“This level of violence has taken it to a whole new level,” said Rachel Michelin, president of the California Retailers Association. “No one has seen this before.”
Luxury retailers in Union Square in San Francisco — the site of several high-profile robberies this year — have boarded up windows to prevent more mayhem. Best Buy warned last week that theft was lowering profit margins and said it was using QR codes for checkout in some areas so employees did not need to unlock items right away. Home Depot has “hardened” its stores, putting power tools and other valuables out of reach and advising employees not to film robberies with their phones because it could escalate the situation.
“It has become second nature to take out your phone and record something when it happens,” said Scott Glenn, vice president of asset protection at Home Depot. “But these people are getting violent.”
Retail executives and security experts link the thefts to a confluence of factors, but primarily the ease with which thieves have been able to resell stolen goods on internet marketplaces like Amazon and Facebook.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member