Grocery Stores Transform LP to Fight Theft
Eyes wide open: How AI & vision tech are transforming loss prevention in grocery

As theft rises along the grocery aisles, retailers turn to emerging technology to mitigate losses—and pad notoriously tight margins.

Grocery theft today is evolving into something more organized and frequent. According to the National Retail Federation, retailers across the board, including grocers, witnessed a 93% increase in annual shoplifting incidents between 2019 and 2023. For an industry where profitability balances on an impossibly thin profit margin, theft has become a serious problem.

Employee vigilance still matters. But thanks to artificial intelligence (AI), grocers finally have access to technologies that place eyes everywhere—and understand whether the shopper in aisle 12 slipped the package of lobster meat in his overcoat, rather than putting it back in the freezer.

“AI is giving grocers new vision—literally and strategically,” says Donnafay MacDonald, research director at Info-Tech Research Group. “I sat on a call with a vendor and they said, 'Watch this video and try to detect who is stealing.' Nobody could detect it. But AI could.”

Grocery retailers are just now beginning to explore these technologies, and incorporate them into their stores, from receiving decks to meat counters to checkout zones and front doors. The digital eyes don’t just watch and record: They analyze behavior and alert humans to theft as it takes place in real time, and can identify people whose behavior suggests strong potential for shoplifting.

Theft-mitigation strategies through AI include the ability to identify repeat offenders when they walk through the front doors, notify employees and watch potential thieves as they navigate the aisles. The systems, too, help retailers understand what is being stolen most often, and when. newhope.com


Progressives Unhappy with LA DA's Retail Crime Crackdown
The DA is moving ahead full speed

Op-Ed | Hochman’s ‘Zero Tolerance’ Crusade Returns Us to Mass Incarceration
When Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced this past week that his office had filed over 1,000 felony theft charges under Proposition 36, he framed it as a righteous crusade against retail crime.

“The days of impunity are over,” he declared, invoking language meant to soothe business owners and strike fear into repeat offenders. But behind the tough-on-crime posturing lies a deeper truth: Hochman’s embrace of Prop. 36 is not about restoring safety—it’s about resurrecting the failed policies of mass incarceration.

The problem isn’t that retail theft isn’t real. It is. Businesses deserve to operate without being targeted, workers deserve safety, and communities deserve thoughtful solutions. But Proposition 36 is not that solution—and the budget fight unfolding in Sacramento right now lays bare just how hollow Hochman’s rhetoric really is.

Governor Gavin Newsom’s refusal to fund Proposition 36 enforcement in his May budget revision is telling. His decision, as covered in the Vanguard this week, signals something important: while the voters passed Prop. 36 last November—lured by a misleading ballot framing that equated repeat petty theft with serious violent crime—the administration knows that the bill’s implementation carries serious fiscal and human costs.

The courts will now be flooded with low-level cases elevated to felonies. Jails and prisons will fill up. The public defender system, already stretched thin, will buckle under the weight. And all of this will happen while doing little to actually prevent crime. davisvanguard.org


DAs Work Together to Fight Theft
District Attorneys Convene in Lafayette to Address AI, Prop 36, and Retail Theft
Elected District Attorneys and senior prosecutors from across the Bay Area and beyond gathered in Contra Costa County for the 2025 Greater Bay Area DA Summit.

The all-day, invitational summit brought together leaders to collaborate on legal strategies and share innovations that address some of the most urgent challenges facing the criminal justice system. Now in its third year, the summit has become a critical regional forum since its inception in Santa Clara County in 2022 and continuing in Napa County in 2023. The 2025 summit took place on May 16th at the Veterans Memorial Center in Lafayette.

Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton opened the summit with welcoming remarks that set the tone for the day’s discussions. In her address, DA Becton emphasized the importance of cross-jurisdictional partnerships and proactive approaches to public safety.

Following her remarks, a series of expert-led panels explored timely and complex topics, including:

• The Use of Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology in Criminal Prosecution

• Proposition 36 Implementation

• Emerging Challenges with Race-Blind Charging

• Legal Strategies in Combating Organized Retail Theft  contracosta.ca.gov

 
Oklahoma's ORC Bill
From shoplifting to protests, 4 crime-related bills to watch in Oklahoma Legislature
An enhanced law against organized retail crime could hit the books this year targeting individuals who shoplift and also meet two of the following criteria:

• Resell stolen items

• Work as part of a team

• Using "tools of theft" that include tag cutters, foil-lined bags, weapons or other means of evading detection

• Use of non-public exits

• Destruction or deactivation of anti-theft devices

• Receiving or purchasing stolen retail items

• Use of a getaway driver or stolen vehicle

• Use of a fraudulent or paper license plate

Anyone convicted of organized retail crime totaling less than $15,000 stolen could face up to five years in prison, one year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine. If the stolen property totals more than $15,000, the incarceration could be bumped up to eight years in state prison.

House Bill 1592 also extends "pattern of criminal offenses" to include those committed in two or more municipalities, instead of just counties. The bill easily passed both the House and Senate, and is being sent to the governor's desk. oklahoman.com


Banning Reusable Shopping Bags to Fight Theft
This IE grocery chain just changed its bag policy amid retail theft surge
Customers at the Grocery Outlet store in Hemet, located about two miles east of Los Angeles, will no longer be allowed to carry their own reusable shopping bags while browsing the store. Instead, shoppers will be required to use hand baskets or carts.

Customers will be stopped at the entrance and must hand over their shopping bags and any personal bags bigger than a small handbag. They will be stored at the front counter. Visitors are allowed to take their wallets, phones, and other essentials from bags before handing them over.

"While this has always been posted on our front door, we have had some take advantage and walk out of store without stopping by the register," the post by owners Matt and Allison, who run the franchise locally, read.

"We know this is inconvenient for everyone, but we want to ensure that we have products for you all as well as not lose any so we can keep pricing affordable."  foxla.com

 
Vintage shop owner frustrated by thefts amid reported rise in retail crime in B.C.

Korea: Theft declining at CCTV-covered businesses, but petty crimes persist
 

Trump vs. Walmart
Trump threatens Walmart, demands it "eat the tariffs"
President Trump on Saturday threatened Walmart over its plan to raise prices in the face of tariffs, demanding it absorb the costs instead. The White House, facing the risk of looming tariff-driven inflation, has turned to publicly threatening retailers to keep prices in check.

On Thursday, Walmart said it could no longer hold the line on costs, even with tariffs on China dropping to 30% from 145%, and would have to start raising prices on some items as soon as this month.

The idea that costs were approaching a point of no longer being easily absorbed wasn't news to the administration, per a source close to the company — it was something the White House had heard from Walmart, and hadn't pushed back on.

Trump took to Truth Social Saturday morning to blast the move.

"Walmart should STOP trying to blame Tariffs as the reason for raising prices throughout the chain. Walmart made BILLIONS OF DOLLARS last year, far more than expected," Trump wrote "Between Walmart and China they should, as is said, "EAT THE TARIFFS," and not charge valued customers ANYTHING. I'll be watching, and so will your customers!!!"

Walmart's move, and Trump's response, come less than a month after Walmart's CEO and other key retail executives privately warned the president that tariffs would soon lead to empty shelves and higher prices.

Last weekend, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick ridiculed what he called "silly arguments" that consumers would pay higher prices due to tariffs. axios.com


Will Tariffs Change Shoppers' Habits?
Shoppers Pull Back as Half of US Consumers Expect Tariffs to Raise Prices at Double the Rate of Inflation

As higher costs threaten to hit America’s shopping carts, more than eight in 10 consumers are changing their spending habits—buying less, trading down or stretching out payments.

Few pocketbook issues strike closer to home for American consumers than tariffs, the cornerstone of the Trump administration’s economic policies. Once the abstruse domain of trade negotiators and economists, U.S. duties on imports from most countries, including major trading partner China, are now a household concern. That the White House’s blanket levies are constantly being revised or put on hold doesn’t appear to matter right now. Many shoppers are planning to purchase fewer goods and services, trade down to lower-cost options or use buy now, pay later to stretch their pocketbooks. But what they plan to do depends heavily on their understanding of how tariffs work, highlighting how the same economic phenomenon can produce divergent responses.

U.S. consumers have strong opinions about the unfolding global trade war. Some continue to see the White House’s constantly shifting duties as support for domestic industry and national strength. These consumers are not terribly concerned about price markups. Others, however, worry about rising costs and economic instability.

The diverging viewpoints reveal deeper patterns about how people think about affordability, job creation and economic security in a time of uncertainty. In this climate, consumer behavior becomes more than a reaction. It serves as a window into how consumers proactively adapt to complex economic forces. pymnts.com

   RELATED: Consumers are getting hit by surprise tariff bills


Did Walmart Steal Tech to Extend Produce Shelf Life?
Walmart to pay tech company $222M over trade secret misappropriation

The decision by an Arkansas jury is the latest twist in a legal battle between the mass retailer and Zest Labs, which claims Walmart stole technology that extends produce shelf life.

An Arkansas federal jury found on Wednesday that Walmart owes technology company Zest Labs more than $222 million over claims that the mass retailer stole Zest Labs’ technology that extends the shelf life of produce.

The jury concluded that Zest Labs proved its claim of “trade secret misappropriation” and found Walmart’s misappropriation was “willful and malicious,” according to court documents.

Walmart vowed to appeal the verdict, which nearly doubles the amount the retailer was ordered to pay Zest Labs following a previous trial. retaildive.com
 

Rite Aid sells upwards of 1K stores to CVS, Walgreens, others

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The Tough-on-Retail-Crime Approach Continues in Calif. Cities
California police department makes retail theft policy crystal clear
Police in one Southern California city are laying down the law—literally—when it comes to retail theft.

In a social media post showing a woman being arrested for allegedly stealing flowers from a Target store on Mother’s Day, the Seal Beach Police Department outlined its “zero-tolerance stance” on theft affecting businesses both large and small.

The department explained that shoplifters in Seal Beach are not released with a ticket or warning—they are taken to jail.

“We decided that allowing criminals to steal without consequence wasn’t just bad policy—it was a betrayal of the residents and businesses we swore to protect,” police said. “This isn’t about being harsh. It’s about protecting a community that still believes in accountability.”

Retail theft has surged across California in recent years, leading to a statewide, multi-agency crackdown and changes to the law as communities grew weary of viral videos showing smash-and-grab and flash-mob-style burglaries.

In 2024, California voters essentially repealed 2014’s Proposition 47, which had reclassified nonviolent offenses, such as shoplifting goods valued under $950, as misdemeanors. The overwhelming passage of Proposition 36 reinstated stiffer penalties for theft and drug crimes, and lowered the felony threshold for shoplifting back to $450.

In Los Angeles County, District Attorney Nathan Hochman campaigned on a promise to work with law enforcement to curb retail theft. He soundly defeated incumbent George Gascón, whom he painted as being soft on crime. yahoo.com