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Modern Tools for Retail Security
Facial Recognition Continues to Gain Traction in Retail Security

By the D&D Daily staff

Facial recognition technology continues to gain traction in retail as more organizations invest in proactive tools to address repeat theft and organized retail crime. One of the latest examples comes from the San Francisco Bay Area, where several Grocery Outlet locations have deployed SAFR Guard to help identify known repeat offenders entering their stores.

One of the greatest strengths of facial recognition is its ability to help retailers identify known repeat offenders before theft occurs. Rather than relying solely on employees to recognize individuals or reviewing surveillance footage after merchandise has already been stolen, the technology provides real-time awareness that allows asset protection teams to respond earlier. Whether that means increasing observation, enhancing customer service, or preparing an appropriate response, earlier awareness can play an important role in preventing losses before they happen.

Repeat offenders are responsible for a disproportionate amount of retail theft in many markets, making them a logical focus for retailers looking to maximize the impact of their security efforts. Facial recognition helps shift loss prevention from a reactive model toward a preventive one by identifying individuals who have already demonstrated a history of theft or other criminal activity at a retailer's locations.

The technology can also improve operational efficiency. Automated alerts allow security and store teams to focus their attention when it matters most instead of requiring constant monitoring of entrances or depending on employees to remember individuals from previous incidents. This enables retailers to use their resources more effectively while helping create safer environments for both associates and customers.

As retailers continue investing in layered security strategies, facial recognition is increasingly being adopted alongside AI-powered video analytics, electronic article surveillance, license plate recognition, and advanced case management platforms. Together, these technologies provide greater visibility into criminal activity while helping retailers intervene earlier in the theft cycle.

As retail crime continues to evolve, many organizations are placing a greater emphasis on prevention rather than simply documenting incidents after they occur. The continued expansion of facial recognition technology reflects that shift, giving retailers another tool to deter repeat offenders, strengthen situational awareness, and better protect their people, merchandise, and customers.


2026 National ORC Blitz Event: August 1-9
National Blitz Event Highlights Power of Collaboration in Fight Against ORC
Retail crime has become increasingly organized, sophisticated and far-reaching, making it a challenge no single retailer or law enforcement agency can solve alone. That's the idea behind the 2026 National Blitz Event, scheduled for August 1-9, which will bring together retailers, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and Organized Retail Crime Associations (ORCAs) from across the country for a coordinated national enforcement effort.

The event is designed to unite public and private sector partners in a series of intelligence-driven operations aimed at disrupting organized retail crime networks. By coordinating investigations across multiple jurisdictions, participants can identify patterns, connect cases that might otherwise appear unrelated and target larger criminal organizations rather than isolated theft incidents.

Beyond the arrests and recoveries that often result from these operations, the National Blitz serves another important purpose: strengthening relationships. Organized retail crime frequently crosses city, county and state lines, making communication between retailers, investigators and prosecutors essential. Events like this create opportunities to share intelligence, establish new partnerships and develop strategies that continue long after the blitz concludes.

The initiative also highlights the growing role of ORCA organizations throughout the United States. These regional associations have become valuable hubs for information sharing, helping retailers and law enforcement quickly distribute suspect information, identify emerging crime trends and coordinate responses to repeat offenders and organized theft crews.

Click here to register


Crime is a Key Political Issue
Opinion: Democrats’ real vulnerability is on crime, not economics
Between 2022 and 2023, left-wing governments held power in 13 countries across Latin America. Today, that number has collapsed to roughly five. The same contraction is visible in Europe, where Nordic countries long celebrated as models of humane governance have overhauled their criminal justice systems in response to surging gang violence — embracing punitive policies that would have been unthinkable a decade ago.

In neither case was the collapse driven by rejection of left-wing economics. It was driven by crime — and that distinction matters more for Democrats than most party strategists would like to admit.

Democrats have struggled to bring themselves to address these concerns due to fears that a return to tough-on-crime rhetoric will betray the communities most harmed by aggressive policing — including communities still processing the wrongful death of people like George Floyd and the movements they ignited.

A serious criminal justice platform would distinguish between serious violent offenses, where the system’s response must be unambiguous, and less serious offenses, where rehabilitation and diversion programs have demonstrated measurable success.

Mamdani seems to understand this — but the pressures are showing. After striking a deal with City Council Speaker Julie Menin on New York City’s budget, he omitted the 580-officer NYPD expansion he had championed. Meanwhile, in Congress, 59 Democrats voted against the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act, including prominent progressive members. Rather than challenge that momentum, moderate Democrats have largely gone quiet.

Crime is different, though. It is the one issue on which the Democratic Socialists of America has no coherent answer and on which voters, including Democratic voters, are openly demanding a tougher response to criminals. If centrist Democrats cannot find the will to govern on the one issue where the socialist left cannot, they will not lose the party in a fight. They will lose it by forfeiting. thehill.com


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AI & Store Operations
From Reactive to Real-Time: How AI Is Reshaping Store Operations
At the same time, retailers are navigating rising cost pressures, geopolitical uncertainty, and increasingly fragile global supply chains. The result is a fundamentally different operating environment—one where scale alone is no longer enough. What matters now is responsiveness: the ability to adapt in real time to shifting conditions across stores, systems, and customer interactions.

Increasingly, retailers are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to meet this moment. AI is helping stores function more intelligently in real time, for both customers and employees, transforming operations in ways that are often invisible, but deeply impactful.

To manage this complexity, retailers must move beyond reactive IT models. In an always-on, omnichannel environment, even minor disruptions can ripple across channels— impacting customer satisfaction, revenue, and brand trust.

AI-driven operations (AIOps) are enabling a shift from reactive troubleshooting to proactive, predictive management. By analyzing real-time data across store infrastructure, AI can detect early warning signs—such as performance degradation, unusual transaction patterns, or system bottlenecks before they escalate into larger issues.

More importantly, AI helps prioritize what matters most. Instead of overwhelming IT teams with thousands of alerts, intelligent systems surface the issues that have the greatest impact on customer experience and business outcomes. This allows teams to respond faster, allocate resources more effectively, and maintain consistent operations across large store networks.

While customers may experience AI through personalized recommendations or faster service, its broader impact is happening behind the scenes transforming nearly every aspect of store operations.

Inventory management and restocking, once manual and reactive, can now be optimized in real time. AI helps ensure the right products are available at the right location, supporting services like BOPIS and same-day delivery without adding operational strain.

In-store experiences are also becoming more dynamic. Intelligent queue management, real-time inventory visibility, and digital assistants help customers navigate stores more efficiently, especially during peak periods when demand is highest. rfidjournal.com


Human Oversight Remains Key for Safety Policies
When AI Writes the Safety Policy, Who Owns the Mistake?

AI can help safety teams create policies, procedures and training faster, but unreviewed AI-generated content can create serious compliance and due diligence risks.

AI can assist in drafting safety documents but cannot replace the need for competent human review to ensure accuracy and compliance. Overreliance on AI without controls can lead to safety gaps, legal violations, and serious workplace injuries or incidents.

Effective AI integration requires classification of risk, jurisdictional identification, source verification, and version control to maintain a defensible safety system. Organizations must distinguish between training completion and actual worker competence, especially when using AI-generated content.

Regular audits and updates are essential to keep safety content current, accurate, and aligned with evolving laws, standards, and workplace conditions.

In regulated environments, a polished document isn’t enough. Someone competent still has to know whether the document is right, whether it matches the law, whether it applies to the operation, and whether it can stand up to inspection.

Workplace safety has the same problem, only the consequences can be more immediate. An employer can ask AI to write a fall protection policy, a forklift safety talk, a lockout procedure, a HazCom refresher, a confined space entry checklist, or a workplace violence prevention plan. Within seconds, the organization has something that looks structured, professional and usable. It may have headings. It may have steps. It may use the right vocabulary. It may even sound more polished than the internal document it’s replacing.

But looking like a safety procedure isn’t the same thing as being one.

A real safety procedure has to match the law, the task, the equipment, the work environment, the worker group, the hazards, the supervision model, and the employer’s actual controls. A real training program has to do more than transfer information. It has to prepare workers to recognize hazards, follow procedures, ask questions, stop unsafe work when needed, and prove they understood what they were taught. A real compliance system has to create records that show what was done, when it was done, who reviewed it, who received it, and how the employer verified that it worked. ehstoday.com
 

Retailers Using RFID to Fight Waste
RFID technology is transforming meat management for retailers

Food waste has been an issue for retail for quite some time, but new technology is beginning to change that.

Supermarkets are facing rising costs and unpredictable demand for products. Sustainability targets are becoming more essential, making smart inventory systems a necessity. New research from companies like Avery Dennison suggests that meat waste could cost retailers across the globe billions, making it the most expensive category of waste, next to fresh produce.

Visibility is a major issue here because even though retail technology is rapidly advancing, supermarkets are still relying on traditional systems and processes. Things like this can make it more difficult to monitor expiry dates.

That’s where RFID technology comes in. RFID tags give every product an identity, so retailers can monitor stock levels and expiry dates while rotating products effectively. UK supermarkets like M&S are the pioneers of RFID technology. They use it on clothing and homeware, achieving 15,000 scans per hour. The company is trialling scan-free checkout.

Even though Tesco uses RFID on non-food pallets, individual tagging is a challenge due to metal packaging and water content. Across the world, Walmart is embracing RFID labels across fresh food. There are hopes that one day it will be used on meat to connect inventory systems more efficiently.

RFID technology is a staple across numerous industries, as it’s one of the best ways for businesses to track assets while also automating processes. Clothing stores and brands use RFID tags to monitor stock levels in real-time. This helps to speed up inventory counts, and it also helps to improve supply chain visibility. retailtechinnovationhub.com


Giving Back to the Community
Lowe's marks Habitat for Humanity 50th anniversary with funding, events
Lowe’s Companies Inc. is funding grants supporting more than 200 projects across local 20 affiliates of the non-profit organization Habitat for Humanity International to support home repair and rehab projects. This renewed of a longstanding partnership between Lowe’s and Habitat for Humanity is intended to help more than 300 individuals remain in their homes.

Lowe's will fund grants supporting the project, which are designed to address urgent needs such as roofing and HVAC, energy efficiency, accessibility and fall-prevention modifications and disaster preparedness upgrades. During July 2026, Lowe's will also help Habitat celebrate its 50th anniversary with 20 pop-up events held at Lowe's stores across the U.S. These community engagement events will offer hands-on activities and interactive build experiences designed to raise awareness of Habitat. chainstoreage.com


Trump to Impose 50% Tariff on Many Canadian Goods
The administration will use an untested legal provision to put significant duties on Canadian exports, reigniting a clash with one of America’s biggest trading partners.

EU’s ban on destruction of unsold clothing, shoes take effect

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