retail security and monitoring

You Can Teach an Old Dog New Tricks…Me

March 2, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

I was recently the Keynote Speaker at a retail conference. The audience was very engaged! As a speaker and trainer I like those situations best.

We had many great questions and comments. But there is one that I continue to think about. Someone mentioned that a way that shoplifters are now discouraging you and your staff from providing customer service is by using a cell phone.

Let’s step back. The first key to preventing shoplifting is the liberal application of customer service. Impulse, armature and professional shoplifters cannot ply their evil trade if your staff is customer servicing them to death.

So now enters the cell phone. If the shoplifter is on a call, real or pretend then we are likely, out of courtesy not to approach them. What a wonderful way to keep us away from them in our own store! This is something I had never considered before. In fact what I have been thinking about is that there are other tools they could use to accomplish the same thing.

Listening to music with a head set on, talking on a two-way radio as if it is work related or how about being busy with electronic tablet or phone with email. Again any situation they can create to keep us at arm’s length.

However, there is a well-established solution to this. All of these techniques fall under the category of distraction or diversion. The solution to this tactic is simply MORE customer service.

Those actions by a “customer” are at a minimum rude. It is also a red flag that you should now pay attention to. Being in your store, taking your time and resources and being on the phone is rude. But we do not want to respond in kind. Instead apply an even more generous application of customer service.

Stay with them, keep your eye on them and make sure they know it. A legitimate customer will feel it and get off the phone, device…. The shoplifter will have a different reaction. They will get frustrated. You are frustrating their efforts to obtain a bit of privacy so they can conceal your merchandise.

Frustrating a shoplifter is our goal. Drive them crazy and send them on their way hopefully never to be seen again, at least by you!

You can reach Bill Bregar at 770-426-7593 x101 or at [email protected]. Bill has over 35 years of experience in the Loss Prevention industry. He has personally investigated over 2300 employees for theft and dealt with shoplifting all the way from his days of apprehending shoplifters as a store detective to the development of policy and procedure for several major retail chains in the role of Director of Loss Prevention.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Training, Loss Prevention Workshop, mobile POS loss prevention, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security, retail security and monitoring, security devices, Shoplifting Prevention

Vendor/Contractor Fraud

March 2, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

I want you to sit back and think about something for a minute. Other than your employees, how many other peopled have worked in your store last month? Drawing a blank? Think about those lights that needed replacing, or the compactor that needed repair, or even the new display cases that were installed overnight a few weeks back. While you may realize it, you more than likely have a great deal of contactors coming in and out of your store on a fairly frequent basis. These contractors and vendors have access to everything and employee has and sometimes more.

Not only do you have to consider product and equipment theft, what about data or intellectual property theft? Company sales figures, or closely guarded industry secrets? A single thumb drive and a bit of know-how can get a wealth of information into the wrong hands. Thinking about all of that, you probably want to repair your own sinks from now on…

Just as with any LP process, you have to implement a strategy that allows you to identify and react to theft, all while maintain the trust of the 99.9% of your customers that are honest. A few simple policies and best practices can protect your business from vendor/contractor theft.

First, you should establish a check in procedure. Vendors, or outside contractors should have to check in with the manager and then be taken to the area of the store that requires their services. If the area is a sensitive section of the store, or requires an exterior doors to be opened for an long period, a supervisor or key employee should remain in that area. In addition, a simple package inspection policy should be adopted and all employees, and outside vendor should be made to adhere to that policy. Basically, anyone exiting the store that works for you would have any bag, or box inspected by a store manager prior to them leaving the store.

An electronics policy should also be adopted around sensitive areas of the store. Vendors, as well as employees should be barred from using an external hard drive on any store computer system. Recording devices (cellphones) should not be allowed in sales offices, or anywhere that sensitive data is stored. You should also restrict any store Wi-Fi to store management only, and for the sole purpose of conducting company business.

While it may not be an area that you closely associate with shrink and loss, vendor compliance and control can become a major contributor to lost profits in your store. By implementing a few simple steps and practices, you can sure that you are doing all you can to prevent unnecessary loses to your store and company.

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-thefts devices, EAS Devices, Employee Theft, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security, retail security and monitoring

Bad Stops are Bad for Business

March 2, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

If you’ve been in the LP profession for any length of time, chances are, you know someone who has had their career ended for making a “bad stop”. If you’ve never heard that term, great news for you. This is the term given when an LP agent makes a shoplifting apprehension outside of set guidelines and detains an individual, who in fact, did not partake in any illegal activities. Sounds like something that should NEVER happen, right? Unfortunately, it does and it can spell big legal trouble for your company. If you detain an individual who has not committed a crime, they have the legal right to file a lawsuit against you, your employee and your company. I’ve personally seen more than I would like in my tenure and they usually end with a large settlement and an employee or two in the unemployment line.

How does this happen? If you have an LP program, or policies relating to shoplifting apprehensions, you may ask how does an agent get to the point where they make such a bad decision. Just with any other job, no one is perfect. As a manager, or business owner, you need to have very strict rules and guidelines that are to be followed in regards to shoplifting apprehensions in order to protect not only the safety of your employees, but the very business you are running. Looking back at the incidents that I’ve personally dealt with, one common theme always stands out. An employee who will try to bend the rules as much as possible. When you develop and maintain adequate policies, you have to enforce them. Letting something slip by won’t do you any good. That employee does not have your company’s best interests in mind, and in your position, you have to make sure that your polices are followed to the letter.

One case that stands out happened a few years ago. One of my top performing agents saw a customer place something in her purse and walk out the store. He didn’t see exactly what the item was, but still made the apprehension. Once in the security office, he realized she had placed a shirt in her purse that she entered the store with. The customer had brought the item to compare colors to a new item she wanted to purchase. Understandably so, the customer was highly upset and sought legal action. After all was settled, my company had to pay a substantial settlement to keep the matter out of court and I had to release one of the best agents that ever had worked for me.

During the termination conversation, I asked him why he made the stop without knowing exactly what was concealed. His response was that he had done it several times in the past, and he was normally right. This was the one time he was wrong, and it cost him and my company in a big way. Due to that incident, we implemented more vigorous training programs and did a better job of documenting training with all LP agents in order to prove, it we needed, that all LP agents were trained according to a set policy and that anything done outside of that was the result of poor performance.

I would encourage anyone with a small business, or managers of small companies to adopt and implement a written policy regarding shoplifting apprehensions. If your store doesn’t have an LP department that has agents in store, your policies should state that only a salaried manager may initiate a shoplifting apprehension and only before going through some type of standardized training. This will protect your store not only from shoplifters, but it will go a very long way in keeping innocent customers from being detained by an ill-trained, or poor performing associate.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, EAS Devices, Employee Theft, Loss Prevention Training, Prevent Shoplifting, retail security, retail security and monitoring, Shoplifting Prevention, surveillance

Awareness and Steps to Prevent Shoplifting

February 18, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

There are shoplifting rings that target stores all across our country. People get arrested and charged with shoplifting every day. Merchandise is stolen by customers and employees alike. It is quite impossible to prevent shoplifting 100% of the time, but you and your employees can take steps to prevent or mitigate some of the losses. Recognizing and understanding the items that are a clear target for shoplifters can help you establish some type of security around those items. Educating your management and employees about steps to help prevent shoplifting can help you deter possible shoplifters in the future.

Follow the links below for more information about shoplifting.

5 Quick and Low-Tech Tips To Prevent Shoplifting in Your Retail Store

As a small business retailer, it’s not always easy to just throw money at problems like shoplifting and take advantage of all the technology that big box retailers may be privy to. Whether it’s cameras, door scanners, or facial-recognition software, sometimes their big-ticket cost just doesn’t fit with your small business security budget.

But when you recognize facts like shoplifting costing retailers upwards of $13 billion each year, it’s important to identify it as a problem that needs to be dealt with.

So, what’s a boutique owner to do? In this post, I’ll be looking at cost-effective and low-tech tactics that you can start implementing right away.

Let’s dive in.

1. Keep Your Store Organized and Products Well-Placed

How easy should it be to identify whether something has gone “missing” from your store? Empty space on your shelves should be enough of a visual cue to signal something has gone wrong.

How to Prevent Shoplifting With Effective Retail Loss Prevention

Shoplifting occurs every day in retail stores around the world. There are times when the items truly are needed, but others, just have a need to break the law. Retail loss prevention teams and systems are available to prevent shoplifting from your retail store.

You cannot be too careful these days and reduced profits mean that the store is not making enough and the owner is not earning enough to support him or her family.

Plain Clothed Loss Prevention Team

Many retailers are using plain clothed security personnel to help loss prevention. These individuals watch suspicious customers and alert store staff.

The video cameras are closely monitored and if any items appear to be missing from their pile upon exiting the dressing rooms, the plain clothed security officer will detain the shoplifter.

10 Steps to prevent shoplifting

Theft is a serious threat to the bottom lines of retail businesses. Shoplifting is prevalent due to the fact that is relatively easy to commit and has minimal risk when compared to other crimes. Shoplifters come in the form of all races, ages and economic status. In fact, in many cases shoplifters have enough money on their person to purchase the items they are attempting to steal. Shoplifters look like everyday people. In the case of shoplifting, shoplifters are everyday people who steal. According to the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention more than $13 billion worth of goods are stolen from retailers each year. Shoplifting losses affect every retailer regardless of what they sell. These losses result in profits and increased prices. Here are 10 steps that retailers can take to prevent shoplifting from their stores.

Post warning signs: Make those that enter your store aware of the consequences of stealing from your store. Determine your shoplifting policy and communicate it to your customers with posted signs. Signs should warn that shoplifting will result in prosecution.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, EAS Devices, Employee Theft, Prevent Shoplifting, prevent shrinkage, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security and monitoring, security devices, Shoplifting Prevention, surveillance

Preventing Shoplifting

February 13, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

Managers in your store can play an important role in preventing shoplifting. Being aware of the procedures to take when a shoplifting incident occurs protects your employees and your store alike. Shoplifting education programs through the NASP can help organizations prevent shoplifting and educate their employees. The rules and procedures to take by employees when a shoplifting incident occurs can save lives, medical bills and negative publicity occurring from a shoplifting incident. Follow the links below for more news about shoplifting.

Walmart Manager Says He Was Fired After Stopping Alleged Shoplifter

For several years now, Consumerist has reported on variety of stories where a former Walmart employee says they were fired either stopping a shoplifter or defending themselves in an altercation with customers. The latest such incident involves the manager of an Alabama Walmart who claims he was dismissed after stopping an alleged repeat offender from shoplifting again.

AL.com reports that the former manager was blindsided when he was fired a month after he chased and confronted a shoplifter attempting to steal nearly $1,000 worth of merchandise.

The man says the incident occurred during the night shift, when he heard an alarm signaling that an emergency door was open.

When the manager reached the door, he saw a man he described as an habitual shoplifter leaving with a cart full of merchandise.

“When I caught up to the individual he turned and grabbed me, struck me in the face and dragged me to the ground,” the manager says. “I got loose and was holding him down when security personnel from an apartment complex across the street came to help until police arrived.”

VIDEO: Teens ‘Terrorize’ Marysville Grocery Store

MARYSVILLE-

Five teenagers entered a Marysville Save Mart around 1:40 p.m. Wednesday and “terrorized the store,” police say.

A Marysville Police spokesperson told FOX40 four teenage girls and one teenage boy vandalized the store aisle by aisle, shouting out gang slogans and throwing grocery items on the ground. One of those items, according to police, was a bottle of oil, which caused a 64-year-old man to slip and fall.

The retired Air Force veteran was taken to Rideout Medical Center and treated for a potentially fractured elbow, according to police.

Store managers told officers on scene that employees tried to stop the teenagers, but one punched the manager in the face. At some point, police say the teenagers went to the liquor aisle, opened a bottle of alcohol, and started drinking.

The two officers who responded to the incident have minor injuries after one of the teen’s resisted arrest.

Arrests made in two Kroger shoplifting incidents

Two shoplifting incidents were reported Thursday at the Kroger grocery story on U.S. Highway 29, according to Athens-Clarke County police reports.

In one incident, Mary Ashley Moss, 22, of a Johns Creek, Ga., address was charged with shoplifting after swapping price tags on some items and concealing other items as she checked out of the store. According to a police report, Moss told Kroger managers “she did not think it was stealing since she was paying for something in the process.” According to police, Moss was attempting to take $50 worth of hygiene products. She was released from the Clarke County Jail after posting a $1,500 bond.

In the other incident, William Joseph Adams II, 47, of Timber Ridge Lane in Colbert, was charged with shoplifting after allegedly taking $75 worth of meat from the store.

Adams left the store in a blue Ford Fiesta that was stopped shortly after the incident, headed toward Madison County, by Athens-Clarke police. Adams was released from the Clarke County Jail after posting a $5,000 bond.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, Loss Prevention Seminars, Loss Prevention Workshop, Prevent Shoplifting, prevent shrinkage, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security and monitoring, Shoplifting Prevention

Prevent Shoplifting

January 29, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

Many retail businesses invest heavily in the security of their stores. Security guards afford an undeniable benefit to the protection of the goods in the store, although, they are not the only solution in many instances. Small businesses that cannot afford to hire full time security guards have to rely on video surveillance or other measures for protection against theft. Keeping your business safe from shoplifters or employee theft has become a security problem many retailers seem to have, and no solution has presented itself. For more information about how to keep your business safe and other news follow the links below.

Keep Your Business Safe: The Latest in Retail Theft Prevention

It’s not easy being a shoplifter these days. According to the 26th Annual Retail Theft Survey from Jack L. Hayes International, retailers are catching more thieves and dishonest employees than ever before. As apprehensions and recovered dollars increase the world of retail benefits, what’s contributing to these improvements in the industry? What tools and security measures are helping stores catch crooks faster and more effectively?

To help answer these questions, let’s take a look at some of the advanced security measures in place for retail theft prevention today and what they could mean for the coming year.

Video Security

As anybody in a high-cash-volume environment can testify, it’s hard to have eyes everywhere at once. Enter video security. With a digital video monitoring system, retailers have a way to see what’s happening at all times. If someone tries to swipe a product or if an employee tries to steal from the cash drawer, video surveillance makes it easy to catch the perpetrator and recover lost funds.

“Operation – Bundle Up Washington” Reduces Crime

While many of us were bundling up against winter weather, 20 7-Eleven stores in the Tacoma and Federal Way areas of Washington State were wrapping up a 30-day crime spree – thanks to a tremendous coordinated effort by the 7-Eleven, Inc. Asset Protection team, franchisees, sales associates and local law enforcement agencies.
From Nov. 26 until Christmas Eve, one man committed crimes at 20 7-Eleven stores, as well as at other retail establishments in that area. But on Christmas Eve, his luck ran out. Thanks to consistent communication from 7-Eleven, local law enforcement and our retail partners were on the lookout for the perpetrator. When he struck again, he was immediately identified and taken into custody.

“Franchisees, store managers and sales associates all played crucial roles in this case by quickly reporting incidents to the Asset Protection Hotline,” says Mike Aldridge, 7-Eleven Asset Protection Specialist & Law Enforcement liaison. “The faster an incident is reported, the faster the Asset Protection team can respond and help bring resolution.”
The Dallas headquarters-based 7-Eleven Asset Protection team reviews all robbery incidents reported to the company’s Asset Protection Hotline. The team analyzes surveillance video and images from each incident to help solve the case and prevent future incidents from occurring.

NOMi and March Networks deliver first integrated loss prevention and retail analytics solution

NEW YORK CITY, NY, January 11, 2015 –– NOMi, the dominant in-store marketing and analytics provider, and March Networks, a leading provider of intelligent IP video solutions, today announced their first fully integrated solution for advanced loss prevention and retail analytics. This solution combines high definition (HD) streaming video from NOMi’s recently launched Brickstream 3D LIVE analytics sensor with March Networks’ new Searchlight video-based business intelligence software. It offers a single, easy-to-use platform that loss prevention, operations and marketing groups can use to improve store performance and profitability. March Networks is also the first NOMi alliance member to leverage the new Brickstream 3D LIVE sensor for loss prevention purposes.

Using Searchlight’s browser-based software interface, retailers can access the Brickstream 3D LIVE ONVIF compliant HD video, as well as integrated transaction data from the retailer’s point-of-sale system, to identify instances of potential theft and reduce investigation times from hours to minutes.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, EAS Devices, Employee Theft, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Training, Prevent Shoplifting, retail security and monitoring, Shoplifting Prevention, surveillance

Employee Theft and What’s Ahead For The Retail Industry

January 22, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

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.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Security, anti-theft devices, anti-thefts devices, EAS Devices, Employee Theft, Loss Prevention Training, Prevent Shoplifting, prevent shrinkage, retail security and monitoring, security devices

Law Enforcement and Retail Loss Prevention Partnerships

January 9, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

Shoplifting isn’t just a problem for retailers. It is a crime and it affects everyone in some way. Whether it be the retail store that suffers lost profits, the consumer who is faced with higher prices, or a community that is plagued with organized criminal syndicates all dealing in stolen property. For years, it seemed like I was fighting the shoplifting battle alone. I could deploy the most sophisticated camera systems, or use the newest EAS technology, but those career shoplifters were still targeting my stores on a daily basis. And getting away with hundreds of thousands of dollars in goods.

I felt the response from local law enforcement wasn’t what it should’ve been. Understandably, police usually see shoplifting as a petty crime. It’s a low priority in most jurisdictions, as it falls behind drug crimes, auto theft, burglaries and the more violent crimes. It wasn’t’ until two years ago that police in my parish began addressing the ever-growing shoplifting problem with a very unique solution.

The local sheriff’s office began reviewing shoplifting statistics and assigned two detectives to develop a program with local retailers to coordinate efforts and share information on shoplifters. At the onset, I was approached by these detectives. I was the regional LP manager for one the the largest retailers in the parish. It didn’t take much to convincing to get me and my company onboard. I reached out to my industry contacts and before long, over 100 different retailers were working in concert with local police to dismantle some of the most well-known shoplifting rings. These weren’t just big box retailers with LP departments. The vast majority were small, family owned stores and supermarkets who were tired of seeing the same shoplifters day in and day out. Once a quarter, everyone would meet in a large auditorium and swap cases and share photos of big time boosters, or unknowns. It didn’t take long for some very substantial cases to be made, as well as the sheriff’s office realizing just how bad the problem was.

Everyone was quick to see what we knew all along. Shoplifting was not being committed by a bored teenager. Most of our shoplifters were drug addicts who were hooked on heroin, which is making a massive comeback in the US. Gangs of 10-15 at a time would target stores across the area. They would steal merchandise, conduct fraud refunds; whatever it took to make enough money for their next score. As more and more information was shared, police came to learn that most shoplifters were also suspects in other, more serious crimes. Based on our partnerships, we bang identifying car thieves, drug dealers and violent offenders, al who hand their hands in shoplifting.

While we’ve only scratched the surface, preliminary numbers for 2014 show over 4,000 arrest for shoplifting in this one parish alone. Most of these originated from the partnership group. This is a staggering number to comprehend. The hope is that with more support from the DA’s office, this number will start to decrease. We’ve already seen prosecutors push for heavier penalties and even prison time for some of the biggest repeat offenders. Hopefully, these types of partnerships can continue to be forged, and our law enforcement agencies will continue partnering with the Loss Prevention industry to help turn the tide against shoplifting.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Alpha High Theft Solutions, anti-theft devices, EAS Devices, Employee Theft, Loss Prevention Workshop, Prevent Shoplifting, prevent shrinkage, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security and monitoring, Shoplifting Prevention, surveillance

Cycle Counts

January 9, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

With only a distant memory of the holiday shopping season in our minds and spring business just on the horizon, it’s a good time to start focusing on inventory control and accuracy. With the hustle and bustle of the holidays, retailers sometimes lose focus on what’s really important, their inventory. It should be second nature for you to take an annual inventory of your store. The best time to do this is soon after the holiday. Think about it, your store is most likely at a low inventory point, so counting is normally easier, and you have a little extra in the payroll budget due to that month of increased sales. It only makes since. Often though, this annual inventory is the only time some retailers verify their on hand accuracy, however, cycle counts can be of great benefit to any store environment, any time of year.

If you are unfamiliar with cycle counts, just think of them as a mini-inventory focused on a small section of your store. In my experience, conducting a count on high value, or high theft merchandise at least quarterly (monthly is better), can actually help boost sales. For example, let’s say that you sell several styles of pocket knives. Your sales are good in this category, but your shrink is always high. You know you lose knives daily due to theft, so your on hand counts are always a little off. If you are replenished based on those counts, then you may not be getting the product you need, which will then hurt your ability to sell that product. Not only is the theft creating a loss, but now you are losing sales because your customers can’t purchase a knife you don’t have. If you waited an entire year to conduct an inventory, you would lose those sales for the entire year. This can easily be corrected through consistent and well planned cycle counts.

Once you have the areas of the store selected that would benefit from a cycle count, plan to do them on a day that is historically a low sales day, like early on a Monday morning. This gives you a chance to get it done with minimal interference from customers, and it won’t mess with your counts if a customer purchases an item you are counting. Take a small section, once a month. Don’t try and count an entire department. Keep it simple and focus on a small area that is normally high shrink. Print out what you should have on the books, and compare it to what you physically have. Simply make any adjustment to your inventory as needed. It’s really that simple and it’s a great way to stay in stock for your customers.

As in the example above, as a manager, or store owner, you know what areas of the store have the most shrink. In order to combat theft and remain in a good stock position throughout the year, you have to have accurate on hand counts. If you implement any inventory adjustments, always ensure that they are conducted by a manager, or one of your most trusted employees. Having an inaccurate count can cause a loss on paper, and/or keep you out of stock even longer. Additionally, this can also help you to identify areas of employee theft as well. If you have items that are shipped to your store that are stored in areas only accessible to employees, you shouldn’t have any losses. For instance, if you have high end sunglasses that are kept locked in a case and you find you are missing hundreds of dollars’ worth of those glasses, chances are you may have an internal theft issue. If you would wait until the end of the year to find that during your annual inventory, you may never be able to uncover the source of the loss.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, EAS Devices, Employee Theft, Loss Prevention Training, Loss Prevention Workshop, Prevent Shoplifting, prevent shrinkage, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security and monitoring, Shoplifting Prevention, surveillance

Does Your Business Culture Encourage Employee Theft?

January 9, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

There is a belief among many small business owners that, because the company belongs to them, they ought to be allowed to behave anyway they want. They want to be able to run things their way and believe the employees “should and will” respond accordingly. That’s why they went into business for themselves – they wanted to create and control the work environment or cultural.

This is the paradox, and downfall, of many small business owners. The characteristics of independence and self-determination, coupled with the need to be in charge, are the hallmarks of a successful entrepreneur. Unfortunately, they’re also the attributes of unsuccessful, bankrupt entrepreneurs.

One of the differences between successful and unsuccessful owners is the ability to marginalize the negatives and maximize the positives of their desire to be in control. This ability is particularly important when establishing and maintaining the business’s security culture. Yet, ask any business consultant or security advisor and they’ll say this is one of the areas owners are least likely to address.

They usually don’t address it because they have the mistaken belief that the culture they’ve established and are maintaining, through the power of their personality, is an effective theft deterrent. They believe the way they behave (i.e. nice, nasty, supportive, demeaning, conciliatory, confrontational) will keep them safe from employee fraud.

However, it rarely works that way. The company’s culture is usually not enough to stop employee theft. “Good” guys who try to create an atmosphere of ease for their employee and “bad” guys who create one of stress have the same amount of fraud. The statistics and antidotal information show that owners who manage through personality, rather than systems and controls, are likely to fail.

Employees are 15 times more likely to steal than outsiders and are responsible for 44% of a business’s theft losses (National Federation of Independent Business). This results in almost a 1/3 of businesses failing due to employee fraud (U.S. Department of Commerce). In another 1/3 it’s believed to be a .05% – 1% loss of profit.

The number 1 deterrent is security systems and controls embedded into the cultural. A business’s security culture – values, beliefs and norms which guide how the business and the people in it operate – is important to a business’s survival. When people work within one there’s a profound positive effect on employee morale, operations and the bottom line.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, anti-theft devices, EAS Devices, Employee Theft, Loss Prevention Workshop, Prevent Shoplifting, prevent shrinkage, retail security and monitoring, Shoplifting Prevention