High grocery prices? Grocery stores blame the thieves
If you continue to shell out more and more for groceries, one major grocery retailer says: blame the thieves.
Stop & Shop, which runs more than 300 markets across the Northeast, has penned a letter to Congress saying retailers like them are operating on 'razor-thin' margins and are 'struggling with the vast impact of organized retail crime.'
The company is urging Congress to pass the 'Combating Organized Retail Crime Act,' which has now been reintroduced.
The bipartisan legislation specifically targets flash mob robberies and what it calls 'intricate retail theft schemes.' It cites data from the National Retail Federation showing larceny incidents increased by 93 percent in 2023 compared with 2019. The letter says that in recent years, 'criminal organizations have increasingly turned to retail crime to generate illicit profits, using internet-based tools to organize flash mobs, sell stolen goods and move money.'
117 arrested in retail theft crackdown across California
Stop & Shop says it does not, 'under any circumstances take a neighborhood's demographics into consideration when setting prices. The specific process for setting prices is highly confidential and competitively sensitive for any major retail business.'
But theft has been weighing on retailers.
Albertson's, which operates Vons and Pavilions, referred an inquiry about the retail theft trend and its impact on grocery prices to the California Retailers Association. Similar requests were sent to Kroger, parent company of Ralphs, and also to Whole Foods.
The California Retailers Association says online that it's committed to working with all stakeholders interested in solutions to retail theft and that this issue 'is too important to the safety of employees, customers, and communities.' It does not address the specifics of how those retail thefts may be increasing grocery prices.
Here in Los Angeles, District Attorney Nathan Hochman has launched a new campaign to crack down on retail theft, speaking in front of a 7-Eleven recently ransacked by dozens of teens. The district attorney also reiterated that the tide has changed in California. Proposition 36 makes certain thefts a felony, and the district attorney says thieves will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
Thefts prompt Southern California grocery store to change bag policy
Consumer Confidential's David Lazarus calls it a big and growing problem, saying 'theft, particularly involving brazen mobs of shoplifters, have become all too common among merchants selling everything from clothing to electronics.'
As for what can be done about it? Lazarus says, 'At this point, the retail industry is responding with new security measures, such as limiting the number of customers inside a shop or hiring more guards. For consumers, this only adds to costs — and provides another reason to shop online. Whether lawmakers in Congress can address that in a meaningful fashion remains to be seen.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
19 minutes ago
- New York Times
How Hard Will Musk Fight Republicans' Budget Bill?
Can Musk kill the budget bill? Elon Musk hasn't stopped criticizing the budget bill that he has called a 'disgusting abomination.' In fact, he appears to be just getting started. The debate in Washington now is how far Musk will go to try to defeat a bill that — by the assessment of Musk, several Republicans and now nonpartisan watchdogs — will vastly add to the federal debt. 'KILL THE BILL,' Musk posted on X on Wednesday, a message he urged followers to press with members of Congress. He has turned a majority of his feed into a stream of reposts of content criticizing the legislation and denouncing its effect on the nation's $36 trillion debt load. A string of assessments suggest that the bill will add to the debt. The most consequential, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, estimated that the House version of the plan would add $2.4 trillion over the next decade, given both the roughly $3.8 trillion tax cut at its core and additional spending. (Other estimates are even higher, including the Penn Wharton Budget Model's: $2.8 trillion.) A Republican counter: Attack the messenger. The Trump administration advanced hard-to-believe claims about C.B.O. staff members' partisanship, and arguments that its analysis ignores projected economic growth. That said, a previous nonpartisan analysis of the House bill found that the tax cuts would generate nearly no additional economic growth, and even conservatives found the budget office's analysis credible. 'When all the models are in unison,' Erica York, the vice president for federal tax policy at the Tax Foundation, told The Times, 'it really doesn't make sense to triple down on the strategy to blame the scorekeeper.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
E&E News
29 minutes ago
- E&E News
What do Musk and Tesla want from the Republican megabill?
The single biggest donor in last year's elections stands to lose billions of dollars because the Republicans he helped bankroll are now poised to scrap energy policies that support his electric car and energy business. But Elon Musk has repeatedly pointed to deficit concerns when going on an online blitz starting Tuesday against the GOP's 'big beautiful bill,' breaking his allegiance to President Donald Trump and stunning congressional leaders who are trying to pass a tax cut, energy and security spending package with razor-thin majorities. Still, lawmakers and other observers are questioning Musk's motives. And the billionaire himself has provided some clues he's not happy with how the GOP bill would hurt his bottom line. Advertisement 'Call your Senator, Call your Congressman, Bankrupting America is NOT ok! KILL the BILL,' Musk wrote on X, the social media platform he owns, on Wednesday. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has worked to rebut Musk, at one point Tuesday suggesting the Tesla CEO was miffed about the legislation scrapping Biden-era rules meant to promote the use of electric vehicles. 'It's part of the Green New Deal. And I know that has an effect on his businesses, and I'll admit that,' Johnson said. 'But for him to come out and pan the whole bill is, to me, just very disappointing.' On Wednesday, Johnson would not address Musk's potential motives. 'Everybody can draw their own conclusions about that,' the speaker said. 'Look, I don't subscribe [motivation] to anybody.' Musk's public displeasure with the megabill started showing last week as he was preparing to leave his position as a special federal worker tasked with cutting spending. Musk amplified a post from Tesla Energy, a part of his business empire focused on solar and batteries, against the House-passed bill's rollback of renewable energy credits from the Democrats' 2022 climate law. 'Abruptly ending the energy tax credits would threaten America's energy independence and the reliability of our grid,' the company wrote. Murk also amplified a post saying 'slashing solar energy credits is unjust.' 'There is no change to tax incentives for oil & gas, just EV/solar,' Musk wrote. And even though Musk had said he didn't want federal incentives for his EV business, POLITICO and other outlets — citing anonymous sources — have said the billionaire was lobbying to protect those very credits. 'Tesla certainly stands to lose a perverse incentive to manufacture cars people aren't willing to pay for,' said Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.). 'Or we'll find out who's actually willing to pay for them if they are not subsidized. But frankly, I've never been lobbied by Tesla or Elon personally.' 'He just wants to be treated fairly' Fiscal hawks in Congress are either trumpeting Musk's attacks against the bill or suggesting changes are needed. Many other lawmakers are showing contempt for the Trump ally — especially if he's throwing a tantrum because of business concerns he once claimed not to have. About a dozen lawmakers asked about the dispute Wednesday told POLITICO's E&E News they had not heard from Tesla lobbyists in years, and when they had heard from Musk himself recently, the conversation was not about his cars. Murk's focus on federal cost-cutting meant he focused less on his businesses. 'Elon came here and sacrificed six months of his life that no one remotely near his net worth would do,' said Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), who owns car dealerships. He continued, 'And he never came here to advocate for Tesla. He's the one guy — the business leader — who doesn't come here looking for a handout. He just wants to be treated fairly.' President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk speak to reporters as they sit in a red Model S Tesla vehicle on the South Lawn of the White House on March 11. | AP That could be true, but the Republicans' continued targeting of EV incentives at a time when Tesla Motors has been struggling may have finally rubbed Musk the wrong way. The GOP in recent weeks used the Congressional Review Act — a rule-busting law — to scrap a Biden EPA waiver for California emissions rules meant to promote the use of EVs. Then there's the megabill. Republicans are moving to end a $7,500 tax credit for EV buyers by the end of this year. Moreno suggested the Senate could push to end the credit in September. In addition, new requirements to root out Chinese materials from U.S. supply chains stand to thwart the advanced manufacturing credit, or 45X, meant to benefit facilities like Tesla's Nevada battery plant. Cramer said Musk has never pushed him to support EV credits. 'He's never said that,' the senator said, noting he's exchanged an occasional text message with Musk. 'He's never said that to me. … I don't question his motives.' 'They are not fine' In the past six months, as Musk took a proverbial chainsaw to the federal government — and wielded an actual one in an infamous appearance — his company's lobbying presence on Capitol Hill was seriously limited, said an auto lobbyist granted anonymity to speak freely. Indeed, Tesla's government relations shop was gutted in roughly the last year after some high-profile departures, but the company retained Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld in addition to Cassidy & Associates. 'Everyone was like, 'Oh, they will be fine, the CEO is in the White House,'' the auto lobbyist said. 'They are not fine.' Disclosure records show Tesla and its outside firms spent $240,000 in the first quarter of this year on discussing clean energy tax credits and other policies. None of that was on the California clean car waiver issue, which observers said should have been a concern. 'They don't have much of a [government relations] presence on the Hill anymore,' said Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.), though he recalled meeting in 2019 with a Tesla executive who's no longer with the company. Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) said he used to meet with Tesla to talk about clean energy issues but 'haven't seen them in a while.' 'They were interested in the deployment of batteries,' he said. 'It's a great invention. They have a lot to offer.' Democrats like Peters and Levin are happy to see Musk join them in opposing the legislation, which Republicans are looking to muscle through using the budget reconciliation process. It allows the majority to bypass the Senate filibuster on certain fiscal matters. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), who runs an electronics manufacturing business, said of Musk: 'He's an incredibly smart man, we know that. But one can be naive about politics.' Reporter Timothy Cama contributed. This story also appears in Energywire.
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Cuts to Pell Grant will hurt Missouri's economic growth
(Getty Images). Missouri leaders take pride in our reputation as a business-friendly state where cutting edge industries like biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, agtech and geospatial intelligence continue to grow. A new report puts us among the top 10 states for tech manufacturing growth. But proposed federal budget changes could undercut our economic competitiveness by weakening one of our most important tools for ensuring we have the talent to remain competitive: the federal Pell Grant. More than 92,000 Missourians used the Pell Grant last year to pursue a postsecondary degree or credential, from recent high school graduates to working adults seeking new skills or career changes. The Pell Grant, the foundation of need-based federal student aid, helps cover tuition at public and private institutions for low- and moderate-income students. Most recipients come from families earning less than $40,000 a year, and many juggle jobs, caregiving responsibilities and coursework to pursue their education. Congress is currently negotiating the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act,' a budget package that includes income tax cut extensions and significant reductions in federal education funding. The U.S. House's proposal, which advanced in May, includes Pell Grant eligibility restrictions that could cut access to this critical source of aid for 66,960 Missouri students. An estimated 21,050 Missouri students would lose their Pell Grant entirely, threatening their ability to pursue and complete their education and training. The U.S. Senate is actively working to finalize these cuts. If the changes proposed in the House bill are enacted, students would be required to take 30 credit hours per semester to receive a full Pell award, up from the current 24. While that may seem like a relatively small change, it's a huge deal for students working while in school, those with family responsibilities, and those who can't afford to take a fifth class. For them, this is a $1,500 annual cut. If Missouri is committed to business growth, we must also invest in the talent pipeline to drive that growth. Each additional postsecondary graduate generates 5.6 additional support jobs and contributes roughly $111,832 to Missouri's GDP. We all benefit when everyone has access to training and education to pursue their choice of a rewarding career. For many students, the Pell Grant is what makes these pathways possible. Missouri's students shouldn't have to take on a mountain of debt to build skills for in-demand, high-wage jobs. The Pell Grant puts education within reach. Cutting it now would slow our progress and threaten our economic success. Congress should protect and strengthen the Pell Grant, not cut it.
