JUNE 2023
Organized Retail Crime: A Growing Workplace Threat for Retailers
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OT LONG AGO THE IDEA THAT ORGANIZED CRIME WAS flooding online marketplaces with stolen goods was better left to the movies. Now hardly a day goes by without another headline story about the harm this is causing in communities across the country. Organized retail crime (ORC) is now one of the leading workplace safety risks retailers are facing as economic pressures continue to grow, boosters become more violent, and the internet makes it easier for criminals to get away with their crimes. Growing economic pressures create a perfect storm for organized retail crime; hard times make it easier for the organizers of these crime rings to recruit individuals to participate in the theft, transport, and distribution of stolen goods, and consumers are willing to make more compromises for lower prices. Unfortunately, this puts consumers at the greatest risk of purchasing counterfeit or damaged
By Bryan Wachter
Bryan Wachter merchandise. These risks are even greater when the items for sale are baby formula or over-the-counter medications. When it comes to workplace safety, there is a growing risk of altercations between store staff and the boosters removing the products from the store. The National Retail Federation (NRF) in their April 2023 report found that 15 of 21 violent ORC groups began operation in 2021, indicating an alarming trend for workplace safety. Many big box retailers have instituted company policies that employees are not to attempt to stop a theft in
progress, but that’s not always enough. Last fall an employee working for The Home Depot in North Carolina was fatally shot when asking to verify a receipt. Typically violent altercations take place when the booster is removing the product from the store; however, also potentially dangerous is when the diverter (sometimes referred to as the fence) returns the stolen product to the store, hoping to receive a cash refund. As stores restrict their policies in an attempt to curb the growing return fraud negatively impacting the store’s bottom Continued on page 2
INSIDE Father’s Day Sales Projected to Reach $367 Million in Silver State...............................2 State of Nevada 2023 Minimum Wage Bulletin.....................................3 How’s Your PPE Program?........4 Political Corner.........................5 Retail Safety Matters..................................6, 7