Importance of Store Front Windows

[MrMachine]

Originally Posted by Duane

This is my front of the store at night. When the police drive by they can see the whole store......

Nice Duane!
Yes, allowing the cops to peek in makes armed robbers more nervous than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs, lol.
In fact, the only times we've ever been held up has been during the DAY, when the cops can't see inside the store.
So big windows are not only for the customer's perception of safety, but also for real safety.

I have one Mat that closes at midnight. Here in NYC, it's standard operating procedure to have roll down gates.
Instead, I use roll down grills. Yes, the bad guys can hook a chain to the grill and rip it right off the store, but that kind of brazen act is rare nowadays.
I'd rather have the security of allowing the cops to take a peek inside when passing because many times the bad guys will rip off a duct and enter through the roof. If they do that in my Mat, it's like they are on stage.

Besides, if you leave a couple of lights on, nice big windows help to sell your store to potential customers passing by when you're closed.

[dbrown2508]

There was a store that I took a look at once. It was at the back of a plaza. Not only did it have very little in the way of windows (cause it was essentially in the basement - had a few windows right at the top) but there was also a few stairs to get to it.

The place had been there for years. Rent was about half the price of what market was. And their prices weren't cheap. They made a living. But suspect their volume would have gone up significantly if they were in a better location. Enough to make up for the 2 grand per month discount in the rent - probably.

[ldm]

On a good window importance scale of 1 to 10...I would put the windows around 8 to 9. Les