“Think globally, act locally” is a saying associated with the Green Movement. It encourages people to be aware of the environmental needs of the whole planet, while taking positive action in their own communities to promote its health. Over the years the idea, and the phrase, has been co-opted to discuss other issues.
One of these other issues is the problem of loss prevention. It’s a national problem that can only be solved on a local level. It’s becoming clearer to law enforcement and loss prevention specialists that while broad, generalized recommendations have validity, they’re only the place to start. True prevention success depends on how they’re applied on a city by city, store by store basis.
Here are some things to think about when assessing the needs of your particular store and its loss prevention requirements.
High-risk goods – What are they? Where are they displayed vs where they should be for tighter security? Who should be responsible for monitoring them and how should they be tracked? What are their margins and what’s the ROI (return on investment) to protect them?
Thief profile – Who’s stealing from you? How much of your problem is internal (employees) vs external (shoplifters)? Does your merchandise attract petty thieves or professional ones, and how should you deal with the different types?
Risk tolerance – How much risk can you tolerate financially, systemically and personally? Where are you comfortable putting your efforts and money (i.e., guards, staff training and hiring practices, technology/equipment, aggressive prosecution)?
Community resources – How involved and interested is your local police department in the problem? What help and resources do they provide? What community resources can you draw on (Chamber of Commerce, merchant organizations, neighborhood block watch, Better Business Bureau)?
Store layout – Do you know your store’s blind spots? How can they be covered? Do goods disappear from one area more than another? When was the last time you really evaluated the lay out for security holes? Do you need someone with fresh eyes to look it over?
There are a lot of good loss prevention ideas and recommendations available. But, they’ll work better if you adapt them to the specific needs of the store, its customer base and merchandise. They’ll also be more effective if you combine them with the community’s resources, where your combined local efforts just might impact the global good.
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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