Trying To Stop Shoplifting Can Be Crazy – How Do You Do It?


Training to reduce employee theft-3                                                                                      WC Blog 644
stop shoplifting-3

Trying To Stop Shoplifting Can Be Crazy – How Do You Do It?

     Three employees try to stop shoplifting by two or was it three shoplifters at once? Sounds crazy doesn’t it? Well, that was what happened the other night at the store I work at as a sales associate. It was getting to be a bit after 7:00pm and I was on a cash register, the manager on duty was helping me ring up sales and the third employee was busy assisting another customer. I noticed a customer walk in who seemed very fidgety and I greeted him from my register and asked if he would need help. He asked where printer ink was located and I gave him directions and kept an eye on the cctv monitor for that area. I pointed him out to my manager. We both noticed a second individual walk into another area with electronics merchandise in it. We worked to get our lines down so we could provide customer service to these two “customers”. The manager working with me recognizes my Loss Prevention Management background and respects my suspicions when something or someone does not feel right. I would ask owners of smaller, self-owned stores what do YOU do to prevent theft? Do you know how crooks operate and the methods they use to rip off stores? Do you understand the impact dishonest employees and shoplifters have on a business? Training to reduce employee theft and stop shoplifting can bring you up to speed and actually help improve the bottom line for your business.

     You read correctly that I was formerly a Loss Prevention Manager and I have over 28 total years of retail experience. I have seen the different ways large stores try to train employees and managers on how to prevent theft but they are not all equal and in many cases it is done only in a poor video training format. The best training I have found incorporates a live training session(s) in addition to follow-up videos and training modules. I have conducted new hire orientations and spent time coaching cashiers on how to prevent fraudulent transactions. I know first-hand the impact it has on people when they can ask questions and interact with an instructor. That is why I strongly recommend the training to reduce employee theft offered from Loss Prevention Systems Inc. They offer several seminars that teach store owners and managers on theft related issues. They also incorporate webinars, blogs and newsletters into a comprehensive package all with informed information from people who have extensive Loss Prevention backgrounds. You may not be able to afford a Loss Prevention team for your business but you can afford to learn the way to combat theft from Loss Prevention Systems Inc.

     To continue with our encounter, I stayed with the customer in the ink department as he pretended to try to contact someone on his phone to get him the information on his printer for the ink he needed. He bided his time to see if I would go away but I’m all about customer service and waited patiently. In the meantime a third suspicious person asked me for directions to the restrooms. The manager had observed this while he was finishing his transactions and said he had watched this guy watch me as I was helping the patron in the ink department (yup, it gets crazy to follow).  The manager finished and went to help the second subject in the electronics area. The manager told me later that the subject began rambling about nonsense when the manager offered to assist him. He also told me he saw something in the suspect’s hands that he tried to hide then put down and it turned out to be a box containing $30 earbuds. The box had been torn open and the customer had already started to remove the contents so the manager did stop shoplifting in this case. My suspect finally left the store and hung around the entrance looking back in so I stayed near the front where he could see me. The second suspect, uh, I mean customer, came to the register and put down three sets of earbuds at a total cost of $60 and then said he forgot his wallet and would be right back. Oddly, he never returned and the third suspect left without us seeing him.

     I am certain we stopped a significant amount of loss but I could not quantify a total amount. Had this been YOUR store would you and your managers have known what to do? Would you have even recognized the suspicious actions or that the people were probably working together? I can’t be at your store but training to reduce employee theft and prevent shoplifting from LPSI can ensure that you will be able to handle bad guys who want to steal from you effectively and safely.
Need information on training to reduce employee theft? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.

Three employees try to stop shoplifting by two or was it three shoplifters at once? Sounds crazy doesn’t it? Well, that was what happened the other night at the store I work at as a sales associate. It was getting to be a bit after 7:00pm and I was on a cash register, the manager on duty was helping me ring up sales and the third employee was busy assisting another customer. I noticed a customer walk in who seemed very fidgety and I greeted him from my register and asked if he would need help. He asked where printer ink was located and I gave him directions and kept an eye on the cctv monitor for that area. I pointed him out to my manager. We both noticed a second individual walk into another area with electronics merchandise in it. We worked to get our lines down so we could provide customer service to these two “customers”. The manager working with me recognizes my Loss Prevention Management background and respects my suspicions when something or someone does not feel right. I would ask owners of smaller, self-owned stores what do YOU do to prevent theft? Do you know how crooks operate and the methods they use to rip off stores? Do you understand the impact dishonest employees and shoplifters have on a business? Training to reduce employee theft and stop shoplifting can bring you up to speed and actually help improve the bottom line for your business.
     

You read correctly that I was formerly a Loss Prevention Manager and I have over 28 total years of retail experience. I have seen the different ways large stores try to train employees and managers on how to prevent theft but they are not all equal and in many cases it is done only in a poor video training format. The best training I have found incorporates a live training session(s) in addition to follow-up videos and training modules. I have conducted new hire orientations and spent time coaching cashiers on how to prevent fraudulent transactions. I know first-hand the impact it has on people when they can ask questions and interact with an instructor. That is why I strongly recommend the training to reduce employee theft offered from Loss Prevention Systems Inc. They offer several seminars that teach store owners and managers on theft related issues. They also incorporate webinars, blogs and newsletters into a comprehensive package all with informed information from people who have extensive Loss Prevention backgrounds. You may not be able to afford a Loss Prevention team for your business but you can afford to learn the way to combat theft from Loss Prevention Systems Inc.
     

To continue with our encounter, I stayed with the customer in the ink department as he pretended to try to contact someone on his phone to get him the information on his printer for the ink he needed. He bided his time to see if I would go away but I’m all about customer service and waited patiently. In the meantime a third suspicious person asked me for directions to the restrooms. The manager had observed this while he was finishing his transactions and said he had watched this guy watch me as I was helping the patron in the ink department (yup, it gets crazy to follow).  The manager finished and went to help the second subject in the electronics area. The manager told me later that the subject began rambling about nonsense when the manager offered to assist him. He also told me he saw something in the suspect’s hands that he tried to hide then put down and it turned out to be a box containing $30 earbuds. The box had been torn open and the customer had already started to remove the contents so the manager did stop shoplifting in this case. My suspect finally left the store and hung around the entrance looking back in so I stayed near the front where he could see me. The second suspect, uh, I mean customer, came to the register and put down three sets of earbuds at a total cost of $60 and then said he forgot his wallet and would be right back. Oddly, he never returned and the third suspect left without us seeing him.
     

I am certain we stopped a significant amount of loss but I could not quantify a total amount. Had this been YOUR store would you and your managers have known what to do? Would you have even recognized the suspicious actions or that the people were probably working together? I can’t be at your store but training to reduce employee theft and prevent shoplifting from LPSI can ensure that you will be able to handle bad guys who want to steal from you effectively and safely.

 

Need information on training to reduce employee theft? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.