To catch a thief: UF research team leads world in study of retail crimes

October 9, 2007

When major corporations like Macy’s, The Gap and J.C. Penney need advice on how to prevent shoplifters from cutting into their bottom line, they call on the Loss Prevention Research Team at the University of Florida.

This multidisciplinary group uses a range of research methods and consists of experts from departments across campus which include criminology, retail marketing and consumer behavior, interior design and asset protection.

“We are trying to develop practical solutions retailers can use,” said Read Hayes, a criminologist and courtesy assistant professor in the department of Interior Design, who is currently co-conducting a national study that includes The Oaks Mall in Gainesville. “There’s this practical objective, and the goal of impacting the academic knowledge base.”

The team’s research helps retailers learn how to effectively prevent the increasingly sophisticated nature of retail theft. Using a “multimethod” approach, the researchers analyze video surveillance footage, conduct field experiments, evaluate store security procedures, and even conduct interviews with previous offenders to understand why they are successful, Hayes said.

“We’re looking at people very involved in highly organized retail crimes,” Hayes said. “We want to determine the dynamics of these groups. We want to know how they are recruited and trained, where they steal and who bails them out of jail.”

Professional shoplifters, or “boosters,” usually work in groups to target specific stores and merchandise. Boosters may steal thousands of dollars of merchandise in just one store visit, and later sell the stolen items at online auctions.

According to the National Retail Federation’s Organized Retail Crime survey, 79 percent of retailers said their company has been a victim of organized retail crime within the past year. The survey also found that 71 percent of retailers say they have noticed an increase in organized retail theft activity in the past year, up dramatically from 48 percent in 2006.

The Oaks Mall study coordinated by assistant professor Candy Carmel-Gilfilen will focus on how shoplifters react to different store environments, to determine how interior design can be used to reduce theft.

“The main emphasis of much of our research is on the professionals. By bringing them into a store, we get their impressions on how the store is designed,” Hayes said. “We also want to see the effects when we change certain things. This is all part of the puzzle.”

The UF Loss Prevention Research Team works in stores across the U. S. Other studies under way include examining video footage from The Home Depot stores in Tampa and evaluating security measures at Kroger stores in Atlanta. The team is also working with Sears, Beall’s, Macy’s, Circuit City, Publix, AutoZone, The Limited and Kmart.

“The University of Florida takes the lead on retail research for the world,” said Hayes. “We’re publishing results, presenting papers…leading companies come to us with a specific issue and problem, and they’re looking for solutions.”