In Growing Trend, DC-Based Grocery Store Tries ‘Overt Gambit’ to Stay Open Despite Thefts

While it's not uncommon to walk into retail establishments and see certain items, like baby formula, diapers, shaving razors, and cigarettes stocked behind locked glass doors, a growing trend is emerging where some stores are simply pulling some or all name-brand items from their shelves altogether in an effort to deter what has become a nationwide epidemic of rampant retail theft.

Such is the case with one DC-based Giant Food location, where the decision was recently made to stop selling certain name brands like Advil and Tide and replace them with store-brand versions, which have little street market value. In addition to that, customers will be asked to show their receipts before they can exit:

In the coming weeks, a Giant Food market in D.C. will clear its beauty and health aisles of all national labels. No more Tide, Colgate or Advil, only store brands. Shoppers also will have to present their receipts to an employee before exiting the store.
It’s the regional supermarket chain’s most overt gambit against the rampant theft that’s plaguing retailers of all sizes. It’s also a potential last-ditch effort to avoid shutting down the unprofitable store on Alabama Avenue SE — the only major grocer east of the Anacostia River in Ward 8.

“We want to continue to be able to serve the community, but we can’t do so at the level of significant loss or risk to our associates that we have today,” said Giant President Ira Kress.

The full statement issued by Giant Food talks about how they know that the new policies are going to be "disruptive" for customers, but that the steps are "necessary" in order to keep the store open:

A month ago, DC Council member Trayon White openly expressed concerns over the possibility that the Giant Food store would close down after officials with the chain had repeatedly voiced their frustrations - and made changes at the time - over the rise in retail theft at many of their locations, but that one especially:

During a news conference Friday, D.C. Councilman Trayon White said he spoke to the regional management of a popular Giant Food store on Alabama Avenue Southeast.
“We had the opportunity to meet with some of the leadership of this Giant,” White said. “Some of the regional leadership at this Giant, what we heard was disheartening. We learned that this Giant has lost over $500,000 in product loss, which is about 20% of the sales. We know it's tough times and we know the price of food has skyrocketed in the last three years. But we cannot afford to hurt ourselves by constantly taking it from the store. It means that everybody is going to be without a place to eat. And enough is enough.”
[...]
“To date, this Giant has had at least 135 stops from people stealing from the store,” he said. “And they almost double that amount that didn't get stopped.”

Do you know what else is "disheartening" when situations like these arise in Democrat-run cities? Soft-on-crime District Attorneys like Pamela Price in California's Alameda County and "progressive" mayors like Chicago's Brandon Johnson, both of whom view the perps in some of these crime incidents as the victims and the actual victims in some of them as unworthy of justice due to so-called privilege.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news here, but it doesn't matter what and how many changes these stores make, because as long as the prosecutors in their communities - DC included - don't treat these crimes with the seriousness they deserve and throw the book at the wrongdoers, and if other local elected "leaders" choose to remain woke instead of getting real, then the thefts are going to keep on happening because the criminals have learned that laws will not be used to deter them.