Bed Bath & Beyond Cuts 880 Department and Assistant Store Manager Positions
The retailer said it has initiated in approximately half of its U.S. Bed Bath & Beyond stores and about a dozen of its buybuy Baby stores a limited realignment of its store management organization that will result in the elimination of about 880 department and assistant store manager positions.

The changes are estimated to generate future annual pre-tax cost savings for the retailer of approximately $16 million, with the pre-tax cost savings for the remainder of fiscal 2017 are estimated to be approximately $7 million. The company expects to incur related restructuring charges of approximately $17 million in fiscal 2017, primarily for severance and related costs, all of which will be expensed in the second quarter. chainstoreage.com

Retail job cuts defy national trends
July job cuts saw the lowest monthly total since November, as employers announced plans to cut payrolls by 28,307 positions, according to a monthly report emailed to Retail Dive from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

But retailers are bucking that trend, leading all sectors this year with 63,989 announced cuts, 3,862 of them in July alone. Retail job cuts are 46.7% higher this year than in the year-ago period, which saw 43,618 retail employment cuts.

Retailers have also announced 245,616 of the 556,493 new jobs that have been added so far this year, according to Challenger's report. The seven-month hiring total is 500% higher than the 92,802 new jobs announced in the year-ago period. retaildive.com

Retail jobs decrease slightly in July
Retail industry employment declined slightly in July, decreasing 1,700 jobs from June, the National Retail Federation said today. The numbers exclude automobile dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants. The economy overall saw gains of 209,000 jobs in July, exceeding growth expectations for the month. nrf.com

Beyond Bankruptcy: How Failed Stores Come Back Online
Bankrupt fashion labels are finding that there is life after liquidation - but only if resurrection happens quickly. Investors snapped up Wet Seal, American Apparel and The Limited, betting fickle consumers who long ago stopped visiting their shops would flock to new online-only storefronts. wsj.com

Newport News, VA Goes Live with Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP)
Newport News, Virginia becomes the latest municipality to go live with Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP), a technology that automates communication between alarm monitoring central stations and 911 centers, resulting in improved accuracy and speed of emergency response.

Within Virginia, Newport News joins the City of Richmond, James City County, York County, and Henrico County, which are already online with the use of ASAP technology.

Transmitting data electronically speeds up alarm notification delivery and reduces the number of phone calls and processing times at emergency response centers. It also eliminates human error and miscommunication between operators; all pertinent data goes directly to first responders within seconds. vectorsecurity.com

UK: ATM thieves to be tracked by invisible 'smart gel' traceable for up to 5 years
The Co-operative group is implementing forensic technology to crackdown on cashpoint criminals. The retail chain will be adding an invisible gel spray to around 2,500 Co-op automated teller machines (ATMs) that brands pesky thieves for as much as five years.

The gel, created by forensic tech company SmartWater, can be detected on both clothing and human skin with forensic tools capable of tracing the culprit back to their prior criminal acts years later - even if the amount of gel is microscopic.

A trial run of the technology in 2016 led to a 90% reduction in crime at ATMs, reports The Independent, leading Co-op to roll out the scheme across the UK. ibtimes.co.uk

Whole Foods' No-Recording Policy 'Unlawfully Overbroad'
An employer rule that prohibits any audio and video recordings by employees without management approval violates the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) because employees would reasonably construe that the rule prohibits them from exercising protected rights, according to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The NLRA guarantees employees the right to engage in concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection, and thus a work rule that employees would reasonably understand as prohibiting the exercise of their rights under the NLRA is unlawful.

Whole Foods Market Inc. maintained two rules prohibiting recording in the workplace:

● "It is a violation of Whole Foods Market policy to record conversations, phone calls, images or company meetings with any recording device ... unless prior approval is received from a store/facility team leader ... or unless all parties to the conversation give their consent."

● "It is a violation of Whole Foods Market policy to record conversations with a tape recorder or other recording device ... unless prior approval is received from your store or faculty leadership. The purpose of this policy is to eliminate a chilling effect on the expression of views that may exist when one person is concerned that his or her conversation with another is being secretly recorded."

The rules were distributed to all employees companywide. The general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) argued that these recording bans were unlawful because employee recording in the workplace was, in some instances, activity protected under the NLRA. shrm.org

Prevent Workplace Theft with a Comprehensive Background Investigation Program
A first step in preventing organizational fraud is screening employees and business partners. Whether you're hiring a new employee, reviewing an employee for promotion to a greater position of trust or screening a potential new vendor or customer, the ability to conduct effective background research can reduce the risk of insider threats, fraud and improve productivity.

More than just a basic online criminal check, a good background investigation program will be comprehensive, utilizing a combination of public and private databases, human intelligence and other screening technologies. It will investigate an individual's identity and authentication, credit, criminal and employment history. security.world

Steve the 'suicidal security robot' will live again
And his makers say interest in their roboguards hasn't been affected
On his first day at work as a security guard, Steve was greeted warmly, drawing attention from passersby, including some taking selfies with him at the tony retail-residential complex he patrolled. Then he fell into the fountain.

Steve was a security robot employed by the Washington Harbour center in the Georgetown district of the US capital. According to some tech watchers, robots like Steve herald a new era for intelligent machines assisting in crime prevention and law enforcement.

Steve's mishap in mid-July set of a flurry of reaction on social media, with some saying the robot had 'drowned' or committed suicide. But Steve turned up on Twitter to debunk the fake news, tweeting, 'The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.' Still, he had to be sent back to his Silicon Valley headquarters.

California tech startup Knightscope has deployed its five-foot (1.5 meter) tall outdoor K5 robots like Steve and his 'sibling' Rosie and the smaller indoor K3 robots at malls and other businesses under a partnership with the security firms Securitas and Allied Universal. dailymail.co.uk

'Live in DC at NRF Protect' Coming Monday
Stay tuned to the D&D Daily in the coming weeks as we re-publish our entire "Live in DC" shoot from start to finish, with new episodes debuting every two days featuring LP industry leaders and solution providers. See our full episode release schedule here.

Secret Service opts to leave Trump Tower for a trailer

FCC Imposes $82M Fine for Spoofed Pernicious Robocalls

Dunkin' mulls dropping donuts from company name

Forrester: US retail sales expand to $3.56T


Quarterly Same Store Sales Results

Ingles Markets Q3 comp's up 0.8%, net sales up 2.8%
Fred's Q2 comp's down 0.3%, sales down 4.2%
The Buckle Q2 comp's down 7.7%, net sales down 7.8%
L Brands Q2 comp's down 8%, net sales down 4.7%
Cato Q2 comp's down 14%, sales down 13%

S-Tron Verified as a Veteran Owned Small Business

We are thrilled to announce that S-TRON has been verified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Center for Verification and Evaluation (CVE) as a Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB). We have always been proud of our connection to the US Military. We hire Veterans whenever possible and over 25% of our staff is former US Military including Owner, Steven P. Dunn and President, Peter Mattschull.

"It was an honor to have served our nation in the US Navy and now it is a privilege to serve some of the top businesses in America. We look forward to growing our client base to include government entities." 

Steve P. Dunn
Owner, CEO
US Navy Veteran

S-TRON is a National Provider of Electronic Security Equipment, Service, Design and Installations. We are
Licensed by the NYS Dept of State License No. 12000079391.

No Clicks Required
Artificial-intelligence is changing how we shop, Boxed CEO says
Boxed, started in 2013, is a bulk-items e-retailer currently working on rolling out new features that are primarily being tested in a business-to-business capacity, for now. The website has more than 1,400 SKUs, ranging from Pepsi products to paper towels to General Mills' Cheerios. And everything is sold in bulk, at a discount.

Similar to Amazon's Dash Button, Boxed is working on its own, easy reorder system. The company has been playing with artificial intelligence to take the idea to the next level - where no "push of a button" is required, Huang said.

Boxed is learning to determine when customers are going to run out of items, and when they will want more. A pilot test called Boxed Concierge automatically fulfills shoppers' items in bulk, shipping them without even asking for approval on the receiving end. cnbc.com

Study: Retailers see promise in AI
In a new survey, about 41% of 550 brands and marketers said customer service is the aspect of their operations that would benefit most from online support that used AI with live chat, self-support or automated response materials, according to a new white paper by artificial intelligence software company DeviceBits.

Meanwhile, 36.4% of those surveyed said sales functions would stand to benefit the most from integration with AI, while 34.1% said ordering and fulfillment processes could be the chief beneficiary.

Many retailers already do offer some online self-service or automated customer service capabilities, but the level of assistance available to users varied. About 41% said they promote assistance but don't measure its effectiveness. Another 27% said they do not promote but do offer assistance, and 9% said they don't offer any online customer service assistance at all. retaildive.com


Infosec Pros: AI Could Soon Be Used Against Us
A majority of information security professionals believe that artificial intelligence (AI) technology will be used in attacks against them in the next 12 months, according to new research from Cylance.

The security vendor polled Black Hat USA attendees last week to gauge their thoughts on the rapidly emerging technology. It revealed that 62% of them believe there's a high possibility that AI will soon be used offensively by hackers. infosecurity-magazine.com

WannaCry 'Kill Switch' Creator Arrested in Vegas
In a stunning move, federal authorities have arrested Marcus Hutchins, a researcher who earlier this year was credited with stopping the rapidly expanding WannaCry ransomware attack that spanned 150 countries in a matter of days.

Hutchins, a UK resident who also goes by the alias "MalwareTech," was indicted by a US federal grand jury on six counts relating to the creation and distribution of Kronos malware, according to a review of the complaint filed in the US District Court in the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

The indictment centers on his alleged creation of the Kronos malware and the alleged subsequent advertising and sale of the malware on Internet forums, such as the now defunct AlphaBay market forum, from July 2014 to July 2015. darkreading.com

It's a very good time to be a money launderer - thanks to cryptocurrencies
Digital currencies are pseudonymous, decentralized and encrypted, making it harder to track each of the transactions made, and the individuals behind them. Theoretically, anyone with an internet connection and a digital wallet can be part of a coin sale event. That, many worry, leaves plenty of room for people to launder money or finance terrorism activities and engage in other fraudulent behaviors - especially in countries where corruption is rampant. cnbc.com

JD.com spearheads public-private alliance
Aimed to facilitate cross-border e-commerce, and authenticate products
On 1 August, Beijing-based e-tailer JD.com, in collaboration with 20 global brands, announced a new alliance with China's Inspection and Quarantine Association that aims to streamline and expedite the customs clearance process for cross-border imports into China.

The alliance brings together a cross section of the cross-border e-commerce supply-chain including other retailers and online platforms like Wal-Mart and eBay, global freight forwarders like Kuehne + Nagel and Agility Logistics, as well as household manufacturers like Huggies and Danone.

As its first undertaking, the alliance will develop an integrated platform that will shed some light on the customs "black box", by making it possible for alliance partners to track-and-trace imported goods as they move through Chinese Customs. Currently, shippers importing goods into China have access to very limited information regarding the customs clearance process, often limited to no more than whether the parcel has entered or exited customs. Once the platform is operational, JD says it plans to offer greater visibility to its customers as a layer of reassurance that products are genuine imports, and not counterfeit knockoffs. cargofacts.com

Alibaba and luxury group Kering join forces to fight fakes online
French luxury group Kering said it will drop its lawsuit against Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., agreeing to work with the Chinese e-commerce emporium to fight the sale of fake products.

The owner of Gucci and Saint Laurent has established a joint task force with Alibaba to take action against sellers of counterfeit products on- and offline, the companies said in a statement. Kering is No. 436 in the Internet Retailer 2017 Global 1000.

The deal is a breakthrough for Alibaba as it tries to convince brands that it will step up efforts to counter fakes. Accusations of Alibaba's unwillingness or inability to eradicate illegal merchandise culminated in a lawsuit filed in the U.S. by Kering in 2015 against the Chinese e-commerce giant. digitalcommerce360.com

Outraged Sellers Protest Over New Refunds Policy By Amazon.com, Inc.

Study: Small retailers are making money on online marketplaces

Amazon's shoe business outpacing brick-and-mortar competitors

Organized offensive: Law enforcement, retailers combat retail crime
TCORCA Reveals "Eye-Opening" Realities of ORC
The Twin Cities Organized Retail Crime Association or TCORCA, which has recently enlisted detectives from the Hudson Police Department as part of its 900-plus-member enrollment, serves as an information-sharing resource providing cops, as well as businesses, with up-to-the-minute updates on suspects and methods being used by thieves. Members of the organization get email messages alerting them to retail crimes, often with real-time surveillance images of the suspects and their vehicles.

Woodbury Public Safety Director Lee Vague said revelations from TCORCA have been eye-opening. "I learned shoplifting can't be dealt with as a local problem" alone, he said. The addition of TCORCA will beef up a system that Hudson Police Chief Marty Jensen said already saw crime alerts going back and forth across the border. In some cases, suspects have flown into Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, rented cars and fanned out to execute retail thefts on behalf of national crime syndicates. rivertowns.net

Burlingame, CA: Man accused of stealing $230,000 worth of Persian rugs
On Wednesday Burlingame police arrested a man who they believe is responsible for stealing $230,000 worth of rugs from a store. On Monday, 55-year-old Oakland resident, John Edward, allegedly broke into a local Persian rug gallery. Police received information about a possible suspect linked to the burglary. Police said that during a traffic stop, Edward was found to be in possession of nearly all the remaining rugs. Burlingame Police believe those involved are selling the stolen items to Persian rug galleries around the Bay Area. kron4.com

Sacramento, CA: Stolen iPads Returned to Sacramento Tech Exchange after Robbery
Two iPads were returned to the Sacramento Tech Exchange on Thursday after surveillance video of a man taking them was shared hundreds of times on Facebook. Three high-definition surveillance cameras recorded a man grabbing the merchandise Wednesday. Many people on social media appeared able to easily identify the man. The small, family-owned business says they never filed a police report for the theft. They said they just wanted the tablets, worth a combined $300, returned to the store. Thursday, the man's sisters returned the products. Store staff said they hope the man learned his lesson. fox40.com

Carbondale, CO: Thieves roll away 7 high-end bicycles valued at $62,000

Barboursville, WV: Two women busted in $1,000 theft from Victoria's Secret in the Huntington Mall

Shootings

Nashville, TN: Security guard shot during Armed Robbery of a liquor store
A security guard was shot during an attempted robbery at a north Nashville liquor store on Thursday night. Police said the shooting happened at R&R Liquors at 1041 Jefferson St. The suspect was armed with a handgun and attempted to rob the store. Police said he shot the security guard in the arm. The guard returned fire and the suspect fled on foot. It's unclear if the suspect was hit. A police dog attempted to locate the suspect but was unsuccessful. Police said the security guard's injuries are non-life-threatening. wsmv.com

Rockford, IL: Police Officer justified in shooting outside Dick's Sporting Goods
A Rockford police officer who fired six shots at a woman accused of stealing from Dick's Sporting Good's was justified in his use of force, Winnebago County State's Attorney Joe Bruscato said Thursday. Bruscato's determination came after reviewing the Winnebago-Boone County Integrity Task Force's investigation into the shooting. Patrol officer Ben Schuster was called before 2 p.m. on April 8 to Dick's, after a store employee reported that her car had been burglarized. While speaking with that woman, a second Dick's employee and a woman who later was identified as Eboney K. Adams left the store, with this second employee yelling, "'she's stealing, she's stealing,'" Bruscato said. That's when Schuster went to the vehicle Adams entered and asked her to get out, but Adams began screaming obscenities at him so Schuster opened the car door. Adams backed up, striking Schuster with the car door in the parking lot, and made maneuvers that appeared as if she would try to hit him again. "Officer Schuster made the determination that he was in fear for his life and was actually, potentially, defending or could have the responsibility of defending others who were in the parking lot," Bruscato said. rrstar.com

Munster, IN: 15-year-old boy shot by Gary Police Officer
following Verizon Armed Robbery
15-year-old boy was in "serious condition" at an Illinois hospital Wednesday as police investigate an armed robbery of a cellphone store Tuesday that led to a pursuit and officer-involved shooting. Police said one suspect was still at large Wednesday afternoon, as the boy remained hospitalized and three others were in custody. Munster police expect charges to be filed Thursday as the department's officers continue to investigate the robbery, according to Lt. Ed Strbjak. Munster police are also looking into whether the suspects are connected to other cellphone store robberies that have occurred in recent weeks in Northwest Indiana, according to Strbjak. chicagotribune.com

Robberies & Thefts

Thompson, NY: Walmart employee who assaulted Loss Prevention caught
after Police chase
An employee at Wal-Mart in the Town of Thompson who is accused of assaulting a store security officer with a trowel was caught Wednesday after a chase that ended at a hospital. The Sullivan County Sheriff's Office said the assault in the Walmart parking lot, which appeared to be unprovoked, was reported at 2:20 p.m. Wednesday. Sheriff's Deputy, who was on patrol nearby, saw the suspect - later identified as Jose Rupert leaving the parking lot and stopped him on Route 42. As the Deputy approached the car, Rupert drove off. The suspect made his way to Catskill Regional Medical Center, where officers surrounded him in the parking lot. When Rupert refused to surrender, deputies had to break the driver's side window and remove him. recordonline.com

Canton, OH: Police Dog bites Loss Prevention employee; Shoplifter escapes
A shoplifting incident left a store employee in a hospital emergency room with a police dog bite and the shoplifter at large Wednesday. Canton Police continued to look Thursday for the man who left the Fishers Foods store without paying for merchandise, said Capt. Dave Davis. Police were called to the store in response to a caller reporting a store security employee following a shoplifter who made off with two bars of Dove soap and some kielbasa, according to the police report. The caller reported that the two were fighting behind the store. Canton police officer Sherman Schilling and his K-9 partner, Diesel, arrived. When Schilling saw the suspect running into a nearby wooded area, he released the dog. But he didn't see the employee, Davis said. "The employee came out from behind a tree," Davis said, adding that the K-9 bit the worker. cantonrep.com

Joliet, IL: Jewel-Osco Loss Prevention Assaulted during apprehension of Ex-Con for shoplifting

London, England: Polish Fashion model given light sentence for $1,500 theft from Harrods

London, England: Sainsbury's grocery store Shoplifter injured after falling 25ft to evade store security

Melbourne, AU: 7 Smash & Grab Robbers hit Grounds Jewellers

Port Elizabeth, South Africa: Jewelry store Burglary nets $53,000 in merchandise and Krugerrand gold coins

Cargo Theft

Aberdeen, SD: Cargo Thief plead guilty to Multiple Thefts in Federal Court
A Memphis man will be sentenced in December after admitting his role in stealing trailers from truck stops across North Mississippi. Andrew Shorter admitted his guilt Thursday in Aberdeen Federal Court . Shorter is part of a theft ring which stole parked trailers from Baldwyn, Yalobusha County, Hickory Flat and Senatobia. The stolen goods included aluminum bars, motor oil, cornbread mix and baby wipes. The trailers were all delivered to a Michigan man who then sold the stolen goods. wcbi.com

Sentencings & Updates

Jackson, MS: Gulfport felon sentenced to 32 years in prison for Dollar General and Family Dollar store Armed Robberies

Portage County, OH: C-Store Armed Robber convicted, sentenced to 8 years

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Giving Feedback that Helps
 

Nine Positive Ways to Give Productive Employee Feedback  As a leader, it's your responsibility to provide honest feedback to your team. It's a delicate process, but if done right, can provide immense value, improve performance and enhance communication. Here's how to give useful advice that will help your team. Offer support

Six Ways to Get Better at Giving Feedback  Helping people get better means telling them in what ways they can improve their performance. Feedback is one of the most important, and yet most difficult, parts of leadership. Here's some tips you can use to make sure your feedback is delivered the right way. Deliver with love

6 Ways to Give Effective Individual Feedback  As the boss, it's your job to bring out the best in every employee and team member, which means you'll have to talk one-on-one and provide them with advice. Here's how you can be sure your advice has the impact you want it to have, and isn't met with skepticism. Put yourself in their shoes

How Real-Time Feedback Can Impact Employee Engagement  If you really want to boost engagement amongst your organization, you need to be tuned in with everyone that works there. This means soliciting feedback, in real-time, and on a regular basis. Here's how you can turn feedback into action for employees and management. Survey says

It always boils down to the people - the team. No matter how sophisticated we become or how fast and efficient our systems are, it's always the people that make it work or not work for that matter. So many hide so much behind the technology that I wonder if we, the people, are losing ground at times. It's easy to sit back, get work done, shuffle our emails and feel like we accomplished a lot. But at the end of the day have we really?

Just a Thought,
Gus

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