The retail industry is getting a major makeover thanks to the power of data and AI. Retailers are using data to understand what customers want, optimize inventory, and improve supply chains. AI and machine learning are helping them make smarter decisions, like predicting demand and setting competitive prices. The future of retail is all about using data to stay ahead of the game and keep customers happy.
Retail crime is skyrocketing, turning your local pharmacy trip into a scene from a heist movie. Stores are locking up products and hiring security, but it's making shopping a hassle and hurting sales. Weak laws and lenient prosecutors in big cities are letting thieves run wild, leading to store closures and creating 'retail deserts' that hit low-income and minority communities hardest.
The article humorously reflects on the cowardice in shoplifting during adolescence, recalling failed attempts like stealing a bouncy ball and later a box of stock cubes. Despite their lack of success, they note how shoplifting has become widespread, with even adults now taking items without shame due to the cost of living crisis.
While many Taiwanese food safety companies have bitten the dust, President Information Corp. (PIC) has been thriving since 1997, thanks to AI and a vast supply chain. Tony Hsieh, PIC's president, showcased their Lumine FSS platform, which uses AI to monitor food safety trends and consumer sentiment. PIC's success is attributed to its integration with Uni-President's resources and international certifications. Unlike AI startups, PIC offers comprehensive solutions validated across 7,000 retail locations. Their partnership with Google Cloud further enhances their capabilities, making food safety a top priority.
Retailers are pulling back on jobs, shedding 6,000 positions in February after a decent hiring spree in January. Blame it on labor strikes, e-commerce, and the rise of self-checkout. The job market's been flat, and some big names like Joann are even closing shop due to economic uncertainty, tariffs, and a cautious consumer outlook.
On March 7, 2025, Virginia’s General Assembly passed House Bill (HB) 1919, requiring by January 1, 2027, any Virginia employer of one hundred or more employees to develop, implement, and maintain a workplace violence policy. The bill is currently awaiting Governor Glenn Youngkin’s signature.
Quick Hits
Virginia’s General Assembly passed a workplace violence bill that would require any workplace violence policy to include a “mechanism for employees to report workplace violence” and measures to protect workplace safety.
The bill, if signed, would require employers to make these plans “tailored and specific to conditions and hazards” at the employer’s workplace and would make it unlawful for employers to discriminate or retaliate against employees who report workplace violence, threats, incidents, or concerns to the employer or the authorities.
On February 14, 2025, the New York Retail Worker Safety Act, initially set to take effect March 4, 2025, was amended (S.B.740), and the new effective date moved to June 2, 2025.
Background
On September 4, 2024, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed the New York Retail Worker Safety Act (the Act) (S.B. 8358-C/A. 8947-C) into law. The Act, which adds Section 27-e to the New York Labor Law, requires employers with ten or more retail employees to develop and implement workplace violence prevention programs. The law also mandates employers provide training on the workplace violence programs and to install silent response buttons (SRBs) in retail stores, defined as stores that sell “consumer commodities at retail and not primarily engaged in the sale of food for consumption on its premises.”
New York joins a broader trend of state legislatures enacting laws to address growing concerns of workplace violence, driven by the rise in mass shootings, and, in the retail sector, large-scale, coordinated shoplifting and increasing confrontations and violence against retail workers. For example, on July 1, 2024, California’s Workplace Violence Prevent Act, which we previously covered here, went into effect and applies broadly to most private-sector California employers with additional requirements for healthcare facilities and other industries with a high risk of workplace violence. Notably, other states have workplace prevention laws, though many are specifically focused on the healthcare sector, such as hospitals.
Trucking, railroad and shipper representatives raised the alarm about the rise of cargo theft affecting U.S. supply chains during a congressional hearing.
Leaders from BNSF, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, Tanager Logistics and Academy Sports and Outdoors urged lawmakers to step up enforcement during a Senate subcommittee hearing on Feb. 27.
Broker fraud, shipment interception and other forms of cargo theft are costing supply chains up to $35 billion annually, multiple speakers said, citing data from the federal Homeland Security Investigations agency.
Those crimes are contributing to higher consumer costs — and threatening some carriers’ livelihoods.
Gift card fraud in Canada and U.S. linked to organized crime in China, U.S. officials say
Big business, big theft
The gift card industry in Canada is booming and is expected to balloon from about $11 billion in 2023 to nearly $14 billion by 2028, according to a 2024 report by Research and Markets. But where there's big business, there's also a big opportunity for theft, warns one expert, noting that consumers need to be aware of possible scams.
"There's a lot of money to be made," said Joe Aversa, associate professor at Toronto Metropolitan University's Ted Rogers School of Retail Management.
"The fact that this is happening is not surprising to me and [thieves are] getting more and more sophisticated." Experts say there are numerous ways fraudsters can steal gift card balances before the intended recipients can use them.
The cards are often displayed in kiosks on sales floors, allowing scammers to steal them and copy their barcode numbers and PINs or security codes before returning the tampered cards to the store.
Editor's Note: Check out Amber Bradley's podcast with Adam Parks, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) that discusses the link to Chinese nationals as well as what's next for fraudsters as the crack down on gift cards continues. Listen here.
Rantz: City of Seattle targets business trying to stop shoplifting, not the criminals
In a move that perfectly epitomizes Seattle’s backwards approach to crime, the city is now targeting a Safeway store for its efforts to combat rampant shoplifting.
The Crown Hill Safeway has taken the logical step of closing one of its two entrances to deter thieves. It’s not the only store that’s had to resort to this inconvenience. By forcing people into or out of one entrance and exit, it’s easier for staff to monitor shoplifting. Often, the one entrance/exit is closer to where staffers are.
But instead of applauding this common-sense measure or addressing the underlying concerns about crime, the city of Seattle slapped the store with a notice of violation, according to KOMO TV.
Charges: Shoplifting suspect delivered several strikes to Roseville officer’s head, injuring him
Charges say a Roseville police officer took repeated strikes to the head from a man he was trying to arrest Wednesday for stealing from Walmart.
The officer was called to the store and met with loss‐prevention staff, who had detained Collin Scott Magnuson, 31, of Minneapolis, on suspicion of theft.
When told he was under arrest, Magnuson became “uncooperative and physically aggressive” with the officer, who then grabbed onto his arm, the criminal complaint says.
Magnuson used his weight to “charge” and push toward the officer, who brought him to the ground.
Hackers Expose Customer Data—Retail Pharmacy Giant Paying $6.8M in Compensation
Retail pharmacy giant Rite Aid has agreed to pay $6.8 million to its customers following a significant data breach.
What Happened: Hackers from the RansomHub group impersonated a Rite Aid employee and gained access to the company’s systems.
This breach, which took place over the summer, exposed personal data of approximately 2.2 million customers. The compromised data includes names, addresses, birth dates, and purchase-related IDs from June 2017 to July 2018.
A federal judge has given preliminary approval to the $6.8 million settlement. Customers affected by the breach can claim up to $10,000 for documented losses.
Fight erupts during attempted theft involving juveniles and bystanders at Fed Hill store
A chaotic scene unfolded at the Hat Mart in Federal Hill on Friday evening when a group of juvenile suspects attempted a grab-and-go theft, leading to a brawl with two bystanders who tried to intervene.
The incident began when three individuals entered the store, made their way around, and attempted to flee with stolen items.
The situation escalated into a physical altercation between the suspects and the bystanders.
Federal agents have arrested four immigrant grocery workers from Brazil at Jumbo Meat Market in Philadelphia, according to local reports. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency said the workers were in the country without legal authorization, or their prior legal authorization had expired, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Neither the regional ICE office nor Jumbo Meat Market could be reached for comment.
California’s Approach to Workplace Violence: What Six Months Under SB 553 Have Taught Us
California’s first-of-its-kind Workplace Violence Prevention Bill (SB 553) took effect on July 1, 2024, and six months in, it’s already making waves in the Golden State.
While some businesses are still finding their footing, the legislation has brought workplace violence, and efforts to mitigate it, into sharp focus.
Inflation in 2021 rose as Americans found themselves flush with stimulus funds at a time when supply chains were backlogged.
And while annual inflation isn’t nearly as elevated today as it was a few years ago, the effects of price increases linger.
In January, U.S. consumer spending fell for the first time in nearly two years. And as of late 2024, more than a third (35%) of consumers rated U.S. economic conditions as poor, according to Ibotta.
Stater Bros. cites inflation in first-ever layoffs
Stater Bros. has laid off 63 courtesy clerks across four store locations, marking the first layoffs in the company’s 89-year history, Chairman and CEO Pete Van Helden said in a video announcement posted on the Patch local news website.
He blamed inflation for the need to cut costs, noting that grocery prices have increased 30% in the past four years. Prices are expected to continue to inch up because of the tariffs being applied on goods from Canada and Mexico.
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