How The Changes To Shoplifting Laws Affect You

November 3, 2016 by 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. pic-1

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?  

pic-2Step 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. Equipmentpic-3

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

pic-4Are 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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HOLIDAY SALES AND EMPLOYEE THEFT TRAILS

November 3, 2016 by Leave a Comment

goodsThis is the best time for retailers. We make a good chunk of our profits during the last 3 months of our fiscal year. Walk into any major retailer right now and you’ll already see a litany of holiday themed gifts, home décor and all things red and green. We also tend to beef up our staff this time of year as well. Some of us hire part-time works, some may even add a full-time position or two and a great many of us will employ temporary workers. The threat of employee theft also peaks around this time as well.

I caught a local news story this evening regarding a local store’s employee theft problem. The owner had discovered that one of his part-time employees had been stealing thousands of dollars from him in the form of bogus cash refunds and missing cash sales. So much money was missing, the store was literally on the verge of shutting down. How scary is that thought? One employee had single-handedly brought this man’s business to the verge of collapse. Why? A gambling addiction. So, what can you do to avoid this happening to you? Let’s take a look at this particular fraud scheme, shall we?

Missing cash sales

A dishonest employee can do this in two ways. First, they could legitimately ring up a customer and pocket the cash. They could also fail to ring it through the point of sale and simply accept the exact change from the customer, which would also allow them to pocket the customer’s money, instead of it going into the drawer. So how do you prevent this? First, make sure to reconcile your daily sales with the cash in the drawer. In essence, your POS should be smart enough to tell you how much cash you SHOULD have in the drawer at the end of the night. You count the cash, and it should match up +/-a dollar or two, at most. My dad runs a restaurant with a 10 years old cash register and it has this ability. The only excuse for not doing this is laziness on the manager part. Never assume anything when it comes to your money!

Now, that dishonest employee can take it a step further and never record the sale in the register, just opting to take “exact change” from your customer. Granted, this is very hard to track. Even working for a multi-billion dollar a year corporation with a large LP department with endless resources at my disposal, I still don’t have a magic button that I can press that shows me this fraud. This is where you have to install cameras at your POS. If you think something is suspicious about your sales, or your employee, those cameras can make your case every single time.

Bogus refunds

If you allow refunds, you can open yourself up to “ghost refunds” by your cashiers. This is where the dishonest cashier can simply conduct “refunds” when no one is around, pocketing the cash. On paper, it looks completely legitimate. You know that every day, you generally process x number of refunds, so if the dishonest employee keeps the number of returns they do in line with what’s average, you’ll never suspect a thing. That is until you start realizing that your profits are a lot lower that what they should be. How do you stop it? If your register allows it, require a manger key/password for any return transaction. That way, you, or another manager, has to be involved at the point of sale for any refund. A dishonest employee will not try this route if they know you will scrutinize every refund by physically having to be present.

If your register isn’t that smart, but still allows a refund to be processed, have a policy that states that the cashier must always call a manger for approval. Even if you can’t physically prevent it with a password/key, if you have any refunds on the POS at the end of the night, you’ll be able to see them. If you have a refund where you weren’t called, you can always question the cashier, or look at the transaction on camera, provided you have some installed (which you should) to ensure it was legitimate.

This is just two of the ways that your employees could possibly steal cash from you; there are dozens. Like most LP practices, just a little due-diligence and some common-sense best practices can help save you money and stress if they are implemented. While this isn’t meant to be a comprehensive list, or training guide, it should give you a baseline of where to start, especially if loss prevention isn’t your strongest suit.

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TRAIN THE TEMPS

November 3, 2016 by Leave a Comment

employeesAs 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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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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IS YOUR BACK DOOR PROTECTED?

November 3, 2016 by Leave a Comment

store-doorEver given any thought to your receiving area and your back door? How often do you open it and walk away? Do you require a manager be present when it’s open, or do you “trust” your warehouse crew with a key? Have you ever considered that an unattended back door could not only cause shrink, but also compromise the safety of your customer and employees? If you answered yes to any of those questions, you may have a problem.

Last year around Thanksgiving, I was scheduled to receive a pallet of television sets for Black Friday.  Three days before the big day and they were nowhere to be found, only my inventory system said they were received on a truck that had already been processed. That pallet was worth $7,500 so I started to panic; checking the few outside containers I had, both warehouses, the sales floor, anywhere I could think of. When I couldn’t locate them, I went to the camera system on the day that I should have received them. Sure as I’m sitting here, I saw my employee roll a pallet of TVs off the truck after watching for a little while. I saw the employee place the pallet where it should have gone, but then a few hours later, I saw another employee wheel them out the back door.

I knew instantly that they had been stolen. There’s no reason for them to go outside, and there was no reason for that particular employee to be in the warehouse. You know what else I saw? That my back door was wide open, and there wasn’t a manager anywhere to be found. Long story short, the employee confessed to stealing/reselling them. When asked how he’d known that he could get away with the crime, he stated that he always saw the back door open. Without a manager present, it became common knowledge amongst a certain group of employees that you could just walk whatever you wanted right out the back door.

Outside of basic employee theft, an unattended back door could also be an invitation to a robbery. Think about this for a minute; you’re a desperate criminal and you’ve decided that you plan to rob Store X. You’ve cased the place for a week now and learned that the safe is in the rear office, in close proximity to the warehouse. You’ve also noticed that the back door is constantly left wide-open with no one (witnesses) around. So would you:  a) walk through the front door and announce a robbery for all the customers, employees cameras to see, or b) park in the rear of the store, enter through the open warehouse door and possibly catch the manager alone in the cash room? I’m no criminal, but I’d probably go with the second option.

Perhaps that is the worst-case scenario. Perhaps instead of robbing you of cash, a thief just sees an easy way to slip out of the store with large quantities of merchandise undetected? If your back door in constantly open with no one around, your regular thieves will absolutely take notice, and take advantage of it. So the next time you see your back door open, be the voice of change and help secure your store, your product and guarantee the safety of people in it. 

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Shoplifting And The Police Force

October 18, 2016 by Leave a Comment

law-3

According to many researchers, gun violence and deaths by  firearms have decreased over the last twenty years.  And even though mass shootings at schools, bars, and places of work have plunged the country, and communities into grief, the truth is gun violence has been declining nationwide . One of the reasons that they attribute the decline of gun violence to, is the ability of the police force to direct their workforce in the right direction.  Using computers and online mediums to share information, they can direct their forces to the neighborhoods where a crime is more likely to occur.  Shoplifting for the police, is not on the same level as other violent crimes, and with the resources they have, they Do need to prioritize.

Read more about this topic by following the links.

Shoplifting deemed to be a lower police priority

“All crime is not equal and does not cause the same harm. I think what the public would like us to do, and that’s my experience, they want us to be focused on the harmful crimes.’

SHOPLIFTING has been deemed a lower priority by Leicestershire Police.

The move has caused outrage among business leaders in Loughborough following concerns that over the last few months 62 crimes were reported in the town centre, mainly shoplifting.

Leicestershire Police have adopted the Cambridge Crime Index, which weighs crime in order of harm to the public. Shoplifting has scored low compared to crimes such as domestic violence and child abuse.

Loughborough Police wants to launch FaceWatch, an online shoplifting system which would save police time attending incidents and encourages businesses to fill out a crime report and CCTV over the internet.

The Echo obtained an exclusive interview with assistant chief constable of Leicestershire Police, Phil Kay, who said: “Policing has got less resources – 400 fewer officers than previously.

The Moral, Societal, and Legal Obligation for Theft Prevention

Retailers should be able to demonstrate preventive controls against theft in the workplace.

As a loss prevention professional, it is likely that you have responsibility for detecting, investigating, and resolving internal-theft cases. Doing so may support your organization’s zero-tolerance policy towardinternal theft. Many top retailers rely on their loss prevention departments to give them a competitive advantage by controlling their operational costs through reducing shrinkage and/or accident claims. Some of these retailers have made loss prevention executives officers of the company.

While most retailers have proactive loss prevention programs, a few view theft as a “cost of business.” These retailers may or may not have resources dedicated to detecting and referringdishonest employees to prosecution. However, it is the absence of a proactive loss prevention program that is the most concerning.

Auburn’s RFID lab holds open house

While many prepared for Saturday’s kickoff of the Auburn vs. LSU football game, others explored a more scientific side of the university at Auburn University’s radio frequency identification laboratory Friday afternoon.

The RFID lab, which relocated to Auburn in 2014 from the University of Arkansas, hosted an open house Friday afternoon, showcasing the work and research done at the lab to members of the community.

Tucked away in the university’s administrative building on Glenn Avenue, the 13,000-square-foot lab houses a mockup apparel retail store, simulated warehouse and distribution center areas and more research space. The lab specializes in the implementation of RFID technology in retailers and suppliers.

Manager Justin Patton led the tour, explaining how RFID technology uses electromagnetic fields to help track tags which can be applied to almost anything. The lab works in partnership with Auburn’s colleges of business, engineering and human sciences, giving students hands-on experience.

 

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What’s Craving Got to Do with Shoplifting?

October 14, 2016 by Leave a Comment

shoppingA good loss prevention plan starts with focusing on the basics.  One of the basics is to monitor high risk merchandise.  For a variety of reasons some items are stolen more often than others.  It makes sense that they should be given extra attention and protection.

But, simple as the idea sounds, the problem is in details.  Retailers can have difficulty identifying high risk goods and the reasons why they’re being stolen.  Ronald Clarke – a criminologist with Rutgers University – developed the acronym CRAVED to help them identify what kinds of goods are vulnerable to theft and why.

Concealable.  Items that are easily hidden (pockets, bags, purses, coats) are susceptible to theft, especially if they’re difficult to identify after concealment.  Once it’s in a purse, you’d better be very sure you can prove the customer didn’t come in with that lip gloss.  This is why cigarettes and baby formula are sold as they are now.  They used to be out in the open, easy to remove and conceal.

Removable.  For most shoplifters the item must be easy to remove and portable.  There’s a reason laptops are stolen more often than PCs.  It’s easier to take a T-shirt from the front of the store, rather than the back where the sales people always stand and talk.

Available.  These are goods that are easy to find and commonly available.  Christmas ornaments are stolen during the holidays more than any other time, including in stores that carry them year round.

Valuable.  The value of the product can be monetary or status driven.  Real diamond bracelets are kept in locked display cases, while the glass ones are on top.  That is until they are trendy, become a target for theft, and have to be moved behind the counter until the trend stops.

Enjoyable.  Many of the standard, frequently stolen products (i.e. tobacco, liquor, electronics, jewelry, make-up) are linked to personal satisfaction.  They’re usually the ones which are enjoyable to own or consume.  Or used for something that’s considered enjoyable to consume, such as ingredients used to manufacture methamphetamine. 

Disposable.  Getting rid of merchandise, without being caught, used to be a big problem for thieves.  Now with the ease of selling via the Internet professional shoplifters are targeting products which weren’t easy to get rid of in the past – no more selling out of a car trunk.   

Easily disposable isn’t just important for expensive items, disposable razors and batteries are some of the most frequently stolen products.  They can be quickly and easily sold or bartered to neighbors, friends and family.

Some goods will always be a target for theft, while others are just a passing consumer fancy.  Either way it makes employees’ and managers’ jobs easier if they know what to look for and why it’s happening.  People are more willing to commit to and follow loss prevention policies if they understand why they’re needed and what they hope to accomplish.

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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Preventing Shoplifting During The Holiday Season

October 13, 2016 by Leave a Comment

mens

October is almost half gone and before you know it the holidays will be fast approaching.  The beginning of the holiday season for many people starts around thanksgiving, but for the retail industry and the small shop owner the season has already started. Security during this time of year is a challenge for the retail industry to say the least.  Preventing shoplifting requires them to be aware of the new trends in technology and decide what will work for them.  Will they need to hire more loss prevention personnel? Are the new cameras working as expected?  Are the new hires trained and ready for the challenge of stopping a shoplifter?  The challenges facing the retail industry are many, and during this time of year, shoplifting and employee theft are very serious concerns for them.

Video Surveillance Tools: Seeing the Big Picture

Before deciding on a digital video security system, learn how the technologies work.

Video surveillance systems have become a mainstay for many loss prevention programs. As the technology evolves and business needs grow more complex, loss prevention leaders are looking for solutions that are both affordable and capable of meeting the escalating demands of the business.

LP Magazine sat down with Mike Dunn, vice president of business development for BSI, to garner his expertise and insights on building effective video surveillance systems and how to get the most out of existing systems to help maximize retailers’ options and investment.

What are the primary considerations when choosing between an analog versus an Internet protocol (IP) camera system?

Before deciding on a video option, it is advisable to first understand how the technologies work, as the differences in both camera technologies and method of video transmission are critical to developing a well-planned video solution.

Shrinkage causes $123b loss to global retailers

Shrinkage is defined as losses from shoplifting, employee or supplier fraud and administrative errors.

The retail sector in the Middle East should adopt effective strategies and solutions to curtail ‘shrinkage’ to improve profitability as it caused up to $123.39 billion in loss to global retailers in 2014-15, experts say.

Referring to the latest Global Retail Theft Barometer Study conducted by Checkpoint Systems, the industry experts claimed that shrinkage, defined as losses from shoplifting, employee or supplier fraud and administrative errors, accounted for 1.23 per cent of total retail sales in 2014-15 compared to 0.94 per cent in the previous year.

Jayant Ghosh, business development manager, Checkpoint Middle East and Africa; and Ben Chua, Checkpoint product director for Asia Pacific, said shrinkage increased globally as retailers spent less on prevention and there was in increase in the type of products being targeted.

“In the US, we saw that apparel stores suffered the highest rates of shrink [2.28 per cent] followed by pharmacies/drugstores [2.25 per cent] and non-grocery retailers [1.9 per cent],” Chua recently told Khaleej Times on the sidelines of an event in Dubai.

Column: Everett boutique owner shocked by rampant shoplifting

By Kylie Sabra

Guest columnist

I have never shoplifted in my life — not even as a child.

It simply never occurred to me to take something that was not mine.

I am new to retail and I absolutely love my new life. Running ReFresh Boutique allows me to engage my artsy tendencies as well as my planning and logistical skills. I’ve lived a protected life I suppose. My professional career was in corporate marketing and communications where I dealt with a microcosm of humanity. I now find myself exposed to a far wider range of personalities, and most of them I enjoy immensely.

Then, there are the issues.

I remember how heartsick I felt the first time someone stole from me. It was an all-to-common occurrence.

I’ve been able to reduce much of the theft problem by adjusting security cameras and rearranging the store to remove blind spots and closely observing people with large bags, coats, purses and the like.

 

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Is Your Checkpoint System Ready for the Holidays?

October 11, 2016 by Leave a Comment

EASWe are getting ready for an increase in customer traffic. Is your Checkpoint System ready? Are you having false or phantom alarms? Is the system working properly? Have you had your system tuned or a Preventative Maintenance (PM) conducted in the last year or even 5 years?

Here are some things to check:

  • Checkpoint Systems do not generally like to be decorated. Anything with metal, foil, lights, electricity…. WILL cause trouble. Don’t decorate them.
  • Are the shopping carts, hand baskets pushed too close? Make sure they are at least 3 feet away.
  • Have you re-merchandised? Is tagged or labeled product too close?
  • Have you re-fixture in the area near the Checkpoint antennas? If so this could cause trouble. Again, you want to keep metal fixtures at least 3 feet away.
  • Have you added any other equipment in the vicinity of the system? CCTV, coolers, ice machines, vending machines, etc., all can make a huge difference in your system’s performance.
  • DO NOT put the Christmas tree next to the system. The lights and ornaments will cause problems.
  • Are you powering the Checkpoint system using an extension cord? Your Checkpoint Power Supply must be plugged directly into an outlet.

Check for these and other potential issues by simply standing back and looking your system over. Checkpoint Systems are commercial grade and made to last in a retail environment. But like any other systems and hardware, you have in your store, they need some TLC from time to time. Your car’s oil needs to be changed. Would you ignore that? Our systems need PM every once in a while.

If your system has not had a PM or service in some time or possibly never, then it is time. Besides checking the system over thoroughly, we will update the systems firm wear and tune it. You may see a substantial increase in performance.

Get a PM or service call scheduled now, before your attention is taken up with the selling season.

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LP tips for hiring seasonal help

October 11, 2016 by Leave a Comment

shopping2Hiring seasonal help for the holidays is much different from when a company hires to fill a position or two during the “regular” times of the year.  During what I have traditionally called the 4th quarter, seasonal help is being brought on board for the express purpose of having enough staff to meet increased customer traffic.  These employees are hired with the knowledge they will probably lose their jobs at a specific time.  During the rest of the year, an employee is hired with the expectation the position is a permanent job, in the sense it is long-term not necessarily part-time vs. full-time.  This means there are certain considerations that an employer must think about as they hire seasonal employees:

  • Do I have time to complete a background check or drug tests as I do with regular employees?
  • What date am I going to release my employees from service?
  • Do I tell the employee in advance what the termination date will be?

I am going to provide some guidance from a Loss Prevention perspective and hopefully make your decision making a little easier.

     As a Loss Prevention Manager I participated in the seasonal hiring process, both interviewing candidates for the store and conducting mass orientation for new hires. One of the issues I saw was that when hiring started early enough, background checks could be conducted.  This required the Human Resource Manager to begin the seasonal hiring ramp up in August, to prepare for a start date in mid-September to early October.  When the process was started too late, people were sporadically interviewed and hired in twos and threes.  I do not believe there was proper pre-employment screening done at those times.  This meant we brought in people who we really did not know. Yes, a criminal can slip through the cracks during regular hiring, however I saw many more thieves hired during the last quarter of the year.  I believe this was due, in part, to a less thorough screening process because the store needed “people”.   Drug tests were always conducted and we did not hire anyone who failed.  Do not compromise on this, even during the 4th quarter. 

     Should you set a release date for seasonal help in advance and should you tell your seasonal help what the exact dates of employment will be or should you leave it ambiguous?  There are two schools of thought on this.  One argument is that in fairness to the employee they should be told the starting and ending dates.  It allows them time to prepare to look for work as they near the end of the seasonal appointment.  The other argument and the one I prefer is to leave it a little vague, using an end date like “mid-January”.  This serves two purposes.  If you set a specific date of release, you are more or less obligated to end the employment then.  The issue is that if you lose too many employees before the end of the 4th quarter and you need time to recover the store and prepare for the coming year, will you have enough staff to do so?  Second, if your employee is a thief, and they know the exact end date they may use this as the day they are going to do the most damage and then be gone.  When there is not a clear cut deadline, you can release them in that date range and avoid the chance the employee will make that final “hit”.  I am not dogmatic on either philosophy, there are reasonable perspectives on both I just prefer to improve the odds for the employer.

     One other thing I used to see during the hiring of seasonal help was the use of the quasi-promise, “If you do a good job, we may keep you on at the end of the season.”  I saw many people hang onto this statement and become very discouraged when they were released.  You may very well make offers of continued employment to workers after the holidays and that is fine.  I believe in rewarding hard work.  You may even make it clear to a group of new hires that you tend to keep some people after the 4th quarter is over, but don’t offer it as a dangling carrot. 

     In closing, prepare early for the holidays.  Give yourself time to conduct pre-employment screenings, hire the right people and get them trained in time for your peak season.  They will better serve your customers and you will have more time to determine who the cream of the crop is that you would like to keep on your team.  You will also reduce the chance of hiring someone who will steal from your business.

     

     

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Scary Shoplifting Stories

October 11, 2016 by Leave a Comment

streetGhosts, goblins, zombies, it’s that time of the year again to dust off the spooky movies and scary tales meant to put a chill up your spine.  Hollywood always seems to have a batch of new releases ready about now to evoke nightmares and make us wake up in a cold sweat.  We are sure that we see a poltergeist lurking in the corner of the bedroom or in the closet after we watch one of these films.  Yes, I admit I am a big coward and have to put my hands over my face and peek out through my fingers to watch Freddy slash his next victim or Jason terrorize a group of kids at a camp in the middle of the woods.  But there are real scary stories of my own to share that don’t have anything to do with ghouls. Mine are real-life scary stories of shoplifters I have dealt with during my years in retail Loss Prevention.

     Scary movies always seem to be set in spooky locations.  I found myself in a different type of spooky setting while chasing a shoplifter.  The criminal had stolen some clothing, I believe they were expensive shirts and when I attempted to stop him, he ran.  At that time the store I worked for allowed us to pursue shoplifters.  I chased the suspect inside an old abandoned building about a mile from the store.  I did not go far before I stopped and realized this was no place for me to be alone.  The building was formerly an apartment building that had been torn apart on the inside and was turned into a crack house.   Old mattresses, clothing, and junk filled the areas that I could see.  Although I could hear the police car sirens of the officers responding to assist me in my pursuit, I decided that this was one shoplifter I was not going to continue chasing.  It may not have been Amityville Horror but it wasn’t a place I was going to stay and I quickly got out of there.

 As a Loss Prevention Officer, I had a woman I watched shoplifting multiple pieces of clothing.  This shoplifter was pulling off tags, hiding empty hangers after taking the clothes off and then stuffing her purse with the merchandise.  When I attempted to stop her, the subject ran from me.  I called on my radio to our store operator and requested police assistance.  As I chased the suspect we got across the road to a wooded area.  She stopped, turned around and put her hand in her purse and threatened me, telling me to leave her alone.  I told her to remove her hand from the purse but she refused, implying there could be a weapon but never brandishing one.  I did use some discretion and did not move any closer.  As we stood talking (yelling was more like it), local police officers arrived, drew their weapons and demanded she remove her hand and comply.  She did eventually remove her hand and was arrested.  I later learned my suspect had prior arrests for shoplifting but the one arrest on her record that concerned me was the “Involuntary Manslaughter” conviction.  The thought of an Involuntary Manslaughter conviction put a chill down my spine!

   One of my scariest encounters was with a shoplifter who was stealing purses in my store.  I thought the suspect had stolen one earlier in the day, and so when “she” returned later that evening and was wearing the same coat, I recognized her and began observing her.  She had her own purse she was carrying, so when she stole one of ours, she put it under her long trench coat.  I stopped her and brought her back to the store, keeping a grip on the suspect’s coat.  As we got near the security office, the suspect attempted to pull away, slipping out of the coat.  I held onto her purse and coat and retrieved our merchandise as the suspect fought to get away. Leaving the items in the store, I chased the suspect.  I lost her at the nearby convention center in a crowd of people.  When I returned to the store and searched the suspect’s purse I found a prison I.D. card and a butcher’s knife.  The suspect was a male, dressed as a female and was out on parole.  Fortunately this did not turn into a different slasher tale.

     Tricks and Treats are great for Halloween, but not for Loss Prevention personnel.  Remember that the person you think you are dealing with may be someone else in disguise.  Be careful out there!

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