A business advocate says the Sandringham community is frightened and frustrated after two people were seriously injured in an aggravated robbery.
The victims were attacked by a pair of hammer-wielding robbers at the Mt Roskill store on Wednesday.
Police said the attackers took tobacco and cash before fleeing.
Sandringham Business Association chair Jithin Chittibomma told AM on Thursday the community is reeling from the attack.
"What else can you do? As chair of the Business Association, I have personally given feedback to the Government and we've told them retail crime is on the up," Chittibomma said.
"This has been going on since mid-late 2021 so what else can we do? We're obviously very frustrated."
Chittibomma said customers were asking retailers on a daily basis whether they felt safe.
He said the dairy owner was "very shaken" by the latest robbery.
"[The community is] obviously very concerned for shopkeepers. This particular dairy, the owner has owned it for 15 years so obviously he's connected to the community.
"There is great concern and I also think there is [a] great deal of frustration within the community as well.
"I worry that it's still going on - nothing's been done in the last almost two years. There's… no significant step taken by this Government to take this head-on and discourage perpetrators from doing this sort of thing."
Investigations into the latest robbery were continuing on Thursday, police said.
Police were "appalled at the reckless violence exhibited towards innocent members of our community" during the robbery "and we know the public share this view", Det Snr Sgt Chris Allan said.
He urged anyone with information to come forward.
Police Minister Ginny Andersen said this type of offending was "abhorrent".
"Any instance of violence against people is completely unacceptable. Everyone deserves to be safe when they go to work," she said in a statement.
Andersen reiterated the robbery was being taken "very seriously" by the police and were "working to hold the offenders to account".
The Government would continue to resouce the police so offenders could be held accountable, she said.
Last week, Auckland Minister Carmel Sepuloni was asked just how bad the crime was in her city.
"Oh I wouldn't say it's bad at all," the Deputy Prime Minister told Newshub.
Sepuloni said new programmes and increasing numbers of police officers were combating the problem.
"Everyone in Auckland feels that there are a number of things happening, particularly with ram-raids. Obviously, we have seen a decrease in those, we've seen investment in young people but, of course, it is front of mind for Aucklanders."
