During the great American riots of 2020, protesting the death of George I-stick-this-gun-in-your-pregnant-belly Floyd, a lot of the Left dismissed the orgy of looting, arson and general destruction because it was “non-violent” compared to actual violent assaults and homicides (although Burn Loot Murder and Antifa committed more than a few of them too)

But even the US Left finally seems to be getting a clue that their very own beloved places of dominance are getting destroyed by so-called petty, retail theft – and it doesn’t get much more Left than Ana Kasparian of The Young Turks:

Thankfully for the future prospects of The Stupid Party (the Republicans) I doubt Ms Kasparian will be able to get the message through to her Lefty comrades.

But it’s not just the activists and politicians of the Left. Incredibly it’s also the huge companies that in many cases own these retail stores and have instructed their staff to simply let it happen, as well as refusing to prosecute or in any way punish or deter such theft. There have even been some cases where staff got fired for doing the right thing and trying to intervene to stop the thefts.

That may be about to change:

Nordstrom CEO Erik Nordstrom slammed the brazen bandits who recently ransacked a Los Angeles-area outpost — swiping $100,000 worth of merchandise — as the upscale retailer announced it has suffered “historical losses” from shoplifters.

“I’d say we find it unacceptable and [it] needs to be addressed,” Nordstrom told investors after the retailer reported an 8.3% drop in sales in the second quarter ending July 29.

Unacceptable? I would say that American society has been doing a pretty good job of accepting it, which is why it’s increasing, and these companies bear responsibility not just because of the policies noted above but also because their outer wokeness meant trying to cozy up to assholes like BLM and other grifters.

Nothing new for them actually: several years ago Dick’s made a huge meal of how it had stopped selling firearms, including a press release that proudly announced, in effect, its conversion to the Left. The above in 2021 was just more of the same. So how’s that working out for them?

Dick’s Sporting Goods on Tuesday blamed “organized retail crime” for sinking its quarterly profits by nearly 25% as the company slashed its full-year earnings outlook. The popular retail chain reported a 23% drop in profits in the second quarter across its more than 700 stores nationwide — despite sales rising 3.6%. Dick’s attributed the losses to “organized retail crime and our ability to effectively manage inventory shrink,” an industry term used to describe stolen or lost merchandise.

Dick’s share price plunged more than 20% after Tuesday’s opening bell.

I guess the wolves don’t give a shit whether you support their agenda or not. Same with these others:

Inventory shrinkage — the loss of items to retail theft, organized crime, damage, vendor fraud, and other factors — is still a major headache for US retailers. At least, that was a common thread heard on recent earnings calls from Home Depot (HD), Target (TGT), Walmart (WMT), and other large retailers last week. On Wednesday, Target CEO Brian Cornell said the retailer is up against “an unacceptable amount of retail theft and organized retail crime.” Last November, Target CFO Michael Fiddelke said the disappearance of merchandise caused a $400 million hit to the retailer’s gross profit margin for the year.

There’s that word again: “unacceptable”. As Inigo Montoya said in The Princess Bride: “You Keep Using That Word, I Do Not Think It Means What You Think It Means”

The mention of “organized crime” is rather undersold given the following:

Immigration and Customs Enforcement  (ICE) sees a connection. In a statement released last June, it said: “Recent investigations have also identified organized retail crime schemes exploiting undocumented migrants forced to steal goods to pay back ‘coyotes’ who smuggle them across international borders.”
…
Boosters are often undocumented immigrants, labor trafficked into the United States and working off a debt, or individuals suffering from some form of addiction. The boosters are the thieves on the ground that steal (boost) the products. They typically have a list of merchandise to steal from their crew boss and may hit numerous stores in one day. The boosters will likely be paid in cash or through anonymous/encrypted peer-to-peer payment apps.

So Biden’s border crisis is showing up in this problem as well as the more well-known others. Perhaps these giant companies and the US Chamber of Commerce will include such costs the next time they boast about supporting illegal immigrants – otherwise known as cheap labour?

I did like this firm’s “effort” to combat all this theft:

DC-based Giant Food location, where the decision was recently made to stop selling certain name brands like Advil and Tide and replace them with store-brand versions, which have little street market value. In addition to that, customers will be asked to show their receipts before they can exit

Local D.C. councillors have expressed concern that Giant Foods might close some locations, just as Walmart and others have done in … difficult areas of Chicago. But that’s as far as their concern goes in the Left’s world of criminals as perpetual victims.

According to the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) National Retail Security Survey, retail shrink was a nearly $100 billion problem for the industry as of 2021, the last year data was collected. That cost more than doubled from $45.2 billion in 2015.

“I can tell you that never before have I seen what I’m seeing today,” David Johnston, NRF vice president of asset protection and retail operations, told Yahoo Finance. “The retailers are not crying wolf. They are highlighting a major issue out there.”

It’s not just shoplifting — organized retail crime and employee theft have become growing concerns, according to the NRF.

Gosh, I wonder where all those Democrat politicians and District Attorneys are when these retailers who have sworn allegiance to the Left need their help in dealing with billions of dollars in losses to organized crime? Well the answer is that those “Liberals” are on the other side, obviously.

But better questions to ask of these retailers are the following. Are they standing up for law enforcement? Are they supporting politicians who defend law enforcement? Are they lobbying for stiffer criminal penalties for organized shoplifting rings? Are they doing anything to defend and uphold a culture that disapproves of theft?

By their own words and actions, plus their silence and inactions, we know the answer to those questions.