Alpha Spider Wrap

Do you have a Business “Go Kit”?

November 11, 2015 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Many folks have go kits set up so that in the event of a storm, natural disaster or civil disturbance, they can grab their family and the Go Kit and be covered. Personal Go Kits tend to have copies of documents such as drivers licenses, birth certificates, passports, deeds…. But Go Kits can also include items to survive such as water, food, medicines, flashlights, a weapon…. These concepts used to be confined to those among us that are expecting a doom’s day interruption or ending to our society.

However, with the complexity of our society come other issues. How would you easily prove that a house belongs to you, if the area was damaged beyond recognition? Say a hurricane, flood, wild fire or earthquake? What happens if the official records are also lost? Are you going to depend on others to put your life back together again?

The same applies to your business. How will you prove to your insurance company that your inventory is valued at $XXXX if your records all disappear in a fire? The same applies to payroll records and the like. You need to have a BUSINESS Go Kit!

Thankfully this is simpler than you may think. Consider keeping your data files in a cloud environment that has multiple backups on servers that are located in multiple locations around the US. If they are on one server located in New Orleans or Miami, I would re-think that strategy. We use Google’s cloud. It costs us $5/month per employee and the redundant backups are on five separate servers in five different geographical locations in the United States.

Scan in important documents such as business licenses, insurance documents, titles, vendor documents, etc. Put them in your cloud. That way you have access wherever you are. It might be a good idea to put photos of your business, inventory, equipment and more on there, every six months or annually. Have your backups of accounting data such as Quick Books reside their also. All of this plus payroll records, taxes and more could be rebuilt but why would you want to take the time to do this when it is simply a matter of changing your habits?

Oh but “it will never happen to me” or “I will get to that tomorrow” are favorite phrases we all like to use to put something off that we know should be done. It will happen to you and it will happen “tomorrow”. An earthquake may never threaten your business but then again a data loss, PC crash probably will.

Unless you are wealthy beyond belief, then like the rest of us that are not, we depend on our business to provide for our families and life style. We will need to restore that cash flow in the quickest manner possible and with the least amount of effort to get there. Your business Go Kit will help make that happen.

It is also a good idea to keep a few extra cases of water, blankets, candles and canned soup on hand. I may be miserable but being warm, having a full stomach and a little light to read by will make it a little less miserable.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, EAS Devices, employee background checks, Employee Theft, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Training, Loss Prevention Workshop, Periodic inventory, POS ROI, Prevent Shoplifting, prevent shrinkage, retail security and monitoring, security, security devices, shoplifting, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, surveillance

COPYING EMPLOYEE THEFT

November 11, 2015 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Quite often, I like to showcase a new theft trend, or perhaps a funnier shoplifter story for a bit of humor. This month is no different. We’ve talked about some pretty serious issues on the past two articles and now I just want to share a story that goes along with that employee theft piece. It’s something I bet each and every one of you will react to immediately after reading.

At one point last year, our company finally gave us (Regional LP Managers) access to our store’s P&L statements. You would think we would have already had this… Better late than never I suppose. It’s a great tool for me to see the overall profitability of the store. I can use my expertise to help the store reduces losses/expenses and to become a more profitable business. One store in particular stuck out. They were over their office supply budget by thousands of dollars. Odd.

Most stores spent between $500-$1000 a month on office supplies like toner, paper, pens and pencils. This particular store was spending triple that; at least $3k each month. I met with the store manager during a visit and asked about that line item. He was just as perplexed. Where were these office supplies going each and every month? We devised a plan. We initiated a “buy back” program for all employees. We put up signs in the offices and common areas asking all employees to clear their lockers, cars and homes of any supplies they may have taken home. It happens, no big deal. When the employees returned the items, we weighed them on a digital scale. The employee with the heaviest return received a gift card. Well, it worked. We had pens and pencils for the next two years. Next month, the store still spent $2k in supplies.

Baffled, I reached out to our accounting department. Surely, there had to be an error somewhere. Perhaps a line item was being mixed in where it shouldn’t be. It took a few days, but I convinced one of the accountants to give me an itemized breakdown of all office supplies the store had ordered over the past year. Toner. The store was ordering toner. Lots and lots of toner.

I questioned the managers and personally searched the store. Over the past six months, the store had ordered nearly 25 replacement toner cartridges. Couldn’t find them, and couldn’t explain why the store was ordering so many. I decided to ask the administrative assistant. A kind of last ditch effort to explain why the store kept ordering copy toner. 15 minutes into my conversation and I had a theft confession.

Toner, apparently, will resell very easily online, especially if you mark it down about 50%. The administrative assistant was ordering toner, then simply walking out the front door with it. She’d post it on eBay and was making a pretty healthy profit from it. It was a first for our LP department. No one else had ever, in my company’s history, uncovered this form of theft. It was a bit unusual, but still cost us well over $12k. My advice to you; look over your office supply orders.

THE IMPORTANCE OF CUSTOMER SERVICE

November 11, 2015 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

For me, this is the last week of the 3^rd quarter. It’s already that time of year once again. In just a few short days, the 4^th quarter will ramp-up and shoppers will be in a tizzy as they check their loved ones off that holiday wish list. I just read a national report that predicts consumer spending this season will be at its highest point since 2008. That’s fantastic news to us retailers. We are poised to post some record sales in the next three months, provided that we execute to our fullest potential. What keeps the customer coming into your store? Is it your customer service levels?

I am a champion of customer service. Like many before me, prior to my LP career I was a store manager for a big box retailer. You can set all the POGs, put up all the proper signage and all those other corporate tasks, but you will find yourself on a lonely island if your store is not customer centric. It’s a two way street. Attentive and responsive employees will help drive sales. They will also reduce shrink.

Take for example a customer shopping for a treadmill. Sure, they could come into the store, pick out the item themselves and cart it out. You just made a $500 sale and you really didn’t have to work for it. Did that customer get the foam mat to protect their floor? What about the silicone lubricant for the belt? How about a new pair of running shoes to prevent an injury, or even some fitness supplements to help them with their workout routine? What if by not speaking with someone on your staff, they purchase a treadmill that doesn’t fit their activity level? You may have very well left an additional $50-$100 on the table in add-on sales. Why would you leave all these extra dollars out there?

My company, like so many others, runs a survey. Customers can call in the number on the back of the receipt and share their in store experiences. I often review these for opportunities in the store. One thing I see the most is that customers feel “ignored”. Is it so hard for our employees to simply greet a customer? I see it so often. Employees who are too task oriented, who whizz past our customers without as much as a greeting. Do you see that in your store? Is it acceptable?

Let’s talk shrink. This is an LP centered magazine, right? Do you know that the very best method for reducing shoplifting losses is? If you guessed customer service, give yourself a pat on the back. First and foremost, a thief never wants to be acknowledged. If your employees are engaging and monitoring their areas, a thief will not have the opportunity to steal your merchandise. When my LP team completes a shoplifting report, there is a checkbox at the end of the report. It asks simply if the suspect was ever provided customer service by an employee. When I get those reports that say “no,” I use that shoplifting incident as a tool to coach the managers of the store, and show them a customer service failure. By training your employees to give high levels of customer service, you can and will deter criminal activity.

Customer service isn’t just telling a customer hello. It’s about each and every employee going the extra mile to satisfy your customer. Every single person that comes through your doors has a choice. They are choosing to give you their money. You, as a manager, should be honored by that choice. You should make it a core philosophy in your building that the customer is the most important aspect of your business. Strive to be the store that people will shop at, no matter the distance from their home. Engage your customers, leave no money on the table and be proactive in reducing shoplifting losses. Remember, customer service means money in your pocket and less product walking out the doors.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Spider Wrap, anti-theft tags, employee background checks, Employee Theft, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, mobile POS loss prevention, POS ROI, Prevent Shoplifting, prevent shrinkage, racial profiling, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security, retail security and monitoring, security, security devices, shoplifting, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, surveillance

Shoplifting, Technology And The Customer’s Privacy

November 11, 2015 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

For many retail stores the holiday season is a time when they see a huge jump in sales, and profits hopefully follow. For many of those same stores, the problem of shoplifting is something they have to deal more than ever during this time of year. Billions of dollars are lost due to this crime and stores spend a lot of time and money to combat shoplifting. So, what are some of these big retailers doing this holiday season to combat this crime? Follow the links below to read more about this topic.

Walmart’s Use of Sci-fi Tech To Spot Shoplifters Raises Privacy Questions

Retailers are scanning shoppers with high-tech tools to automatically pick out suspected thieves, absent rules to protect privacy.

In the old days, when a store caught someone stealing, a detective would march the thief to a backroom and take his picture with a Polaroid camera. The photo would be added to the retailer’s in-house rogues gallery to help store security keep an eye out for bad guys.

But earlier this year, Walmart WMT -0.70% showed how times have changed. It tested a system that scanned the face of everyone entering several of its stores, identified suspected shoplifters, and instantly alerted store security on their mobile devices.

The potential of such facial recognition technology has been discussed for years. But now some stores are actually using it.

Shoplifting – is it worth the price? | Your legal corner

The holiday season is quickly approaching as we begin to plan our Thanksgiving feast. Yes, families will gather around the Thanksgiving table and give thanks once again for the blessings received throughout the year. For many, Thanksgiving will also be the official start of the holiday shopping season.

Don’t ruin your holiday season by attempting to shoplift. A moment of weakness is not worth the ultimate price. Shoplifting cannot only put a damper on your holidays but the penalties imposed may follow you around for the rest of your life.

Types of Shoplifting

Shoplifting can take many forms. Most people believe shoplifting is limited to removing merchandise from a store. However, just concealing merchandise may be considered shoplifting. Or, what if you simply switch or alter a price tag? This also may be considered evidence of your intent to steal and is considered shoplifting.

Legendary jewel thief caught trying to swipe earrings — at age 85!

Cops nabbed an international jewel thief who was allegedly up to her very old tricks again at an Atlanta department store.

Security personnel at a Saks Fifth Avenue store spotted 85-year-old Doris Payne — who’s been stealing pricey jewels for over half a century — on video trying to swipe a $690 pair of earrings, Atlanta Police said.

The sticky-fingered 5-foot-1, 110-pound woman was found some time later at a shopping mall next door with the earrings in her pocket, authorities said.

She was taken into custody and charged with shoplifting.

Payne, who was still in the Fulton County jail on Tuesday, was the subject of a 2013 documentary titled “The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne.”

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, EAS Devices, Employee Theft, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, Loss Prevention Training, Loss Prevention Workshop, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security and monitoring, security devices

Protecting Your Employees From Shoplifters

October 20, 2015 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Protecting your business and employees from shoplifters seem to be getting harder. Knowing when and what to do when a shoplifting incident occurs in your store can help prevent employees and customers from getting hurt. Do your employees know who to call? What to do when a shoplifter is taking goods from your store and walking out? Making sure your employees know what do, and how to respond when an incident occurs can help prevent accidents.

Follow the links below for more information about this topic.

Spike in shoplifting drives property crime wave in Taos

TAOS — Taos Municipal Court may seem quaint, decorated as it is with landscapes painted by the judge himself, but it’s not sleepy. The court’s docket of shoplifting cases nearly doubled during the last fiscal year to just under 90.

Judge Dickie Chávez says approximately 3 out of 4 shoplifting cases in his court concern the purported theft of alcohol.

And it’s not usually teens stocking up for parties.

The spike in shoplifting cases comes despite the Taos Police Department’s tough approach, arresting rather than citing virtually every suspect apprehended regardless of how small the alleged theft. But it also raises questions about whether law enforcement and courts are the right institutions to address a problem officials say is driven by substance abuse.

‘Operation GroupMe’ was meant to fight shoplifting, enables racial profiling instead

Georgetown has had a shoplifting problem lately, so local citizens turned to group-messaging app GroupMe for help. The Georgetown Business Improvement District partnered with local police to launch “Operation GroupMe” early last year to connect small businesses, police officers, and community leaders in a concerted fight against shoplifting. Instead, it’s become an exercise in racial profiling.

Local police in the Washington, D.C., neighborhood recorded more than 120 thefts in just the last 60 days, according to CBS News. The group-messaging chat room, which comprises 380 members, was meant to help shopkeepers, police, and others alert each other about shoplifters or people who seem suspicious.

In the more than 3,000 messages exchanged about suspicious people in the Operation GroupMe group since January, nearly 70 percent were black, according to a review by the Business Improvement District. This is a particularly startling finding, given that nearly 80 percent of Georgetown’s residents are white.

Police: Helena man bites Capital Sports employee in shoplifting attempt

A 38-year-old Helena man faces a felony robbery charge on accusations he bit a store employee’s hand during an attempted shoplifting.

Dwight Edward Pierson is jailed on $20,000 bond.

Police responded to Capital Sports, 1092 Helena Ave., on Friday after receiving a report that a store employee had detained a suspected shoplifter. Officers noted the employee had two open, bleeding wounds on his right index finger, charging documents say.

The employee told police another worker saw a fishing reel sticking out of Pierson’s pocket while in the store. Pierson, who is on probation, ran from the store, court documents say. An employee grabbed Pierson by his hood and pinned him to the ground.

You Can’t Afford to Ignore Employee Theft

October 14, 2015 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

People like to believe that the hard work, dedication and sacrifice that goes into starting and building a business will be rewarded, but that’s not always the case. It’s sad to see a business fail, especially when an owner has put a lot of time, energy and money into it.

It’s particularly troubling when the reason for the failure is employee theft or occupational fraud (stealing money, property and time). Occupational fraud accounts for about 30% of small business closures per year (U.S. Department of Commerce). It’s destructive to them because they’re unable to absorb the losses created by the fraud.

The 2014 Global Fraud Study “Report to the Nations on Occupational Fraud and Abuse” estimated the average small business loses about 5% of revenue each year to fraud (The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners). When they have small margins 5% can be the difference between profit or loss — the difference between remaining open or closing the doors.

Most owners don’t think their employees are stealing from them. They believe their workers are more honest and loyal than the average. If they do suspect theft they ignore it by rationalizing “it’s not much”. They assume the statistics are because of the other guy’s workers, who must be taking a lot from him.

Unfortunately, that’s not a valid assumption. There have been many studies, done over decades, about employee dishonesty and the results are interesting — as well as disheartening. Depending on the study, 75% — 85% of people admit that they have in the past, are currently or will in the future steal time, money or property from their work place.

One of the constants, in the studies, is the conclusion that how an employee is treated doesn’t have much to do with whether they commit fraud or not. They’ll take from a boss who they like as well as from one who they don’t. Some of those 30% of business who failed were run by nice guys. No small business owner can afford to ignore occupational fraud.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, Background checks, EAS Devices, employee background checks, Employee Theft, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, Prevent Shoplifting, prevent shrinkage

Don’t Confuse Training with Meetings

October 13, 2015 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Initial and continued on-the-job training is one of the most effective ways to curb shrinkage and loss. When done correctly it can reduce employee theft, lower shoplifting loss, cut down on administrative mistakes and catch vendor fraud. Unfortunately, it’s become one of the most dreaded parts of a job.

It’s dreaded, by both managers and employees, for a good reason. On-the-job training has become confused with and replaced by the employee meeting, which is usually boring, poorly run and downbeat. But, they aren’t the same thing.

Over the years experts have promoted replacing the “old way” of individualized on-the-job training (and management) with the “new and time saving” plan of having employee meetings instead. The idea of managing and training people by group, rather than individually, is becoming the norm.

Supervisors are trying to change and manage behavior through group meetings, instead of properly training (at first and on a continuing basis) employees individually. But, that way of managing only goes so far with good or average employees, and it especially doesn’t work with problem ones.

It’s not uncommon for a new policy to be created as a response to one or two people’s problem behavior. The policy is then presented in an employee meeting as a store wide issue, rather than the individual one it actually is. Often, new policies don’t need to be written – the old ones just need to be enforced.

They need to be enforced at the individual on-the-job training or coaching level. Employee meetings are, at best, ineffective places to address one person’s behavior; at worst, they undermine management’s credibility and authority.

For example, this was overheard in a retail store – “Don’t forget the employee meeting at 3. You know, where we all get yelled at for something Brittney and Josh are doing, but the team leaders are too scared to say anything to them.” (These weren’t their real names.)

It’s a given that proper training is the best defense against mistakes, loss and shrinkage. Employee meetings are good places to give information and do general training. But, the best and most effective training is still individual coaching based on the employee’s strengths and weaknesses.

Nicole Abbott is a writer and psycho-therapist with over 20 years of experience in the fields of mental health and addiction. She’s an educator, consultant, lecturer, trainer and facilitator, who has conducted over 200 workshops, trainings, presentations, college classes and seminars.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, EAS Devices, Employee Theft, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, Loss Prevention Training, Periodic inventory, Prevent Shoplifting, prevent shrinkage, racial profiling, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security, retail security and monitoring, security devices, shoplifting, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, surveillance

The Cost Of Shoplifting In Your Store

October 9, 2015 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Training your security personnel how to handle shoplifters, and the security and safety measures they need to take before stopping anyone believed to be shoplifting cannot be stressed enough. Lawsuits are predominant in our culture, and safeguarding yourself and your business from possible lawsuits and loss of money is imperative if you want to make a profit. Well trained security personnel can be an asset to your store, the money you spend training them and educating them is well worth it. Follow the links to read more about this and other topics.

Shoplifter who suffered skull fractures, brain damage wins $750,000 in lawsuit against store

He was convicted of stealing two pairs of miniature scissors from Shopko.

But his punishment came long before his court case ended.

In November 2008, Richard “Dave” Moore suffered several skull fractures and a brain injury when he was thrown to the ground by a Shopko loss-prevention officer outside the retailer’s store at 90th and Fort Streets.

Friday afternoon, a jury of 12 Douglas County residents ordered Shopko to pay $750,000 to Moore in a civil lawsuit Moore brought alleging that Shopko employees used excessive force.

Moore, 59, was overwhelmed by the verdict, said his attorney, Richard Schicker of Omaha.

“He started to cry,” Schicker said. “He said, ‘Thank you so much — you saved my life. I would have never made it if we didn’t win this case.’”

An attorney for Shopko couldn’t be reached for comment. It is unclear whether the retailer will appeal.

Over the past week, jurors heard testimony of an ordeal that began Nov. 23, 2008.

Store’s Facebook video post of accused bikini shoplifter goes viral

AN ACCUSED shoplifter has been shamed on social media over the brazen theft of bikinis caught on camera at a surf wear store in Fannie Bay.

Fed-up owner of Beach Bums, Mary Meyer, posted CCTV footage of the alleged thief pocketing more than $200 worth of bikinis on the store’s Facebook page.

The post has gone viral, with more than 45,000 views and 1800 shares along with messages of support from business owners since Sunday.

The minute-long clip captured the thief — wearing a black singlet-type top and sunglasses on her head — putting bikinis in her bag as other shoppers browsed beside her for a pair of swimmers.

Ms Meyer said she checked the CCTV after discovering empty hangers on the rack.

She posted the clip with the intention of publicly shaming the alleged thief.

“I put it up to shame her because it shouldn’t be happening. I was very surprised (by the reaction), I just didn’t think it would go like it did. I guess people don’t like it either,” she said.

Lead in $2.5 million shoplifting heist sentenced to prison, Walnut Creek man among those involved in the ring

The lead defendant in a shoplifting ring that stole more than $2.5 million in retail goods and resold them on eBay was sentenced Tuesday to seven years in prison, announced United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner in press release.

A restitution hearing is set for Dec. 1.

Jason Samuel Schroeder, 36, of Sacramento, is the sixth defendant sentenced to prison in this case. Kirk Arthell Sanderson, 37, of Walnut Creek, was previously sentenced to four years in prison; John Judah Young, 34, of Sacramento, was sentence to two and one half years in prison; and David Reed, 29, of Vacaville, was sentenced to one year in prison. Two others, Andrea Lynn Turner, 34, of Roseville, and Joshua Roy Payne, 30, of Vacaville, also were sentenced to two months in prison. Jason Nathaniel Reed, 36, of Portland, Ore., is scheduled for sentencing later this year.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Spider Wrap, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, EAS Devices, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, Prevent Shoplifting, prevent shrinkage, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security, retail security and monitoring, security devices, shoplifting, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, surveillance

After Dark Is Not Just For Vampires

October 8, 2015 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

For Retailers there are a number of scary things that happen when the sun goes down. As we get into fall it becomes darker, earlier. This can become problematic for us. We have issues that get magnified with darkness that concerns employee/customer safety and the safety and security of our businesses. There are the usual concerns of employees walking to their cars after closing and the like. I want to bring up some that you may have not considered.

Employees – Are you taking your deposit after closing? Night makes this a much more dangerous task. Consider changing this to mid-day. Take it at lunch time. Lock the deposit into the safe overnight. Then take it during the day when there is less risk. Safes are not very expensive. $400 will get you a decent safe. Bolt it to the floor so someone does not steal the safe. When you take the deposit to the bank conceal it in something other than the bank bag. Let’s not make it too obvious.

Robbery – Many of us never discuss this with our folks, we should. What is your plan? Do they understand that their safety and the safety of your customers trump everything else? If you are not sure what you should do or say, contact us. I can send you a draft policy and some materials you can use (free of charge and I am not going to try to sell you anything).

Customer and Employee Safety – Yes you could be liable for something that happens while on your property. This includes your parking lot. Even if you are leasing in a strip center. If there are lights out in the parking lot or if it is poorly lit then do or say something. An email to the management company or property owner will put them on notice that you have a concern. If you have control, get it fixed. If there are people hanging around that you are uncomfortable with, then contact the Police. Ask to meet with a Sgt. or Lt. over your area. They would rather prevent an issue than deal with the results. If the department has public business meetings, you should attend. This will give you information on crime trends in your area and ideas on how to combat them.

Speaking of the Police, have you taken the time to make acquaintances with the Police Officers working your area? Do they know that you always have a cup of coffee available and want their presence in your store? Do they know that you encourage and support their efforts? A uniform officer and a patrol car in the area of your business goes a long ways to preventing problems.

As a former Police Officer, I can tell you that these things mean a lot to them. The majority of contact they have with people is with criminals and victims. Normally they do not see the rest of us as we are not their normal “customers”. Especially in today’s times a kind word, show of support and asking for their opinion and guidance mean a lot to them. Do this enough and when you really do need them, They will be responding to the face of a person they know instead of an address.

Remember, those Officers, their spouses and friends are also your potential customers.

Shoplifters – Remember that shoplifters need one thing to ply their craft: concealment. Even if you have a Checkpoint System make sure that your store is brightly lit, that there are no hidden spots that make a shoplifter feel warm and fuzzy about concealing merchandise. Make sure that your folks fully understand your vision of customer service. Staff that display good customer service skills will shut off most impulse shoplifters. Consequently good customer service skills are not just a tool for sales but a weapon against shoplifting.

Customers that have Checkpoint Systems that LPSI installed can always schedule a free, live on-line shoplifting seminar. We are happy to help. October is a great time to schedule this before the holiday season gets in full swing. This will help raise your staff’s shoplifting awareness for the holidays.

Let us know, if we can help you get ready for your holiday selling season!

THE SHOPLIFTING NETWORK

October 8, 2015 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

We live in a world where technology helps us with everything. From the mundane, to sending a rocket to the edge of our solar system to beam back pictures of Pluto. Without the rampant growth of technology and the way we communicate today, none of this would be possible. In the Loss Prevention World, our technology helps us to detect anomalies that could be indicators of fraud. We have the latest high definition camera systems (that we can also access on our smart phones) to view those anomalies with the push of a button. I often think about our industry 20 -30 years ago and wonder how we ever got by. Could you imagine prosecuting an internal fraud case with absolutely no video? I’m sure there’s a lot of you out there that remember those days.

One thing we, as a society, probably take for granted the most is ease of communication. With the touch of a button you can communicate with anyone, from anywhere, so long as there is an internet connection. So what has that done for the LP industry? It’s allowed us to connect and share ideas with our peers across the country and across the globe. We can share information with our law enforcement partners anywhere, at any time. If there’s a big ORC group, we can identify them, track them, share information with others and ultimately have them arrested. The greatest advancement in the LP world, in my opinion, is how well we network with one another.

Networking is key to our survival. I want to know what’s happening somewhere else before it begins to affect my stores. Likewise, I want to share new ideas and tools to help my peers, even if we work for competing retailers. No matter who we work for, our main goal is the same; reduce losses caused by theft, fraud and other forms.

What if I told you criminals operate in the same manner?

This is a screen shot from a popular blog website. If you know where to look, you can find a treasure trove of shoplifting “how to” guides. What we see above is someone who wants to boost some alcohol. Simply ask the “community” and someone (usually multiple someones) will be more than happy to provide you with tips, tricks and even specific methods to steal from whatever store your heart may desire.

Not only are these individuals concerned about what’s the best way to shoplift, some (if not most) are concerned with potential consequences of actually getting caught. There exists here, a somewhat underground community of shoplifters who are more than eager to share their knowledge to others who may be new to the game. Much like a tenured LP manager taking a green agent under their wings.

I must admit that is very easy to distinguish the “rookies”. This community is very well versed on all the latest EAS devices that we use to (try) stop them. I’ve even seen links posted to different websites where one can purchase magnetic detachers and
other tools that would make the most seasoned LP professional cringe at the thought.

Of course, it doesn’t just stop at shoplifting. Take this one for example. This member is boasting about a new computer and monitor he “walked out” with. This was your classic “sweetheart deal” with a dishonest associate. Note how they state the dishonest employee was able to fake a transaction because “everyone trusts him and no one pays attention.”

Does that sound like your store?

I could sit back here and post screenshot after screenshot. The one common theme amongst all these posters is that stealing from big box retailers is a victimless crime. They see what they do as something that is not “a big deal” as they perceive that our insurance will cover our losses. What they fail to see is the actual damage they are doing to our stores. Lost product = lost payroll = lost wages. They, like every shoplifter and dishonest employee, are taking money right out of the pockets of our employees (including us!).

I hope by reading through this today, you will have a little better understanding of how the 21^st century shoplifter operates. No longer is shoplifting a shameful thing. Tto people like this, it is something to be celebrated. By “saving” money, they may very well put each and every one of us out of business.

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