William Simpson
TJ Maxx shoppers can now find security workers equipped with police-style body cameras at some of the retailer’s stores.
TJX, which operates TJ Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods, said it took the step late last year as part of an effort to curb shoplifting, with executives touting the initiative during an earnings call late last month.
When someone comes in, “it’s almost like a de-escalation, where people are less likely to do something when they’re being filmed,” Chief Financial Officer John Klinger told Wall Street analysts.
TJX, which operates more than 4,900 stores in nine countries, isn’t the only retailer turning to cameras to prevent theft. More than a third of retailers said they were researching worker body-worn cameras, according to a 2023 survey from the National Retail Federation surveywith 11% saying they were piloting or testing the technology.
What retailers call “shrinkage” or shrinkage, including theft, amounted to more than $112 billion in industry losses in 2022, representing 1.6% of total retail sales and up from 1.4%, or about of $94 billion in losses from the previous year, according to the NRF. The reduction also covers losses related to merchandise not being scanned properly, supplier fraud and fraudulent product returns.
Giant food supermarkets recently banned large bags in some of its stores facing a large reduction, while others are investing in AI-based surveillance and similar technologies.
The NRF also points to the problem of what it calls “organized retail crime“, or large-scale coordinated store robberies involving multiple people. Following the pandemic, several retailers reported an increase in retail crime. Target said last year it was closing nine stores in four states because the increase in theft and organized crime in retail threatened the safety of workers and customers.
However, it is difficult to measure the scale of the problem, with lawyers noting that even more reliable criminal data is inappropriate. And while some cities have indeed seen an increase in shoplifting following the pandemic, other metropolitan areas have seen a decline, according to the Criminal Justice Council.
One November to study by the nonpartisan think tank found that, excluding New York City, the number of shoplifting incidents in 24 U.S. metropolitan areas fell by about 7% in the first six months of 2023 compared to the first half of 2019.
During that four-year period, New York saw the largest increase in reported shoplifting, with a 64% increase, followed by Los Angeles (61%). On the other hand, some cities saw a sharp decline, with such incidents falling by 78% and 65% in St. Petersburg, Florida, and São Paulo, Minnesota, respectively, the group found.
g esportes
globo logo
g1 da globo
notícias da globo
ge.com globo
uol o melhor do conteúdo
