Total Wine & More team members meet with Rep. Darrell Issa (center) to discuss retail crime.
The holiday season is here — and along with the onset of customers, seasonal hires and economic worries come an increase in retail crime.
“Organized retail crime — and the violence associated with it— continues to plague retailers, consumers and communities throughout the United States,” says NRF Executive Vice President of Government Relations David French.
Read NRF’s latest articles and press releases on organized retail crime and its impact on the industry.
That is why NRF united the retail industry on Oct. 24 for the third annual Fight Retail Crime Day. This day of action highlighted the need for Congress to pass the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act, a bill that would increase federal coordination with law enforcement to address retail crime.
On Fight Retail Crime Day, NRF connected with key lawmakers to encourage support of this key legislation and raised awareness of the continued challenges posed by retail crime.
“These crimes occur with regularity, regardless of retailer, location or merchandise,” French says. “NRF is mobilizing the retail industry for Fight Retail Crime Day as we pursue every avenue to pass the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act.”
Connecting with Congress
A key facet of Fight Retail Crime Day was to emphasize with lawmakers the need to pass the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act. Throughout October, more than a dozen lawmakers participated in NRF store tours with retailers including American Eagle Outfitters, Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, H&M, JCPenney, Macy’s, Target and Total Wine & More. These visits highlighted firsthand the impacts of retail crime and how theft and violence impact their constituents.
NRF effectively demonstrated broad support for CORCA. More than 200 companies signed a letter that NRF sent to Capitol Hill advocating for passage of CORCA, showcasing the industry’s strong support for this bipartisan legislation. Additionally, hundreds of grassroots messages were sent to Capitol Hill by concerned advocates on Fight Retail Crime Day.
Over 150 lawmakers were recognized as “Congressional Retail Crime Fighters” for their backing of CORCA, with nearly 40 of them expressing their support on social media during Fight Retail Crime Day.
“Organized retail crime is not your typical shoplifting,” said Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev., a lead sponsor of CORCA. “It’s a large-scale criminal operation that harms our economy and threatens public safety. On Fight Retail Crime Day, I stand by law enforcement & businesses in demanding Congress pass my bipartisan bill to fight this crime.”
Raising awareness of the need to act
Fight Retail Crime Day was also an opportunity to raise awareness about the impact of retail crime on the industry, our customers and our communities. To highlight the urgency for action, NRF hosted a webinar on the state of retail crime featuring insights from loss prevention leaders and NRF experts.
Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., and Angela Hofmann, head of government relations for JCPenney, discuss the issue of organized retail crime and strategies to combat it on NRF’s podcast.
Retail advocates were also active on social media, with nearly 200 advocates showing their support of Fight Retail Crime Day through posts and shares.
Additionally, NRF’s Retail Gets Real podcast featured a special episode with Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., and Angela Hofmann, head of government relations for JCPenney, discussing the issue of organized retail crime and strategies to combat it.
Fight Retail Crime Day may be over, but our work continues. Join the effort and send a message to Congress to advocate for policies that enhance community safety and address the rising threat of retail crime.
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