‘Employees don’t feel safe,’ says business professional, as theft leads to store closures with locked up items and staffing problems

COMPANIES have revealed that ’employees do not feel safe’ after massive thefts sparked a wave of store closures.

Shoplifting on New York State’s Long Island rose 20%, leaving workers reeling from brazen attempts by criminals, Newsday reported.

Many retailers have locked up a litany of items – from toiletries to alcohol – to keep shoplifters at bay.

“I’ve witnessed some thefts at times when I’ve been at the local grocery store. So I know the impact in the community is difficult, especially for the small business owners as they lose inventory,” said LaShawn Lukes, president of the Hempstead Chamber of Commerce.

“… Moreover, it is a two-sided situation, because it is now difficult to (hire) employees because they do not feel safe.”

Law enforcement officials and retail analysts have pointed to a lack of staff to monitor the store floor, an increase in the number of self-service checkouts and rising costs of living due to widespread theft.

THE RETAIL APOCALYPSE OF NYC

It comes after a major shopping center with dozens of stores is on the verge of shutting down as America’s theft epidemic continues to plague businesses.

Retail operator Westfield has announced that it plans to terminate its lease and cease all operations with the Fulton Center in Lower Manhattan.

Westfield signed a two-decade long lease agreement in 2014.

However, as the number of thefts and homelessness continues to rise, the company has decided to terminate the contract ten years early.

Westfield has cited growing concerns about crime and quality of life as the reason for terminating the lease.

In response, the MTA is suing the retail management company for breaching the lease.

“The number of subtenant vacancies is at a record high,” Westfield wrote in a legal filing.

“Few companies want to open and operate a store where their employees and customers regularly experience theft, property damage, bodily harm or threats.”

Workers and subway passengers told ABC 7 News that homeless encampments routinely congregate outside the building.

“The real problem here is homelessness. You can just look out the window and see people walking around. It’s probably decreased because it’s getting nicer outside, but during the winter months it’s a lot,” said Nia Moore, who works at Birch Coffee .

SHOPS CLOSER

In 2023, a number of retailers closed, often due to losses due to theft.

Fueled in part by the rise of online shopping and persistent inflation, many stores have been unable to stay open.

Stores like Target, which closed nine stores in major cities last year, said theft made certain locations unsafe.

One of the biggest concerns for stores, organized retail crime, involves mass thefts by groups of shoplifters.

By stealing in large groups, thieves make it difficult for the authorities to intervene.

Widely shared images of organized ‘flash mob’ robberies have caused panic among many retailers in recent months.

While theft is only part of the picture, many blame shoplifting for the nearly 3,000 stores closing nationwide by 2023.

In November, Retail Dive reported that the National Retail Federation, a major lobbying group, was using incorrect figures and pushing for stricter anti-theft legislation on Capitol Hill.

The figures, which claimed organized retail crime cost businesses $94.5 billion in 2021, were published in an influential April 2023 report but were withdrawn by the group in late November.

Since the report’s publication, the group has lobbied for the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act, a bill that critics say would give some habitual shoplifters the same penalties as criminals caught committing high-value thefts.

Despite widespread concern, most of the U.S. appears to have seen a decline in shoplifting since 2019, according to data from the Council on Criminal Justice.

There are exceptions. Notably, theft has increased in New York City.

The Big Apple has announced a crackdown on crime, including shoplifting.

Oregon’s Democratic governor recently signed tougher penalties into law, calling it “common sense.”