RLPSA Releases Strategies for Dealing with Disruptive Guests Survey Results and Safety Video Series
The Restaurant Loss Prevention & Security Association (RLPSA) announces the release of its “Strategies for Dealing with Disruptive Guests Survey Results,” which surveyed different types of restaurants to understand what types of strategies are being implemented for dealing with this critical issue.

The goal of this survey was to begin defining what constitutes a “disruptive guest” and to determine which de-escalation methods are the most successful. RLPSA’s mission is to provide all types of restaurants with valuable resources to help keep their employees and customers safe.

RLPSA is also releasing a video series designed to help its members address various safety concerns such as robberies, distracted driving, and safe delivery practices. Each video module is only a few minutes long but contains key insights from multiple restaurant formats, brands, and perspectives. rlpsa.com

LPRC Webinar: Active Shooters in the Business Setting
Please join the Loss Prevention Research Council November 7th at 1:00PM EST for a follow-up webinar on active shooters in the business setting. This session will be hosted by LPRC Research Scientist Jenn Jarrett, Tom Arigi (Kroger), and Cathy Langley (Rite Aid).

Topics will include the commonly confused definitions of mass shooters, mass murderers, & active shooters, the relevant statistics & trends surrounding these events, and the offender warning signals to help organizations identify potential active shooters. Also to be discussed is response policies to active shooters and the research on their efficacy at reducing victim count.

   Sign up here: https://lpresearch.org/webinars/

New Genetec Clearance camera registry facilitates video sharing between businesses and public safety agencies
Helps investigators resolve incidents and close cases faster

Genetec Inc. (“Genetec”), a leading technology provider of unified security, public safety, operations, and business intelligence today announced the new camera registry module for Genetec Clearance, a digital evidence management system that facilitates collaboration between public safety agencies, corporate security departments, businesses, and the public. genetec.com

Theft is a major risk for retailers using scan-and-go, expert says
But companies can mitigate that risk with additional layers of protection, including security cameras, customer notices and enhanced employee training.

Customers may be drawn to the autonomy and time savings scan-and-go checkout promises, but distractions ranging from rambunctious kids to in-store signage increase the chance they'll forget to scan products and walk out of the store with free merchandise — potentially costing grocers in the end, according to Adrian Beck, emeritus professor of criminology at the University of Leicester in the U.K.

Retailers and tech companies employ various safeguards, including front-end audits, but these all too often fail to flag un-scanned items, said Beck, who has researched loss prevention for self-checkout and scan-and-go programs.

In an analysis published last year of more than 140 million scan-and-go transactions across 13 major retailers in the U.S. and the U.K., Beck found added product loss of as much as 10 basis points for every 1% of sales. That means if a store did 10% of their sales through scan-and-go, product loss could go up an additional 1%. grocerydive.com

Boards and Execs Do Not See Risk the Same Way
The Institute of Internal Auditors released a report in which they examined corporate risk management: OnRisk 2020: A Guide to Understanding, Aligning, and Optimizing Risk.

The report is based on a survey of internal audit managers and qualitative interviews of corporate board members and executives. Three of the report’s seven key findings in the report:

● Boards are overconfident. Boards consistently view the organization’s capability to manage risks higher than executive management, evidence of a critical misalignment.

● Boards generally perceive high levels of maturity in risk management practices. Board members’ perceptions of risk knowledge and capability place them ahead of executive management relative to risk maturity, therefore making them more likely to believe those risks are better managed.

● Talent Management (and retention) are at the center of future concerns. Respondents recognize the importance of good talent and how people drive the success of a business - particularly when it comes to data and IT skills.

The full report, available as free download, goes into more detail on each of these areas and four other risk management findings.

For additional reading, see ASIS International’s new Enterprise Security Risk Management (ESRM) Guideline (free online for ASIS members) released last month. asisonline.org

Minority workers in retail and fast food have more erratic hours than white workers, report finds
But new research finds hourly workers of color in the industries have more unpredictable hours and last-minute schedules than their white colleagues.

Minority workers, particularly women of color, are "exposed to the most unstable and unpredictable work scheduling practices," according to a report published Wednesday by sociologists at The Shift Project at the University of California. "This is not desirable schedule flexibility, but rather unpredictability and instability imposed by employers."

Minority workers in the retail and food service industries are 10% to 20% more likely than white workers to report canceled shifts, on-call shifts and "clopenings" -- shifts separated by fewer than 11 hours, the researchers found. The Shift Project, which studies scheduling practices, surveyed 30,000 employees at 120 of the largest retail and food-service firms for its report. cnn.com

Walmart to shell out $5.2M for failing to accommodate worker with disability
A jury awarded a Walmart cart pusher $5.2 million after the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sued his employer for disability discrimination, the agency announced.

The employee - who has a developmental disability and a visual impairment in addition to being deaf - worked for a Beloit, Wisconsin, Walmart for 16 years before a new manager took over the store. Upon his arrival, the manager suspended the worker and requested the employee resubmit his medical paperwork to keep his reasonable accommodation, which was to work alongside a public-funded job coach. Despite meeting the manager's request, the store stopped communicating with the worker and "effectively terminated him," EEOC said.

A spokesman for Walmart told the Beloit Daily News it believes the jury award was unlawfully excessive and stated the company tried to work with the employee for several years, but the new manager worried for his safety. The spokesman said the company will weigh its post-trial options. retaildive.com

One Simple Tip that Will Enhance Productivity & Possibly Avert Workplace Violence
THE SOLUTION: Does your organization have a written policy requiring legal process to be served outside of the workplace?

On February 25, 2016, Cedric R. Ford was served with a domestic violence restraining order on behalf of his estranged intimate partner while at work at Excel Industries in Kansas. Later an enraged Ford shot three co-workers to death and also wounded 14 other people. Ford was shot and killed by law enforcement, putting an end to the carnage.

What role the restraining order played in triggering the massacre will never be fully known. What is known however that that Ford began shooting 90 minutes after being served at work. workplaceviolencepreventioninstitute.org

Homeland Security launching crackdown on counterfeit contacts, makeup
in time for Halloween
Two weeks ahead of Halloween, Homeland Security Investigations is conducting a major crackdown on some items used for dressing up on the ghoulish holiday that may be dangerous counterfeit items. A major safety threat is fake contact lenses. Special Agent in Charge Tim Meadows said the contact lenses are often made in China and contain bacteria and can be contaminated with lead and other toxins. The agency is also targeting the makeup and cosmetics that are sold to accent costumes.

With the Christmas season approaching, HSI is concentrating on taking counterfeit goods off the streets. Agents have confiscated about 100 items from fake designer purses to apparel in the Jackson, Mississippi metro area. Vendors who sell fake items can be charged with trafficking counterfeit goods and trademark piracy. They can face a 10 year federal prison sentence for each count if convicted. wlbt.com

New Jobs in Retail - It's a Security Job Boom
Cannabis Business Association of Illinois Hosted Chicago Job Fair
With recreational marijuana sales set to begin Jan. 1 in Illinois, the nascent industry is readying for what’s predicted to be strong consumer demand. The job fair took place the same day that Chicago’s first recreational marijuana store was approved by the state and a Chicago alderman moved to delay product sales in the city until July 1.

Some 5,800 people already work in the industry in Illinois and within a year, employment could swell to more than 13,500 jobs in Illinois alone.

“We are always looking for people with retail experience,” said Don Williams, MedMen’s Midwest regional director of government affairs. “We are looking to add 50 to 60 retail associates at our locations to help with the rush of customers who come in asking questions about the right marijuana product for them.”

MedMen’s budtender jobs pay $16 to $17 an hour, with full benefits and stock options for full-time employees, Williams said. Employees also receive discounts on various cannabis products, he said.

Standing by one table was Larry Doria, president and CEO of P4 Security Solutions, a Harwood Heights-based security firm for the cannabis industry. Doria said security will be a major component for companies as they try to get their license applications approved, and P4′s presence in the cannabis industry has grown.

“Security is important,” Doria said. “We offer entry-level jobs starting at $15 an hour working at dispensaries. It’s a great opportunity that opens the door to other jobs (in the cannabis industry).” chicagotribune.com

Discount & Convenience Stores Fastest Growing Offline Retail Channels Next Five Years
Non-food discount, food discount and convenience stores are all projected for annual growth rates above 5%. Discount grocery stores, in particular, are projected to continue gaining overall share, increasing to 9.7% of food sales in 2024, from 8.8% in 2019 and 7.4% in 2014. Convenience stores are also proving relatively resistant to share loss from online retailers, with only a 0.2% loss in share from 2013-2018. chainstoreage.com

Honest Jobs Website Posts "Felon-Friendly Employers"
How to Help People with Criminal Histories Break Employment Barriers
Blakeman, a felon himself, decided to leave Owens Corning, and using money from his 401(k), last November he launched Honest Jobs, a website that posts job openings from "felon-friendly employers" around the country who will consider hiring candidates with criminal convictions. The business is based in Columbus, Ohio. Blakeman also authored a guide called Grit: How to Get a Job and Build a Career with a Criminal Record.

Honest Jobs is free to view, and employers can post up to three jobs for no charge. Blakeman charges a monthly fee for additional job listings, determined by the amount of ads placed. He says that paid ads get better results. Since the site started, Blakeman estimates about 50 people have gotten jobs through his service and he now has three employees, two of whom have criminal records. For marketing, his team reaches out to probation offices and workforce development groups, and he pays for digital marketing on social media.

In February, Honest Jobs received $100,000 from an angel investor, and Blakeman hopes to raise $3 million in capital, which he would use for software development and hiring more employees. Blakeman, or one of his employees, speaks with every business before an ad posts, and in the next version of the site's software they plan to add a function that lets employers select website language describing what types of felony convictions would and not prevent a candidate from being considered for the job. shrm.org

Barneys enters deal to sell assets to Authentic Brands, B. Riley for $271 million cash

Will debt-free college make Chipotle the place to work in the restaurant biz?

34 Percent of Employees Would Take a Pay Cut to Work Remotely


Quarterly Results

Albertson's Q2 comp's up 2.4%, revenue up 1.1%
 

RH-ISAC Hosts First Sector-Wide Tabletop Exercise
RH-ISAC members came together to challenge incident response skills in sector-wide cybersecurity exercise

The Retail & Hospitality Information Sharing and Analysis Center (RH-ISAC) hosted its first-ever sector-wide Securing Retail Alliance (SRA) tabletop exercise on September 23, 2019 in Denver, CO, preceding the 2019 Retail Cyber Intelligence Summit.

The SRA is a community within RH-ISAC that fosters a collaborative forum to share best practices on how resource-strapped teams can maximize resources – including those provided by the RH-ISAC – to strengthen their defenses and be better able to communicate their position and future needs with internal stakeholders.

“I am thrilled to have helped put together this tabletop exercise. With more than 45 participants from 24 member companies, this tabletop was a huge success,” said Carlos Kizzee, vice president of intelligence at RH-ISAC. He added, “The best part was how participants used the ISAC as they should. We had multiple channels of communication replicating the RH-ISAC operating environment available during the event and participants were on it sharing intel. It was great to see how being a member of an ISAC can assist in these emergency situations.”

The tabletop exercise, sponsored by Castle, included security analysts, CISOs, engineers and security managers that formed seven teams with four to six different member companies on each team. More than 40 injects were given throughout the three-hour exercise.

Attendees experienced first-hand how the industry responds to an incident and left the exercise with best practice improvements to incorporate into their incident response plans. rhisac.org

Major Carding Forum BriansClub Suffers Data Breach
One of the web’s largest marketplaces for stolen card data has been hacked, leading to the theft the second time over of more than 26 million cards.

A source shared the news with security researcher Brian Krebs, whose name and likeness have been used for years by the administrators of the online BriansClub store.

It is claimed that the trove includes credit and debit card details stolen from bricks-and-mortar retailers from the past four years, including eight million uploaded so far in 2019.

In fact, Krebs calculated that with cardholder losses estimated at $500 per card, BriansClub could have generated as much as $4 billion in losses from the roughly nine million cards it has sold to fraudsters since 2015. infosecurity-magazine.com

Fake mobile app fraud tripled in first half of 2019
In Q2 2019, RSA Security identified 57,406 total fraud attacks worldwide. Of these, phishing attacks were the most prevalent (37%), followed by fake mobile apps (usually apps posing as those of popular brands).

But while phishing went up by just 6 percent when the numbers from 1H 2019 are compared to those from 2H 2018, attacks via financial malware and rogue mobile apps have increased significantly (80 and 191 percent, respectively).

“The fact that fraud via fake mobile applications tripled in the first half of 2019 is testament to how perpetrators will constantly seek out weak points. Here, they are exploiting consumers’ growing trust in mobile apps as a means to interact with brands and make purchases,” Daniel Cohen, Director of the Fraud and Risk Intelligence Unit at RSA Security, noted. helpnetsecurity.com

Cost of Ransomware Related Downtime Increased More Than 200 Percent
A new Datto Global survey uncovers the business impact and increasing frequency of ransomware attacks.

While it is used against businesses of all sizes, SMBs have become a prime target for attackers of ransomware. The 2019 Global State of the Channel Ransomware Report uncovered a number of ransomware trends specifically impacting the SMB market:

● Ransomware attacks are pervasive. The number of ransomware attacks against SMBs is on the rise. Eighty-five percent of MSPs reported attacks against SMBs over the last two years, compared to 79 percent of MSPs who reported the same in 2018. In the first half of 2019 alone, 56 percent of MSPs reported attacks against SMB clients.

● A disconnect exists on the significance of ransomware as a threat. Eighty-nine percent of MSPs report that SMBs should be very concerned about the threat of ransomware. However, only 28% of MSPs report SMBs are very concerned about the threat.

● The cost of ransomware is significant. Sixty-four percent of MSPs report experiencing a loss of business productivity for their SMB clients while 45 percent report business-threatening downtime. The average cost of that downtime is $141,000, a more than 200-percent increase over last year’s average downtime cost of $46,800. The report also uncovered that the cost of downtime is now 23-times greater than the average ransom request of $5,900.

● Business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) solutions have continued to prove to be the most effective in lessening the impact of a ransomware attack, the report says. Ninety-two percent of MSPs report that their clients with BCDR solutions in place are less likely to experience significant downtime during an attack. securitymagazine.com

Ransomware Attacks: STOP, Dharma, Phobos Dominate

Survey: Workers trust robots and AI more than their managers