Loss Prevention & Security
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Thai Liang Lim via Getty Images
Deep DiveWhy more tech in stores shouldn’t mean fewer workers
Stores can automate more tasks than ever, including pricing, inventory management and checkout. But for theft prevention, customer service and brand engagement, they need humans.
By Daphne Howland • April 10, 2024 -
Courtesy of The Home Depot
Home Depot confirms breach of employee data
The retailer said a vendor error led to the exposure of identifiable information of some employees.
By Nate Delesline III • April 9, 2024 -
Quinn Rooney via Getty Images
Battling shrink and theft across the globe
Retailers are trying numerous strategies — from technology to teamwork — to minimize losses.
By Peyton Bigora • April 8, 2024 -
Deep DiveWhat is ‘organized retail crime,’ exactly?
It depends, and it doesn't help that many retailers don’t have a good handle on lost inventory, experts say.
By Daphne Howland • April 3, 2024 -
Courtesy of Five Below
Five Below scales back self-checkout to fight shrink
Hiring more store associates will improve customer service and help fight what executives said was an unexpectedly high level of inventory loss.
By Daphne Howland • March 21, 2024 -
Kendall Davis/Retail Dive
Podcast
The Backroom: The story behind our stories on shrink and theft
When the National Retail Federation retracted a theft claim following our coverage of its special report on crime, the news went viral. Here’s what it took to get the story.
By Retail Dive Staff • Feb. 29, 2024 -
FeelPic via Getty Images
RFID has been around for decades. Now it’s becoming retailers’ best crime-fighting tool.
The tech has long been used for inventory management, but is being affixed to more merchandise and yielding more data.
By Daphne Howland • Feb. 21, 2024 -
andipantz via Getty Images
Most shoplifting is not organized retail crime: report
As store traffic picked up since the pandemic, so has shoplifting, though there were fewer reports last year than in 2019, per the Council on Criminal Justice.
By Daphne Howland • Jan. 26, 2024 -
Courtesy of RILA
Deep Dive7 reasons why everyone’s confused about shrink and theft
There’s even less data about retail crime now that the National Retail Federation has retracted a key claim about its impact. What’s going on?
By Daphne Howland • Jan. 24, 2024 -
Daphne Howland/Retail Dive
VF Corp. cyberattack impacted 35.5M consumers
The North Face and Vans parent company originally reported the incident at the height of the holiday season.
By Kaarin Vembar • Jan. 23, 2024 -
Permission granted by Sam's Club
Sam’s Club to bring AI-based receipt verification to all stores
The technology will eliminate the need for receipt checkers, freeing up associates to spend time with customers.
By Nate Delesline III • Jan. 11, 2024 -
lechatnoir via Getty Images
7 retail trends to watch in 2024
From economic pressures weighing on consumers to relocating stores away from malls, here’s what’s on retailers’ minds heading into the new year.
By Retail Dive Staff • Jan. 8, 2024 -
Permission granted by Rite Aid
Rite Aid banned from use of facial recognition tech for 5 years
The company’s “reckless” use of the technology harmed customers, the FTC said.
By Nate Delesline III • Dec. 20, 2023 -
Matthew Eisman/Getty Images for Pandora Media via Getty Images
VF Corp. reports stolen data from cybersecurity incident
The attack last week has impacted the apparel conglomerate’s ability to fulfill orders.
By Laurel Deppen • Dec. 18, 2023 -
Retrieved from U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee's YouTube channel on December 13, 2023
Member of Congress calls for better data on organized retail crime and other theft
In testimony endorsing a bill that would have the Department of Homeland Security tackle organized retail crime, the National Retail Federation left out its previous statistics on its impact.
By Daphne Howland • Dec. 13, 2023 -
Courtesy of Squishmallows
ColumnThe Weekly Closeout: Claire’s expands into Mexico and Squishmallows collabs with H&M
The accessories retailer opened a store in Mexico City, while the toy company, known for its plush stuffed animals, teamed up with H&M for a collection.
By Retail Dive Staff • Dec. 8, 2023 -
Courtesy of the National Retail Federation
NRF updates crime report to address faulty numbers
The group said it didn’t realize an outside assessment of organized retail crime had used an old NRF estimate of total inventory loss, including loss unrelated to theft.
By Daphne Howland • Dec. 4, 2023 -
GDMatt66 via Getty Images
Staples hit by cyberattack during critical Cyber Week sales push
The office supply retailer expects to fully catch up on back orders after online processing and deliveries were briefly disrupted.
By David Jones • Dec. 4, 2023 -
Courtesy of the National Retail Federation
Deep Dive
Retailers have a crime problem. It’s in the numbers.
The issue is complex and often clouded by imprecise data. Sometimes from the industry itself.
By Daphne Howland • Nov. 29, 2023 -
Shaun Taylor via Getty Images
Retailers brace for cyberthreat feast ahead of Thanksgiving shopping weekend
A rise in social engineering and generative AI pose increased risks as phishing attacks and ransomware gain speed and grow more sophisticated.
By David Jones • Nov. 21, 2023 -
Justin Sullivan / Staff via Getty Images
Retail shrink, theft changed little in 2022
But more retailers are concerned about escalating violence in stores, which experts say carries other costs beyond shrink.
By Daphne Howland • Sept. 27, 2023 -
Courtesy of Target
Target to close 9 stores over theft, safety concerns
Stores in major cities like San Francisco, New York and Seattle are slated to shutter as a result of “unsustainable business performance.”
By Nate Delesline III • Sept. 27, 2023 -
Daphne Howland/Retail Dive
American Eagle sues Westfield San Francisco Centre over ‘neglect’ and ‘turning a blind eye to rampant criminal activity’
But the legal maneuver could be complicated by the mall owner’s decision earlier this year to hand the keys of the property over to its lender.
By Daphne Howland • Sept. 15, 2023 -
Drew Angerer via Getty Images
Forever 21 data breach impacts over half a million people
An unauthorized third party accessed some of the retailer's systems between January and March. The company is offering identity theft services to those impacted.
By Xanayra Marin-Lopez • Sept. 7, 2023 -
Courtesy of Ulta
Ulta says locked fragrance cabinets are helping sales
The cases, which are in about half of the beauty retailer’s stores, are reducing theft and keeping product in stock.
By Cara Salpini • Aug. 25, 2023
