How The Changes To Shoplifting Laws Affect You

November 3, 2016 by Leave a Comment

We have begun to see a breakdown in the protection we used to be able to depend on. Recent decisions in California and other areas are basically decriminalizing shoplifting.

These changes in the law by out of touch Legislatures are having a devastating impact on retailer’s and society as a whole. Law makers are not addressing the real problems, only the results. People are able to get away with crime and this will have a further reaching impact on future generations and our society as a whole. pic-1

But today it is causing shoplifting in those geographical areas to rise substantially, impacting the retailer’s bottom line and the consumer’s pocket book.

What are we to do? We can no longer depend on the criminal laws to protect us. The politicians have lost their nerve, their minds and the understanding on why they were elected. But the real problem is that the brave and highly skilled Law Enforcement Officers that are there to protect us all, are barely able to contain violent crime let alone shoplifting.  Budget cuts, Democrats, Republicans…… are all to blame.

But you have solutions.  The first is as professionals, we know that we can only depend on ourselves.  So let’s solve this like any other business problem we face on a daily basis. The real solution has three elements.  The good news is that you do have control of all three.

1. How vulnerable have you made yourself?  

pic-2Step back and take a hard look.  Or better yet ask someone you trust to do that. A friend, another business owner…… they really do not need to have any special skills. You should look at your store from the prospective of the shoplifter. If you were going to steal, how would you do it? Do you have dark areas, high shelving, hidden spots that would make the thief comfortable? Is your store unkempt, dirty and not stocked in an organized way? Shoplifters are attracted to these environments. If you are presenting that look, then the shoplifter probably knows you are not able to keep up or simply do not care. This will also breed more shoplifting as word gets around that YOUR STORE is an easy mark.

2. Equipmentpic-3

I am not going to hit this one hard. You know that we sell and install the finest Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) equipment made worldwide. Checkpoint Systems must be part of your strategy. That is why you see it in almost every major retailer. 

3. Your Staff

pic-4Are they asleep at the switch? Do they care? Have you trained them how you want the shoplifting deterrence program in your store to work and what their roll in it is? This is not something you can put off. It’s like saving money in an account. You got to start. If you are one of Loss Prevention Systems Customers already, then you know this. That is why we conduct live, personalized shoplifting prevention and loss prevention training for our customers. We do this as reasonably often as you need it, free of charge.

These three elements put and keep YOU in control. But you have to start now before it gets worse. And if the trend continues, it will.

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It’s Getting Darker Earlier, What LP Things Should I Be Doing?

October 11, 2016 by Leave a Comment

outsidemall As a Loss Prevention Manager I always had three things I felt were my top priorities.  The safety of our store employees, the safety of our customers and the protection of store property.  Property in my mind always included the building (interior and exterior), equipment and merchandise. Planning and follow-up are the keys to keeping a store safe and secure.  I would mention that while I broke down my focus to three top priorities, my action plans always intersected. In other words, a plan for protecting a building from vandalism with adequate, working perimeter lights also made it safer for customers who walked to a housing area behind our store. With this in mind, it is important to create action plans that are relevant, sometimes adjusting for seasons such as holidays or being prepared for weather events such as hurricanes.  One change that is easily overlooked is the shortened daylight hours in the fall and winter.  With darkness descending upon us earlier there are steps Loss Prevention can take to keep stores safe.

Safety precautions to take as days get shorter:

  • Inspect parking lot lights.  If lights are burned out place a work order to have them repaired/replaced.  Dark parking lots make customers uncomfortable and they may choose not to shop in your store.
  • Inspect building exterior lighting.  These are the lights that are on the walls of the building and at the corners.  Criminals tend to prey on victims in areas with poor or no lighting.
  • Inspect the back of the store and loading dock areas.  Often this is the place where cardboard bales are kept, empty pallets are stacked and some stores maintain dumpsters.  If storage has to be kept here keep the area as neat and clean as possible.  Unkempt areas are attractive to drug and other illicit activities.
  • If your store has a storage trailer(s) located at the rear of the building, establish a time when employees are not allowed to leave the building to pull merchandise or store merchandise in the trailer.  This should be no later than dusk and that may be a flexible time as the days get shorter. 
  • Encourage employees who are leaving in the dusk to dark hours to leave with a partner.  It may be that they ask for a Loss Prevention partner to escort them to their vehicle if no one else is leaving at that time.  Always remember that a buddy system is the best method to prevent robberies of employees.
  •   Increase parking lot foot patrols.  Being visible makes customers feel safer and acts as a deterrent to those who may lurk in the parking lot waiting for an opportunity to grab a purse or commit a robbery.
  • Consider hiring a uniformed security officer or an employee to be present at the front door.  They can respond to EAS alarms and conduct receipt checks, but they can also offer escorts to customers leaving the building. They may also step outside the doors to do a visual inspection of the parking lot.  One store I worked at had a person who was hired to do just this and they were called a “Guest Ambassador”.  This person should not be used as a back-up cashier because the tendency is to keep them on a register and they lose their effectiveness at the front doors.
  • Employees will go on breaks and some are smokers.  If you are going to have a designated smoking area, be sure it is well lit and it should not be in a secluded area for the safety of those who may go out after dark.
  • Inspect any exterior closed circuit television cameras you may have on the building.  Make sure they are functioning, have clear pictures, and are retaining video for at least two weeks (preferably 30 days). 
  • Find ways to build a relationship with the police department responsible for the area where your store is located.  Contact a Crime Prevention Officer and offer to assist with Santa Helper events, children’s car seat safety events, or other activities that the department is helping for community outreach.  As you build a relationship, you may find more officers using your parking lot to stop and write reports or conducting ride by patrols.  The more police presence, the less likely crime will occur in or around your store.  This is always a bonus at night.

The tips are not exhaustive, there are other ideas you may think of as you create a plan specific to your store and location.  By being proactive and establishing a plan that will keep your store safe as the nights get longer, you will protect your business and your reputation and as a result drive up sales.

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LP tips for hiring seasonal help

October 11, 2016 by Leave a Comment

shopping2Hiring seasonal help for the holidays is much different from when a company hires to fill a position or two during the “regular” times of the year.  During what I have traditionally called the 4th quarter, seasonal help is being brought on board for the express purpose of having enough staff to meet increased customer traffic.  These employees are hired with the knowledge they will probably lose their jobs at a specific time.  During the rest of the year, an employee is hired with the expectation the position is a permanent job, in the sense it is long-term not necessarily part-time vs. full-time.  This means there are certain considerations that an employer must think about as they hire seasonal employees:

  • Do I have time to complete a background check or drug tests as I do with regular employees?
  • What date am I going to release my employees from service?
  • Do I tell the employee in advance what the termination date will be?

I am going to provide some guidance from a Loss Prevention perspective and hopefully make your decision making a little easier.

     As a Loss Prevention Manager I participated in the seasonal hiring process, both interviewing candidates for the store and conducting mass orientation for new hires. One of the issues I saw was that when hiring started early enough, background checks could be conducted.  This required the Human Resource Manager to begin the seasonal hiring ramp up in August, to prepare for a start date in mid-September to early October.  When the process was started too late, people were sporadically interviewed and hired in twos and threes.  I do not believe there was proper pre-employment screening done at those times.  This meant we brought in people who we really did not know. Yes, a criminal can slip through the cracks during regular hiring, however I saw many more thieves hired during the last quarter of the year.  I believe this was due, in part, to a less thorough screening process because the store needed “people”.   Drug tests were always conducted and we did not hire anyone who failed.  Do not compromise on this, even during the 4th quarter. 

     Should you set a release date for seasonal help in advance and should you tell your seasonal help what the exact dates of employment will be or should you leave it ambiguous?  There are two schools of thought on this.  One argument is that in fairness to the employee they should be told the starting and ending dates.  It allows them time to prepare to look for work as they near the end of the seasonal appointment.  The other argument and the one I prefer is to leave it a little vague, using an end date like “mid-January”.  This serves two purposes.  If you set a specific date of release, you are more or less obligated to end the employment then.  The issue is that if you lose too many employees before the end of the 4th quarter and you need time to recover the store and prepare for the coming year, will you have enough staff to do so?  Second, if your employee is a thief, and they know the exact end date they may use this as the day they are going to do the most damage and then be gone.  When there is not a clear cut deadline, you can release them in that date range and avoid the chance the employee will make that final “hit”.  I am not dogmatic on either philosophy, there are reasonable perspectives on both I just prefer to improve the odds for the employer.

     One other thing I used to see during the hiring of seasonal help was the use of the quasi-promise, “If you do a good job, we may keep you on at the end of the season.”  I saw many people hang onto this statement and become very discouraged when they were released.  You may very well make offers of continued employment to workers after the holidays and that is fine.  I believe in rewarding hard work.  You may even make it clear to a group of new hires that you tend to keep some people after the 4th quarter is over, but don’t offer it as a dangling carrot. 

     In closing, prepare early for the holidays.  Give yourself time to conduct pre-employment screenings, hire the right people and get them trained in time for your peak season.  They will better serve your customers and you will have more time to determine who the cream of the crop is that you would like to keep on your team.  You will also reduce the chance of hiring someone who will steal from your business.

     

     

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Using Technology And Training To Stop Shoplifting

September 28, 2016 by Leave a Comment

shoplifting4

It is evident that small businesses and  big retail chains have problems dealing with shoplifting and employee theft. Technology that helps them prevent shoplifting is an investment that their store cannot refuse.  But, having the technology that helps prevent shoplifting is only a small part of the solution.  Having employees trained and knowledgeable should be a big part of their strategy to prevent shoplifters.  Do they know the steps to take when apprehending a shoplifter? Are they knowledgeable about the rights, and store policies regarding shoplifters?  Technology can certainly help, but training your employees is a big part of the solution to stop shoplifting in your store.

Creepy Mickey Mouse arrested for shoplifting

That is one goofy mugshot.

A 22-year-old female tourist inside a Mickey Mouse outfit was busted in Germany for trying to steal nail clippers and a bottle of shampoo — and hiding the pilfered goods in her gigantic head, according to Central European News.

Police in the southwest city of Kaiserslautern released the suspect’s mugshot, erring on the side of hilarity and the woman’s privacy.

“The good news for Disney fans is that Mickey Mouse has been released from prison,” according to a spokesman for regional police in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

How to prevent shoplifting: 10 ways to protect your retail business

Every week there’s a new story – someone has tried to shoplift something in brazen or bizarre fashion.

Whether it’s the well-known trick of trying to secrete something away in a bag or under clothes, or something more devious, like the people who set up a fake company hiring ‘mystery shoppers’ and ordering them to steal, there are those out there who will try to pull a fast one on you.

With that in mind, these are our top 10 tips for preventing theft, and what to do if you do fall victim to it.

10 tips to prevent shoplifting

1. Know how to spot a shoplifter

One of the first things to prepare yourself and your employees for is how shoplifters are likely to behave. That way you’ll be able to spot them more easily and hopefully be able to stop them.

If someone is planning to shoplift from you, they may well display the following behaviours:

  • Attempting to avoid being noticed
  • Looking nervous, sweating or becoming flushed
  • Picking up and putting back the same items repeatedly
  • Paying more attention to what’s around them than the product in their hand or on the shelves in front of them
  • Wearing large coats, even in hot weather, or carrying large bags

Of course, this behaviour doesn’t necessarily mean that someone is planning to steal from you, but they’re signs worth looking out for.

Security Cameras with Facial Recognition: A Game-Changing Technology for Retailers

Retail security systems with facial-recognition technology are becoming more prevalent in stores.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is based on the experiences of a well-known retailer who implemented a facial-recognition security camera system. Because of the potential value of this technology to the retail industry as well as the critical issues surrounding its deployment, the executive who leads this initiative approached the magazine to offer his insights on the condition of anonymity. Therefore, the names of the individual and the company have been changed.

“We’re seeing shoplifters—known shoplifters—come up to us and ask permission to buy something.” Is this some kind of loss prevention Twilight Zone, or the delusions of a loss prevention associate who has spent too many hours watching surveillance video? No, this is everyday life in stores at a leading retailer who has recently deployed a facial-recognition system. And it’s just one of the changes that have led the company’s head of LP to call facial recognition a game-changing loss prevention technology.

“We now know within seconds of a person walking in the store if they’ve previously been caught stealing from us,” says Tom Smith, vice president of loss prevention for Store-Mart. “We now know which hours of the day see the most shoplifter activity. We now know that 26 percent of the people we detain, we see again in the brand within one month, on average 13 days later. We never had a way of knowing things like this before. This is stuff that LP associates will salivate over. It’s going to be a game changer.”

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Addiction and Shoplifting

September 22, 2016 by Leave a Comment

shoplifting5The retail industry loses billions of dollars a year due to shoplifting. And the small business owner that loses money due to shoplifting is a struggling business, without the resources the big retail chain has. Shoplifting, employee theft, organized crime, and even merchant theft, are major reasons why some small businesses close their doors for good.  Shoplifters with a drug addiction problem are also a big problem for these businesses, because they enter their store to steal big quantities of merchandise to sell for cash to keep with their addiction drugs.

Prosecuting the shoplifter is always a hard decision for the small business owner to make, specially  when they consider the financial burden attorneys’ fees will have in their business. A small quantity of small business owners choose to prosecute, but many choose to terminate the employee and deal with the loss instead.

For more about this and other topics about shoplifting, follow the links below.

It’s better to prevent addiction than cure

Addiction is powerful and destructive.

And there is no magic bullet, no magic cure.

Ask any alcoholic or drug addict in recovery and he or she will confirm that it takes perseverance and self-discipline to remain clean and sober, one day at a time, for the rest of his or her life.

What does this have to do with the American court system?

Empirically, addiction and crime go hand-in-hand. And people charged with crimes end up in court.

As a judge to whom thousands of criminal cases have been assigned, I have detected patterns when it comes to substance abuse.

A horrific crime with unspeakable allegations? Methamphetamine addiction.

Property crimes, including burglary, shoplifting and auto theft? Heroin addiction.

Domestic violence? Child abuse/neglect or animal abuse? Alcohol and methamphetamine.

DWI? Alcohol and/or drugs, both legal and illegal.

Of course, this is not an exhaustive list, just patterns I have noticed in my courtroom. Additionally, there is often an overlay of mental illness, sometimes specifically brought about by years of chronic substance abuse.

Shoplifter stole food for drugs

A PERSISTENT shoplifter who stole to fund his drugs habit was handed a suspended prison sentence and warned that if he committed another offence he was likely to be jailed immediately.

Christopher Page pleaded guilty to eight charges of theft from a shop – seven of them from the same One Stop shop in Pinehurst. The total value of the goods stolen was more than £200.

James Burnham, prosecuting, told Swindon Magistrates Court on Wednesday that Page went into the One Stop on August 5 and took six packs of steak without paying. He returned just before 5pm on August 7 and picked up washing liquids and gels worth £67.80, putting them down his trousers and walking out. The following day he was back to steal milkshakes valued at £3.

Then on August 9 he put more washing liquids, five packs of bacon, sausages, shower gels and a packet of hot chocolate worth £35.45 down his trousers and left without paying.

On August 14 he took washing liquids and the following day he stole fabric conditioner and washing capsules to the value of £13.65. “He sold the items to buy food and drugs if they were not food or were high value,” explained Mr Burnham. Ten days later he was back at the One Stop but this time he was seen hiding three boxes of Ferrero Rocher worth £19.50.

Good start in tackling gun violence-drug addiction problems

I attended two meetings recently that provided me with valuable information about problems in our community.

The Heroin Awareness meeting presented by the City of Myrtle Beach was excellent. I hadn’t realized the extent of the problem. My heart aches for those addicted and their families. Many try heroin because of peer pressure and become addicted. Others had been taking prescription meds for pain, became addicted, and then turned to heroin. Some overdose the first time they try it. Some go through many painful withdrawals before they are finally able to stay clean. Drug addicts are responsible for many crimes of shoplifting, burglary and prostitution in order to feed their habits.

I hope this Heroin Awareness program will be offered again to a countywide audience and especially students. Was the whole program filmed? If so, could it be shown in schools and community groups?

I also attended an Horry County Democratic Party Committee meeting on gun sense. We are seeking information so that we can understand how gun violence can be reduced. Horry County officers Wyatt and Conti were generous with their time and knowledge.

 

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Your Checkpoint System is Only Delivering Half of the Shoplifting Prevention You Need!

September 7, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Having a Checkpoint Systems Electronic Article Surveillance System (EAS) is only half a plan. Picture this: you buy a Checkpoint System (or heaven 1-1forbid a competitive system). It is installed and your shoplifting losses go down. They will! The simple act of installing a system will make a percentage of your shoplifters go elsewhere.

But 6 months later you are scratching your head wondering why after the time, money, payroll dollars and effort you and your staff have put in, your shoplifting problem is climbing back up again. Your losses are more than you can take. Why?

Because…… you and your staff are not trained and do not have sufficient policies and procedures in place. I know what you are thinking now…. We are a small operation we don’t need that. Yep, you sure do! This part of the plan is not just for the big box stores. In fact you need it more than they do. You do not have a dedicated LP staff.

So if you are contemplating buying or have bought your Checkpoint System or other EAS system from somebody other than Loss Prevention Systems, you are missing out!

Loss Prevention System provides training! Not just how to use your Checkpoint System. We teach you how to prevent shoplifting with our FREE, PERSONALIZED (for you), LIVE TRAINING.1-4

Our customers who purchase Checkpoint Systems from Loss Prevention Systems get free LP training for the LIFE of their Checkpoint System. Just buy your system, labels and tags from us. Is your EAS vendor doing that for you?

And that’s not all. We provide you more than shoplifting prevention training. How about employee theft and pre-employment interviewing training? All free, personalized and live. Taught by me, Bill Bregar, a 30+ year Loss Prevention Expert. Here are the courses:1-5

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But there is still more! This is NOT a onetime deal. We will tea1-3ch these live webinars as reasonably often as you need. Staff turnover, promotions, follow up training, one employee or fifty…. Just schedule the session. Oh, by the way. I will also provide you with 15 draft LP Policies and Procedures that you can customize to your operation. Shoplifting, employee theft, robbery, key control…..

As the founder of Loss Prevention Systems, I know that this training works. I have been training retail management and staff in loss prevention for over 30 years. Your losses will go down and it will help you to keep the losses in check.

Why am I doing this? Because I know that if I save you money, then you will be my customer. It’s that simple!

Loss Prevention Systems is so much more than someone selling you “stuff”. We want you to succeed!

So contact us today and let’s get you on the path to better margins!

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Retail Burglary and Robbery – How To Train Employees To Prevent, React and Recove

September 7, 2016 by Leave a Comment

As a Loss Prevention Manager for nearly 14 years, I was involved with training employees on robbery response.  It is an unfortunate fact that store robberies do happen and it can be difficult to prevent them.  We can do little to influence the choice of someone who wants to commit the crime other than to make a business an uninviting target.  Public View monitors and signage indicating closed circuit television is in use can be deterrents to robbery; however a determined criminal may still choose to try to commit the crime.  It is our responsibility to prepare employees on steps they can take to prevent a robbery and how to react and recover should a robbery take place.    

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https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2014/crime-in-the-u.s.-2014/offenses-known-to-law-enforcement/browse-by/national-data

It is important that employees are taught:

  • To make eye contact with and greet customers.  Criminals don’t want undo attention.
  • If robbed, don’t panic.  It is easier said than done but, panic makes it more difficult to comply with the robber’s demands and can make him/her more nervous.
  • Do whatever the robber demands. Give them what they want and get them out of the store.   
  • During the event, pay attention to as many details as possible about the robber; what were they wearing? How tall are they? What color is their hair? Did they have an accent? Could you tell an approximate age of the subject?
  • If possible, watch the direction of travel when the robber leaves the store.  Did they go to the right or left? Was there a vehicle waiting for them?  NEVER try to follow the robber outside.  Whatever you see should be done from inside the store.
  • Don’t touch ANYTHING once the robber leaves.  This includes the cash register, the checkout counter, doors and anything else the robber may have touched.

There are also tips for managers and supervisors following a robbery:

  • Call 911 and report the robbery and provide any information they ask.  Stay calm.  The dispatcher will have specific questions to ask and needs clear responses.
  • If you have a supervisor or supervisors to assist, ask witnesses to stay to speak to the police and separate them from other people and each other.  Information sharing tends to change a person’s perception of events.  If possible, provide pens and paper and ask them to write down their recollection of events.
  • The building is now a crime scene and needs to be secure.  If you have rope, chairs, wet floor signs, use them to block off areas where the robber was believed to have been.  Locking doors is discouraged since customers may want to leave.  You also don’t want to touch areas on the door where the suspect may have touched.  Prop a door open, pushing it from the bottom of the door (an unlikely place for a suspect to touch) and use it for entry and exit.  Have someone stay at the door to turn away new customers and ensure no one touches the doors. This person will also direct police to a manager when they arrive.
  • You can’t force people to stay, but you can ask them to stay to talk to police.  If they are reluctant, ask if they will leave their name and contact information for police follow-up.
  • Be prepared and have a counseling service number in your emergency contacts.  Employees and customers may experience trauma and need to talk to a professional who can help them recover from the event.
  • If you have video recording in your store, let the recorders run.  Do not try to stop them or playback and review until the police ask for access to the recordings. Usually a Crime Scene Investigator will have the ability to retrieve the videos stored on a recorder or computer.  If they need your assistance they will ask for it.

Recovery and getting back to “Business as Usual” is the final step.  It is important to restore a sense of normalcy as soon as possible.  Owners and managers must be sensitive to the needs of their employees.  Everyone will have a different reaction to a traumatic situation.  Be patient and allow for people to take some time off if necessary.  There will be those employees who are ready to get back to work.  For them it is their way of handling stress, so let them work.  You may also have employees who were not working so they will not be affected in the same way as those who were present at the time.  Rely on them to get the store back in business. 

Have a robbery plan and review it regularly with employees.  Being prepared will help you get through a crisis and back on your feet quickly.

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3 No-brainer Ways to Decrease Theft

September 7, 2016 by Leave a Comment

shoplifting1If you work in retail then you know theft is a big problem.  The theft of supplies, merchandise, time and money are just a few of the things managers have to deal with daily.  They have to address it on many fronts (i.e., impulse and professional shoplifters, employees and their friends and families, vendors).

Unfortunately, these concerns aren’t going to go away.  At this time, no one has a solution for stopping all forms of stealing.  You can’t change human nature and some people are just going to be dishonest.  That’s the bad news. 

However, there’s some good news too.  While you can’t completely stop it, there are ways you can prevent or minimize a lot of your loss due to theft.  Loss – caused both externally and internally — can be decreased by making a few operational changes. 

Here are 3 operational areas where you can make some headway in your on-going struggle against theft.  If they seem like they’re “just common sense” you’re right, they are.  But, there are a lot of managers and organizations out there who don’t do them — you probably know some. 

Put the right person in the right job.  We all do some things better than others; everyone has strengths and weaknesses.  Putting people in positions they’re not trained to do or aren’t capable of doing affects the way they’re able to perform their job.  Sink or swim is a destructive way to manage and it rarely works. 

If a person is good with organization think about making them responsible for keeping a tight rein on your high-risk inventory.  How about putting the out-going person in charge of greeting, engaging and monitoring customers on the floor?

Everyone is accountable for their job duties.  Lack of accountability is one the biggest complaints people have with their jobs.  Consequences for poor performance and behavior are some of the most effective deterrents to theft.  Honest, responsible, motivated employees want to work in fair and equitable workplaces.

Prioritize effective communication.  This is a simple, smart fix.  Yet, most companies struggle with it.  Billions of dollars have disappeared in a pocket or walked out a door because somebody didn’t: pass on important information, talk over a problem, speak up with a concern, get enough training, get the memo or listen well enough. 

There are other operational ways to decrease internal and external theft.  But, these 3 are a good place to start.  If they are done well and consistently they might be all you need.  If not, they’ll give you a good base on which to build further.

Nicole Abbott is a professional writer who’s had over 200 articles published.  She’s a business consultant and former psycho-therapist with over 20 years of experience in mental health, business and addiction.  She’s a coach, lecturer, trainer and facilitator.  She has conducted over 200 workshops, trainings, presentations, seminars and college classes.

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Employee Theft is NEVER Funny, Or Is It? That May Depend On Your Perspective

September 7, 2016 by Leave a Comment

theft (12)What can make life miserable for a Human Resources or Hiring Manager?  In the right circumstances, a Loss Prevention Manager can be the cause of much consternation for a Human Resources Manager.  When more than one employee is being apprehended or fired for theft at the same time it requires shifting schedules, moving people around and hiring new people to take the place of the employees being removed.  What makes it even more difficult for a retail H.R. Manager is if the employees work in a specialized job function.  I confess (with a smile on my face as I write this) that I was responsible more than once for putting a Human Resource Manager in this predicament during my Loss Prevention Manager career.  Don’t misunderstand, I was not taking pleasure in the misery of the Human Resource Manager or the Department Manager, for that matter; I was enjoying closing an investigation that netted around five employees in total, three who worked in the one area.

     So what was this particular case and why was it funny to me?  The case started out as a cash shortage investigation in our food service area.  We had multiple departments in our store but the food services employees tended to be more specialized in their duties. Unlike other departments, there were not always employees in the store who could provide what we called back-ups to assist in food/drink preparations.  For example, when the front lanes got busy, a call for back-up cashiers would result in employees from all areas of the store responding since everyone was trained as a cashier.  The same thing could not be said for our food service area.  We simply did not have the same number of trained people who could respond.

     As I began developing my case, I conducted live camera surveillances of our food service area.  Now a good investigator remains open to the possibility that there is always the chance that one “type” of case can lead to other activity and he/she is prepared to expand an investigation if necessary.  Rushing to close a case simply to get a quick statistics is poor investigative technique, but I have seen it happen.  It didn’t take long to identify the person I suspected was causing the cash losses, but I also found there was a second person causing shortages.  That led me to conduct additional surveillances and watching all transactions that took place.  Soon I was noticing drinks and food were being given at reduced prices or for free to other employees and even some customers.  The passing of food and under-ringing became so routine it was comical to watch.  There were customers I identified as “regulars” coming to the counter to get special deals that weren’t on the menu.

     Eventually I identified three food service employees and two or three other store employees regularly getting free meals, in addition to the primary cash theft that instigated the investigation.  There were several more employees who received a free drink or two but not on a regular basis.   With the prior approval of my District Manager, I involved the Human Resource Manager since it was going to make a significant dent in her ability to staff food services for a little while. Needless to say, she was taken back by the amount of theft and fraud that had been taking place.  She was absolutely shocked when it dawned on her that she was about to lose almost a third of her food service staff.  To ease her pain a bit I let her know I was not going to go after the employees who received one or two free drinks.  With her assistance, we would issue written warnings to those employees. 

     Because we had a good relationship, our H.R. Manager worked with me to schedule the employees at staggered times during the day so I could conduct individual interviews without one person having time to alert anyone else to what was happening.  The day came when I conducted all interviews and a couple of people were prosecuted for cash theft and three or four were terminated for theft of food and policy violations.  A couple of employees received final warnings for policy violations but were allowed to continue their employment with the company. 

   Coverage for the food service area was difficult for a few weeks, but we made it happen.  I also had to chuckle because some of our “regular” customers stopped coming for food. A final word of advice to those in LP and management; build strong partnerships with each other, it is mutually beneficial for you and the store.    

    

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Preventing Shoplifting With Training

September 6, 2016 by Leave a Comment

shoplifting6A woman is fired by a grocery store chain after merging with another chain, and changing their shoplifting policy because she chased a shoplifter. Employees at the biggest retail store chased and killed a shoplifting man and now they faced murder charges.  Employees at retail stores, grocery stores, and specialty stores all over the country chase and try to stop shoplifters, when even the store policy where they work says “No chase, No Touch.”  When hiring a new employee, management should be absolutely clear about the policies regarding shoplifting, and the store in general.  Remind older employees about the policies as well, so they can have a clear understanding of what it is expected of them when a situation of this nature occurs.  The safety of your employees and customers is a paramount responsibility you cannot ignore.

To read more bout shoplifting news, follow the links below.

Low Prices, High Crime: Inside Walmart’s Plan to Crack Down on Shoplifting

The nation’s largest retailer is taking justice into its own hands.

The Walmart Supercenter in Camden, S.C., is a 24/7 retail oasis in an area with few options. There are Walmarts in nearby counties, but some of them aren’t open 24 hours a day. Camden’s location—close to Lake Watertree and a nearby river with few bridges—makes it difficult for residents to go anywhere other than the sprawling complex for everything from bread to tires to electronics. And it’s a place the Camden Police Department knows well. In the first six months of 2016, 14% of the department’s police reports originated at Walmart, most for shoplifting—a figure that could be much higher if you ask the town’s police chief.

“Sometimes they don’t call us,” says Camden Police Chief Joe Floyd. “They call us when they make an apprehension of a shoplifter. But they don’t call us every time something happens there.”

Woman works at Ballard Safeway for 12 years, fired for trying to stop vandal, shoplifter

After 12 years of working for Safeway, Samira Othman, 48, never thought she would be fired for trying to prevent a shoplifter and vandal from taking liberties while on her watch, but that’s just what happened last May.

Othman told the Ballard News-Tribune that she has been a merchandise stocker at the store for years. She moved here from Jerusalem back in 2001 and got a job at a Capital Hill Safeway, but after a year she moved back to Jerusalem to care for her mother. She later returned in 2004 and asked her previous manager for a reference in order to get hired at the Ballard Safeway (1423 NW Market St.). She said she was hired immediately and stocked the shelves for over a decade.

“I’m very hard working, and I worked like a dog for them for years,” said Othman.

But she was known for doing much more than stocking the shelves; she also busted shoplifters. For years Othman said she saved the store thousands of dollars by catching thieves and retrieving store products. She said she was rewarded for her efforts with gift cards from the corporate office.

Dear CEO: How Immune Is Your Business To The Risk Of Fraud?

Dear CEO: How Immune Is Your Business To The Risk Of Fraud? – Adeniyi Bamgboye

The success of every businessman depends on his ability to make a decent return on investment and make reasonable profit while the hallmark of every professional lies in his or her ability to commercial his skills, knowledge and expertise. We all know how challenging doing business in our clime can be. Not to mention issues such as unstable electricity, poor transportation system and lack of infrastructural facilities plaguing our economic growth and development as a nation. Adding the risk of fraud which is the subject matter of this article would be tantamount to adding salt to injury of a typical Nigerian entrepreneur because he already has enough giants to contend with.

This piece was written by Adeniyi Bamgboye Emmanuel. The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of 360Nobs.com.

Fraudulent activities within an organisation will not only serve as a clog to the wheel of progress of such an entity in terms of causing a drastic reduction in its profitability on the short term, and its ability to continue to operate as a going concern in the  long term.

 

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