Bad Economy, Dangerous Holiday Shopping

Still, LaRocca said that the federation, overall, hasn't recorded an increase in violent crime at retail locations. At least one retail chain -- Target -- reports that violent crime at its stores is actually down this year in comparison to last year, a company spokeswoman told ABCNews.com.

"Retail creates a safe shopping environment, but we are a place that invites customers in to shop," LaRocca said. "Unfortunately, those incidents occur as they occur in crowded places across the country."

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Security expert Chris McGoey of www.crimedoctor.com cautioned against drawing specific connections between the economy, the holidays and retail violence.

"Not to say that shopping at this time of the year doesn't add stress to the mix," McGoey said. But, he said, "there are shootings everywhere throughout the year."

Toys "R" Us, which declined to comment for this story, issued a statement last week that sought to distance the shooting at its Palm Desert store from holiday shopping mayhem and, specifically, the post-Thanksgiving consumer frenzy commonly known as Black Friday.

"Our understanding is that this act seems to have been the result of a personal dispute between the individuals involved," the company said. "Therefore, it would be inaccurate to associate the events of today with Black Friday."

The trampling incident at Wal-Mart, meanwhile, has been linked directly to Black Friday shopping chaos.

In a statement last week, the store said that it had erected barriers and had added both Wal-Mart security personnel and contracted security workers in anticipation of a large Black Friday crowd. The incident, the store said, occurred "despite all of our precautions."

But a local law enforcement official last week still criticized the store: Nassau County police spokesman Det. Lt. Michael Fleming told The Associated Press that the Wal-Mart in Valley Stream, N.Y., didn't have enough security.

Smith, the commanding officer of the police department's public information office, told ABCNews.com Monday that police were still investigating the store's security situation on the day of the incident.