ORC Is Up. What Convenience Stores Are Doing About It.

Organized retail crime is no longer a background problem. It's a front-of-store crisis. Here's what the numbers say—and what c-store operators are doing to fight back.

Why C-Stores Are in the Crosshairs

The convenience store format creates a near-perfect environment for ORC activity. High foot traffic, lean staffing, fast transactions, and densely packed shelves of small, high-value merchandise are exactly what criminal networks look for. As Appriss Retail notes in its guide to c-store loss prevention, energy drinks, alcohol, tobacco, over-the-counter medications, and baby formula are among the most frequently targeted categories. These items are easy to grab, easy to resell, and difficult to track once they leave the store.

Beyond merchandise, sophisticated theft rings have developed methods to exploit fuel dispensers as well, manipulating pump mechanisms to obtain fuel at a fraction of the actual cost. The scope of the problem has expanded well beyond what traditional loss prevention approaches were designed to handle.

Today's ORC isn't just about theft—it's increasingly violent. Violence against employees increased 17% year over year in 2024. Forty percent of retail workers say they feel scared to come to work. For c-store operators managing overnight shifts and high-turnover staff, this is an employee safety issue as much as it is an asset protection issue.

The Display Challenge Nobody Talks About Enough

Asset protection and merchandising are often treated as separate disciplines. But the best solutions integrate both.

A security case that's difficult to open, poorly labeled, or badly lit doesn't just frustrate customers—it slows transactions, creates lines, and costs sales.

The Bottom Line

ORC is not going away. The operators who are gaining ground treat loss prevention as a merchandising discipline, not just a security function.

Invest in display solutions that protect product without punishing the shopping experience, layer technology intelligently, and stay connected to what's working across the industry.