An increase in shoplifting at Giant Food stores in Montgomery County has prompted the regional grocer to enhance security protocols in some of its stores.
“Giant Food has initiated new policies at select stores that are experiencing high shrink to mitigate the unprecedented levels of product theft that have become unsustainable for our business,” Giant Food spokesperson Jon Arons said in an email to MoCo360. “The retail theft we are experiencing across our market area is a problem that affects everyone. It limits product availability, creates a less convenient shopping experience, and, most critically, puts our associates and customers in harm’s way.”
Shoplifting in county retail stores has been on the rise over the past few years, county police spokesperson Casandra Tressler said. “Any reported thefts are investigated,” she said.
On June 25, a clerk at a Giant Food store on Arlington Road in Bethesda was punched in the face when a robbery suspect allegedly tried unsuccessfully to return stolen goods for cash. Montgomery County police are searching for the man who allegedly took off with an undisclosed amount of cash, according to a July 3 statement.
Between 2021 and 2022, shoplifting in retail stores, which includes grocery stores, increased by nearly 28%, from 2,425 to 3,100 reported cases, according to the county police department’s 2022 Annual Report on Crime and Safety.
From 2022-2023, all shoplifting incidents increased by nearly 41%, Tressler said. Police did not provide the overall number of reported cases for 2023.
The number of reported grocery store thefts between 2022 and 2023 grew by about 48%, according to data provided by police. There were 427 reported thefts in 2022 and 630 in 2023. Reported cases for 2024 are on pace to exceed the number reported in 2023, according to police.
Giant Food, Safeway and Whole Foods Market are among the grocers with stores throughout the county. When contacted by MoCo360, Safeway officials declined to provide information about theft in their stores and security measures they may have taken. Whole Foods Market did not return a MoCo360 request for comment.
‘It’s scary’
“It’s scary. No place is safe anymore, everywhere you go,” said an eight-year employee of the Colesville Giant Food at 13490 New Hampshire Ave. in Silver Spring. The customer service agent asked to remain anonymous. “The theft is very bad lately.”
She said employees are instructed not to follow the shoplifters. Instead, they are told to log information about a suspect, including a physical description, in a designated journal at the customer service desk. She said the store also has a part-time security guard that floats between stores.
“We have a security camera, so we know when they are coming,” she said.
A spokesperson for the union that represents Giant Food employees said the union is concerned about workers’ safety and worries that Giant Food, and other grocery stores represented by the union, are not reporting the full volume of theft to police.
“Anecdotally, we are concerned that they are not reporting it,” said Jonathan Williams of United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 400. “There is talk from some of the companies about how we need stricter laws and harsher punishments. But if you’re not calling the cops in the first place, what’s the good of stricter punishment?”
Security in stores
Williams said meetings with shop stewards in recent months revealed that grocery store employees are being asked to work security duties. “Sometimes something as simple as standing at the front of the door,” he said.
Some employees have reported being threatened with weapons and being verbally abused, Williams said. The union represents members in Maryland; Virginia; Washington, D.C.; West Virginia; Ohio; Kentucky; and Tennessee.
Three weeks ago, the union launched an online reporting campaign that allows store employees to note when they have been asked to work as security. Before the Fourth of July holiday weekend, Williams said about five incidents had been reported.
“We think those numbers grossly underrepresent the reality,” he said.
When asked by MoCo360, Giant Food did not directly respond to the union’s allegation that it asks its employees to work security duties.
Some Giant Food stores in the county already have security officers in their stores. A spokesperson from Giant Food said the company uses Myles Davis Protection Services for its Montgomery County stores.
“The solution isn’t always obvious, but starting with security in the store seems like a no-brainer,” Williams said.
A full-time security guard at the Giant Food at 12028 Cherry Hill Road in Silver Spring, who identified himself as Officer Crutchfield, said the physical presence of a security officer in the store is a deterrent and helps prevent theft.
“My job is to provide customer service and protection to customers, and provide documentation to police when needed,” Crutchfield said.
At the Giant Food at 2900 West University Blvd. in Wheaton, the security officer is armed. The store also has closed one of its two entrances.
A customer service representative at the store, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said management installed an armed guard at the Wheaton store a little over a year ago. Previously, the security officer wasn’t armed, the clerk said.
She is optimistic the presence of an armed guard is deterring would-be thieves, noting the store has eliminated the morning security shift.
“It used to be we had security officers for an a.m. shift and a p.m. shift,” she said. “But about a month ago, we went to just p.m.”
Arons did not respond directly when asked by MoCo360 whether placing armed guards in stores was common and when additional security measures were implemented.
“We continuously assess all our stores and take appropriate actions based on the current situation. The unfortunate reality is that retail crime and related violence are on the rise. Although we do not disclose specific store details, we face increasingly high levels of unsustainable theft,” he said. “Our top priority is the safety of our associates and customers. Our training emphasizes the importance of using sound judgment and avoiding situations that could endanger our team or customers while protecting our products.”
At the Giant Food in Leisure World of Maryland in Silver Spring, the self-checkout clerk said theft was such a problem that the store removed the five-cent plastic bags from the self-checkout area.
Customers were required to scan their groceries, set them aside, and then seek out the self-checkout clerk to purchase the number of bags needed.
On June 21, a customer lambasted a manager, complaining that he was being punished for someone else’s crime. Within five days, the bags had returned to the self-checkout area. Staff at the customer service desk said the bags had returned after customers complained about the inconvenience of the new bagging system.
“We need to be able to run our stores safely and profitably, and we take these responsibilities seriously. The tactics we deploy are only one of the solutions to our problem,” Arons said.