Stop Shoplifting – 3 WC Blog 752
Sensormatic security system – 3
Customer’s Cryptic Computer Message – Did I Stop Shoplifting From Taking Place?
Usually I know if I have been able to stop shoplifting by recovering merchandise someone has dropped or by the demeanor of a customer if I offer them “too much” customer service. Several nights ago I encountered a very odd situation that I have never seen before. A customer entered the store and there was nothing suspicious about him other than he went to an area where people will tend to steal cell phone cases and accessories. I asked if I could help him find something. He seemed a little startled and said he was looking for an iPad for his nephew. Now I found that a bit odd. I love my nephews but not iPad love them. I told the gentleman we did not sell them but we did have alternative computer tablets that would be just as good and cost less money. I took him to that department. He gave a cursory look and was insistent that his nephew wanted an iPad and so he would just look around the store. I alerted our manager and I continued to watch the customer. He moved to some collectables we had and I engaged him in conversation about the items since I am a fan of these products too. My customer did not want anything to do with me and brushed me off. Now that my feelings were hurt I really wanted to give this fella my best customer service when he moved to another department. Again I was rebuffed. I watched him from a bit of a distance as he stopped at an all-in-one computer and started typing on it. He then quickly walked out of the store. When I looked at the computer screen he had typed, “You shouldn’t treat your customers like they are shoplifters.” I laughed and showed the manager on duty. Our store uses a Sensormatic security system to prevent theft but it works best when coupled with good customer service.
Electronic article surveillance equipment does deter shoplifting. From the time the criminal walks into the store and sees the towers to the visibility of anti-theft tags and labels all of this technology tells a potential thief that criminal activity will be risky if not impossible. There are crooks who are smart enough to know that some merchandise can be removed from packaging if not protected properly and then taken. These tend to be the more professional shoplifters who steal for a living. Giving customer service to everyone should already be a priority in a store but for these professionals it is an added deterrent along with the anti-theft devices. Customer service leads to increased sales and it does help to deter criminal activity as I believe it did in my situation. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) owner Bill Bregar has been in the Retail Theft Prevention consultation business since 1983. He stresses to his clients the importance of building a customer service culture in the store in addition to the installation of a Sensormatic security system to stop shoplifting. Like me he understands how customer service works in conjunction with electronic article surveillance to minimize the risk of theft and how it improves profit. For those clients that do not have a Sensormatic security system in the store LPSI is a supplier but also offers the additional benefit of free, live shoplifting prevention training. You won’t get THAT offer anywhere else.
Did my customer intend to steal since he left his not-so-cryptic message on our computer? Well, I received a text from the store manager two days later saying that the police had come by the store with stolen merchandise. The suspect and two accomplices returned the next day and stole merchandise and it was recovered in the course of another incident involving the suspect. My “customer” also had felony warrants in other states. It’s nice to know that this old Loss Prevention Manager still has an instinct about how to identify and stop shoplifting. Since I can’t be there to help your store, take time to contact LPSI and see all they offer that can help your team reduce theft. Don’t delay you don’t know when my “customer” will get out and visit your store next.
Need information on a Sensormatic security system? Contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Usually I know if I have been able to stop shoplifting by recovering merchandise someone has dropped or by the demeanor of a customer if I offer them “too much” customer service. Several nights ago I encountered a very odd situation that I have never seen before. A customer entered the store and there was nothing suspicious about him other than he went to an area where people will tend to steal cell phone cases and accessories. I asked if I could help him find something. He seemed a little startled and said he was looking for an iPad for his nephew. Now I found that a bit odd. I love my nephews but not iPad love them. I told the gentleman we did not sell them but we did have alternative computer tablets that would be just as good and cost less money. I took him to that department. He gave a cursory look and was insistent that his nephew wanted an iPad and so he would just look around the store. I alerted our manager and I continued to watch the customer. He moved to some collectables we had and I engaged him in conversation about the items since I am a fan of these products too. My customer did not want anything to do with me and brushed me off. Now that my feelings were hurt I really wanted to give this fella my best customer service when he moved to another department. Again I was rebuffed. I watched him from a bit of a distance as he stopped at an all-in-one computer and started typing on it. He then quickly walked out of the store. When I looked at the computer screen he had typed, “You shouldn’t treat your customers like they are shoplifters.” I laughed and showed the manager on duty. Our store uses a Sensormatic security system to prevent theft but it works best when coupled with good customer service.
Electronic article surveillance equipment does deter shoplifting. From the time the criminal walks into the store and sees the towers to the visibility of anti-theft tags and labels all of this technology tells a potential thief that criminal activity will be risky if not impossible. There are crooks who are smart enough to know that some merchandise can be removed from packaging if not protected properly and then taken. These tend to be the more professional shoplifters who steal for a living. Giving customer service to everyone should already be a priority in a store but for these professionals it is an added deterrent along with the anti-theft devices. Customer service leads to increased sales and it does help to deter criminal activity as I believe it did in my situation. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) owner Bill Bregar has been in the Retail Theft Prevention consultation business since 1983. He stresses to his clients the importance of building a customer service culture in the store in addition to the installation of a Sensormatic security system to stop shoplifting. Like me he understands how customer service works in conjunction with electronic article surveillance to minimize the risk of theft and how it improves profit. For those clients that do not have a Sensormatic security system in the store LPSI is a supplier but also offers the additional benefit of free, live shoplifting prevention training. You won’t get THAT offer anywhere else.
Did my customer intend to steal since he left his not-so-cryptic message on our computer? Well, I received a text from the store manager two days later saying that the police had come by the store with stolen merchandise. The suspect and two accomplices returned the next day and stole merchandise and it was recovered in the course of another incident involving the suspect. My “customer” also had felony warrants in other states. It’s nice to know that this old Loss Prevention Manager still has an instinct about how to identify and stop shoplifting. Since I can’t be there to help your store, take time to contact LPSI and see all they offer that can help your team reduce theft. Don’t delay you don’t know when my “customer” will get out and visit your store next.
Need information on a Sensormatic security system? Contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Employee Theft – 3
Training to reduce employee theft -3 WC Blog 782
How Much Do You Know About Preventing Employee Theft? – Part 1
I have a short quiz for readers to see what you know about employee theft:
1. True or False – An employment application and interview are sufficient to identify candidates who would be dishonest if hired
2. True or False – Employee theft includes only merchandise or money
3. True or False – Employee theft cases are no more detrimental than a shoplifting case
4. True or False – Cameras will keep employees from stealing
5. True or False – If caught in the act of stealing a dishonest employee will usually confess about their crimes
6. True or False – Any manager will be able to tell if a store employee is stealing
7. True or False – A dishonest employee usually works alone
8. True or false – Only new employees steal from their employer
9. True or False – Dishonest workers are sullen, quiet and keep to themselves
10. True or False – If an employee or job candidate wants to steal there is nothing an employer can do to prevent it.
Now let’s check your answers to the questions with one caveat. If you do not get 100% you should consider training to reduce employee theft offered by Loss Prevention Systems, Inc.
1. False – Applicants can lie on job applications and exaggerate about their experience or education level. During an interview a charming candidate can sound really good until they are hired and you learn the truth.
2. False – Employees can steal time by having someone clock in for them when they are not at work. They can steal customer’s credit cards and gift cards. Dishonest employees can steal from other employees. There are lots of ways employees steal that would not be considered the traditional theft cases.
3. False – The average shoplifting dollars per case was $559. The average employee theft case was $1,203.16 (Information from pg. 11 and 12 of the 2018 National Retail Security Survey.
4. False – Cameras may deter employees when they are first installed or when an employee is new on the job but over time the deterrence value diminishes.
5. False – It takes an experienced investigator to get a full confession from a dishonest person. They may admit to the theft they have been caught in but it is rare to catch a dishonest employee the first time they have ever engaged in theft. A manager or store owner can lose a lot of money if they don’t know how to investigate or interview an employee who is stealing.
6. False – While there are some workers who steal and are not very good at it and are easily caught there are many more who are incredibly sneaky and know how to cover their tracks. Experienced Loss Prevention investigators are the best solution if it is suspected an employee is stealing.
7. False – A dishonest employee may start off stealing for themselves but frequently they involve other employees or friends and family. It can be a very costly affair for retailers.
8. False – It is not uncommon for someone who has been a hard worker to fall into a bad situation. It may be drug or alcohol related, financial burdens or some other hardship that may lead to a long-term employee to suddenly deciding that theft will solve their problem.
9. False – Some of the most outgoing and friendly employees are the people who are stealing. By building a friendly relationship they are actually using the trust of the manager to their advantage. It is easy to trust someone who is likeable and feeds our egos.
10. ABSOLUTELY FALSE! – You can reduce the chance of an employee stealing when you use pre-employment drug screening, employee background checks and invest in training to reduce employee theft.
Now, even if you did get all of the questions correct chances are you could still use the training opportunities offered by Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. The training they offer will greatly reduce the chances of a staff member taking advantage of your business and you!
In Part 2 we are going to expand on each of the ten points discussed in the quiz. Training should always be ongoing. We never know everything about any subject and often we forget what we may have heard in a short seminar. Training to reduce employee theft and other offerings as well as investigations, background checks and pre-employment drug screening combined can give a decided edge to the employer who utilizes them.
For more information about training to reduce employee theft contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
I have a short quiz for readers to see what you know about employee theft:
1. True or False – An employment application and interview are sufficient to identify candidates who would be dishonest if hired
2. True or False – Employee theft includes only merchandise or money
3. True or False – Employee theft cases are no more detrimental than a shoplifting case
4. True or False – Cameras will keep employees from stealing
5. True or False – If caught in the act of stealing a dishonest employee will usually confess about their crimes
6. True or False – Any manager will be able to tell if a store employee is stealing
7. True or False – A dishonest employee usually works alone
8. True or false – Only new employees steal from their employer
9. True or False – Dishonest workers are sullen, quiet and keep to themselves
10. True or False – If an employee or job candidate wants to steal there is nothing an employer can do to prevent it.
Now let’s check your answers to the questions with one caveat. If you do not get 100% you should consider training to reduce employee theft offered by Loss Prevention Systems, Inc.
1. False – Applicants can lie on job applications and exaggerate about their experience or education level. During an interview a charming candidate can sound really good until they are hired and you learn the truth.
2. False – Employees can steal time by having someone clock in for them when they are not at work. They can steal customer’s credit cards and gift cards. Dishonest employees can steal from other employees. There are lots of ways employees steal that would not be considered the traditional theft cases.
3. False – The average shoplifting dollars per case was $559. The average employee theft case was $1,203.16 (Information from pg. 11 and 12 of the 2018 National Retail Security Survey.
4. False – Cameras may deter employees when they are first installed or when an employee is new on the job but over time the deterrence value diminishes.
5. False – It takes an experienced investigator to get a full confession from a dishonest person. They may admit to the theft they have been caught in but it is rare to catch a dishonest employee the first time they have ever engaged in theft. A manager or store owner can lose a lot of money if they don’t know how to investigate or interview an employee who is stealing.
6. False – While there are some workers who steal and are not very good at it and are easily caught there are many more who are incredibly sneaky and know how to cover their tracks. Experienced Loss Prevention investigators are the best solution if it is suspected an employee is stealing.
7. False – A dishonest employee may start off stealing for themselves but frequently they involve other employees or friends and family. It can be a very costly affair for retailers.
8. False – It is not uncommon for someone who has been a hard worker to fall into a bad situation. It may be drug or alcohol related, financial burdens or some other hardship that may lead to a long-term employee to suddenly deciding that theft will solve their problem.
9. False – Some of the most outgoing and friendly employees are the people who are stealing. By building a friendly relationship they are actually using the trust of the manager to their advantage. It is easy to trust someone who is likeable and feeds our egos.
10. ABSOLUTELY FALSE! – You can reduce the chance of an employee stealing when you use pre-employment drug screening, employee background checks and invest in training to reduce employee theft.
Now, even if you did get all of the questions correct chances are you could still use the training opportunities offered by Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. The training they offer will greatly reduce the chances of a staff member taking advantage of your business and you!
In Part 2 we are going to expand on each of the ten points discussed in the quiz. Training should always be ongoing. We never know everything about any subject and often we forget what we may have heard in a short seminar. Training to reduce employee theft and other offerings as well as investigations, background checks and pre-employment drug screening combined can give a decided edge to the employer who utilizes them.
For more information about training to reduce employee theft contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
Sensormatic Safers – 4 WC Blog 766
Prevent Shoplifting -3
Enjoy The Freedom That Comes With Sensormatic Safers
I enjoy customer service and helping customers but when I have to assist a customer because the items they want are locked-up instead of protected by Sensormatic Safers it is frustrating. In the store I work at we sell computer software and there are many items on display that are what I call ‘live’ products having the actual discs in them. As a precaution to prevent shoplifting there are also a lot of programs that we carry and we only display empty boxes for customers. The boxes are even labeled with a warning that these are empty display boxes. Now coming from a person who has been involved in Retail Loss Prevention, writing about it or managing a Loss Prevention department you would assume I would be in favor of this. That is simply not the case. While I hate theft I am not in favor of locking up most merchandise.
Locking up merchandise is a headache for a number of reasons. One concern I have is if merchandise is locked up and has to be retrieved from a secure stockroom an associate is often alone to retrieve that item. Now think about the temptation that may present to an associate. They are surrounded by “high-risk” merchandise in a secluded environment. It is an enticement to some people. I have caught employees stealing from secured stockrooms and often those are higher dollar cases than other employee theft incidents because of the merchandise involved. Locking display cases can present a similar problem because there is a notion that no one can see what is going on inside the case if they are trying to sneak merchandise out. The use of Sensormatic Safers puts merchandise out in the public view and makes employee theft more difficult.
Another irritation with locked up merchandise is that the customer has to wait for assistance to get the product. It may be that someone with keys has to come to a display case and show merchandise to the patron. Control over merchandise has to be maintained even when the shopper is looking at the product. Have you ever seen how fast some shoplifters can run during a snatch and run incident? I have and some of these folks could put an Olympic track star to shame (if only they would re-direct their running skills!). Then there are the skilled shoplifters who know how to confuse a salesperson and steal a piece of merchandise through deception and fast-talking. Finally with locking cases customers have the uncomfortable feeling of being watched when an item is taken out of a display case. The employee has no choice but to be observant and the customer feels rushed trying to look over the item. Using retail anti-theft devices like Sensormatic Safers relieve managers of blowing unnecessary payroll on the time workers are tied up retrieving merchandise from lock-up cases and stockrooms. They prevent shoplifting by scam artists and allow customers to pick up an item and walk around the store with it and take it to the register at their leisure.
With several sizes of Safers available to merchants there is a wide range of products a store can choose to protect against pilferage. The design of these anti-theft devices is such that there is little impact on the amount of space they require to stock on a peghook. This means you can continue stocking almost the same amount of merchandise you already put out and that helps sales. It also frees up stockroom space for other goods. Have you ever experienced running out of a hot selling item because you did not have enough of it on hand and you couldn’t store additional product for lack of space? More space in the stockroom can give you flexibility to have more of that type of stock on hand so you can replenish your floor faster than waiting on a new shipment.
There are two other problems associated with empty display boxes. First, customers tend to see the empty box and since the shelf isn’t empty they assume the store has more on hand. This is not necessarily true but it can cause a real issue with customers. The other problem is at inventory time and if your inventory counters don’t pay attention they may count an empty box and skew your results. It may look good for one year but you will pay for it the next year when the errors are found and corrected.
Prevent shoplifting by protecting merchandise with Sensormatic Safers and tags. Locking up merchandise wastes payroll, wastes employee time and annoys your customers which can lead to lost sales and lost patronage. Owners can experience freedom when using Sensormatic products.
Get more information on Sensormatic Safers contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
I enjoy customer service and helping customers but when I have to assist a customer because the items they want are locked-up instead of protected by Sensormatic Safers it is frustrating. In the store I work at we sell computer software and there are many items on display that are what I call ‘live’ products having the actual discs in them. As a precaution to prevent shoplifting there are also a lot of programs that we carry and we only display empty boxes for customers. The boxes are even labeled with a warning that these are empty display boxes. Now coming from a person who has been involved in Retail Loss Prevention, writing about it or managing a Loss Prevention department you would assume I would be in favor of this. That is simply not the case. While I hate theft I am not in favor of locking up most merchandise.
Locking up merchandise is a headache for a number of reasons. One concern I have is if merchandise is locked up and has to be retrieved from a secure stockroom an associate is often alone to retrieve that item. Now think about the temptation that may present to an associate. They are surrounded by “high-risk” merchandise in a secluded environment. It is an enticement to some people. I have caught employees stealing from secured stockrooms and often those are higher dollar cases than other employee theft incidents because of the merchandise involved. Locking display cases can present a similar problem because there is a notion that no one can see what is going on inside the case if they are trying to sneak merchandise out. The use of Sensormatic Safers puts merchandise out in the public view and makes employee theft more difficult.
Another irritation with locked up merchandise is that the customer has to wait for assistance to get the product. It may be that someone with keys has to come to a display case and show merchandise to the patron. Control over merchandise has to be maintained even when the shopper is looking at the product. Have you ever seen how fast some shoplifters can run during a snatch and run incident? I have and some of these folks could put an Olympic track star to shame (if only they would re-direct their running skills!). Then there are the skilled shoplifters who know how to confuse a salesperson and steal a piece of merchandise through deception and fast-talking. Finally with locking cases customers have the uncomfortable feeling of being watched when an item is taken out of a display case. The employee has no choice but to be observant and the customer feels rushed trying to look over the item. Using retail anti-theft devices like Sensormatic Safers relieve managers of blowing unnecessary payroll on the time workers are tied up retrieving merchandise from lock-up cases and stockrooms. They prevent shoplifting by scam artists and allow customers to pick up an item and walk around the store with it and take it to the register at their leisure.
With several sizes of Safers available to merchants there is a wide range of products a store can choose to protect against pilferage. The design of these anti-theft devices is such that there is little impact on the amount of space they require to stock on a peghook. This means you can continue stocking almost the same amount of merchandise you already put out and that helps sales. It also frees up stockroom space for other goods. Have you ever experienced running out of a hot selling item because you did not have enough of it on hand and you couldn’t store additional product for lack of space? More space in the stockroom can give you flexibility to have more of that type of stock on hand so you can replenish your floor faster than waiting on a new shipment.
There are two other problems associated with empty display boxes. First, customers tend to see the empty box and since the shelf isn’t empty they assume the store has more on hand. This is not necessarily true but it can cause a real issue with customers. The other problem is at inventory time and if your inventory counters don’t pay attention they may count an empty box and skew your results. It may look good for one year but you will pay for it the next year when the errors are found and corrected.
Prevent shoplifting by protecting merchandise with Sensormatic Safers and tags. Locking up merchandise wastes payroll, wastes employee time and annoys your customers which can lead to lost sales and lost patronage. Owners can experience freedom when using Sensormatic products.
Get more information on Sensormatic Safers, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
11 WAB Blog
Retail A Dangerous Place To Work? Balancing Clothing Security and Safety
How do we balance clothing security and keeping our associates and ourselves safe from harm. We know that if we do nothing to combat shoplifting that we will soon be out of business. Shoplifters are like anyone else, they talk. And talk they do, to other shoplifters. They compare stories, techniques and where the best places to steal are. We have to combat shoplifters or your store will end up on the shoplifters’ short list. Clothing security and the security of any other type of merchandise is really quite simple. That is the easy part! If you want help with that reach out to us. We can fix it.
But when is enough, enough? There are shoplifters out there that are ready to take it to the next level and hurt someone in order to get away. The reasons are many, i.e. drugs, desperation, greed, debt or just that they “want it”. When I conduct my live Stop Shoplifting seminars either in person or via webinar I always tell a story. Many years ago a shoplifter stole an item from a store in a mall. That was not in dispute. The item was not just petty it was around $500+, a felony. He was seen by store management and ran. This was a store in a mall on the second level. As he was running to escape, he collided with a woman holding an infant. The infant flew out of her arms and went over the railing and was killed on impact on the planter below.
The shoplifter was caught and prosecuted for not only felony theft but for the infant’s death. That was on the criminal court side. He stole the merchandise, ran, and caused the death of the infant. We do not even need to go into the civil suits that were filed. You can imagine who was sued, everyone including the retailer and employees.
But now put yourself into the place of the manager who chased him. How would you feel? You might say to yourself that you were simply pursuing a thief that caused the death. It’s not my fault. Or, is it? If you did not chase the shoplifter to begin with, it would have never happened. These are the things that you will have to wrestle with, for the rest of your life. I have been a Law Enforcement Officer in both the civilian and military worlds. I have faced more life and death situations, both my life and others, than I care to remember. There have been many thousands of times that I have asked myself if I could have done something different.
So, all of this happened due of $500. It was simply NOT WORTH IT! In fact I want you to look at your shoplifting problem from a completely different angle. If you have an incident where you have to chase a shoplifter occurs and your training to stop shoplifting and procedures broke down or failed. In that case you need to go back and refine your program to stop shoplifting, not be chasing shoplifters through the parking lot. When reading this in the comfortable environment you are in right now it may sound like good justice that the shoplifter himself runs out into traffic and gets hit by a car. But the potential for innocent casualties from that could be too horrible to consider.
When a loss occurs reverse engineer it. Where were the break downs? Was your staff paying attention? Were they even trained in what to look for? Do you have adequate Sensormatic Security Systems in place? Are those Sensormatic Security Systems working correctly? Do you have the correct Sensormatic clothing security tags? Are those clothing security tags placed correctly? Are the clothing security tags using the correct pin? Does your staff (and you) know how to PROPERLY react to a Sensormatic Security System alarm? Is your store’s merchandise arranged and displayed correctly or is it customer AND shoplifter friendly? Are small, high dollar, popular items on an end cap in the back of the store? Are you relying on a CCTV system to discourage shoplifters? Shoplifters do not care if you have cameras or not.
Look at it this way. After thirty-five years in Loss Prevention I have found that there are only two ways to prevent shoplifting and they both must be done together. Staff training to PREVENT or stop shoplifting and a Sensormatic Security System. Other brands are fine also but retail theft prevention with Sensormatic systems tend to protect the widest range of products. Retail theft prevention needs to be a constant, consistent effort on your part. And retail theft prevention must involve your trained staff. Without them you can have the best Sensormatic systems installed and you will still have shoplifting problems. Loss Prevention Systems will train you and your staff on how to avoid confrontations and discourage shoplifters while delighting your good customers.
So if you are ready to stop shoplifting once and for all, contact us or call us toll free at 1-770-426-0547 and let us attack your shoplifting problems together.
How do we balance clothing security and keeping our associates and ourselves safe from harm. We know that if we do nothing to combat shoplifting that we will soon be out of business. Shoplifters are like anyone else, they talk. And talk they do, to other shoplifters. They compare stories, techniques and where the best places to steal are. We have to combat shoplifters or your store will end up on the shoplifters’ short list. Clothing security and the security of any other type of merchandise is really quite simple. That is the easy part! If you want help with that reach out to us. We can fix it.
But when is enough, enough? There are shoplifters out there that are ready to take it to the next level and hurt someone in order to get away. The reasons are many, i.e. drugs, desperation, greed, debt or just that they “want it”. When I conduct my live Stop Shoplifting seminars either in person or via webinar I always tell a story. Many years ago a shoplifter stole an item from a store in a mall. That was not in dispute. The item was not just petty it was around $500+, a felony. He was seen by store management and ran. This was a store in a mall on the second level. As he was running to escape, he collided with a woman holding an infant. The infant flew out of her arms and went over the railing and was killed on impact on the planter below.
The shoplifter was caught and prosecuted for not only felony theft but for the infant’s death. That was on the criminal court side. He stole the merchandise, ran, and caused the death of the infant. We do not even need to go into the civil suits that were filed. You can imagine who was sued, everyone including the retailer and employees.
But now put yourself into the place of the manager who chased him. How would you feel? You might say to yourself that you were simply pursuing a thief that caused the death. It’s not my fault. Or, is it? If you did not chase the shoplifter to begin with, it would have never happened. These are the things that you will have to wrestle with, for the rest of your life. I have been a Law Enforcement Officer in both the civilian and military worlds. I have faced more life and death situations, both my life and others, than I care to remember. There have been many thousands of times that I have asked myself if I could have done something different.
So, all of this happened due of $500. It was simply NOT WORTH IT! In fact I want you to look at your shoplifting problem from a completely different angle. If you have an incident where you have to chase a shoplifter occurs and your training to stop shoplifting and procedures broke down or failed. In that case you need to go back and refine your program to stop shoplifting, not be chasing shoplifters through the parking lot. When reading this in the comfortable environment you are in right now it may sound like good justice that the shoplifter himself runs out into traffic and gets hit by a car. But the potential for innocent casualties from that could be too horrible to consider.
When a loss occurs reverse engineer it. Where were the break downs? Was your staff paying attention? Were they even trained in what to look for? Do you have adequate Sensormatic Security Systems in place? Are those Sensormatic Security Systems working correctly? Do you have the correct Sensormatic clothing security tags? Are those clothing security tags placed correctly? Are the clothing security tags using the correct pin? Does your staff (and you) know how to PROPERLY react to a Sensormatic Security System alarm? Is your store’s merchandise arranged and displayed correctly or is it customer AND shoplifter friendly? Are small, high dollar, popular items on an end cap in the back of the store? Are you relying on a CCTV system to discourage shoplifters? Shoplifters do not care if you have cameras or not.
Look at it this way. After thirty-five years in Loss Prevention I have found that there are only two ways to prevent shoplifting and they both must be done together. Staff training to PREVENT or stop shoplifting and a Sensormatic Security System. Other brands are fine also but retail theft prevention with Sensormatic systems tend to protect the widest range of products. Retail theft prevention needs to be a constant, consistent effort on your part. And retail theft prevention must involve your trained staff. Without them you can have the best Sensormatic systems installed and you will still have shoplifting problems. Loss Prevention Systems will train you and your staff on how to avoid confrontations and discourage shoplifters while delighting your good customers.
So if you are ready to stop shoplifting once and for all, contact us or call us toll free at 1-770-426-0547 and let us attack your shoplifting problems together.
How do we balance clothing security and keeping our associates and ourselves safe from harm. We know that if we do nothing to combat shoplifting that we will soon be out of business. Shoplifters are like anyone else, they talk. And talk they do, to other shoplifters. They compare stories, techniques and where the best places to steal are. We have to combat shoplifters or your store will end up on the shoplifters’ short list. Clothing security and the security of any other type of merchandise is really quite simple. That is the easy part! If you want help with that reach out to us. We can fix it.
But when is enough, enough? There are shoplifters out there that are ready to take it to the next level and hurt someone in order to get away. The reasons are many, i.e. drugs, desperation, greed, debt or just that they “want it”. When I conduct my live Stop Shoplifting seminars either in person or via webinar I always tell a story. Many years ago a shoplifter stole an item from a store in a mall. That was not in dispute. The item was not just petty it was around $500+, a felony. He was seen by store management and ran. This was a store in a mall on the second level. As he was running to escape, he collided with a woman holding an infant. The infant flew out of her arms and went over the railing and was killed on impact on the planter below.
The shoplifter was caught and prosecuted for not only felony theft but for the infant’s death. That was on the criminal court side. He stole the merchandise, ran, and caused the death of the infant. We do not even need to go into the civil suits that were filed. You can imagine who was sued, everyone including the retailer and employees.
But now put yourself into the place of the manager who chased him. How would you feel? You might say to yourself that you were simply pursuing a thief that caused the death. It’s not my fault. Or, is it? If you did not chase the shoplifter to begin with, it would have never happened. These are the things that you will have to wrestle with, for the rest of your life. I have been a Law Enforcement Officer in both the civilian and military worlds. I have faced more life and death situations, both my life and others, than I care to remember. There have been many thousands of times that I have asked myself if I could have done something different.
So, all of this happened due of $500. It was simply NOT WORTH IT! In fact I want you to look at your shoplifting problem from a completely different angle. If you have an incident where you have to chase a shoplifter occurs and your training to stop shoplifting and procedures broke down or failed. In that case you need to go back and refine your program to stop shoplifting, not be chasing shoplifters through the parking lot. When reading this in the comfortable environment you are in right now it may sound like good justice that the shoplifter himself runs out into traffic and gets hit by a car. But the potential for innocent casualties from that could be too horrible to consider.
When a loss occurs reverse engineer it. Where were the break downs? Was your staff paying attention? Were they even trained in what to look for? Do you have adequate Sensormatic Security Systems in place? Are those Sensormatic Security Systems working correctly? Do you have the correct Sensormatic clothing security tags? Are those clothing security tags placed correctly? Are the clothing security tags using the correct pin? Does your staff (and you) know how to PROPERLY react to a Sensormatic Security System alarm? Is your store’s merchandise arranged and displayed correctly or is it customer AND shoplifter friendly? Are small, high dollar, popular items on an end cap in the back of the store? Are you relying on a CCTV system to discourage shoplifters? Shoplifters do not care if you have cameras or not.
Look at it this way. After thirty-five years in Loss Prevention I have found that there are only two ways to prevent shoplifting and they both must be done together. Staff training to PREVENT or stop shoplifting and a Sensormatic Security System. Other brands are fine also but retail theft prevention with Sensormatic systems tend to protect the widest range of products. Retail theft prevention needs to be a constant, consistent effort on your part. And retail theft prevention must involve your trained staff. Without them you can have the best Sensormatic systems installed and you will still have shoplifting problems. Loss Prevention Systems will train you and your staff on how to avoid confrontations and discourage shoplifters while delighting your good customers.
So if you are ready to stop shoplifting once and for all, contact us or call us toll free at 1-770-426-0547 and let us attack your shoplifting problems together.
How do we balance clothing security and keeping our associates and ourselves safe from harm. We know that if we do nothing to combat shoplifting that we will soon be out of business. Shoplifters are like anyone else, they talk. And talk they do, to other shoplifters. They compare stories, techniques and where the best places to steal are. We have to combat shoplifters or your store will end up on the shoplifters’ short list. Clothing security and the security of any other type of merchandise is really quite simple. That is the easy part! If you want help with that reach out to us. We can fix it.
But when is enough, enough? There are shoplifters out there that are ready to take it to the next level and hurt someone in order to get away. The reasons are many, i.e. drugs, desperation, greed, debt or just that they “want it”. When I conduct my live Stop Shoplifting seminars either in person or via webinar I always tell a story. Many years ago a shoplifter stole an item from a store in a mall. That was not in dispute. The item was not just petty it was around $500+, a felony. He was seen by store management and ran. This was a store in a mall on the second level. As he was running to escape, he collided with a woman holding an infant. The infant flew out of her arms and went over the railing and was killed on impact on the planter below.
The shoplifter was caught and prosecuted for not only felony theft but for the infant’s death. That was on the criminal court side. He stole the merchandise, ran, and caused the death of the infant. We do not even need to go into the civil suits that were filed. You can imagine who was sued, everyone including the retailer and employees.
But now put yourself into the place of the manager who chased him. How would you feel? You might say to yourself that you were simply pursuing a thief that caused the death. It’s not my fault. Or, is it? If you did not chase the shoplifter to begin with, it would have never happened. These are the things that you will have to wrestle with, for the rest of your life. I have been a Law Enforcement Officer in both the civilian and military worlds. I have faced more life and death situations, both my life and others, than I care to remember. There have been many thousands of times that I have asked myself if I could have done something different.
So, all of this happened due of $500. It was simply NOT WORTH IT! In fact I want you to look at your shoplifting problem from a completely different angle. If you have an incident where you have to chase a shoplifter occurs and your training to stop shoplifting and procedures broke down or failed. In that case you need to go back and refine your program to stop shoplifting, not be chasing shoplifters through the parking lot. When reading this in the comfortable environment you are in right now it may sound like good justice that the shoplifter himself runs out into traffic and gets hit by a car. But the potential for innocent casualties from that could be too horrible to consider.
When a loss occurs reverse engineer it. Where were the break downs? Was your staff paying attention? Were they even trained in what to look for? Do you have adequate Sensormatic Security Systems in place? Are those Sensormatic Security Systems working correctly? Do you have the correct Sensormatic clothing security tags? Are those clothing security tags placed correctly? Are the clothing security tags using the correct pin? Does your staff (and you) know how to PROPERLY react to a Sensormatic Security System alarm? Is your store’s merchandise arranged and displayed correctly or is it customer AND shoplifter friendly? Are small, high dollar, popular items on an end cap in the back of the store? Are you relying on a CCTV system to discourage shoplifters? Shoplifters do not care if you have cameras or not.
Look at it this way. After thirty-five years in Loss Prevention I have found that there are only two ways to prevent shoplifting and they both must be done together. Staff training to PREVENT or stop shoplifting and a Sensormatic Security System. Other brands are fine also but retail theft prevention with Sensormatic systems tend to protect the widest range of products. Retail theft prevention needs to be a constant, consistent effort on your part. And retail theft prevention must involve your trained staff. Without them you can have the best Sensormatic systems installed and you will still have shoplifting problems. Loss Prevention Systems will train you and your staff on how to avoid confrontations and discourage shoplifters while delighting your good customers.
So if you are ready to stop shoplifting once and for all, contact us or call us toll free at 1-770-426-0547 and let us attack your shoplifting problems together.
