U.S. Chamber of Commerce urges action regarding retail crime

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has forwarded correspondence to four entities, encouraging action regarding retail theft and organized retail crime negatively impacting communities and businesses nationwide.

The organization has sent letters to Congress, the National Governors Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures, and the National District Attorneys Association.

“The retail industry – already struggling from the impacts of the pandemic, labor shortages, and supply chain problems – is now faced with large-scale theft and looting, much of it stemming from organized crime,” U.S. Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer Neil Bradley said. “Retail theft is becoming a national crisis, hurting businesses in every state and the communities they serve. We call on policymakers to tackle this problem head-on before it gets further out of control. No store should have to close because of theft.”

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce cited findings from a National Retail Federation survey maintaining 54 percent of small business owners experienced an increase in shoplifting last year, with organized retail crime costing stores an average of over $700,000 per $1 billion in sales in 2020.

“These crimes are not victimless,” the Chamber wrote. “In addition to the growing number of thefts that turn violent, innocent consumers, employees, local communities, and business owners and shareholders bear the costs of rising retail theft. Twenty-five percent of small businesses report raising prices as a result of shoplifting.”

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce notes that Congress should pass the Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces for (INFORM) Consumers Act (H.R. 5502) to increase transparency and identity verification of high-volume third-party sellers in online retail marketplaces and update organized retail crime definitions while increasing criminal penalties.