A majority of American retail workers (57%) report feeling unsafe going into the peak holiday shopping season, according to Motorola Solutions’ second annual U.S. Retail Worker Safety Report. This is understandable, as many of the 1,000+ retail managers and staff surveyed said they have experienced increases in various forms of crime in the last year, and more than half reported concerns about hostile customer interactions and store theft.

The independent market research firm Researchscape conducted the U.S. survey in September 2024 to gauge retail workers’ perspectives about safety and workplace security measures.The results show that security technologies - systems that can detect weapons, lock doors and allow store security officers to view real-time video of unfolding incidents - make people feel safer at work. Similar independent surveys were conducted in the U.K. and in Australia and New Zealand, countries also dealing with high retail crime rates.

“As we approach peak shopping season, it's clear that the retail industry continues to grapple with theft and, at times, even more violent crimes,” said Sharon Hong, vice president of Ecosystem Solutions at Motorola Solutions. “Retail workers and managers surveyed believe technology can play a role in helping to curb the issue, from deterring theft to de-escalating hostile customer interactions. Technology can also simultaneously notify everyone, including 9-1-1, of an emergency, quickly and efficiently connecting those in need with those that can help.”

Key findings in the U.S. report:

• Retail crime is on the rise: Many retail managers and staff surveyed said they have experienced increases in various forms of crime in their stores in the past year. The most common incidents reported were petty theft (66%), grab and runs (48%) and hostile customer interactions (46%). One in ten also said they have experienced physical attacks from customers.

• Holiday understaffing is causing safety concerns: Over 65% of retail workers said they expect to be understaffed this holiday season and this impacts how safe they feel going into peak shopping. Two out of three respondents (68%) who expect their stores to be understaffed said they don’t feel safe and 50% said they are concerned for the safety of their shoppers.

• Retailers are making more calls to first responders: More than 20% of those surveyed said public safety personnel such as police, EMS and fire are being called to their stores at least once per week, an increase of 16% over 2023. Emergency personnel are called to stores 2-3 times per month for 17% of respondents.

• Technology solutions can boost feelings of safety: Respondents pointed to access control systems (35%), license plate readers (32%), panic buttons (32%) and body cameras (20%) as measures that make them feel safer. Few retail workers reported having those security measures in place. Of those surveyed, 12% said they have access control systems, 9% have panic buttons, 7% have license plate readers and 6% are using body cameras.

• Body cameras are an emerging retail safety tool: Almost half of respondents said body cameras would help them feel safer, and a majority said the technology can help stores to better understand incidents (66%) and support investigations (66%). Additionally, 42% said body cameras can be a deterrent to aggressive or criminal behavior in stores. 

“Several industry studies have shown that retail crime is evolving – it has become more organized, coordinated and, importantly, more violent,” said Cory Lowe, Ph.D., director of research at the Loss Prevention Research Council. “Violence is a key concern among nearly every loss prevention leader we work with, and the changing nature of retail crime is driving them to search for innovative solutions that can help keep people safe. Safety is the most fundamental thing any business must provide their employees and customers – if they can’t keep people safe, they can’t keep them coming back to work or shop.”

To view the full findings of Motorola Solutions’ 2024 U.S. Retail Worker Safety Survey, download the report here.