Several industry groups in the United States warned that brazen retail theft has increased despite their efforts to bolster loss prevention and increase security for employees.
According to an executive with the National Retail Federation, described as the world’s largest trade organization, the loss of inventory due to retail theft reached $100 billion last year. That figure is likely to get worse, said the executive, David Johnston, in a Fox Business interview on Thursday.
“There have been employees and customers injured,” he told the outlet. “There have been employees killed while these shoplifting events are taking place,” he added.
In one instance last month, an employee at Home Depot in California was shot and killed while trying to stop a shoplifter from leaving, it was reported. Officials said the employee, identified as Blake Mohs, tried to stop a female shoplifter, identified as 32-year-old Benicia Knapps, who shot and killed him. She was later arrested, police said….