When I worked as a convenience store clerk I always had a rule:
Commit a robbery with no gun, you'll get no money & receive a major beat down courtesy of my 6 D-cell mag light.
I realize that the money in the store isn't mine & its not worth dying for. Here's how I look at it: The guy is stealing from the company that is putting food on my table, clothes on my back, & a roof over my head. When he steals from the company, he is stealing from me, which I happen to take very personally.
While working, I was robbed twice. The first time it occurred shortly after Hurricane Ivan. The guy did not produce a weapon & caught me totally off guard. He lunged over the counter with his hands in my cash till. My mag light was completely out of reach. Out of a possible $120.00, he only managed to get $33.00. He was never caught.
This got me to think about a plan of attack if I should get robbed in the same manner again. The counter is wide, that guy that robbed me did not have his feet on the ground when he lunged over the counter. The side I was on (the cashier side) is also slightly elevated (almost 1 foot) higher than the customer side. The puts the person lunging in a perfect position for me to grab a handful of hair with my left hand & pound away on the back of the neck.
When ever there was a person going around robbing businesses in the area, I would also create what I called my "playground of weapons". I would set up unconspicuous items around the store. I kind of got the idea that anything can be a weapon from watching hardcore wrestling matches. This could be a pair of scissors, a sock with a can of dog food stuffed in it, or even a broom handle. These items would be there in the event I was robbed & removed from behind the register. No matter where I was in the store, I would be within close proximity to these improvised weapons.:tonofbricks:
Fortunately, for the next guy that robbed me, he had a gun. I'd be willing to go toe to toe against someone with a knife, but there's no way to beat a bullet unless the guy is just a bad shot. Even at that, if there is a third party present in the store, you don't want them getting injured or killed. In that case, I'll just hand over the money. The second guy got caught & robbed two other businesses (one of them twice). He pled guilty on 2 of the 4 counts & got two 25 year concurrent sentences.:BangHead: