If you currently own a business, what are you doing to prevent shoplifting? If you don’t wish to stay in business very long, you can afford to sit back as your profits are walking out the door at the hands of a shoplifter.
I researched the attempted theft of a camcorder at a large retailer, by using CCTV. While the shoplifter was fighting with the package and attempting to remove the merchandise, a manager happened to walk by. The manager did not see the shoplifter in the nearby aisle; he didn’t even realize that he startled the shoplifter with his presence and was able to prevent shoplifting. Sometimes we don’t realize the direct results of our actions.
Your employees are always a good first form of defense to prevent shoplifting through paying attention to their customers and providing good customer service. A shoplifter can only shoplift if they do not have the attention of store staff, By teaching employees to provide that attention in the form of customer service will have a significant impact to prevent shoplifting. The business next door without the knowledgeable staff that knows how to prevent theft is a much better target to the shoplifter.
Establishing a loss prevention program is beneficial to boost profits and prevent loss within a business. A program can be broad and can include many levels of security. For example, having high theft items locked up can be part of a loss prevention initiative, as well as having key logs and secure key policies to prevent employee theft. Having secure keys that access locked cases can also prevent a shoplifter from stealing the keys – and then having access to the jackpot of merchandise.
Working with your employees to prevent shoplifting is one way that a business can reduce this form of shrinkage; remember not every shoplifter is as easily spooked as the person stealing the camcorder.
For more information contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia
Some time back I reviewed a study that was discussing the behavior of habitual shoplifters. Do you realize that these habitual shoplifters will try to steal from your store again and again since there is only a 2 percent chance that they will be caught if you do not currently use one of the Checkpoint Systems.
When I was Director of Loss Prevention at a major national retailer, I saw immediate results when we installed Checkpoint systems in our stores. The shoplifters simply went somewhere else since the EAS system was the only cost effective way to shut them down. Shoplifting was no longer a given in our stores. Since people who steal are lazy for the most part, utilizing Checkpoint systems made their “job” more difficult. And so they decided to travel another path of lesser resistance by visiting the store next door.
Remember, that even when a shoplifter is caught in your store, the chances are very high that they will hit you again unless you begin to use Checkpoint systems to deter shoplifters from doing what they do.
After having installed an Electronic Article Surveillance System, we would attach checkpoint tags on merchandise that used to be targeted by the shoplifters. We would be able to decrease the theft of these high target items. This strategy also allowed us to monitor our inventory and we could easily use checkpoint tags or checkpoint labels on merchandise as needed. We were able to respond to the theft issues and begin to effectively protect our merchandise.
These Checkpoint labels can be disguised in a number of ways and are paper thin. Other system tags may be easily spotted by a shoplifter and removed from the merchandise. You may also think about attaching several checkpoint tags on particularly hot merchandise. Just make sure you add these checkpoint tags several different spots on the items.
Paying close attention to your customers creates a positive customer service experience. Greet them when they walk in, follow up with them on the sales floor and make sure that they can reach you easily. Shoplifters hate this very concept!
For more information contact us by calling 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia
It is you versus me. You are the business owner and I am a shoplifter. How can you try to stop me whose intentions are to steal from your business?
Increased prices, lost profits, inventory shrinkage and business closures are due to billions of lost dollars; dollars lost to retail theft. As you manage your daily business processes, how do you manage to prevent shoplifting?
Employees who are committed to provide good customer services provide attention to honest customers which is very much appreciated yet, I despise that service. Your employees who want to prevent shoplifting through good customer service are my worst enemy.
But I also look for secluded areas or blind corners in your store. You can prevent shoplifting by ensuring that your sales floor doesn’t provide such opportunities to me. And how are you handling your high theft items? Are they in a locked case or in a secure area? If they are not, move them so that an employee can be nearby.
What is considered a high theft item? A business needs to keep track of its inventory versus its sales of products so that a loss can be identified quickly. Once an item is identified as high theft, then measures can be taken to prevent the theft of that merchandise.
Decreased staffing has also assisted my efforts. If you have a large business and you only have a few employees on the floor at one time you cannot prevent shoplifting. I enjoy being unattended so that you cannot prevent shoplifting. Good customer service and a well laid out sales floor make it nearly impossible for me to do what I planned on doing when I entered your business. You and your profits win, while I lose. That was your goal to begin with wasn’t it?
For more information contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia
