Convenience Store Robbery Convenience stores are “retail businesses with the primary objective of providing the public with a convenient place to quickly purchase from a wide range of consumer products (predominantly food and gasoline) and services" (page 2). More than 135,000 convenience stores operate in the United States. Known to police, convenience store robberies account for approximately 6% of all robberies. Over the past thirty years there has been little or no change to address the problem. “Convenience stores in particular locations may be vulnerable to repeat victimization, especially those with large amounts of cash, poor security, and few employees and customers likely to resist” (p. 3). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Some convenience stores are repeatedly victimized for several reasons. If a thief was successful, he might go back and rob the same store or he might tell other thieves about that certain convenience store. The media could make the convenience store more vulnerable by reporting successful robberies and could glamorize the crime. There are different types of convenience store robbery, depending on the offender's method of operation: – The first type of convenience store robbery is simple. Direct robbery occurs when the perpetrator “asks for money immediately upon entering the store” (p. 4). – The second type of convenience store robbery involves customers. Customer robbery occurs when the offender “asks for money some time after entering the store and performing the act of making a purchase” (p. 4). – The third type of convenience store robbery involves merchandise. Merchandise robbery occurs when the perpetrator “involves the forcible removal of goods from the store” (p. 4). – Theft of goods is less common and more employee injuries are reported as resistance and confrontation are more common in these types of situations (p. 4). There are damages resulting from convenience store robberies: – The first type of damage is physical damage. Workplace homicides are more common among convenience store employees. Clients may also be injured by the offender's assaults. Injuries occur because of an employee's active resistance or because the offender misinterprets the employee's nervousness or hesitation as resistance (p. 4). – The second type of damage is economic damage. Convenience store robberies are costly for the victim workers and for the store itself. The costs include fewer customers coming into the store to shop because they no longer want to shop at a store that has been robbed, which can lead to a loss of revenue due to fewer customers. sales. As a result of the robbery, stores may experience increased workers' compensation and insurance premiums. Some shops never recover and are forced to close. – The third type of damage is psychological. Victimized employees may suffer psychological harm. “Secondary victimization occurs when employers, managers, employees, or those responding to the robbery fail to recognize the victim's trauma” (p. 6). This could mean “not believing the victim's description of the attack, discounting the incident, and blaming or criticizing the victim” (p. 6). There are many factors that contribute to convenience store robberies: – The first factor that contributes to store robberies is the hours of operation. From late evening to early morning there is a greater risk of being targeted because not many people shop at that time. – The second factor that contributes to store robberies is the internal layout of the store. The employees.
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