Loss Prevention Strategies

Preventing shoplifting can be a daunting experience for any retail shop. What can you do to deterred people from causing losses to the bottom line of your business? Although the holidays are over, the New Year can present you with new ways to improve security and how to avoid shoplifters from entering your business. Read the articles below for more information about this topic.

4 Ways to Maximize Your Loss Prevention Strategies

Most merchants take basic precautions to reduce theft in their stores: they train employees and install surveillance systems. But even with these steps, the National Retail Federation survey found that 96 percent of retailers have been a victim of organized retail crime.

That said, there’s always more you can and should do to make your store less attractive to thieves. Our experts suggest four, all maximizing the loss prevention technology and techniques you’re likely already using.

1. Have video surveillance footage you can use. Many merchants review video footage after a break-in or employee theft only to find that the camera has been turned off or the equipment is not in working order. “Put the main recording device in a locked cabinet and make sure all cords going to the recorder are secure as well,” says Steve White, corporate vice president, business development at Vector Security. He also suggests you change all default passwords for the video system so that footage cannot be erased.

LP Magazine Special Report: Holiday Robberies 

A recent news story highlighted an alarming number of robberies and burglaries which occurred over the Holiday season, with the report detailing 108 incidents that occurred over a ten day period between December 23rd and January 1st. 93 of the incidents were robberies. Several of the incidents involved the assault of employees, with one incident tragically ending with the shooting death of a convenience store owner in the Detroit area.

What is much more telling, however, is that these numbers only touch the surface. While the holidays are a time of high stress and heightened exposure, robberies can occur at any time, and with astonishing frequency. Let’s take a deeper look:

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Report (UCR), we average better than 971 robbery incidents per day nationwide. These incidents accounted for an estimated $414 million in losses in 2012. 652 victims died during robbery incidents. While not all of these crimes are retail-related incidents, approximately 21 percent occurred in commercial/retail establishments.

Providing a list of the incidents that occurred is valuable, and helps to heighten awareness. It’s important that we remind ourselves of the possibilities, and respectfully address the issue. But rather than simply spewing statistics, our greatest concern is always the safety of those involved in these and similar incidents. Such events should serve as a reminder to all of us in the retail community that appropriate protocols intended to prevent robberies from happening is clearly important. Additionally, providing guidance and direction regarding how employees should handle these incidents must be a priority. Training and awareness are essential to safe outcomes.

Lawsuits against Retailers: The Expert’s Role

Contemporary loss prevention policies and procedures is a direct consequence of the so-called “litigation explosion” that dates back to the early to mid-1980s. Time was when a head-long pursuit through the parking lot and across heavily-trafficked public roadways was a way of life. To many it was exhilarating and the resultant capture of a shoplifter was rewarding.

However, I recall with clarity the case of two teenage brothers who were pursued by supermarket employees for the theft of a couple of candy bars and a 16 oz. can of beer. The two were struck and killed by an auto in the middle lanes of a nearby freeway. The subsequent lawsuit was punishing. It’s fair to identify that very case as the beginning of the end of hot pursuits in the retail industry.

Subsequently, other practices, heretofore invoking mild reprimands, became socially and legally unacceptable and everyday practices, such as wrestling a suspect to the ground and gaining control with an arm-lock, became suspect, again, magnified by lawsuits. Shoplifters died, invariably followed by a lawsuit resulting in the awarding of damages. Awards sent corporate policymakers, guided by their own legal counsel, back to the drawing boards.