A Lakeland Police Officer Trainee, Huascar Evangelista Vargas, resigned after being caught shoplifting at a Walmart. He was seen not scanning items and swapping prices at the self-checkout, leading to his arrest for misdemeanor shoplifting. Vargas paid for $83.80 worth of goods but skipped out on $124.50 worth. He resigned on Feb. 24, but the Lakeland Police Department made it clear he would've been fired anyway.
In Concord, California, a convenience store employee shot and killed an armed robber who stormed in with a shotgun. The incident has left the community buzzing about whether the employee will face charges. While the District Attorney's office remains tight-lipped, locals are rallying behind the employee, praising the act of self-defense. Surveillance footage has been handed over to the police, and the store has beefed up its security measures.
Perfect Pets in Colorado got hit by puppy thieves again, this time with a dramatic twist. Three guys walked in, one faked a seizure, and while everyone was distracted, another dude grabbed two pricey bulldog puppies. Despite some heroic tackling attempts by the staff, the thieves escaped in a gold Cadillac Escalade. One suspect, Timothy Dais, has been arrested, but the hunt for the others continues. Perfect Pets is offering a reward for the return of the stolen pups and the capture of the remaining culprits.
A New Hampshire woman, Kelli Tedford, was arrested for urinating on food products at the grocery store where she worked. This wasn't her first rodeo; she had a collection of videos dating back to 2021 showcasing her unsanitary hobby. The store had to recall several products and incurred $1,500 in damages. Tedford faces felony criminal mischief charges and is set for arraignment on April 7.
Retail tech startups are using AI to tackle long-standing industry challenges, from bridging the consumer-product language gap to optimizing inventory and reimagining pricing. Companies like Lily AI and Vody are enhancing product discoverability, while Nextail and Cognitiwe are revolutionizing inventory management. Quicklizard and RevLifter are automating pricing and promotions, and Fashable and Rocketium are streamlining creative content generation. These innovations signal a shift towards AI-driven solutions that solve specific business problems, making retail operations smarter and more efficient.
2025 is expected to be a year defined by technological innovations, with past advancements having paved the way for new products and needs from users.
OpenEye’s Brent Boekestein and Ian Siemer sat down to discuss the security trends and insights of 2025 as we step into another year of surveillance solutions, including:
Why going cloud is more secure than staying offline
How security professionals can use the latest technologies to elevate their roles
The benefits of leveraging an integrated platform
For the full column and offerings from OpenEye click the button below!
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Man arrested for 'discriminatory' grocery store attack in Creve Coeur
CREVE COEUR, Mo. — A man was arrested and charged after attacking another customer Friday night inside a Creve Coeur grocery store, police said.
According to the St. Louis County Police Department, 31-year-old Shawn Singer of Creve Coeur was arrested and charged with fourth-degree assault motivated by discrimination. He was being held on a $40,000 cash-only bond.
According to the probable cause statement, St. Louis County police responded at about 6 p.m. Friday to the Dierbergs in Heritage Place for a report of a fight. There, officers encountered Singer, who initially said, "It was just me. I'm not saying anything else," before being placed in handcuffs.
Knife confrontation at Las Vegas grocery store sparks shopper safety concerns
Las Vegas (KSNV) — A knife confrontation in a Las Vegas grocery store parking lot raises questions about shopper safety and theft protocols.
Cristen Drummond recorded the moment a man accused of stealing food pulled out a knife from his jacket and threatened another man who slapped the food out of the suspect’s hands by the Flamingo and Fort Apache intersection.
A store manager approached and was heard saying the man walked out of the store stealing and encouraged the other man who was being threatened to walk away.
Another man attempts to intervene but backs away after seeing the suspect has a knife.
Niccol wrote Monday that the cuts “are simplifying our structure, removing layers and duplication and creating smaller, more nimble teams,” and that the changes to corporate structure would reduce complexity and increase accountability.
According to Starbucks’ most recent 10-K, it employs about 16,000 global workers in “corporate support, store development, roasting, manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution operations.” Starbucks layoffs constitute at least a 6.9% reduction in its global non-retail workforce.The layoffs likely impact a much higher proportion of its support workforce, though the company didn’t clarify what fraction of its non-retail workforce are employed in corporate support. The company employs about 345,000 hourly global retail workers, who weren’t impacted by the job cuts.
As an Investigation Manager, e-Commerce you will lead a team accountable for the identification, mitigation and resolution of eCommerce fraud and related brand protection initiatives. You will additionally lead resolution associated to social media, Call Center and Guest Service security/risk incident issues regarding Disney’s Retail Commercialization businesses. The position will drive controllable loss initiatives and related Key Performing Indicators reporting to the Senior Manager, Asset Protection eCommerce/Supply Chain.
Domino’s Pizza sounds alarm on concerning customer behavior
Domino’s Pizza (DPZ) , which has over 6,000 locations in the U.S., is sounding alarm bells on a startling change in customer behavior.
In the pizza chain’s fourth-quarter earnings report for 2024, it revealed that while its revenues spiked by almost 3% year over year during the quarter, its U.S. same store sales only increased by a measly 0.4%, missing analyst expectations of a 1.63% increase.
Domino's shares declined by roughly 6% shortly after it unveiled its latest earnings results.
Man shot and killed outside Wendy's restaurant in Louisville
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A man is dead after a shooting Sunday evening outside a Wendy's restaurant in Louisville.
At about 11:30 p.m., Louisville Metro police responded to a shooting in the parking lot of the Wendy's located in the 1200 block of West Broadway, according to an LMPD news release.
Officers on scene found a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds outside the Wendy's. Officers rendered first aid until EMS and Louisville Fire could arrive on scene.
Arkansas Attorney General announces two arrests from organized retail crime acts
LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — Gary Hunt,71, and Latrina Banks, 54, both from Little Rock were arrested by way of an investigation led by Attorney Tim Griffin's Special Investigations Division.
"Last week, investigators in my office arrested Gary Hunt, 71, of Little Rock, and Latrina Banks, 54, of Little Rock on charges of Felony Theft of Property, said Griffin.
Trump says tariffs on Canada and Mexico ‘will go forward’
President Donald Trump said Monday that sweeping U.S. tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico “will go forward” when a monthlong delay on their implementation expires next week.
“The tariffs are going forward on time, on schedule,” Trump said when asked at a White House press conference if the postponed tariffs on the two U.S. trading partners would soon go back into effect.
The president claimed that the U.S. has “been taken advantage of” by foreign nations on “just about everything,” and reiterated his plan to impose so-called reciprocal tariffs.
“So the tariffs will go forward, yes, and we’re going to make up a lot of territory,” Trump said.
Menomonee Falls cash thefts from Cost Cutters; West Bend woman accused
MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. - A 25-year-old West Bend woman is accused of stealing more than $5,000 in cash from a Menomonee Falls business where she worked. The accused is Jada Ovalle – and she faces a single charge of theft-business setting.
"Employee theft matter" What we know: According to the criminal complaint, a Menomonee Falls police officer was dispatched on Monday morning, Feb. 17 to return a phone call from the owners of Cost Cutters located on Appleton Avenue. The call was regarding an employee theft matter tied to defendant Ovalle, who was hired as a hairstylist in February 2022.
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