A wave of violent thefts has raised concerns in stores in the United States; “Unprecedented” levels of crime led to losses amounting to $112 billion last year, according to the British newspaper The Times .
Workers have been beaten and even killed when confronted by suspected shoplifters; This prompted many stores to hire additional security guards to protect employees, while surveillance cameras captured clips of many organized crime gangs repeatedly breaking into stores and filling their hands with stolen goods from the shelves before escaping.
Some so-called “looting bouts” are organized on social networks, including one influencer in America known as “Meatball”, who went live while raiding stores in downtown Philadelphia.
According to The New York Post , Meatball, whose real name is Daijia Blackwell, told her 650,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok: “Tell the police they will either lock me up tonight, or I will turn this place into a fireball like in the movies.”
She was later arrested along with 52 other people. By the evening of Wednesday, September 27, 30 people had been charged with crimes including burglary and theft. Philadelphia was the focus of numerous mass lootings, coupled with civil unrest.
“Theft threatens the safety of our team and our customers.”
In a related context, the shrinkage rate, a measure of inventory lost due to factors including crime, reached $112.1 billion in 2022, up from $93.9 billion the previous year, according to the US National Retail Federation.
Target, the owner of one of America’s largest retail chains, has recently announced the closure of its stores in major cities such as New York, Seattle, San Francisco, and Portland. The reason behind this decision is the concern for the safety of our team members and customers, as well as the impact of theft and organized crime, which have contributed to an unsustainable business performance.
According to David Johnston, the Vice President of Asset Protection and Retail Operations at the American National Retail Federation, both major corporations and small family-run businesses are being adversely affected by the current surge in criminal activity.
Johnston explained: “Retailers are seeing unprecedented levels of theft and rampant crime in their stores, and the situation has become more serious. Beyond the financial impact of these crimes, violence and concerns about safety continue to be a priority for all retailers, regardless of store size or category.” .
Thieves are becoming more violent
A report from the US National Retail Federation, which surveyed 177 retail brands with more than 97,000 stores across the US, found that retailers are facing increasingly violent thieves.
Nearly 90% of respondents expressed that shoplifters have become increasingly aggressive and violent compared to the previous year. Additionally, companies that monitor incidents of violent shoplifting reported an average rise of 35%.
The American National Retail Federation said that retailers have moved to enhance security measures, reduce working hours and close stores in response to this rise.
The report found that the contraction was primarily driven by theft, both internal and external, which accounted for 65% of losses, with the US National Retail Federation saying that theft in some areas accounted for more than 70% of the contraction rate.
“Failures and errors in operation and control” led to an additional 27% shrinkage, with the remainder due to other or unknown causes.
Shoplifting and fears of rising crime rates are politically charged issues, with Republicans claiming that Democratic-controlled areas are hotbeds of crime, with thieves facing very few consequences when caught, and California in particular being accused of being too lenient in dealing with the issue.
