Inconvenience Store
The Smoking Gun has a video of a confrontation at a Florida convenience store between a machete-wielding would-be robber and a machete-wielding clerk:
On Tuesday (Nov. 14), a man wearing a blue sweatshirt and baggy jeans approached the counter of the Lil' Saints store in Stuart and pulled the weapon from his pants. After he moved away from the counter for a moment, clerk Guillermina Sanchez, 46, grabbed her machete from under the cash register. After a 20-second standoff (during which time the man frantically pressed keys on the register in a bid to open it), the robber left the business. Detectives believe the suspect in the November 13 incident was also behind a mid-October robbery at the store which netted him about $500.
This description is deficient in at least three regards. First, it fails to mention is that the robber didn't leave the business until the Guillermina's machete had been passed (out of view of the camera) to a fairly burly man, presumably her boss or co-worker. When he appears behind the counter with machete in hand, the robber bolts and it looks as if the man gives chase. Second, the description fails to mention that there was briefly another female clerk behind the counter with Ms. Sanchez. Finally, it neglects to state that the store was somewhat busy at the time. There were two customers helped immediately before the attempted robbery and at least one more immediately after. Thus, this was anything but a late-night stand-off between a robber and a clerk.
These facts are noteworthy because of a serious debate that has been underway for several years between the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) and various state and local government agencies responsible for workplace security. The particular bone of contention is whether or not the presence of multiple staff members deters crime in convenience stores. Not surprisingly, the NACS thinks it does not. Interestingly, on its "Industry Resources" page one can find detailed talking points arguing against the "two-clerk" solution. And on another page that take exception with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's "Recommendations for Workplace Violence Prevention Programs in Late-Night Retail Establishments", circa 1998.
OSHA asserts that the presence of two clerks is an effective deterrent to robbery. No reliable basis exists for that proposition. Rather, factors such as effective cash management, adequate lighting, and customer traffic are far more effective in deterring robbery. Because the location and environment of each outlet is unique, different strategies are appropriate for different outlets. OSHA's apparent belief that "one size fits all" is completely unrealistic.
Commentary
The overwhelming impression I have from reading the NACS reports is that they understand the nature of the problem and the efficacy of potential solutions far better than does the OSHA, and NIOSH. Their arguments are sharp and logical and their command of the facts and figures is impressive. Even the video, admittedly a single event from which we should very carefully draw conclusions, would seem to support the NACS position that two clerks isn't a cure-all. And yet, they have problem on their hands.
The problem that the NACS faces, however, is the impression that financial concerns lie behind their reluctance to increase staffing in late-night retail environments. And that is where the video- or at least the The Smoking Gun's description of it- hurts them. It feeds off of and plays into the image of a low-paid clerk, alone, at night, defenseless and told not by his superiors not to resist the wolves in sheep's clothing that are circling in the shadows. And though convenience store clerks are no everyman, the threat they face is near to a primal one. It a fear already easy to identify with and reinforced by virtue of its being standard fare for local newscasts. Worst of all for the NACS, like all fears this one is all but immune to logic, facts, and finely-honed, industry-approved talking points.
See also: New Mexico Issues Late Night Convenience Store Violence Standard | OSHA: Recommendations for Night Retail Workers | Caremark:Convenience Store Clerks | NIOSH: Occupational Violence |