When you take inventory, are you finding shortages on items where you have product protection in place? There are some tricky ways that shoplifters still get out your front door with unpaid merchandise. Let’s take a look at one of them, and what you can do to stop some of it. Prevent shoplifting with awareness and consistency in your operation.
The pedestals will alarm when an item is near them that has not been deactivated. If you don’t check the person’s purchase receipt or question them if they have no purchase, you may as well just give your merchandise away at the door. Some employees may be nervous about approaching someone that has caused the alarm to sound. They just need to be trained how to handle the situation, and what to say to the customer. Obviously they do not want to accuse the customer of theft. They just need to apologize to the customer for the inconvenience, and let them know something did not get deactivated. Just ask for the receipt and compare that to the items in their bag. If they match, take the whole bag and put it on the deactivation pad. If the customer still sets off the alarm when they exit again, walk the shopping bag through the pedestals yourself, and ask the customer to walk through without it. That should identify where the item is that is causing the issue. This tactic has helped me to prevent shoplifting in the first place by letting people know it will be checked, but can also encourage someone that was attempting to steal to give back the merchandise without causing a scene.
Be aware of people that set off the alarm when they enter your store as well. Most times it is just an item they have bought at another store that did not get deactivated. I usually ask if they are wearing something new, such as blue jeans or a thick coat where the tags can be hidden deep in pockets. This can also be a tactic for a shoplifter to use to get back out the door. They know if they caused the alarm to sound when they came in the door, your staff probably won’t be stop them when it goes off again. Just be aware that a couple of excuses a shoplifter will use for the system sounding is that their cell phone always causes it, or they will bend down and pull a tag off the bottom of their shoe. How convenient that they happened to know that tag was down there.
Just remember that you have made the investment in this product, and it cannot help you if you don’t react to the alarm. You can’t prevent shoplifting if you simply wave people through every time it sounds because you assume it is a mistake. Plus if you wave people through, your staff will do the same. You have to set the right example. I utilize a log for the Checkpoint system. Every time it alarms, the clerk records it and the results of the stop. I can compare that log to the times the system says it went off, and be aware if there is an issue. It will also help you identify if there is a mechanical problem with the system causing it to go off.
For more information contact us at Preventshopliftingloss.net or 1.770.426.0547
When you take inventory, are you finding shortages on items where you have product protection in place? There are some tricky ways that shoplifters still get out your front door with unpaid merchandise. Let’s take a look at one of them, and what you can do to stop some of it. Prevent shoplifting with awareness and consistency in your operation.
The pedestals will alarm when an item is near them that has not been deactivated. If you don’t check the person’s purchase receipt or question them if they have no purchase, you may as well just give your merchandise away at the door. Some employees may be nervous about approaching someone that has caused the alarm to sound. They just need to be trained how to handle the situation, and what to say to the customer. Obviously they do not want to accuse the customer of theft. They just need to apologize to the customer for the inconvenience, and let them know something did not get deactivated. Just ask for the receipt and compare that to the items in their bag. If they match, take the whole bag and put it on the deactivation pad. If the customer still sets off the alarm when they exit again, walk the shopping bag through the pedestals yourself, and ask the customer to walk through without it. That should identify where the item is that is causing the issue. This tactic has helped me to prevent shoplifting in the first place by letting people know it will be checked, but can also encourage someone that was attempting to steal to give back the merchandise without causing a scene.
Be aware of people that set off the alarm when they enter your store as well. Most times it is just an item they have bought at another store that did not get deactivated. I usually ask if they are wearing something new, such as blue jeans or a thick coat where the tags can be hidden deep in pockets. This can also be a tactic for a shoplifter to use to get back out the door. They know if they caused the alarm to sound when they came in the door, your staff probably won’t be stop them when it goes off again. Just be aware that a couple of excuses a shoplifter will use for the system sounding is that their cell phone always causes it, or they will bend down and pull a tag off the bottom of their shoe. How convenient that they happened to know that tag was down there.
Just remember that you have made the investment in this product, and it cannot help you if you don’t react to the alarm. You can’t prevent shoplifting if you simply wave people through every time it sounds because you assume it is a mistake. Plus if you wave people through, your staff will do the same. You have to set the right example. I utilize a log for the Checkpoint System. Every time it alarms, the clerk records it and the results of the stop. I can compare that log to the times the system says it went off, and be aware if there is an issue. It will also help you identify if there is a mechanical problem with the system causing it to go off.
For more information contact us at Preventshopliftingloss.net or 1.770.426.0547
