Employees can prevent shoplifting – Atlanta Georgia

February 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment

You find another empty package out on your sales floor, and are irritated once again that you cannot do more to prevent shoplifting in your business.  But there are things that a business owner can do in order to prevent shoplifting – simple techniques that can show results by reducing your losses.

Schedule an appropriate amount of employees at one time in your business.  Having too few employees allows for more opportunity for the shoplifter to find a secluded area to steal from you.  Also, your employees are better able to provide good customer service and attention to a possible shoplifter, which can further prevent shoplifting.  Shoplifters do not want attention, so you can be sure to provide them the attention they despise by having good coverage on your sales floor.

Having registers or an employee working near the entrance of your store can also prevent shoplifting, once again by providing attention to the shoplifter.  By greeting a customer that comes into your store and asking them if you can help them today, the shoplifter has been noticed.  The shoplifter now knows that employees are aware of his or her presence within your business.

Employees should also help prevent shoplifting by being available to customers.  While your employees are working on the sales floor, they should keep their eyes up, looking around.  By doing this while they work, they will notice suspicious customers or any customer that may need help finding an item.  Your employees can provide better customer service as well as prevent shoplifting by being more aware.

Your employees can be an important tool to prevent shoplifting, and they may not even know it.  Once you make them aware of the difference they can make, you can reap the benefits of reduced loss.

For more information contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Marietta Kennesaw Cobb Georgia

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Helping to Prevent Shoplifting in Atlanta GA

February 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Helping to Prevent Shoplifting in Atlanta GA

Storeowners and retail managers continue to search for foolproof ways to prevent shoplifting.  The only foolproof method is to lock merchandise in a vault and escort customers in one at a time accompanied by an armed guard or two.  Even then, there’s a possibility that some sticky fingered thief will get away with something.  For sure, sales would suffer.

Prevention begins with the display type and location.  High theft/high value items may be kept in a locking cabinet and taken out at a customer’s request.  Display merchandise to reduce hidden areas and don’t hide merchandise behind displays or around corners where it is difficult to monitor by sales people or cashiers.

Being instructed on how to prevent shoplifting should be part of each new employee’s orientation process, and the subject of ongoing training for everyone.  Shoplifting awareness is an undervalued but important prevention measure.

Excellent customer service by the staff to each visitor will also cause a shoplifter to feel self-conscious as if he was being watched, and deter the crime of shoplifting in many cases.

Some anti shoplifting programs call for the use of visible deterrents like convex mirrors and exposed or hidden cameras.  These have their uses, but are really not a barrier to a determined shoplifter.

Still other retailers depend on retail anti theft devices.  Benefit deniers (ink tags), EAS systems like those made by Checkpoint Security Systems including Checkpoint labels and Checkpoint tags, or some other type of local alarm.

Depending on several factors, each location should develop and use any or all methods necessary to prevent shoplifting and save profits.

Get help with your anti shoplifting program.  Call 770-426-0547 or click here:  Prevent Shoplifting – Atlanta GA.  Please visit our Online Store.

 

 

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Security and the benefits of loss prevention – Atlanta Georgia

February 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Security and loss prevention have really become a partnership. In the past, loss prevention was more a security guard agency that helped control inventory shrinkage and prevent retail theft by providing an obvious and conspicuous presence.

Both security and loss prevention offer benefits to the retailer which may be experiencing a large amount of inventory shrinkage.

As an example, I had a store in a downtown, low income area which had been experiencing poor inventory results, lots of shoplifting and low employee morale. We had a loss prevention agent working the store, but because the shoplifting and other activities were so rampant, the loss prevention agent could not catch everyone or fix every issue. They needed help, they needed a new strategy. We looked at what else we could provide this store to help prevent shoplifting. Well, we knew the loss prevention agent was apprehending 3 to 5 customers a day for shoplifting. We also knew that for every shoplifter he stopped, even more got away. Employees working the store were overwhelmed with customer service and when witness to the shoplifters that got away; they felt as if the company didn’t care.

Our solution… provide the store with a uniformed security guard from open to close. Write post orders that both security and loss prevention could agree on. Now that security was uniformed and placed at the front of the store, he could help record activity and prevent retail theft by greeting customers as they enter and exit the store. Security was available to check out employee purchases as they were leaving the building, additionally, security and loss prevention worked to reduce inventory shrinkage and prevent shoplifting.

If your store is experiencing inventory shrinkage, or you are looking for better ways to prevent shoplifting and prevent retail theft, look into the benefits of security and loss prevention.

For more information about loss prevention security or retail loss prevention contact us at security and loss prevention or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

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The Perception of A Loss Prevention Investigator

February 1, 2011 by

The Perception of A Loss Prevention Investigator – Atlanta GA

The role of a Loss Prevention Investigator, particularly in the retail business, is not always “catching the bad guy”’, although that sometimes happens.  It is frequently closely related to that of a systems auditor.  The investigator will closely examine loss prevention systems, policies, and procedures, conduct cash audits, perform spot inventory counts, and generally try to identify and report any areas that might need improvement to stop inventory shortages.

Occasionally, employee misconduct is discovered, and this generally where the perception of a loss prevention investigator as a “bad guy” begins.

This is when the loss prevention agent begins to develop a strategy to determine who is involved, how much was lost, and how was it done.  Then, to put together a case to alleviate the problem, either termination and/or prosecution of the offending employee.  And to design ways to prevent internal theft from re-occurring in the future.

Employees are naturally suspicious of anyone who looks at their daily jobs through a magnifying glass, which is exactly what a loss prevention agent will do.  Sometimes there is resentment, and remarks are made by the employees who say, “What’s the matter, doesn’t management trust us?”  Although it is a simple operations audit, there is the fear that they are doing something wrong.

The successful loss prevention investigator will build some rapport with the employees, managers, and subjects of the audit, but must remain fair and objective as he performs his duties. 

The goal of the Loss Prevention Investigator is to become a business partner, contributing to the growth and profitability of the company that employs him.

How can a Loss Prevention Investigator help your business?  Call 770-426-0547 or click Loss Prevention Agent for a consultation. Atlanta GA

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Clothing Security

February 1, 2011 by

In the great big world of loss prevention we sometimes overlook the importance of clothing security . Let’s be honest, if it can be sold there is undoubtedly going to be someone who will want to steal it. They will jump through flaming hoops and concoct any imaginable scheme to get away with your goods. So let’s get back to basics; let’s make the merchandise unattractive to the criminals. Now, I’m not talking about filling your racks with leisure suits and polyester shirts with butterfly collars. I’m talking about properly protecting your items with ink tags, hard tags, lanyards, cable locks and anything else that will make a thief’s job more difficult.

Always remember, thieves are lazy. If they weren’t then they’d have good paying jobs and be able to buy the things that they want rather than searching for that “five finger discount”. This laziness causes them to always take the path of least resistance. In other words, why would they go through the trouble of having to attempt to disable ink tags and security tags on clothes or snip wires when they can simply go down the street to another retailer who doesn’t take clothing security quite as seriously?

Studies show that the average American family spends nearly $29,000 a year on clothing. The demand is astounding. The shoplifter’s demand mirrors that of the average person. Therefore, if you’re a supplier it simply makes sense to take every precaution to ensure that your product stays on the shelf long enough to be sold legitimately to the honest, hard-working people in our society. No question about it, if you’re a clothing retailer then clothing security should be high on your list of priorities. After all, security tags on clothes will keep your hard earned money on the your bottom line!

For more information about clothing security tags , security tags on clothes or a clothing alarm contact us at Clothing Security or call 1.770.426.0547

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Retail Loss Due To Vendor Fraud – Atlanta Georgia

February 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Retail loss can come in many forms. Most of the time we attribute this loss to either external theft (shoplifting) or internal theft (employees stealing merchandise, taking cash from the registers, etc.) However, shrinkage is defined as a reduction or loss in inventory due to shoplifting, employee theft, paperwork errors and supplier fraud. It is often assumed that when we purchase a product or products from a vendor or supplier that they will send exactly what we asked for. After all, we’re providing them with business and paying them for it. This is a terrible assumption.

You must always be aware that there are some organizations that have some rather unscrupulous practices, and in nearly every organization there exist one or two unscrupulous employees. Therefore, it would behoove you to keep a close eye on your receiving processes and perform regular audits every time you receive a shipment to manage any retail loss. Why? I had a case a few years back where a store’s jewelry department was seeing some extreme inventory losses. Of course we explored the usual suspects but the department was locked down tighter than Fort Knox, making shoplifting virtually impossible. The young lady who ran the department did so with an unrivaled zeal that made the idea of employee theft quite unlikely.

So, we examined their receiving processes and found that on many different occasions, dating back nearly 2 years they had been shorted on shipments; just an item here or there at first but the shortages had progressed to an enormous level. We coordinated with the vendor and law enforcement and found that an employee in the vendor’s organization had nickel and dimed several stores out of nearly $200,000 worth of jewelry in the previous years. If any of those stores had done proper and continuous receiving audits they would have been able to stop this retail loss much sooner.

For more information about retail shrinkage contact us at Retail Loss or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

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Coping with Internal Theft Atlanta GA

January 31, 2011 by Leave a Comment

You own a retail business and have begun to suspect that there is a case of internal theft, an employee who is stealing from you.  There have been small amounts of cash missing, the register doesn’t always balance at the end of the day, or an item of merchandise you were sure you had yesterday can’t be found today, and there is not a record of its being sold.  Things are happening that you can’t quite put your finger on, but you know you are losing profits.

How do you determine if you have a case of employee theft or fraud, and how do you determine how much there is or who is involved?

In order to stop and properly handle internal theft correctly, certain steps must be taken to protect any innocent employees from feeling suspect and to protect you and your business from liability.

If you have a suspicion, is it time to confront the employee or to launch a full blown internal investigation to find the source of you suspicions or the involvement of others?  Will a confrontation cause the guilty employee to stop his actions before you have proof of his involvement?

This is the time to contact an experienced loss prevention investigator who has the skills and experience to quickly get to the bottom of your internal theft problem and to find out the depth of employee involvement using highly developed investigative analytics and interview skills and to bring the situation to a successful conclusion.

For advice or assistance with any internal theft questions, call 770-426-0547 or click here: Employee Theft

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Eyes Wide Open with Employee Background Checks in Atlanta GA

January 31, 2011 by

Eyes Wide Open with Employee Background Checks in Atlanta GA

Putting a new employee into a position of trust requires a giant leap of faith on the part of the employer.  The employer deserves to know the facts about his new employee, facts that are frequently developed through employee background checks.

The employer will learn plenty about the employee after he is hired, but some of that education could come at a high price. Not only stealing thousands of dollars in cash and/or merchandise, but hundreds of thousands if he subjects the business to a negligent hiring or negligent retention lawsuit.

Employee background checks can alert the employer of any red flags or past history of illegal activities on the part of any potential employees, mitigating the risk of a dishonest employee, or one that may affect profit through poor performance, or one that may affect employee morale with a bad attitude.

Evidence of these things can be found through employee background checks.

Better to limit spend a little now on quality background checks than to pay a lot later in lost profits and the costs of recruiting a training yet another replacement after the employee show his true colors.

To learn more about background checks, call 770-426-0547 or click here:  Background Check Experts – Atlanta GA

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Recognize the risk and prevent shoplifting – Atlanta Georgia

January 30, 2011 by Leave a Comment

It can be extremely frustrating for a business owner to suffer a large loss due to shoplifting.  Owners and managers sometimes do not know where to begin to fix this issue.  In order to prevent shoplifting, one must recognize the factors within the business that make it at a greater risk to shoplifting, and then take measures to correct these factors while still providing a pleasing shopping environment to the honest customer.

Businesses do not want to cater to the shoplifter; just the paying shopper.

Businesses should consider keeping small expensive items or high theft items in locked cases or behind counters where employees control access to these items.  Having a policy in place to where the customer has to pay for the item at the counter is a good idea as well.  Theft can be greatly reduced by keeping these types of items secure until a customer is ready to purchase them.

Other controls in your business can help prevent shoplifting. Have employees located near restrooms and fitting rooms.  Also teach employees to check the number of items going into fitting rooms, and verify that the same number is coming out.  Additionally, fitting rooms should be locked when not in use, and unlocked only when a customer is ready to try something on.  This simple policy can prevent shoplifting inside of fitting rooms, because the potential shoplifter has to get the attention of an employee in order to go into the fitting room. Shoplifters do not like to draw attention to themselves.

Having security tags, security labels two way mirrors, and CCTV are additional ways to prevent shoplifting.  Have signs posted that CCTV security systems are in use.  Also, have visible camera globes, especially in corners and other areas attractive to shoplifters.  Utilizing a merchandise alarm with security tags is also a good theft prevention technique.

We may not be able to eliminate all shoplifting, but with a few of these suggestions we can go far to prevent shoplifting in our businesses.

For more information contact us: prevent shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

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Preventing Employee Theft & Negligent Hiring Claims Go Hand In Hand – Atlanta Georgia

January 28, 2011 by Leave a Comment

In the thirty years of conducting employee theft investigations I look back and see that many of the problems these employees caused us could have been prevented at the time of hiring had the company paid attention to the warning signals.

If addressed in the beginning BEFORE a candidate is hired these same warning signals also provide your company protection from negligent hiring claims. It is important to look at hiring as a process that must be adhered to even if you are a small business.

To protect your company you should do the following:

  • All job applicants must fill out your application form. You should not simply accept their resume. They need to completely fill out you application and sign it. Your application should include a detailed work history. It should also ask about criminal convictions. Yes, you can do that and you should, every time.
  • Actually check their criminal records. It is easy and cheap.
  • Conduct personal interview with the candidate. This should be done by at least 2 people but the more the merrier.  I suggest 3-5 interviews with different management people in your company. This allows you to get many views and in the long run the new employee will be even more accepted as others have a stake in their success. Don’t have anyone else that can do an interview? Ask a trusted business friend, spouse or other person who is professional and will represent you and your company well.
  • Require references both personal and work related. Then actually check them. You will be surprised what they will tell you if you know how to ask the right questions.
  • Have a set of forms that you use each time for this and retain those forms in their file.

These items will serve you well and will help protect you from negligent hiring claims and employee theft. Make them a standard part of your business.

For more information about internal theft or white collar crime or employee theft or corporate fraud investigator or corporate fraud investigation contact us at employee theft investigation or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

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