Fighting retail theft: The use of appropriate security

Abstract

The retail theft problem is a massive one — but, argues the writer, to attempt to fight it by total security is not the answer. Making the store into a fortress is not only expensive but quite unsuitable for modern retailing. Appropriate security is the answer, based on three requirements: information and a thorough understanding of the problem; accepting the world as it really is, and not as it ought to be; and cost‐effectiveness — security policies have to be justified by their results on retail profits. Such security may not necessarily require technology. But it has to be based on a thorough understanding of the retailer's security needs and expertise. And the retailer must face up to the distressing fact that the majority of theft is probably committed by staff.

Citation

Bamfield, J. (1988), "Fighting retail theft: The use of appropriate security", Retail and Distribution Management, Vol. 16 No. 6, pp. 23-26. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb018383