Change Your Plans to Prevent Shoplifting Loss

I work for a small retail pharmacy and we inventory our locations on a yearly basis.  After our results come back we look at our biggest categories for losses and we make a plan for what we are going to do to combat the problem areas in the coming year.  In order to Prevent Shoplifting Loss in those top three to five categories, we have to decide what items are the biggest targets for external theft, either from impulse thieves or professional boosters.  

Allergy remedies and cosmetics are generally guaranteed to be one of the worst offenders for our stores.  Facial care is usually high on the list too, with all those name brand wrinkle creams, and then there is oral hygiene, with all those expensive teeth whitening kits.  We even have lists in every store that have the required items to tag with Checkpoint Labels or some variation of Alpha Solutions because of the fact that they are targeted in most areas.  Each store has it’s specific demographics and unique location challenges, however, that require the staff to tweak those plans to secure the items that they know are more likely to be stolen.  

In our location, we have had our name brand razor cartridges stolen multiple times.  It reminds me of that commercial that jokes about how hard it is to buy razors in stores these days.  My staff doesn’t use a stun gun on people shopping and lingering in that aisle, but we do pay close attention to them.  Our answer to Prevent Shoplifting Loss in this section was to limit the number of cartridges we put on the shelf, and we also have those that are out there secured in Alpha Keepers.  The customers can still choose which kind they want, and then they can bring that selection to the checkout.

Razors have been in stock for customers to come and buy, and the problem was solved.  So in the spirit of keeping us on our toes, the shoplifters changed their target.  I was walking the sales floor a couple weeks after we implemented that plan and noticed three very empty shelves in the deodorant section.  Now this was a new one for our store.  I checked the camera system, and could not find anything definite.  The only answer was to talk to my staff and put together a new plan on how to Prevent Shoplifting Loss in this new problem section.  Now when these items come in our weekly delivery, we will put Checkpoint Labels on these items.  We have a few different types, but we went with the ones that have our store’s name and location printed on them.  The idea is to make the items less desirable to boosters since they will now have to spend extra time cleaning off the labels.  If there is another successful theft though, at least we have a better chance of the items being returned to us if they are caught.  

Stores that are going to be successful with their methods to Prevent Shoplifting Loss have to be willing to learn and change those plans when it is necessary.  Use the tools that are available to you, like Checkpoint Labels and Alpha Solutions, and you will improve your chances of deterring theft or making stops when  an attempt is detected.

For more information contact us at 1.770.426.0547 or Preventshopliftingloss.net