A Giant grocery store in Southeast Washington, DC, has removed name brands like Advil, Colgate, and Tide from its shelves to better prevent a spike in theft.
Beyond the removal of brands, shoppers at Giant will also be required to show their receipts to security guards before exiting the store. Ira Kress, president of the chain, told the Washington Post that the store can no longer serve the community by keeping its stores at high risk.
“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,” Kress said.
“I don’t want to do this — I’d like to sell [those products],” Kress later added. “But the reality is that Tide is not a profitable item in this store … In many instances people stock the product and within two hours it’s gone, so it’s not on the shelf anyway.”
Kress also said the store has seen theft rise “tenfold in the last five years” while violence has steadily increased, most especially at the store on Alabama Avenue in D.C.
“And we’ve invested a significant amount of money here, even more security here than any other store,” he said.
Products like Tide detergent, Schick razors, Dove soap, and Degree deodorant will no longer be available on the shelves. Diane Hicks, senior vice president of operations, said leaving such products out will turn the store into a crime magnet.
“I’ve been leaving it out for our customers and unfortunately it just forces all the crime to come to us,” Hicks said.
As Fox News reported in May, Giant instituted sweeping security changes to its stores by limiting the number of entrances and locking down products.
“The alternative is worse for customers,” Kress said back in May. “The last thing I want to do is close stores. But I’ve got to be able to run them safely and profitably.”
As Breitbart News reported, crime-ridden San Francisco lost its Nordstrom store after 35 years due to a spike in theft. The state of California has also been afflicted by a severe crime wave in which multiple department stores have fallen prey to smash-and-grab robberies. As Breitbart News reported last week, masked thieves in Pasadena, California, looted $500,000 in merchandise from a jewelry store after pepper-spraying the owner, Sam Babikian.
“As soon as I opened the door, I got pepper sprayed right in my eye, my throat, my mouth,” Babikian said. “I couldn’t see anything. Then (all) I could hear was smashing and grabbing.”
“Most of my merchandise is gone,” he added. “Most of the showcases are empty. This one hurts. I’m very grateful they did not harm me, they did not fight. Thank God that nothing happened to me and I’m still alive.”
That was followed by masked thieves stealing thousands of dollars in power tools from a Home Depot in Long Beach, California.
Paul Roland Bois joined Breitbart News in 2021. He also directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. A high-quality, ad-free stream can also be purchased on Google Play or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.
