Protecting Drug and Liquor Stores
While all retail stores are potential targets for criminals, some properties are struck more often than others. Two types of retail stores that are often considered targets by criminals are liquor stores and drugs stores/pharmacies.
There are several reasons for this. One is because smash and grab criminals aim to get in and out of a property as quickly as possible with as much valuable merchandise as they can. If a criminal breaks into a liquor store or a pharmacy, they know that whatever they are able to steal will have a high value on the black market.
Plus, not only can items stolen from drug stores and liquor stores easily be resold for profit, but many criminals can also use the items they steal for themselves, increasing their desire to commit a crime.
Deterring Smash and Grab Robberies
Physical security gates can keep your business from becoming the victim of a smash and grab robbery. Security gates place a physical barrier between criminals and your property, making it much more difficult for anyone to gain unauthorized access to your site. As mentioned, criminals want to get in and out of a location as quickly as possible. They know that if they are able to leave the scene before the authorities can arrive, there is a very good likelihood that they will get away with their crime.
Security gates make a quick break-in and escape much, much more difficult and take much longer. Criminals know that even if they were somehow able to get through the gates, it would take them a very long time to do so, and they would likely need to have many different tools available. In most smash and grab robberies, criminals use simple tools such as baseball bats and crowbars to smash through windows and doors. These tools will not help them deal with a physical security gate.
The result? A criminal who attempts to break into a location that is protected by security gates is likely to be caught in the act while attempting to commit a crime, or they will give up and leave the scene emptyhanded. Either way, your store and your merchandise remain safe.
Preventing Shoplifting
Another crime that retail store owners – especially those who operate drug stores or liquor stores – should watch out for is shoplifting. Many medications and alcohol bottles can easily be taken from a shelf and slipped into a coat pocket or a bag without anyone noticing. Many pharmacies also sell other products – such as baby formula, razor blades, and make-up – that are also common targets for criminals. In fact, nearly any item that is small and valuable can be a potential focus for a shoplifter.
While store staff should always be on the lookout for shoplifters, it sometimes isn’t possible to spot them all, especially since staff have other responsibilities in the store as well.
One excellent way to prevent shoplifting is to lock small and valuable items behind security gates. This way, customers will have to ask staff to access these items, eliminating the risk of them being slipped into a pocket without being noticed.
