It’s always interesting to watch the liberal media wake up and arrive on the scene surprised after many in the public had to bear witness to something terrible happening in their communities constantly. Such was the case on the Thursday edition of ABC’s Good Morning America where chief business correspondent Rebecca Jarvis and the rest of the cast gawked at national brands shutting down stores in major U.S. cities because of out-of-control shoplifting and theft happening across the county.
“Now to the rise of shoplifting. Target says that last year it lost hundreds of millions of dollars from theft,” co-anchor Robin Roberts announced with an air of surprise in her voice.
Jarvis confirmed Target had lost hundreds of millions of dollars and was being forced to lock up many items within cases that needed employees to open:
And Target says that theft and organized retail crime is becoming a major problem at its more than 2,000 stores nationwide. The company reporting it lost $763 million last year due to lost or stolen merchandise, the majority coming from shoplifting. And as a result, Target is locking up more and more of its inventory on store shelves requiring employees to get help for those shoppers.
Hopefully, that doesn’t lead to criminals holding store employees hostage to get the keys.
She would go on to warn that Target was “not alone” and noted that the National Retail Federation found “organized crime in stores is growing in scope and complexity at retailers across the country.” And she noted that “downtown San Francisco” was witnessing “stores like Office Depot, The Container Store, and Nordstrom, and Whole Foods” all close down shop “citing safety concerns.”
But Jarvis quickly tried to downplay the closers as being impacted by other reasons too:
There are several other factors hurting retail too right now: changing shopping habits, more price-sensitive customers because Americans are faced with those higher inflation and prices and they've begun cutting back. Earlier this week Home Depot announced that they missed revenue expectations because customers are buying fewer big ticket items and taking on smaller projects.
This author can personally confirm that Giant grocery stores have been running in-store announcements warning that changes could be coming to the shopping experience in response to shoplifting and thefts. This could include limiting self-checkout and limiting entrance/exit ways. They say it’s for the safety of staff and the customers.
In wrapping up the segment, Jarvis had to explain why shoplifting was a bad thing. “And guys, remember. When these things happen, when that shoplifting happens, it ultimately costs every customer more because the stores account for it in their prices and they pass it off in many ways to the consumer,” she said.
“There is a ripple effect. You’re right about that, Rebecca,” Roberts commended her. “And we all pay for it,” co-anchor Michael Strahan agreed.
ABC’s sudden surprise as the out-of-control shoplifting epidemic was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Google and CarMax. Their contact information is linked.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s Good Morning America
May 18, 2023
7:14:49 am. EasternROBIN ROBERTS: Now to the rise of shoplifting. Target says that last year it lost hundreds of millions of dollars from theft. Our chief business correspondent Rebecca Jarvis has the latest. Good morning, Rebecca.
REBECCA JARVIS: Good morning to you, Robin. And Target says that theft and organized retail crime is becoming a major problem at its more than 2,000 stores nationwide. The company reporting it lost $763 million last year due to lost or stolen merchandise, the majority coming from shoplifting. And as a result, Target is locking up more and more of its inventory on store shelves requiring employees to get help for those shoppers.
And they're not alone. According to the National Retail Federation, organized crime in stores is growing in scope and complexity at retailers across the country. In downtown San Francisco, stores like Office Depot, The Container Store, and Nordstrom, and Whole Foods have all closed in recent months citing safety concerns for both their workers as well as their customers.
There are several other factors hurting retail too right now: changing shopping habits, more price-sensitive customers because Americans are faced with those higher inflation and prices and they've begun cutting back. Earlier this week Home Depot announced that they missed revenue expectations because customers are buying fewer big ticket items and taking on smaller projects.
And guys, remember. When these things happen, when that shoplifting happens, it ultimately costs every customer more because the stores account for it in their prices and they pass it off in many ways to the consumer.
Guys.
ROBERTS: There is a ripple effect. You’re right about that, Rebecca.
MICHAEL STRAHAN: And we all pay for it. All right. Thank you, Rebecca.
