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By: Benyamin Davidsons
Retail businesses across New York say they taking a serious blow from the epidemic of organized shopping rings attacking their stores.
As reported by the NY Post, the NY retail stores estimate that in 2022 alone they lost a whopping $4.4 billion as a result of shoplifting. They complain that there is no end in sight, warning that this could lead to more store closures and increased costs for consumers. The retailers are urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to crack down on theft and the organized crime rings orchestrating the repeat attacks. Last week, Hochul had disappointed retailers by vetoing a bipartisan bill which would have empowered the store owners to create a task force to combat organized theft. Hochul rejected the proposal which would have created a 15-member panel made up of experts appointed by the governor, Legislature and the state attorney general which would have worked to set forth a list of recommendations to deal with retail theft.
As per the Post, the Retail Council of New York State, an Albany-based lobbying group which represents retailers across the state, said it was “extremely disappointed” to hear that Hochul vetoed their bill. Melissa O’Connor, the president and CEO of the group, said in a statement that she urges Gov. Hochul to take “immediate action” so as to formulate “an effective, collaborative response to this problem.” “She made it abundantly clear that retail theft prevention will be a priority for her administration, and we look forward to working with her to achieve results,” O’Connor said.
A spokesperson for Hochul responded saying that adopting the proposed bill would cost the state $35 million, at a time when the recent budget has already been pushed to the limit.
Police and law enforcement officials have reported a spike in retail theft, blaming the jump on progressive prosecutors who set lenient punishments for shoplifters, encouraging them to continue. The NYPD has said that roughly one-third of all shoplifting arrests in the five boroughs in 2022 involved just 327 suspects who were arrested and re-arrested over 6,000 times in total. Last month, the chief of police in Syracuse said that the city has seen a 55% spike in shoplifting since 2021, which is a conservative estimate. “That number is likely higher because businesses often don’t report it — but they do continue to express concerns,” Syracuse Police Chief Joe Cecile said.
Cecile warned that small businesses are “having trouble sustaining themselves” as a result of the shoplifting rampage. There have already been stores that were forced to close down due to the shoplifting. Stewart’s convenience store on Central Avenue in Albany reported 23 larceny incidents so far in 2023, up from 14 in the same time frame in 2022. The owner was forced to shut down the location. Also, Stephen Lands, owner of Buffalo Fleece and Outerwear, told WIVB-TV in September that he may need to close his shop as a result of repeat shoplifting. He said that in recent months his store was robbed 20 times.
Kent Sopris, president of the New York Association of Convenience Stores, also told The Post that the clerks working at convenience stores are “at extreme risk.” “In fact one store reported a thief threw a pot of coffee at a clerk,” he told The Post, adding that his trade group “stands ready to work with state and local authorities.”
