Stop Shoplifting-4 WC Blog 589
Training To Reduce Employee Theft-3
Training To Reduce Employee Theft And Stop Shoplifting Makes Stores Profitable
As a Retail Loss Prevention Manager I remember that there were certain Loss Prevention Associates in our district (and I had some in my store) that seemed to get into regular fights with shoplifters. We conducted training with all of our Loss Prevention personnel to stop shoplifting which included how to approach a suspect. Regardless of training there were some who just always seemed to get into altercations. When I began taking a look back it seemed in many instances, though not all, the confrontations may have been avoided if the approach to the shoplifter was different. This article isn’t about how you go about stopping a shoplifter, it is about the training to reduce employee theft and stop shoplifting. Just as we had some Loss Prevention Associates that could make apprehensions and rarely get in a tussle and others who couldn’t seem to make a stop without an ensuing fracas the same applies to theft in stores.
It is not an easy task to stop shoplifting especially in small businesses where there is no Loss Prevention department to handle theft incidents. That means if a store is going to prevent theft from crooks and dishonest employees there is going to have to be someone who knows how to do it and can train others in proper anti-theft tactics. If training is going to be done correctly it has to be done by someone with experience in the field of Loss Prevention. Just because someone has been in the retail field for quite some time does not mean they are the expert in theft prevention. I wouldn’t want someone trained to fly a piper cub aircraft to jump in a jet airliner and take me on a flight. They might get it rolling down the runway but I would have zero confidence in their ability to get it in the air let alone keep it aloft or worse try to land it. The folks at Loss Prevention Systems Inc. are dedicated to theft prevention in small and medium sized retail businesses. They have the resources and people to provide training to reduce employee theft as well as shoplifting. Once training is complete that management team will be successful in reducing shortage and driving thieves away.
Did you note that I did not say they will train you or your team to apprehend shoplifters? In order to effectively stop shoplifting there are a variety of actions you can implement that require little interaction with criminals. Using retail anti-theft devices on merchandise and setting up electronic article surveillance pedestals at store exits is one of the most effective methods of deterring crime. Understanding that there are signals bad guys and gals give off that can alert you that they may be a thief is crucial. If you actively listen to your employees you can learn whether they may be a candidate to steal from you. The key is being aware of clues they may give in conversation. As a quick example, have they started to talk a lot about financial problems they are having? Are they asking questions about security but attempting to make it sound matter-of-fact or just out of curiosity? Do you know the difference between profiling a person and profiling what a person is carrying or wearing into the store? In Loss Prevention we don’t (or certainly should never) assume a person will steal based on their age, gender, race or any other physical characteristic. However, we CAN and should be looking at such things as unseasonable clothing such as wearing a trench coat in 80 degree weather. Is a person carrying bags into the store from retailers who aren’t located nearby? Are they wearing sunglasses and a ball cap pulled down over the eyes? These are all a few of the things you can learn to look for when customers enter the store.
As far as interactions with shoplifters the tactics you can learn are how to employ customer service as a deterrent to criminals. A thief is not looking for attention and a thief needs an opportunity to steal and to do that he/she must be left alone. This applies to shoplifters and dishonest employees. Loss Prevention Systems Inc. will empower you with the ability to deal with criminals without having to have a tussle or worse. Find out how training to reduce employee theft and shoplifting can save you money in the long run.
Training to reduce employee theft is important and we can help you with it. Call1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
As a Retail Loss Prevention Manager I remember that there were certain Loss Prevention Associates in our district (and I had some in my store) that seemed to get into regular fights with shoplifters. We conducted training with all of our Loss Prevention personnel to stop shoplifting which included how to approach a suspect. Regardless of training there were some who just always seemed to get into altercations. When I began taking a look back it seemed in many instances, though not all, the confrontations may have been avoided if the approach to the shoplifter was different. This article isn’t about how you go about stopping a shoplifter, it is about the training to reduce employee theft and stop shoplifting. Just as we had some Loss Prevention Associates that could make apprehensions and rarely get in a tussle and others who couldn’t seem to make a stop without an ensuing fracas the same applies to theft in stores.
It is not an easy task to stop shoplifting especially in small businesses where there is no Loss Prevention department to handle theft incidents. That means if a store is going to prevent theft from crooks and dishonest employees there is going to have to be someone who knows how to do it and can train others in proper anti-theft tactics. If training is going to be done correctly it has to be done by someone with experience in the field of Loss Prevention. Just because someone has been in the retail field for quite some time does not mean they are the expert in theft prevention. I wouldn’t want someone trained to fly a piper cub aircraft to jump in a jet airliner and take me on a flight. They might get it rolling down the runway but I would have zero confidence in their ability to get it in the air let alone keep it aloft or worse try to land it. The folks at Loss Prevention Systems Inc. are dedicated to theft prevention in small and medium sized retail businesses. They have the resources and people to provide training to reduce employee theft as well as shoplifting. Once training is complete that management team will be successful in reducing shortage and driving thieves away.
Did you note that I did not say they will train you or your team to apprehend shoplifters? In order to effectively stop shoplifting there are a variety of actions you can implement that require little interaction with criminals. Using retail anti-theft devices on merchandise and setting up electronic article surveillance pedestals at store exits is one of the most effective methods of deterring crime. Understanding that there are signals bad guys and gals give off that can alert you that they may be a thief is crucial. If you actively listen to your employees you can learn whether they may be a candidate to steal from you. The key is being aware of clues they may give in conversation. As a quick example, have they started to talk a lot about financial problems they are having? Are they asking questions about security but attempting to make it sound matter-of-fact or just out of curiosity? Do you know the difference between profiling a person and profiling what a person is carrying or wearing into the store? In Loss Prevention we don’t (or certainly should never) assume a person will steal based on their age, gender, race or any other physical characteristic. However, we CAN and should be looking at such things as unseasonable clothing such as wearing a trench coat in 80 degree weather. Is a person carrying bags into the store from retailers who aren’t located nearby? Are they wearing sunglasses and a ball cap pulled down over the eyes? These are all a few of the things you can learn to look for when customers enter the store.
As far as interactions with shoplifters the tactics you can learn are how to employ customer service as a deterrent to criminals. A thief is not looking for attention and a thief needs an opportunity to steal and to do that he/she must be left alone. This applies to shoplifters and dishonest employees. Loss Prevention Systems Inc. will empower you with the ability to deal with criminals without having to have a tussle or worse. Find out how training to reduce employee theft and shoplifting can save you money in the long run.
Training to reduce employee theft is important and we can help you with it. Call1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
A comment from a library patron to me about our RFID system made me think about how the same issues take place in retail businesses with electronic article surveillance systems. I checked out several books to the patron that had been requested from another library. As I completed the checkout he asked me if the books were going to alarm when he left. I told him I was not sure and that we had no ability to deactivate the RFID tags from another library through our system. I told him I would be happy to walk them out for him and he said Good, it’s embarrassing when it goes off. We pride ourselves on providing outstanding customer service where I work and having something like this outside of our control is frustrating. As often happens I applied this to retailers and the customer service complaints that are associated with the failure to deactivate Sensormatic labels at the point of sale. As a Loss Prevention Manager I encountered the same types of problems and it was an unpleasant task.
The downside to unnecessary alarm activations in retail is the vast majority of those alarm events ARE avoidable and within the control of the store. When a cashier rings a transaction and fails to scan the item over the deactivation pad at the register it will cause an unnecessary alarm. When deactivation equipment is not tested at the beginning of the workday and a unit is malfunctioning alarms will happen that could have been avoided. If a cashier fails to remove an electronic article surveillance hard tag after ringing a piece of merchandise it will be the source of a false alarm. Then there are the phantom alarms that may take place at the pedestals when the alarm sounds and no one is around. If the equipment is not tested daily it may have been caught before it chirped when customers started coming through the doors to shop.
The impact on your business may be hard to determine but false alarms are problematic. As with the patron at the library there are people who will say they are embarrassed, distraught or upset by an unnecessary alarm. When this happened in my store I was often the person that had to speak to the customer about it. I would apologize for the error and had to assuage the patron’s concerns especially if they were raising their voice and creating a scene. In most situations I was successful but at least once I had to offer a giftcard to the patron for their trouble. Was I required to do that? No, but was it worth the $10 giftcard to send the customer out of the store a bit irritated but not belligerent over an electronic article surveillance failure due to cashier error. It also may have been enough to prevent it from becoming a main point of discussion in the next conversation with friends.
I had a different encounter with another shopper when a cashier failed to deactivate Sensormatic labels on some item he bought but this ended much differently. The alarm sounded and the patron started to raise a big stink which pulled in the Manager On Duty. She spoke with this customer but he started tossing around that he was a Security Manager for another retailer and was extremely embarrassed and was going to sue the store. Apparently he did not think store Loss Prevention was working this day. The Manager called for me and I came to the door. I introduced myself and inquired about his concern. He went into his diatribe and I stopped him. I pointed out that as a fellow Loss Prevention Manager he was well aware of mistakes that can take place with electronic article surveillance. I also reminded him that since he worked for a hardware retailer I knew he had more than his share of false alarms. He began to hem and haw a bit. For good measure I told him I knew who his District Loss Prevention Manager was and I would be more than happy to place a phone call about his behavior and lack of professional courtesy. The ‘gentleman’ backed off and decided to leave. I mention this story because you never know who may be the “offended” party due to cashier or other errors.
Mistakes are going to happen. Proper training of cashiers on the deactivation of Sensormatic labels is crucial. The better they are the fewer the false alarms and the more you can be confident alarms are the result of attempts at theft. Train on proper alarm response and make recoveries that will put money back in your pocket.
Get more information on Sensormatic labels, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Return Fraud-5 WC Blog 515
Wardrobing-4
Wardrobing tags-3
Balancing Good Customer Returns Against Bad With Wardrobing Tags
Balance, how do you achieve it as a retailer especially when it comes to return fraud? You have to keep your customers happy and coming back to shop but you also have to make sure you aren’t taking a financial drubbing in the process. Recently I purchased some clothing for my wife as a gift and as I am prone to doing I made several errors. First, I forgot that clothing sizes do not always agree from one brand to another. Apparently you have to unfold and look at the items individually. Who knew? Oh, stretchy rayon fabric, another no-no as the sizes are very deceptive. Scoop neck, V-neck, T-neck, three-quarter length sleeves, material is too thin you can see through it, cowl neck, the list of what I can and can’t buy is too long to remember. Perhaps a gift card is in fact my safest choice. On the other hand I did avoid my usual error in clothing purchases. “Honey, you got me two blue shirts and you gave me the same thing last year.” Nope, no duplicate clothing this time, just the wrong fabric and sizes. I do confess, I try but to be fair my wife has pointed out to me what to look for and I just simply forget. Which brings me to my point, I forget and she has to take the items back and exchange them or get a gift card. I DO remember to keep my receipts and all of the tags I have learned that in my retail work over the past 25+ years. We return the items and my wife finds what she really wants. Honest returns with receipts and tags. Guess what? There are those who commit return fraud and also have all of their receipts and tags and they engage in what is called wardrobing.
Wardrobing may sound innocuous and non-criminal unlike return fraud but the hard reality is it can be worse than regular fraud. Often fraud involves no-receipt returns, merchandise that does not match what is on a receipt, the wrong tags on an item someone is trying to slip past the customer service employee or multiple exchanges in an attempt to get cash back. When someone is wardrobing they are buying clothing with the intent of returning them after using the garments one or twice. It is sort of like renting an item without ever paying anything because the clothes are worn and then returned with the tags attached and the patron has the receipt. This person appears to be following store return policies so in their mind they are not doing anything wrong. The problem is that the “customer” never intended to make the purchase permanent. Store personnel may have wasted a significant amount of time assisting this person. If someone works on commission they lose that commission with the return of the merchandise. Sometimes the items have to be cleaned upon return due to odors or stains. Even when cleaned sometimes garments have to be marked down or possibly tossed out and the item marked out of stock. Both situations cost the store money. Is there a way to balance returns from honest customers like me and those who would intentionally abuse store return policies? What if I were to lose a receipt would you want to refuse MY return? Wardrobing tags on your products can resolve the issue.
Bill Bregar is the Chief Executive Officer of Loss Prevention Systems Inc. and he gets it. He knows you can’t ostracize one loyal group due to the return fraud committed through the act of wardrobing by a small percentage of people. In order to maintain a balance that will keep your customers happy and send fraudulent customers elsewhere, Bill and the folks at LPSI suggest using wardrobing tags on all of your clothes. These are one-time use only, bright red tags that are pinned to clothing where they would be visible if someone wore the item out somewhere. The tags are removed by the customer after the purchase and it is determined they want to keep the item. They still allow clothing to be tried on but no one would wear the item in public with the tag on it. If the item needs to be returned, the tag has to be attached and all receipts and labels brought with it.
Return Fraud is fraud and nothing else. It isn’t harmless and it could be costing your store a bundle of money each year. Your good customers deserve your respect and trust. Balance the good against the bad with wardrobing tags and stop losing money to fraud.
Return Fraud is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Balance, how do you achieve it as a retailer especially when it comes to return fraud? You have to keep your customers happy and coming back to shop but you also have to make sure you aren’t taking a financial drubbing in the process. Recently I purchased some clothing for my wife as a gift and as I am prone to doing I made several errors. First, I forgot that clothing sizes do not always agree from one brand to another. Apparently you have to unfold and look at the items individually. Who knew? Oh, stretchy rayon fabric, another no-no as the sizes are very deceptive. Scoop neck, V-neck, T-neck, three-quarter length sleeves, material is too thin you can see through it, cowl neck, the list of what I can and can’t buy is too long to remember. Perhaps a gift card is in fact my safest choice. On the other hand I did avoid my usual error in clothing purchases. “Honey, you got me two blue shirts and you gave me the same thing last year.” Nope, no duplicate clothing this time, just the wrong fabric and sizes. I do confess, I try but to be fair my wife has pointed out to me what to look for and I just simply forget. Which brings me to my point, I forget and she has to take the items back and exchange them or get a gift card. I DO remember to keep my receipts and all of the tags I have learned that in my retail work over the past 25+ years. We return the items and my wife finds what she really wants. Honest returns with receipts and tags. Guess what? There are those who commit return fraud and also have all of their receipts and tags and they engage in what is called wardrobing.
Wardrobing may sound innocuous and non-criminal unlike return fraud but the hard reality is it can be worse than regular fraud. Often fraud involves no-receipt returns, merchandise that does not match what is on a receipt, the wrong tags on an item someone is trying to slip past the customer service employee or multiple exchanges in an attempt to get cash back. When someone is wardrobing they are buying clothing with the intent of returning them after using the garments one or twice. It is sort of like renting an item without ever paying anything because the clothes are worn and then returned with the tags attached and the patron has the receipt. This person appears to be following store return policies so in their mind they are not doing anything wrong. The problem is that the “customer” never intended to make the purchase permanent. Store personnel may have wasted a significant amount of time assisting this person. If someone works on commission they lose that commission with the return of the merchandise. Sometimes the items have to be cleaned upon return due to odors or stains. Even when cleaned sometimes garments have to be marked down or possibly tossed out and the item marked out of stock. Both situations cost the store money. Is there a way to balance returns from honest customers like me and those who would intentionally abuse store return policies? What if I were to lose a receipt would you want to refuse MY return? Wardrobing tags on your products can resolve the issue.
Bill Bregar is the Chief Executive Officer of Loss Prevention Systems Inc. and he gets it. He knows you can’t ostracize one loyal group due to the return fraud committed through the act of wardrobing by a small percentage of people. In order to maintain a balance that will keep your customers happy and send fraudulent customers elsewhere, Bill and the folks at LPSI suggest using wardrobing tags on all of your clothes. These are one-time use only, bright red tags that are pinned to clothing where they would be visible if someone wore the item out somewhere. The tags are removed by the customer after the purchase and it is determined they want to keep the item. They still allow clothing to be tried on but no one would wear the item in public with the tag on it. If the item needs to be returned, the tag has to be attached and all receipts and labels brought with it.
Return Fraud is fraud and nothing else. It isn’t harmless and it could be costing your store a bundle of money each year. Your good customers deserve your respect and trust. Balance the good against the bad with wardrobing tags and stop losing money to fraud.
Return Fraud is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
