A robbery lasts minutes, but its effects on employees and the business can last far longer. Retailers that handle cash, stay open late, or operate with one or two employees on shift face the greatest exposure. The good news is that robbery risk responds well to practical controls: visibility, lighting, limited cash, good closing routines and clear training on what to do if it happens anyway. The single most important rule is that money and merchandise can be replaced and people cannot.

This guide covers how to make your store a harder target, what Washington requires of late-night retailers, how employees should respond during and after a robbery, and how insurance typically responds.

Understand what makes a store a target

OSHA's guidance for late-night retail establishments focuses on conditions that robbers look for: cash on hand, poor visibility into the store, dark parking areas and entrances, isolated locations, and employees working alone at night. Look at each location through that lens.

Cash

How much is in the register, how often it is dropped, and when and how deposits leave the store.

Visibility

Window signs, displays and shelving that block the view of the register from the street.

Lighting

Dark parking areas, rear doors, dumpster areas and walkways.

Staffing

Lone workers, late shifts, opening and closing routines, and history of incidents at or near the store.

Prevention controls that work

OSHA recommends a combination of physical and work practice controls. Most are inexpensive.

  • Keep the register visible. Keep window signs high or low and shelving low so employees can see out and police can see in. Use curved mirrors for blind spots.
  • Light it up. Maintain good lighting inside and outside, including parking areas.
  • Limit cash. Use a drop safe, keep register cash as low as practical, limit the number of open registers late at night, and post signs that cashiers have limited access to cash. Where practical, avoid accepting large bills.
  • Use cameras and alarms. Install video surveillance, place height markers on exit doors to help witnesses describe suspects, and provide panic buttons or other alarms where risk is apparent.
  • Control access. Keep doors locked before and after business hours, lock delivery and rear doors when not in use, and schedule deliveries during daytime hours.
  • Staff for the risk. Add staff at stores with a history of robbery or in higher-crime areas, use a buddy system, and escort employees to their cars late at night.
  • Work with police. Establish contact with local police, report all incidents, and share the store layout.
  • Check daily. Include lights, locks and cameras in opening and closing checklists.

Opening, closing and deposits

Opening and closing are vulnerable moments because fewer people are around and doors are being unlocked. Open and close with two employees where possible, have one person check the parking lot and entrances before unlocking, and keep the door locked until the store is ready. Vary the time and route of bank deposits, use a deposit bag that does not look like one, avoid carrying receipts or cash on your person unless necessary, and consider an armored car service for larger volumes. Never count cash in view of customers or the street.

Our articles on adequate lighting, security cameras and crime prevention through environmental design go deeper on layout and equipment.

Washington's late-night retail requirements

Washington has specific rules for retail businesses that make sales to the public between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. (restaurants, hotels, taverns and lodging facilities are excluded). Covered employers must:

RequirementWhat it means
Safe on premisesHave a drop safe, limited access safe or comparable device.
Posted noticePost a conspicuous sign in the window or door stating there is a safe on the premises that employees cannot access, and that the register holds only the minimal cash needed for business. The sign must not block a clear view of the register.
Outside lightingIf there is customer parking, operate outside lights for the part of the lot customers need during overnight hours you are open.
TrainingProvide crime prevention training before an employee works between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., provide an annual refresher, and keep a signed statement of the date, time and place of training.

Other states and some cities have their own rules for late-night or convenience stores, so check each location.

During a robbery

Train every employee, including part-time and seasonal staff, on these points and practice them in pre-shift meetings:

  1. Comply. Hand over money or merchandise without resisting or arguing.
  2. Stay calm and keep it short. The faster the robber leaves, the safer everyone is.
  3. No sudden moves. Keep hands visible and tell the robber before you move, for example "I am going to open the drawer now."
  4. Do not chase or fight. Do not follow the robber out of the store or try to stop them.
  5. Activate alarms only when it is safe. Follow your company's procedure for calling police or triggering an alarm.
  6. Observe. Note height against the door markers, clothing, voice, weapon, direction of travel and any vehicle, without staring.

Never resist. OSHA's late-night retail guidance tells workers to turn over money or valuables without resisting, and to avoid intervening in altercations unless enough trained staff or security personnel are present.

After a robbery

  1. Lock the doors once the robber has left and call 911. Get medical help for anyone injured.
  2. Protect the scene. Do not touch the counter or anything the robber handled.
  3. Separate witnesses. Ask each person to write down what they saw before talking to one another.
  4. Notify management and preserve all video.
  5. Report serious injuries. In Washington, a work-related in-patient hospitalization or fatality must be reported to L&I within 8 hours, and a non-hospitalized amputation or loss of an eye within 24 hours. Federal OSHA requires fatalities within 8 hours and the other severe injuries within 24 hours.
  6. Support employees. Offer time off, medical care and counseling. Robberies are traumatic even when no one is physically hurt.
  7. Review and improve. Look at what made the store a target and what could be changed.

See injury reporting and workplace violence prevention for more on reporting and employee support.

What insurance typically responds, and where the gaps are

  • Workers' compensation covers employees injured on the job in a robbery, subject to state rules on what conditions qualify. In Washington, coverage comes through L&I.
  • Commercial crime coverage can cover money and securities taken in a robbery inside or outside the premises, subject to limits. Many business owner's policies include only small sublimits for money and securities, which may not match how much cash you handle, especially on deposit runs.
  • Commercial property generally covers damage to the building, fixtures and stock from break-ins and vandalism, subject to deductibles and theft conditions.
  • General liability may respond if a customer injured during a robbery claims inadequate security.

Gaps to check: money and securities limits compared with peak cash on hand and deposits in transit, conditions that require a safe or alarm to be in use, coverage for employees carrying deposits, and any assault or similar exclusions on your liability policy.

When to call your broker

Call us after any robbery or attempted robbery, when you extend hours into the night, change how cash is handled or deposited, open a location in a higher-crime area, or want to confirm that your crime limits match your cash volume. As a broker, we compare options across the market and shape coverage around how your stores operate.

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