Is Your Shoplifting Policy Effectual?

May 8, 2014 by Leave a Comment

theft (10)Shoplifting affects everyone. Although it is common sense and the statistics about shoplifting are there to prove the severity of this crime, many retailers still fail to implement rigorous anti shoplifting policies that deterred the shoplifter from entering their store. Last year Wal-Mart implemented the policy that its employees not stop shoplifters if the items are $25 or less. Although Wal-Mart’s founder Sam Walton believed that shoplifting was one of the biggest enemies of the retail industry, the policy may just demoralize Wal-Mart’s workforce.

Read more about this and other news about shoplifting.

Jameis Winston suspended from Florida State baseball team over alleged crab leg theft

When Oklahoma State faces defending champion Florida State in the Cowboys’ season opener in August, will FSU have its starting quarterback?

Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston has been suspended from the Florida State baseball team after being issued a civil citation Tuesday for allegedly shoplifting crab legs from a Publix grocery store. The citation was first reported by Tomahawk Nation.

The two-sport superstar is currently the closer for the Seminoles’ No. 6-ranked baseball team.

“As a result of his citation last night, we are suspending Jameis Winston from the baseball team,” Seminole baseball coach Mike Martin said in a statement issued by the university. “I am confident he will complete his community service obligation and the situation will be resolved soon.”

“I fully support Coach Martin’s decision and will also make sure that Jameis meets all obligations, which I know he will,” Jimbo Fisher said in the statement.

Shoplifting suspect charged with faking receipt

WASHINGTON, Pa. (AP) — A retail theft suspect has been jailed and now faces a new charge after a prosecutor says the Pennsylvania man brought a bogus receipt for the merchandise to his preliminary hearing.

The defense attorney for 34-year-old Adam Arena, of Richeyville, could not immediately be reached Thursday for comment on a new charge of records tampering.

According to the (Washington) Observer-Reporter (http://bit.ly/1hgPBG8 ) Washington County Assistant District Attorney Josh Carroll asked police to arrest Arena after he presented the bogus Wal-Mart receipt Tuesday.

Arena was in court on charges he stole $289 worth of video game and electronics equipment from a store in South Strabane Township on March 19.

Arena presented the receipt — which a store employee said was fake — in attempting to claim he paid for the merchandise.

Shoplifting charges dropped against Muslim woman held in Macy’s detention center for hours

NEW YORK (PIX11) – Juweria Khalid said she was a frequent Macy’s shopper, never missed their popular one day sales and this past October was no different, but little did she know how that day would change her life.

Khalid said after she already purchased a bracelet from the jewelry department, she spotted some earrings she also liked. Since she was already headed to the children’s department to shop for her two-year-old and 10-month-old, Khalid decided to pay for all of her items together on the 7th floor.

With her arms were full of bags from previous purchases, Khalid said she placed the earrings in her purse, fully intending she insists, to pay for her items. That’s when she was stopped by Macy’s loss prevention guards.

“I took out the jewelry and said to them I’m not stealing it. I’m going to buy it on the 7th floor. They never listened to me,” said Khalid.

Khalid was taken to the now infamous detention area of Macy’s, which she described to us as nothing short of a jail with bars. The Muslim woman, who wears a hijab, a Muslim head scarf, was forced to remove it.

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Do You Know The Shoplifter’s Face?

May 6, 2014 by Leave a Comment

theft (9)The National Association for Shoplifting prevention states that there are approximately 27 million shoplifters (or 1 in 11 people) in our nation today. More than 10 million people have been caught shoplifting in the last five years. Who are those people you may ask?  There is truly not one stereotype that fits the shoplifting type.  A police officer today was found guilty for shoplifting while having his three kids with him during the incident.  Other shoplifters include: teens, mothers, sons, daughters, husbands, wives and even a contender for the California state senate are/or have been found guilty of shoplifting merchandise.

Follow the links below for more information about shoplifting.

Woman, teen arrested in shoplifting spree

FORT WALTON BEACH – A 51-year-old woman, and an 18-year-old boy were arrested for a shoplifting spree at a local department store, lawmen say.

The woman, Eva Anna Layton of Fort Walton Beach, and the boy, Grayson Lance Kasper of Niceville, are accused of going into Kohl’s on Beal Parkway and loading up a shopping cart with 15 swimsuits, three wallets, a bracelet, a necklace, two pairs of sunglasses, and a purse. According to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office arrest report, Layton went into the men’s fitting room and came out wearing the purse over her shoulder as if it belonged to her. The purse was allegedly filled with purloined merchandise.

She then went to the service counter where she tried to return two swimsuits and two swimsuit covers she had chosen from the floor.

When she was approached by a deputy, Layton allegedly refused to stop trying to return the items and asked the deputy to finish with her once she’d finished with her return. When the employee took Layton’s purse, Layton reportedly said the purse was hers and demanded the employee leave it alone.

Mary Hayashi’s campaign foe puts shoplifting case front and center

Mary Hayashi brought her campaign for an East Bay/South Bay state Senate seat to bemused sports fans the other night in Oakland, San Francisco and the Peninsula, as well as to her district, when she ran a 30-second TV ad in the middle of the Giants-Padres baseball game.

The upbeat spot, which one Democratic consultant not involved in the race estimated cost north of $50,000, focused on the Castro Valley politician’s support from women, students, minorities and the medical profession.

“Join local teachers, doctors, small business owners and nurses like me,” says a young woman in surgical scrubs. “Vote for Mary Hayashi for state Senate.”

Not surprisingly, the feel-good spot doesn’t mention the elephant in the campaign, which is Hayashi’s 2012 conviction for stealing $2,450 worth of clothes from a Neiman Marcus store in San Francisco.

Not to worry. Democratic Assemblyman Bob Wieckowski of Fremont, who’s running against Hayashi for the seat, has that covered.

In a new website titled, “Mug Shot Mary,” Wieckowski gleefully runs through the entire case, reminding voters that Hayashi was in the Assembly when she was arrested and is slated to remain on probation until 2015.

Just in case anyone thought he was being too subtle, Wieckowski adds that three state senators, including San Francisco’s Leland Yee, have been arrested or convicted of crimes in the past three months, and “now, Mary Hayashi wants to join them in the state Senate.”

Hayashi was arrested on suspicion of felony grand theft, but pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor shoplifting charge. She was fined $180, put on three years’ probation and ordered to stay away from the Union Square store.

Highlands husband, wife accused of shoplifting

AVON PARK — At least for one married couple, the appropriate vow may have been till jail do we part.

The couple was arrested after being accused of attempting to shoplift nearly $1,000 of merchandise from the Wal-Mart in Avon Park.

Jennifer L. Barton, 29, and John Barton, 32, 714 Ruth St., were arrested by the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office and charged with retail theft in coordination with others.

A security guard reported he saw the couple load a shopping cart with electronics items, the report said.

As the couple headed toward the front of the store, John Barton told Jennifer Barton to “go,” and she headed out the store without purchasing the items, the report said.

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A Difficult Subject- Employee Theft

May 6, 2014 by
As a business owner or manager you have probably seen your share of employee theft over the years. It is a difficult problem in many ways. Not only do you suffer the financial losses caused by employee theft, but you can also suffer the emotional loss caused by this employee’s betrayal.
Over time, you might be more desensitized by these emotional losses and can begin to develop a general distrust for most employees. This makes it hard to be a good leader and a good listener. If you are not approachable, your current employees may not feel comfortable coming to you with information about an employee theft situation.
Let’s face it; your employees are probably going to be more aware of this theft before you are.
It might be time to participate in some loss prevention seminars. They will help you come to terms with your store’s past theft issues. They will also be able to help broach the subject with your current employees. Loss prevention workshops are designed to open up the lines of communication.
You might not be jaded from past experiences and still not be viewed as approachable. Sometimes, employees who are privy to theft happening in the store simply do not know what to do with the information. By providing a new outlet for communication, you have a better chance of eliminating or responding quickly to these instances of theft.
For more information on Loss Prevention Seminars, Loss Prevention Training, or Loss Prevention Workshop contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia
Visit the Loss Prevention Systems website for more information on Retail Employee Theft and Retail Shoplifting problems and view the Retail Loss Prevention Seminars, Retail Loss Prevention Training and Retail Loss Prevention Workshop we offer to help with your Employee Theft and Shoplifting problems.

As a business owner or manager you have probably seen your share of employee theft over the years. It is a difficult problem in many ways. Not only do you suffer the financial losses caused by employee theft, but you can also suffer the emotional loss caused by this employee’s betrayal.

Over time, you might be more desensitized by these emotional losses and can begin to develop a general distrust for most employees. This makes it hard to be a good leader and a good listener. If you are not approachable, your current employees may not feel comfortable coming to you with information about an employee theft situation.

Let’s face it; your employees are probably going to be more aware of this theft before you are.

It might be time to participate in some loss prevention seminars. They will help you come to terms with your store’s past theft issues. They will also be able to help broach the subject with your current employees. Loss prevention workshops are designed to open up the lines of communication.

You might not be jaded from past experiences and still not be viewed as approachable. Sometimes, employees who are privy to theft happening in the store simply do not know what to do with the information. By providing a new outlet for communication, you have a better chance of eliminating or responding quickly to these instances of theft.

For more information on Loss Prevention Seminars, Loss Prevention Training, or Loss Prevention Workshop contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

Visit the Loss Prevention Systems for more information on Retail Employee Theft and Retail Shoplifting problems and view the Retail Loss Prevention Seminars, Retail Loss Prevention Training and Retail Loss Prevention Workshop we offer to help with your Employee Theft and Shoplifting problems.

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Shoplifters – Understanding Who The Enemy Is

May 6, 2014 by Leave a Comment

theft (12)When I was in the Military I was taught that to prevail on the battlefield I needed to understand who our enemy is. By better understanding them we could more easily defeat them. We could bring the correct amount and type of resources into combat to achieve victory.

I have found that this strategy also applies to business. In this case we have to understand shoplifters, if we are going to defeat them. Retailers tend to lump all thieves into the same group, shoplifters. Or they understand that there are professional shoplifters and all others. There are actually three types of shoplifters: Impulse, Amateur and Professional.

Each of these types of shoplifters steal for different reasons and in different ways. Impulse shoplifters can be stopped with techniques that will not work on the other two groups and so on. There are also commonly used items that a Retailer believes works, but are absolutely worthless on every type of shoplifter. An example of this is a sign that says something like “Shoplifters will be prosecuted”. Shoplifters are not afraid of signs or what they represent. They already know this.

So let’s try to understand the enemy.

IMPULSE SHOPLIFTERS: This is probably the largest group. These are people that will steal only, if we give them the opportunity. While in your store to purchase something they see another item they want but do not feel like paying for and the opportunity presents itself to steal.  They did not enter your store with the intent to steal. They may even then go through the POS and purchase other items they came in for. Most of the time the merchandise they steal from you is for their own use. As an example, I caught a shoplifter stealing a $1.00 fishing lure from a sporting goods department. When I stopped him at the doors, he had gone through the POS and purchased other items and he had over $100 in cash on him. But yet, he stole. I told him that it was good that he had the cash on him as he could use it towards bail.

Most impulse shoplifters can be deterred by simply greeting them when they enter your store and/or regular customer service contact on the sales floor. Studies have shown that if greeted, the impulse shoplifter will most likely not steal during that visit because they have been recognized.

AMATEUR SHOPLIFTERS: This type of shoplifter enters your store with the intent to steal. However, the merchandise is also for their own use or maybe for a friend or relative. It is unlikely they would have any professional shoplifting tools on them. But they may use a baby stroller, bag or backpack in addition to their pockets to conceal the merchandise. Unlike an impulse shoplifter they may be with another person who has knowledge of or is also involved. Amateurs take a higher level of customer service to stop. It may be necessary to overtly let them know that you are on to them.

PROFESSIONAL SHOPLIFTERS: As much as we see about them on TV there are not as many as the other groups. However, a professional can do a large amount of damage quickly. Professionals steal from you for a living. They profit ten cents on the dollar of what they steal and pass off to someone else that sells the merchandise. Professionals can bring shoplifting tools with them that can include booster bags and clothing, jackets that have been modified to hide stolen merchandise, etc. They will also use baby strollers, backpacks and shopping bags from your store or other retailers to conceal merchandise. Pros can be easily stopped with aggressive customer service and the use of a Checkpoint System and Alpha High Theft Solutions products. Because this is what they do for a living, if you can make their life difficult, they will go elsewhere. This is because they have to steal in volume.

The solution to shoplifting is twofold. First, a strong customer service program including follow up attention to each customer. The difficulty with that is we do not have the payroll to keep as many trained staff members on the floor, as we would like just to handle legitimate sales activity, let alone shoplifters. We cannot be everywhere at the same time. So the second half of the solution is a Checkpoint System. Tagged merchandise is protected 24/7. If a shoplifter attempts to conceal and then steal the merchandise, the Checkpoint system goes into alarm, alerting staff. Dozens of different types of Alpha products can be used to protect merchandise that is more difficult to secure.

If you would like more help on stopping shoplifters once and for all call us. 1-770-426-0547

Sell More, Lose Less!

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Don’t Know What You’ve Got Until It’s Gone

May 6, 2014 by Leave a Comment

theft (11)Inventory accuracy is absolutely critical to maximizing sales and customer satisfaction. In the most basic of terms, if you do not have product, you cannot make a sale. If you cannot make a sale, your customer will be dissatisfied and will go somewhere else to make their purchase.

There are two kinds of inventory tracking and processes: Periodic and perpetual inventories.

A periodic inventory is one where a business takes an inventory on an infrequent basis. It might be every six months, or even annually. At that time, all of the current merchandise/ assets are accounted for. Inventory numbers are then based off of the previous inventory.

Thanks to the accessibility of computers and other digital tools, perpetual inventory is more common. It tracks each movement that the inventory takes from receipt of the product, to sales, to returns. This allows for much more immediate reaction to stock levels, customer satisfaction, and theft concerns. Inventory levels can be determined immediately through a spot check called a cycle count.

A cycle count is an informal count of a specific item of merchandise. Say you are gearing up for a sale and want to know if you have enough merchandise to satisfy the demands of the sale. You can look at your perpetual inventory system and see “item X” should have a quantity of 10. You go throughout the store and look to find all 10 pieces of inventory. After looking on the sales floor, stock rooms, and wrap stands you find all 10 pieces and know your inventory on hand is accurate.

If you can only find 5 of the item, you would start by ordering in more of the product to satisfy your upcoming sale. Next you would want to investigate why you are missing 5 of “item X”. Did they break and get thrown into the garbage unaccounted for? Were they stolen? Is this a shipment from a vendor that is in transit? Did the vendor make a paperwork error and over charge you?

By upgrading your inventory systems to a perpetual inventory you can react faster to such shortages and then quickly resolve the losses.  You still want to have a periodic inventory, at a minimum once a year, to ensure your inventory is accurate. Cycle counts are good to spot check items, but simply cannot be done for the thousands of SKUs that most businesses carry on any given day.

Call us today at 1-770-426-0547 if you would like help fixing your loss Prevention problems.

Sell More, Lose Less!

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Shoplifting News

April 29, 2014 by Leave a Comment

theft (11)Some of the news about shoplifting that may give you an insight into the way some shoplifters view the act of stealing merchandise from your stores.  How can you prevent shrinkage at your business? Is the cost associated with a loss prevention system worth it?  Read the articles below to find more about how installing a loss prevention system in your store is the right move to increase your profitability.

Family Dollar rolls out Checkpoint Systems EAS across its chain

Family Dollar is rolling out Checkpoint Systems’ EAS loss prevention technology across its 8,000 stores in the US. It is claimed to be is one of the fastest roll-outs in the industry, with 3,500 installations already completed and 120 more occurring each week.

Both companies have also begun the planning process to implement source tagging as well as a hard tag @source program. By working with Family Dollar’s consumer packaged goods and apparel suppliers, this new program will ensure merchandise arrives at Family Dollar stores EAS tagged and shelf-ready, enhancing their customer’s shopping experience. With both tagging programs, Family Dollar aims to further reduce shrink and increase Team Members productivity by focusing their time on customer-facing activities.

After extensive field-testing, Family Dollar chose Checkpoint’s EVOLVE P10 ECO electronic article surveillance (EAS) solutions because it positively impacted their store profitability by reducing shrink, lowering energy costs and had a significant increase on merchandise availability of key high-velocity items.

Julie Giblin, Family Dollar’s VP of Loss Prevention, said: “This rollout has already positively impacted our profitability. We could not be more pleased with the results and the partnership with Checkpoint, especially with the implementation speed.”

Shoplifting suspect had a cart full of baby formula

ROCHESTER — Police on Thursday arrested a man they say tried to steal more than $1,000 worth of baby formula from Walmart in Rochester.
Dillon Johnson, 19, of 640 Poverty Pond Road, Hill, N.H., is being held in jail after being charged with felony willful concealment, after trying to run out of Walmart Thursday with a shopping cart full of baby formula, said Police Capt. Paul Toussaint.

He said Johnson’s charge is a felony because of the value of merchandise he attempted to steal from the store.

Baby formula, said Toussaint, is a frequent item shoplifters steal. He said that sometimes baby formula is used for cutting drugs. In most of the Rochester incidents, suspects steal baby formula because it’s so expensive, Toussaint said, with thieves reselling the stolen formula at lower prices.

Police got involved in the incident after a member of Walmart’s loss prevention department reported the theft, according to a police affidavit. The sworn affidavit states that Walmart employees tried to stop Johnson as he was running out of the store with the cart full of baby formula. Police reviewed the surveillance tape at the store before arresting Johnson.

‘Bling Ring’ Tumblr Shoplifting Community Gets Rocked By Outsiders

They go by names like Lift Witch, Klepto Princess and Lifting for Survival. They offer up weirdly worded disclaimers about how what they’re doing is “fake” or that their stories are “fiction” or “roleplay.” They repost and celebrate each other’s victories. They are the young women who spend their time on Tumblr talking about things that they’ve stolen.

On Wednesday, Tumblr user We Unhallowed posted a list of the sites she called “Tumblr’s Bling Ring,” throwing a delicate community of shoplifters into disarray. Earlier that day she’d written, “Have stumbled upon a circle of teenage shoplifters on Tumblr. It’s hilarious. They post pictures of everything they steal and call them ‘hauls.'”

Since posting her list, a few Tumblrs on it have been disabled, but not before their comments were endlessly reblogged by fellow members of the community. Like New Lifterr, who wrote, “i just realized that the post called us tumblrs bling ring and i’m even more flattered. i’m famous. for free.”

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Reducing Opportunities For Inventory Loss- Loss Prevention Workshop

April 28, 2014 by
The need for loss prevention in your store or business has one main goal- to prevent opportunities. If you are not completely fluent in how to do this, you might want to explore a loss prevention workshop that can help you expand upon your loss prevention training.
In a nutshell, loss prevention is about reducing the opportunity for merchandise or cash losses in your business. It is about developing standard business practices and procedures that limit the scope by which you might suffer monetary or inventory loss. These losses create a financial burden that it is had to recover from.
Loss prevention seminars will give you some ideas and paths that you can go down to develop and implement these processes. There really is no need to try and reinvent the wheel. There are many practices that have already been developed that have been proven to eliminate or deter both employee theft and shoplifting.
You probably have policies and procedures in place for other functional areas of your store- things like sales, customer service, or human resources. So why would you not have these same policies for loss prevention in place. It is just as easy to give your employees loss prevention training as it is to train them on how to run a register or sell to a customer.
For more information on Loss Prevention Seminars, Loss Prevention Training, or Loss Prevention Workshop contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia
Visit the Loss Prevention Systems website for more information on Retail Employee Theft and Retail Shoplifting problems and view the Retail Loss Prevention Seminars, Retail Loss Prevention Training and Retail Loss Prevention Workshop we offer to help with your Employee Theft and Shoplifting problems.

The need for loss prevention in your store or business has one main goal- to prevent opportunities. If you are not completely fluent in how to do this, you might want to explore a loss prevention workshop that can help you expand upon your loss prevention training.

In a nutshell, loss prevention is about reducing the opportunity for merchandise or cash losses in your business. It is about developing standard business practices and procedures that limit the scope by which you might suffer monetary or inventory loss. These losses create a financial burden that it is had to recover from.

Loss prevention seminars will give you some ideas and paths that you can go down to develop and implement these processes. There really is no need to try and reinvent the wheel. There are many practices that have already been developed that have been proven to eliminate or deter both employee theft and shoplifting.

You probably have policies and procedures in place for other functional areas of your store- things like sales, customer service, or human resources. So why would you not have these same policies for loss prevention in place. It is just as easy to give your employees loss prevention training as it is to train them on how to run a register or sell to a customer.

For more information on Loss Prevention Seminars, Loss Prevention Training, or Loss Prevention Workshop contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

Visit the Loss Prevention Systems for more information on Retail Employee Theft and Retail Shoplifting problems and view the Retail Loss Prevention Seminars, Retail Loss Prevention Training and Retail Loss Prevention Workshop we offer to help with your Employee Theft and Shoplifting problems.

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Do Your Employees Know Your Business Shoplifting Policy?

April 28, 2014 by Leave a Comment

law-3If the management and/or supervisors do not have a clear sense what the shoplifting policy for the store is, the chances are your other employees will not have any idea what to do in a case of a shoplifting  case at the store.  Making your workforce knowledgeable about the company’s policy about shoplifting can in the future prevent situations that can be detrimental for your business and your staff.

Read more about the shoplifting rulings in Arizona, and other measures in other Townships.

An Arlington Kroger Manager Was Fired For Body-Slamming a Shoplifter

Kroger, according to the wisdom of online shoplifting forums, doesn’t have a firm “no-chase” policy, at least not one that’s routinely heeded. Leave the store without paying, and you may well have a store manager on your tail.

Claude Medlock did. The 51-year-old — a seasoned veteran of taking other people’s stuff, with a long rap sheet of robbery and theft convictions — was confronted in the parking lot of an Arlington Kroger by a store manager.

It did not end well for Medlock. The manager slammed the alleged shoplifter into a car, disarmed him of a knife, then body-slammed him on the pavement. All captured on video.

It didn’t end well for the manager, either. Kroger fired him, telling Fox 4 that his actions were “not a reflection of our company’s fraud prevention, protocol, procedures or training.”

Ruling: Right to jury trial in shoplifting cases

PHOENIX — Citing 17th Century English law, the state Court of Appeals concluded Thursday that those charged with shoplifting are entitled to demand a trial by jury.

In a unanimous decision, the judges said the Arizona Constitution makes it clear that if a jury trial was mandated for a crime during territorial days, then that right remains more than a century later. They said the fact that the crime is only a misdemeanor, punishable by six months in jail, does not override that constitutional right.

Thursday’s ruling is most immediately a defeat for the city of Peoria which had argued against having to go through the time and expense of a jury trial for Edward Bosworth. But the decision has implications for other city and county prosecutors who have until now convinced municipal judges and justices of the peace that they alone can decide a shoplifter’s guilt.

Both the state and federal constitutions entitle people charged with crimes to a trial by jury. But courts generally have held that right does not extend to offenses which can result in jail time of less than six months. And that means all misdemeanors.

In Arizona, however, there’s another factor at work. The state constitution, adopted when Arizona became a state, spells out that “the right of trial by jury shall remain inviolate.”

Appellate Judge Lawrence Winthrop, writing Thursday’s ruling, said that means if someone was entitled to a jury trial prior to 1912 for a comparable common law offense, then that right continues to exist.

When shoplifting cases are selling like hotcakes

Deptford Township has the right idea with a new ordinance that fines retail businesses if they call police on shoplifters and fail to follow through.

Police in the township handle about 2,000 shoplifting calls annually, which is understandable for the home of Deptford Mall and a multitude of mega-power centers.

But here’s the rub, and the main rationale for imposing limits: Only about 400, or one fifth, of the five-finger-discount calls result in prosecution in any given year.

Police should not waste time responding to businesses that won’t sign complaints. Worse, say officials, police can wait in court to testify against suspects — but the store owners don’t show up.

When the ordinance takes effect, a store will get only two cases per month that don’t result in prosecution. If there are more such calls, the store will be fined $250 for each one.

Mayor Paul Medany says that “big-box” retailers — those most likely to have sophisticated store security — take the most advantage of the willingness of the police to come running.

“I feel very strongly, personally, that the big-box retailers have to provide security, cameras and loss prevention officers,” Medany said. “You’ve got to protect your store better.”

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Reducing Opportunities for Inventory Loss – Loss Prevention Workshop

April 22, 2014 by Leave a Comment

The need for loss prevention in your store or business has one main goal – to prevent opportunities. If you are not completely adept in how to do this, you might want to explore a loss prevention workshop that can help you expand your loss prevention training.

In a nutshell, loss prevention is about reducing the opportunity for merchandise or cash losses in your business. It is about developing standard business practices and procedures that limit the scope by which you might suffer monetary or inventory loss. These losses create a financial burden that is hard to recover from.

Loss prevention seminars will give you some ideas for processes that you can develop and implement. There really is no need to try and re-invent the wheel. There are many practices that have already been developed that have been proven to eliminate or deter both employee theft and shoplifting.

You probably have policies and procedures in place for other functional areas of your store like sales, customer service, or human resources. So why would you not have these same policies for loss prevention in place. It is just as easy to give your employees loss prevention training as it is to train them on how to run a register or sell to a customer.

For more information on Loss Prevention Seminars, Loss Prevention Training, or Loss Prevention Workshop contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

Visit the Loss Prevention Systems website for more information on Retail Employee Theft and Retail Shoplifting problems and view the Retail Loss Prevention Seminars, Retail Loss Prevention Training and Retail Loss Prevention Workshop we offer to help with your Employee Theft and Shoplifting problems.

 

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Discourage Shoplifters With Good Customer Service!

April 22, 2014 by Leave a Comment

theft (5)When shoplifters steal items from a store, it is not only a loss of the capital used to buy the item but the potential earnings from the sale of said item are lost as well. In addition to the hassle caused, the lost income can force business owners to increase prices all around if the problem becomes rampant; the money needs to be made up somewhere and usually it is passed on to the customers in the end. Luckily, there are easy ways to prevent shoplifting when everyone who works at the store is on the same page.

A shoplifter’s worst nightmare is being recognizable. That is why they usually try to stay under the radar and remain out of the way of store clerks and salespeople. Therefore, one of the best ways to deter potential shoplifters is through stellar customer service; by being visible to all customers, you will give the impression that you know what is going on in your surroundings. By promptly greeting each and every customer that enters your store, you will make it known that you are aware of their presence.

However, it is important not to hover over customers as to make them feel like you are overly suspicious; innocent customers will be annoyed whilst seasoned shoplifters may be provoked to find a way to steal just in spite of you. The best way to go about this is to just be friendly and offer your assistance to everyone; let the customers know you are available and ready to help as soon as you are needed. An added benefit to this method is that real customers will feel even more welcomed in your store and thus are more likely to make a purchase.

Every clerk in the store should prescribe to using great customer service in order for this method to be effective. Seasoned shoplifters often stake out their targets before making a move and so they will wait for a “weak link” among the staff to be working; if everyone delivers the same great service, there will be no weak spot for them to take advantage of.

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