A Wren Says

Recently, LAPD arrested multiple suspects following a flash robbery of stores in local shopping area. The thieves made way with $1000s worth of product in just minutes. There was coverage of the arrests made and how family members helped recognizing a loved ones. There is a focus on the criminals and fighting crime. The thing that stands out to me here, is that how I imagine the experience of the employees and shoppers that day so greatly contrasts with the messages that were put out regarding retail crime. Stores are just overdramatic. Crime isn’t really that bad. Those refrains have died down.

For a while critics pushed back on stores’ assertions that retail crime had increased.  Many experts believed that stores were just overreporting crimes and using it as an excuse to close stores. Perhaps the numbers were imperfect, but imagine how a retail employee would likely feel in the moment of a massive theft event. Imagine telling that person who has experienced such a brazen theft event, “Yeah, retail crime hasn’t really increased. You’ll be fine.” I don’t believe that will do much to ease the anxiety and extra adrenaline after having gone through that. I don’t think those words would make the employees feel more secure in their financial or physical safety.

I think that is something that got missed in a lot of those conversations: What about the people? Where is the empathy for the employee who no longer feels safe? What are the protections for those on the front lines, beyond telling them not to intervene? How do you support store employees so they don’t feel like it is on them? How do you adjust compensation policies, so that the store employees are not the ones who take a hit because there is no product left in the store to sell?

There are is something different about the theft that is happening now. My hope is that through it all, along with putting efforts to deter theft and recover stolen product, that brands really consider how to support and protect their employees who are experiencing it all.