ASIS Retail Council Survey:
Retail Asset Protection Community - Content Ideas

The goal of this survey is to help shape content generated by the Retail Asset Protection Community. With many articles and webinars released by various industry associations these days, we would like to make sure that our group focuses on unique, timely, and relevant matters.

Please take a few minutes to provide your thoughts. Take the survey here.

All responses will remain confidential. We ask that you provide your name and the name of your institution in the event that further clarification is needed. For any member who participates in this initiative, CAP Index, Inc. is offering a free CRIMECAST Report, which you can access here.
 

COVID Update

Biden Promises Strong Response to Covid-19 as Cases Surge

President-elect is expected to bolster CDC’s role, invest in more testing and
use bully pulpit

President-elect Joe Biden has promised a more forceful federal response to the rapidly worsening Covid-19 pandemic than his predecessor, who left many decisions and tasks up to state and local leaders while playing down precautionary measures such as wearing masks and physical distancing.

Mr. Biden also pledged to double the number of drive-through testing sites, invest in developing at-home and rapid tests, use the Defense Production Act to manufacture masks, face shields and other protective gear, and hire at least 100,000 contact tracers across the country.

A more massive response could prefigure a bigger, longer-term federal investment in public health. The president-elect has signaled his intent to spend more on preventing future pandemics, including detecting and stopping outbreaks overseas. He has also pledged to keep the U.S. in the World Health Organization, after the Trump administration set a withdrawal in motion.

On Saturday, 127,399 new coronavirus cases were reported in the U.S., according to Johns Hopkins University data, the highest daily toll by far. The next three to four months are shaping up to be the hardest the U.S. has endured yet in the pandemic, public-health experts say.

Mr. Biden must balance the potential impact on the economy and society. Many Americans fear that tough new restrictions to stop the virus’s spread, as some countries in Europe already have undertaken, could do further economic damage.

Since the president doesn’t have the power directly to impose mask mandates or other restrictions on states, however, Mr. Biden would have to win over governors and a public that voting results showed is deeply divided on how to steer the country through the pandemic.

“I think we will start to see the use of targeted, surgically implemented shutdowns in areas where we’re seeing clear data showing flare-ups,” said former Republican governor of Utah. wsj.com

Pfizer Covid-19 Vaccine:
When Will It Be Ready and Everything Else You Need to Know
Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech released promising, but preliminary, results for the effectiveness of their Covid-19 vaccine. Here’s what we know, and what we don’t know, and what this means for people getting the shots.

When will the Pfizer vaccine be ready for authorization?
It will be several more weeks at the earliest, because researchers and regulators still need to make sure the shot is safe. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said it wants to see two months’ worth of safety outcomes after vaccination for at least half of the people participating in any large, final-stage clinical trial before it considers authorizing a Covid-19 vaccine.

When will people start getting vaccinated?
Shots from Pfizer and BioNTech could start becoming available before the end of the year, as production has already begun, but initial supplies will be limited. Pfizer says it expects to produce up to 50 million doses globally in 2020—enough for 25 million people because the vaccine is given in two doses—and up to 1.3 billion doses in 2021. This means only the highest risk groups, such as front-line health care workers, could be inoculated this year.

What does this mean for the timing of reopenings?
Given the limited initial supplies, however, public-health authorities have cautioned there wouldn’t be enough shots to vaccinate the general population until next year some time, perhaps the summer. wsj.com

Talk About Timing
Markets soar, breaking records on Pfizer vaccine news
Stock markets skyrocketed Monday morning, breaking records on the news from Pfizer that late-stage clinical trial data for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate was over 90 percent effective.

The news sets up a potential timeline and eventual end game for eradicating the global pandemic, which has caused one of the worst recessions on record. Millions of people have been put out of work, numerous businesses have been closed, over 10 million Americans have been infected, and nearly a quarter million have been killed.

The news also comes as congressional leaders seek to find common ground on a long-delayed fifth COVID-19 relief package, which has stalled for months. thehill.com

‘The worst is yet to come’
America’s iconic retailers fight for survival as pandemic rages on

Through mid-October, 46 retail bankruptcies in 2020, with more coming

Some industry analysts think more filings are looming, especially after the holidays.

“The worst is yet to come. The dust has not settled on this,” said Scott Stuart, CEO of the Turnaround Management Association. “You think Christmas is going to save retailers? Maybe it won’t.”

When the dust settles in January ... you’ll see the stressed retailers that didn’t so well enough to get through the first of the [New] year,” BDO’s Berliner said.

The leading trade organization for the retail industry, the National Retail Federation, has yet to release its annual holiday forecast — something it typically does in October.

And analysts’ forecasts for holiday sales are all over the place. That’s due in large part to the fact that there are still a whole host of unknowns — tied to the pandemic and to politics — that could influence consumer confidence one way or another.

From 1% gain to 2.5% to 3.5% depending on shrinking unemployment, additional government stimulus and an effective Covid-19 vaccine, Deloitte said. cnbc.com

Rising COVID-19 cases heighten worker safety concerns for Minnesota retailers

Retailers and stores are ramping up precautions ahead of the holiday season.

The sales have started. Armies of seasonal workers are being signed up. But as COVID-19 cases continue to rise, national retailers such as Target and Best Buy and grocers such as Cub Foods have had to place safety as a top priority for the holiday season.

Local retail giants Target and Best Buy as well as major grocers in the Twin Cities including Cub Foods, Kowalski’s Market and Lunds & Byerlys don’t publicize COVID infections of their employees, making it hard to gauge the full extent of the virus’ impact on its workers. Yet the number of infections for the general public continues to climb.

Target said in a statement to the Star Tribune it has seen its employees’ “cases rise and fall in line with national trends.” Target said it has been transparent with its teams on infections by informing them when employees test positive.

Touchless BOPIS

Target additional measures such as allowing customers to show a PIN code on their smartphones through a car window — instead of employees scanning a bar code — to confirm orders.

Best Buy, each store will have a “customer experience host” at the front to direct shoppers and manage lines. when appropriate it could limit store hours, reduce occupancy and even close stores to foot traffic and shift to curbside-only pickup service depending on community infection outbreaks like it did earlier in the year.

Best Buy also will allow customers to use digital queues instead of physically waiting to get help from an employee. startribune.com

Woman arrested after refusing to wear mask in Oregon Walmart
A woman was arrested at the Eagle Point Walmart this week after she was asked to leave because she was not wearing a mask. Her husband caught the incident on camera.

Michelle Easley said she went to the Eagle Point Walmart with her husband around 4 p.m. Wednesday, and she initially wore a mask entering the store. Due to a medical condition, Easley said she took the mask off when she started getting winded. She claimed that after numerous employees passed her without saying a word, she said one employee spoke up telling Easley she had to leave.

Easley said she has a doctor's note about the condition, and explained to the employee why she couldn't wear a face mask.

According to the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration, medical conditions are not a valid reason for not wearing a mask.

Easely said Walmart did not offer her any alternative accommodations for her condition. Instead, she said, staff called Eagle Point Police Department and she was arrested for committing the crime of Criminal Trespass in the 2nd degree "The associate did act according to our policy, they reminded her of the state requirement," said Walmart spokesman, Robert Arrieta. katu.com

Old Navy requires masks, health guards at checkout, social distancing guides & sanitizing stations

NYC ‘dangerously close’ to second COVID-19 wave, de Blasio says

NY Gov. Cuomo Warns Of ‘Worst 2 Months’ Ahead As New York Sees Spike In COVID Numbers

Minn. Gov. Walz hints at more targeted COVID-19 lockdown measures

France Locks Down Non-Essential Retailers

The 2020 Security 500 Rankings

Which security programs are taking the lead? These 500 enterprises have been ranked through metrics to determine the forerunners in 20 sectors.

Retail/Restaurants (Company Name & Security 500 Member)

1. Starbucks - Cheryl Steele, Vice President, Global Security and Resilience; Chief Security Officer
2. Costco Wholesale - Larry Montague, Director of Security
3. L Brands - John Talamo, Senior Vice President, Asset Protection
4. Under Armour - Fred Bealefeld, Vice President; Chief Global Security Officer
5. Abercrombie & Fitch - Shane P. Berry, Group Vice President of Asset Protection
6. BMC Stock Holdings - Randy Johnson, Director of Loss Prevention
7. Big Y Foods, Inc. - Mark Gaudette, Director of Loss Prevention
8. Yum! Brands - Steven Antoine, Chief Security Officer - Global Assets Protection
9. Ascena Retail Group, Inc. - Eric Pidgeon, Vice President, Asset Protection
10. VF Corporation - Justin Cullinan, Vice President, Global Security and Business Resiliency
11. Lululemon - Greg Brumley, Vice President, Asset Protection and Facilities
12. Big Lots, Inc. - Robert LaCommare CFI, Vice President, Asset Protection and Safety
13. Pappas Restaurants - Joe Wojcik, Senior Investigator
14. Kohl's Corporation - Randy Meadows, Senior Vice President of Loss Prevention
15. The Kroger Co. - Mike Lamb, Vice President of Asset Protection
16. Safeway/Albertsons - Kathleen Smith, Vice President of Asset Protection
17. Things Remembered - James Baumgart, Senior Manager of Loss Prevention
18. AutoZone - Patrick Barker, Corporate Security Manager

Listed Alphabetically

Bed Bath & Beyond - Jake Wilson, Corporate Director, Loss Prevention and Corporate Security
Chipotle Mexican Grill - Dave Estlick, Chief Information Security Officer
Levi Strauss & Co. - Garrett Petraia, Vice President, Global Security and Resilience
Papa John's - Sammy Davis, Vice President, Safety and Security
Party City - John Voytilla, Senior Vice President, Facilities, Construction, Procurement, and Loss Prevention
PetSmart - Matt Lincoln, CFI, Vice President, Loss Prevention and Safety
Sherwin-Williams - Michael Hagenbush, CFI, Director of Enterprise Risk Management and Compliance
Stage Stores - Kevin Richardson, Senior Vice President Technology and Chief Security Officer
Tiffany & Co. - David F. McGowan, Vice President, Worldwide Security Services
Ulta Beauty - Sandy Chandler, Director, Loss Prevention  securitymagazine.com

See last year's rankings here. | View the Security 500 methodology here.