Change is not always easy for example I remember having to make changes in how to stop shoplifting when I went from one company to another. I promoted from a Loss Prevention Associate in a store where I could chase shoplifters, tackle and hold them until local police arrived to a Loss Prevention Manager of a company that would not permit any pursuit beyond the sidewalk. Later, due to circumstances of management realignment I had to depart my beloved Loss Prevention Manager position and took on a Freight Manager role I was successful in by almost all diagnostic measurements. Unfortunately (or fortunately as I later realized), that position took a toll on me and I resigned after a year and a half. Despite my experience and education new work did not come easily but I did wind up back in Loss Prevention for a retail store that had a total hand-off policy. Even if I saw a shoplifter conceal merchandise and set off the Sensormatic security system I could “talk to them” but I could not physically stop the person. I tried to abide by the policy despite my disagreement. You can’t stop shoplifting if there are no repercussions when a thief walks out and knows you cannot touch them. Oh that company has closed down almost all of their brick and mortar locations. I have my own opinion as to why. I left the company after a few short months for reasons I won’t get into but suffice it to say it was another fortuitous situation as that location was only open a couple of more years. Change happens.
I have also had to handle change in how to stop shoplifting going from one type of electronic article surveillance company to another. The last one I was involved with was Sensormatic security systems and I must say I was impressed with the quality of the equipment and tags. I was already familiar with the brand but had not used it myself. I still have some familiarity with it as the office store where I work uses the system and I know how good our inventory shortage results are for the past 8 years. The results speak volumes of the effectiveness of Sensormatic in helping stores stop shoplifting (even though I still get the itch to do it myself from time to time). Systems have their own features and some may compare them to driving a Ford or a Chevy. I would liken it to driving a mini-van or a Cadillac Escalade. The mini-van gets me where I need to go (that is what I can afford to drive) the Escalade would also get me there but with more bells, whistles and let’s be honest reliability. I think of Sensormatic security systems as the Escalade versus the other electronic article surveillance systems on the market. They just perform better.
Change can come in other forms in our work and careers. Sometimes we think we want to do one thing and events or circumstances force us to go another path. In my life I believe God has directed my career and sometimes it can be downright scary. But in the end I find I have learned new things or I have contributed in some small manner to a new employer. I never would have imagined that my Air Force Law Enforcement experience and Retail Loss Prevention experiences would ever have led to work in a college library! Nor would I have ever imagined myself as a writer of articles for a Loss Prevention consulting business. Sure, like many others I kind of had a secret desire to write but I did not get a degree in English or Journalism. My degree in Sociology was a far cry from writing. But as I look at my experiences as an Air Force Law Enforcement Specialist and a Loss Prevention Officer and Manager, I had to write…A LOT! When I would stop shoplifting and apprehend a culprit I had to write a report that might go to court. It had to be accurate. Maybe I was more prepared than I thought.
My point is change can and will happen. Are you ready to embrace it or fight it? There is nothing wrong with being a little nervous about it. What will I do? How do I react? Questions will arise. But in my case I was given an opportunity by a new boss, Bill Bregar, to try my hand at writing for his company. I had coaching and encouragement along the way by new friends Ashleigh Berry and Cathy Benoist. I was pushed out of comfort zones and tried new things. A new door opened and I was welcomed with open arms I will never forget what these people have done for me. That is how YOU should embrace change. Now a door is closing. I don’t know where it will lead but I am confident God has a new and exciting adventure planned. After 849 articles it is time to see where a new door will open but before I do let me leave you with these words of wisdom from someone with over 17 years in Retail Loss Prevention…If you don’t have a Sensormatic security system, buy one you will improve the financial success of your store, I promise!
For more information on Sensormatic security systems, contact us at 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Change is not always easy for example I remember having to make changes in how to stop shoplifting when I went from one company to another. I was promoted from a Loss Prevention Associate in a store where I could chase shoplifters, tackle and hold them until local police arrived to a Loss Prevention Manager of a company that would not permit any pursuit beyond the sidewalk. Later, due to circumstances of management realignment I had to depart my beloved Loss Prevention Manager position and took on a Freight Manager role I was successful in by almost all diagnostic measurements. Unfortunately (or fortunately as I later realized), that position took a toll on me and I resigned after a year and a half. Despite my experience and education new work did not come easily but I did wind up back in Loss Prevention for a retail store that had a total hands-off policy. Even if I saw a shoplifter conceal merchandise and set off the Sensormatic security system I could “talk to them” but I could not physically stop the person. I tried to abide by the policy despite my disagreement. You can’t stop shoplifting if there are no repercussions when a thief walks out and knows you cannot touch them. Oh that company has closed down almost all of their brick and mortar locations. I have my own opinion as to why. I left the company after a few short months for reasons I won’t get into but suffice it to say it was another fortuitous situation as that location was only open a couple of more years. Change happens.
I have also had to handle change in how to stop shoplifting going from one type of electronic article surveillance company to another. The last one I was involved with was Sensormatic security systems and I must say I was impressed with the quality of the equipment and tags. I was already familiar with the brand but had not used it myself. I still have some familiarity with it as the office store where I work uses the system and I know how good our inventory shortage results are for the past 8 years. The results speak volumes of the effectiveness of Sensormatic in helping stores stop shoplifting (even though I still get the itch to do it myself from time to time). Systems have their own features and some may compare them to driving a Ford or a Chevy. I would liken it to driving a mini-van or a Cadillac Escalade. The mini-van gets me where I need to go (that is what I can afford to drive) the Escalade would also get me there but with more bells, whistles and let’s be honest reliability. I think of Sensormatic security systems as the Escalade versus the other electronic article surveillance systems on the market. They just perform better.
Change can come in other forms in our work and careers. Sometimes we think we want to do one thing and events or circumstances force us to go another path. In my life I believe God has directed my career and sometimes it can be downright scary. But in the end I find I have learned new things or I have contributed in some small manner to a new employer. I never would have imagined that my Air Force Law Enforcement experience and Retail Loss Prevention experiences would ever have led to work in a college library! Nor would I have ever imagined myself as a writer of articles for a Loss Prevention consulting business. Sure, like many others I kind of had a secret desire to write but I did not get a degree in English or Journalism. My degree in Sociology was a far cry from writing. But as I look at my experiences as an Air Force Law Enforcement Specialist and a Loss Prevention Officer and Manager, I had to write…A LOT! When I would stop shoplifting and apprehend a culprit I had to write a report that might go to court. It had to be accurate. Maybe I was more prepared than I thought.
My point is change can and will happen. Are you ready to embrace it or fight it? There is nothing wrong with being a little nervous about it. What will I do? How do I react? Questions will arise. But in my case I was given an opportunity by a new boss, Bill Bregar, to try my hand at writing for his company. I had coaching and encouragement along the way by new friends Ashleigh Berry and Cathy Benoist. I was pushed out of comfort zones and tried new things. A new door opened and I was welcomed with open arms I will never forget what these people have done for me. That is how YOU should embrace change. Now a door is closing. I don’t know where it will lead but I am confident God has a new and exciting adventure planned. After 849 articles it is time to see where a new door will open but before I do let me leave you with these words of wisdom from someone with over 17 years in Retail Loss Prevention…If you don’t have a Sensormatic security system, buy one you will improve the financial success of your store, I promise!
For more information on Sensormatic security systems, contact us at 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Training To Reduce Employee Theft Opens Your Eyes To A Whole New World
I find it interesting that when you see articles about employee theft they are often accompanied by the picture of the employee slipping money out of the cash register and putting it in their pocket. Sometimes the pictures are of shady looking characters hunched over a purse or briefcase hiding materials or merchandise. The pictures portray the dishonest employee as having a nervous look or glancing about looking to see if anyone is watching. The problem is that in many cases this is not what a crooked employee looks like. Unless you have gone through training to reduce employee theft you might not know the indicators to look for that would tip you off that someone may be stealing. Then there is the false sense from these pictures that all dishonest associate activity involves taking materials, products or property.
Employee theft can be much more involved than you might imagine. It can involve the theft of time. While this sounds somewhat innocuous on the surface over a period of time it can cost you, the employer, thousands of dollars. This can happen when Bobby or Mary doesn’t show up for work on time so they have a friend punch in on a time clock for them while they are still driving to work. Five or ten minutes here and there doesn’t sound like a lot but the lost productivity for you can add up. Six minutes a day five days a week is thirty minutes. If an employee earns $12 an hour, that is $6 in lost money for you in a week. Over the course of a month it could potentially add up to $24 in lost productivity and in a year, $288! This does not include the impact on team morale caused by this tardy employee. Employees are more in the know than you might think and they take note of co-workers who always show up late. They get angry over having to pick up extra work until that person gets in. Time may not be as tangible as cash but it hurts the store owner or manager just as much as cash theft does.
With proper training to reduce employee theft managers can learn how to pick up on the cues that indicate dishonest activity is taking place. In the case of time card fraud you may forget about the day you did notice Mary was a few minutes late and since her time card looks correct you approve it and move on. In order to stop this fraud before it gets out of hand you may want to use a planner or calendar to track tardy and absentee employees. Training can help you with identification and prevention before a problem explodes.
Employee theft does not always start off big either meaning it isn’t always a $20 cash register shortage. I have caught employees who were giving away drinks and meals to friends and co-workers. These situations frequently started off with the idea of helping a co-worker who did not have enough money at the time. One favor deserves another and soon the two employees are “helping” each other out with a drink here or a food item there. Well, one co-worker turns into two and two turns to a customer friend. Soon there is a little cabal of thieves in one department. Oh and yes, that did also lead to someone feeling froggy enough to start trying their hand at creating a fraudulent gift card for himself leading to cash theft/shortage. Often employee theft starts out on a small scale but can quickly escalate to a huge problem. I will also point out that a side issue that arose from this case was that almost half a department of workers were fired at one time for employee theft and fraud. That placed a heavy workload on everyone else in that area.
Training to reduce employee theft can open a manager’s eyes to methods of theft they never thought about previously. It will also teach employers the signs that indicate trouble could be brewing even if theft has not taken place…yet. Financial pressures, peer pressure, problems outside of work and even dissatisfaction in the workplace can entice a worker to engage in activity they otherwise might not have considered. Don’t let internet pictures deceive you see the bigger picture with training to reduce employee theft.
Need information on employee theft? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 today.
I find it interesting that when you see articles about employee theft they are often accompanied by the picture of the employee slipping money out of the cash register and putting it in their pocket. Sometimes the pictures are of shady looking characters hunched over a purse or briefcase hiding materials or merchandise. The pictures portray the dishonest employee as having a nervous look or glancing about looking to see if anyone is watching. The problem is that in many cases this is not what a crooked employee looks like. Unless you have gone through training to reduce employee theft you might not know the indicators to look for that would tip you off that someone may be stealing. Then there is the false sense from these pictures that all dishonest associate activity involves taking materials, products or property.
Employee theft can be much more involved than you might imagine. It can involve the theft of time. While this sounds somewhat innocuous on the surface over a period of time it can cost you, the employer, thousands of dollars. This can happen when Bobby or Mary doesn’t show up for work on time so they have a friend punch in on a time clock for them while they are still driving to work. Five or ten minutes here and there doesn’t sound like a lot but the lost productivity for you can add up. Six minutes a day five days a week is thirty minutes. If an employee earns $12 an hour, that is $6 in lost money for you in a week. Over the course of a month it could potentially add up to $24 in lost productivity and in a year, $288! This does not include the impact on team morale caused by this tardy employee. Employees are more in the know than you might think and they take note of co-workers who always show up late. They get angry over having to pick up extra work until that person gets in. Time may not be as tangible as cash but it hurts the store owner or manager just as much as cash theft does.
With proper training to reduce employee theft managers can learn how to pick up on the cues that indicate dishonest activity is taking place. In the case of time card fraud you may forget about the day you did notice Mary was a few minutes late and since her time card looks correct you approve it and move on. In order to stop this fraud before it gets out of hand you may want to use a planner or calendar to track tardy and absentee employees. Training can help you with identification and prevention before a problem explodes.
Employee theft does not always start off big either meaning it isn’t always a $20 cash register shortage. I have caught employees who were giving away drinks and meals to friends and co-workers. These situations frequently started off with the idea of helping a co-worker who did not have enough money at the time. One favor deserves another and soon the two employees are “helping” each other out with a drink here or a food item there. Well, one co-worker turns into two and two turns to a customer friend. Soon there is a little cabal of thieves in one department. Oh and yes, that did also lead to someone feeling froggy enough to start trying their hand at creating a fraudulent gift card for himself leading to cash theft/shortage. Often employee theft starts out on a small scale but can quickly escalate to a huge problem. I will also point out that a side issue that arose from this case was that almost half a department of workers were fired at one time for employee theft and fraud. That placed a heavy workload on everyone else in that area.
Training to reduce employee theft can open a manager’s eyes to methods of theft they never thought about previously. It will also teach employers the signs that indicate trouble could be brewing even if theft has not taken place…yet. Financial pressures, peer pressure, problems outside of work and even dissatisfaction in the workplace can entice a worker to engage in activity they otherwise might not have considered. Don’t let internet pictures deceive you see the bigger picture with training to reduce employee theft.
Need information on employee theft? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 today.
Protect Health And Beauty Products From Professional Crooks By Using Sensormatic Safers
How important is it for store owners to protect health and beauty products? How important is it to prevent all theft in your store? As I was searching for recent news on Organized Retail Crime (ORC) activity I came across a story that was a strong reminder of why it is important for merchants to prevent shoplifting. A professional shoplifting ring out of Florida was recently caught by police. They are accused of theft to the tune of over $2 million dollars in stolen goods! According to a story in clickorlando.com, May 08, 2018, “5 arrested 1 sought in Florida retail theft ring” the suspects were, “…hitting eight to 10 businesses each day.” This is an incredible amount of merchandise and it was not just one type of store being targeted. The group was hitting grocery stores, drug stores and department stores. The story related that Publix Loss Prevention started the investigation as the group was stealing primarily health and beauty products from their stores. Of course as the investigation by police went into full swing it was determined other chains were being hit by the group also. It turns out the ring was stealing clothes and shoes as well as teeth whitening strips, electric toothbrushes and razors. The goods were then sold on the black market.
What are Organized Retail Theft (ORC) rings and is there a way to combat them? ORC groups are professional shoplifting groups. They can vary in the number of people who operate in a ring and they may even use people outside of the ring to actually do the shoplifting. What makes these groups different from the opportunist who enters a store and steals is that the opportunist may only do it as a prank or for a thrill. They may steal a lot over time but not in the quantities or dollars that professional groups will steal. ORC rings are reselling as a business. They may sell on the internet, out of a warehouse or use a “mom and pop” shop as a cover. They will steal anything they can get out of a store but they love to steal small merchandise that is easy to conceal. This is why it is so important to protect health and beauty products.
So now you know what an ORC group is but how do you fight back against a group of criminals who may be working in teams or sending in others to steal for them? You prevent shoplifting by using Sensormatic Flexible Safers. Safers are tough, durable, locking bags with electronic article surveillance protection built into them. They add size and alarm protection to smaller pieces of merchandise that would otherwise be easy for shoplifters to steal in bulk quantities. How did the ORC group mentioned at the beginning of this article get away with hitting eight to 10 businesses a day? I would be willing to bet that in part they were avoiding merchandise that had electronic article surveillance protection as much as they possibly could. Professional shoplifters know that activating alarm towers with Flexible Safers or other Sensormatic tags is going to draw unwanted attention and make it difficult to go back to that store again. A store that uses anti-shoplifting devices to protect health and beauty products is one step ahead of the bad guys.
It is important that I mention that Sensormatic Safers prevent shoplifting by the opportunist as much as the professional. This is especially true in the health and beauty product departments where so many of the items are pocketable. That means they are small enough to be slipped into a pocket and that is a difficult theft to see. I can tell you that we in the Loss Prevention field are very wary of stopping someone for stealing something as small as a cosmetic item. It is simply too risky and the chance of making a bad stop too great. We often let these people walk out unless they set off an electronic article surveillance alarm and then we leave it up to a store manager or supervisor to resolve the cause for the alarm. We generally won’t make an apprehension for an alarm activation, we simply want to see merchandise retrieved.
You never know if your store will be hit by professional shoplifting rings but I can assure you at some point you will be the victim of some variety of shoplifter. If you want to protect health and beauty products or any small merchandise Flexible Safers are the solution for you. Saving money with a Sensormatic System and tags is a beautiful thing.
For more information about how to protect health and beauty products contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
How important is it for store owners to protect health and beauty products? How important is it to prevent all theft in your store? As I was searching for recent news on Organized Retail Crime (ORC) activity I came across a story that was a strong reminder of why it is important for merchants to prevent shoplifting. A professional shoplifting ring out of Florida was recently caught by police. They are accused of theft to the tune of over $2 million dollars in stolen goods! According to a story in clickorlando.com, May 08, 2018, “5 arrested 1 sought in Florida retail theft ring” the suspects were, “…hitting eight to 10 businesses each day.” This is an incredible amount of merchandise and it was not just one type of store being targeted. The group was hitting grocery stores, drug stores and department stores. The story related that Publix Loss Prevention started the investigation as the group was stealing primarily health and beauty products from their stores. Of course as the investigation by police went into full swing it was determined other chains were being hit by the group also. It turns out the ring was stealing clothes and shoes as well as teeth whitening strips, electric toothbrushes and razors. The goods were then sold on the black market.
What are Organized Retail Theft (ORC) rings and is there a way to combat them? ORC groups are professional shoplifting groups. They can vary in the number of people who operate in a ring and they may even use people outside of the ring to actually do the shoplifting. What makes these groups different from the opportunist who enters a store and steals is that the opportunist may only do it as a prank or for a thrill. They may steal a lot over time but not in the quantities or dollars that professional groups will steal. ORC rings are reselling as a business. They may sell on the internet, out of a warehouse or use a “mom and pop” shop as a cover. They will steal anything they can get out of a store but they love to steal small merchandise that is easy to conceal. This is why it is so important to protect health and beauty products.
So now you know what an ORC group is but how do you fight back against a group of criminals who may be working in teams or sending in others to steal for them? You prevent shoplifting by using Sensormatic Flexible Safers. Safers are tough, durable, locking bags with electronic article surveillance protection built into them. They add size and alarm protection to smaller pieces of merchandise that would otherwise be easy for shoplifters to steal in bulk quantities. How did the ORC group mentioned at the beginning of this article get away with hitting eight to 10 businesses a day? I would be willing to bet that in part they were avoiding merchandise that had electronic article surveillance protection as much as they possibly could. Professional shoplifters know that activating alarm towers with Flexible Safers or other Sensormatic tags is going to draw unwanted attention and make it difficult to go back to that store again. A store that uses anti-shoplifting devices to protect health and beauty products is one step ahead of the bad guys.
It is important that I mention that Sensormatic Safers prevent shoplifting by the opportunist as much as the professional. This is especially true in the health and beauty product departments where so many of the items are pocketable. That means they are small enough to be slipped into a pocket and that is a difficult theft to see. I can tell you that we in the Loss Prevention field are very wary of stopping someone for stealing something as small as a cosmetic item. It is simply too risky and the chance of making a bad stop too great. We often let these people walk out unless they set off an electronic article surveillance alarm and then we leave it up to a store manager or supervisor to resolve the cause for the alarm. We generally won’t make an apprehension for an alarm activation, we simply want to see merchandise retrieved.
You never know if your store will be hit by professional shoplifting rings but I can assure you at some point you will be the victim of some variety of shoplifter. If you want to protect health and beauty products or any small merchandise Flexible Safers are the solution for you. Saving money with a Sensormatic System and tags is a beautiful thing.
For more information about how to protect health and beauty products contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
