Racial Profiling by Store Clerks and Security Personnel in Retail Establishments

Abstract

This article examines Shopping While Black (SWB), which is the practice of racial profiling in retail settings. The study couches this form of racial profiling under the following three criminological perspectives: labeling theory, conflict theory, and the colonial model. Based on a review of the literature and an analysis of appellate cases at the state and federal levels, the author concludes that, like racial profiling in automobiles, the concept of Shopping While Black requires serious scholarly attention. Given the nature of the problem, the following represent viable strategies to reduce such profiling: require clerks and security personnel to receive education on the perils of racial profiling, encourage victims of profiling to sue retailers who engage in these practices, and work with civil rights groups to organize boycotts. The article concludes by urging federal officials to increase current levels of funding to study and remedy these discriminatory practices.

Consumer Racial Profiling and Perceived Victimization: A Phone Survey of Philadelphia Area Residents

“…For example, the well-known litigation involving Denny's (see Adamson 2000) where Black customers alleged they were either not served or subjected to bad service, led to a multi-million dollar settlement. In addition, retailers such as Eddie Bauer Stores (see Russell 1999), Lord & Taylor, The Children's Place, and Dillard's have all been charged with engaging in discriminatory practices that target racial and ethnic minorities (especially Blacks) shoppers for additional scrutiny by clerks and security personnel (Gabbidon 2003). Other CRP incidents have involved prominent African Americans such as Oprah Winfrey, Sheryl Swoops, and others (see Fifield 2001), which has also likely sparked scholarly interest in the topic.…”

“…In recent years, Denny's and Cracker Barrel, represent some of the more widely known offenders of this form of profiling (see Harris 2003). Second, there are those instances where racial and ethnic minorities are profiled as suspected shoplifters and might receive discriminatory attention (Gabbidon 2003). This type of incident is the focus of the present paper.…”

Private security policing by ‘ethnic matching’ in Swedish suburbs: avoiding and managing accusations of ethnic discrimination

“…Previous research in the field of private security has focused on the actual service delivery of private security officers (Hobbs et al 2003, Wakefield 2003, Button 2007b, the 'risk gaze' or risk profiling targeting specific categories of people (McCahill 2002, Wakefield 2003, Hutchinson and O'Connor 2005 and also ethnic profiling by private security officers (Gabbidon 2003, O'Dougherty 2006, Kempa and Singh 2008, as well as public perceptions of the industry (Livingstone and Hart 2003, Noaks 2008, van Steden and Nalla 2010, Berndtsson 2011, Thumala et al 2011. This article broadens and, in part, rearranges this focus of the previous research on private security by looking at 'policing by ethnic matching', which involves deliberate attempts by private security officers to gain legitimacy in relation to a specific public by claiming 'likeness' to it in terms of ethnic background.…”

Perceptions of Consumer Racial Profiling and Negative Emotions

“…As noted previously, CRP is the discriminatory treatment of racial and ethnic minorities in retail establishments (Gabbidon, 2003;Gabbidon & Higgins, 2007). CRP has been used as an explanation for disparate treatment in stores or shopping malls.…”

“…The research on CRP has used several different methodologies to arrive at results that indicate minorities are not treated very well in retail establishments. For instance, within this literature, there are interviews (Crockett et al, 2003;Feagin, 1991;Henderson, 2001;Lee, 2000;Williams, Harris, & Henderson, 2001), reviews of legal cases (Adamson, 2000;Gabbidon, 2003;A. G. Harris, 2003;A.…”