Walmart, Dick's Sporting Goods Pulling Semi-Automatic Rifles From Stores

As Walmart pulls all Bushmaster AR 15 Semi-automatic rifles and similar rifles from all of its stores in response to the shooting carnage at a Newtown Elementary School in Connecticut last weekend, Dick's Sporting Goods also will remove all guns from its stores that are near to Newtown, Conn.

The retailer says this change comes out of respect for the victims of last week's shooting that killed 20 kids and 6 adults at Sandy Hook Elementary.

RGIS Employee Gets 7 Years After Setting a Building Complex Ablaze

Mark Carleton who admitted to torching an office complex on Mount Auburn Rd
in November received the maximum sentence for the  arson Tuesday.
Carleton worked for RGIS Inventory Services, which occupied two
of the building's offices. Image from Southeast Missourian   

Either he wanted to get even with his employer, or maybe he failed to claim or receive his settlement check, a felon, or all of the above, the story is worth reading and a wake up call for RGIS company.

Read the full story here.

I remember those days when the company's hiring practices were so unrestricted and tolerant to job qualifications, to drugs and criminal backgrounds. As long as you can demonstrate how to count 1 to 10 (and it doesn't have to be perfect), you are bifocal (at least you could see what you are counting), bipedal (at least you can walk to you stores), bi-manual (at least you can hold your counting machine and some merchandise with your hands), non-lingual (at least you speak little or no English), you are welcome to the team!

The same building complex on the right months before the arson. Image taken
two years ago. Courtesy of Google Maps. Click image to enlarge

I think the company should, for the protection of its properties and interests must require new hires criminal background checks AND drug testing as a precondition to employment. Currently, the company only and selectively requests employees on voluntary basis for stores that require them. These stores include TJ Maxx, Marshalls, some medical establishments and pharmacies, etc.

District Managers would love to say that the company is constantly evolving. Let's cross our fingers to that.

Off Topic: The Best Marriage Proposal on Valentine's?

The two-time gold medalist Matt Grevers, had planned to propose to his longtime girlfriend, fellow national-team swimmer Annie Chandler at the Missouri Grand Prix.

Watch how she reacted:

The whole story here

Loss Prevention Conference 2011 Unprecedented Success

The 2011 Loss Prevention Conference is over. It was held last week in  Dallas, TX with more than 2,700 attendees coming from the United States and other countries. It was so far the biggest conglomeration of LP professionals since the creation of the conference.

I already had mentioned about this conference in my earlier blog, but I just want to give some highlights and coverage of what happened in this event. Here are some of the big names in the retail sector that attended the conference in random order:

7-Eleven
Amazon.com
American Apparel
Walmart Stores, Inc.
Apple, Inc
Barnes and Nobles, Inc.
Whole Foods
Bartell Drugs
AT&T
Costco
CVS
Fred Meyer
JCPenney
Kohls
Walgreens
TJX Companies
Target, Inc.
Sears
Safeway
Pier 1 Imports
Macy's, etc.

Here's another video presentation by NRF Senior Asset Protection Advisor Joe LaRocca who outlines trends and issues in retail loss prevention:

Go here to view a more complete video presentations of this event.
If you are interested to attend next year's LP conference sponsored by NRF, take a look here.


Related Posts:

• Active Shooting Incidence: The Retail Perspective
• Top 10 Cities Affected by Organized Retail Crime

Father's Day Spending this Month is up says NRF

But still trails behind Mother's Day spending.

What makes it higher this year is the topic.


Well, one possible answer has come from BIG Research that conducted the survey. Spending on Dad has taken a backseat for the past few years, but many families "are planning to make up for lost time this Father's Day" says NRF President Matthew Shay.

On average, wives and kids will spend $106.49 for dads compared to last year's $94.32 (that is $12.17 more than last year).

Another possible reason is based on the U.S retail sales trends and demographics. As many of us know, US retail sales rise for 10th month in a row. If we apply that as rule of thumb, dads will get better pampering this month from their families.

In a broader sense, economic analysts say that US spending is back on track and rapidly catches up where it slided down in 2007.

In my opinion, whether or not the trending is going up this month, the more important is that we give due recognition to millions of dads. There's no other time it makes more sense to celebrate the "man who makes it all better than Father's Day."


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A Time to Honor America's Heroes

Active Shooting Incidence: The Retail Perspective

Active Shooter Protocol by Personal Defense Network

A man enters your late night store. In an instant and unprovoked situation, he becomes violent, brought out his handgun and opens fire. People in the store began to scream. What would you do?

 Whether you are in a retail store, inside a mall, or simply buying your beer from your favorite late-night local convenient store, the risk of encountering an active shooter can happen and even riskier when your city has a relatively higher crime rate (check your city here for Crime Rate Rankings).

For  24-hour convenient stores, many of us believe that they are called that way because, as their names imply, the most convenient and vulnerable for robbery, violence, or active shooting incidence. Many small time retail owners despite the spate of these incidences are lenient in providing adequate active shooter emergency training for their employees.

Most of them rely on 911 when the incident happens. But 911 is only as good when you have the opportunity to call, and how the police will quickly respond to the situation. But what if they couldn't call 911 emergency given the nature of the incident? As a retail owner or late-night employee, would you be ready?

Download a copy of "Active Shooter" booklet

Here, I am not talking about the Second Amendment, nor the latest Supreme Court's big ruling for gun rights although these topics are excellent and deserve their own posts. I brought up this topic because recently, the Department of Homeland and Security (US DHS) has added "Active Shooter Online Training Program" and the National Retail Federation (NRF) has updated its Emergency Response Guide for Retailers due to spate of active shooting recently in retail stores.

Retail employers and employees can help prevent and prepare for potential active shooter situations. Adequate training is an integral part in properly responding to an active shooting situation. Many employers hire professional services for active shooting training and emergency response. But you don't have to. There are free government-approved online training and printed publications that can be utilized for this purpose.

Free Training and Free Downloads

You will need a PDF reader to download these documents

• If you are an owner of Late-Night Retail Establishments, this active shooting emergency response manual is highly recommended for you. Download the "Recommendations for Workplace Violence Prevention Programs" from OSHA. 
• The US Department of Homeland Security also provided a handy booklet on, "Active Shooter, How to Respond."
• If you are a retail chain owner, and would like to request the NRF Emergency Response Protocols Retail Guidelines March 2011 Edition (NEW Edition), you may request a copy by simply filling up this registration Form.
• If you are a retail employee, or simply interested to know the Basics of Active shooter emergency response, this free online training course, "IS-907 Basic Training Course" from FEMA is right for you.

Be safe. Life is good.


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McDonald's Hiring Day Gone Bad

McDonald's Restaurant in Saint Clair Ave NE, Cleveland where the incident had occured

From a friendly environment...


To a deadly incident...

 

Off Topic: What do Inventory Taking and Shooting Competition Have in Common?

Julie Golob, 10 - Time USPSA Ladies National Champion
7 - Time Ladies World Speed Shooting Champion

FDA Warns: Beware of Fake Potassium Iodide Pills

 Three FDA-approved Potassium Iodide brands: Iosat from Anbex, ThyroSafe from Recipharm AB, 

and ThyroShield from Fleming & Co. Image brands courtesy of their respective manufacturers

In the wake of Japan's nuclear meltdown, and the imminent global fallout, fears of possible contamination overseas including the United States have escalated in the last seven days. The search for potassium iodide (KI) both in retail stores, online stores, and in Google has spiked dramatically in the last few days.

The hunt for the miracle pill has just started.

Here in the US, we read news about potassium iodide supplies have sold out in retail stores, clinics, vitamin shops and pharmacies. And because of high demand of these pills, website scammers, and online marketers alike have entered the scene and took advantage of the opportunity. And what is interesting about them is that they are selling nuclear survival kits, nuclear decontamination packs, potassium iodine supplements, nuclear and radiation wipes, etc.  as if we are in the midst nuclear fallout or in a verge of nuclear war or something. And most of these sites are  from the US.

But what exactly does potassium Iodide do?

When a nuclear meltdown happens, radioactive iodine may be released into the air and then be breathed into the lungs. Radioactive iodine may also contaminate the local food supply and get into the body through food or through drink. When radioactive materials get into the body through breathing, eating, or drinking, we say that “internal contamination” has occurred. In the case of internal contamination with radioactive iodine, the thyroid gland quickly absorbs this chemical.

Radioactive iodine absorbed by the thyroid can then injure the gland. Because non-radioactive KI acts to block radioactive iodine from being taken into the thyroid gland, it can help protect this gland from injury. Potassium iodide (KI) acts as a radiation protective (thyroid blocking) agent. It a prophylactic measure against accumulation of radioactive iodine in the thyroid gland. For a complete information on Potassium Iodide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a fact sheet on this topic.

Don't be fooled by fake Potassium Iodide FDA warns

The United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) said that if you live in the United States, there is nothing to worry about. Health experts say there's no need for US consumers to stock up on potassium iodide. The agency also warns that fake iodide products may hit the market. 

Do not get scammed by hundreds of these online marketers selling fake pills or those that are not approved by FDA. There is nothing wrong in buying a bottle of iodide pills for your family. It is good that we make precautionary measures in any event like a nuclear disaster. But we should always look  the situation in its proper perspective. 

If you do buy iodide, check the packaging to make sure it's from one of these three FDA-approved brands and manufacturers:

• Iosat, made by Anbex
• ThyroSafe from Recipharm AB
• ThyroShield from Fleming & Co.

The following video is an expert advice on potassium iodide:

It Pays to Love on Valentines Day

Image from Simon Howden/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

2011 Valentines Holiday Spending Expects to Reach $15.7Billion.

The retail industry measures your appreciation for Valentine's Day by the amount you spend for that day. According to NRF, The average person will spend $116.21 for a Valentine's Day gift this year compared to $103.00 over last year. That is up by 11%.

Men will spend more than twice as much ($158.17) as the average woman ($75.79). Spending varies. Consumers will shell out around $3.5 billion on jewelry, $1.6 billion on clothing, $3.4 on dining out, $1.7 billion on flowers and the difference will be spent either for greeting cards and confectioneries such as cakes and candies.





I am curious, so if men will spend more than twice as much than women, does that mean that men have more money to spend or at least get better pay than women? In the contrary, statistics say that, young women's pay exceeds its male counterpart since 2008.

But if you look at the biological and sociological perspectives, men are more statistically the aggressive and the controlling type of the homo sapiens species, and take more risks and is being demonstrated by way of spending when getting into the love thing. I don't know if that goes the same outside of love. But one thing I am pretty sure of: Love is in the air.

Read a full detail of the survey.

About the Survey

The NRF 2011 Valentine's Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted for NRF by BIGresearch, was designed to gauge consumer behavior and shopping trends related to Valentine's Day. The poll of 8,913 consumers was conducted from January 4-11, 2011. The consumer poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.0 percent.

All other information herein are of the author.

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