Fight Retail Crime Day 2023 makes a big impact

NRF declared Oct. 26 as Fight Retail Crime Day to unite the industry around legislative solutions to address rising organized retail crime. The day of action brought together retailers and some of their partners in the nation’s capital in a show of support for federal solutions to fight retail crime while building support among lawmakers. Fight Retail Crime Day also rallied thousands of retailers and their associates to make their voice heard through a grassroots call to action.

Supporting federal legislation

The chief goal of Fight Retail Crime Day was to advocate for the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2023 (S. 140/H.R. 895), a bill that would increase federal coordination with state and local law enforcement to fight retail crime. To do this, NRF brought more than 50 leaders from nearly 30 retail brands to Washington, D.C., to advocate for change and meet directly with their congressional representatives. The event also saw participation from key industry partners with technology that helps retailers tackle in-store crime, including Axis Communications, Auror and Sensormatic Solutions.

The Capitol Hill visits gave attendees like Scott McBride, chief global asset protection officer for American Eagle Outfitters, the opportunity to share their stories directly with lawmakers and push for federal, state and local coordination in the fight against organized retail crime.

“Collaboration is one of the main purposes that allows us to have a charter within a federal agency to actually help us create a clearinghouse to aggregate properly to investigate more efficiently and more in depth,” McBride says. 

Building support with lawmakers

To kick off the day, NRF hosted a press conference on Capitol Hill with original congressional sponsors of CORCA. Twenty media outlets including CNBC covered the press conference, which also featured Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Rep. David Joyce, R-Ohio, Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev., Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., and Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz. A recording of the press conference is available on NRF’s Instagram account.

Fight Retail Crime Day also caught the attention of more than 30 members of Congress who showed their support on social media. “On Fight Retail Crime Day, we are reminded of the need to protect retailers, customers & communities from retail crime,” Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., shared in a social media post. Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., added his support, saying, “With $100B+ lost in just one year & escalating violence, we need federal action & partnerships between retailers & law enforcement.”

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr also recognized Fight Retail Crime Day with a post on X: “Organized retail crime is on the rise, & the impact to Georgia & its citizens is significant & weighs heavy on our economy. On Fight Retail Crime Day, we’re proud to highlight our continued commitment to dismantling these violent networks once & for all.”

Grassroots support

NRF rallied thousands of retail advocates in a collective grassroots call to action on Fight Retail Crime Day, urging them to contact their representatives in Congress in support of CORCA. They sent more than 6,300 messages of support for CORCA, supplementing the advocacy activities taking place on the ground in Washington, D.C.

Additionally, 73 retail companies signed a letter of support for CORCA to members of Congress, demonstrating widespread support among the retail community. The letter was delivered to lawmakers on Fight Retail Crime Day.

Fight Retail Crime Day 2023 might be over, but it’s not too late to take a stand against retail crime. Continue to talk to lawmakers on the importance of passing CORCA and stay involved by participating in NRF’s grassroots campaign.