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Preventing Shoplifting This Holiday Season; Inform Your Employees

December 20, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Many stores, public places, and government buildings display firearms law posters on the wall where everyone that enters their place will undoubtedly see it. Some retail stores display their shoplifting policy where customers can see it. But, many of these places though, fail to educate their employees as to their store policy when stopping a shoplifter. Who is responsible of making sure every single employee knows the policy of the store? When is this supposed to happen? At the time of hiring? For many retail stores, preventing shoplifting begins by educating their employees about the policies and procedures they need to follow when stopping a shoplifter.

For more about this and other stories, follow the links below.

Home Depot employees fired after following suspect

PALM COAST, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) – Four former employees at a Home Depot in Florida were fired after they attempted to stop a shoplifter in November.

Jeffrey Miller, 59, George Ippolito, 56, Joe Spector, 29, and Jazmin Kelly, 27, all worked together at a Home Depot in Palm Coast, Florida. On November 19, the 4 employees attempted to track down a customer who appeared to be shoplifting at the store.

However the co-workers did not know that their act to prevent crime went against company policy.

The Home Depot released a statement in regards to the incident: “Pursuing shoplifters in the store or in the parking lot is extremely dangerous and risks the safety of everyone, which is why we only allow trained security personnel to do so. We’ve had instances of serious injury and even fatality in our stores. No amount of merchandise is worth risking the safety of others.”

The employees expressed shock by their termination as Fox 35’s Kelly Joyce reports from Flagler County in the video above.

The suspect has been identified as 22-year-old Brandon Charles Edward Mullins Lowe of Hastings, Florida who allegedly admitted to stealing close to $1,000 worth of tools from the store. Lowe was being held in the Flagler County Jail on grand theft charges.

Police: Shoplifting doubles near holidays

As shoppers hit area stores for the impending holidays, so will shoplifters, say area police.

“It probably doubles during the peak of the holiday shopping season,” said Logan Township Police Chief Tim Mercer, referring to the number of retail theft calls the township’s officers will handle.

Mercer said officers typically get one to two calls each week, and with the increase in retail thefts also comes increases in other crimes related to shopping, such as identity theft, where people are opening up credit cards in other people’s names, and thefts from vehicles.

Most of the incidents of retail theft and other thefts occur at two highly concentrated shopping areas — Logan Town Centre and the Logan Valley Mall, Mercer said.

Stores are reluctant to talk about shoplifting, either out of a fear of calling attention to their stores and becoming targets or because they don’t want to divulge exactly how they deal with retail thefts.

One store manager of a longtime township store, who spoke only if his name of business wasn’t published, said stores take two approaches to dealing with shoplifters — either they try to catch them or they try to prevent them from stealing in the first place.

Five Steps to Recruiting the Right Loss Prevention Professionals

The success of any organization is determined by the talent of its people. In his book Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…and Others Don’t, Jim Collins put it this way: “People are not your most important asset. The right people are.”

Whether it’s a company, a loss prevention and safety department, or a sports team, the more talented people within the organization, the greater chance it has to succeed. Loading any organization with talented loss prevention professionals requires a comprehensive five-step people strategy.

Want an awesome LP career? Download this FREE Special Report, How to Find the Best Loss Prevention Jobs and Build a Successful Loss Prevention Career.

Recruiting. The first component of this strategy is recruiting. It all starts with a sound recruiting strategy to ensure there is a sufficient pool of applicants.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, Background checks, EAS Devices, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, Loss Prevention Training, Loss Prevention Workshop, Prevent Shoplifting, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security, retail security and monitoring, security, security devices, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, surveillance

Partnership With EAS Technology And Policy

December 5, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

If you are reading this, chances are you are experiencing a shoplifting problem. Shoplifting takes a toll, not only on your stress level, but your bottom dollar. When people have a problem, they research a solution. One way to prevent shoplifting is having an electronic article surveillance system installed by a reputable company. Searching for such a company can be daunting. Shoplifting is an issue that needs to be addressed and resolved quickly. Why would you choose Checkpoint equipment from Loss Prevention Systems Inc. (LPSI?)

Checkpoint has been paving the path for EAS systems and building RF technology for over 40 years. All equipment is new and installed by factory trained technicians. Checkpoint and LPSI never sell refurbished equipment. The founder and owner of Loss Prevention Systems Inc., Bill Bregar, has over 30 years of experience in loss prevention. The small retailer may not have the resources for a loss prevention department. Our background and expertise in Loss Prevention sets us apart. Over the decades, Bill has taught and created successful Loss Prevention policies and procedures for the small retailer to send shoplifters elsewhere. Both companies partnership provide a path to decrease shrink and increase profit.

Checkpoint offers several different types of EAS systems for different situations. A favorite antenna system for small to medium retailers is the P10. This system is known as a workhorse. As part of the EVOLVE line, it has people counting capability and remote access. With an internet connection, a trained technician can access the system remotely to perform preventative maintenance and typically resolve potential issues. With its strong frame and Evolve capabilities, it will last a long time and is “future proof”.

What tips and suggestions can the small to medium retailer apply to their business? Compliance and enforcement. Create, implement and abide by policies to keep the business on track. Loss of compliance equals loss of control. Employees need a reliable example and understand what is expected of them. It’s up to you to enforce the process and standards of your business.

Combine your Checkpoint technology, people and process to prevent shoplifting. Having and EAS system is only as good as the people using it. With the right people following the right process, the technology will do its job.

Protect your business with qualified staff, effective procedures and the latest EAS technology. Take control of your success.

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TIPS TO PREVENT A ROBBERY

December 5, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Can you believe we are in December already? This year has flown by and we’re in the home stretch. For many, many small and large businesses alike, this next month is crucial to profitability. Often times, the 4^th quarter can mean you stay open for another year, or it could mean that you didn’t make enough to pay your vendors. If you think that’s not a reality, do you remember a little electronics company by the name of Circuit City? So it becomes even more important to do every single thing you can to retain as much profit as possible. That means having the right product, providing the best service and definitely making sure your money makes it to the bank.

Holiday time brings an increase in sales, which in turns leaves you with a little (or a lot) more cash on hand than you normally would. This is great. We love to see money, right? Well, there can be a downside to all this extra green hanging around; a robbery. No one likes to think this can happen, or will happen to their store, but the reality is that it can. Criminals know this time of year means more cash in stores and it’s no secret that robberies tend to happen more frequently during the last few weeks of the year.

Last year, one of my stores were targeted very early in the morning. Thankfully, we were not open for business yet and none of my team members were hurt, but it exposed some holes in what we believed was a fool-proof procedure to deter these acts.

The first lesson is being vigilant. A good manager will always drive the perimeter of building when they first arrive. You should look for any signs of breach, or anyone who doesn’t belong in the area. If something stands out, don’t hesitate to call the local police. Better to be nothing than to walk into a robbery. Also, safety is in numbers. Managers should wait until all morning team members arrive before entering the store. This way, the store can remain locked and a manager isn’t opening the door several times throughout the morning.

Prepare for the worst. You don’t want it to happen to you, but it can. Train you managers, as well as your store team on what they should do in case of a robbery. You don’t want any heroes and you don’t want anyone to get hurt. You should constantly stress the importance of complying with the robber’s demands and getting them out of the store as quickly as possible. The very last thing you want is to have a hostage situation because the police responded while the robber was still inside. Remember, do what they say, give them what they want and get them out.

In my many years in LP, I have never seen a robbery happen in the middle of the day. Each one that took place in one of my stores happened either early morning, or late at night. At closing, a manager should head to the front of the store about 15-20 minutes prior to closing. Take a look at the parking lot. Are there any suspicious vehicles, or people hanging around? Once the last customer has exited, and it’s closing time, quickly lock your doors.

Try to avoid having team members leave the store at different times. If possible, schedule every to leave at the same time each night. That way, everyone can leave at once. You want to avoid opening/closing the door as much as possible. Robbers will stake out your store for days, or even weeks before hitting their target. If they know you open the door several times after close, you could set yourself up for a robbery attempt. By leaving all at once, in a group, you make the robbery less appealing to the criminal.

There’s no secret formula or magic wand that can be waved to completely prevent a robbery. You have to assume that at any time, it can happen to you. The best thing you can do is to work robbery prevention into your daily routine and most importantly be prepared for it. The last thing you want is to have your team faced with this reality and not know what to do. A simple conversation about expectations can very well be the difference between life and death.

TIPS TO SPOT A POSSIBLE DISHONEST EMPLOYEE

December 5, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

It’s official folks. It’s December and the year is almost over. It also means that you’ve probably hired some additional help around the store. Whether they be temporary, part-time or full-time employees, they all have one thing in common; they have the potential to steal from you. I hate to sound so cynical, but I’m a realist. With December historically being the biggest month for internal theft, I’d thought I’d share some of my tips on how to spot a potential dishonest employee.

Are they in their assigned department?

Just recently, I worked an employee theft case that I caught on to after seeing this warehouse worker spend a little too much time in the clothing department. Turns out, he was layering clothing in the fitting room stalls when no one was around. While a good manager will always encourage cross-training and the learning of other areas of the store, an employee that is always somewhere they shouldn’t be may be a red flag that their intentions are less than honest.

Break the rules much?

Do you find yourself always telling this one employee to tuck their shirt in, or put away their cell phone? Do you find that you have to keep “reminding” them of the store policies that they continue to break? While there is much to be said about the work ethic of some of today’s youth, sometimes this could be an indicator of a potential thief. I think back to every internal case I’ve ever worked and they all have the same thing in common. During the interview, when I ask do they know why they are talking to LP, most of them start rattling off the copious amounts of policies they’ve violated. People who can’t follow company rules can easily slip into theft without so much a thought. Always address store policy violations and weed out those who can’t seem to follow the rules.

Let’s talk work ethic

Now this one can really go two ways. First, the obvious; if you have a lazy employee, you have someone with the potential to steal from you. If they aren’t happy about their job, if they resent you or the management team, or they are simply not satisfied with life, it will show in their job performance. Poor performers almost always lead to internal theft. They couldn’t care less about anything, so why would they care if they steal a few hundred bucks worth of goodies, right?

Without sounding like I’m talking out of both sides of my mouth, I’ve also found that there are some occasions where a star employee is also doing a fantastic job of stealing from you. Everyone has that one employee that will give their heart and soul to the store. They stay late, come in early, work their off days, volunteer for projects, run the bake sale, clean the toilets and mow the lawn… granted, this is how some people are. I’m one of those people. I have often seen this trait in employees that operated some of the most sophisticated, complex and downright amazing internal theft schemes. I’m not saying that all your bad employees are thieves, and so are all of your good ones, but merely that this trait, along with any other inklings should be looked at.

Who cares when I get to work?

Poor attendance is also a great starting point when looking for dishonest employees. While some people just have a problem with being on time (present company INCLUDED), attendance falls right in line with work ethic and following the rules. Pay attention to those employees who just can’t do what’s expected.

No Money, Mo Problems

You have that one employee. You know the one. Every single store has that one employee. The one that constantly talks about how little money they have, how little hours they get and how they just can’t keep up with their bills. Everyone has financial trouble every now and then, but these employees take it to the extreme. You say, “Good morning, Susie” and Susie responds with, “well it would be good if I had more money…” Every time I have missing money in a store, I immediately have the management team point me in the direction of this employee.

Look, you could have an employee that exhibits all five of these traits and guess what? They may not steal so much as a bag of chips from you. Unfortunately, there is no loss prevention inspired crystal ball that can predict with certainty what employees will steal from you and which ones’ wont. As a manager, it’s up to you to know your employees. It’s up to you to spot those inconsistencies and raise those red flags yourself. It’s your merchandise and ultimately your profits at stake. Don’t let an employee theft ruin your 4^th quarter.

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Protecting Yourself While Holiday Shopping

December 1, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Retailers during this time of year prepare for the holidays by hiring more people to help them in their stores with customers, and with their security as well. This is a very busy time for the loss prevention team of a retail store, shopping mall’s security, and the local police.

Shoplifting occurs inside the stores, but theft also occurs when you leave the security of a shopping mall. Parking lots around shopping malls tend to be illuminated, but is always safe to take precautions when leaving a store at night, or to make sure other customers are leaving before venturing outside by yourself. Be safe and alert this holiday season.

Police: Shoplifting doubles near holidays

As shoppers hit area stores for the impending holidays, so will shoplifters, say area police.

Most of the incidents of retail theft and other thefts occur at two highly concentrated shopping areas — Logan Town Centre and the Logan Valley Mall, Mercer said.

Crimestoppers: Be alert this holiday season

The holidays are upon us, and Christmas shopping often means an increase in crime.

The best way for businesses to prevent shoplifting is better customer service, according to Jackson Hole Crimestoppers.

“The best defense against shoplifting for merchants is to offer attentive service,” the nonprofit organization said in a press release. “Greet all shoppers as they enter the store and show an interest in helping the patrons find what they are looking for.”

The last thing a shoplifter wants is to be noticed, the release said. “Jackson Hole Crimestoppers points out that shoplifting hurts everybody, with increased costs of merchandise often resulting to help cover losses,” it said. “Both shoppers and merchants should remain alert for such thieves.”

Why Did CVS Employees Hide and Call the Cops When These Men Asked for Sliced Cheese?

Let’s kick this off with a Choose Your Own Adventure scenario. You’re a CVS employee who has just been stopped by a customer and asked whether the store carries sliced cheese. Do you A) shake your head no, but direct him to the refrigerated items anyway, B) show him a wide variety of shelf-stable snacks instead, or C) freak out and hide from him in a locked room in the back of the store?

If you selected C, you probably work at the CVS in Richmond, Virginia’s Carytown district. According to Ricky Berry, he and his roommate, Philip Blackwell, went to that particular drugstore on Thursday night to pick up a package of sliced cheese. The two of them asked an employee where to find the cheese and, after telling them that the store didn’t carry it, the evening took a turn toward the WTF.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, Background checks, EAS Devices, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting systems, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Workshop, mobile POS loss prevention, Retail Anti Theft Devices, security devices, shoplifting, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, surveillance

Preventing Shoplifting During The Holidays

November 22, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

shoppers From Miami, Florida to Seattle Washington, police departments across the nation plan to increase police patrols and police officers around shopping malls, downtown, and most frequented shopping areas around their cities to ensure people feel safe when they come out to shop for the holidays. Another reason is also to ensure shoplifters know police officers are present and that their criminal activity will not go unpunished. Shoplifting during the holidays increases, and retailers and police departments try to mitigate it by implementing shoplifting measures that can help them keep shoplifting to a minimum.

For this and other topics, follow the links below.

How does Walmart’s latest anti-theft program work?

Walmart is taking a different approach to shoplifters.

The world’s biggest retailer is using the Restorative Justice Program to help reduce theft and police calls in their stores.

Walmart is often a hotspot for crime, according to an August Bloomberg report.

It’s not only petty crimes that plague Walmart stores all across the country, more than 200 violent crimes- including murders, attempted kidnappings and shootings- have happened in the nation’s 4,500 Walmart stores this year, according to the report.

While the Restorative Justice Program aims to cut down on shoplifting specifically, less petty crime often means less violent crime.

Restorative justice by definition, is a system of criminal justice that focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with victims and the community.

Walmart aims to do just that.

“The program offers first time low risk offenders a second chance in order to make things right by participating in an educational course in lieu of prosecution.” said Delia Garcia, Director of Communications at Walmart.

The program launched in 2014 and is currently in effect in about a third of all Walmart stores, including in the Sacramento market, according to Garcia.

No retailer is immune to shoplifting

If you pay attention to court news, you know there’s a problem with serial shoplifters.

Many individuals are convicted of shoplifting three times or more. Sometimes, they try to steal from the same store.

In Grand Island, the majority of shoplifting violations reported this year have been at department or discount stores. That category is followed by grocery stores/supermarkets and then by convenience stores.

Businesses point out that theft translates into higher costs for customers.

A sign at Super Saver, for instance, says “To keep prices low we have installed an electronic inventory system.”

The number of thefts is probably proportional to the number of shoppers a store attracts, notes Capt. Jim Duering of the Grand Island Police Department. In other words, the greater the foot traffic, the bigger the number of shoplifters.

A Walmart spokeswoman points out that a company with multiple locations in a city will be victimized more than a single entity.

Walmart uses a multi-pronged approach to make sure the store is meeting “our customers and our associates’ expectations for a safe and enjoyable shopping experience,” says Delia Garcia.

Having a safe environment “begins with a very positive relationship with law enforcement,” Garcia said.

Mt. Juliet police increase patrols in shopping areas

Starting this week, Mt. Juliet police will increase patrols in Mt. Juliet’s retail areas for this year’s holiday shopping season.

On Thanksgiving afternoon, Black Friday and throughout the shopping season, more police officers will be concentrated near the primary shopping areas by Interstate-40, according to a release from the Mt. Juliet Police Department.

“The ultimate goal is to deter and prevent criminal activity,” Chief James Hambrick said. “We simply want Mt. Juliet’s shoppers to have a great experience at our area shopping destinations. Residents and visitors will see an increased police presence, and there will also be undercover officers that will not be easily noticed.”

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Preventing Shoplifting This Holiday Season

November 15, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Depending on what financial report you read, the average income for Americans fall between $45K and $54K a year. That’s before federal, state, and local taxes are taken out. Take out your mortgage payment, car payment, car insurance payment, living expenses and other monthly payments that you have, and you are left with a very little amount left over for saving for retirement or saving for your children’s college education. During the holidays, many people around the country are faced with the prospect of having no gifts for christmas, getting a loan to buy gifts, or in some instances shoplifting some gifts for the holidays. For retailers, this is a season where sales are at the highest, but shoplifting is as well. Preventing shoplifting during the holiday season is very important for these retailers, because their profits depend on having the least amount of shoplifting in their stores.

For more bout this and other stories, follow the links below.

How stores plan to fight organized retail crime during the holidays

With Halloween over, retailers are in full-fledged holiday season mode. Which means they’re gearing up for Black Friday, holiday staff schedules, stampedes of customers… and theft. That’s right — the holiday season might bring stores a nice sales bump, but it also brings an increase in shoplifting. And retailers are stepping up efforts to crack down on the crime.

We’re not just talking about customers stealing a pack gum in the checkout line. Loss prevention specialists have their eyes on a much bigger target.

Organized retail crime (ORC) is a strategic and highly sophisticated brand of shoplifting where a network of professional thieves work together to rip off retailers. According to a survey from the National Retail Federation (NRF), organized retail crime is on the rise, with 100% of retailers saying they have been a victim in the past 12 months. Furthermore, 83% said ORC activity had increased in the past year.

“There are existing crime organizations, like drug dealers, and these groups looked at the retail world and saw it was very lucrative to steal heavy volumes of merchandise and then sell it,” said Robert Moraca, vice president of loss prevention at the National Retail Federation. “The access to selling online has made it even easier.”

Along with organized retail crime, standard shoplifting and employee theft costs retailers approximately $42.5 billion in 2015.

Walmart Will Deploy Thousands of ‘Holiday Helpers’ to Shorten Checkout Wait Times

It was shoppers’ #1 request.

The next time you find yourself in a long wait for checkout at Walmart WMT -1.11% , don’t be surprised if a store worker clad in bright yellow and a Santa hat helps you find the shortest line.

Eager to build on recent improvements in its long-weak customer satisfaction scores and win shoppers’ favor during the peak shopping season of the year, Walmart is deploying “Holiday Helpers” to all of its 4,500 or so U.S. stores during the upcoming months. These workers, clad in yellow vests to make them easily identifiable to customers, will be tasked with speeding up checkout time by, among other things, fetching items that shoppers may have forgotten, so they don’t lose their places in line; helping to unload shopping baskets at the registers; and if it’s very busy, opening a cash register.

At the same time, these helpers, regular Walmart workers trained to use cash registers but looking to pick up some extra hours, will be there to add some fun to a retailer often seen as drab. These workers will be wearing festive Santa hats and bright red sashes inscribed with “Holiday Helpers,” and handing out candy canes. The no-frills shopping environment doesn’t cut it anymore, even for a discount retailer, and the helpers’ cheer will be all the more important given the lavish Christmas displays Target has planned.

Turkey and vodka most at-risk as retailers prepare for Christmas shoplifting spree

As Christmas shopping season looms, retailers across Europe are bracing themselves for increases in footfall and subsequent spates of theft. Groceries, including roasting joints and bottles of spirits, are the most at-risk products.

New research sponsored by Checkpoint Systems – provider of merchandise availability solutions to the retail industry – has revealed that retailers will see shoplifting erode their profits over the coming months, as they begin to gear up for a bumper Christmas period.

Apparel, luxury foods and electronic accessories are expected to be among the most stolen items this festive season, with higher quantities of merchandise put out on the shop floor, additional door displays, temporary staff and increased footfall all contributing to the high losses across the country.

The study, underwritten by an independent grant from Checkpoint Systems, was carried out by Ernie Deyle, a retail loss prevention analyst, and provides an analytical view of business risks that major retailers face during this holiday season. The 13 markets covered in the report span North America, Europe and Asia, and include the US, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, UK, Australia, China, Hong Kong and Japan.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, Background checks, EAS Devices, employee background checks, Employee Theft, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, Loss Prevention Training, retail security and monitoring, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, surveillance

Be an Effective Manger This Holiday Season – Prioritize Sleep

November 9, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

The holiday season is officially under way and your stress level is about to go into overload. When we’re overly stressed bad things happen to us mentally, emotionally and physically: headaches, digestive issues, eating too much, concentration problems, decreased impulse control, increased emotional sensitivity, poor planning ability and sleep disturbances.

The goal for a lot of people in retail is to “just get through the holidays” with the least amount of difficulties and stress, which is a reasonable objective. So, what can you do to achieve your objective? The number 1 thing you can do for yourself and your employees (as well as family, customers and friends) is to prioritize sleep.

Getting enough high quality sleep is a crucial biological need. A short term sleep deprivation of just 2 weeks can lead to memory loss, inability to focus and poor decision making skills. A long-term deficiency can cause an increased risk of heart disease, obesity and depression.

There are many things you can do to make a difference in the quality and quality of your sleep. But, one of the biggest is to stop your harmful electronics’ habits — starting now to relieve holiday stress. Poor management of electronic devices is one of the biggest problems people have in falling and staying asleep.

Our bodies produce melatonin at night to help us fall and stay asleep. A cool, quiet and dark room triggers your body to release it. The light and noise from computers, Kindles, TVs, phones and other devices interferes with this process.

The guideline is — don’t use any device 1 hour before bedtime. It gives the melatonin time to work by eliminating all the light, stimulation/aggravation and noise. It’s estimated that people who leave on even 1 device get at least 30 minutes less sleep a night than those who turn them all off. Also, they wake up more often and are more restless.

It’s important to create a good sleep routine and getting control of your unhealthy electronics’ habit is a place to start. In fact, it might be all you need to have increased energy, a better memory, improved physical well being, stronger coping skills and a calmer mood.

After all, your employees won’t care or remember what cookies you baked for the holiday party. But, they will care and remember that you were short of temper and long on criticism because you stayed up too late searching on-line for the perfect recipe.

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.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, Background checks, EAS Devices, employee background checks, Employee Theft, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, racial profiling, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security, retail security and monitoring, security, security devices, shoplifting, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, surveillance

How The Changes To Shoplifting Laws Affect You

November 3, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

We have begun to see a breakdown in the protection we used to be able to depend on. Recent decisions in California and other areas are basically decriminalizing shoplifting.

These changes in the law by out of touch Legislatures are having a devastating impact on retailer’s and society as a whole. Law makers are not addressing the real problems, only the results. People are able to get away with crime and this will have a further reaching impact on future generations and our society as a whole.

But today it is causing shoplifting in those geographical areas to rise substantially, impacting the retailer’s bottom line and the consumer’s pocket book.

What are we to do? We can no longer depend on the criminal laws to protect us. The politicians have lost their nerve, their minds and the understanding on why they were elected. But the real problem is that the brave and highly skilled Law Enforcement Officers that are there to protect us all, are barely able to contain violent crime let alone shoplifting. Budget cuts, Democrats, Republicans…… are all to blame.

But you have solutions. The first is as professionals, we know that we can only depend on ourselves. So let’s solve this like any other business problem we face on a daily basis. The real solution has three elements. The good news is that you do have control of all three.

1. How vulnerable have you made yourself?

Step back and take a hard look. Or better yet ask someone you trust to do that. A friend, another business owner…… they really do not need to have any special skills. You should look at your store from the prospective of the shoplifter. If you were going to steal, how would you do it? Do you have dark areas, high shelving, hidden spots that would make the thief comfortable? Is your store unkempt, dirty and not stocked in an organized way? Shoplifters are attracted to these environments. If you are presenting that look, then the shoplifter probably knows you are not able to keep up or simply do not care. This will also breed more shoplifting as word gets around that YOUR STORE is an easy mark.

2. Equipment

I am not going to hit this one hard. You know that we sell and install the finest Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) equipment made worldwide. Checkpoint Systems must be part of your strategy. That is why you see it in almost every major retailer.

3. Your Staff

Are they asleep at the switch? Do they care? Have you trained them how you want the shoplifting deterrence program in your store to work and what their roll in it is? This is not something you can put off. It’s like saving money in an account. You got to start. If you are one of Loss Prevention Systems Customers already, then you know this. That is why we conduct live, personalized shoplifting prevention and loss prevention training for our customers. We do this as reasonably often as you need it, free of charge.

These three elements put and keep YOU in control. But you have to start now before it gets worse. And if the trend continues, it will.

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TRAIN THE TEMPS

November 3, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

As I sit here on this Halloween night, thinking about how great it was when I was a kid to pillage the neighborhoods for candy and treats, I can’t help but also think about the next 60 days. The real fright comes now for all of us in the retail game. We’ve got so little time to do so very much. We all have new receipts pouring in, plan-o-grams that need setting, bulk stacks that need stacking and bins that need filling; all with the mad hopes of grabbing every possible dollar from now until December 24. A big part of that plan, for most, is hiring temporary help to get us through. Have you ever thought about how these temporary workers can impact your LP goals? With a little training and guidance, they can be one of your greatest holiday assets.

So, what LP practices should you train your temporary workers on? For starters, keep things simple. If you try and overload them with knowledge, you’ll get nowhere fast. I usually run with 5 big topics and expand upon them as needed.

Customer service!

This should be priority number one! Honestly, this should be the priority for all training, regardless of status… Customer service is the absolute, hands down, no way around it, best possible way for you to discourage shoplifting. A thief loves to operate in the shadows. If a pesky employee is always there to lend a hand, well you’ll probably be putting a wrinkle in their plans. Make sure your temp hires understand that the service levels in your store should always surpass any other retailer. A customer should never be ignored, but enthusiastically greeted and assisted as if they were family. You’ll make more money from bigger baskets and the thieves will just hate you for it.

Hot Spots

You know your building better than anyone, so you should know what the thieves love. Is it that rack of personal electronics on the rear aisle? Perhaps those new high end jackets you’ve got this year? Maybe even this month’s new footwear craze. Whatever it is, you undoubtedly know what it is. Well, Mr. Manager, make sure your temps know that information too! Explain what the hottest theft items are and have them be on the lookout for any suspicious activity near those items. Maybe they should call you if they see someone putting all 30 hover boards in a basket… just a thought.

Look for suspicious activity

Easy for you and I; not so much for a high school/college kid’s first temp job in a retail store. Explain what this means to your temp crew. You know what your shopper looks like and how they shop. Train your temps to look for those tell-tale signs of potential funny business. You know, wearing the heavy coat, but it’s 85 and sunny outside (Maybe only in Louisiana’s winters…), clearing pegs, and all those other little bits of information that could help identify a thief.

What to do?!

Well, your temps are paying attention to those hot items, happen to see a customer conceal an item, or they just have suspicions, what do they do now? GO TACKLE THEM! Or not… depending on your insurance, I guess. No, that’s a terrible idea, what they really should do is know how to react to such behavior should they observe it. This falls back to the very first training point above; go give em’ some good ole’ fashioned customer service. Don’t try to “watch” them, be overt with their presence. Your legit customers will love it, and if that person really did have fraudulent intentions, your temp just saved you some shrink dollars. Now, I would throw into this that if they do observe a crime, they need to know to report this to you immediately, preferably while the suspect is still in the store for you (or another manager) to handle.

Safety

Did you really think we were going to talk about LP training and leave out our old friend safety? I never understand seeing debris or trash on the floor in a retail store. All those people working and no one can pick that shirt hangar off the floor? Does it really take an old lady to trip on it before we throw in to the trash? In my experience, GL/Worker’s Comp claims shoot through the roof this time of year. Make sure your temp crew understands your view/mantra/creed/constitution/mandate/stone tablet of what you expect in regard to safety. It’s not OK to climb on a gondola/shelf. It’s not OK to take a joy ride on the lips of the forklift. General frowned upon to ride a pallet-jack like a skateboard and also probably bad for business to leave water spills on the floor until someone decides to mop them up with the back of their shirts. Train them to be focused on unsafe actions/conditions and you may see a reduction in claims this season.

Not much work usually goes into training temporary workers, especially in a retail store. Normally, by the time you start to remember everyone’s name, it’s time to cut them all loose. Do yourself a favor and resist the urge to push people out to the sales floor with an index card’s worth of training. By putting just a little emphasis on LP practices in your temp training, I’ll guarantee that you’ll get a return on that small investment of time.

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