Former NYPD Detective Warns Black Friday is ‘Super Bowl’ for Shoplifters as โRetail Theft Surges
SEAL โฃBEACH, Calif. – Blackโฃ Fridayโ has long been known for doorbuster deals โand eager shoppers, but a former NYPD detective โwarns the annual shoppingโข event is increasingly becomingโค a prime opportunity for organized retail theft. โas stores brace for the holiday rush,concerns are mounting over a surge โคin shoplifting incidents across the country,with experts saying thieves areโ becoming more brazen โฃand coordinated.
Retailersโข areโ facing โa growing crisis of theft, impacting businesses of โฃallโข sizes and contributing to higher pricesโค for consumers. According to the National Retail Federation, shrink – a term encompassing theft, employee theft, and administrative errors – reached a โฃrecord $112.1โ billion in 2022. Experts predict the problemโค will worsen this holiday season, with sophisticated shoplifting rings targeting high-value items and exploiting security vulnerabilities.
“Black Friday โis the Super Bowlโ for shoplifters,” said Michael Brosnan,a retired NYPDโ detectiveโข specializingโ in retailโฃ theft.โค “They come in, they come like gangbusters, so coordinated, so focused, so educated as to where the items โareโ that they need to get and how they are going toโ get them, โฃwhat they have to do to obtain them.”
Recent incidents highlight the escalating problem. In Seal โBeach, โขCalifornia, police recentlyโ apprehendedโ three alleged shoplifters following a multi-store crime spree, as captured on video. Brosnan emphasized that retailers areโ actively working to mitigateโค theft, butโ the โขsituation is dire and worsening.
“Youโค want to do business, people got โคto โคcome in. And if bad peopleโ come in with the โgood people,โ there’s only soโ much you โcould do,” he said. โHe notedโ the increasing professionalism โฃof shoplifting operations, with thieves demonstrating a clear understanding ofโ store โlayouts and security measures.
Adam Sabes is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Storyโฃ tips can be sentโข toโ Adam.Sabes@fox.com and on Twitter @asabes10.
