loss prevention

Store Safety Impacts Profits: Keep Your Store Safe During The Winter Months

January 2, 2018 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Accidents can be costly to businesses. In fact, according to the OSHA website, “It has been estimated that employers pay almost $1 billion dollars a week for direct workers’ compensation costs alone. Direct costs include workers’ compensation payments, medical expenses and costs for legal services.”

This does not take into consideration expenditures on general liability claims made by customers against businesses for accidents. The impact of a customer claim can be significant as well and according to thehartford.com “The Hartford Reports: More Than 40% Of Small Businesses Will Experience A Claim In The Next 10 Years,” March 30, 2015, the average cost of a customer injury or damage claim is $30,000 while a customer slip and fall incident is $20,000. A struck by object claim not identified as being specific to a customer or employee is listed at an average cost of $10,000. Consider then that the risk of these accidents taking place during the winter months increases significantly. What steps can you take to reduce the possibility you may have to pay out on a claim, especially during the winter months?

Slips and Falls

Slips and falls are not uncommon all year round, however, winter increases the chances of a slip on icy sidewalks and parking lots. Additionally, people will track ice and snow into the building leaving puddles of water that contribute to slip accidents. It is necessary for store employees to be diligent in placing wet floor signs near entrances and drying those areas too. Allowing standing water to remain because “people just keep tracking it in” is not an excuse that will hold water in an accident settlement case (pun intended). It is worth investing in wet area or all weather mats for the front doors to aid in the drying of shoes as customers enter the building. Have umbrella bags available for wet umbrellas. Bure sure to have deicers and anti-icers on hand for unexpected snow and ice storms to help keep sidewalks and curbs safe for patrons and employees. Stores located in traditionally warmer climates must be even more diligent because ice and snow are not as common; finding shovels and proper equipment when that rare snow or ice storm strikes can be a difficult task. Hardware stores run out of necessary items quickly as people without the tools come in at the sudden threat of storms.

Strains and Sprains

You or one of your staff may go outside to shovel snow from your sidewalks. Be careful! Not only is there the danger of being exposed to the cold too long, there is also a chance of a strain injury resulting from the shoveling of snow and ice. In an article in webmd.com titled, “Shoveling Snow Injures Thousands Each Year,” Jan 20, 2011, by Kelli Miller, the author points out that shoveling sends on average 11,000 adults and children to the hospital each year. She continues in her article, “The American Journal of Emergency Medicine details the most common health hazards associated with shoveling snow. Snow shoveling can lead to bad backs, broken bones, head injuries and even deadly heart problems.” Carefully watch those you may send out to shovel and rotate them in and out. Look for signs of excessive stress or pain and if necessary contact a local EMS station.

Parking Lots

Ensure your employees are safe if you send them outside to collect shopping carts or clear snow from parking spaces. Have orange or yellow reflective safety vests on hand and require those working outside to wear them. Moving vehicles in a parking lot may not stop quickly enough on the icy pavement if they don’t see the employee in time. The safety vest provides additional visibility to help alert drivers. While it should go without saying make sure weather appropriate clothing such as jackets, gloves and even scarfs are available for employees to help them avoid frostbite or other cold-weather ailments.

Struck-by’s

Don’t overlook the risk of ice falling from a rooftop. Too much weight from accumulated snow and ice or a slight increase in temperatures may result in ice and snow sliding off an overhang or roof. Be sure to monitor for such hazards and take proactive measures to clear potential problems before they result in an injury.

Accidents can happen anytime but winter offers unique challenges. Be pro-active and make sure you and your managers are doing all you can to make your employees and customers safe when they visit the store to work or shop.

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Now that the holidays are over does that mean theft is too?

January 2, 2018 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Whew! You made it through the holidays and hopefully, you were successful in deterring shoplifters and survived the fraudulent return attempts but does that mean you can rest on your laurels? Unfortunately, the answer is “No”. Criminals do not take a break because you do. As a matter of fact, you could find that this is a prime time for criminal activity to increase. Why would that be? It is during these next few weeks and months that traditionally retail owners and managers begin to tighten up payroll. They release their seasonal employees and reduce the hours budgeted to the various work centers. This leads to several theft concerns:

If given too much advance notice that the end of their employment is imminent there are workers that may get angry and justify stealing because of a perceived injustice. This person may think they worked hard enough to earn a permanent spot on the team or assumed they would be retained based on what they thought they were told when hired. Some managers feel a bit guilty for having to let seasonal employees go and feel an obligation to give a significant amount of advance notice so the person can look for new work. The best way to avoid this situation is to give a seasonal employee a date they will work up to and no later than during the interview process. By doing so the employer can give a reminder a week out that the last day is approaching. This gives the worker time to start looking for other employment and does not give too much lead-up time for them to start stealing if they may be so inclined.
As sales decline after the holiday season, managers and owners have to make budget decisions on payroll expenditures. It is not reasonable to spend the same amount of money on sales floor coverage with reduced customer counts. Where you had three or four cashiers during the last few months to ensure customers were served quickly you may now have only one cashier. The staff members that were getting 32 hours a week may be down to 25 hours a week. If the employee is dependent on that income to make ends meet and their hours are cut they may decide that stealing is a way to make up for what they have lost.
When seasonal employees are released and hours reduced to cut back on payroll expenses, sales floor coverage starts to wane. This means there are fewer people to provide customer service that is one of the critical components in theft deterrence. Shoplifters know when there are fewer employees present and find it easier to avoid those few workers that are on the floor. Remember that one of the three things needed to shoplift is the opportunity and with less chance at discovery, more opportunities to steal present themselves.
There are operational functions that may suffer due to a reduction of payroll hours. Specifically, merchandise protection strategies including electronic article surveillance tagging of merchandise may not be as thorough. As an example, if a freight pusher is responsible for tagging products with retail anti-theft devices but they are struggling just to get freight stocked on the floor in the allotted period tagging could be a secondary issue. The focus may be on filling the floor in order to sell rather than protecting it to prevent theft.

Criminals are not going to take a vacation after the holidays. They will look for stores that lower their defenses and then take advantage of them. Be on guard as you come out of the busy season and things seem to slow down. Be wise in how you reduce seasonal employee staff and do what you can to encourage the people you are keeping. Make plans to identify and address potential problems that may arise from those decisions. Strategic planning and follow-up can minimize the chances thieves will try to target your store.

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-thefts devices, Background checks, employee background checks, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, internal Audit, loss prevention, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Seminars, Loss Prevention Training, Loss Prevention Workshop, mobile POS loss prevention, Periodic inventory, Prevent Shoplifting, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security and monitoring, security devices, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, surveillance

Safety and Security For Your Retail Store

October 31, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

As the biggest shopping season of the year seems inevitable close, retailers across the world prepare themselves to not only have a great holiday season but a profitable one.

Merchandise is not the only aspect retailers need to prepare themselves for this season. Hiring employees and making sure security is in place are as important as the merchandise they plan to sell.

Retail shoplifting cannot be solved by having a simple solution only. Management, owners, and employees play an incredibly important role to combat shoplifting in their stores among security systems and loss prevention personnel.

CCTV systems cannot by themselves offer the solution for the growing shoplifting problems that are pervasive in the retail industry. Customer service, personnel training, or security systems cannot be the answer to this problem either if they are implemented by themselves.

A security system, excellent customer service, and trained personnel in the store can help you combat shoplifting if implemented together to offer a solution to the shoplifting in your store.

Having excellent customer service first and foremost has been found to help deter shoplifting in retail stores as well as any other security measure. Trained personnel at checkouts can stop customers from lingering too long and walking out with merchandise they have not paid because the lines were too long and didn’t want to wait any longer.

Implementing security measures to follow in case of a shoplifting incident can save lives. Is the security personnel team in your store trained and know what to do when approaching a shoplifter? Reviewing security measures with all your employees is paramount, but security personnel need to know what to do and when to do the approaching and apprehension of a shoplifter.

Keeping your employees and customers safe has to be your number one priority regardless of what the shoplifter is pocketing. By following the guidelines of the store, employees and customers alike can feel safe and can count on the store to protect their safety. No amount of merchandise that a shoplifter is pocketing is worth the lives of your customers or employees.

Have a safe and profitable season this year!

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

Fitting Room Theft

October 31, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

You know the drill. At the end of the day, you find your merchandise tags on the floor or hidden in your fitting rooms. Shoplifters bring your merchandise into a fitting room and put it on under their clothes. Sometimes many layers of your apparel are under the clothes they wore in.

One in ten people that walk through your doors is there to steal. It is a fact of retail life. Studies show that a large percentage of these thieves are female and under the age of thirty. This feeds into the fact that the average retailer’s inventory shrink from shoplifting is approximately 35%.

Shoplifters conceal your merchandise in a variety of ways, in a stroller, pockets, a booster bag, booster clothing or like mentioned above, simply wearing your merchandise out of your store under their clothing. All of these methods require one thing, privacy, even if only for a few seconds. What better place to get privacy in a retail store than a fitting room. Shoplifters can take their time. And because some fitting rooms are handicap accessible, it is not a problem to bring that shoplifting vehicle (stroller) right in with them.

What can you do to protect yourself from theft that a fitting room helps to facilitate? Start with fitting room design:

Fitting rooms should not be located in out of the way areas. I prefer high-traffic areas.
Walls should be smooth and continuous with no decorations, picture frames, signs… that a shoplifter can hide or dispose of a price tag.
Mirrors should be permanently attached to the wall and the edges should be caulked to keep the thieves from hiding labels behind them.
Avoid carpeting in the fitting room. Carpet can be pulled up and labels can be hidden there. If you have to use carpet, ensure it is one piece and the edges are securely glued to the flooring.
Doors should not go all the way to the floor. This still provides privacy but does not give the shoplifter a complete feeling of privacy.
Doors should have a lock that is called a “storeroom” style. This means that a key is always required to unlock the door and that cannot be changed by turning the knob on the other side.
Bright lighting helps your legitimate shopper but gives the shoplifter less of a feeling of privacy.
CCTV cameras in plain sight outside of the fitting room doors. The area outside of a fitting room is the perfect place for a public view monitor so customers see that the system is live.
Chimes that alert staff when a fitting room door opens.
Seating such as benches should be fixed or built in. Any seams, cracks should be sealed. The underside of the bench should be a smooth surface that will not facilitate the hiding of tags.
Cove base and shoe mold should be securely mounted, the edges glued and caulked.

Of course, all of this is worthless without proper procedures and a trained staff:

Consider fitting room attendants that count garments in/out.
Key control. Staff must never leave a key in the fitting room door.
For high volume and multiple fitting rooms use a number tag system.
Consider limiting the number of items a customer can take into the fitting room at one time.
Staff should be trained to keep an eye on anyone who they have let into a fitting room. This is not just a theft concern but also customer service. Your staff can keep track of merchandise and help the customer with different sizes.
Do not allow merchandise to build up outside the fitting room. Besides presenting a sloppy appearance, a disorganized area allows shoplifters to more easily conceal merchandise and tags.
Customer service, customer service, customer service…

Make sure that when you do have an incident that you bring it to the attention of all staff members so everyone can learn from it. Even though the key to preventing this kind of theft is customer service, you may still have more than acceptable losses. At that point, it is time for a Checkpoint System. The tags on the merchandise are working 24/7 and will alarm even if the stolen merchandise is under the shoplifters clothing.

Contact us at 770-426-7593 if you have any questions about this topic, would like our help or if you would like a quote on a Checkpoint System.

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Helpers Hired For The Holidays May Take Advantage of You

October 31, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

I wonder if Santa Clause conducts background checks on his newly hired elves? I’ve been contemplating the chaos that would take place in Santa’s workshop if he just hired any old elf to work for him. Does Santa ever get into a time crunch right around June and bring in seasonal hires to help meet timelines to get all of the toys made? Imagine the pilferage that would ensue if Santa’s Helpers haven’t been properly screened for criminal activity before being brought on board. Defective dolls might be delivered to darling little girls who deserve better. No firetrucks for a little fella because a fiendish elf stole it. I have no idea what might happen at the North Pole but what I do know is that retailers DO get in a crunch for adding seasonal staff and that CAN lead to criminal activity and chaos.

There are times when employers hire staff for their busiest times of the year but they rush into it as if they had no idea it was coming. Poor strategic planning can lead to a hurry up and hire mentality. This leads to a myriad of issues:

Managers are no longer as selective as they would be if they were hiring at any other time of the year. Interviews are shortened and unless something glaring stands out on an application it is submitted to Human Resources with a request to hire.
The focus is on getting a candidate into “the system”. They can be included in orientation and trained in time to fill the holes in the schedule. This is prime time when other concerns fall by the wayside.
People are hired who may not truly have the competency to do the job they are hired for. Forget potential theft issues, these workers through no fault of their own may just not be good at their job. A new cashier may not know how to count back change. They may not understand when a short-change artist is trying to con them. They may not get enough training to understand the importance of looking at everything that comes through the lane. Each of these issues causes significant cash and or merchandise shortage to the store.
Pre-employment screening may not be done. Background information that might have uncovered a checkered past is never discovered because there wasn’t enough time to conduct a check and get the training started. Was a convicted felon just hired? Perhaps it was just a simple petty larceny charge on their record. It could be a conviction for assault was not reported on the application and the employer won’t know because there was no pre-employment screening.
Hiring on the fly may result in bringing in someone who has been fired for poor performance or insubordination and that attitude may carry into the new workplace.

The list can go on but the bottom line is that not making staffing plans for the busy season can impact more than you might think.

What is the solution? You have to get the store staffed and you will be competing against every other retailer for limited resources. Plan a stepped process for adding new team members to your store.

First, make a commitment that EVERY new hire will undergo a pre-employment screening NO EXCEPTIONS! Loss Prevention Systems Inc. can conduct thorough background checks that will minimize your chances of bringing in a poor candidate.
Determine how many new employees you need and add at least 5 to 10 to that number to account for attrition.
Establish where you will post your job ads and what date you will begin interviews. Build a realistic timetable that includes the length of interviews, length of time for conducting the background check and length of time to complete hiring paperwork and orientations and training.
Set a Firm “Do Not Hire After This Date” date. Make it firm and don’t allow other managers to make exceptions.
Allow at least one full week from the time the last person is expected to be hired and processed to get properly trained. Failing to do so sets the new employee up for failure.

Start early enough to make your plan achievable. Starting too early and making a hiring offer then making people wait to start working will cause those new workers to quit. They are working for a paycheck. Starting too late and you will struggle to find people let alone people you want to have working for you.

Santa may not have staffing issues, his team works all year long. You have real personnel concerns and have to hire more for the holidays. Plan ahead and make sure you are taking advantage of available workers don’t allow workers to take advantage of you.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-thefts devices, EAS Devices, employee background checks, Georgia shoplifting systems, loss prevention, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Training, mobile POS loss prevention, Perpetual Inventory, prevent shrinkage, preventing shoplifting in your store, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security, retail security and monitoring, security devices, shoplifting, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, surveillance

Preventing Shoplifting In Your Store

October 16, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), there are more than 28 million small businesses in the United States and they account for more than 99% of businesses in the country. Small businesses employ close to 57 million people in the United States alone and are a driving force in the progress of the US economy. The good news for an entrepreneur that wants to start a business is that they are not alone, but if you are a small business in the retail industry, the problems you will encounter do not come as paperwork filings or taxes paid. Shoplifting and employee theft are two of the major causes small retail shops face financial distress during their business enterprise. It is an unfortunate problem, but the problem is there and the small business owner has to find solutions to the specific problems in their store.

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

Retailers ‘tagging’ meat to prevent shoplifting

First it was clothes‚ then electronic goods and baby formula. Now it is meat.

Retailers waging a battle against grocery store shoplifting are adopting unorthodox crime prevention measures by placing electronic security tags on expensive cuts of meat.

The food tags work in the same way as on items such as clothes. Exit the shop without paying for the chunk of steak and an alarm goes off.

Sowetan observed a packer gingerly placing the strange tags on meat this week at one retail chain store west of Johannesburg.

The drastic measure is apparently a direct response to a rise in shoplifting of unconventional goods like meat in tough economic times. In the past‚ tagging was reserved for goods like CDs.

Last week Sowetan reported that a Kliptown policewoman was caught shoplifting meat worth R620 at a Pick n Pay store in Lenasia. She has been released on R500 bail.

Retailers offered top five tips to stop shoplifters

More than 360,000 shoplifting offences were reported in the UK in 2016-17 financial year, according new research.

The data from online marketplace OnBuy.com revealed that the Metropolitan Police had the highest number of shoplifting offences reported in the 12 month period at 47,580 – the equivalent of 130 incidents a day. The Met was closely followed by West Midlands Police, who had 19,741 incidences of shoplifting reported, followed by Greater Manchester Police with 18,002 shoplifting offences.

Meanwhile, City of London Police had the lowest number of shoplifting cases, with only 729 reported – the equivalent of two occurrences every day.

Cas Paton, managing director of OnBuy.com, said: “Shoplifting is more prevalent than we would like to think. Considering the amount of time and energy shops put into running various aspects of their operation daily, shoplifting is really an unfortunate occurrence for them.

Shoplifting: How to prevent ‘blind spots’ in the store layout

Though many types of theft deterrent equipment exist, one of the most effective and affordable approaches is preventing retail shoplifting is by avoiding “blind spots” in the store layout.

In this regard, one of the hardest places for supermarket or mass merchandise cashiers to control and easily view has been under the shopping basket, which is usually blocked by a basketful of other items above it. Failing to ring up items under the basket before customers leave the store can be extremely costly to retailers.

To prevent such losses, one nationally recognized mass-market retailer has already installed over 90,000 bottom-of-the basket (BOB) mirrors in an effort to limit this type of shrinkage in their business. The inventive mirrors are comprised of lightweight acrylic and the mirror mounts opposite the standing cashier to provide a clear, unobstructed view of the bottom of the cart without requiring the cashier to move or stoop, which also expedites checkout.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, Background checks, CCTV cameras, EAS Devices, employee background checks, Employee Theft, Georgia Alarms systems, loss prevention, Loss Prevention Seminars, Loss Prevention Workshop, Periodic inventory, preventing shoplifting in your store, racial profiling, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, surveillance

Who Is Your Shoplifter and What Do They steal?

October 3, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

A Department of Corrections officer was arrested this week at a Walmart for shoplifting. The perpetrator was a former Walmart employee who had left to become a corrections officer. The incident was reported to the authorities, indicating the amount stolen was around $400 dollars during 45 visits at that particular Walmart.

The retail industry loses billions of dollars due to employee theft and shoplifting. It is more difficult when former employees that were in charge of the loss prevention department or have worked there are arrested because of a shoplifting incident they are committing. This month a shoplifter; a corrections officer and former Walmart employee has been charged with 5 counts of shoplifting that happened at the Walmart he used to work for. What is the solution to this problem? How can the retail industry prepare itself for the many shoplifting incidents that occur every day at their stores?

Many industries experts agree that training is the logical solution. Training, constant vigilance, and state of the art technology that can help prevent, deter and even stop shoplifting while is happening.

For more news about shoplifting, follow the links below.

Walmart nabs former employee for shoplifting — in his corrections officer uniform

A onetime Walmart loss prevention officer was arrested Friday for shoplifting from his former employer.

George Smalling, 38, of Pasco, was booked in the Franklin County jail on five counts of shoplifting in what the Pasco Police Department described as an “interesting” case.

According to the police department, Smalling worked at the Pasco Walmart pursuing shoplifters until he left in 2015 to become a corrections officer with the Washington Department of Corrections prison system.

This summer, a current loss prevention officer was investigating a series of shoplifts. In connection with the investigation, the store determined that a particular man came in at least 45 times during that period. The suspect would use the self-checkout lane. He would scan one item but pass others over the reader. He would pay for the scanned item and then leave.

Shoplifter attempts to steal laundry detergent. Does not get away clean.

Police are asking for your help to find a shoplifter. If you have information about this crime, don’t try to take action on your own. Anonymous tips, including photos and videos, can be submitted by texting LEXPD plus the tip to CRIMES (274637). Information can also be sent anonymously through Bluegrass Crime Stoppers at 859-253-2020 or Bluegrasscrimestoppers.com.

Crime of the Week

This week’s Crime of the Week involves a shoplifter who struck the Kroger store on Bryan Station Road.

He tried to leave Walmart with steaks in his pants, police say

A 25-year-old man was arrested Monday in connection with shoplifting after police say he hid steaks in his pants and left without paying at a Myrtle Beach grocery store, according to a police report.

Payton Christian Abbott, 25, was cited in connection with shoplifting, online jail records show.

Myrtle Beach officers were called about 11:30 a.m. to the Walmart Neighborhood Market at 3915 N. Kings Hwy. in regards to an alleged shoplifting incident.

Filed Under: Security News 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, CCTV cameras, EAS Devices, Employee Theft, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, loss prevention, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Seminars, Loss Prevention Training, Loss Prevention Workshop, mobile POS loss prevention, Periodic inventory, Perpetual Inventory, retail security and monitoring, security devices, shoplifting, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting violence, surveillance

The Scary Truth About Not Preparing For Holiday Foot Traffic

September 29, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

I remember it like it was yesterday. It was a Black Friday morning and we had lines of customers jockeying for position at 16 front end cash registers, two pharmacy registers, a jewelry counter register and 2 registers at our electronics counter. Sure, there were a lot of people, hundreds if not a thousand at one time but we were handling it. I had our Loss Prevention team monitoring cameras, checking receipts at the front doors and walking the floor with “Security” jackets on to deter theft and prevent fights. The store management team had good plans in place for replenishing freight on the floor and giving employees breaks. I had worked with the Store Manager to control the flow of customers into our building and all had gone off without a hitch, no pushing, shoving or fights. I even had a number of police officers at our front doors aiding us with crowd control. We had really planned for every contingency, or so we thought. The one thing that we had not planned for happened and it was a major problem, our register system went down! The audible sighs, snide remarks, and expressions of anger and frustration were heard in one collective voice. All of our managers jumped into action trying to reboot registers and get systems back online. Ever so slowly we got things moving again but it was a nightmare and it made us realize the scary truth, we had not really prepared for everything as well as we thought we had. A number of shopping carts had been abandoned with Black Friday specials in them and no salesfloor staff available to re-shelve the merchandise.

Can stores prepare for every contingency? Quite honestly, no but that is not to say there should not be a significant amount of time spent planning for holidays and holiday foot traffic. The hard part is knowing what you should plan for and have a contingency plan if something “breaks” which will most certainly happen. What kind of things can you prepare for?

Are you hoping for increased foot traffic or planning for it? Hoping is wishful thinking something will magically occur. Small and medium-size retailers have to make good things happen. Big Box retailers are planning months in advance for what their “Doorbuster” items will be for Black Friday. They do bulk purchases of merchandise that will be one-time sellers. LCD televisions are one of the big promos I see each year. These are often not top of the line name brands and they are bargain priced to bring in foot traffic. Get people in the door and hit them with other sale items and promotions. The nasty surprise with this type of gimmick? What do you tell your customers when you run out? Were you fair in how you advertised quantities would be limited, no holds would be permitted, first come/first serve and no rain checks or substitutions will be given out? Be clear in your advertising and let customers who are waiting for that item know how many there really are. You may give out a ticket to each person in line who is waiting for that “Doorbuster” so no one else feels “duped”. You can save a lot of headaches for yourself.
Test your equipment. Have a professional come in and test your point of sale registers, your computers, and even your electronic article surveillance pedestals and deactivation pads. Do you normally run two registers during the year? Consider having a third for an increase in customers or as backup if one of your two breaks.
Are you intending to run your holiday season with the same number of employees you have all year? That can be a scary decision. If you are planning out your sales and promotions you will see more customers. Failing to have enough staff means you are not giving the level of customer service you need to and people will be put-off with poor assistance, abandon merchandise and leave the store. Not adding staff also means you will run your full-time crew ragged and they may quit. Holiday seasons can be stressful enough without feeling like you’re stretched too thin by your boss.
Finally, consider promotions for each of the major holidays coming up in the final quarter of the year. Candy giveaways for those who celebrate Halloween, a drawing for a turkey dinner for Thanksgiving, or a raffle promotion to get people into your building for Christmas shopping, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.

Holiday shoppers can make your financial year but you must be prepared. Careful planning will pay off in the end. Don’t be scared to step outside your comfort zone to reach new customers and drive profitable year-end sales.

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, Background checks, CCTV cameras, EAS Devices, employee background checks, Employee Theft, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, internal Audit, loss prevention, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Seminars, Loss Prevention Training, Loss Prevention Workshop, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security and monitoring, security, security devices, shoplifting, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, surveillance

Late Night And Overnight Store Operations Make It Difficult To Prevent Shoplifting And Robbery

September 29, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

I watched a video shared with me by a former Loss Prevention Manager colleague. The video showed three subjects enter a retail store and all appeared to be wearing masks and at least one looked to be carrying a rifle of some type. There were several employees at the front entrance when the subjects walked in and one of the employees seemed to say something to the one who was carrying what I will refer to as a rifle. The video was not the greatest and the camera is pointing into the store from the exterior door so for the most part, the backs of the perpetrators are seen.

The employee who approached the subject standing at the doorway may have said something and in the video, it appears the employee was hit and knocked to the floor. Two of the bad guys raced into the store and shortly afterward ran out and it seems they were carrying bags. I did not inquire as to what was stolen from the store but one person did inquire why this particular retailer was open after midnight (an unusual time of the evening for this company to have the doors to their stores open). It turns out they were open late for a special sale of “Star Wars” toys being released.

The idea of remaining open late into the night has always disturbed me. In my opinion, it invites all sorts of problems. How do you prevent robberies this late at night? How do you prevent shoplifting? What about the protection you should be offering your customers who come to your store so late? All of these are things that retailers should be considering before they make a decision to try to get one more sale or add one more dollar to the register.

One thing that Loss Prevention departments can do little about is stopping a robbery while it is in the act of occurring. They also cannot control who is coming into a store. This brings me back to the point about store leadership that decides to leave a store open late at night. The idea is that sales are going to surge (for that night or event) and the store has to beat the competition. If a store is going to be open late at night, and the owner/manager believes this is the best business decision my first recommendation is that the store is fully staffed. More employees are a deterrent to thieves and robbers not to mention shoplifters than a skeleton crew.

Customer safety has to be considered and so it is the obligation of management to make sure parking lot lights are all on and working properly. Several weeks prior to the event(s) a thorough inspection of parking lot lighting should be completed and ALL issues fixed by the property owner prior to the event. All exterior building lights must be working to take away areas where criminals may try to lurk. Camera (closed-circuit television systems) installation would be a good idea and today it can be done for relatively little money. Fixed cameras can be installed to monitor front entrances and exits, cash registers, a cash office and even sidewalks and parking lots. Finally, and this can be controversial, hire an armed security officer or off-duty police officer to work the front door of the store.

There are people who have a concern with an armed security officer or off-duty police officer for store protection. This is where the controversy comes in. What if someone(s) enters the store to commit an armed robbery? If that officer draws their weapon to intervene the possibility of innocent customers or employees being injured increases exponentially. On the other hand, an armed officer may be a strong deterrent to would-be robbers and their visibility may prevent shoplifting by being stationed at the front doors. The question remains, what if that one robbery attempt happens and everything goes bad? Store owners and managers MUST take that into consideration before taking that step.

I am not a fan of the late night or overnight store operation. I believe the risks associated with these events along with the possibility of robbery and increased theft, far outweigh the financial gain. Instead, drive profits with great customer service, great values and sales and reduced shortage with the use of retail anti-theft devices. Make safety and security a priority and your employees will appreciate it and customers will reward you by spending money in your store.

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, Background checks, CCTV cameras, customer safety, EAS Devices, employee background checks, Employee Theft, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, loss prevention, Loss Prevention Seminars, Loss Prevention Training, Loss Prevention Workshop, mobile POS loss prevention, security devices, shoplifting, shoplifting violence, surveillance

Policies and Procedures Concerning Shoplifting

September 19, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Shoplifting crimes increase every year. Mall security, loss prevention personnel and police departments across the nation work together to prevent shoplifting. But, that is not enough. The National Association for Shoplifting Prevention states that the United States loses billions of dollars every year due to shoplifting, and those statistics are not getting better. Police departments across the nation are constantly called to these retail store due to a shoplifting incident that they have to take care of. By knowing what the response to a shoplifting is, your employees can readily take care of the problem without jeopardizing their safety.

For more about this and othe r topics, follow the links below.

Winnipeg mom carrying diaper bag refused entry to Canadian Tire

What was supposed to be a quick pit stop at a local Canadian Tire has left a Winnipeg mom angry and speaking out.

On Friday, Stephanie Stachowich was trying to go shopping at the Regent Avenue location to buy a few items.

She had her two daughters, 3-years-old and 7-months-old, with her and was carrying a diaper bag filled with necessities along with her keys and wallet.

“As I walked in I saw a staff member spot me right away,” Stachowich told Global News. “She simply told me straight out I could not bring my diaper bag into the store.”

Stachowich said there were no signs regarding bag policies posted and she wasn’t given a choice to have her bag searched or checked. She was simply told the diaper bag was not allowed in the store.

Theft and drugs having affects on Retail business

A panel of retail and law enforcement representatives discussed recent trends related to drug laws, sentencing reform and retail theft at the Council of State Retail Association’s (CSRA) Annual Meeting in Portland earlier this month.

The topic resonated with the audience for several reasons. The link between drug addiction and property crimes is well-known and drives many policy discussions related to criminal justice reform. And retailers have a front row seat to witness the effects of both addiction and changes in sentencing guidelines.

After voters passed Proposition 47 in 2014, California implemented some of the nation’s sharpest reductions in penalties, reducing many drug-related and theft crimes to misdemeanors. Property crimes in many counties have increased more than 25% since the ballot measure passed and made all thefts of less than $950 a misdemeanor.

Another factor driving up thefts has been the opioid crisis, said Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert. Some California counties had more opioid prescriptions than people in 2016, she said, citing a Sacramento Bee article. (To read the article, click here.)

Convenience store manager fires gun after shoplifting incident

INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) – An E. Washington St. convenience store manager is under investigation for firing his gun at a shoplifter.

It happened Monday night at Sam’s Food Mart & Tobacco Store.

Eyewitness News spoke with one of the store clerks about why the manager decided to fire his weapon.

The clerk said the shooting happened after his co-worker chased a customer through the front door and into the parking lot. The shoplifter left with a couple of items without paying for them.

Someone flagged down an IMPD officer to report the incident.

Eyewitness News has learned the shoplifter stole a bag of Planters peanuts and a package of Hostess Zingers.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, EAS Devices, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, loss prevention, Loss Prevention Seminars, Loss Prevention Training, Loss Prevention Workshop, mobile POS loss prevention, POS ROI, Prevent Shoplifting, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security and monitoring, security devices, shoplifting, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, store policies, store shoplifting procedures, surveillance