Retail Workers Want to Fight Back Against Thieves

Store workers have had it with rowdy customers and brazen thieves, with some saying their employers have been too permissive of surging retail crime and should provide more resources to thwart bad actors, The New York Times reports.

According to NYT‘s analysis of FBI data, assaults in retail establishments have been increasing at a faster rate than the national average. From 2018 to 2020, reports of assault to the FBI by law enforcement agencies increased by 42%; such reports increased by 63% in grocery stores and 75% in convenience stores.

To counter criminals, particularly thieves, store employees want more armed security guards who can take an “active role” in stopping them. They’d also like more retailers to take a page from the airlines’ playbook and permanently ban unruly and violent customers.

“These criminals feel like they own the store,” Tony Settles, a clerk at a Safeway store in Denver, told the outlet. “The No. 1 thing that can fix this is accountability.”

Read more at The New York Times.