One of the most useful and frequently used tools in the world of retail loss prevention is profiling. Yeah, I said it, but before you start writing letters let me explain. These days we tend to associate the word “profiling” with negative discriminatory acts or stereotyping. However, the actual definition of profiling is: “Recording a person’s behavior and analyzing psychological characteristics in order to predict or assess their ability in a certain sphere or to identify a particular group of people”. In retail loss prevention the group of people we are trying to identify are shoplifters.
If it’s 80 degrees outside yet an individual has just walked into your store wearing a long overcoat aren’t you going to watch him/ her? Guess what, you just profiled them. An individual carrying a large, nearly empty purse or backpack is often worth watching for no other reason. It’s not just physical characteristics either; a person’s attitude or behavior can also be profiled. If someone is nervous or fidgety and avoids contact with associates and other customers they are someone you should pay attention to. After all, it’s a department store. How nerve racking can picking out a pair of socks actually be?
Profiling is a great tool in retail loss prevention . However, you must be mindful that the temptation may exist to take it too far. At no time should it ever be acceptable to profile someone on the basis of their race, sex, age, creed or religion. Not only are these practices morally reprehensible, but they will open up your company to a number of lawsuits and probably lost revenue. When used properly profiling can be a great asset in your retail loss prevention efforts.
For more information about loss prevention security or security and loss prevention contact us: retail loss prevention or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia
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