Independence Day?
What Does Freedom Mean to You?
by
Terrence 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.
HOT OFF THE PRESS!!! THE 28th ANNUAL HAYES REPORT RETAIL THEFT SURVEY
The Apprehension of Shoplifters and Dishonest Employees Has Increased in 9 of the Past 10 Years, According to Jack L. Hayes International’s 28th Annual Retail Theft Survey! (June 2016)
Wesley Chapel, FL – Over 1.2 million shoplifters and dishonest employees were apprehended in 2015 by just 25 large retailers who recovered over $200 million from these thieves, according to the 28th Annual Retail Theft Survey conducted by Jack L. Hayes International, the leading loss prevention and inventory shrinkage control consulting firm. “Retail theft, by both shoplifters and employees, continues to plague the retail industry. Our latest Annual Retail Theft Survey (28th) reflects an increase in both shoplifter and dishonest employee apprehensions, 2.0% and 1.0% respectively, in 2015. Overall recoveries from those apprehensions totaled over $200 million and was up 1.2%”, said Mark R. Doyle, President of Jack L. Hayes International. “It should be noted that the apprehension of shoplifters and dishonest employees has increased in 9 of the last 10 years!” Mr. Doyle added, “Retail theft causes consumers to pay higher prices for goods, and is having a detrimental effect on retailers’ bottomline profits.”
Highlights from this highly anticipated annual theft survey include:
* Participants: 25 large retail companies with 21,288 stores and over $700 billion in retail sales (2015).
* Apprehensions: 1,246,003 shoplifters and dishonest employees were apprehended in 2015, up 2.0% from 2014.
* Recovery Dollars: Over $200 million was recovered from apprehended shoplifters and dishonest employees in 2015, up 1.2% from 2014.
* Shoplifter Apprehensions: 1,170,056 shoplifters were apprehended in 2015, up 2.0% from 2014.
* Shoplifter Recovery Dollars: Over $150 million was recovered from apprehended shoplifters in 2015, an increase of 3.2% from 2014. An additional $142 million was recovered from shoplifters where no apprehension was made, up a significant 18.8% from 2014.
* Employee Apprehensions: 75,947 dishonest employees were apprehended in 2015, up 1.0% from 2014.
* Employee Recovery Dollars: Over $55 million was recovered from employee apprehensions in 2015, down 4.0% from 2014.
* One out of every 38 employees was apprehended for theft from their employer in 2015. (Based on almost 3.0 million employees.)
* Shrink: 60% of survey participants reported an increase in shrink in 2015, with just 24% reporting a decrease in shrink, and 16% reported shrink stayed about the same.
APPREHENSIONS & RECOVERY DOLLARS INCREASE in 9 of LAST 10 YEARS!
Theft continues to plague the retail industry as evidenced by over 1.2 million apprehensions (Shoplifters and Dishonest Employees) in 2015, by just 25 large retail organizations.
Highlights from survey include:
* Participants: 25 large retail companies with 21,288 stores and over $700 billion in retail sales in 2015.
* Apprehensions: Participants apprehended 1,246,003 shoplifters and dishonest employees in 2015, up 2.0% from 2014.
* Recovery Dollars: Participants recovered over $206 million from apprehended shoplifters and dishonest employees in 2015, up 1.2%.
* Shoplifter Apprehensions: 1,170,056 shoplifters were apprehended in 2015, up 1.0% from 2014.
* Shoplifter Recovery Dollars: Over $150 million was recovered from apprehended shoplifters in 2015, up 3.2% from 2014. An additional $142 million was recovered from shoplifters where no apprehension was made, up 18.8% from 2014.
* Employee Apprehensions: 75,947 dishonest employees were apprehended in 2015, up 1.0% from 2014.
* Employee Recovery Dollars: Over $55 million was recovered from apprehended employees in 2015, down 4.0% from 2014. + One in every 38 employees was apprehended for theft from their employer in 2015. (Based on almost 3.0 million employees.)
TOTAL RETAIL THEFT
* Survey participants apprehended a total of 1,246,003 dishonest individuals (shoplifters and employees) in 2015, an increase of 2.0% from the prior year. In addition, dollars recovered from those apprehended thieves totaled over $200 million, which was a 1.2% increase from 2014.
* For every $1.00 recovered by our surveyed companies, $19.61 was lost to retail theft. Therefore, only 5.1% of total retail theft losses resulted in a recovery.
SHOPLIFTING
* Apprehensions: Survey participants apprehended 1,170,056 shoplifters in 2015, an increase of 2.0% from the prior year.
* Recoveries: Dollars recovered from shoplifting apprehensions totaled over $150 million in 2015, a 3.2% increase from 2014. This was the 13th increase in shoplifting recovery dollars in the past 14 years.
* Dollars recovered from shoplifters where no apprehension was made (over $142 million) increased an amazing 18.8% in 2015. This was the 19th consecutive year of increases.
* Case Value: The average shoplifting case value in 2015 was $128.86, reflecting a slight increase (1.2%) from 2014 ($127.36).
EMPLOYEE THEFT
* One out of every 38 employees was apprehended for theft from their employer in 2015. (Based on comparison data of almost 3.0 million employees.)
* Apprehensions: Survey participants apprehended 75,947 dishonest employees in 2015, up 1.0% from 2014.
* Recoveries: Dollars recovered from dishonest employee apprehensions totaled over $55 million in 2015, a decline of 4.0% from 2014.
28th ANNUAL RETAIL THEFT SURVEY – 2016 Jack L. Hayes International, Inc.
Shrink Trend:
15 of the 25 retailers (60.0%) had an increase in company shrink
06 of the 25 retailers (24.0%) had a decrease in company shrink
04 of the 25 retailers (16.0%) had no change in company shrink
Shoplifting Apprehensions:
13 of 25 retailers (52.0%) had an increase in shoplifter apprehensions
12 of 25 retailers (48.0%) had a decrease in shoplifter apprehensions
Shoplifting Recoveries:
17 of 25 retailers (68.0%) had an increase in shoplifter recovery dollars
08 of 25 retailers (32.0%) had a decrease in shoplifter recovery dollars
Shoplifting Recoveries Without an Apprehension:
13 of 16 retailers reporting (81.2%) had an increase in shoplifting recovery dollars without an apprehension
03 of 16 retailers reporting (18.8%) had a decrease in shoplifting recovery dollars without an apprehension
Dishonest Employee Apprehensions:
14 of 25 retailers (56.0%) had an increase in employee theft apprehensions
11 of 25 retailers (44.0%) had a decrease in employee theft apprehensions
Dishonest Employee Recoveries:
12 of 25 retailers (48.0%) had an increase in employee theft recovery dollars
13 of 25 retailers (52.0%) had a decrease in employee theft recovery dollars
We asked our survey participants why their Employee Theft apprehensions and recovery dollars increased or decreased in 2015; they contributed the following:
Increase:
* Additional focus on dishonest employee investigations
* Enhanced POS exception reporting software/programs
* Reduced ‘checks and balances’ giving dishonest employees more opportunities to commit thefts
* Quality of new-hires was reduced
* Less supervision of sales associates, and more access to secured products for customer service reasons
Decrease:
* Focus to drive cases down through more deterrence
* Less time spent on internal cases due to increase in external cases (shoplifting)
* Overall less associates, so less dishonest employees
* Increased use of pre-employment screening tools
Hayes International contributes the following to the employee theft problem:
* Questionable Pre-Employment Screening Process We hear of retailers reducing their pre-employment screening requirements in an effort to reduce their costs or to quickly staff a store/location. This results in more ‘questionable’ employees being hired. When statistics show one out of every 38 employees is actually caught stealing by their employer, there has to be some type of breakdown in the pre-employment screening process.
* Internal Controls Compromised By Fewer Associates & Less Supervision Reductions in staffing levels has resulted in less supervision over associates, and associates performing tasks previously completed by management only (unlocking showcases, issuing refunds, etc.) thus increasing the opportunity for dishonest associates to commit acts of theft with less chance of detection. * Stolen Merchandise is Easy to Sell to Larger Audiences Dishonest employees have found that selling stolen items through various on-line auction sites, or having a friend or family member return the stolen goods for a merchandise credit or gift card (which they sell to a second party) results in quicker sales and much higher prices.
* General Decline in Honesty Almost daily we hear of business, government, law enforcement, celebrities, sports figures, and even church leaders being caught up in questionable activities. Such events make it easier for “borderline” employees to rationalize their theft acts.