Alfamart – target of break-in, cashless payment the solution?

Alfamart minimart in Indonesia is a popular destination for armed robbery. Below is a list of the most recent armed robberies at Alfamart in May 2014:

27 May 2014: 4 armed men robbed the Gading Rejo store in Pringsewu, Lampung, Java

25 May 2014: 2 armed men robbed Rp 12.2 million (USD 1,026) in cash and cigarettes from an outlet in Blimbing, Kota Malang, Java

21 May 2014: 3 armed men took several hundred thousand rupiah in cash and cigarettes from an outlet at
Jalan Sisingamangaraja in Medan, Sumatra

All three cases involved people armed with weapons including knives and guns and all they wanted were cash and cigarettes. In all three cases, the police had not made any arrest yet.

Placing security guards in each store is exorbitant. To deter robbery, Alfamart needs to ensure there is only minimum amount of cash kept at the cash register machine. It also needs to encourage consumers to turn to cashless payment. Cashless payment will probably be the next frontier for Alfamart going forward not only to discourage armed robbery but also to encourage more spending by consumers.