In recent years, criminal organizations have increasingly turned to organized retail crime (ORC) to generate illicit profits, especially in the convenience-store channel.
“The nature of organized retail crime, opportunistic theft and aggressive behaviors in stores has continued to evolve post-pandemic, pushing us to adapt faster and smarter,” said Liz McMillen, senior manager of retail asset protection, EG America, Westborough, Massachusetts.
- EG America is No. 6 on CSP’s 2025 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by store count.
To combat ORC, federal lawmakers this past spring reintroduced a bipartisan bill in response to the rise of retail crime.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nevada) reintroduced bipartisan legislation to crack down on flash mob robberies and intricate retail theft schemes.
The Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025 would establish a coordinated multi-agency response and create new tools to tackle evolving trends in organized retail theft.
“The rise in organized retail crime has left businesses scrambling, and it is time for Congress to pass this bipartisan legislation to help law enforcement agencies keep our communities safe,” Masto said an April 10 statement. “ORC is occurring across the retail enterprise—supply chains, bricks-and-mortar stores, warehouses and online—with stolen product sold for a profit, oftentimes to fund other crimes.”
- Read more on convenience-retail theft and solutions here.
On the state level, frustration is mounting as well. In New Jersey, a bill was signed into law that cracks down on ORC.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed the legislation on April 1, which requires the state’s attorney general to take actions to combat organized retail theft.
“No business owner or retail worker should have to fear for their safety or endure the financial loss caused by organized retail theft,” said Murphy. “Over the past few years, we have worked to crack down on organized retail theft, which threatens livelihoods and public safety.”
The New Jersey Gasoline, C-Store, Automotive Association (NJGCA), which represents more than 2,500 convenience stores throughout the state supported the bill.
“The threat of organized retail crime has been a growing fear for our members,” said Eric Blomgren, executive director of NJGCA. “Just a few months ago there was video of an employee at a gas station who fought off an armed robber with a windshield squeegee.”
Blomgren said this is not about a teenager pocketing a candy bar but is rather much more serious.
“This is about a professional criminal who pays people to go out and ransack store shelves, carrying out everything they can carry and bringing it back for a direct payment,” he said.
Blomgren said there are challenges once the theft is over. He said the retailer is left bearing the cost to replace the stolen merchandise and more, which he said involves time not spent managing the day-to-day of the business, growing the business, or spending time with their family.
“Retail work is hard enough and employers know that it would be hard enough to recruit people even without the risk of being robbed,” he said.
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