Do you feel like you can’t do a thing to prevent shoplifting in your business? Maybe you’re missing something. Many businesses around you sell similar merchandise but don’t have nearly the shrink problem of yours. Why?

 Here are some basic cost effective ways you may never have thought of.

 Greeting your customers at the door is a great way to show that you are welcoming them into your business. Making eye contact lets them also know you have acknowledged their being in your store. Shoplifters don’t want to be acknowledged at all. If they realize that you can identify them they are less likely to chance a quick theft.

 Walking your sales floor will help you keep an eye on the corners and aisles of the store that have the biggest theft problems while also making yourself available to customers who need help on the sales floor.

 Listening to your employees and asking for their feedback is a great way to boost morale and find out if they are noticing any particular items being stolen. Your employees are your eyes and ears as a busy storeowner. They know when there are particular areas that need attention in your store. By paying attention to your employees and keeping them happy you cut back on employee theft as well.

 These simple practices will help you prevent shoplifting without much change to your daily business at all. If anything following these steps will increase your sales and decrease your loss significantly.

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 For more information on how you can prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

I, like some of you reading this, originally learned the old school method to prevent shoplifting: Chase them down, rough ‘em up, cuff ‘em up, and drag ‘em back by any means necessary. Well, as I’m sure you know, times have changed and the world of Loss Prevention isn’t as safe as it used to be. Just recently in the Arlington Heights suburb of Chicago two store employees were struck by a getaway driver as they attempted to chase down a thief. Both men had to be taken to the hospital to be treated for their injuries and the shoplifter got away.

 We all want to go home in the same condition we were in when we arrived to work. The best way to ensure that is not by trying to prevent shoplifting with brute force, but by employing Checkpoint Systems to reduce shrink the smart way. Checkpoint Systems offers a variety of products and solutions designed to make your merchandise undesirable to crooks while still allowing your honest, paying customers access to the products they wish to purchase.

 There are a number of horror stories, like the one above, associated with the business. I’ve heard of security guards reaching into cars to stop a shoplifter and nearly having their limbs removed from their sockets as the vehicle sped off. These actions, no matter how valiant they may seem in the heat of the moment, are ultimately foolish and potentially costly to the company. Plus, I imagine it must be incredibly difficult to clap for justice when you only have one arm. As the old saying goes, work smarter not harder. Find the solutions from Checkpoint Systems that work best to prevent shoplifting in your business and leave the heroics to the comic books.

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 For more information contact us: Prevent Shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547

In these days and times there are many different kinds of shoplifters, so it makes sense that there would be many different ways to prevent shoplifting. Some companies prefer to use a visible deterrent such as armed or unarmed security guards at the exits and valuable merchandise kept inside of cages or behind heavy glass guarded by lock and key to ensure that they don’t fall prey to any sticky fingers. Other company’s prefer a more covert security force, utilizing loss prevention agents in plain clothes who blend in with the customers and perform more discreet surveillance. They may also utilize an EAS system by Checkpoint Systems.

 Depending on the individual environment and needs of your business the latter may be a better fit for you. It has been proven that many customers tend to be put off by stores with such a menacing security presence. After all, nobody wants to feel like they’ve stepped into cellblock D of their local penitentiary when they come shopping for their next outfit. So it’s necessary to keep that in mind when you’re devising a plan to prevent shoplifting in your store.

 It has been said that when used in conjunction with one another a good CCTV system and a good EAS system are nearly unbeatable. Checkpoint Systems is, and has been the leader in EAS devices for some time now. They provide an option which allows the business owner to protect their more valuable, high-risk items without putting them out of the reach of customers who which to pay for them. At the same time, the Checkpoint System solutions make that same merchandise extremely unattractive to crooks enabling you to protect your bottom line while you simultaneously prevent shoplifting.

 Visit The Retail Loss Prevention Store

 For more information contact us: Prevent Shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547

 

 

Yes, it is very possible to prevent shoplifting. In fact, some of the best ways to prevent shoplifting can be done by using Checkpoint systems.

Checkpoint systems operate in your stores by recognizing merchandise with an attached label or tag. As the merchandise is passed through the checkpoint systems, the checkpoint systems antenna activates setting off an audible alarm.

One of the first times I had seen checkpoint systems, I was working to prevent shoplifting as a loss prevention agent with a small grocery chain. The store had a huge problem in the health and beauty section. Boxes of aspirin, high end shampoos, razor blades and more, were very high theft, easily resalable merchandise. In order for me to prevent shoplifting, I had to know what to look for and where to spend most of my time. Of course, this required me to spend the majority of surveillance on health and beauty. Sure enough, in an 8 hour shift, I would catch several people throughout the day stealing merchandise. Whether it was the single mother pushing an empty baby stroller, clearing the shelf or the drug addict pocketing as many eye drops as he could fit in his pockets, I caught them.

Working in the loss prevention field can be very fulfilling, and rewarding. Especially when you are working for a company you enjoy and are given the freedom to utilize your professional capabilities. If you are a business looking to stop losses, look in to hiring loss prevention professionals. They’ll give your business a thorough assessment and make the appropriate recommendations to stop losses and boost your profits and no doubt most will recommend checkpoint systems.

Visit the Retail Loss Prevention Store.

For more information contact us at prevent shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547

Each type of retail business has to develop its own unique approach to control or prevent shoplifting.  There is no “one size fits all” solution because of the diversity of merchandise, packaging, location, and methods of display used by retailers.

 Although every retail business will experience shoplifting, a men’s suit retailer will take a different approach than a furniture store.  Where most of the suit seller’s inventory will be vulnerable, the furniture store would concentrate on accessories.  (It’s difficult to fit a love seat into a booster bag.)  Some home improvement centers leave their potting soil outside overnight, something they would never do with power tools, because the shrink rate for bulk dirt is low.

 The degree to which a retailer should take steps to prevent shoplifting requires an analysis of the all-important shrink figures, what specific merchandise is being stolen, a determination of what is acceptable (shoplifting can’t be stopped, only controlled), and what it will cost to reach the desired result.  The cost of the cure for shoplifting must justify the expenditure by reducing shoplifting enough to pay for the investment and continue preventing losses related to customer theft.

 For companies that don’t have their own loss prevention or asset protection departments, the task of choosing the most efficient and economical methods to prevent shoplifting falls to the owners and management of the business.  While retailers may be experts in merchandise, marketing and sales, they frequently are not aware of the availability of some new method or technology that will make the job easier to accomplish.

 Depending on the circumstances, it may be advisable to call in a specialist in loss prevention to assist and advise of the best and most effective ways to economically get shoplifting under control and still not intimidate legitimate shoppers.

 No matter what type of retail business you have, you can benefit by an objective assessment from a professional to help you prevent shoplifting.

 To see the latest in retail theft prevention, visit the Online Loss Prevention Store

 To discuss the ways you can prevent shoplifting, call 1-770-426-0547or contact us for more information.

Some retailers I have dealt with claim that they can’t afford to prevent shoplifting. They don’t see why they should spend the money on anti shoplifting devices and training for their employees. They don’t think they need to prevent shoplifting because they don’t think it’s really a problem.

 The sad part is these retailers often don’t realize they were wrong until inventory time. Lets say you find packaging for a $10.00 bracelet shoved in a shelf. Someone has obviously taken this product. After you figure in the net markup for this product (Including your bills and payroll which is usually 2% for most retialers). To make up the cost of loss for the $10.00 bracelet you would have to sell 50 of the same $10.00 bracelet. Don’t believe me? Check the math!

$10.00 / 0.02= $500.00

 Now when you think about it, think about how many packages for $10.00 bracelets or wrappers for $20.00 dvd’s or tags for $50.00 dresses you’ve found this year. Can you really afford to not prevent shoplifting in your store?

 The cost to prevent shoplifting can be incredibly low compared to the cost of theft. If you spend an extra $100.00 of payroll to take the time to train your employees on how to spot a shoplifter you could save hundreds! Everything from an open merchandising floor plan to simply greeting every one of your customers can deter shoplifters from your business. Even further, if you spend a few hundred on retail anti theft devices you can save thousands.

 When you look at it this way, don’t you think it’s time to prevent shoplifting in any way you can?

Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchae anti shoplifting devices.

 For more information on how you can prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

 

Shoplifters, which amount to one in every ten people that walk in your door, are stealing from you. Why are you allowing it? You can easily prevent shoplifting. Don’t wait any longer and let even more of your hard earned money walk right out the door.

 To stop shoplifting you need to address the following points:

 Your Environment – Customer service is the key. Customer service is your primary tool to prevent shoplifting. Your honest customers love it, like it can’t get enough of it. Shoplifters hate it and will actually avoid customer service. A good customer that has entered your store is looking for help. That’s why they are there. They enjoy being noticed and paid attention to. In many cases that is why they are in your store as opposed to a large retailer where customer service is basically non-existent. Shoplifters need privacy to steal, don’t give it to them.

 Your Attitude! – If you believe that you can’t do anything to prevent shoplifting you won’t. Shoplifters are criminals that steal if YOU give them the opportunity. You will never stop every single shoplifter. But you can create an environment where your good customers like being in your store, visiting with your employees and purchasing your merchandise. At the same time shoplifters will find that the environment is very hostile to them. This is true even if both a good customer and a shoplifter are standing next to each other.

 Tools To Help – We know that even with the best customer service provided by trained highly motivated employees that you cannot be everywhere at once. The shoplifter knows that to. So if they can create a distraction or slip away then they have you. Not unless you have an Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) system. Your more vulnerable merchandise is tagged or labeled. If the shoplifter is able to hide the product it will then trip the sensors at the doors when they try to leave.  But this will ONLY work with a combination of good customer service, a great attitude, and EAS.

 Don’t let your hard earned sales or merchandise walk out the door with out payment right under your nose!

 For more information on Electronic Article Surveillance, shoplifting or shoplifting training contact us or call 1.770.426.0547

Organized Retail Theft, or ORT, has brought a whole new dimension to retailers’ attempts to prevent shoplifting and other types of retail theft.

Organized Retail Theft, committed by a loosely organized coalition of gangs, account for over $30 Billion in losses (which includes credit card and gift card fraud, and price tag switching) every year, according to the FBI.  Various methods are used by theses criminals including “Smash and Grab” after hours and organized shoplifting rings that steal items with a high resale value.  Cargo thefts are also a growing business for the thieves.

Items taken by the shoplifters tend to run to disposable or reusable items that are openly displayed in bulk like baby formula and razor blades, and put them in a supply chain to internet sites, flea markets, and even to legitimate retailers who buy them thinking the are on the up and up.  There is an entire criminal enterprise devoted to the reselling and distribution of stolen merchandise.

ORT is a subgroup of professional shoplifters.  They generally enter the store knowing what they are going to steal, go directly to it, throw it in a bag or a buggy, and walk quickly out the door with the merchandise where they have a car or truck waiting.  When they come in the door, they know exactly where they are going, what merchandise they are going to get, and have an escape route planned.  Any type of store is subject to be the victim of a visit from one of these groups connected to ORT.

When displaying merchandise in a way to prevent shoplifting by the casual shoplifter, the merchant some idea based on previous experience on how to place and arrange merchandise to discourage the thief.  Technically, the methods currently being used by these lawbreakers are not shoplifting as we have come to know it, but more like a robbery by snatching.

Various states have passed legislation specifically aimed at combating organized

Retail theft, increasing the punishment for those convicted far above that of shoplifting.  The problem has become so large that the FBI has a task force devoted to its investigation. 

As long as there is a demand, there will by thieves trying to fill it.  Even as a retailer tries to prevent shoplifting, there always seems to be a new retail theft threat to face.

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For more information on ORT or ways to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

Aggressively prevent shoplifting in your retail store or your profits will suffer. Shoplifters are not going away anytime soon. In fact as un-employment continues to be high and the economy remains unstable a higher percentage of people are shoplifting to get what they need and want. We also know from studies that shoplifters shift to unprotected retailers.

From many years of experience in loss prevention, I know that when shoplifters know that you are an easy target they will hit you over and over again. Shoplifters will also tell their friends about your store (“Hey they are asleep at the switch in there. They are clueless”). Over time you become “the store of choice” for shoplifters. Without realizing it your profits get slowly worse.

What measures do you take in order to prevent shoplifting from your business?

1. Training!!! Have an Anti-shoplifting training program. Doing it once feels good for a while but like any other business issue unless you make it a priority your employees will loose interest over time. You have to refresh and train new people.
2. Don’t be afraid to approach suspected shoplifters. Their goal is to be anonymous. Let them know you are aware, see and are helping them. Shoplifters hate customer service. Give them their fill! If necessary stand right there with them providing exceptional customer service.
3. Install a Checkpoint Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) system. Label and tag a select group of merchandise. EAS is a labor multiplier. Spend less labor dollars to cover the same amount of sales floor. Shoplifters are caught at the door. This creates deterrence. Word will get around.

Not doing everything you can to prevent shoplifting is the same as hoping that a roof leak will repair itself. YOU can fix the problem. Step back and objectively look at your operation now. You might be surprised what you see.

 Contact us or call 1.770.426.0547

 

Over the years I have run into some pretty weird situations with shoplifters. When a company must prevent shoplifting they must apprehend the thieves that are stealing.

In one situation I apprehended a guy who had stolen a framed picture of Christ. He did not fight me, resist, run or any thing else that we are always prepared to deal with. But when the Police arrived at the store and we were switching handcuffs on the shoplifter he turned to me and said, “This is not a very Christian thing you are doing to me”. This guy STEALS and I am the sinner!

 Another is the guy who stole a $1.00 fishing lure from a sporting goods store. That was all he took! I stopped him and took him into custody. When I got him back to the Security Office I emptied his pockets (he was handcuffed) and was bagging it up for the police when I discovered a “wad” of cash well over one hundred dollars. I was shocked (still naïve then) and asked him why he stole a minor $1.00 item when he clearly had the cash to pay for it. He said, “I wanted to see if I could get away with it”. I just shook my head and told him that it was good that he had the cash on him, as he would need it for bail.

 Another of my all time favorites is this one time I stopped and detained a middle aged woman for stealing about $300 worth of new tennis shoes that I had witnessed her switch tags on to a lower priced shoe. This woman had a pretty heavy Eastern European accent. Again while police officers were taking her into custody she stated that I was discriminating against her because she was European. The police officers taking her into custody, whom I knew very well started laughing. She looked at them with shock when they told her. “Lady this store is owned by a French company and he (pointing to me) is married to German citizen.  I met my clearly better half when I was in the Army stationed in Germany. They reminded her that she had the right to remain silent and they told her they would prefer that she exercise that right.

 I have found over the years that you can prevent shoplifting and be entertained at the same time.

 For more information on how you can prevent shoplifting please contact us at Prevent Shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547- Atlanta Georgia