Goodwill announces major store change set to impact customer experience - but bosses claim they have
DOZENS of Goodwill stores have closed their changing room facilities in a desperate bid to clamp down on theft.
Execs fear they don't have an alternative but to take action.
Chiefs have decided to shut down the changing rooms in 42 stores across Colorado, per The Gazette.
Bradd Hafer, the spokesperson for Goodwill of Colorado, warned that theft-related incidents had jumped from 99 in January to 187 in May.
He revealed that the dressing room walls had been damaged with graffiti, goods stolen, and alleged drug use.
Hafer said: “The rise in theft, vandalism, and substance abuse has been so markedly on the increase we really don’t have any other alternative but to close those down.”
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He said the recent crime surge could cause bosses to shut stores if it is left unaddressed.
He added: “But it got to a point and the level where operationally and financially we were absorbing such great loss that we would not be able to keep doors and stores open if we keep absorbing those costs.”
Ashley Furst, a marketing and communications manager, described the spike as an “alarming increase,” as reported by Westword.
The move to close dressing rooms hasn't been welcomed by all shoppers.
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It means customers have had to try on items they’ve picked up from the rails on the shop floor.
One shopper, known only as Rosie, told the CBS affiliate KCNC: “I can’t actually try things on and that’s really frustrating.”
She believes more mirrors could be a solution to crack down on theft.
Others believe they are being penalized for the actions of a minority.
Retailers lose around $100billion in what’s known as shrinkage, according to a National Retail Federation survey.
The paper revealed that Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Houston, and Miami were among the cities most affected by organized retail crime.
Furst said theft has a “bigger financial toll” on thrift stores such as Goodwill.
Closing down dressing rooms is just one strategy used by retailers to tackle the scourge of shoplifting.
A Walgreens store in San Francisco has locked goods in chains to deter suspected shoplifters.
The shop, located in the Richmond neighborhood, has the reputation of being the drugstore with the “highest theft rate.”
Meanwhile, bosses at Safeway have installed receipt scanners and security gates in stores in the Bay Area.
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New York City Mayor Eric Adams has unveiled a comprehensive raft of measures to try and tackle theft.
Officials will explore the underlying causes of crime, and retail workers will be trained in de-escalating situations.
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