You can basically put shoplifters into two specific groups. One is the professional that steals for a living. They have things planned out ahead of time, and they know more about your store than you think. They typically know when you have the least number of employees in the store, when you are busiest and most distracted, and when you get deliveries. The other group holds the non-professionals. This category consists of the thrill seekers and the opportunists. In order to Prevent Shoplifting Loss, you should have a plan to deal with both groups.
In reality, professionals are harder to stop. They come infrequently and they are highly aware of their surroundings. They can be bold, or spooked easily, so their erratic behaviors when they think they are about to be caught can make them dangerous. In my experiences through the years, I have found it best to be proactive with the pro. Plan ahead, get product protection in place, and make eye contact with every person that comes through your door. When it comes to the professional thief, deterrence is the key.
The non-professional shoplifter can actually be the biggest detriment to your bottom line. They do not fit into any set mold. They can be male or female, young or old, rich or poor, and they can be of any ethnicity. Prevent Shoplifting Loss by keeping an open mind and know that even your most regular customer may steal from you.
There are a number of reasons a non-pro will steal. It could be a teenager or doing it on a dare. It could be someone unemployed that has a need and can’t pay. It could be a little old lady that thinks your prices are too high. It could be any man or woman that sees something they want, but simply doesn’t want to pay for it. The point is, there are people that steal just because the merchandise and the opportunity is there at the right time.
The good news is there are some behaviors you can look for that may help identify someone stealing or just considering it. It sounds crazy, but it can work. Humans naturally do not want to get caught. A non-professional thief can exhibit certain behaviors that give them away. They will typically be looking around to see where the employees are, quickly looking back down at the merchandise, then back up again. If an employee approaches, they are likely to become very talkative and over-friendly. If you pay close attention, you can see their autonomic nervous system telling on them. Their pulse may be visible in their throat, they may begin to perspire, and their general movements can become shaky. If they know you are watching them, many times they will begin to pick up random items from the shelf and put them right back down.
I have caught a little old lady stealing hair notions. When I approached her at the door, she came back and paid with a large bill. I have caught three young kids stealing condoms; they cried like babies when I asked for their parents’ phone numbers. I caught a middle aged woman with a purse full of beef jerky and fake nails, and I’ll never forget the young man stealing kid’s cough medicine.
They either felt entitled, did it for the “fun” of it, just wanted the stuff for free, or had a perceived need. They were all caught red-handed because of their behaviors. It wasn’t their age, their skin color, and certainly not because of the clothes they were wearing. Prevent Shoplifting Loss with a clear mind, and open eyes.
For more information contact us: Preventshopliftingloss.net or call 1.770.426.0547
You can basically put shoplifters into two specific groups. One is the professional that steals for a living. They have things planned out ahead of time, and they know more about your store than you think. They typically know when you have the least number of employees in the store, when you are busiest and most distracted, and when you get deliveries. The other group are the non-professionals. This category consists of the thrill seekers and the opportunists. In order to Prevent Shoplifting Loss, you should have a plan to deal with both groups.
In reality, professionals are harder to stop. They come in frequently and they are highly aware of their surroundings. They can be bold, or spooked easily, so their erratic behaviors when they think they are about to be caught can make them dangerous. In my experiences through the years, I have found it best to be proactive with the pro. Plan ahead, get product protection in place, and make eye contact with every person that comes through your door. When it comes to the professional thief, deterrence is the key.
The non-professional shoplifter can actually be the biggest detriment to your bottom line. They do not fit into any set mold. They can be male or female, young or old, rich or poor, and they can be of any ethnicity. Prevent Shoplifting Loss by keeping an open mind and know that even your most regular customer may steal from you.
There are a number of reasons a non-pro will steal. It could be a teenager doing it on a dare. It could be someone unemployed that has a need and can’t pay. It could be a little old lady that thinks your prices are too high. It could be any man or woman that sees something they want, but simply doesn’t want to pay for it. The point is, there are people that steal just because the merchandise and the opportunity are there at the right time.
The good news is there are some behaviors you can look for that may help identify someone stealing or just considering it. It sounds crazy, but it can work. Humans naturally do not want to get caught. A non-professional thief can exhibit certain behaviors that give them away. They will typically be looking around to see where the employees are, quickly looking back down at the merchandise, then back up again. If an employee approaches, they are likely to become very talkative and over-friendly. If you pay close attention, you can see their autonomic nervous system telling on them. Their pulse may be visible in their throat, they may begin to perspire, and their general movements can become shaky. If they know you are watching them, many times they will begin to pick up random items from the shelf and put them right back down.
I have caught a little old lady stealing hair potions. When I approached her at the door, she came back and paid with a large bill. I have caught three young kids stealing condoms; they cried like babies when I asked for their parents’ phone numbers. I caught a middle aged woman with a purse full of beef jerky and fake nails, and I’ll never forget the young man stealing kid’s cough medicine.
They either felt entitled, did it for the “fun” of it, just wanted the stuff for free, or had a perceived need. They were all caught red-handed because of their behaviors. It wasn’t their age, their skin color, and certainly not because of the clothes they were wearing. Prevent Shoplifting Loss with a clear mind, and open eyes.
For more information contact us: Preventshopliftingloss.net or call 1.770.426.0547
The grocery store. Chance are, you are in your local grocer more than any other store. You don’t necessarily need a new pair of ear rings, but you do need milk, eggs and bread. Personally, I don’t buy a bunch of groceries at once. Since I travel a good bit for work, I find myself at the grocery store a few times a week. I talked previously about steaks and baby formula, but the last time I went to grocery store, I made a list in my head of everything that could be a potential target for a thief. My particular grocer does have a checkpoint system in place, but I noticed that on the list of items I thought would be high theft, only a few were secured with a checkpoint label.
Other than steaks, there’s almost an endless supply of merchandise that could be the target of an opportunistic shoplifter. Say cheese! If you’re not a connoisseur of cheese, you probably have no idea how expensive some of this moldy milk can get! Even with these high prices, and I’m sure very thin margins, I didn’t see one checkpoint label in action. Outside of the dairy section, there are specialty meats (rabbit, bison, and alligator) that are not cheap, in addition to some very expensive olives and of course, wines and spirits. Surely these items have to cause the grocer shrink, so why not use the checkpoint system that is already in place?
It may have to do with cost, since a grocery store’s margins are historically very thin. It could also be a disconnect from the management and the LP teams. Are the LP associates keeping the managers informed of what is being stolen, so they can react appropriately? Or, are the managers unaware that there are new checkpoint labels on the market that are consider food grade? These labels will not affect any type of food, and are actually microwavable, in case a customer forgets to remove them from the packaging.
While I completely understand that you can possibly secure everything in your store, you can definitely utilize the technology already in place to be proactive in reducing shoplifting losses. If you already have a checkpoint system in your store, you should look for ways to use it that benefit you, the retailer the most. If you’re lucky enough to have an LP staff, ask their opinion of commonly stolen items. If not, engage your stockers and department managers. They know what’s always missing and you can use checkpoint labels to help reduce those numbers.
For more information, contact us: Checkpoint Labels, or call 1.770.426.0547
The grocery store. Chance are, you are in your local grocer more than any other store. You don’t necessarily need a new pair of ear rings, but you do need milk, eggs and bread. Personally, I don’t buy a bunch of groceries at once. Since I travel a good bit for work, I find myself at the grocery store a few times a week. I talked previously about steaks and baby formula, but the last time I went to grocery store, I made a list in my head of everything that could be a potential target for a thief. My particular grocer does have a Checkpoint System in place, but I noticed that on the list of items I thought would be high theft, only a few were secured with a Checkpoint Label.
Other than steaks, there’s almost an endless supply of merchandise that could be the target of an opportunistic shoplifter. Say cheese! If you’re not a connoisseur of cheese, you probably have no idea how expensive some of this moldy milk can get! Even with these high prices, and I’m sure very thin margins, I didn’t see one Checkpoint Label in action. Outside of the dairy section, there are specialty meats (rabbit, bison, and alligator) that are not cheap, in addition to some very expensive olives and of course, wines and spirits. Surely these items have to cause the grocer shrink, so why not use the Checkpoint System that is already in place?
It may have to do with cost, since a grocery store’s margins are historically very thin. It could also be a disconnect from the management and the LP teams. Are the LP associates keeping the managers informed of what is being stolen, so they can react appropriately? Or, are the managers unaware that there are new Checkpoint Labels on the market that are consider food grade? These labels will not affect any type of food, and are actually microwavable, in case a customer forgets to remove them from the packaging.
While I completely understand that you can’t possibly secure everything in your store, you can definitely utilize the technology already in place to be proactive in reducing shoplifting losses. If you already have a Checkpoint System in your store, you should look for ways to use it that benefit you, the retailer the most. If you’re lucky enough to have an LP staff, ask their opinion of commonly stolen items. If not, engage your stockers and department managers. They know what’s always missing and you can use Checkpoint Labels to help reduce those numbers.
For more information, contact us at Antishoplifting.net, or call 1.770.426.0547
Although clothing usually provides high profit margins, it can also provide you with high losses (and high blood pressure) if not protected. The best solution is to have a multi-tiered clothing security and profit protection process in place that prevents loss of merchandise throughout its journey through you store. You can’t just sit back and hope everything works itself out, it’s not going to happen that way. If you want the process to be effective, you have to be proactive and keep the process going without any misses. This includes receiving, protecting, monitoring, selling and returning the product.
The journey starts with the receiving process. Make sure you are verifying your actual shipments to the invoice and check all quantities, prices, colors, styles, and item numbers so that your inventory is accurate from inception. It’s a good idea to put Checkpoint tags on the merchandise at this point, before it even reaches the clothing racks. This will prevent any merchandise from reaching the sales floor without first being protected. If it does wind up reaching the rack without being tagged, your employees should be trained to look for this, and immediately tag the item.
Your employees can put security tags on clothes while they are still in the stockroom. After the merchandise is physically protected, you should also ensure it is protected by surveillance cameras and a DVR (digital video recorder), so you can monitor any dishonest activity that occurs and be able to review video after a loss has happened. It can also help you to identify the perpetrator involved in the crime, either to turn over to the police or for your store’s investigative purposes and catch them the next time they come into the store.
Once you have the merchandise in the store, it should be properly signed to reduce any losses due to customer satisfaction purposes. It may be difficult to accomplish in a larger store, but smaller stores should make sure that cashiers are aware of all sales and promotions, so they are rung correctly at the registers. When the merchandise finally reaches the register, your cashiers should already trained to efficiently remove any clothing security devices that are on the clothes they are purchasing. The cashiers should also be trained to compare the item being rung up with what is displayed on the register. Sometimes ticketing issues slip through the cracks and need to be caught at this point to reduce further losses, but other times it’s an intentional act by tricky customers or shoplifters that switch tickets to get clothing at a reduced price. They do this by pulling the tag off one of your lower priced items, and place the tag on an expensive item for the discount. You want to make the customer happy to shop at your store, not happy they just got away with ripping you off.
Last but not least, invest in Alpha Shark Tags to prevent customers from returning your product after wearing it for a night on the town. These tags are highly effective in deterring this kind of behavior, and still allow the customer to return the items. Customers can remove the tags at home with a pair of scissors, but will not want to wear the clothes out because the tag is highly visible.
For more information contact us: (clothing security) or call 1.770.426.0547
Although clothing usually provides high profit margins, it can also provide you with high losses (and high blood pressure) if not protected. The best solution is to have a multi-tiered clothing security and profit protection process in place that prevents loss of merchandise throughout its journey through you store. You can’t just sit back and hope everything works itself out, it’s not going to happen that way. If you want the process to be effective, you have to be proactive and keep the process going without any misses. This includes receiving, protecting, monitoring, selling and returning the product.
The journey starts with the receiving process. Make sure you are verifying your actual shipments to the invoice and check all quantities, prices, colors, styles, and item numbers so that your inventory is accurate from inception. It’s a good idea to put Checkpoint Tags on the merchandise at this point, before it even reaches the clothing racks. This will prevent any merchandise from reaching the sales floor without first being protected. If it does wind up reaching the rack without being tagged, your employees should be trained to look for this, and immediately tag the item.
Your employees can put security tags on clothes while they are still in the stockroom. After the merchandise is physically protected, you should also ensure it is protected by surveillance cameras and a DVR (digital video recorder), so you can monitor any dishonest activity that occurs and be able to review video after a loss has happened. It can also help you to identify the perpetrator involved in the crime, either to turn over to the police or for your store’s investigative purposes and catch them the next time they come into the store.
Once you have the merchandise in the store, it should be properly signed to reduce any losses due to customer satisfaction purposes. It may be difficult to accomplish in a larger store, but smaller stores should make sure that cashiers are aware of all sales and promotions, so they are rung correctly at the registers. When the merchandise finally reaches the register, your cashiers should already trained to efficiently remove any clothing security devices that are on the clothes they are purchasing. The cashiers should also be trained to compare the item being rung up with what is displayed on the register. Sometimes ticketing issues slip through the cracks and need to be caught at this point to reduce further losses, but other times it’s an intentional act by tricky customers or shoplifters that switch tickets to get clothing at a reduced price. They do this by pulling the tag off one of your lower priced items, and place the tag on an expensive item for the discount. You want to make the customer happy to shop at your store, not happy they just got away with ripping you off.
Last but not least, invest in Alpha Shark Tags to prevent customers from returning your product after wearing it for a night on the town. These tags are highly effective in deterring this kind of behavior, and still allow the customer to return the items. Customers can remove the tags at home with a pair of scissors, but will not want to wear the clothes out because the tag is highly visible.
For more information contact us: Clothing Security or call 1.770.426.0547
