Shops in New York are increasingly putting goods under lockdown: all because of looters

Want to buy 6 packs of Brooklyn Lager at Duane Reed at 103rd and Broadway, or CVS at Fifth and 14th Streets? You will have to call the store staff because the beer is under lock and key. Like Bayer Aspirin, Tylenol, nutritional supplements, and, at some Duane Reade branches, even Colgate toothpaste, reports NY Daily News.

Rite Aid recently closed its store on Eighth Ave. and 50th St, where looters frequent. One video shows a brazen criminal leaving the store with the day's loot.

And outside the store Trader Joe's This month, shocked customers were greeted by two police officers handing out flyers on how to protect belongings and stay safe while shopping.

What was supposed to happen that the cops warn the customers to beware, and when the goods are under lock and key, instead of shoplifters?

Welcome to shopping in the heart of Manhattan in 2022. Theft from retail stores is widespread, from shampoos at pharmacies to clothing, jewelry and handbags at upscale stores. The theft is "100% worse" than two years ago, says supermarket owner John Katsimatidis. Instead of packing sage and a loaf of bread, "people come in and steal $300, $400 worth of produce" for resale. His answer is to put fewer packages of meat (thieves' favorite target) on the shelves and hire dozens of security guards for his 30 Gristedes and d'Agostino stores.

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Rothmans, the legendary men's store on Park Avenue. South and 18th St., robbed twice in December when organized gangs broke in, attacked an employee and took out the goods for thousands of dollars. Owner Ken Giddon criticized the bail reform and the failure to hold criminals accountable for allowing criminals to rob his store. They are arrested but return a few days later to do it again - a situation that "undermines the security of the city".

How widespread are these crimes?

“Whatever you hear is worse,” says the owner. “People don’t report crimes.”

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg appoints Giddon co-chair the Manhattan Small Business Alliance, which is made up of entrepreneurs, neighborhood leaders, and district attorney's office staff. This is the same prosecutor who once instructed his subordinates to lighten many felony charges and, when possible, to recommend "redirection" for offenders instead of jail. Since then, Bragg has been listening closely — the police commissioner, the mayor, small business owners, corporate executives, and the public — and recently mentioned the possibility of more serious charges for thieves "who really go from store to store and just take."

According to statistics NYPDThe rise in thefts and robberies in the first 10 weeks of 2022 compared to 2021 is staggering, with petty theft up 33%, robbery up 45% and grand larceny up 65%.

The alliance is expected to make recommendations to reduce theft and robbery by May, but they are slow to make a decision. Of course, part of the solution must include the arrest and prosecution of shoplifters (even if for juvenile delinquents or first time offenders or others truly deserving of leniency) and consistent treatment of grand theft and/or assaults on shopkeepers as crimes that can deserve jail time.

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Not that it's comfortable for New Yorkers, but things are bad in other cities too. National Retail Federation reports that 69% of stores had an increase in "organized retail crime" in 2021. San Francisco has become a special target: Walgreens, parent of Duane Reed, cites crime as the reason 22 stores close there.

Retailing is a complex business and has never been more difficult than in the era of COVID-19. Next day or same day delivery from Amazon is just one click away. Whether it's a neighborhood store, a Times Square gift shop, or Rothmans, the owners face the same reality. The less affordable it is to make it available to customers—closed shelves, higher prices due to theft, and increased security costs—the less they will buy. If they stop coming at all, other shop windows will be empty.

The consequences of uncontrolled retail theft go far beyond the inconvenience to aspirin buyers. Small business owners are losing the stores they built, employees are losing their jobs. And the public is losing confidence in the ability of city leaders to handle riots and crime. Shoplifting, after all, is not only an economic crime, but also a kind of personal crime that leaves the city's residents questioning whether Manhattan's multifaceted charm is worth the hassle.

Bragg insists retail store crime is a priority, along with gun violence and domestic violence. If so, why do we need advice from a cumbersome 36-member small business alliance when it's clear what to do today.