Have you ever wondered why shoplifters pick your business and not your competitor? You may think it is just your bad luck for that day, but they really consider several things. Professional shoplifting groups have plans and you should too. They get a list of desired products from their buyer and then they decide which stores are going to give them the best opportunity to get away with the most items. Location and major roads nearby are both important. They generally know how many employees you have working during certain times of the day. Shoplifters know when you are likely to be the busiest, have the most inventory in stock, and have the most distractions.
You can’t just pick up your business and move it from near the interstate to downtown beside the police station, and it’s not a good idea to stop selling what people are looking for. One of the best ways to prevent shoplifting is to let the would be thief know you have a system in place that will make their “job” harder. If you keep them out of your store, you don’t have to deal with them as often.
A few years ago, at a small business I worked for, I walked right up on a young lady that was stealing. I had noticed her acting suspiciously, looking around constantly, and of course she was carrying the tell tale giant purse that looked very flat when she walked in. (Most women that carry those things regularly have them packed and they tend to bulge in places.) She knocked some items off the top shelf onto the floor. When she bent to get them instead of putting them back on the shelf, she dropped the items right into her bag. I said “Can I help you with your bag, ma’am?” and she turned around and paled immediately. She began stammering that this was her first time stealing, and pleaded with me to not have her arrested. We walked up front and she quickly dumped the merchandise on the counter. I told her I would not call the police if she would give me some information. (In all honesty, she had not exited the store yet, plus what she had was not enough for me to bother going to court over) I asked her who she was stealing for and I asked her why she had came to our store. She was willing to tell me everything. She gave the name of the woman that was going to buy the merchandise. She said she chose our store because we did not have pedestals at the front doors that would detect tagged items. Admittedly, the only thing we had in place to stop theft was a motion detector that would sound if someone walked past a certain section of high retail items, which could be easily defeated if you put something in front of it.
I have since left this company, but I never forgot what she said. The company I work for now has Checkpoint in use, with decals posted at the front door to warn those even thinking about stealing. We also utilize Alpha Keepers for items we know are going to be targeted. Instead of waiting and hoping to catch people, we try to stop them from taking the chance. Prevent shoplifters from choosing your store by letting them clearly see you have a defense system in place, and they will more likely go down the street to that other store.
For more information contact us at Preventshopliftingloss.net or call 1.770.426.0547
Have you ever wondered why shoplifters pick your business and not your competitor? You may think it is just your bad luck for that day, but they really consider several things. Professional shoplifting groups have plans and you should too. They get a list of desired products from their buyer and then they decide which stores are going to give them the best opportunity to get away with the most items. Location and major roads nearby are both important. They generally know how many employees you have working during certain times of the day. Shoplifters know when you are likely to be the busiest, have the most inventory in stock, and have the most distractions.
You can’t just pick up your business and move it from near the interstate to downtown beside the police station, and it’s not a good idea to stop selling what people are looking for. One of the best ways to prevent shoplifting is to let the would be thief know you have a system in place that will make their “job” harder. If you keep them out of your store, you don’t have to deal with them as often.
A few years ago, at a small business I worked for, I walked right up on a young lady that was stealing. I had noticed her acting suspiciously, looking around constantly, and of course she was carrying the tell tale giant purse that looked very flat when she walked in. (Most women that carry those things regularly have them packed and they tend to bulge in places.) She knocked some items off the top shelf onto the floor. When she bent to get them instead of putting them back on the shelf, she dropped the items right into her bag. I said “Can I help you with your bag, ma’am?” and she turned around and paled immediately. She began stammering that this was her first time stealing, and pleaded with me to not have her arrested. We walked up front and she quickly dumped the merchandise on the counter. I told her I would not call the police if she would give me some information. (In all honesty, she had not exited the store yet, plus what she had was not enough for me to bother going to court over) I asked her who she was stealing for and I asked her why she had came to our store. She was willing to tell me everything. She gave the name of the woman that was going to buy the merchandise. She said she chose our store because we did not have pedestals at the front doors that would detect tagged items. Admittedly, the only thing we had in place to stop theft was a motion detector that would sound if someone walked past a certain section of high retail items, which could be easily defeated if you put something in front of it.
I have since left this company, but I never forgot what she said. The company I work for now has Checkpoint in use, with decals posted at the front door to warn those even thinking about stealing. We also utilize Alpha Keepers for items we know are going to be targeted. Instead of waiting and hoping to catch people, we try to stop them from taking the chance. Prevent shoplifters from choosing your store by letting them clearly see you have a defense system in place, and they will more likely go down the street to that other store.
For more information contact us at Preventshopliftingloss.net or call 1.770.426.0547
