&gt; Would anyone suggest the company were at fault if we were not discussing Walmart?<p>There is a a difference between <i>at fault</i> and <i>being stupid</i>.<p>No one deserves to be mugged, but one does not walk through a slum, drunk, while waving a wallet around.<p>As for WalMart, it can do many things.  Identifying known shoplifters and escorting them out.  Following shoplifters back to their car and identifying license plates and then reporting <i>THAT</i> to the police (which often has the advantage of catching a lot of shoplifted merchandise).  Designing customer flows so that people don&#x27;t feel they can shoplift easily.  Note that a lot of this falls into <i>PREVENTION</i> rather than <i>APPREHENSION</i>.<p>Walmart has lots of options, but no incentive to use them as long as they can pass the cost onto the police.