Premium
Advancing Retail Security Design: Uncovering Shoplifter Perceptions of the Physical Environment
Author(s) -
CarmelGilfilen Candy
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of interior design
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.229
H-Index - 13
eISSN - 1939-1668
pISSN - 1071-7641
DOI - 10.1111/j.1939-1668.2010.01057.x
Subject(s) - physical security , perception , product (mathematics) , deterrence theory , protocol (science) , design elements and principles , computer security , engineering , computer science , psychology , systems engineering , medicine , physics , geometry , mathematics , alternative medicine , pathology , neuroscience , nuclear physics
Security is imperative knowledge for the designer, yet little integration currently exists between security and interior design. Further, the retail environment has been recognized as holding great potential for crime reduction through enhanced design solutions. The purpose of this study was to explore perceptions of 24 expert and novice shoplifters using verbal protocol analysis, a methodology for eliciting verbal reports of thought sequences. The study objectives were to examine shoplifters' perceptions of the retail environment, investigate potential deterrents to crime, and explore the relationship between physical design features and security techniques. The results revealed significant differences between expert and novice shoplifters. Findings indicated that shoplifters focused attention on the evidence of design and security devices, including formal surveillance, product positioning, security tagging, employee positioning, access control, and store layout. Finally, the study also supported three profiles of shoplifters: low, medium, and high environmental deterrence. Overall, the study illustrates the potential of the physical environment to deter shoplifting, and proposes appropriate design solutions.