93% of New York supermarkets have been robbed this year: shoplifting is rampant – El Diario NY

Nearly all of New York City’s 3,000 supermarkets have been targeted by thieves in recent months, and most report being robbed daily. according to a new survey.

According to a study by the National Supermarket Association (NSA)93% of those establishments in the five boroughs of NYC have been victims of armed robbers looking for money and/or thieves taking merchandise. In total, the 60% said their stores were robbed seven days a week.

“It’s as if they now feel that “They have a license to shoplift,” said to New York Post Carlos Collado, owner of two Fine Fare stores in The Bronx and Harlem. He lamented the state criminal justice reforms activated in January 2020 that made thefts under $1,000 bail-free.

“They feel there are no consequences and they are turning it into a profession,” Collado added, explaining that many criminals are stealing expensive items like Haagen Dazs ice cream to exchange for cash.

New York City saw a 64% increase in reports of retail theft during the four-year period from mid-2019 to June of this yearleading the United States with incidents in that area, warned another study by the Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ).

According to the NSA survey, 72% of NYC supermarket owners said they have beefed up safety measures, but that hasn’t solved the problem. Frank Pimentel, owner of a SuperFresh supermarket in Mott Haven and Food Universe on Melrose, both in the Bronx, said his stores continue to be attacked several times a day, even with security guards stationed inside.

Retail advocates have pleaded with the state Legislature in Albany to review bail reform laws and increase penalties for thieves, such as charging repeat offenders who steal more than $1,000 worth of merchandise cumulatively with grand theft and converting even the attacks on workers retailers in a serious crime.

Last week, Governor Kathy Hochul vetoed a bipartisan bill who would have created a working group to study the recent increase in retail theft across the state and how it has affected small business profits.

However, Mayor Eric Adams did establish a task force earlier this month to address the scourge of theft with the goal of allowing city agencies to easily share crime information.

There have been 49,384 shoplifting complaints citywide this year as of Oct. 30, an 8% decrease compared to the same period last year, according to NYPD data. However, incidents of shoplifting have skyrocketed compared to pre-pandemic times: in 2019 there were only 37,919 complaints reported.

Theft at New York City retail stores rose an alarming 81% during the first quarter of 2023, in many cases with violent attacks on employees and owners of bussiness. This was reported in May by the group Collective Action to Protect Our Stores (Collective Action to Protect Our Stores, CAPS-NY) representing 5,000 establishments, including supermarkets and warehousesagain demanding that state congressmen pass laws against shoplifting.

Many owners have chosen to reduce hours, install more cameras and lock merchandise given the rise in robberies in stores, pharmacies and warehouses. The situation also generates closures of sources of work and shortages of products. For example, in September Target announced that it would close nine stores in four states, including one in East Harlem (NYC). According to the company, organized retail crime has threatened the safety of its workers and customers.

In September of this year, a Siena College survey identified crime (73%) among the biggest concerns of New Yorkers. According to another alarming survey released this summer 70% of NYC residents fear that they will be victims of a criminal act.