Thefts, Always an Issue for Retailers, Become More Brazen

In recent months, robberies have been more visible, with several involving large groups rushing into stores and coming out with armloads of goods.

“Flash mobs” swarm through a Nordstrom in Northern California and two Best Buy stores in Minnesota, running out with armfuls of merchandise. Five thieves steal $20,000 in products from an Ulta Beauty store in Pennsylvania in just 40 seconds. A security guard is fatally shot in Oakland, Calif., while working with a local television news crew reporting about a recent retail robbery by a group of thieves.

Theft is an ever-present issue for retailers. As much as $68.9 billion of products were stolen from retailers in 2019, according to one industry group. But it has become more visible, brazen and violent in recent months, forcing an industry already buffeted by pandemic lockdowns and fights over mask requirements to deal with a new problem.

“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.”