of retail crime stood at a whopping 1.76 billion pounds ($2.13 billion) for the 12-month period to April, the survey found.

A separate BRC survey of members in 2023 found that levels of shoplifting in 10 major cities had risen by an average of 27 percent. This is not to mention the cascade of recent press stories detailing the wave of theft and violence currently impacting shops across the U.K. wwd.com


UK Retailers Using Body-Worn Cameras to Fight Crime
Tackling the retail crime epidemic with tech – Are body cameras the answer?

The retail sector, it seems, is under attack. Increasing levels of shoplifting and violence against staff have led to the increased deployment of body-worn cameras.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), in the 12 months to March 2023 the police recorded 339,206 shoplifting offences – a rise of a quarter on the previous year.

However, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) claims the figure was closer to eight million crimes, costing retailers nearly £1 billion annually. Of the shoplifting offences recorded, only 14% (48,218) were prosecuted, while in over half of cases (54%) no suspect was ever identified.

Emmeline Taylor, Professor of Criminology at London’s City University who works with retailers on strategies to prevent in store crime, says a large part of the problem is that the police are simply not responding to reports which are made to them.

Increasing lawlessness – ‘They’re not even bothering to hide anymore’

Ms Taylor describes increasing lawlessness on the high street, driven by the cost-of-living crisis, growing mental health problems, drug addiction as well as a perception in some parts of social media that shoplifting is ‘fair game’.

Though not all of this criminal activity spills over into abuse against staff, much of it does, with the vast majority of offenders knowing that little will be done to prevent them.

Body-worn cameras – the answer?

One possible solution may be through the deployment of technology, particularly body-worn cameras or bodycams. Whereas once these were only worn by security guards within the retail sector, they are increasingly being worn by all staff dealing with the general public.  ifsecglobal.com


Overburdened Police & Criminal Justice System Can't Cope with UK Theft Surge
Shop theft has been building for years – how to tackle crime & keep workers safe
The increase in theft from UK grocery and convenience shops is often blamed on the cost of living crisis. But this situation has been building for many years because overburdened policing and criminal justice systems can’t cope with a rise in organised crime and drug-fuelled stealing.

Under-funding of both the police and the criminal justice system in recent years has only fuelled the UK’s shoplifting problem.

Co-op found police failed to respond to 71% of serious retail crimes reported. For offenders that are caught, the average custodial sentence for a shop theft is two months (automatic release means half of this is served in prison). Adults released from custodial sentences of less than or equal to 6 months have a proven reoffending rate of 56.5%.

Although the causes of prolific and persistent offending are complex and far reaching, there are some simple solutions. Retailers are calling for new offences and for police to prioritise retail crime more. theconversation.com


RELATED: UK retailers demand government action on rising crime

Read more in the D&D Daily Special Report: 'Lawlessness on UK's High Streets'

Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Led 'Scheme to Recruit Men for Sex Events'
The alleged abuse took place between 1992 and 2014

Ex-Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries accused of running ‘well-oiled machine’ where he paid ‘recruiters’ $1,000 to lure young men to events for sex
Ex-Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries is facing allegations of sexual exploitation after eight men claimed in a bombshell BBC News investigation that he headed an elaborate scheme to recruit them for sex events.

Over the course of its two-year probe, BBC spoke to eight men who alleged that they were exploited or abused after being lured to events at Jeffries’ upscale New York residence or luxury hotels in the world’s fashion capitals.

The BBC described the exploitative regime as a “well-oiled machine” where “recruiters” were allegedly tasked with bringing young men to Jeffries’ events in London, Paris, Venice and Marrakesh and would receive as much as $1,000 per referral.

A personal “groomer” then allegedly shaved the body hair off some of the men before they attended the events, according to BBC. Men were then required to sign non-disclosure agreements that said they would be sued if they spoke out. They were not allowed to keep a copy of the legal document.

The young men alleged they were recruited to the sex events by a middleman who reported to Jeffries and his British lover, Matthew Smith, with half claiming they were misled about the nature of these events.

Other alleged victims knew the events were sexual but were unsure what was expected of them, though all were paid to attend and hopeful that by doing so, they would land a modeling opportunity with Abercrombie & Fitch, according to BBC.

The alleged abuse took place between 1992 and 2014, when Jeffries abruptly resigned after 22 years at the helm following consistent sales declines and controversy — which Jeffries seemingly invited when he openly favored what he called “cool, good-looking people” at A&F while shunning “fat people.” nypost.com  bbc.com


Mass. AG Investigation Into Supermarket Chain Security Racial Profiling
Roche Bros. agrees to steps to end security-guard profiling of Black people at its Downtown Crossing store
Roche Bros. agreed to measures to reduce the way Blacks were "disproportionately subjected to stops" for alleged shoplifting and then permanently banned in higher numbers than similarly stopped whites to settle an investigation by the state Attorney General's office. In addition, Roche Bros. agreed to pay the state $40,000.

The AG's office says that Black customers in particular were disproportionately subjected to stops by third-party security personnel. The Commonwealth further alleges that some Black customers who were stopped were banned from later entering Roche Bros.

The state also alleges that Roche Bros. failed to exercise "sufficient oversight" over the security company, provide anti-discrimination training to either the guards and its own workers at the store and failed to review shoplifting reports to ensure no group was being singled out for enforcement.

Under the agreement, Roche Bros. will hire an outside consultant to review its loss-prevention practices and develop "a policy explaining and prohibiting racial profiling, including a policy stating that discrimination against customers or other members of the public based on race or other protected characteristics is strictly prohibited, including in connection with security practices." universalhub.com


BJ's Slapped with $9M Fine Over Product Safety Hazard
BJ’s to Pay $9M for Not Reporting Potentially Fatal Hazard

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission cites retailer responsibility in the wake of deadly fire

BJ’s Wholesale Club is in hot water for a line of portable air conditioners sold in its stores. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced that the discount operator has agreed to pay $9 million in civil penalties.

The CPSC alleged that BJ’s had information “reasonably supporting” the conclusion that the air conditioners produced by Royal Sovereign International and sold by BJ’s between 2011 and 2012 had a defect in the drain monitor that could ignite the units. According to the independent federal agency, BJ’s learned of a 2016 fatal fire associated with a portable air conditioner purchased at one of its locations by at least 2017; the retailer issued a safety notice to Royal Sovereign units in March 2021, three months after the official recall by Royal Sovereign and the CPSC.

Alexander Hoen Saric, chairman of the Commission, pointed out that retailers are required to inform the USPSC of products that can cause serious injury or death. “In this case, BJ’s did not report to the Commission when they learned of a death from the product in 2017. BJ’s did not report even when it notified its own customers to stop using the product due to safety concerns,” Hoehn-Saric declared. progressivegrocer.com


Kroger-Albertsons Merger Faces More Obstacles
Former FTC policy director: Kroger, Albertsons merger is facing ‘a hurricane storm’

This FTC is not the same agency that approved past mergers, making the current deal on the table challenging, according to multiple sources

Former FTC policy director David Balto, who has been involved in several grocery merger deals with the FTC, said the deal with C&S was not enough to encourage the FTC to approve the merger, and that a similar divestiture deal with a closer competitor like Ahold Delhaize would have made a stronger impression.

In an exclusive interview with Supermarket News, Balto said the FTC will likely take Kroger and Albertsons to court over the C&S deal. “I think it’s highly unlikely the FTC would accept this divestiture, and I think that means that they’ll go to court and litigate,” Balto said. supermarketnews.com


Macy’s sets out to triple its off-mall fleet in less than 2 years

Domino’s, Microsoft team to transform ordering, store workflows with AI
 

Senior LP & AP Jobs Market

Director of Loss Prevention job posted for NAPA Auto Parts in Atlanta, GA
Accountable for managing and directing all loss prevention activities and outcomes throughout APG by providing leadership and building business partnerships with all corporate, divisional, regional, distribution and field partners. Monitors the progress of the business and loss reduction goals necessary to ensure effective execution and profit improvement in the company. Cascades various strategic initiatives throughout the company and ties the responsibilities of employees with value driven tasks, activities, and projects that impact revenue and profit. genpt.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com