Employee Theft and What’s Ahead For The Retail Industry

theft (12)Well trained personnel in a retail store can be an asset for your business. Employees that are poorly trained and poorly rewarded are very unlikely to look for the best interest in your store. Employee theft is common, and a poorly rewarded employee with lots of responsibilities is likely to feel taken advantage of and not feel an obligation towards you or the business. Investing in your employees and the security of your store should be a goal for your business this year. Follow the links below for more information about the state of the retail industry and other stories.


The NRF BIG Show: What’s in Store for Retail in 2015?

Over the past several days the retail community has converged on New York City for Retail’s BIG Show 2015. More than 27,000 industry leaders were on hand at the Jacob J. Javits Convention Center to welcome the 2015 retail calendar in grand fashion.

“The retail industry continues to race forward with innovative models, more tightly integrated channels, and fresh ideas to win over consumers,” says Matthew Shay, President and CEO of the National Retail Federation. “But no matter what’s shaking up the industry, one thing doesn’t change: Retail’s Big Show is always a showcase for what’s new, a place to build partnerships and a look into the future of retail.”

The EXPO Hall

Approximately 700 solution providers and other vendors blanketed multiple levels of exhibition resources in the EXPO hall with the latest in new products and programs. There were fascinating demonstrations throughout the hall demonstrating everything from marketing tools and customer service products to analytics solutions, robotics, and an innovations center where many of the latest products were demonstrated.


Police: Serial shoplifter tries to steal thousands in clothes from Kennewick store

A Hermiston woman with a history of shoplifting arrested is suspected of trying to steal thousands of dollars of clothes from Macy’s at Columbia Center mall.

Jessica M. Reddick, 31, tried to leave the store Monday night with $2,000 worth of clothes, police said. She is banned from all Macy’s stores after several incidents where she allegedly stole items from various Tri-City stores.

A security officer stopped Reddick as she tried to leave through the men’s department, police said. She was arrested and booked into the Benton County jail on suspicion of theft and burglary.

Reddick also reportedly had four felony warrants out for her arrest — all related to theft or shoplifting.


Behind your back: How retailers can curb employee theft

Shoplifting is what makes the news but, according to the National Retail Federation, the number one source of retail theft in the United States is committed by a retailer’s own employees.

Respondents in the group’s U.S. Retail Fraud Survey ranked cash theft as the second biggest area of store loss, bookkeeping and other administrative errors third, and shoplifting the fourth. But the first? Employee theft, experienced by 38% of those surveyed.

Theft by retail employees costs companies $14.9 billion annually, more than 46% of losses, according to the ADT/ University of Florida study.

“Employee theft is often a more serious problem than customer theft, especially in retail and food service,” says Forrest Burnson, inventory management researcher at software review company Software Advice.


Speak Your Mind