The Rise of Organized Retail Crime at Big Box Stores
Scott Glenn, Vice President of Asset Protection at The Home Depot, joins hosts Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway to unpack the mechanics of modern organized retail crime (ORC) across big box stores and national supply chains. Glenn details how professional theft rings utilize recruited boosters and online fences, explains why retailers choose to lock up inventory despite customer friction, and outlines the supply chain vulnerabilities and federal legislation, like the CORCA Act, reshaping loss prevention.
- Home Depot asset protection teams now build 80% of criminal case files internally before handing them to prosecutors to secure warrants. Read →
- Organized retail crime operates as a disciplined, multi-layered supply chain rather than random, opportunistic shoplifting. Read →
- Steel warehouse racking turns large stores into giant Faraday cages, blocking passive RFID signals and forcing retailers to adopt costly active pinging tags. Read →
- The Home Depot had to buy one $799 tool combination kit 4.2 times from suppliers just to complete a single legitimate customer sale. Read →
- Cargo theft operations create AI-generated bills of lading and fake pickup documentation, allowing fraudulent drivers to drive straight into shipping facilities and haul away full trailers. Read →