Prevent shoplifting with technology

November 12, 2010 by Leave a Comment

There are many ways to prevent shoplifting and a good loss prevention plan will include a multi pronged approach.  If you have ever visited a Best Buy you probably remember seeing a staff member at a station between the entry & exit doors who greets shoppers as they enter and watches them as they exit.  This is a loss prevention security staff member. Staff are expensive and in the down economy employees are likely the first to go due to that being the largest share of overhead expenses.

So how do you use technology to prevent shoplifting from happening?  Installing an EAS system like checkpoint systems will be a major deterrent to shoplifters.  The presence of the system is noticeable from outside most stores since they are installed at the exit entry ways and shoplifters simply would rather move on to a store that is unprotected than wrestle with trying to defeat a system or setting off an alarm.

How the checkpoint system works is by detecting tags that are pinned on to merchandise or labels that are applied to merchandise.  When the security tags enters the antennas the alarm goes off alerting staff to an issue…without having to have a person standing there all store hours.

For more info on how to use technology to prevent shoplifting go to Loss Prevention Systems

 

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Does your store show signs of internal theft? – Atlanta Georgia

November 12, 2010 by

Internal theft is a nuisance. It is never ending, it is omnipresent.  Loss prevention consultants agree on one thing and that is employees steal merchandise from their employer’s everyday of every month of every year. It is nonstop.

Take a look around or listen to what your employees are saying. They can tell you what is going and in most instances wanna do the right thing and report their co-workers activities. Put your pride away for a week. Talk with your employees openly and directly about theft.  If the need be, consider hiring a loss prevention investigator . A loss prevention investigator can do a thorough review of your store and conduct the necessary investigation to prove theft. Internal theft is not going to simply disappear, it’s gonna take some work.

Consider this; recently I took part in a loss prevention related webinar. Statistics for internal theft were released. In the US alone, this specialist estimates 43.7% or $17.2 billion of losses in these businesses were directly related to employee theft, (Source: The Global Retail Theft Barometer 2010). These numbers are amazing when you really think about it. What does this really mean? It means employees are taking your business to the cleaners and your business is not immune to internal theft.

The solution to this problem: I recommended hiring loss prevention consultants to do a complete survey of your store(s). Loss prevention consultants can make the recommendations to boost your profits and protect them in the future. Loss prevention consultants can and should in most cases recommend a loss prevention agent . Have a loss prevention agent work your stores can help impact the morale aspect of your stores.

When you have a shoplifting problem and management is doing nothing about it because they can’t or won’t, your business will suffer with poor employee performance. Their morale can really be negatively affected by shoplifters.

For more information about loss prevention agent or loss prevention consultants contact us at loss prevention investigator or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

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How Did a Criminal Background Check Miss That?

November 12, 2010 by

How Did a Criminal Background Check Miss That?

A colleague recently called and said that he had received a telephone call from an anonymous source telling him that one of his recently hired employees was a convicted felon and had served at least ten years in prison for robbery.  The caller offered no further information, but was adamant that the information was correct.

In my colleague’s business, all new hires are subjected to a criminal background check that consists of a “standard” 7-year county criminal search, and the check had turned up nothing.  He wanted to know if this was possible.

It sure is possible, and there a number of reasons how this could occur.  The first clue is that the informant said the employee had spent ten years in prison, so that if the check only goes back seven years, then the conviction wouldn’t be found.  Next, the employee might have been incarcerated in a totally different jurisdiction or state.  An address history or social trace would have revealed addresses used by the employee, and additional jurisdictions could have been searched.

Yet another possibility was that the employee had been convicted and sentenced in federal court and served the sentence in a federal penitentiary.

Another red flag might have been raised by an employment verification.  If a person is serving time, it is difficult to legitimately name former employers, so that verifying previous employment is definitely a means to uncover false claims and to cause further investigation.

When most people think of those who are tried for violating federal crimes they picture hardened felons serving long sentences.  There are plenty of lesser crimes that fall into this category, and result in fines or probation only.  I once saw a background check on an individual who had been cited for littering in a national park and was fined in federal court.

As it turns out, my colleague’s employee had recently been released from prison in an adjoining state, where he had indeed served ten years after being convicted of several violent offenses.

The original criminal background check did in fact “miss” the conviction because its scope had been too narrow.

Be sure your pre employment screening program fits the needs of your business.

To build a pre employment screening program, call 770-426-0547 or follow this link.

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Fight a winning battle against Retail Loss – Atlanta Georgia

November 11, 2010 by Leave a Comment

A business is not a business without retail shrinkage .  In today’s society business owners have to have their heads up out of the sand and face this unfortunate reality.

However, retail loss is not something that a business owner just has to accept.  There are solutions to this retail problem.

According to an Ernst and Young Study of Retail Loss Prevention, retail shrinkage costs retailers more than $46 billion every year. The majority of that loss is attributed to employee theft.  While shoplifters are more frequent in a business setting, the dollar amount per instance of theft is much higher for employees of a business.  Employees can steal more before being caught, because they are trusted.

Retail loss affects everyone.  Consumers have to pay higher prices to counteract the impact of retail shrinkage on a business.  If this type of shrinkage could be eliminated, businesses would be able to price their merchandise much lower.

Solutions to retail shrinkage can be found in loss prevention experts that know how to go into a business and analyze it’s every day business practices.

Loss prevention associates can identify shrinkage and develop plans to combat retail loss . Recoup your lost profit through a reliable loss prevention program, developed for your business to reduce retail shrinkage .

For more information on retail loss contact us at:  retail shrinkage or call 1.770.426.256. – Atlanta Georgia

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Loss Prevention Security and Your Business – Atlanta Georgia

November 11, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Loss prevention security should be a priority to any business owner operating in today’s marketplace. Let’s face it: it ain’t all good. From 1948 until 2010 the United States unemployment rate averaged around 5.7%. That rate was last reported at 9.6% for the month of September. As it has always been, an increase in unemployment leads to an increase in overall crime and sooner or later that crime is going to come knocking at your door. What are you going to do about it?

My suggestion would be to develop a comprehensive loss prevention security plan and stick to it. No matter how big or small your business is you need some sort of a strategy for keeping your merchandise safe and out of the hands of shoplifters and not-so-honest associates. Whether you require a full blown DVR system and a 6-man loss prevention security staff or a simple static camera over the cash register, you need to be accurate in your risk assessment and employ the proper amount of security for your individual business needs.

Confused? Not sure exactly which is the best route for you and your company? The good news is that there is a plethora of information available to you if you’re willing to do the due diligence and research your options. On the other hand, my dad always said “Boy, if you don’t know, just ask somebody!” and there are a number of companies in business that are staffed with Loss Prevention professionals who can outfit your company with the proper equipment and knowledge to fit your needs… just ask. Loss prevention security a vital and necessary part of doing business today. Don’t wait until it’s too late.

For more information about retail loss prevention or security and loss prevention contact us: loss prevention security or call 1.770.426.0547

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Invest in increased profit with Clothing Security

November 11, 2010 by

When a developer is creating a concept for a clothing business, there are many different aspects that he or she must consider.  One important concept in the planning of a clothing store is whether or not to have clothing security tags as a part of your loss prevention initiatives.

Security tags on clothes are used to help prevent loss by theft.  Retail loss, or shrinkage, has to be considered when developing a business plan, and clothing security tags are a smart choice to help reduce your losses.

Some shoplifters do not even care what type of merchandise they steal, as long as they feel they are able to steal it without being caught.  Many steal for resale, and many steal just for the thrill.  Others still will actually steal merchandise that they intend on keeping to use for themselves.

With today’s challenging economy, businesses are not the only ones suffering – your customers may be cash-strapped as well.  A customer that may not have shoplifted during better economic times may now justify the act to save money but still acquire the goods that he or she wants.

So if theft is increasing and profits are decreasing, is there anything a business can do?  Yes!  If you sell clothing, use a clothing alarm.

Boosting profits is more important than ever before, because survivability of businesses is becoming more difficult.  An investment in clothing security is an investment in increased profits and reduced loss.

For more information on clothing security or clothing security tags or clothing alarm at clothing security tags or call 1.770.426.256.

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Who Commits Employee Theft? – Atlanta Georgia

November 10, 2010 by Leave a Comment

At this point we all know that employee theft goes on in every organization. However, the million dollar question still remains: who will it be? I was told once of an old accepted truth within loss prevention circles. It’s called the 10-10-80 rule. What this rule basically states is that 10% of people will never steal, no matter the circumstances. 10% of people will steal given their first opportunity and continue to do so at every chance they get. 80% of people can go either way depending on how they rationalize the opportunity and access the risk involved. It is our job to sway the thinking of that 80% to believing that it’s just not worth it.

Statistics show that younger employees tend to steal far more often than older ones. Before you go putting the kibosh on your hiring of the under 30 crowd, statistics also show that when older employees do steal they tend to steal a lot more than their younger counterparts. Managers who have been employed for over 3 years are the usual culprits when it comes to employee theft . They’ve been around long enough to know the system inside and out, including any loopholes that might exist. Often they may be disgruntled or consider themselves underpaid, under-appreciated or both.

Most employee theft comes to the attention of the employer by another employee or strictly by some sort of accident. On average it can take up to 18 months for an employer to catch an employee that has been stealing. Imagine how much damage one person can do in that amount of time. A smaller business is less likely to be able to absorb that type of loss when it happens. There are a number of cases where the theft of one individual has driven a small business into bankruptcy. The fact is that anyone can commit employee theft , so you must be vigilant in your efforts to identify them.

For more information about employee theft investigation or corporate fraud investigation contact us at employee theft or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

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Recovering that which was stolen – the role of a Loss Prevention Agent – Atlanta Georgia

November 10, 2010 by

A loss prevention agent is an “undercover” shopper that is actually an employee of your business.  This person dresses and acts as a shopper, but is out on your sales floor watching for potential shoplifters.

A business must have a policy in place if they are going to employ a loss prevention agent .  There must be guidelines to be followed so that the detection and apprehension of shoplifters occurs in a consistent and legal manner. loss prevention consultants can help your business develop this type of policy.

An agent must be trained on the policy once it is created by loss prevention consultants   This policy must be strictly adhered to and enforced by management and the agent, and those choosing not to adhere to the loss prevention policy must be held accountable for their actions.  Falsely accusing a customer is not only bad for business, but can have many legal ramifications should the falsely accused choose to sue.

There are basic guidelines that are part of every good policy regarding apprehension of shoplifters.  A loss prevention agent must witness the selection of merchandise that is later taken, and the agent must witness the concealment of the merchandise itself.  The agent must then have continuous observation of the shoplifter, to know that the merchandise was neither discarded nor purchased.  Lastly, the actual approach and detention of the shoplifter needs to take place past the last point of sale (past all the registers) as the shoplifter is leaving the business – preferably just outside of the doors.

Loss prevention consultants are experts in the business of apprehending shoplifters – bring them into your business to help you and your loss prevention agent recover what merchandise is walking out your doors.

For more information about loss prevention agent contact us at loss prevention consultants or call 1.770.426.256. Atlanta Georgia

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Small Businesses and Background Checks

November 10, 2010 by

Small Businesses and Background Checks

Most people assume that large companies who are hiring new employees conduct background checks as part of their pre employment screening policy.

For those who know or suspect that something in their background may cause disqualification for a position might aim their efforts at employment at a smaller business, one that would be less likely to run any kind of background checks on candidates or new hires, since they probably don’t have their own dedicated human resources department.

Small businesses have typically been reluctant to run background checks, depending instead on interviews, gut instinct, and local reputation of the applicant.

Today’s workforce is far more fluid and mobile that in the past.  Potential employees are far more likely to commute longer distances and even to change residences to obtain employment that they may have turned down a couple of years ago.  And as employment became harder to get, applicants became more willing to exaggerate, cover up, or even lie to enhance their chances at employment.

There is no 100% certain way to eliminate a bad hire or potential problem employee, but the advent of fast, affordable, background checks has given small businesses a reliable tool in their ability to avoid problems in the future.  A background check is far cheaper than replacing a bad hire, even on the first day of employment.

If there are questions about setting up an employee background check program for your small or medium business, please call 770-426-0547, or click here to contact a representative.

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Protecting your profits with Clothing Security

November 9, 2010 by

Clothing security is an important part of the softlines business. If merchandise is not present and in your store for sale, you lose that sale.

So what can you do? Use clothing security tags. A specialty sporting goods retailer I worked for a few years ago had a problem with high ticket clothing items being stolen. Typically, the shoplifter would simply take the clothing into a fitting room, put on the merchandise and walk out of the store…almost effortless.

A simple solution to this problem would have been adding clothing security tags . These tags are a great deterrent to the average shoplifter and offer a sense of protection to management.

This sporting goods retailer quickly realized the issue and added security tags on clothes in particular departments and sections of their stores. Almost immediately, the stores saw a decrease in the amount of loss.

Clothing security tags take only seconds to put on, but are near impossible to remove without the appropriate removal tool. security tags on clothes have become more discreet and less damaging to the material when used right.

In addition to security tags on clothes , some softline retailers turn to a clothing alarm . A clothing alarm adds an audible siren or chirp to alert store associates of a potential theft. At the very least, it will attract the attention of stores associates and deter the shoplifter. Imagine being a shoplifter, looking for privacy you take the merchandise into the fitting room. You attempt to remove the clothing alarm and…that’s right, party over.

As a loss prevention agent, I remember walking the salesfloor of a softlines retailer who used the clothing alarm program. As I walked, I could hear the loud chirps coming from various parts of the store. I always got a giggle when I imagined the look on the shoplifters face as the clothing alarm activated. Clothing security at it’s best!

For more information on clothing security or clothing security tags visit us at security tags on clothes or call 1.770.426.0547

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