Robberies Can Put Your Business at Risk

For many small businesses, a robbery can be anything from irritating to devastating. For example, someone stuffing a few cans of soda down their pants and silly walking out the front door is annoying, but shaking the loss off isn’t exactly difficult. Coming in one morning to find a brick through your window, your cash register raided, half your goods missing, and your store in total disarray, now that’s a different story.

Tragedies never happen when they’re convenient for you. In fact, they have a knack for happening at the worst time possible. If you don’t have a retail store security system, read on.

Businesses Most at Risk

Not all businesses are created equal in the security world, and what we mean by that is some of them are naturally more prone to robberies than others, and that’s typically based purely on factors outside the stores’ control. It could be anything from the way they handle money to the type of product they sell. The businesses most likely to suffer a robbery are:

• Convenience stores
• Supermarkets
• Jewelry stores
• Liquor stores
• Gas stations

There are good reasons why these businesses need to invest to prevent theft. They all have three primary traits in common that thieves look for when they’re considering their next target.

1 – Cash on Hand

This is true of most businesses, but retailers that sell bigger ticket items are less likely to have a lot of physical cash on hand. The reason being that they tend to deal in cards. If someone goes to a furniture store and buys a $5k bedroom set, they’re not going to pull out a sweaty wad of hundred dollar bills; they’re going to use their credit or debit.

People don’t always act the same for smaller items. It’s far more likely that stores dealing in cheap consumables will have customers paying in cash. It also means these stores are more likely to bring in a set amount of money for the day in case a customer needs change, adding a baseline reward for anyone that raids the cash register.

2 – Goods Valuable to the Criminal

Sometimes it’s not the cash in the register itself, but the goods the shop is carrying that inspires thieves to don their robbing gloves on. Now, the obvious example here is jewelry stores. Customers are likely to use their cards when making these purchases, so there might not be a lot of cash on hand, (and criminals like to act with as much certainty as possible). But the jewelry itself is worth money, and if a criminal knows the right people, they can have it fenced in exchange for cash.

In fact, if the retail security system is weak enough and the goods worth enough, you’re increasing your chances of a criminal using the threat of violence with a dangerous weapon to get what they want.

The less obvious answer to this question is that most retail stores actually fall under this category. Stores exist to sell the goods people want or need. It may sound ridiculous that someone would risk being arrested for armed robbery over cigarettes, but some criminals can be that impulsive. Addictive substances, including alcohol or medical drugs, are far more likely to cause a robbery. These stores are also more likely to suffer repeated shoplifting if security solutions aren’t utilized.

3 – Low Security Threat

Finally, criminals are almost always looking for an easy mark. Large stores with strong retail store security systems like alarms, vaults, security cameras, etc., are safer from robbery, even if they have more cash on hand and products of worth. However, even they’re not immune to smash-and-grab tactics.

As we said before, the criminals with anything going on upstairs like to deal in assurances. If they feel the security is so lacking that they have a good chance of escaping, they’re far more likely to take the chance.

When You Should be Thinking of Security

How do you know when it’s time to invest in a security system? We would humbly suggest not currently having one is reason enough, but there are circumstances you may find yourself in that should urge you into action.

Are you Located Near a Highway?

Even if you’re not located in a high-crime area, if you’re close to an on/off ramp to a highway, opportunistic criminals might choose you solely based on that fact alone. Making a quick getaway is vital to a robbery’s success, and easy access to a highway makes that easier.

Do You Know a Store Nearby That Was Robbed?

If a store near your own was just recently robbed, that could be an indicator that your area is being targeted. We feel it’s always better to be safe than sorry, but when you see your neighbors being sorry, that’s really a sign that you need to start being safe.

Is Your Store Secluded or Unlit?

Just like opportunistic predators in the wild, criminals will go after prey that’s secluded or out of sight. Stores on the side of motorways or those that are dimly lit are far more enticing prospects to criminals than those that aren’t. Criminals don’t want to be seen; they want to remain outside line of sight for as long as humanly possible. Sometimes all it takes is a strategically positioned light to dissuade someone from throwing a brick through your window and climbing in.

Don’t Let it Happen to You!

Alarm systems, video surveillance, and access controls. If your business is lacking anti-theft devices like these, you’re relying on nothing other than good fortune to keep all your hard work safe. Ask yourself this question. If your business were to be robbed today, product taken off the shelves, the cash register broken and cleared, and damage done to your windows or front door, would you be able to handle the cost? Would it be worse than a monthly security package?