They enter like any other customer, browsing through merchandise and meandering causally though the store.
Then, without warning, the store bursts into chaos as groups of people begin ripping items from shelves and running from the store, their speed and numbers overwhelming employees and security alike.
These “flash robs” are a criminal take on the “flash mob” phenomenon in which large groups of strangers are organized via social-networking services or e-mail to show up at the same time and place for mass public performances or pranks.
And a new report from the National Retail Federation — the world’s largest retail trade association — concludes that shop owners everywhere should be on the alert for more flash robberies.
“Retailers are raising red flags about criminal flash mobs, which are wreaking havoc on their business, causing concerns about the safety of their customers and employees and directly impacting their bottom line,” the report reads.
A July survey of retailers across the country found that 79 percent of businesses polled reported being a victim of a “multiple-offender” crime in the past year. At least 10 percent of those cases involved flash-mob tactics.
The survey also concluded that juveniles were involved in 83 percent of all multiple-offender incidents, and that social media or texting was known to be involved in organizing at least 42 percent of the cases.
In response to what the trade group says is a growing trend, the organization is providing advice for retailers that might encounter flash mobs. It says that employees should observe and report as much as possible and that store owners should monitor social-networking websites for signs of a planned attack.
Sean Maher, executive director Downtown Boulder, said flash mobs haven’t been on the radar of most Boulder stores.
“I’ve never heard of it happening here,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean it won’t.”
While Downtown Boulder hasn’t talked with retailers about the threat of flash robberies, Maher said, “We probably should make people aware of it.”
Greg Testa, Boulder’s deputy police chief, said the department hasn’t seen a problem with flash mobs.
“We monitor social media and other information sources as best as we can,” he said.
He said the city hasn’t had a problem with any flash mobs, although there have been some well-intentioned events.
Last Halloween, dozens of dancers gathered in a flash mob on the Pearl Street Mall to perform the dance from Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video. They blocked traffic briefly, but police let them finish the performance.
A group of homeless people and activists plan to gather in a flash mob Sept. 14.
And the city of Boulder is working with a California nonprofit group to organize a “carrot mob” in Boulder. A carrot mob encourages people to swarm a business and buy products — rather than steal them — as a reward for the company promising to use a portion of its proceeds to lessen its environmental impact.
