Stop Shoplifting-3 WC Blog 310
Employee Theft-5
What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You; Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. Provides Employer Training To Combat Shoplifting And Employee Theft
Thieves! Everyone knows how easy it is to identify them, right? A shoplifter obviously stands…uhmm…they all weigh…hmmm…obviously they are all between the ages of…errr…exactly! All shoplifters look exactly like I just described them and they all steal the same things and do it the same way. See, it isn’t so hard to stop shoplifting after all. How big an issue can it be anyways? Well, according to the 2014-2015 Global Retail Theft Barometer, shoplifting accounted for approximately 36% of total store shortage in North America. Did I catch your attention with that statistic? Nearly 40 percent of the merchandise that you cannot account for following inventory is due to shoplifters stealing from you. Additionally, employee theft accounts for another 45% of your losses! How do you stop shoplifting? Where do you start to combat dishonest employee activity?
In order to prevent theft you have to know where to start looking and the indicators that give thieves away. As we already noted there is no way to look at someone and know they will steal, be it an employee or a shoplifter. You may not know where to start but there is professional training to reduce employee theft and help prevent shoplifting. The Loss Prevention Experts at Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. have the training programs available to help you understand shoplifters, how they act and how to stop shoplifting within the walls of your establishment. Training is also available to assist you in recognizing dishonest employee behavior, what the true impact of employee theft is on your business and how to handle situations as they occur.
I know you are probably thinking it can’t be THAT hard to tell if someone is stealing and that if you saw a person shoplifting you would just go up and get your stuff back. Well, hold your horses because it might not be as simple as it sounds. First, there are state laws about what constitutes shoplifting and you have to be in compliance with those laws before you accuse someone of theft. Second, you don’t know who it is you are approaching or what their state of mind is. It is not uncommon for a shoplifter to have some type of criminal history, to have a drug addiction or go into fight or flight mode when stopped. Approach someone the wrong way or say the wrong thing and you may find yourself on the wrong end of fight mode. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. training programs can give you the information you need to protect your store and improve profits, safely.
Employee theft is the other major reason for store merchandise shrinkage and profit loss. Your employees have more means open to them to steal from your business than the shoplifters. They have access to cash, credit cards, gift cards, time cards and obviously merchandise. They also have access to areas of your store that are off limits to your customers and shoplifters. Cleaning closets, employee lounges, employee restrooms, stock rooms and offices are all potential hiding places for the dishonest employee to do their dirty work. Have you ever thought to look for empty packages that may be hidden at the bottom of a trash can in the breakroom or employee restroom? No one wants to think their employees will steal from them but they rule of thumb in Loss Prevention when I first started in the career field was that roughly 1 in 10 employees will steal from your store. Employees can also cause a lot more damage over an extended period of time than a shoplifter. Shoplifters may hit hard on a single stop in your store, but employee theft can get you little chunks at a time over years!
Get the training you need to help you reduce shortage and improve the bottom line. Let Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. give you the knowledge that will help you counter dishonest employees and send shoplifters elsewhere.
Get more information on how to stop shoplifting, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Thieves! Everyone knows how easy it is to identify them, right? A shoplifter obviously stands…uhmm…they all weigh…hmmm…obviously they are all between the ages of…errr…exactly! All shoplifters look exactly like I just described them and they all steal the same things and do it the same way. See, it isn’t so hard to stop shoplifting after all. How big an issue can it be anyways? Well, according to the 2014-2015 Global Retail Theft Barometer, shoplifting accounted for approximately 36% of total store shortage in North America. Did I catch your attention with that statistic? Nearly 40 percent of the merchandise that you cannot account for following inventory is due to shoplifters stealing from you. Additionally, employee theft accounts for another 45% of your losses! How do you stop shoplifting? Where do you start to combat dishonest employee activity?
In order to prevent theft you have to know where to start looking and the indicators that give thieves away. As we already noted there is no way to look at someone and know they will steal, be it an employee or a shoplifter. You may not know where to start but there is professional training to reduce employee theft and help prevent shoplifting. The Loss Prevention Experts at Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. have the training programs available to help you understand shoplifters, how they act and how to stop shoplifting within the walls of your establishment. Training is also available to assist you in recognizing dishonest employee behavior, what the true impact of employee theft is on your business and how to handle situations as they occur.
I know you are probably thinking it can’t be THAT hard to tell if someone is stealing and that if you saw a person shoplifting you would just go up and get your stuff back. Well, hold your horses because it might not be as simple as it sounds. First, there are state laws about what constitutes shoplifting and you have to be in compliance with those laws before you accuse someone of theft. Second, you don’t know who it is you are approaching or what their state of mind is. It is not uncommon for a shoplifter to have some type of criminal history, to have a drug addiction or go into fight or flight mode when stopped. Approach someone the wrong way or say the wrong thing and you may find yourself on the wrong end of fight mode. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. training programs can give you the information you need to protect your store and improve profits, safely.
Employee theft is the other major reason for store merchandise shrinkage and profit loss. Your employees have more means open to them to steal from your business than the shoplifters. They have access to cash, credit cards, gift cards, time cards and obviously merchandise. They also have access to areas of your store that are off limits to your customers and shoplifters. Cleaning closets, employee lounges, employee restrooms, stock rooms and offices are all potential hiding places for the dishonest employee to do their dirty work. Have you ever thought to look for empty packages that may be hidden at the bottom of a trash can in the breakroom or employee restroom? No one wants to think their employees will steal from them but they rule of thumb in Loss Prevention when I first started in the career field was that roughly 1 in 10 employees will steal from your store. Employees can also cause a lot more damage over an extended period of time than a shoplifter. Shoplifters may hit hard on a single stop in your store, but employee theft can get you little chunks at a time over years!
Get the training you need to help you reduce shortage and improve the bottom line. Let Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. give you the knowledge that will help you counter dishonest employees and send shoplifters elsewhere.
Get more information on how to stop shoplifting, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Employee Background Checks-4 WC blog 251
Pre-employment Screening-4
Great Staffs Will Come And Go; When They Go Make Sure Their Replacement Goes Through A Pre-employment Screening And Protect Your Company
I used to work in retail exclusively. I was a Loss Prevention Manager for nearly 14 years and a Logistics Manager for a year and a half. This does not include my prior experience as a Loss Prevention Associate for another five years. Now my retail work is on a part-time basis and I am a supervisor in a college library. While at first glance it may seem to be an odd transition, it really isn’t since a large part of my time in my former retail jobs and my library job involves supervision and hiring of staff. One of the things I have found to be consistent in almost any job is that when you think you have a full staff hired and trained, regardless of the job, you are bound to lose people and have to go through the hiring and training process again. People move on for various reasons, personal growth, pay, promotional opportunities, firings and a myriad of other possibilities. It is rare that a business or agency has little turnover in the ranks. In my current role, I help in hiring other staff but I have the primary responsibility of hiring student workers for my shift. I may hire a great group of workers, get them trained for a new year and inevitably during the course of the semester some will quit or leave. This means I have to do a search and hire replacements. I faced similar challenges in retail. You get a great team and then you lose people. That’s life. For retailers, the additional challenge when hiring is the risk that a new worker may pose. Will they work with a cash register? They certainly will be around merchandise no matter what job they are hired for. How do you make sure you are hiring someone you can trust? Do you use any type of pre-employment screening or employee background checks? If not, you could be subjecting your business to unnecessary risk.
Employee background checks provide an employer the information they need to be confident they are hiring the right person for a job. You may have a job application that asks applicants about prior employment history, references, whether they have been terminated from a position or have a criminal history but if you aren’t doing pre-employment screening you are taking the applicant’s word for the validity of the information they are providing you. I have first- hand experience seeing a job application and interviewing a candidate and then finding the results from employee background checks showing the applicant had neglected to include some information on the application. I have also seen where an applicant had been caught lying about not having a criminal record other than a misdemeanor offense. Screening applicants helps a manager filter out people that might be hired and do harm to the business.
In my job at the library, the college doesn’t do pre-employment screening on student workers but they do run checks for regular staff. Our staff are cleared to be able to work here because they are around young adults and at times they may be around children on tour groups or with families visiting the school. Our staff also work with money and personal information, again validating the need for knowing who it is that will be working on campus. A thorough background check may keep a business from putting other employees or even patrons at risk for harm.
Hopefully you have a great team of people surrounding you and taking pride in their jobs. Eventually someone on that team will move on and need replaced or better yet, your company expands and you need more assistance. When that time comes, make sure you hire the right person to fill that role make sure you get a company to do your pre-employment screening for you.
Get more information on pre-employment screening, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
I used to work in retail exclusively. I was a Loss Prevention Manager for nearly 14 years and a Logistics Manager for a year and a half. This does not include my prior experience as a Loss Prevention Associate for another five years. Now my retail work is on a part-time basis and I am a supervisor in a college library. While at first glance it may seem to be an odd transition, it really isn’t since a large part of my time in my former retail jobs and my library job involves supervision and hiring of staff. One of the things I have found to be consistent in almost any job is that when you think you have a full staff hired and trained, regardless of the job, you are bound to lose people and have to go through the hiring and training process again. People move on for various reasons, personal growth, pay, promotional opportunities, firings and a myriad of other possibilities. It is rare that a business or agency has little turnover in the ranks. In my current role, I help in hiring other staff but I have the primary responsibility of hiring student workers for my shift. I may hire a great group of workers, get them trained for a new year and inevitably during the course of the semester some will quit or leave. This means I have to do a search and hire replacements. I faced similar challenges in retail. You get a great team and then you lose people. That’s life. For retailers, the additional challenge when hiring is the risk that a new worker may pose. Will they work with a cash register? They certainly will be around merchandise no matter what job they are hired for. How do you make sure you are hiring someone you can trust? Do you use any type of pre-employment screening or employee background checks? If not, you could be subjecting your business to unnecessary risk.
Employee background checks provide an employer the information they need to be confident they are hiring the right person for a job. You may have a job application that asks applicants about prior employment history, references, whether they have been terminated from a position or have a criminal history but if you aren’t doing pre-employment screening you are taking the applicant’s word for the validity of the information they are providing you. I have first- hand experience seeing a job application and interviewing a candidate and then finding the results from employee background checks showing the applicant had neglected to include some information on the application. I have also seen where an applicant had been caught lying about not having a criminal record other than a misdemeanor offense. Screening applicants helps a manager filter out people that might be hired and do harm to the business.
In my job at the library, the college doesn’t do pre-employment screening on student workers but they do run checks for regular staff. Our staff are cleared to be able to work here because they are around young adults and at times they may be around children on tour groups or with families visiting the school. Our staff also work with money and personal information, again validating the need for knowing who it is that will be working on campus. A thorough background check may keep a business from putting other employees or even patrons at risk for harm.
Hopefully you have a great team of people surrounding you and taking pride in their jobs. Eventually someone on that team will move on and need replaced or better yet, your company expands and you need more assistance. When that time comes, make sure you hire the right person to fill that role make sure you get a company to do your pre-employment screening for you.
Get more information on pre-employment screening, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Free Loss Prevention Calculator-3 WC Blog 257
Can Loss Prevention be Free?-4
Loss Prevention ROI Calculator-3
Purchasing A Checkpoint System Offers A Return On Investment; See How Much By Using The Free Loss Prevention Calculator
As a manager and trainer, I have invested a lot of time training employees so that they are successful. Whether I was training a Loss Prevention Associate how to properly conduct a surveillance of a suspected shoplifter or if I am training a student worker in the college library on the proper method of shelving books there is an expected return on investment, the investment of time spent training. With a Loss Prevention Associate I expected he or she would be able to identify a shoplifter, maintain proper surveillance through the store, use sound judgement in making an apprehension and not make a bad stop. I expect a student employee, when trained, to put books where they belong, in the proper order they belong in and straighten shelves as they work. The return on investment in the case of the Loss Prevention Associate is that merchandise is recovered, apprehensions are made, shortage stays low and there are no lawsuits because all stops were handled within company guidelines. A student employee that puts books away properly makes it easier for library patrons to find what they need quickly in order to write papers and conduct research. When it comes to Loss Prevention, specifically Checkpoint Security equipment, the Free Loss Prevention Calculator makes it possible to see what your return on investment would be if you invested in Loss Prevention equipment. In fact, after you use the Loss Prevention ROI Calculator you may ask, “Can Loss Prevention Be Free?”
The Free Loss Prevention Calculator is a tool designed to allow retail owners and managers see approximately what their shortage dollars would look like at an average of 1.2% shrinkage based on the annual sales of the store. It also shows what the shortage dollars would be if electronic article surveillance (EAS) protection was installed in the business. The calculated results are immediate and clearly show what the return on investment would be if a Checkpoint System were purchased. To go one better, the Loss Prevention ROI calculator also shows the user how long it would take for a system to pay for itself. You read that correctly. In answer to the question, “Can Loss Prevention Be Free?” in the long term yes, it can be free. By investing in a system the savings resulting from reduction in shortage, over time offsets the cost of a Loss Prevention System.
So to be clear, the Return On Investment from purchasing a Checkpoint Security EAS System would be reduced shortage due to theft, and a system that can eventually pay for itself. There is another benefit I have not addressed that impacts the Return On Investment, improved sales. Checkpoint Security has the anti-theft devices that protect merchandise while still leaving it available on the salesfloor. There is no longer a need to lock up everything in a stockroom or behind a display case. Customers can pick up items, examine them, carry them around the store in a shopping cart and store owners can feel confident that the anti-theft protections will prevent dishonest costumers from shoplifting. Customers who do not have to wait for assistance to have someone unlock a display case are much more likely to make a purchase. As this happens then sales go up. The Loss Prevention Calculator may not show you what your sales increase will be, but it will certainly let you see the difference in shortage. Remember, if people are stealing merchandise it isn’t available for the honest customers so sales are negatively impacted. Conversly, if merchandise is available because it isn’t being stolen because of a Checkpoint System, it will be sold to the honest consumers.
Can Loss Prevention be free? It sure can and the Loss prevention ROI Calculator can give you a good idea on how quickly it could pay for itself. Why wait around any longer deciding if it is worth spending the money. Use the Free Loss Prevention Calculator and see for yourself. No calls and no strings attached, what have you got to lose?
Get more information on Loss Prevention ROI Calculator. Contact us or call 1.899.426.0547
today.
As a manager and trainer, I have invested a lot of time training employees so that they are successful. Whether I was training a Loss Prevention Associate how to properly conduct a surveillance of a suspected shoplifter or if I am training a student worker in the college library on the proper method of shelving books there is an expected return on investment, the investment of time spent training. With a Loss Prevention Associate I expected he or she would be able to identify a shoplifter, maintain proper surveillance through the store, use sound judgement in making an apprehension and not make a bad stop. I expect a student employee, when trained, to put books where they belong, in the proper order they belong in and straighten shelves as they work. The return on investment in the case of the Loss Prevention Associate is that merchandise is recovered, apprehensions are made, shortage stays low and there are no lawsuits because all stops were handled within company guidelines. A student employee that puts books away properly makes it easier for library patrons to find what they need quickly in order to write papers and conduct research. When it comes to Loss Prevention, specifically Checkpoint Security equipment, the Free Loss Prevention Calculator makes it possible to see what your return on investment would be if you invested in Loss Prevention equipment. In fact, after you use the Loss Prevention ROI Calculator you may ask, “Can Loss Prevention Be Free?”
The Free Loss Prevention Calculator is a tool designed to allow retail owners and managers see approximately what their shortage dollars would look like at an average of 1.2% shrinkage based on the annual sales of the store. It also shows what the shortage dollars would be if electronic article surveillance (EAS) protection was installed in the business. The calculated results are immediate and clearly show what the return on investment would be if a Checkpoint System were purchased. To go one better, the Loss Prevention ROI calculator also shows the user how long it would take for a system to pay for itself. You read that correctly. In answer to the question, “Can Loss Prevention Be Free?” in the long term yes, it can be free. By investing in a system the savings resulting from reduction in shortage, over time offsets the cost of a Loss Prevention System.
So to be clear, the Return On Investment from purchasing a Checkpoint Security EAS System would be reduced shortage due to theft, and a system that can eventually pay for itself. There is another benefit I have not addressed that impacts the Return On Investment, improved sales. Checkpoint Security has the anti-theft devices that protect merchandise while still leaving it available on the salesfloor. There is no longer a need to lock up everything in a stockroom or behind a display case. Customers can pick up items, examine them, carry them around the store in a shopping cart and store owners can feel confident that the anti-theft protections will prevent dishonest costumers from shoplifting. Customers who do not have to wait for assistance to have someone unlock a display case are much more likely to make a purchase. As this happens then sales go up. The Loss Prevention Calculator may not show you what your sales increase will be, but it will certainly let you see the difference in shortage. Remember, if people are stealing merchandise it isn’t available for the honest customers so sales are negatively impacted. Conversly, if merchandise is available because it isn’t being stolen because of a Checkpoint System, it will be sold to the honest consumers.
Can Loss Prevention be free? It sure can and the Loss prevention ROI Calculator can give you a good idea on how quickly it could pay for itself. Why wait around any longer deciding if it is worth spending the money. Use the Free Loss Prevention Calculator and see for yourself. No calls and no strings attached, what have you got to lose?
Get more information on Loss Prevention ROI Calculator, contact us or call 1.899.426.0547today.
