Does the way you manage your employees have an effect on how much they try to stop shoplifting in your store or how they perform their jobs for that matter? Do poor work habits ever carry over from a previous employer they had that don’t work in your store? Sometimes we recruit and hire a new worker based on the experience they bring from working for another retailer. It seems like a good idea, they won’t need a lot of training and if the other employer didn’t fire them they must be a good worker. I was talking with one of my sons the other day about his work and he was relating about issues they are having with a co-worker. This employee came from a big box retail store that sells groceries among everything else a customer may need. It seems some of the “tricks of the trade” grocery stockers used there are showing up in my son’s grocery store, tricks that they do not permit in this company. Cases of canned goods are left in the boxes and placed on the shelf. If there is overstock merchandise rather than sending it to the stockroom it is being shoved on top of other merchandise or facings are adjusted to accommodate them. My son says that the department manager has talked to the new employee about this and my son has tried to point out what he is doing wrong but he is not improving. Managers, do you have “talks” with your employees or do you spend time training them and coaching? How about your anti-theft procedures? Are you taking time to actually train your employees on how to respond to a Sensormatic security system alarm? Do you show them how to tag merchandise with security labels or hard tags to prevent theft? Talk is cheap so the saying goes. Training and coaching is not, it is time-consuming and it can be tedious but if done correctly the rewards are tremendous.
Can training relate to theft prevention and store operations? Absolutely it can, just as shortage, store operations and profits are all directly tied to each other. Try running a store where shortage related to theft, operational errors and vendor mistakes is left unchecked. Store shelves go empty, replenishment of products is slow and inconsistent if it happens at all and sales dry up as shoppers leave for lack of products or variety of products. Training of new employees must not be a quick 10 minute lesson on the cash register or salesfloor. It has to be a detailed, comprehensive list of job responsibilities that someone has to spend time on demonstrating and then letting the worker go hands on. AFTER a training checklist has been completed supervisors then have to monitor performance and provide feedback as the employee begins to do the job solo. Is merchandise being placed on shelves or hung up according to YOUR expectations? Do you want clothes hung up and sized? Do you have a height level you are allowing canned goods to be stacked? Do you want Sensormatic security system tags placed on a uniform location on clothing? All of these things are important to how the store operates.
Stacking cans too high or “making space” on the shelf for overstock can impact how much other product is placed on the shelf or impede a customer’s ability to take a can from a shelf. Clothing not sized or grouped properly may throw off your ability to order more of a certain size of product. It could also bleed over to sloppy habits and racks becoming unshoppable or sloppy. Customers may be turned off or frustrated having to search through fixtures and choose to leave rather than buy a new item. Inconsistent placement of security tags can lead to a reduction in theft deterrence (crooks tend to leave merchandise alone when they see tags) and an increase in false electronic article surveillance alarms. If cashiers don’t know where tags are or don’t see them they may forget to remove them or deactivate them. Too many false alarms and employees get complacent with alarm responses and the alarms no longer stop shoplifting.
When time is taken to properly train and teach, employees are more confident in what they are doing and it makes them happier. Happier employees take pride in their work they understand the impact of what they are doing and take a real interest in how to stop shoplifting and how the Sensormatic security system works. They care about product placement and appearance. While they own much of their success you and your management are responsible for it too. Do it right and watch your store grow and keep turnover low.
Need information on Sensormatic security systems? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 today.
