(JWN), Whole Foods and some other big chains said they were abandoning San Francisco because of changing economic conditions or employee safety. (TGT) last month said it was bracing to lose half a billion dollars this year because of rising theft. Retailers large and small say they’re struggling to contain the escalation of in-store crime in particular- ranging from petty shoplifting to organized sprees of large-scale theft that clear entire shelves of products. Why retail theft is soaring: inflation, the economy - and opportunityĪs economic fears grow amid inflation and rising borrowing costs, incidents of retail crime are mounting. The Target logo is displayed on shopping carts at a Target store on Februin Southgate, California. Several retailers, from Dollar General to Walmart, have had employees or security staff injured or killed during attempts to intervene in theft. The employees risked putting themselves and others “in harm’s way,” Lululemon noted. Employees are able and instructed to call 911 when needed, and that was not the cause of termination,” the statement said. “The two employees at our Peachtree Corners location in Georgia were not terminated for calling the police…. The company went on to refer to its “longstanding protocols in place” in regards to safety, and said that “no amount of merchandise in a store” is worth the risk for an employee. Lululemon sent a statement to CNN Tuesday reiterating the company’s “absolute zero-tolerance policy” for “engaging with guests in a way that could put themselves, or others in harm’s way.” “Retailers have seen employees lose their lives when they’ve tried to intervene.” “You’re dealing with potentially very aggressive and violent people committing these crimes,” he stressed.
While Lululemon has come under fire, notably from conservative media, for seemingly penalizing staffers who attemped to stop a robbery, “these situations always are a delicate balance,” said Read Hayes, criminologist at the University of Florida and director of the Loss Prevention Research Council, Its members include Walmart, Target, Home Depot and Gap. McDonald said the employees “knowingly broke the policy” and engaged with the thieves, including following them out of the store. Why? Because we put the safety of our team and of our guests front and center,” McDonald said during a CNBC interview on Friday. “In this particular case, we have a zero-tolerance policy that we train our educators on around engaging during a theft. It is unclear if the footage was taken by a customer or an employee. One female employee is seen near the entrance of the store close to where the men are heard yelling “get out” repeatedly. The incident took place in late April at its store in Peachtree Corners, Georgia.Ĭellphone footage from the store shows two men wearing hoodies and face masks rush into the store and grab armloads of merchandise from areas closest to the entrance of the store and then rush out. (LULU) CEO Calvin McDonald said the retailer stands by its decision to fire two employees who tried to intervene during a theft at one of its stores.
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