'They'll walk straight into jail cells': California commits $267M to cracking down on smash-and-grab robberies in retail stores — but will it stave off this surging threat?

“Enough with these brazen smash-and-grabs,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement on Sept. 12. “With an unprecedented $267 million investment, Californians will soon see more takedowns, more police, more arrests and more felony prosecutions.

“When shameless criminals walk out of stores with stolen goods, they’ll walk straight into jail cells.”

Retailers have had enough

Retailers in California have been struggling to cope with the recent surge in criminal activity — which is seriously stinging their bottom lines.

As a result, some stores have resorted to securing certain items with padlocks and chains, or they’re locking up high-theft items behind plastic casings, while others are upping their security, resulting in a major inconvenience to honest shoppers and workers alike.

But for many retail giants, enough is enough. Several of them have closed up shop and left theft-prone areas in recent months.

An industry-wide problem

The issues plaguing California aren’t isolated to the Golden State. According to a study from the National Retail Federation (NRF), organized retail crime is growing in both scope and complexity across the U.S.

Many cities have seen retail store closures in recent months — with rampant crime being just one of the major factors in this.

In addition to theft concerns, retailers across the U.S. are also struggling to regain the same levels of foot traffic that they enjoyed pre-pandemic — partly due to rising costs and the sustained popularity of remote work, which has reduced footfall in downtown shopping areas.

Correction, Dec. 12, 2023: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the NRF estimated “theft” was costing the retail industry $100 billion. In fact, it estimated that “shrink” was costing the industry $100 billion. Shrink refers to loss of inventory and can include, but is not limited to, theft.