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☆ A grocery chain is offering free coffee to cops in an attempt to deter shoplifters
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

British grocery chain Waitrose is offering free coffees to cops under a plan to deter shoplifters. Assaults on staff at Waitrose stores have roughly doubled since 2020, The Times of London reported. Waitrose, an upmarket grocer with more than 300 stores, has begun offering uniformed officers free hot drinks from its coffee machines and will ask them to bring a reusable cup. Parent company John Lewis Partnership said in a press release shared with Insider that the initiative was "part of efforts to strengthen relationships and tackle retail crime." It's trialing increasing the number of security, warning customers that CCTV is in use and that shoplifters face jail time.

Persons: John Lewis, Nicki Juniper, John Lewis Partnership's, It's, Juniper, BRC Organizations: Waitrose, shoplifters, Service, John Lewis Partnership, Partners, The Times, British Retail Consortium, BBC News Locations: London, Wall, Silicon, England, Wales, Northern Ireland

☆ Retailers are shaping a wave of laws to crack down on organized theft — here's how they do it
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Gabrielle Fonrouge | In Gabrielle-Fonrouge | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +13 min

Since 2022, at least nine states – six so far this year – have passed laws to impose harsher penalties for organized retail crime offenses. The new and proposed laws aim to deter brazen retail crime and go after the so-called kingpins who lead organized theft groups. But critics say the measures may not actually reduce organized retail crime, and could disproportionately harm marginalized groups. Plus, dozens of states already have organized theft laws on the books and the crime is still increasing, according to trade associations. Retailers and lawmakers say the misdemeanor charges have emboldened theft groups and allowed organized retail crime to spread.

Persons: Scott Olson, Doug McMillon, shoplifters aren't, Adrian Hemond, It's, they're, Chuck Grassley, Catherine Cortez Masto, CORCA, Cortez Masto, Cortez, Grassley, Sen, Anna Moneymaker, David Johnston, Jake Horowitz, Horowitz, criminologists, JC Hendrickson, Hendrickson, it's, cleaver, Manhattan, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, Barry Williams Organizations: CNBC, National Retail Federation, Walmart, U.S . Senate, Grassroots, eBay, Target, Coordination Center, Nevada Democrats, Cheyenne High School, Pew Charitable Trust, Justice Action Network, Walgreens, Manhattan DA, New York Daily, Getty Locations: Chicago , Illinois, U.S, Iowa, North Las Vegas , Nevada, Florida, Manhattan , New York, New

☆ The Many Costs of Shoplifting - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Pamela Paul | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Even for adults, it’s hard not to be self-conscious about having a store employee trail you through the drugstore like a personal shopper as you ponder which dental floss to buy. Walking from aisle to aisle pushing a series of buttons, I felt like an imposition on a pharmacy’s meager staff. The whole experience felt bad: I was sorry for the shopkeeper, sorry for the employees, sorry for being there, sorry for not buying enough. The material costs of shoplifting are considerable. In 2021, an estimated $94.5 billion nationwide was lost to shoplifting and other forms of “retail shrink” (which includes damaged or lost goods and employee theft).

Persons: shoplifters, I’d Organizations: National Retail Federation Locations: San Francisco

☆ Lowe's rehired an employee who it fired after she tried to stop a group of shoplifters, getting punched in the face 3 times in the process
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Lowe's in Georgia has rehired a woman it fired for trying to stop suspected shoplifters. "I didn't expect to get terminated," she told local news. Rincon Police Department said that on June 25, three people visited the Lowe's store, "loaded multiple items into shopping carts, and exited the store without paying for the merchandise." Hansbrough "was fired for attempting to stop the theft" because her action of grabbing the cart violated company policy, the police said. "They say that if you see somebody stealing something out the door, not to pursue, not to go out," Hansbrough told local news outlet The Effingham Herald.

Persons: Lowe's, Donna Hansbrough, Hansbrough, hadn't, Larry Costello, Costello Organizations: Service, Rincon Police Department, Effingham Herald, Herald Locations: Georgia, Wall, Silicon, Rincon, Savannah, Hansbrough, Effingham

New York CNN —A 68-year-old woman has her job back after she was fired last month for attempting to stop shoplifters at a Lowe’s store in Georgia. “The Lowes (sic) employee, Donna Hansbrough was fired for attempting to stop the theft,” the post said. “After senior management became aware of the incident and spoke to Donna Hansbrough today, we are reinstating her job and we are pleased that she has accepted the offer to return to Lowe’s,” Lowe’s said. In Kansas, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, a Republican, said retail crime is a “spiraling problem,” adding that Kansas and Missouri are among the top 10 states in the nation for the volume of retail crime. “There is a link between drug trafficking and organized retail crime,” Kobach told lawmakers in June.

Persons: Donna Hansbrough, Lowes, “ Lowes, Donna, ” Lowe’s, Hansbrough, “, Kris Kobach, Kobach, ” Kobach, ”, Read Hayes, they’ve, Lululemon Organizations: New, New York CNN, Rincon Police Department, Lowes, CNN, Retailers, National Retail Federation, Republican, Kansas, “, University of Florida, Prevention Research Council, Walmart, “ Retailers Locations: New York, Georgia, Rincon, San Francisco, America, In Kansas, Kansas, Missouri, Peachtree Corners , Georgia

London CNN —A rising number of British stores are using a facial recognition system powered by artificial intelligence to identify repeat shoplifters in what one human rights group has called the spread of “airport-style security” on the high street. Human rights groups say this type of technology flouts people’s right to privacy and often makes mistakes. Facewatch also retains shoppers’ data for only two weeks — half the amount of time a regular “CCTV” security camera in the UK typically stores footage. But Gordon is confident Facewatch’s system doesn’t have any bias and stresses that it is supported by human staff who’ve been trained in facial recognition. Last month, the European Parliament agreed to ban the use of real-time, AI-powered facial recognition technology in public spaces.

Persons: Simon Gordon, “ We’re, ”, Stephen Bell, ” Gordon, flouts, Madeleine Stone, ’ Gordon, “, Facewatch, Stone that’s, you’re, Gordon, who’ve, They’re, Stone, Suzie Howell Organizations: London CNN, CNN, Big Brother Watch, “, British Retail Consortium, Big Brother, New York Times Locations: “, United Kingdom, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, United States, Bristol

☆ A grocery store security guard filmed three men stealing $500 worth of detergent. He's yet another worker who got fired after confronting shoplifters.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Colorado man says he was fired from King Soopers grocery store after filming a shoplifting incident. As it happens, King Soopers' parent company, Kroger, has a policy against engaging or interfering with shoplifters. Burrola told the Denver CBS affiliate he was suspended when he arrived for his next shift and fired the following week. A spokesperson for King Soopers did not respond to Insider's request for comment on this story. "I hope this changes the policy," Burrola told CBS regarding Kroger's stance, "and gives power back to retail workers like myself."

Persons: King, —, Santino Burrola, Burrola, Snoop Dogg, King Soopers, Soopers, Jorge Pantoja, Bugsy, Pantoja, Robert, Calvin McDonald, Burrola's, who's, Dominick Reuter Organizations: Kroger, Service, Samsung Galaxy, Chevrolet Trax, Father's, Denver CBS, Arapahoe County Sheriff, CNBC, CBS Locations: Colorado, Denver, Arapahoe County, Georgia, Florida

☆ Retail crime is a 'spiraling problem' in Kansas, the state's AG says, as rising drug use leads to a surge in shoplifting in Wichita
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Organized retail crime is rising in Wichita, Kansas, according to a report by CNN. "To see this much retail crime, it's shocking," Captain Casey Slaughter, who leads Wichita Police Department's property crimes bureau, told CNN. Organized retail crime at retailers was 26.5% higher in 2021 than in the previous year, according to a study by the National Retail Federation. Target said organized retail crime has led to more than $400 million in profit losses in 2022. Local crime officials say that drugs, and in particular fentanyl, a synthetic drug like heroin but 50 times more potent, appear to be driving a lot of the retail crime.

Persons: —, Kris Kobach, Captain Casey Slaughter, Slaughter, Joe Sullivan, Sullivan, Cabela's, Robert Lee, Lee Organizations: CNN, Service, Kansas, Wichita Police, National Retail Federation, Target Locations: Wichita , Kansas, San Francisco, Wichita, Sedgwick, Sedgwick County

☆ Retail crime has hit a bustling Kansas metropolis
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Republican Kris Kobach, Kansas’ attorney general, said retail crime is a “spiraling problem” in his state, adding that Kansas and Missouri are among the top 10 states in the nation for volume of retail crime. “There is a link between drug trafficking and organized retail crime,” Kobach told lawmakers in June. “Organized retail crime is a problem that is getting worse, not better. Organized retail crime offers criminals a business model of pure profit, “with no overhead, rent, product cost. In early June, Kobach testified before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on “Organized Retail Crime and the Threat to Public Safety.”“When one thinks about the explosion of organized retail crime in the United States, the State of Kansas may not intuitively jump to mind,” he told lawmakers.

Persons: They’re, it’s, Coleman, “ I’ve, ”, Casey Slaughter, Kris Kobach, Kobach, ” Kobach, Joe Sullivan, Sullivan, ” Sullivan, Joe Sohm, Cabela’s, shoplifters, ” Cabela’s, Slaughter, “, Marc Bennett, There’s, Harold Casey, Casey, She’s, Poor, John Hanna, don’t, “ That’s Organizations: New, New York CNN, Wichita Police, Kansas, CNN, “, Wichita, Wichita Skyline, America, Sporting Goods, Academy Sports, National Retail Federation, Centers for Disease Control, of Kansas, Scott, Family Services, ”, Walgreens, Public Safety Locations: New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Wichita , Kansas, Kris Kobach , Kansas, Kansas, Missouri, In Kansas, Sedgwick, Wichita, Arkansas Rivers, , Kansas, ”, Kansas . Kansas, Sedgwick County, Ulta, United States, State, But Kansas, “ In Kansas

☆ Barred From Grocery Stores by Facial Recognition
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Adam Satariano | Kashmir Hill | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Simon Mackenzie, a security officer at the discount retailer QD Stores outside London, was short of breath. He then logged in to a facial recognition program, Facewatch, which his store uses to identify shoplifters. The next time those people enter any shop within a few miles that uses Facewatch, store staff will receive an alert. Use of facial recognition technology by the police has been heavily scrutinized in recent years, but its application by private businesses has received less attention. No longer just the purview of government agencies, facial recognition is increasingly being deployed to identify shoplifters, problematic customers and legal adversaries.

Persons: Simon Mackenzie, ’, Mr, Mackenzie Organizations: QD Locations: London

☆ Stores are locking up entire aisles of items. They blame shoplifters — but some of it is their own fault.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Gloria Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Retailers like CVS, Walmart, and Target have tried to fight theft by locking up aisles of products. Stores must also consider staffing and supply chain issues, a retail theft expert told UBS. Tech can help fight organized retail crime, but "it's necessary to follow up with human intervention," the expert said. The source told UBS that retailers often miss two key elements — staffing levels and supply chain issues — when trying to tackle shrink. "The lack of sufficient staffing remains a major contributor to shrink, as shrink monitoring technologies are only effective insofar as they flag risk," the UBS note said.

Persons: — Organizations: CVS, Walmart, Target, UBS, Tech, Service, Privacy

☆ Conservative boycotts against Target and Bud Light are working thanks to a 'perfect storm' of social media and culture wars, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Avery Hartmans | Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Experts say the boycotts work thanks to the culture wars and panic-stoking online and in the media. Bud Light was the target of social-media outcry in April after it partnered with the trans influencer and TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney. Bud Light owner Anheuser-Busch said that several of its facilities had received threats following the weeks of backlash against its brands. Like Bud Light, Nike also partnered with Mulvaney, but that outrage cycle seemed to blow over quickly. "Well, you know what, the next company is gonna say, 'We don't want to be Bud Light or Target.

Persons: —, Bud Light, Dylan Mulvaney, Disney, Ron DeSantis, Joe Raedle, Lawrence Glickman, Glickman, Bud, Busch, Brian Cornell, Scott Olson, Vanitha Swaminathan, Republican Sen, Ted Cruz, Cruz, Ari Drennen, Drennen Organizations: Service, Target, Florida Gov, American Studies, Cornell University, Consumer, Bud Light, Anheuser, Survey, Carey School of Business, Arizona State University, Cornell, Nike, Mulvaney, Katz, Branding, University of, Republican, Disney, Media Matters Locations: Target, America, Patagonia

☆ Why Lululemon will fire employees if they try to stop thieves
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Cadie Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Lululemon has a zero-tolerance policy for employees engaging with thieves. Two former Lululemon employees said they were fired after calling police to report a robbery. Recently, two former Lululemon employees in Peachtree Corners, Georgia said they were fired from the retailer after calling the police to report a robbery. He also said that Lululemon employees are allowed to call the police. Like Lululemon, many retailers prohibit employees from engaging with thieves in order to keep the workers safe.

Persons: Lululemon, Calvin McDonald, —, McDonald Organizations: CNBC, Service, Employees, NBC News, National Retail Federation Locations: Peachtree Corners, Georgia

☆ Why retail theft is soaring: inflation, the economy – and opportunity
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But as economic fears grow amid inflation and rising borrowing costs, shoplifting often comes with the territory, industry watchers say. Need and opportunity become forceful catalysts for driving up incidents of retail crime, experts said. He described two types of store theft plaguing retailers currently. “This is organized retail crime. “What’s happening in the overall economy matters when you analyze retail crime overall, but also what is happening more locally, in towns and neighborhoods,” said Hayes.

Persons: Nordstrom, can’t, ”, Read Hayes, criminologist, Hayes, Burt Flickinger, “, Mark Cohen, Cohen, Brian Cornell, Cornell, ” Cornell, that’s, Doug McMillon Organizations: New, New York CNN —, Foods, University of Florida, Prevention Research Council, Walmart, Target, Strategic Resource, Gallup, Columbia Business School, National Retail Federation, CNN, ” Walmart, CNBC Locations: New York, San Francisco, Target

☆ The Cannes Film Festival
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Melissa Kirsch | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The Cannes Film Festival began this week with Maïwenn’s “Jeanne du Barry,” starring Johnny Depp as Louis XV, and ends on May 27 with a new Pixar film, “Elemental.” In between, there will be many screenings, many awkward standing ovations, many awards bestowed. Wes Anderson also has a new one, “Asteroid City,” about a junior stargazing convention. It features many members of the Andersonian repertory — Jason Schwartzman, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody and others. In “Firebrand,” from the Brazilian director Karim Aïnouz, Alicia Vikander plays Catherine Parr, the sixth and final wife of Henry VIII, who’s played by Jude Law. Hirokazu Kore-eda, whose film “Shoplifters” won the Palme d’Or in 2018, has a new film, “Monster.” It stars Sakura Ando from “Shoplifters,” and the composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, who died last month, did the score.

☆ Japan's Kore-eda: sexual identity not the focus in film 'Monster'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Alicia Powell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] The 76th Cannes Film Festival - Press conference for the film "Kaibutsu" (Monster) in competition - Cannes, France, May 18, 2023. REUTERS/Sarah MeyssonnierCANNES, May 18 (Reuters) - Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda said he did not want to focus on sexual identity in portraying the relationship between the two schoolboys at the centre of his latest film, "Monster." "The age that these children are at is an age where their sexual identity is maybe not fully... they're not fully aware of it at this stage," Kore-eda told Reuters on Thursday, the day after the movie's premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. Earlier Thursday, Kore-eda told journalists he did not think the story should be viewed as portraying two boys who have growing feelings for each other, as suggested in some reviews. For "Monster" Kore-eda once again teamed up with Sakura Ando, who starred in his 2018 Palmes d' Or winner "Shoplifters," and who portrays Saori in the new film.

☆ Japan's Kore-eda angles for second Cannes win with 'Monster'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CANNES, May 17 (Reuters) - Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda hopes to repeat his success at the Cannes Film Festival, five years after winning the top prize, with "Monster," which breaks down the misunderstandings between a single mother and a teacher started by two schoolboys. "Monster" sees Kore-eda once again team up with actor Sakura Ando, who starred in his 2018 Palme d'Or winner "Shoplifters." The film is Kore-eda's second in competition since winning the top prize at Cannes, after his Korean-language entry "Broker" lost out last year to "Triangle of Sadness" by Swedish director and this year's Cannes jury president Ruben Ostlund. Kore-eda also brought Oscar winner Ryuichi Sakamoto on board to compose a soundtrack critics praised as particularly moving. Kore-eda and his cast took to the red carpet at Cannes on Wednesday night for the premiere of their film, which critics praised for its clever structure and atmospheric setting.

☆ Walmart and Target employees reveal the most dangerous parts of working in retail, from towers of boxes to armed customers and inattentive drivers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Dominick Reuter | Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Front-line retail workers face a variety of workplace hazards both inside and outside their stores. "There are a lot of dangerous aspects to working retail," said a Walmart employee of eight years who works at a store in Minnesota. In a statement to Insider, Walmart said, "The safety of our customers, suppliers, and associates is a top priority. Insider spoke to a dozen current and former Walmart and Target employees nationwide to understand the dangers that retail workers face on the job. Three Walmart employees and a former Target executive team lead told Insider about incidents with customers wielding guns.

☆ Viral TikTok shows a Target San Francisco store going to extreme measures to deter shoplifters, with an entire aisle locked up
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Dominick Reuter | Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A TikTok video showing an aisle of items including toothpaste and razors under lock and key has gone viral. News outlets cited it as further evidence of "a shoplifting crisis that has crippled retailers" in San Francisco. A recent study found low-cost items in the health and beauty section are a top target for retail thieves. The new TikTok video only shows one aisle and the rear of the store, and a Target spokesperson told Fox News that other aisles were not so heavily protected. "We're taking proactive measures to keep our teams and guests safe while deterring and preventing theft," a Target spokesperson said in a statement to Insider.

☆ Why retail crime rings target cheap goods at Walmart and CVS and skip luxury stores
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Only 11% of organized retail crime groups target luxury goods, per a recent NRF report. Items most targeted for organized retail crime include apparel and health and beauty products. In fact, luxury goods like jewelry and watches are rarely targeted by criminals. This is due to luxury items being sold in stores with enhanced security measures, the report said. Organized retail crime instead often targets more of the everyday goods available at stores like Walmart, CVS, and Target with less security protecting it.

☆ The inside story of hot startup Deel's grow-at-all-costs culture
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Deel employees told Insider how the startup exploded. In just three years, the HR services startup grew from under 30 employees to over 2,000. My colleague Rob Price talked with more than 30 current/former Deel employees about its astronomical rise. Get a front row seat to Deel's grow-at-all-costs approach — intense, even for Silicon Valley. Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty: Why people are sticking with Silicon Valley Bank.

☆ A New York grocery store is using biometrics including eye scanners and voice prints to identify repeat shoplifters. Some shoppers say that's creepy — even if it deters theft.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

New York City grocer Fairway is collecting biometric data on its shoppers to catch shoplifters, the New York Post reported. Fairway is gathering facial recognition and other biometric information, such as voice recordings, on shoppers at one of its Manhattan locations, the New York Post reported on Thursday. Fairway told the Post that its system will only be accessed by "trained asset protection associates." Nearly one-third of the arrests made for shoplifting in New York City last year involved the same 327 people, the Post reported in January. But an investigation that year by the San Francisco Chronicle found that the affected stores reported fewer than two shoplifting incidents per month leading up to the closures.

☆ Texas and Portland, Oregon, politicians take to Twitter to argue over why Walmart is closing stores
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Walmart has said its closing stores this year for many reasons and hasn't called out retail crime. Mayor Ted Wheeler replied on Monday, referring to "dozens of Walmart stores that have closed in Texas in recent years." "The retail industry is changing and retail theft is a national issue," he added. They say that the problem isn't individual shoplifters but organized retail crime that involves multiple thieves taking large quantities of goods from stores. Walmart CEO Doug McMillon told CNBC in December that Walmart would close stores and raise prices unless theft at its stores slowed down.

☆ Suspected thieves using a Tesla as a getaway vehicle were caught after they stopped to charge it 15 minutes away
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Two people accused of stealing $8,000 of merchandise used a Tesla as their getaway vehicle. But they stopped to charge it 15 minutes down the road, where police located them. Gwinnett County Police told Insider that the suspects were arrested around 10 miles away while attempting to charge the car near the Gas South Arena venue on February 19. The suspects were found about 15 minutes away. In 2019, a woman in Arizona tried to steal a Model S but it ran out of charge as she drove away.

☆ New York mayor says retailers must force shoppers to remove masks when entering stores to prevent crime. 'It's not about being fearful of a pandemic.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

NYC Mayor Eric Adams said face masks obstruct stores from identifying potential shoplifters. "Do not allow people to enter the store without taking off their face masks," he told a local radio station. "Do not allow people to enter the store without taking off their face masks," Adams told a local radio station Monday. He added that once in the store, shoppers can feel free to wear face masks. Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillon said in December 2022 that stores would close and prices would rise if theft levels did not drop.

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