Why Beauty Supply Stores are a Top Target for Criminals
Beauty Supply Stores Are Becoming a Hotspot for Retail Crime

By the D&D Daily staff

Beauty supply stores have quietly become a prime target for retail crime — and the spike in theft and violence is raising alarms across the industry.

These stores often carry small, high-value items with strong resale potential: human hair extensions, flat irons, brand-name cosmetics, and skincare products. In many cases, a single shoplifter can grab hundreds or even thousands in merchandise in seconds.

But it's not just about the merchandise. Many beauty supply stores are independent or immigrant-owned, often operating with limited staff and minimal security infrastructure. That makes them especially vulnerable — not just to theft, but to violent confrontations.

Some incidents have turned tragic. Reports of clerks being shoved, punched, or worse during theft attempts are becoming more common, and certain stores are being hit repeatedly by the same crews — often linked to organized fencing operations.

Why It's Happening:

• High-resale, low-security items are easy targets.

• Staffing is lean, often just one or two people working.

• Language and cultural barriers can complicate reporting or escalation.

• Tensions between customers and owners have, in some cases, escalated into violence.

What Can Be Done:

• Secure high-target items behind counters or in locked cases.

• Use silent panic alert systems for quick help when staff are alone.

• Build partnerships with local law enforcement for faster response and intel sharing.

• Train for de-escalation and post clear signage to deter aggression.

Beauty supply stores may not get the headlines that big-box chains do — but the threat is real. For these retailers, better protection isn’t just a security upgrade. It’s a matter of survival.


Property Crime Plummets 21% in Bay Area
Crime fell in nearly every major Bay Area city, except these places
Nearly all of the Bay Area’s most populous cities saw decreases in reported crime last year, a Chronicle analysis of new state data found, in keeping with nationwide trends in 2024.

Excluding San Jose, which did not report complete data for 2023, violent crime fell by about 5% between 2023 and 2024 across the Bay Area’s 15 most populous cities. Reported property crime fell by about 21%, according to a Chronicle analysis of data submitted by local law enforcement agencies to the California Department of Justice.

The decreases mirror nationwide drops in crime, which criminologists have attributed in part to a return to normalcy after the social upheaval brought by the pandemic.

San Francisco and Oakland saw the largest decreases in reported property crime. San Francisco’s decrease came largely from a dropoff in larceny theft — a decline driven by the city’s crackdown on car break-ins.

But in Oakland, the decrease comes only after a significant increase in reported property crime in 2023, according to data the department submitted to the state. The 2024 numbers remained higher than in any other year in at least the last decade.  sfchronicle.com


New Funding to Help Retailers Fight ORC
New grant links Bend retailers’ security cameras to police in real time
The Bend Police Department and Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office announced a new grant for local retailers they say can help combat organized retail theft Tuesday. Up to 10 Bend retailers can receive package to links their security cameras to the Bend Connect system.

Here is the full announcement from the Bend Police Department:

The Bend Police Department, in partnership with the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office, is accepting applications for the Organized Retail Theft (ORT) Bend Connect Integration Grant — a new opportunity for local retailers to join the fight against organized retail theft.

Funded through the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission’s ORT Grant Program, this initiative offers ten Bend retailers a chance to receive a FususCore Device Bundle, which will connect existing security cameras to the Bend Connect system.

Adding a FususCore to security cameras allows conditional access by Bend Police to integrated camera feeds during a theft, investigation or emergency near the participating retailer, increasing the ability to respond in real time and investigate effectively. centraloregondaily.com


Jail Time for Wearing a Mask in NYC?
NYC Mayor Adams wants its own mask ban — with jail time for repeat offenders
Mayor Eric Adams wants to bypass Albany and create New York City’s own mask ban that would come with jail time for repeat offenders, The Post has learned.

The potential mask ban – which comes during a growing push by many conservatives and Jewish groups to crack down on menacing masked anti-Israel protesters – is expected to be announced as soon as Wednesday, sources said.

Many details remain unclear, but a City Hall source said Adams will propose a ban that would make violations a misdemeanor – a move that wouldn’t require approval from Empire State lawmakers, who already passed a watered-down mask restriction in the state’s recent budget.

But the ban — which is being pushed by First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro — has left others in Adams’ administration and across the hall in the City Council scratching their heads on how it could even get done.

“There is already legislation addressing this issue that the mayor had absolutely nothing to do with,” one council source said. “Now, instead of engaging the council like a competent leader would, he’s floating a new proposal with no sponsor, no support, and no path forward.”   nypost.com


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Warning Sign for the Economy?
Dollar Tree’s new customers spell bad news for all of us

Dollar Tree's new customer base means the economy may be in trouble.

When you think of Dollar Tree customers, most people don't necessarily think of the country's highest earners crowding the discount store's aisles in search of low-cost food, beauty, or household items. Recent data suggests that's exactly what's happening, however.

In fact, PYMNTS Intelligence data has demonstrated that while households earning $100K or more each year still spend a lot of money at Walmart, Target, and other big-box stores, people within this demographic group are also making more purchases at both Dollar Tree and similar stores like Dollar General.

Although it might be nice to believe that the country's top earners simply decided that Dollar Tree's deals were too good to pass up, the more likely explanation for their new-found frugality is that people in households with incomes above $100K are facing financial struggles that have forced them to seek out cheaper places to shop.

This explanation is supported by additional data from PYMNTS that found around half of consumers with incomes of $100K or more are living paycheck to paycheck right now. thestreet.com


The Great Debate Over Dupes
'Where does inspiration end and imitation begin?'

Are Costco’s Lululemon Dupes Counterfeit?
An article on Marketplace said proving design patents have been violated is difficult because the matter is often subjective. The article stated, “Is a Ford Bronco a dupe of a Jeep? Is Pepsi a dupe of Coke? Where does inspiration end and imitation begin?”

Christopher Durham, president of the Velocity Institute, a consulting firm focused on private label strategy, told Marketplace that copycats lead to more options and lower prices for consumers while often inspiring the next trend.

He said, “If you look across all of retail, 95% of all things are duplicates, 5% are innovation.”

Elizabeth Dipchand, an intellectual property lawyer and managing partner of Dipchand LLP, nonetheless told CBC that while lookalike product has been around for decades, the expanding market for dupes could lead other premium brands to file similar lawsuits.

She said, “[Costco is not a] counterfeit manufacturer from overseas that trickles in counterfeit bags and… shoes and all sorts of other goods. This is a very well-known multinational with significant bricks and mortar affecting the bottom line of another very, very well-known higher end and higher priced company.” retailwire.com

 
DEI Reversals Continue
T-Mobile scraps DEI programs while seeking crucial FCC approval for major business deals

Company joins Amazon, Walmart and others responding to pressure from Trump administration on DEI initiatives

T-Mobile informed the head of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that the wireless company will end its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs while it awaits approval from the agency on two key business deals.

In a letter to FCC Chair Brendan Carr, which was made public Wednesday, T-Mobile said it will no longer have specific roles or teams focused on DEI. Instead, those employees will be redirected within Human Resources to focus on employee culture and engagement.

It also said it is removing any references to DEI on its websites and will ensure that company websites and future communications do not have any references to DEI.

"We recognize that the legal and policy landscape surrounding DEI under federal law has changed and we remain fully committed to ensuring that T-Mobile does not have any policies or practices that enable invidious discrimination, whether in fulfillment of DEI or any other purpose," the company said in the letter. foxbusiness.com
 

More Diversity = More Safety?
It's More Than a Matter of Perspective. How a Diversity of Thought Creates Safer Workplaces for All.

Safety professionals have an opportunity—and an obligation—to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.

Safety professionals who create more neurodiversity-friendly workplaces are simply doing what they’ve always done: protecting workers. A good safety professional—and indeed a good manager—is always trying to bring out the best in all their employees, protect them or help them however they need it.

“If the organization is paying attention to its culture and the way it thinks about psychological safety or psychosocial risk, that's absolutely going to benefit everyone,” Dony says. He should know, both as someone who has spent over 17 years in workplace safety and as someone who identifies as neurodivergent.

Safety professionals such as yourself are in a position where you can regularly walk around in someone else’s shoes. You can learn from and connect with others. You have been given a rare gift: the opportunity to lessen someone else’s burdens. ehstoday.com

 
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