Retail sales jump despite consumer worries about tariffs, jobs, economy

Retail sales surged unexpectedly, signaling continued consumer spending despite looming economic uncertainty. Shoppers are still opening their wallets—but concerns over rising tariffs, job security, and persistent inflation are beginning to cast a shadow. With a presidential election on the horizon and the Fed closely watching every move, retailers are preparing for a volatile second half of the year. Behind the strong numbers lies a nervous economy bracing for potential shocks.

CFO Dive

Illegal Aliens Helping Fuel Explosive Growth In Transnational Retail Theft Rings

Transnational retail theft rings are expanding rapidly, with illegal immigration cited as a contributing factor in the rise of organized crime. The article reveals how loosely coordinated groups are exploiting legal loopholes, overwhelming law enforcement efforts, and siphoning millions from U.S. retailers. Local communities are feeling the strain, and political leaders are being pushed to take action. As the threat grows, the retail industry is demanding stronger policy enforcement and cross-border cooperation.

The Federalist

Nearly Half of Self-Checkout Thieves Are Repeat Offenders

Self-checkout lanes may be convenient, but they’ve opened the door to a new wave of theft—and nearly half of those abusing the system are doing it habitually. Retailers are struggling to balance customer experience with loss prevention as repeat offenders exploit weak deterrents and lenient enforcement. The data underscores a systemic flaw in how retailers monitor and respond to self-service fraud. As shrink escalates, many are questioning whether the savings from self-checkout are worth the cost.

PYMNTS

Rise of e-commerce fraudsters and thrifty consumers: the retail technology week in numbers

E-commerce fraud continues to evolve, with bad actors becoming more sophisticated just as price-sensitive shoppers grow more strategic. From promo abuse to account takeovers, fraud is thriving in the digital bargain-hunting era. At the same time, retailers are racing to adopt new technologies to keep pace with consumer expectations and security threats. The numbers paint a clear picture: the battleground for trust and profit is digital—and it’s heating up.

RTIH

The Hidden Price of Generosity: How Return Fraud Is Exploiting Retail's Lenient Policies

Return fraud is quietly draining billions from the retail sector, with scammers taking advantage of flexible return policies designed for genuine customers. As retailers strive to offer hassle-free experiences, bad actors are pushing the boundaries—falsifying receipts, switching tags, or claiming returns on used merchandise. What began as a customer-friendly perk has become a costly loophole. Now, retailers are reevaluating their policies and turning to tech-driven solutions to defend against growing abuse.

TalkLPnews

Back by popular demand, one of Amber's most read and most commented My Take articles...

Amber Bradley
Editor-in-Chief
TalkLPnews
amber@talklpnews.com

Be an LP Octopus: A Masterclass in Adaptation and Intelligence

If you’ve ever been out to dinner with me and the waiter suggests the octopus appetizer, you’ve unfortunately had to sit through my lecture about how incredibly smart octopuses are – and in fact, it should be illegal to eat them. Most of the time this is followed by many blank stares…which then spurs me to recount watching the documentary, My Octopus Teacher, a Netflix movie I highly recommend by the way, and it will undoubtably illustrate my point. 

After starting out in the industry over 15 years ago, I’ve seen LP professionals evolve into having a firm seat at that coveted c-suite table. 

No longer is succeeding in this industry about simply stopping thieves —it’s about constant adaptation, intelligence, and resilience. Oddly enough, one of the best models for an exceptional loss prevention professional isn’t human at all. It’s the octopus. The octopus is nature’s master of stealth, strategy, and survival. It embodies many of the skills that define top-tier loss prevention experts and top executives in general. Let’s explore how this fascinating creature’s unique abilities align with the skills necessary for excellence in our profession. 

Shape-Shifting: The Art of Adaptability
Octopuses can change their body shape to squeeze through impossibly small openings, allowing them to escape predators or infiltrate tight spaces. Today especially, loss prevention executives must be adaptable to ever-changing circumstances. Policies change, technology evolves, and external/internal thieves become more sophisticated. A skilled loss prevention professional must be able to shift tactics, adapt to new challenges, and navigate different environments—whether it's a luxury retailer, grocer, restaurant or varying footprints such as a warehouse, or a distribution center. I mean, have you seen an octopus shift into a flounder? It’s insane.

Camouflage: Blending into the Environment
The octopus is a master of camouflage, able to change color and texture to blend seamlessly into its surroundings. Similarly, an effective loss prevention professional knows when to blend in and when to stand out. Being overly visible at the wrong time might put budget requests or strategic initiatives in jeopardy, but a more subtle approach when partnering with various departments might be perfect – blending into that department’s specific culture or desires. 

Intelligence: Outsmarting the Opposition
Octopuses are widely regarded as one of the most intelligent creatures in the ocean (this is why they shouldn’t be eaten, IMHO). They solve puzzles, use tools, and display remarkable problem-solving abilities. Likewise, loss prevention is a thinking person’s game. It requires the ability to anticipate varying departments’ goals, your own boss’ measurement goals, and what your teams are thinking/feeling…just to name a few. Just as an octopus can figure out how to open a jar to get food, the LP professional must know his ‘opposition’ isn’t always an external/internal thief but it’s knowing how to think like your CEO about what’s ultimately important to the organization’s bottom line right now? 

‘In Case You Didn’t Know,’ There Are ‘Three New’ Worker Safety Laws In New York State

WAMC

Two defendants sentenced for their roles in retail theft ring involving over a million dollars worth of stolen merchandise

U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that James Civiletti, 34, of Greece, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to transport stolen goods in interstate commerce, was sentenced to serve 14 months in prison by Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford.

In addition, co-defendant Chad Lewis Jr., 20, also of Greece, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, was also sentenced to serve 14 months in prsion. 

Justice Dept

Walmart deploys real-time AI and automation across global supply chain

Chain Store Age

Choosing a People Counting System – How to Pick the Best Solution

Person count is an important metric to track for stores and properties that receive a large amount of foot traffic throughout the day or week.

Having the ability to monitor the number of people entering a business can uncover new operational insights. By analyzing the data from a people counting system, retailers will be able to identify areas of business that could be streamlined for optimal customer engagement and experience as well as how the physical space is being traveled.

In this article, we’ll cover why people counting is vital to track for retail business, as well as how to find the best people counting solution.

Retail Ransomware Attacks Jump 58% Globally in Q2 2025

Publicly disclosed ransomware attacks targeting the retail sector globally have surged by 58% in Q2 2025 compared to Q1, with UK-based firms bearing the brunt of this targeting, according to new data from BlackFog.

The findings follow a spate of high-profile retailers reporting attacks during April-June 2025.

This includes the trio of ransomware attacks on UK brands Marks & Spencer (M&S), The Co-op and Harrods in late April, which have been linked to the Scattered Spider threat actor.

Infosecurity Magazine

The Role of Deepfakes in Retail Fraud Schemes

Retail fraud schemes are an ever-evolving challenge in commerce. As scammers become more adept at technology-driven tactics, retailers must pay closer attention to deepfakes, a relatively new tool in the fraudster’s toolkit.

Deepfake audio and video can imitate individuals with astonishing accuracy, making it difficult to detect who is human and who is impersonating a legitimate customer or employee.

These risks extend beyond stealing goods in the retail industry; attacks can compromise payment details, loyalty accounts, and confidential customer data.

Pindrop

Why Edge AI Is Gaining Ground in Physical Security

The move to process artificial intelligence (AI) workloads locally is beginning to reshape how security systems are designed and deployed.

For video surveillance and analytics, in particular, edge-based AI is emerging as a practical and powerful alternative to cloud-centric architectures.

By enabling real-time processing directly on devices, organizations can improve responsiveness, reduce bandwidth costs, and strengthen data privacy protections. 

SIW

Burlington is hiring a Director of Asset Protection Strategy and Analytics to protect company assets and reduce inventory shortage by leading the Asset Protection (AP) Strategy and Analytics team and the AP Finance team . This position will report into the VP Shortage Control.

The AP Strategy and Analytics team is responsible for analyzing shortage-related data and answering strategic questions regarding shortage control, merchandise protection, and profitability. This team also provides regular business reporting and ad-hoc analytics to track trends and understand what’s driving them. This person will oversee AP’s reporting and analytics databases and systems and will utilize insights from key stakeholders to create compelling dashboards and tools. This person will play a critical role in building the innovative tools, strategy, and vision for the AP Strategy and Analytics team.

Beyond the Bonus: Rethinking Incentives in Work Safety

Every business potentially faces the possibility of accidental loss of property, income, liability, and/or injury to its employees.

Organizations usually have a person or department responsible for this. They know all about exposure avoidance, loss prevention.

When it comes to employee safety, they usually look to the safety department to address that area. 

Legally, organizations are required to comply with the OSHA standards, which require training as a means to educate worker in safe work practices, along with other responsibilities. 

OH&S

Safe and Open: Rethinking Retail Loss Prevention Without Compromising the Experience

Retailers today are stuck between rising theft and rising customer frustration—especially when high-friction security measures turn stores into fortresses. Gatekeeper offers a smarter way forward with Purchek®, a pushout theft prevention solution that quietly locks cart wheels at the exit if items haven’t been paid for—stopping theft without stopping shoppers.

Backed by video evidence and AI-powered offender recognition, the solution helps reduce shrink, improve employee safety, and keep stores open and welcoming.

Brought to you by Gatekeeper Systems