Retail Crime

Paper Summary:

The paper claims that it is possible for retail stores to take pro-active measures to reduce the threat of theft. The writer presents four articles that all suggest in different ways that reducing crime can best be achieved by making the act more difficult for potential criminals. The paper shows how this argument is based on rational choice theory and is a logical analysis of the crime and security situation.

From the Paper:

"Beck, Gill, and Willis (1994) point out that workers in retailing have more to fear than the loss of goods because of the increase in forms of violence in retailing. The workplace is a common setting for criminal victimization, and this includes violence directed at retail workers and customers alike. The authors cite a British survey of 5,400 retail outlets suggesting that in a single year, 14,000 staff members were subjected to physical violence, another 106,000 were threatened, and nearly 300,000 were victims of verbal abuse. A 1993 survey in a national clothing retail company was undertaken by the authors. The company sells quality fashion clothes for both men and women and has nearly 300 retail stores across the nation. The researchers drew on a random sample of 448 employees across the country, stratified by region and type of store, thus allowing valid inferences to be drawn about all employees. The research shows a clear need to provide support services for the victims of violence. A problem to be addressed is listed as "focused resentment" under which the victim's anger is not focused on the perpetrator, who is probably unknown, but on someone else, perhaps the employer who is accused of either neglecting or being ignorant of the needs of the staff. This resentment can reduce efficiency."

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