Loss Prevention Research Council Weekly Series - Episode 185 - Retail workers safety concerns and top consumer fears of online marketplaces
With Dr. Read Hayes, Tony D'Onofrio, and Tom Meehan
Study: Most retail workers feel unsafe; want better planning, security
https://chainstoreage.com/study-most-retail-workers-feel-unsafe-want-better-planning-security
Let me start this week with an interesting study published by Chair Store Age. According to their reporting. A wide majority of retailer workers feel unsafe on the job.
Eighty-percent of retail workers are “scared every day” as they clock in for work, and 72% have experienced incidents in which staff couldn’t respond to a threat because their store was understaffed, according to the 2024 Retail Worker Safety Survey, conducted by Theatro by third-party platform Pollfish.
According to the survey, 37% of workers reported spotting the need for discrete emergency alert systems, and 31% reported wanting communication devices with established code works for emergency situations. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of retail workers are considering leaving their jobs, and 64% would consider suing their employer over a store crime incident.
The top consumer fears about online marketplaces are…
https://chainstoreage.com/top-consumer-fears-about-online-marketplaces-are
Sticking with Chain Store, another study looked at concerns over shopping on online marketplaces.
According to a new survey of U.S. consumers from search engine provider Spokeo, virtually all (98%) respondents have at least one fear about shopping on online marketplaces. The study classifies "online marketplace" any platform where a peer-to-peer online transaction can occur, such as Craigslist and OfferUp as well as Facebook Marketplace, Instagram Shop and TikTok Shop.
Respondents ranked the top three anxiety-inducing online shopping scenarios as paying on sites that lacked secure encryption (22%), clicking on unsolicited offers via email or text (21%), and completing peer-to-peer transactions (17%).
When asked about their fears and experiences when shopping online marketplaces, respondents revealed their levels of concern are much higher than actual incident rates.
Following are the top fears, with the percentage of respondents who said they have experienced them:
- Receiving fake or incorrect product (55% fear, 15% experienced).
- Seller misrepresenting item condition (51% fear, 21% experienced).
- Seller disappearing after receiving payment (50% fear, 17% experienced).
- Having payment info exposed/stolen (47% fear, 15% experienced).
- Difficulties with returns/refunds (45%, 16% experienced).
Close to four-in-10 (38%) respondents have never had a negative experience related to shopping on an online marketplace. In addition, female and male respondents had the same top three fears, but higher percentages of women had fears than men:
- Buyers receiving a fake/incorrect product (51% of men vs. 58% of women).
- Sellers misrepresenting the item’s condition (47% of men vs. 55% of women).
- Sellers disappearing after receiving payment (45% of men vs. 55% of women).
LA Sheriff says it busted a retail crime ring with millions of dollars of stolen medications and personal care products
https://www.businessinsider.com/la-sheriff-busts-retail-crime-ring-with-millions-dollars-goods-2024-5
Let me end this week with a story from Business Insider on Organized Retail Crime.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said it has arrested eight people in connection with an organized crime ring that stole millions of dollars worth of products from retailers in the region.
Officials said on March 3 that the recovered merchandise included cosmetics, over-the-counter medication, and hygiene products, which had been stolen from retailers in Nevada, Arizona, and California.
Items were then brought to multiple locations throughout LA County and sold to other crews who would then sell to the public, the Sheriff's Department said. Cash and a gun were also recovered.
The announcement follows raids last week in which corporate investigators from Walmart, Target, and CVS joined law enforcement to identify and recover boxes of merchandise from a dozen locations, as witnessed by KCAL News.
Authorities told the TV station the products were connected with a string of smash-and-grab robberies and cargo theft incidents.
One warehouse in the area was so filled with goods that it "resembled a Costco," KCAL reported, and investigators said that most of the items are sold online, including on Amazon.
