Loss Prevention Training

Organized Retail Crime and the Effects on Small Business

March 30, 2015 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Organized Retail Crime, or ORC is something you have probably heard very little about. ORC is, by definition, the organized and planned stealing of merchandise with the expressed intent to resell in order to make a profit. Plainly, it is a group of shoplifters whose full time job is to steal from you in order to make a profit for themselves. If you think that your small business isn’t a target, or hasn’t been targeted by an ORC group, you are wrong. These are not your average shoplifter stealing for personal use. These are well organized, well trained and equipped individuals who can take a single store for thousands of dollars in mere minutes.

I recently worked an ORC case dealing with the theft of a certain product. Over a two month period of time, I had a group of 5 individuals steal this product, then immediately sell them to a pawn shop. This handful of people were able to cause a $20k loss in a very short amount of time. They had a plan, stuck to a routine and committed the theft with near surgical precision. It was well organized, and it took months to uncover. $20k might not be a big deal for a national retailer, but if this were my own store, it very well may have put me out of business. This is the case for small businesses across the country. These groups often target the smaller stores as they feel they are a softer target.

Smaller stores may not have the security measures larger retailers do. Something as simple as CCTV may not even be installed. The store may not have security devices on commonly shoplifted items. More importantly, those smaller stores most likely do not have a Loss Prevention team, and the owners may be unwillingly to prosecute individuals caught shoplifting. This all makes the small retailer a prime target for ORC.

The first step you should take to prevent your store from being a target is to minimize your exposure to the risk of shoplifting. CCTV systems are not big, bulky and expensive pieces of equipment anymore. You can most definitely find a solution for your store under a few hundred bucks. Next, you should be familiar with product security. While you may not have the capital for the newest trends in EAS, a simple checkpoint system will discourage ORC, especially if you are using tags that have your store’s name, or logo on them.

Organized retail crime has gotten the attention of the law enforcement community. In fact, several states now have ORC laws on the books, which carry heavier penalties for individuals convicted of this type of theft. The only way these individuals can be brought to justice is if they are held accountable for their actions. That starts with you and is why it’s always important to prosecute a shoplifter. That guy you just caught stealing all of your razor blades could be the tipping point for a much larger operation. Just because you have a small store, doesn’t mean you can’t lose big from these groups.

Why You Should Always Prosecute a Thief

March 30, 2015 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Throughout the last few years, I’ve encountered and had the chance to network with several small business owners in my community. Most of these encounters were a part of a retail/law enforcement partnership. It always seems that these smaller stores have the same shoplifting problems as the big box retailers, but with one key difference. Those small stores don’t have the sales figures to cushion them from losses. If I compared my store (a large national retailer) to a smaller store in the same shopping center, and that smaller store has even ¼ the loss I see, that could be devastating to their ongoing success. Part of the problem is that smaller stores are less likely to prosecute a shoplifter, which makes them a very soft target.

The case for prosecuting every shoplifter is strong. You can look at every major retailer across the country and they all have large Loss Prevention departments with the goal of prosecuting everyone that steals from them to the fullest extent of the law. Why do they do this, and better yet, why should you? First, it sends a very clear message. You will not tolerate stealing your hard-earned money, and if you come in my store and steal, you will go to jail. Second, it keeps prices low for your customers, and shrink low for you. Finally, if someone steals from you and damages your product, even if you recover it, you’re still at a loss. By prosecuting that shoplifter, you are entitled to recover what has been lost during that particular incident.

It’s important to send a message to shoplifters. Believe me when I tell you that shoplifters share trade secrets. Not only does word travel on the new item to boost, but where the easiest place to steal it is. Shoplifters are like water, they travel the path of least resistance. If they know that the small store up the road won’t call the cops if they are caught, then that’s where they are going. It’s basically a win-win for the thief. They can either come into your store, steal and get away, or they can get caught with no real consequence and be released only to try again. You have to take a stand against their criminal acts and show them that you will not be victimized by their actions. Money:
We all like to boast our low prices. You can’t have a successful business if your prices are significantly higher than your competitors. Well, shoplifting affects your ability to keep prices low. If you are logging loss month, after month, you’re going to have to raise your prices in order to make up for the losses. This may help in the short term, but over time, customers will seek out the best deal for their dollar. Prosecuting a shoplifter keeps that merchandise in your store, it keeps the product available for your customer and it ensures that you stay in the black.

Money: You’re in business to make money. When a shoplifter steals from you, they are taking money out of your pocket, and food off of your family’s table. Let’s imagine a shoplifter steals a pack of steaks from you. Maybe they put the food down their pants, but you catch them at the door and get your steak back. Would you really put that food back out for sale? Probably not. If you didn’t file charges against that shoplifter, he was able to still cause a loss to your store. By prosecuting this individual, you will be able to collect, through the court system, what is rightfully owed to you. You wouldn’t allow someone to come into your home and steal your TV with no consequence, so why let them do it to your business?

Every time I have the chance, I bring up these points to whomever will listen to me. What I see the most is small business owners being afraid to prosecute a thief for various reasons. The most common is the reluctance to go through the judicial process. I know… the wheels of justice turn very slowly these days, but that’s no excuse to let a thief go un-punished. Your business is your life blood, it’s how you feed and provide for your family, so next time you catch that shoplifter stealing your hard earned money, make sure that they are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Filed Under: Featured 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, Loss Prevention Training, Shoplifting Prevention

ShopliftingTricks You Should Be Aware of For Preventing Shrinkage

March 23, 2015 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Haven’t you heard in police shows on TV how you have to think like a criminal to catch a criminal? Well, in shoplifting prevention you have to know the methods these criminals are using to be able to protect your merchandise and your employees. There are shoplifting rings that are professional and make their living stealing. They may target a specific store or chain of stores, but they always have a plan and different people working to steal as much as they can without getting caught. The shoplifting prevention team in your store may not be aware of some of these “methods,” and being aware of them may be the difference between a profitable store or one that is constantly loosing money. For more news about this topic, follow the links below.

Suspects arrested after aluminum foil used in shoplifting

SNOHOMISH — Money-making schemes are a popular topic of conversation among the criminal community. One such scheme ended in three arrests earlier this month in Snohomish. A group of suspects was accused of working in tandem, using aluminum foil to defeat anti-shoplifting devices.

The trick is widely known among heroin addicts who pilfer goods to support their habit, Police Chief John Flood said. He credited the Nov. 2 bust at the Snohomish Station Kohl’s to increased anti-shoplifting patrols and proactive store security.
Snohomish police started seeing thieves trying the foil ruse about a year ago, Flood said. The crooks wrap bits of foil around the security tags.

Dubai shoplifters’ tricks: Cut magnetic tags

Two Egyptians, who allegedly fled with garments they stole from a shop after removing the magnetic tags, returned after 45 minutes to steal more, the Dubai Criminal Court heard.

AM, 27, truck driver and HS, 28, clerk were noticed roaming around in a well-known store by a security staff.

“I noticed two Arabs roaming around in the shop and kept an eye on them. They picked up a pair of shoes and a T-shirt and one of them entered the trial room while the other waited outside. Then the man came out of the room without the shoes and the garment.

“The two then stepped out of the shop and as the security device did not beep, I thought they had left the T-shirt and the shoes in the room,” the security staff told investigators.

However, the two returned to the shop after 45 minutes and picked up a pair of jeans, a wallet and two pair of shoes.

“One of them entered the dressing room and after they stepped out of the shop, the security gate did not beep this time too. I followed them and caught them near their car while calling police. When asked about the stolen items, they replied that they are in the car,” the security man said.

Retail Profiling Lawsuits: Businesses Would Rather Lose Merchandise Than Detain Potential Shoplifters

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) — Retailers lose $45 billion dollars annually to theft, about $10 billion of that to shoplifting.

Yet the last thing stores may want to do is catch a thief.

Chris Mcgoey knows all the tricks. He’s been in the loss prevention business for almost 40 years. On an undercover tour of a big box store he showed us how shoplifters stash things and how to pick out what he calls “likely candidates”, like women with big purses in shopping carts. Or shoppers with baby carriers.

Mcgoey admits it’s profiling. “It’s not based on race, religion, sex, age, any of those, it’s really based on behavior. But he says these days some retailers would rather lose the merchandise than detain anyone. “America is just shaking in their boots, they are scared. If you stop someone and they haven’t stolen anything you are sued.”

Earlier this year Barneys in New York paid half a million dollars to settle accusations it was singling out minority shoppers. The state launched an investigation after 19-year-old Trayon Christian sued the store for detaining him and questioning his ability to pay for an expensive belt.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, Employee Theft, Loss Prevention Training, Prevent Shoplifting, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security and monitoring, security devices

Bartenders Beware- Employee Theft

March 15, 2015 by Staff Editor

If your nightclub or restaurant is experiencing inventory losses with your alcohol, chances are you have a problem with employee theft. There is a multitude of ways that your bartenders can steal from you, but there is also a multitude of ways that you can prevent employee theft behind the bar.

One of the easiest ways is to ensure your bartenders and wait staff all go through some kind of loss prevention training. This can be either in house, or contracted out through a loss prevention workshop. During the training, you and your employees will become more aware of different ways that employees have been caught stealing. This is great way to let employees know not to try it, because it is a known method- and it doesn’t work.

It is also a chance to define exactly what constitutes theft- from the obvious stealing bottles, to free drinks, and even a matter of over pouring their shots of liquor. When your employees have a clear set of expectations, definitions and consequences, they are less likely to take the risk of stealing from you.

This is a prefect time to explain what the consequences will be for any employee caught reducing the company’s profits or inventory- intentionally or otherwise. Some offenses may only require additional training, while others will constitute termination of employment and prosecution.

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.

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

Filed Under: Seminar Tagged With: Employee Theft, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Seminars, Loss Prevention Training, Loss Prevention Workshop, shoplifting

You Can Teach an Old Dog New Tricks…Me

March 2, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

I was recently the Keynote Speaker at a retail conference. The audience was very engaged! As a speaker and trainer I like those situations best.

We had many great questions and comments. But there is one that I continue to think about. Someone mentioned that a way that shoplifters are now discouraging you and your staff from providing customer service is by using a cell phone.

Let’s step back. The first key to preventing shoplifting is the liberal application of customer service. Impulse, armature and professional shoplifters cannot ply their evil trade if your staff is customer servicing them to death.

So now enters the cell phone. If the shoplifter is on a call, real or pretend then we are likely, out of courtesy not to approach them. What a wonderful way to keep us away from them in our own store! This is something I had never considered before. In fact what I have been thinking about is that there are other tools they could use to accomplish the same thing.

Listening to music with a head set on, talking on a two-way radio as if it is work related or how about being busy with electronic tablet or phone with email. Again any situation they can create to keep us at arm’s length.

However, there is a well-established solution to this. All of these techniques fall under the category of distraction or diversion. The solution to this tactic is simply MORE customer service.

Those actions by a “customer” are at a minimum rude. It is also a red flag that you should now pay attention to. Being in your store, taking your time and resources and being on the phone is rude. But we do not want to respond in kind. Instead apply an even more generous application of customer service.

Stay with them, keep your eye on them and make sure they know it. A legitimate customer will feel it and get off the phone, device…. The shoplifter will have a different reaction. They will get frustrated. You are frustrating their efforts to obtain a bit of privacy so they can conceal your merchandise.

Frustrating a shoplifter is our goal. Drive them crazy and send them on their way hopefully never to be seen again, at least by you!

You can reach Bill Bregar at 770-426-7593 x101 or at [email protected]. Bill has over 35 years of experience in the Loss Prevention industry. He has personally investigated over 2300 employees for theft and dealt with shoplifting all the way from his days of apprehending shoplifters as a store detective to the development of policy and procedure for several major retail chains in the role of Director of Loss Prevention.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Training, Loss Prevention Workshop, mobile POS loss prevention, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security, retail security and monitoring, security devices, Shoplifting Prevention

Shoplifting Apprehension that Turn Violent

March 2, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

Over the past two years or so, I’ve managed well over 1,000 shoplifting cases. Just like any other job, it starts to become a routine. You watch for selection, intent, pass the points of sale, exit. Approach, process, and on to the next one. It’s strange that in my line of work the daily routine is based solely on someone committing a crime. Well, what happens when the apprehensions is not so routine? What should you, or your team do if a shoplifter becomes confrontational, or even physically violent?

I’ve seen several instances of shoplifters becoming physically violent in the very recent past. Member of my team, including myself, have been physically assaulted and even pepper sprayed by shoplifting suspects. I’ve even see greater acts of violence at surrounding retailers. Is that really worth a $50 item? Absolutely not. We are seeing very often that drug addicts, who are stealing to support their habit are committing these crimes. Their minds are focused on their addiction and they will do whatever is necessary to avoid capture, even if that means harming you or a member of your team. The best defense is always a good offense, and the first step in remaining safe in this climate is to analyze the risk associated with each and every shoplifting detention.

I train my teams to analyze the inherent risk of a stop on two simple factors. 1) What is the item being stolen? Is it on its own a weapon? 2) The perceived state of mind of the suspect. Does your suspect appear to be under the influence of drugs, or alcohol? If you can answer yes to both, then there’s a higher chance of the risk of violence and it may be a better idea to allow law enforcement to intervene. I stress this every single day with my team. They all know that there is nothing in that entire store that is worth jeopardizing their safety. Sometimes, though, violence may come from the most unsuspecting source, and you should know how to react during these instances.

If you find yourself in a situation when confronted at the time of apprehension with violence, you should immediately terminate the apprehension and allow the suspect to leave… with or, without the merchandise. Never should you put yourself, your team or your customer’s safety in jeopardy over store merchandise. If you’re confronted and need to defend yourself, then do so in as safe a manner as possible. Training your LP staff in a basic self-defense course is a great tool that is being more widely adopted at more retailers.

In addition to those common sense steps, your company should also have clearly written and accessible policies regarding shoplifting apprehensions and the use of force. If you are in charge of these policies, you should set a clear expectation of how store personnel should contact a shoplifter, as well as details regarding the use of force. The last thing you want is for an employee to get severely injured while trying to protect assets come back with a lawsuit claiming they were subjected to an unsafe work environment. Without clear, written policies, that could be a reality.

Criminals will continue to steal, and a percentage will no doubt become violent in some way. In the LP filed, it is an occupational hazard. With the proper training and common sense policies, you can ensure the safety of your teams. Several states are also currently looking into passing new legislation that would enhance the charge for shoplifters who assault an LP agent. Some states also have laws on the books that turn a shoplifting into a strong arm robbery under these circumstances. If these were to become a nationwide standard, we may be able to start reversing this very disturbing trend.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, EAS Devices, Employee Theft, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Seminars, Loss Prevention Training, Loss Prevention Workshop, shoplifting violence, surveillance

Bad Stops are Bad for Business

March 2, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

If you’ve been in the LP profession for any length of time, chances are, you know someone who has had their career ended for making a “bad stop”. If you’ve never heard that term, great news for you. This is the term given when an LP agent makes a shoplifting apprehension outside of set guidelines and detains an individual, who in fact, did not partake in any illegal activities. Sounds like something that should NEVER happen, right? Unfortunately, it does and it can spell big legal trouble for your company. If you detain an individual who has not committed a crime, they have the legal right to file a lawsuit against you, your employee and your company. I’ve personally seen more than I would like in my tenure and they usually end with a large settlement and an employee or two in the unemployment line.

How does this happen? If you have an LP program, or policies relating to shoplifting apprehensions, you may ask how does an agent get to the point where they make such a bad decision. Just with any other job, no one is perfect. As a manager, or business owner, you need to have very strict rules and guidelines that are to be followed in regards to shoplifting apprehensions in order to protect not only the safety of your employees, but the very business you are running. Looking back at the incidents that I’ve personally dealt with, one common theme always stands out. An employee who will try to bend the rules as much as possible. When you develop and maintain adequate policies, you have to enforce them. Letting something slip by won’t do you any good. That employee does not have your company’s best interests in mind, and in your position, you have to make sure that your polices are followed to the letter.

One case that stands out happened a few years ago. One of my top performing agents saw a customer place something in her purse and walk out the store. He didn’t see exactly what the item was, but still made the apprehension. Once in the security office, he realized she had placed a shirt in her purse that she entered the store with. The customer had brought the item to compare colors to a new item she wanted to purchase. Understandably so, the customer was highly upset and sought legal action. After all was settled, my company had to pay a substantial settlement to keep the matter out of court and I had to release one of the best agents that ever had worked for me.

During the termination conversation, I asked him why he made the stop without knowing exactly what was concealed. His response was that he had done it several times in the past, and he was normally right. This was the one time he was wrong, and it cost him and my company in a big way. Due to that incident, we implemented more vigorous training programs and did a better job of documenting training with all LP agents in order to prove, it we needed, that all LP agents were trained according to a set policy and that anything done outside of that was the result of poor performance.

I would encourage anyone with a small business, or managers of small companies to adopt and implement a written policy regarding shoplifting apprehensions. If your store doesn’t have an LP department that has agents in store, your policies should state that only a salaried manager may initiate a shoplifting apprehension and only before going through some type of standardized training. This will protect your store not only from shoplifters, but it will go a very long way in keeping innocent customers from being detained by an ill-trained, or poor performing associate.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, EAS Devices, Employee Theft, Loss Prevention Training, Prevent Shoplifting, retail security, retail security and monitoring, Shoplifting Prevention, surveillance

A Sense Of Pride- Loss Prevention Training

February 5, 2015 by Staff Editor

Anyone who has every had to conduct or host a training class or seminar has had the same fear at some point- Will any of the information set in? Before I gave any of my loss prevention training classes I thought about it. I worried that the employees would be bored, finding the information irrelevant to them, or simply more concerned about what they were going to have for lunch later on that day.

During one particular class, I had a lady who was very upfront that the only reason she was working here was to get the employee discount. Needless to say, I quickly assumed that she would barely pay attention, much less remember anything that I was teaching her.

Months later, she came unexpectedly barging into my office. They very first thing she said was “I remembered what you said in loss prevention training about red flags…” Sure enough, she did remember, and she was right in picking up on some red flags, which ended up stopping a loss of almost $1200 dollars.

To this day, I am not sure about who had a greater sense of pride- her or me. She was so proud of herself for doing something she never dreamed herself capable of. I was proud that I had given her the tools, in such a way that she remembered after all of those months, to be successful.

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

Filed Under: Seminar Tagged With: Employee Theft, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Seminars, Loss Prevention Training, Loss Prevention Workshop, shoplifting

Prevent Shoplifting

January 29, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

Many retail businesses invest heavily in the security of their stores. Security guards afford an undeniable benefit to the protection of the goods in the store, although, they are not the only solution in many instances. Small businesses that cannot afford to hire full time security guards have to rely on video surveillance or other measures for protection against theft. Keeping your business safe from shoplifters or employee theft has become a security problem many retailers seem to have, and no solution has presented itself. For more information about how to keep your business safe and other news follow the links below.

Keep Your Business Safe: The Latest in Retail Theft Prevention

It’s not easy being a shoplifter these days. According to the 26th Annual Retail Theft Survey from Jack L. Hayes International, retailers are catching more thieves and dishonest employees than ever before. As apprehensions and recovered dollars increase the world of retail benefits, what’s contributing to these improvements in the industry? What tools and security measures are helping stores catch crooks faster and more effectively?

To help answer these questions, let’s take a look at some of the advanced security measures in place for retail theft prevention today and what they could mean for the coming year.

Video Security

As anybody in a high-cash-volume environment can testify, it’s hard to have eyes everywhere at once. Enter video security. With a digital video monitoring system, retailers have a way to see what’s happening at all times. If someone tries to swipe a product or if an employee tries to steal from the cash drawer, video surveillance makes it easy to catch the perpetrator and recover lost funds.

“Operation – Bundle Up Washington” Reduces Crime

While many of us were bundling up against winter weather, 20 7-Eleven stores in the Tacoma and Federal Way areas of Washington State were wrapping up a 30-day crime spree – thanks to a tremendous coordinated effort by the 7-Eleven, Inc. Asset Protection team, franchisees, sales associates and local law enforcement agencies.
From Nov. 26 until Christmas Eve, one man committed crimes at 20 7-Eleven stores, as well as at other retail establishments in that area. But on Christmas Eve, his luck ran out. Thanks to consistent communication from 7-Eleven, local law enforcement and our retail partners were on the lookout for the perpetrator. When he struck again, he was immediately identified and taken into custody.

“Franchisees, store managers and sales associates all played crucial roles in this case by quickly reporting incidents to the Asset Protection Hotline,” says Mike Aldridge, 7-Eleven Asset Protection Specialist & Law Enforcement liaison. “The faster an incident is reported, the faster the Asset Protection team can respond and help bring resolution.”
The Dallas headquarters-based 7-Eleven Asset Protection team reviews all robbery incidents reported to the company’s Asset Protection Hotline. The team analyzes surveillance video and images from each incident to help solve the case and prevent future incidents from occurring.

NOMi and March Networks deliver first integrated loss prevention and retail analytics solution

NEW YORK CITY, NY, January 11, 2015 –– NOMi, the dominant in-store marketing and analytics provider, and March Networks, a leading provider of intelligent IP video solutions, today announced their first fully integrated solution for advanced loss prevention and retail analytics. This solution combines high definition (HD) streaming video from NOMi’s recently launched Brickstream 3D LIVE analytics sensor with March Networks’ new Searchlight video-based business intelligence software. It offers a single, easy-to-use platform that loss prevention, operations and marketing groups can use to improve store performance and profitability. March Networks is also the first NOMi alliance member to leverage the new Brickstream 3D LIVE sensor for loss prevention purposes.

Using Searchlight’s browser-based software interface, retailers can access the Brickstream 3D LIVE ONVIF compliant HD video, as well as integrated transaction data from the retailer’s point-of-sale system, to identify instances of potential theft and reduce investigation times from hours to minutes.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, EAS Devices, Employee Theft, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Training, Prevent Shoplifting, retail security and monitoring, Shoplifting Prevention, surveillance

Employee Theft and What’s Ahead For The Retail Industry

January 22, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

Well trained personnel in a retail store can be an asset for your business. Employees that are poorly trained and poorly rewarded are very unlikely to look for the best interest in your store. Employee theft is common, and a poorly rewarded employee with lots of responsibilities is likely to feel taken advantage of and not feel an obligation towards you or the business. Investing in your employees and the security of your store should be a goal for your business this year. Follow the links below for more information about the state of the retail industry and other stories.

The NRF BIG Show: What’s in Store for Retail in 2015?

Over the past several days the retail community has converged on New York City for Retail’s BIG Show 2015. More than 27,000 industry leaders were on hand at the Jacob J. Javits Convention Center to welcome the 2015 retail calendar in grand fashion.

“The retail industry continues to race forward with innovative models, more tightly integrated channels, and fresh ideas to win over consumers,” says Matthew Shay, President and CEO of the National Retail Federation. “But no matter what’s shaking up the industry, one thing doesn’t change: Retail’s Big Show is always a showcase for what’s new, a place to build partnerships and a look into the future of retail.”

The EXPO Hall

Approximately 700 solution providers and other vendors blanketed multiple levels of exhibition resources in the EXPO hall with the latest in new products and programs. There were fascinating demonstrations throughout the hall demonstrating everything from marketing tools and customer service products to analytics solutions, robotics, and an innovations center where many of the latest products were demonstrated.

Police: Serial shoplifter tries to steal thousands in clothes from Kennewick store

A Hermiston woman with a history of shoplifting arrested is suspected of trying to steal thousands of dollars of clothes from Macy’s at Columbia Center mall.

Jessica M. Reddick, 31, tried to leave the store Monday night with $2,000 worth of clothes, police said. She is banned from all Macy’s stores after several incidents where she allegedly stole items from various Tri-City stores.

A security officer stopped Reddick as she tried to leave through the men’s department, police said. She was arrested and booked into the Benton County jail on suspicion of theft and burglary.

Reddick also reportedly had four felony warrants out for her arrest — all related to theft or shoplifting.

Behind your back: How retailers can curb employee theft

Shoplifting is what makes the news but, according to the National Retail Federation, the number one source of retail theft in the United States is committed by a retailer’s own employees.

Respondents in the group’s U.S. Retail Fraud Survey ranked cash theft as the second biggest area of store loss, bookkeeping and other administrative errors third, and shoplifting the fourth. But the first? Employee theft, experienced by 38% of those surveyed.

Theft by retail employees costs companies $14.9 billion annually, more than 46% of losses, according to the ADT/ University of Florida study.

“Employee theft is often a more serious problem than customer theft, especially in retail and food service,” says Forrest Burnson, inventory management researcher at software review company Software Advice.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Security, anti-theft devices, anti-thefts devices, EAS Devices, Employee Theft, Loss Prevention Training, Prevent Shoplifting, prevent shrinkage, retail security and monitoring, security devices