Retailers’ Biggest Nightmare: Shoplifting

Big corporations across the globe worry about cybersecurity attacks and the repercussions those attacks have on the corporation’s bottom line. These cybersecurity attacks to their servers and information databases can be costly and can bring with them costly lawsuits as well.  But, according to many analysts, employee theft and shoplifting are the more concerning issues affecting the retail industry.  They alone account for more than two-thirds of their shrinkage and that figure seems to be rising every year.  During the holiday season, those issues become more problematic and costly, and the retail industry looks for ways to prevent the great loses they will certainly suffer during this jolly time.

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This crime in the workplace is costing US businesses $50 billion a year

There is a hidden risk facing small businesses across the country that often goes unnoticed until it suddenly rips through a firm’s finances: employee theft. It’s a crime that is costing U.S. businesses $50 billion annually, according to Statistic Brain.

Matt Ham can attest to that. He has had two run-ins with thefts by employees at his small business, Computer Repair Doctor, which has eight stores in Florida, Ohio and South Carolina, which collectively totals 30 employees.

At a store in Florida, two employees were caught stealing parts from inventory and skimming cash about a year and half ago, he said. After a thorough investigation, Ham sat them down with his attorney and they came up with a plan for restitution. Both employees had to pay back the thousands of dollars they stole. The chain has now put more safeguards in place, such as better inventory controls and a strict cash-counting process.

Survey finds no let up in one of retailers’ biggest threats

Nearly all retailers fell victim to organized retail crime during the past year. And the losses are mounting.

The survey of retail loss prevention employees found that losses averaged $726,351 per $1 billion in sales, up from $700,259 last year. Los Angeles continued to be the hardest-hit area for ORC in the nation, a position it has held since 2012. Following in order were New York City, Houston, Miami, Atlanta, Chicago, Orlando, San Francisco/Oakland, Orange County, Calif., and Northern New Jersey.

“Organized retail crime continues to be one of the biggest challenges to retailers of all sizes,” NRF VP for loss prevention Bob Moraca said. “These crimes happen across the country every day, with criminals getting smarter, more brazen, more aggressive and sometimes even attacking store employees and shoppers. Fighting ORC is a full-time job, and retailers must learn how to stay a step ahead of these thieves.”

Loss Prevention Trends to Watch During the Holiday Shopping Season

All retail eyes are focused on online security and digital transactions during the holiday season. But according to the National Retail Federation (NRF), shoplifting and employee theft accounted for more than two-thirds of inventory shrinkage in 2016. Retailers need to improve their internal security systems to boost their loss prevention abilities and keep their shrink rate from rising above last year’s historical high of 1.44 percent.

Retail store shrinkage is a known part of the industry, but with all the attention centered around cybertheft of customer information and implementing proper security measures at point-of-sale (POS) systems, the age-old problem of losing products at the physical store has taken a back seat.

Leveraging Cybersecurity Technology for Loss Prevention

Technology is playing a larger role across all retail efforts, and some of the tactics employed in the back office to protect the company’s digital data can be expanded to store-level prevention. The specifics of the skills needed differ between cybersleuths and on-the-floor store personnel, but more education and discussion between these disciplines can help.