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June 6, 2024
Will Body Cameras Scare Shoplifters?
TJX Companies has started outfitting security guards at some of its stores in the U.S. with police-type body cameras as part of its ongoing efforts to counter a rise in shoplifting incidents.
“When somebody comes in, it’s sort of — it’s almost like a de-escalation where people are less likely to do something when they’re being videotaped,” CFO John Klinger said last month on TJX’s first-quarter analyst call.
TJX said in a media statement that the body cameras are worn by loss prevention officers who are trained on how to use the devices. The footage will only be shared with law enforcement upon request or in response to a subpoena. TJX’s statement concluded, “Body cameras are just one of the many ways that we work to support a safe store environment. We hope that these body cameras will help us de-escalate incidents, deter crime and demonstrate to our associates and customers that we take safety in our stores seriously.”
Klinger cautioned that TJX would continue to have a “high focus on making sure that we balance protecting the goods with making sure that the customers can shop easily and be able to buy the goods while also maintaining safety in our stores.”
TJX, whose banners include T.J.Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods, expects shrink to be flat this year.
TJX isn’t the only U.S. retailer using the technology. According to the National Retail Federation’s 2023 National Retail Security Survey, 35% of U.S. retailers were researching body-worn cameras for workers, with 11% piloting or testing the technology.
In the U.K., Lidl last August said it became the first U.K. grocer to provide body-worn cameras to all associates in the region as part of efforts “to address the alarming rise of incidents facing retail workers every day.” Tesco also started providing body-worn cameras last fall to staff members after seeing physical assaults rise by a third in a year.
U.K. bakery chain Greggs earlier this year gave associates body cameras after a rise in thefts and threats from customers. A source told The Sun that the cameras were being used because staff were “worried they could be attacked.”
The body cameras arrive as many retailers have reported an uptick over the last two years in organized theft, which typically involves groups of thieves stealing items to resell online through sites like Amazon or eBay. According to the NRF’s survey, some 88% of U.S. retail respondents said shoplifters overall are “somewhat more or much more” violent and aggressive compared to one year ago, with 49% indicating “much more.”
Criminologists told CNN that body cameras can aid in investigations over in-store incidents, also including accusations of racial profiling or wrongful arrests for shoplifting. Body cameras could also help identify shoplifters, although having to get close to the suspect to secure a recognizable image carries risks for security personnel. Criminologists were more skeptical that body cameras would deter crime since shoplifters already assume they’re being filmed by standard security cameras.
The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) is pushing for the New York Senate to pass the Retail Worker Safety Act that would require retailers to have written workplace violence prevention programs, including guidance on de-escalation tactics and active shooter training. Large retailers must install panic buttons throughout stores under the legislation.
Speaking to CNN, Stuart Appelbaum, the president of the RWDSU, expressed concerns about the information body cameras are collecting and whether they could be employed in union-busting efforts. He said, “Employees feel like they are under surveillance.”
Discussion Questions
Will body cameras help retailers reduce shrink and/or in-store confrontations?
Should the cameras be given to all associates or reserved for security personnel?
Will body cameras cause privacy concerns and otherwise negatively impact the shopping experience?
Poll
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Body cameras may act as a deterrent for casual shoplifters as they increase the chance of identifying thieves. That said, it’s no good just identifying and recording information: this has to be carried through to prosecution and punishment. It must be made clear to shoplifters that crime does not pay, and that’s the responsibility of the justice system, not of retailers. As for privacy concerns, most stores already have cameras so it’s hardly an area of contention.
The folks at TJX tend to be really smart people. So I’m sure there is some due diligence behind this. But…video without consequences is…nuthin’.
In communities where laws are not enforced, or where police are disempowered by “Progressive” city governments, nothing will scare shoplifters, especially mob types. Theft, shoplifting, and gang stealing will not diminish under current conditions, until voters elect law enforcers to office, or until retailers pressure officials to enforce the law.
It is possible that body cameras will help “catch” some individual shoplifters, but I do not believe they will “scare” them into not committing theft. The cameras and security might just inconvenience them, some.
It has been reported that many shoplifters have been “caught,” but not prosecuted. In the absence of more conservative law enforcement leaders, there will be no end to the shoplifting problem, especially in mobs.
It has been decided that arresting or prosecuting these people is “politically incorrect.”. However, most of the thieves are not stealing out of need. The merchandise is stolen and sold on Ebay. Db
Most interesting statistic, if accurate…
These data and insights were compiled by the Capital One Shopping team based on publicly available data.
I did cherrypick the examples to make a point.
You mean paying living wages and treating employees like humans helps? Of course you know that 50% of all theft is employee-based.
This is a liability issue, and belongs more in TriaLawyerWire than here; or, to put it another way: if you’re worried about what your security staff is wearing, you either have too much time on your hands, or are in deep ****; either way, it is – or should be – a non-issue.
every Retailer has cameras in the ceilings and over the checkout stands. I don’t think it’s made any difference except for forensics.
This plan could create more trouble than it solves
Body cameras might help, but what will really cut down on theft is when the criminals are punished. If the punishment hurts, they will stop – and others will get the message.
One other idea to help deter theft is friendly engagement as customers (or shoplifters) enter the store. I worked with a retailer where when everyone walking through the door is greeted, and there is interaction with employees as the customers walk through the store, there is a drop in shoplifting. When shoplifters are ignored, it’s easier to get in and out without being noticed. Still, there needs to be a punishment that fits the crime.
Shoplifters know they can get away with it. Let’s make it harder for them, by any means possible. My local liquor store posts photos of shoplifters and displays them on the doors to the store…let’s make them all famous.
Will body cameras scare shoplifters? I doubt it. Television cameras don’t scare today’s shoplifters.
Police officers are specially trained to use body cameras. I hope TJX will provide the same training for its security guards, otherwise it could be putting those associates in harm’s way.
Body cameras may help incrementally, only because they’re more front and center than the existing fixed cameras. They likely don’t need to be provided to all associates, but certainly, as example, providing them to the supervisors of the self-checkout area makes sense. I certainly don’t believe there are any privacy concerns, given the volume of cameras already in place. It all comes down to deterrence is one thing, but consequences are another. If law enforcement won’t prosecute the shoplifters, what else can the retailers do?
I will take someone wearing a body camera any day over having every single thing locked up in the store. We have to end the freedom of anonymously stealing things. TJ Maxx already reports when someone approaches a customer wearing a body camera it de- escalates situations entirely. and unlike one commenter , this has nothing to do with progressive politics as much as emboldened thieves
Well, we ought to check the shrink percent (vs. lost gross margin, which is a whole other thing) before we declare the thieves emboldened. I’m unconvinced. I believe in aggregate shrink has reduced over the past few years.
Most stores today already have quite an array of camera technology, and I’m a big advocate of creating safe and secure environments for employees and shoppers. However, all the technology in the world won’t deter mobs and seasoned shoplifters when they know there are little to no consequences of their actions. Local, state and federal policies need to be tightened and enforced in order to curb this rising and problematic issue.
Not a departure from the typical thinking of cameras will deter shoplifters. Pimloc, a security company estimates 34 existing cameras per store. A Walmart in. North Carolina has over 68 cameras all over the premises. SMBs have increased security camera installation by 54%. Will the added body cams matter- probably not. However, the added security guards at the TJX store with active shooter training and training on how to capture the right footage will. Shoplifters have a free rein because law enforcement is negligible for such crimes. Our officers are on other tasks such as homicides and kidnappings, usually more significant. In-store security remains important, but it’s usually in the hands of the enterprise, not a societal drive.
Shoppers are being continually monitored in most retail environments whether they know (or like) it or not. Yet, perception is reality. Visible cameras might deter petty theft. That’s no small matter at TJX banners, where treasure hunt trinkets are core to the model.
Why not for the security staff? There is little downside, and the camera may deter the casual shoplifter. Beyond that, regular shoplifters have a mission. One more camera will not discourage them since they are not deterred by the cameras already blanketing the store.
The shoplifting problem is cultural. In people’s minds, it is a crime that doesn’t matter. Walmart, Walgreens, et al. “They can afford it.” Consequently, “Why waste time and resources arresting and prosecuting?” People may be more concerned about privacy than shoplifting.
My last sentence makes me smile. Do people think there is any privacy today?
Body cameras need to be obvious to be a real deterrent. That may make them clunky and there will be pushback. Luxury stores will not accede to using them. The cameras will be effective in certain retail environments but not all, and not with organized shoplifting gangs. It is a sad commentary the we need them in the first place.
There are so many District Attorneys who do not prosecute shoplifting at all that the “perps” are getting pretty brazen. Plus they are (in many cases) so masked up that the cameras will have little to no effect. Add to this the trend of firing associates who try to intervene and you have a perfect storm of a culture of “come inside and help yourself”.
Verdict: No effect.
Presumably these body cameras are more sophisticated (AI-driven) than existing in-store camera networks and therefore more effective at detecting unsavory behavior among shoppers and staff alike.
Already many store associate roles have shifted toward cold surveillance rather than warm service, especially at self-checkout. Yet arming associates with body cameras currently seems excessive except in locations where customer aggression, shrinkage or internal theft have spiked.
Whether security personnel or store associates use the body cameras, retailers can share what data they collect and how they plan to use it.
Any retailer interested in reducing or stopping shoplifting should test body cameras. Then compare the cost of the system with the reduction in shoplifting and see the difference. The results may be surprising.