How To Prevent Shoplifting In Your Store

May 12, 2014 by Leave a Comment

theft (8)A policy in place about shoplifting and the steps needed to take when an incident takes place in your store, should be of the utmost importance for your business.  A loss prevention seminar for you and your management team can benefit the bottom line and the success of your store. Awareness and education about shoplifting in your place of business can keep the management team alert and able to react to an incident with more assertiveness and in a timely manner.

Read more the latest news about shoplifting.

Report of shoplifting leads to drug-related arrest

A report of shoplifting led to the discovery of drug paraphernalia and the arrest of a Georgia man, according to a press release from the Hillsboro Police Department.

On Saturday afternoon, police responded to a call from Lowe’s Loss Prevention that a male shoplifter had been apprehended after having “taken a weed eater from the store,” the press release states.

According to Hillsboro Police Chief Todd Whited, when officers arrived, drug paraphernalia was found on the suspect.

“When they encountered him, he was attempting to hide it,” Whited said.

Duane E. Morris, 62, of Mableton, Georgia was arrested for theft and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to the press release.

Hillsboro Municipal Court records show Morris was arraigned Monday morning on both charges, a first-degree and fourth-degree misdemeanor respectively.

According to records, Morris pleaded guilty to both charges.

For the first charge of theft, Morris was given reporting probation. Morris is prohibited from having contact with Lowe’s, must obtain counseling, and must observe a 9 p.m. through 6 a.m. curfew until that counseling is completed.

Alleged robber holds knife to officer’s neck

Deputies with the Bibb County Sheriff’s office arrested one man for allegedly shoplifting, holding a knife to a loss prevention officer’s neck, and leading police on a car chase down Eisenhower Parkway.

According to a press release, 32 year old Cameron Stanley Dickerson of Gordon and 30 year old Kelli Melissa Nickels of Gray were shoplifting at the Wal-Mart Super Store on Harrison Road Saturday afternoon. They were approached by a Loss Prevention Officer at the store, that’s when police say Dickerson pulled a knife and held it to the Loss Prevention Officer’s neck.

The officer received a minor cut to his neck, while struggling to get away. Bibb deputies chased Dickerson and arrested him on Eisenhower Parkway near Harrison Road.

Kelli Melissa Nickels was charged with Theft by Shoplifting.

Cameron Stanley Dickerson was charged with Armed Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Obstruction and Criminal Trespass.

Former Amity cop convicted of shoplifting

NORRISTOWN — A former Berks County police officer finds himself on the other side of the law now that he is a convicted shoplifter.

Former Amity Township Police Officer Glenn James Oesterling, 36, has been sentenced in Montgomery County Court to two years’ probation after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of retail theft in connection with a June 2013 incident that occurred at the Upland Square Giant store in West Pottsgrove. Judge William R. Carpenter, who accepted a plea agreement in the case, also ordered Oesterling to complete 36 hours of community service.

Specifically, Oesterling admitted that he stole items valued at $296.35 from the store on June 18. Authorities said Oesterling passed the store checkout area without paying for merchandise he placed into blue, reusable shopping bags in the shopping cart he was pushing.

Oesterling did not offer an explanation for his conduct.

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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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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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Out Of Your League

May 6, 2014 by Leave a Comment

theft (2)A Professional Shoplifter is the hardest category of thief to thwart. The professional shoplifter is well equipped and has the ability to create a devastating financial loss in a single incident of theft. After evaluating how the professional works, some solutions will be provided.

The professional shoplifter is one that is seen as looking to steal specifically to make a profit off of their heist. These are the criminals that do this for a living. It is a full time job for them, so don’t even think you can wait them out to make them go away. Professionals are often well connected. They are frequently part of a larger organized crime ring. That means that the person inside your store is simply an employee of a larger organization of criminals.

These thieves can be addicts or homeless people paid to do the dirty work of stealing. It can also be people who have been doing this for years and have no fear of getting caught. Either way, each theft is big, quick, and the merchandise is selected ahead of time since they know how or where they will sell it later.

Professionals typically commit, grab and run. It is a simple but effective scheme. The shoplifter loads up bags or carts of merchandise. They linger by exit doors and wait till the coast is clear. Then they run out the door, into a getaway car that is waiting for them.

Professionals will also use tools like foil lined bags to thwart EAS devices and prevent the alarms from registering. They might use other boosters such as secret linings inside a coat or other clothing to hide large quantities of merchandise.

Beyond the industry standard of EAS tags and labels there are a few other ways to reduce your losses if you have a group of professional thieves targeting you. One way is to determine if there is a pattern to which items you are loosing. If every time you get a shipment of toothpaste in, you loose the entire shelf’s worth, the obvious solution is to limit the quantity of toothpaste you put on the shelf at any time. It sends a message that you are aware of the theft and are working out plans to mitigate them.

The next way to stop professionals is through constant vigilance. Talk to neighboring retailers and local law enforcement to develop a community network. Share ideas and insight to bring an end to the theft. In the mean time find ways to identify your product. You can use EAS labels that have your store’s name and contact information on them. You can even take a marker and write your store number or another indicator next to the bar code. Even something as simple as an “X” will push the thieves down the road to unidentifiable merchandise.

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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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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Shoplifting News

April 25, 2014 by Leave a Comment

theft (12)Shoplifting cases across our nation are ever so present.  Shoplifting cases in New Jersey, Washington, Texas, and Detroit are some of the examples of what the retail industry faces every single day.  Shoplifting rings are as prevalent as the shoplifting individual, and the economic hardship the stores suffer because of it can be devastating for the store and for the economic growth of a community.

Read more news about shoplifting by following the links below.

Shoplifting Suspects Possibly Part of a Ring

Police believe they may have busted up part of a shoplifting ring. Three women were arrested over the weekend, accused of stealing from a Gaithersburg store. Investigators believe at least one of them also hit a Lord & Taylor where a security guard was pepper-sprayed Friday.

Police believe they’ve busted up part of a shoplifting ring in Montgomery County.

Groups of women have been targeting stores in the area and even pepper-sprayed an employee at one last week.

Shoplifters hit two Lord & Taylor stores Friday and a Burlington Coat Factory Saturday, where three were arrested.

“Them stealing from stores brings up our prices, and we have to pay more, so it is a concern of ours,” said Gaithersburg police Officer Dan Lane.

Police arrested Ikia Williams, Shantel Dorsey and a third woman Saturday. At least one of them is suspected in the pepper-spraying of a Lord & Taylor security guard.

Detroit Police Bust Shoplifting Ring Accused Of Stealing $15K Of Stuff Per Day

While you might think you know about shoplifting based on that ill-advised stint in middle school when everyone was doing it, cops in Detroit have fried a much bigger fish than your normal grab-and-go thieves: Investigators say they’ve just busted a shoplifting ring responsible for stealing as much as $15,000 worth of merchandise a day and reselling it on the Internet.

According to the Detroit Free Press, the accused thieves worked out of a 7,600-square-foot warehouse that served as the hub for the multimillion-dollar theft ring. Cops say it’s the largest such operation they’ve seen.

The county sheriff called the operation “amazing in size and scope,” and said it probably has been doing business for years before drug investigators happened upon it last month.

Investigators say the shoplifters were given shopping lists of what to steal, like cold medicine, antacids and other over-the-counter drugs from CVS, Walgreens and others. Theft of those items led investigators to the ring, thinking perhaps it was connected to making methamphetamine.

The “shoppers” would then wear special clothing designed to hide their ill-gotten gains, stuff their pockets full and bring the goods to the warehouse. They were allegedly paid $2,500 in cash per day for their hauls.

Two Deputies Hurt as Shoplifting Suspect Flees

Two alleged shoplifters face charges in connection with a knife attack on a Loss Prevention Employee at Park City Center.  City police responded to a call at about 1:30 pm to Boscov’s Park City store where Loss Prevention employees were holding two shoplifters. Before officers could arrive on the scene one of the male suspect produced knife. He stabbed the employee on the hand and then he and the female fled on foot.

The first officers began to arrive on the scene. After seeing that the employee was being taken care of, they pursued the suspects. The female was apprehended after a short chase. Other officers spotted the male suspect running across a parking lot and back inside Park City. Converging police caught up with the suspect in a common area outside J.C. Penney without further incident.

Witnesses positively identified the suspect who taken to police headquarters in downtown Lancaster. The knife used in the assault was also recovered. Witnesses told police that the suspects had been confronted regarding thefts from multiple retailers in Park City. When the male suspect produced the knife and cut the employee, he then held the knife to the employees throat and threaten to harm again. The male told the female to collect the loot that had been confiscated. The female put the loot into her purse.

Two Loudoun County Sheriff’s deputies were injured when they tried to stop a shoplifter from fleeing the scene on Saturday afternoon.

Police said a suspect was trying to take two televisions from a Costco store in Sterling, Va., when deputies confronted him. The suspect got into his car and closed the door on one deputy’s hand.

A second deputy tried to grab the suspect through the window, but the suspect began driving away.

“This individual drove off and dragged one of our deputies approximately 60 feet,” Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman said.

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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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