Retail Crime Growing in Severity: NRF

[Sherman A1]

WASHINGTON — Retailers are reporting that organized retail crime (ORC) is growing in severity, volume and type, according to a new survey from the National Retail Federation.

Of the 125 retail companies surveyed for NRF’s eighth annual Organized Retail Crime Survey, a record-setting 96% said their company has been the victim of organized retail crime in the past year, up from 94.5% last year, and another 87.7% said ORC activity in the United States has grown over the past three years.

"What this tells us is that as retailers and law enforcement become more aware of and more proactive in pursuing organized retail crime gangs, criminals have become more desperate and brazen in their efforts, stopping at nothing to get their hands on large quantities of merchandise,” said NRF Vice President of Loss Prevention Rich Mellor, in a statement. “Selling this stolen merchandise is a growing criminal enterprise and retailers must remain vigilant as this is an issue that involves everyone's cooperation when it comes to protecting retailer's assets, including their valued store associates and customers."

NRF said it strongly believes that organized retail crime must be addressed through federal legislation that would amend the Federal Criminal Code to effectively address the organized and serious nature of this issue and define it as a federal crime with appropriate sentencing guidelines. Federal law enforcement would also benefit from receiving the resources needed to combat this crime.

http://supermarketnews.com/retail-amp-financial/retail-crime-growing-severity-nrf

Interesting on several levels, but the indication that the NRF whats increased Federal Legislation to protect their member's interest caught my eye. I thought that Government and regulation and alike were bad things? Hmmm.......

[marmar]

1. "organized retail crime gangs" ...... the credit card companies?

nt

[Sherman A1]

2. One could make that argument

They have certainly been doing a number on the public, but I believe the NRF has some other groups in mind.

[nanabugg]

3. Austerity and more GOP policies will ensure that this increases. nt

[JNelson6563]

4. You are better off in the justice system

if you killed an "undesirable" than if you stole something. Nothing matters in America like stuff.

Julie

[Blue_Tires]

5. Maybe they can check their hiring practices

every big retail heist or scam I've ever heard about always had at least one employee as an accomplice (or ringleader)

[EC]

6. Not in Smash and Grabs

after hour smashing of plate windows and grabbing everything in sight before the cops come doesn't need an inside person. This was done at a store I managed - it happens at like 3 or 4 in the morning and is quick.

[Blue_Tires]

7. I thought most stores re-did the entryways to prevent this?

I remember them doing it in Atlanta when I lived there (theives used to just drive their car right through the front doors)...

And even then, smash-and-grabs are small change compared to the scammers/embezzelers... I had a distant relative involved in a Wal-Mart scam that netted her $60,000 before management got wise -- and you know with all their cheap crap, $60,000 could buy out the entire warehouse twice over...

[EC]

8. Not through the doors

through the plate glass windows and not department stores - mid and higher end stores.

Many other thefts sometimes are termed employee theft because it's easier to collect the insurance on those without making any expensive changes. Firing an employee is much cheaper than putting in expensive shrinkage control devices. I saw that in action many times and usually the employee fired had nothing to do with the theft, it was usually because the store was too cheap to put in actual security.

On edit: There are many organized theft rings that are big. They operate on a level that covers from the warehouses with their own truckers etc. Those are really organized and the inside person isn't an existing employee, but gets hired with the express intent of robbery.