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From June 2008
By Tracy Mullin
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Sponsored by
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Most retail executives start their days
thinking about everything from
comp-store sales to advertising
effectiveness to the latest technology
glitch. They rarely think about how a
violent attack in one of their stores
might affect the entire company. But
they should. |
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In just the past six months, incidents in Omaha,
Chicago, and Miami retail stores have brought
the issue of workplace violence to the
forefront. Many of these occurrences involved
active shooters, people using guns or rifles who
are actively engaged in killing others. These
incidents are especially unpredictable and
nearly impossible to prevent, as both places and
people are often selected at random. And while
retail stores are, by and large, safe places to
work and shop, any populated area could be a
target.
How retailers should prepare for a situation
involving an active shooter will be one of the
main topics of discussion later this month at
NRF’s Loss Prevention Conference & EXPO in
Orlando. Because store layouts and formats
differ so widely, there is no blueprint for the
best way to handle these incidents, but experts
agree that preparation is essential to keep
customers and employees as safe as possible
during a violent assault.
Loss prevention executives must work with store
managers and property managers to anticipate
these events. They must consider every scenario
in advance, determining how best to react and
respond in a limited time frame. Plans must be
made for the best way to communicate with
customers (and, possibly, mall management)
during attacks.
One of the most difficult challenges in planning
and training for such incidents is finding an
appropriate way to handle the issue without
creating panic or a sense of fear. At a minimum,
associates need to be trained to think on their
feet and remain calm. They should know the
location of all exits and recognize who is
responsible in the event of a lockdown.
Discussing how to handle an incident involving
an active shooter can be more important than
preparation for other emergencies because, once
under way, the event itself doesn’t last long.
In fact, most of these horrifying incidents are
over in three or four minutes, meaning that
store managers, employees and customers have
just a few seconds to react.
Preparation also includes having a plan for what
to do after an attack: Employees and customers
may need counseling, a store may be closed for
an undetermined amount of time and sales could
suffer even when it has reopened. In addition,
retailers should plan to analyze and critique
every incident – no matter how small – to better
prepare for future situations.
If you’re not thinking about violent attacks in
your stores, chances are that store managers and
employees aren’t, either. While unpleasant to
consider, preparing your stores for an attack
will undoubtedly help first responders handle
the situation quickly and could save the lives
of dozens of customers and employees. |
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