alex sammon
@alexsammon.bsky.social
features writer @ slate alex.sammon@slate.com
many thanks to the kind folks at @longreads.com for highlighting my latest feature on the shoplifting crisis longreads.com/2026/07/15/a...
Inside America's Shoplifting Lab - Longreads
"In the war on 'shrink,' big retailers are turning to one Florida outfit to study shoppers and prevent them from stealing. I went there—and saw far too much."
longreads.com
Priceless detail in this @alexsammon.bsky.social piece on who is still eating Taco Bell : "A man named Mark sat in the opposite window, also eating lunch. But upon inspection, he was having clam chowder, which is not a menu item sold at Taco Bell." slate.com/life/2026/07...
If You Want to Stare Into the Soul of America Right Now, I Recommend Your Local Taco Bell
“I spent $21. If I feel bad, I’ll return tomorrow with the police.”
slate.com
Fascinating look into the imaginary shoplifting epidemic and the people really making money off it
alex sammon@alexsammon.bsky.social · 3w agoAmerica is in the midst of a shoplifting crisis the level of social collapse. Gavin Newsom thinks so; Ron DeSantis thinks so; House D+Rs think so. So i went to the world's most advanced anti-shoplifting lab to get the hard science, and found...the anatomy of a crime panic. slate.com/life/2026/07...
This one was a great read. Nice, @alexsammon.bsky.social
alex sammon@alexsammon.bsky.social · 3w agoAmerica is in the midst of a shoplifting crisis the level of social collapse. Gavin Newsom thinks so; Ron DeSantis thinks so; House D+Rs think so. So i went to the world's most advanced anti-shoplifting lab to get the hard science, and found...the anatomy of a crime panic. slate.com/life/2026/07...
Remember, kids...don't shoplift! If you want to steal and get away with it, go into banking, investments, gambling, etc.
alex sammon@alexsammon.bsky.social · 3w agoAmerica is in the midst of a shoplifting crisis the level of social collapse. Gavin Newsom thinks so; Ron DeSantis thinks so; House D+Rs think so. So i went to the world's most advanced anti-shoplifting lab to get the hard science, and found...the anatomy of a crime panic. slate.com/life/2026/07...
Ye gods how is this making me laugh and my skin absolutely fucking *crawl* at the same time???
“It also contradicted the Council on Criminal Justice’s findings that the shoplifting rate in 2023 was actually 10% lower than in 2019. One thing about the panic over shoplifting is that the retractions became a recurring feature…” Fascinating read that punctures a few dominant narrative bubbles!
alex sammon@alexsammon.bsky.social · 3w agoAmerica is in the midst of a shoplifting crisis the level of social collapse. Gavin Newsom thinks so; Ron DeSantis thinks so; House D+Rs think so. So i went to the world's most advanced anti-shoplifting lab to get the hard science, and found...the anatomy of a crime panic. slate.com/life/2026/07...
This is a delightful and fascinating long read. The banana "tip" was my favorite part. 😉
alex sammon@alexsammon.bsky.social · 3w agoAmerica is in the midst of a shoplifting crisis the level of social collapse. Gavin Newsom thinks so; Ron DeSantis thinks so; House D+Rs think so. So i went to the world's most advanced anti-shoplifting lab to get the hard science, and found...the anatomy of a crime panic. slate.com/life/2026/07...
America is in the midst of a shoplifting crisis the level of social collapse. Gavin Newsom thinks so; Ron DeSantis thinks so; House D+Rs think so. So i went to the world's most advanced anti-shoplifting lab to get the hard science, and found...the anatomy of a crime panic. slate.com/life/2026/07...
It’s Where Retailers Wage War on Shoplifters. I Went There. I Saw Too Much.
At the headquarters of the war on “shrink,” I saw too much.
slate.com
Thank you @alexsammon.bsky.social, @slate.com's features writer, for joining the podcast to discuss longform gonzo reporting, recruiter scams, and neighborhood controversies. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/r...
Recruiter Scams and Controversial Neighbors ft. Alex Sammon
Podcast Episode · The Study Hall Podcast · June 1 · 42m
podcasts.apple.com
On the brutal, unrelenting decline of a signature business: "Who Killed the Florida Orange?" @alexsammon.bsky.social @slate.com (Plus- National Raisin Day) Contemplate the consequences of climate change and contagion: roughlydaily.com/2026/04/30/d...
This article is exhaustive and fascinating. It ties together the FL citrus biz and its many challenges with regional history and a healthy splash of anecdotal narrative. Stories like this are why writers want to be writers.
alex sammon@alexsammon.bsky.social · 4mo agoThe Florida orange crop has collapsed 95 percent in 20 years, headed for a century-low 12 million boxes. 100 percent of the trees are infected with a disease transmitted by an invasive Chinese bug, and deemed "incurable." Who killed the Florida Orange? slate.com/business/202...
Also, it should be said: @alexsammon.bsky.social is on an incredible heater of late.
Blown away by this (devastating) piece. Come for a careful investigation on the collapse of the Florida orange, stay for details like a data center being built on the site of old groves "on the corner of Orange Avenue and Minute Maid Road."
alex sammon@alexsammon.bsky.social · 3mo agoFor Earth Day: The might Florida Orange industry has collapsed 95 percent in 20 years. 100 percent of the trees are infected with a disease deemed incurable. Was it Chinese pestilence that killed the FL orange? Or real estate, wall street, globalization, and pesticides... slate.com/business/202...
A microcosm of America in 2026: “Who killed the Florida orange?” Masterful journalism & a must read by @alexsammon.bsky.social “…private equity, Wall Street, the Great Recession, suburban sprawl, climate change, an addiction to Monsanto's glyphosate. All swallowed the mighty Florida Orange alive.”
alex sammon@alexsammon.bsky.social · 4mo agoThe Florida orange crop has collapsed 95 percent in 20 years, headed for a century-low 12 million boxes. 100 percent of the trees are infected with a disease transmitted by an invasive Chinese bug, and deemed "incurable." Who killed the Florida Orange? slate.com/business/202...
For Earth Day: The might Florida Orange industry has collapsed 95 percent in 20 years. 100 percent of the trees are infected with a disease deemed incurable. Was it Chinese pestilence that killed the FL orange? Or real estate, wall street, globalization, and pesticides... slate.com/business/202...
It Was on Your Table Every Morning Growing Up. It’s Dying Before Our Eyes. No One Wants to Face It.
The powerhouse of American citrus is suffering a brutal decline. Everyone has a theory about why.
slate.com
The Florida orange crop has collapsed 95 percent in 20 years, headed for a century-low 12 million boxes. 100 percent of the trees are infected with a disease transmitted by an invasive Chinese bug, and deemed "incurable." Who killed the Florida Orange? slate.com/business/202...
It Was on Your Table Every Morning Growing Up. It’s Dying Before Our Eyes. No One Wants to Face It.
The powerhouse of American citrus is suffering a brutal decline. Everyone has a theory about why.
slate.com
This is amazing.
alex sammon@alexsammon.bsky.social · 4mo agoIn 2022, Gil Kerley opened a used bookstore in Albuquerque. His neighbors were elated—gentrification! Higher property values! Then they watched in dismay as he moved a steadily growing homeless camp into the parking lot. Was it all a revenge plot? slate.com/business/202...
This is some read.
alex sammon@alexsammon.bsky.social · 4mo agoIn 2022, Gil Kerley opened a used bookstore in Albuquerque. His neighbors were elated—gentrification! Higher property values! Then they watched in dismay as he moved a steadily growing homeless camp into the parking lot. Was it all a revenge plot? slate.com/business/202...
The article keeps hinting at a big secret from Gil’s past that points to a sinister motivation, but he just seems like a genuinely idealistic guy, who’s only (admittedly major) mistake was thinking he could do this all by himself.
alex sammon@alexsammon.bsky.social · 4mo agoIn 2022, Gil Kerley opened a used bookstore in Albuquerque. His neighbors were elated—gentrification! Higher property values! Then they watched in dismay as he moved a steadily growing homeless camp into the parking lot. Was it all a revenge plot? slate.com/business/202...
This story is a wild ride and I recommend taking it. For what it’s worth, the reaction that tells me the most about whose side I’m on is Janet’s (late in the piece, when it’s all over). But there’s a lot to experience here that doesn’t boil down to whose side you pick, whoever it is.
alex sammon@alexsammon.bsky.social · 4mo agoIn 2022, Gil Kerley opened a used bookstore in Albuquerque. His neighbors were elated—gentrification! Higher property values! Then they watched in dismay as he moved a steadily growing homeless camp into the parking lot. Was it all a revenge plot? slate.com/business/202...
"For a long time, the housed neighbors had felt like the city had abandoned homeless people. Now they felt like the city was abandoning them." @alexsammon.bsky.social for @slate.com #longreads slate.com/business/202...
When the New Neighbor Arrived, They Were Excited. It Turned Into a Seven-Year Nightmare That Had Liberals Losing Their Minds.
The seven-year war between the bookstore owner and the good liberals who went rogue.
slate.com
My goodness, this piece is messy, complex, bleak, deeply human. Absolutely Incredible piece of journalism from @alexsammon.bsky.social
When the New Neighbor Arrived, They Were Excited. It Turned Into a Seven-Year Nightmare That Had Liberals Losing Their Minds.
The seven-year war between the bookstore owner and the good liberals who went rogue.
slate.com
In 2022, Gil Kerley opened a used bookstore in Albuquerque. His neighbors were elated—gentrification! Higher property values! Then they watched in dismay as he moved a steadily growing homeless camp into the parking lot. Was it all a revenge plot? slate.com/business/202...
When the New Neighbor Arrived, They Were Excited. It Turned Into a Seven-Year Nightmare That Had Liberals Losing Their Minds.
The seven-year war between the bookstore owner and the good liberals who went rogue.
slate.com
.@alexsammon.bsky.social profiled a day laborer at a Los Angeles Home Depot. a tragic story, expertly told: slate.com/business/202...
Great @alexsammon.bsky.social article, and also, I wasn't imagining it after all slate.com/business/202...
