Happy 4th of July!
What Does Freedom and Independence Mean To You?
by
Terry Shulman
Singer Janis Joplin once sang in the song “Me and Bobby McGee”: “freedom’s just another word for nothing less to lose.” It’s an oft-repeated and iconic line.
Many of us have felt the brunt of loss over the last year-job, money, home, possessions, relationships, health, and beyond. There’s no making light of loss, of course, but I recall a friend–a former shopaholic–who lost her home, most of her job income, and truckloads of things she had accumulated over the years. As she downsized from her home to a smaller rental home to yet another smaller rental home and purged most of her non-essential materials things, she remarked how much lighter, happier, and free she feels. She embarked upon a new chapter in her life and, with some anxiety, she felt hopeful and excited about the chance to reinvent herself and also reclaim parts of her authentic self which she had lost sight of.
Sometimes, things just weigh us down. Can you relate?
As we approach the U.S. 4th of July Independence Day holiday, take a moment to consider what freedom and independence mean to you? In these ever-challenging and globally volatile times, it is easy to focus on the importance of financial independence and freedom from anxiety. These are wonderful goals. Still, maybe we can appreciate whatever freedoms we do currently enjoy.
For most of us, we have our physical freedom to move about and our freedom of self-expression and our freedom to pursue a life of authentic meaning and purpose. We can also claim our independence from addictions and from dysfunctional relationships and our right to vote independently for what we believe in.
Freedom doesn’t just mean doing what we want to do every moment independent of others. We must co-
exist among a multitude of individuals and systems with which we don’t always agree but compared to most systems and countries, we have many more rights and privileges which we too often take for granted.
Life may not be perfect but this holiday allows an opportunity to soak in the gifts of freedom and independence that we may not have had in the past or may not have in the future.
So, whatever you’re doing this holiday–relaxing, spending time with family or friends, enjoying the weather and some fine food–slow down and embrace our freedoms and independence–two of our greatest assets.
The Results Are In!
The 30th Annual Jack Hayes International Retail Theft Survey.
PRESS RELEASE May 30, 2018
Shoplifting Continues to Rise 8 of Past 10 Years, According to Jack L. Hayes International’s 30th Annual Retail Theft Survey! Wesley Chapel, FL –
Over 432,000 shoplifters and dishonest employees were apprehended in 2017 by just 21 large retailers who recovered over $188 million from these thieves, according to the 30th Annual Retail Theft Survey conducted by Jack L. Hayes International, the leading loss prevention and inventory shrinkage control consulting firm.
“Theft continues to plague the retail industry, with shoplifting leading the way! In 2017, Shoplifting apprehensions increased 2.3%, with the dollars recovered from these shoplifters increasing almost 13%. This is the 8th rise in both shoplifter apprehensions and dollar recoveries in the past 10 years. Recoveries from shoplifters where no apprehension was made increased for the 21st consecutive year, up an amazing
18% in 2017, “, said Mark R. Doyle, President of Jack L. Hayes International.
Mr. Doyle added, “While dishonest employee apprehensions and recovery dollars were down (almost 4% and 7% respectively), retail theft overall continues to be a serious problem for retailers negatively impacting their bottom-line, which results in higher prices to consumers.”
Highlights from this highly anticipated annual theft survey include:
*Participants: 21 large retail companies with 16,409 stores and over $428 billion in retail sales (2017).
* Apprehensions: 432,046 shoplifters and dishonest employees were apprehended in 2017, up 1.7% from 2016.
*Recovery Dollars: Over $188 million was recovered from apprehended shoplifters and dishonest employees in 2017, up 8.1% from 2016.
*Shoplifter Apprehensions: 391,760 shoplifters were apprehended in 2017, up 2.3% from 2016.
*Shoplifter Recovery Dollars: Over $149 million was recovered from apprehended shoplifters in 2017, an increase of 12.9% from 2016. An additional $185 million was recovered from non-apprehended shoplifters.
*Employee Apprehensions: 40,286 dishonest employees were apprehended in 2017, down 4.0% from 2016.
*Employee Recovery Dollars: Over $38 million was recovered from employee apprehensions in 2017, down 7.0% from 2016.
*Shrink: 61.9% of survey participants reported an increase in shrink in 2017, with 28.6% reporting a decrease in shrink, and another 9.5% reported shrink stayed about the same.
Full survey results are available at: http://hayesinternational.com/news/annual-retailtheft-survey/