Alabama woman shot in the back by security guard during shoplifting incident at truck stop
A security guard shot a woman early Friday at a western Birmingham, Alabama, truck stop. Police said the shooting happened about 2:30 a.m. at the Pilot Travel Center on Bankhead Highway. Sgt. Bryan Shelton said the gunfire followed a shoplifting incident at the business. The woman was shot in the back, and her injuries are believed to life threatening. She was taken to UAB Hospital. The security guard was detained and questioned. Shelton said no additional information was immediately available.
A security guard at the same truck stop was charged with attempted murder seven years ago after a shooting during a trespassing incident. In that 2010 case, police said a 46-year-old man was trespassing on the property and was asked to leave but refused. A struggle ensued and the security shot the man twice. The victim survived. Police at the time said the security guard was charged with attempted murder because the confrontation between the two didn’t rise to the level that required the use of deadly force. The outcome of those charges wasn’t immediately available this morning. [For more: AL News]
Florida man arrested after allegedly attempting to stab Bealls employee in foiled theft attempt
A 28-year-old Silver Springs, Florida, man is facing a felony charge of aggravated assault after allegedly attempting to stab a Bealls Loss Prevention Associate. Keith Allen Rhodes entered Bealls shortly after 1 p.m. Friday and attempted to shoplift two pairs of men’s Nike shoes from the store on U.S. Hwy. 441 in Lady Lake.
When Rhodes was confronted by the store’s loss prevention associate, Rhodes ran away knocking an elderly woman to the ground before the LP associate was finally able to catch him. During the struggle, Rhodes attempted to stab the loss prevention associate with two different knives, but the associate was able to disarm Rhodes during the struggle. Sumter County sheriff’s deputies arrived on the scene and took Rhodes into custody. He is also facing charges of larceny and battery. He was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center on $7,000 bond. [For more: Villages-News]
Oklahoma women in jail after allegedly shoplifting at Kohl’s store, assaulting employee
Two women are in jail after they allegedly shoplifted at a Kohl’s store and assaulted a pregnant LP Associate. Police said Jazlynn Washginton and Jasmine Davis took more than $1,000 worth of merchandise from the store at 71st and Garnett. Then, police said Washington assaulted a loss prevention associates who is nine months pregnant. Police were involved in a chase with the suspects, and caught them near 61st and Garnett. Police said a two-year-old was sitting in the front seat of the vehicle without a seat belt. Both women face numerous charges. [For more: KJRH News]
Shoplifting suspect pulls knife, hatchet on Walmart LP associate
Richland County, South Carolina, deputies say a suspect pulled a knife and a hatchet on a Walmart LP Associate who tried to stop him from stealing medication from the store.Officers say the incident happened back on March 26 at the Killian Road Walmart.
According to deputies, the man attempted to steal a shopping cart full of various items worth approximately $1,200. When the employee tried to stop the man, that’s when the suspect took out the weapons. The suspect was able to make off with an unknown amount of medication. Anyone with information on who the suspect may be should call CrimeStoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC. [For more: The Laconia Daily Sun]
GameStop investigating point of sale data breach
GameStop is investigating a possible payment card breach on the retailer’s GameStop.com online store, according to published reports. Krebson Security is reporting that GameStop is looking into a breach after it received notice from a third party that some customer data was for sale online. Krebson Security said word was received from two financial industry sources, which had in turn, been warned by a credit card processor that data was stolen between September 2016 and February 2017.
The breach may have exposed customer names, addresses, payment card numbers, expiration dates and CVV codes. “If Brian Krebs’ report is correct, the GameStop breach has the potential to be a huge payday for hackers. Compromised credit card numbers aren’t always easy to monetize, but in this case hackers were able to intercept CVV2 numbers, which allow them to begin making fraudulent purchases immediately,” Vishal Gupta, Seclore CEO, told SC Media.
Other industry insiders noted that attacks such as this could signal a time when smaller retailers are simply unable to protect themselves from cyberthieves. “You can imagine a future where attacks such as this become so sophisticated and frequent that no one but the largest retailers can afford to defend against them. This would give the Amazons and Walmarts of the world a real competitive advantage in winning consumers’ business,” John Gunn, CMO of VASCO Data Security. GameStop has not yet responded to a SC Media request for confirmation of the incident. [For more: SC Magazine]
Retail is experiencing “a perfect storm,” analyst says
Traditional brick-and-mortar retailers are experiencing a “perfect storm,” a Moody’s analyst told CNBC on Friday. “You’ve got retailers out there that leveraged up … at a time when retailers need as much financial flexibility as they can get to be able to transition online,” Charles O’Shea, lead retail analyst at Moody’s, said in an interview with “Power Lunch.” “If you can’t make that online transition, you’re going to end up where we’re seeing a lot of retailers today, with competitive positions that are weakening, some acute liquidity problems and it ends up being a perfect storm,” he added. In February, Moody’s rated 19 U.S. retailers as distressed, including Claire’s Stores, Sears, Gymboree, Nine West, Toms Shoes, David’s Bridal and Payless ShoeSource.
“The consumer is buying, they are just buying differently. Internet sales were up 25 percent last month. So, the consumer is thinking differently, they’re buying differently,” he told “Power Lunch.” U.S. jobs data disappointed on Friday, with non-farm payrolls growing only by 98,000 in March versus expectations of 180,000. Retailers cut 30,000 jobs in March, bringing the cumulative total jobs lost since January to more than 60,000. “Retail is bleeding jobs, 30,000 today. If we have a border adjustment tax, that’s a job killer for retail.” [For more: CNBC News]
Goodwill expands as national retailers pull back
As the famous lyric goes, “Everything old is new again.” That’s certainly true at Goodwill of Western & Northern Connecticut, which has been expanding its footprint across the region even as national retailers like JCPenneys, Aeropostale and Payless have been making headlines with local and national store closures. And its popularity keeps growing, according to recent national surveys of adult female shoppers. Prosper Insights & Analytics’ March research shows the number of women who chose Goodwill for clothing was higher than Sears, Gap and H&M. Goodwill ranked just after Nordstrom, Amazon and Forever 21 in the survey by Prosper, which conducts research often for the National Retail Federation. The same pattern held true in 2016. Vickie Volpano, president and CEO of Goodwill of Western & Northern Connecticut, said the trend toward buying secondhand clothing has taken off, especially among Millennials.
“More and more people are seeing the value and inherent good in purchasing pre-owned clothing and household items,” she said. “The thrill of what you may find also creates a unique and fun element to shopping at a Goodwill store.” Over the last year, Goodwill has opened new stores in Monroe, Oxford and a second store in Stamford. Further north it has also opened stores in Waterbury and Glastonbury. Overall the company operates nearly two dozen stores across the state, including ones in Bridgeport, Norwalk, Danbury and New Milford. “Today’s consumer shops at Goodwill like any other retailer,” said Kathy Ekstrom, development manager for Haynes Development, which mentions Goodwill’s 12,000-square-foot building in Oxford’s Quarry Walk in its pitch to attract new tenants to the development. “In some cases, regulars to Goodwill make it a weekly experience in search of great bargains.”
Mousumi Bose Godbole, associate professor of marketing at Fairfield University, said marketers often dismiss or ignore the demographic that Goodwill attracts — the lower middle class and working class. “A huge market is available that marketers aren’t focusing on,” she said. For Goodwill, a major motivation in increasing the sales of its stores is the connection between those locations and its programming for those in those in those lower-income brackets who are seeking employment or other assistance. Volpano said an important feature of the new stores, including those in Oxford and Stamford, is a drive-through donation center. “Resale is becoming more and more mainstream,” she said. “An appreciation of value knows no socioeconomic bounds.” [For more: CT Post]
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