Woman admitted to making more than 1,700 fraudulent Home Depot returns, prosecutors say
A Kansas woman has admitted to conducting more than 1,700 fraudulent returns at Home Depot stores, according to federal prosecutors. Authorities say the suspect used stolen or manipulated receipts to return merchandise she had not purchased, collecting store credit or refunds in the process. The scheme allegedly occurred over an extended period and resulted in significant losses for the retailer. She now faces federal charges tied to wire fraud and retail fraud activity.
Clackamas County retail crime mission leads to 25 arrests, $4,700 recovered
A retail crime enforcement mission in Clackamas County, Oregon, resulted in 25 arrests and the recovery of thousands of dollars in stolen merchandise. The coordinated operation involved local law enforcement working alongside retailers to target repeat shoplifters and organized retail theft activity. Authorities say the effort focused on high-theft retail locations and individuals with outstanding warrants tied to theft offenses. Officials say similar enforcement missions will continue as part of broader efforts to address retail crime in the region.
Lawmaker comment about ‘benefits of shoplifting’ goes viral
A Minnesota lawmaker is facing backlash after comments suggesting there could be “benefits” to shoplifting went viral online. The remarks were made during a legislative discussion and quickly drew criticism from business leaders, retail advocates, and members of the public. Critics argue the comments minimize the impact of retail theft on workers, retailers, and communities. The controversy has sparked renewed debate about how lawmakers address rising concerns around shoplifting and organized retail crime.
Connecticut trucking operator pleads guilty in $3.5M Amazon fraud scheme
A Connecticut trucking company operator has pleaded guilty to his role in a $3.5 million fraud scheme involving Amazon logistics contracts. Prosecutors say the defendant submitted fraudulent invoices and manipulated delivery records to obtain payments for services that were never performed. The scheme allegedly exploited weaknesses in logistics verification processes within Amazon’s delivery network. The case underscores growing concerns around fraud targeting large-scale logistics and supply chain operations.
Five arrested in connection with alleged theft operation at Home Depot
Five people were arrested in connection with an alleged organized retail theft operation following an investigation by local police. Authorities say the suspects were involved in a coordinated scheme targeting multiple stores, stealing large quantities of merchandise before attempting to resell the items for profit. Investigators tracked the group’s activity through surveillance footage and reports from retailers, which ultimately led to the arrests. Police say the case highlights the continued challenge of organized retail theft and the importance of partnerships between retailers and law enforcement to identify and disrupt these operations.
Not on my Bingo Card
Kristen Ziman
Keynote Speaker | Author | Crisis Leadership Expert
I begrudgingly got dragged to musical bingo by a few of my friends.
I know what you’re thinking. Are you 80?
First of all, that’s offensive to octogenarians. Have you met the 80-year-olds in Naples? They close down restaurants while I am in pajamas by 9:15. The same people who will absolutely smoke you on a pickleball court and then politely ask if you need some ice for your hamstring. If you are a baby in your forties who just picked up a paddle, my money is on Doris. Bet.
I had nothing planned that night, so I thought, okay. Let’s go. Musical bingo sounds harmless enough. The DJ plays a song. If the title is on your card, you mark it. Simple. Regular bingo is fine. Emphasis on fine. B-12. I-23. It passes the time, but it has never once made my heart race.
Musical bingo is a different animal.
The DJ drops the first few notes of a song, and suddenly the room ignites. No one stays quiet. No one politely hums. We erupt. “Sweet Caroline.” “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver. “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor. “Dancing Queen.” These are not songs. They are time machines. You know every lyric, even if you have not heard it in ten years. The words live somewhere in your bones.
The funniest part is watching grown adults argue over the title. We can sing every verse of the song, but cannot for the life of us remember what it is actually called. My wife quietly pulls out the Shazam app like a tech-savvy vigilante, and suddenly, she is the hero of our table. Problem solved. Mark your card.
And then Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” comes on.
I did not plan to dance. I did not warm up. I did not stretch like Doris before pickleball. But something happened. My body betrayed me in the best way. I was gyrating as if I had just been handed a microphone and a spotlight. It felt borderline spiritual. An out-of-body experience. I was not Kristen the retired police chief. I was not Kristen the keynote speaker. I was not Kristen the responsible adult who hydrates and tracks her steps.
I was part of something bigger.
There is a term for this. “Collective effervescence.” It was coined by sociologist Émile Durkheim to describe the electric feeling that happens when a group of people gathers and shares the same emotional experience. You have felt it at a concert when the lights dim and 20,000 strangers lift their voices in unison. You have felt it in a piano bar when the entire room sways to “Piano Man” and you link arms with someone you met twelve minutes ago. You have felt it in a stadium when your team scores and everyone jumps as one organism. It’s absolutely electric.
Researchers have found that singing together increases oxytocin, the bonding hormone. It synchronizes heart rates. It creates a sense of belonging and trust. In other words, it literally changes our chemistry. We leave those spaces feeling connected, even to people whose names we never learned.
That night at musical bingo, no one cared about titles, politics, or who was winning. We were not perfectly in tune. God knows I was not. But we were together. And together is powerful.
So here is the awakening.
Why do we wait for concerts and weddings and the occasional rogue musical bingo night to experience that kind of unity? Why do we not design more moments where we can feel part of the chorus?
In our organizations, we obsess over metrics and efficiency and strategy. All necessary. But we forget the human need to belong. We forget that teams bond through shared emotional experience, not just shared email threads. A retreat where people laugh until they cry. A celebration when someone hits a milestone. A story that reminds everyone why the work matters. These are not fluffy extras. They are fuel.
In our personal lives, we scroll alone. We isolate. We tell ourselves we are too busy. Meanwhile, what our nervous systems crave is rhythm and harmony and eye contact. We are wired for togetherness.
You do not need a DJ and a bingo card. You need intention. A dinner where phones are off, and stories are told. A spontaneous dance in the kitchen. A meeting that begins with music instead of a PowerPoint slide. A leader who understands that people will run through walls for a cause when they feel seen and connected to one another.
Loving musical bingo was not on my bingo card.
But there I was, singing at the top of my lungs with strangers who felt like friends. For every three-minute musical blast, we were not separate lives intersecting. We were one sound.
We might not always be in harmony. We might miss a note. We might argue over the title of the song.
But we are all part of the chorus.
And when we remember that, when we create spaces for collective effervescence in our homes, in our communities, and in our organizations, we tap into something ancient and holy about being human.
The world is loud. The world is divided. The world will give you a thousand reasons to retreat into your own solo.
Sing anyway.
Because the magic is not in the perfect pitch. It is in the shared breath.
We belong to one another.
Man Behind Counterfeit Coupon Scheme Targeting RaceTrac, Family Dollar, and others
The Georgia Attorney General’s Office said this week that the man they say is behind a counterfeit coupon scheme targeting convenience stores and other retail establishments has been indicted. Recently, the Organized Retail Crime Unit obtained a new indictment charging Michael Justin Williams.
As asserted in the indictment, Williams engaged in a pattern of forgeries targeting RaceTrac Inc., Family Dollar Stores, Inc., and The Parker Holding Company, LLC locations on 20 separate occasions. This includes stores in Mableton, Lithia Springs, Douglasville, Norcross, Forest Park, Atlanta, McDonough, East Point, Riverdale, Stone Mountain, Bogart, Pooler and Metter.
Repeat shoplifters could face felony charges under new Quality of Life Initiative
Shoplifters who have racked up misdemeanor after misdemeanor in Anchorage could soon face felony charges — not because of any new law, officials say, but because the state and city are now using tools they already had.
Attorney General Stephen Cox and Anchorage Municipal Attorney Eva Gardner signed a memorandum of understanding Jan. 8, formalizing a joint task force to address retail theft, public-space disorder and other quality-of-life crimes.
Both officials described a partnership designed to eliminate the jurisdictional gaps they say have allowed repeat offenders to cycle through the system without consequence.
Truck Driver Uses Hacked Carrier Emails to Heist Cargo
A Jamaican immigrant from New York is facing federal charges for his alleged role in a cargo theft ring that hacked truckload carriers’ email accounts to fraudulently book and retrieve shipments to sell.
Romoy Forbes, 31, living in Deer Park, N.Y., is being prosecuted in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts after being charged with interstate transportation of stolen goods and conspiracy to commit that offense.
A conviction for interstate transportation of stolen goods carries a sentence up to 10 years imprisonment, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 maximum fine. The conspiracy charge can result in no more than five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
Expanding the March Networks & Securitas Technology Partnership in the Middle East
We are proud and excited to announce the opening of the March Networks Demo & Experience Area within the Securitas Technology Customer Experience Center in Istanbul, Türkiye. This milestone reflects our long-standing collaboration with Securitas Technology both in the region and around the world.
The opening event, organized together with the Securitas Technology team, featured presentations and live demonstrations tailored to the needs of banking, retail, transportation, and other critical industries. The event highlighted the value and capabilities of March Networks intelligent video solutions across these sectors.
Gap Inc. CTO talks reimagining retail with AI via human centric approach
2025 was the year AI moved from possibility to operating reality at Gap Inc. So says the company’s EVP, Chief Technology Officer Sven Gerjets.
In a LinkedIn post, he said: “We are reimagining retail with AI - and reshaping how we design, plan, serve customers, and enable our talent. That foundation showed up in our results.”
“In 2025, we enabled teams with intelligent tools, began reinventing how product moves from concept to closet, and began optimizing the customer experience - all grounded in a human centered, digitally enabled strategy.”
Walmart’s digital shelf labels reshape physical retail
A quiet change is spreading across supermarket aisles in the United States. Small paper price tags are being replaced with tiny digital screens, turning shelves into connected devices that can update prices in minutes instead of hours.
The shift is now happening at scale. Walmart is expanding digital shelf labels across its US stores, building on earlier deployments that already cover roughly 2,300 locations, according to company disclosures and industry reports. The retailer has signaled plans to extend the technology across more stores as it updates its in-store systems.
How Retailers Fill the Gaps with Smart Technology
While automation often provokes fears of job displacement, innovative technologies like the CartManager® Ultra are emerging as workforce multipliers rather than replacements. Technology such as CartManager Ultra enables existing employees to work more productively and more safely.
Cart collection remains one of retail’s most physically demanding tasks. Employees manually pushing carts face constant lifting, bending, and navigating uneven parking-lot surfaces, moving vehicles, and weather hazards. CartManager® Ultra enables employees to collect up to 3 times more carts while significantly reducing the risk of injury.
Why do some speakers command the room while others struggle to land their message? Executive communication coach John Vautier reveals the specific techniques that create executive presence, including strategic eye contact, purposeful gestures, and powerful vocal delivery. You’ll learn how to channel nervous energy into confident communication and connect with your audience in a more authentic way. Walk away with a practical, repeatable framework to elevate every presentation, meeting, or conversation.
Retail’s Next Workforce Shift: How AI Agents are Reshaping Procurement, Risk and Cost Control
The consumer-packaged goods industry operates in a state of volatility. From the supplier side, there are increasing risks around financial stability, geopolitical tensions, logistical complications and capacity constraints. Demand signals are shifting faster than traditional planning cycles can absorb. And yet, many procurement teams are still jumping between systems, manually entering and analyzing data and reporting findings after the fact, often after the window to act has already closed.
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), global AI spending is projected to grow 31.9% year over year between 2025 and 2029, reaching $1.3 trillion by the end of the decade.
Back to Basics: Worker Safety During Emergencies
Emergencies in the workplace might include fires, severe weather, an active shooter or intruder in your facility, or a hazardous material release.
The most common causes of evacuations are fires and floods, so workplace evacuations may be more common than you might think. The eastern Pacific hurricane season runs from May 15 to November 30, and the Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. An average eastern Pacific hurricane season has 15 named storms, eight hurricanes, and four major hurricanes, according to the National Hurricane Center. The average Atlantic hurricane season has 14 named storms, seven hurricanes, and three major hurricanes.
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