Title: Washington, DC Supermarket Pulls National Brands in Effort to Combat Shoplifting
Subtitle: Giant Food store removes name brands from beauty and health aisles to deter rampant theft
Date: September 3, 2023
By Steve Janoski
Washington, DC – In a desperate bid to mitigate the problem of rampant shoplifting and keep its doors open, a supermarket in Washington, DC has made the decision to remove all national brands from its beauty and health aisles. The Giant Food grocery store, located on Alabama Avenue, has been grappling with profitability issues caused by the persistent issue of shoplifting plaguing big chain stores nationwide.
The move entails leaving only generic store brands on the shelves, effectively preventing customers from accessing frequently stolen items such as Tide, Colgate, or Advil, as reported by the Washington Post. Diane Hicks, senior vice president of operations, explained that neighboring stores had already locked or removed similar products, leaving them with no other choice. She expressed her frustration, stating, “I’ve been leaving it out for our customers and unfortunately it just forces all the crime to come to us.”
Additionally, the store plans to implement receipt checks for customers before they exit the premises. Giant Food, which operates 165 supermarkets across DC, Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware, had already implemented numerous security measures, including increased guards, reduced entrances, and locking up high-risk products. Despite these efforts, Giant president Ira Kress revealed that the situation at this specific store remained dire, with shoplifting persisting and even escalating. Kress emphasized that brand name products were particularly susceptible to theft due to their high resale value.
To combat the issue, customers will now be limited to purchasing the store’s own brand, CareOne, which does not command the same high resale prices. According to the Washington Post, this decision represents the store’s last-ditch effort to avoid closure. Serving an area with a population of over 85,000 people, the store’s fate hangs in the balance as retailers across the United States battle a wave of shoplifting and organized crime that has significantly impacted the profits of major players such as Home Depot, Target, Walmart, and Lowe’s.
Target’s chief executive, Brian Cornell, acknowledged the severity of the problem, revealing that their stores had witnessed a staggering 120 percent increase in theft incidents involving violence or threats of violence during the first five months of the year. This alarming trend aligns with a National Retail Federation study that reported a more than 25 percent surge in organized retail crime in 2021, accounting for approximately half of the $94.5 billion lost to “shrinkage” that year, referring to product loss unrelated to sales.
In response to the crisis, many retailers, including Dollar Tree and Walgreens, have resorted to locking up products and discontinuing certain items. The Washington Post highlighted that major grocery chains operate on slim profit margins, making them particularly sensitive to any changes in costs. Consequently, some have been forced to close stores in cities where crime rates have soared. For instance, a Whole Foods store in downtown San Francisco shuttered its doors temporarily due to concerns about rising crime but expressed openness to reopening once safety could be ensured for team members.
The struggle against shoplifting continues to be a pressing issue for retailers nationwide, with billions of dollars lost each year. The Giant Food store’s decision to remove national brands from the shelves underscores the urgency and financial implications of the problem. As the supermarket industry grapples with this ongoing challenge, it remains to be seen how effective these measures will be in deterring shoplifting and securing the profitability of stores like Giant Food.