Many times I have been asked by a manager or store owner, “how do I  prevent shoplifting?”

According to the 2010 University of Florida National Retail Security Survey, retail stores lost  $11.7 billion to shoplifting in 2009. As organized retail crime (ORC) continues to grow, one thing has become clear, you must be proactive to  prevent shoplifting and grow your net profit. One of the easiest ways to prevent shoplifting is to know your inventory and to educate your employees. I was recently in a large big box store. Utilizing the shrink by sub-class stat report, I discovered that the store had lost over $12,200 in Crest White Strips last inventory cycle. When I asked the Health and Beauty Department supervisor what her highest shrinking item was, she hadn’t a clue. As we walked the sales floor, I counted four different types of Crest White Strips on the shelf, totaling 38 boxes and roughly $1,020 in that product.

A 10 minute talk with that supervisor will save that store thousands next inventory cycle.

These approaches will help prevent shoplifting:

1. Use checkpoint security labels on high theft items (such as white strips). This is a deterrent        even if you don’t have Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) at your doors.

2. Limit your inventory of high theft items (such as white strips) on the sales floor. ORC units strike quick and are professional thieves. If you have 38 boxes out, 38 will be gone in one hit.

3. Conduct weekly inventory cycle counts of your three highest shrinking items (such as white strips). If you see losses after tagging, and after limiting what is available on the sales floor, it may be an internal theft issue and lock up the high theft item in your stock-room. Notify a Loss Prevention Investigator immediately. 

4. Educate all employees in every area about the top 3 shrinking items in their areas. If they see customers in that area, superior customer service is in order. Make their presence known and prevent shoplifting!!

For more information visit:  prevent shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547

 

In our efforts to prevent shoplifting we must make several business decisions. One of these is should we prosecute juvenile shoplifters? Some retailers say yes some no. I am of the opinion that all shoplifters regardless of age should be criminally charged.

Let’s say that this is the kid’s first offence, this may be the first time caught. A good scare by the Police and Courts will have a lasting effect. When I was in High School I was a Police Explorer Scout. One of my duties was to sit outside the holding cell of juvenile shoplifters while decisions were made. I remember that in one case a young girl maybe 13 years old had been caught at a major retail store. The store had a policy that criminal charges were left up to the discretion of the Police.

When the parents arrived they talked to the Police Lt and were deeply concerned about the girl. They in no way tried to get her out of it. They were more concerned about the long-term lesson she should take away from the incident. The Lt seeing that the parents were cooperative and caring worked with them.

After a plan was hatched I opened the cell door. The girl was relieved that her parents were there but Dad said “I am sorry that you are here but you did this to yourself. Your Mother and I do not know if we can help you or not. But we will try.” At that point he closed the cell door and they walked back to the Lt. They said that they would see him in an hour or so and left to get a cup of coffee. The girl cried for most of that time. I have a strong suspicion that she has never shoplifted again. Talk about a prevent shoplifting program.

What studies show is very simple. There is a much lower rate FOR JUVENILES being rearrested vs. Juveniles that were not. I believe that if we impact this early on we are not only doing our businesses a favor but our society as a whole. If a child is not taught right from wrong what will they aspire to? Prevent shoplifting with juveniles and eventually the overall shoplifting rates will go down.

For more information contact us at prevent shoplifting loss or call 1.770.426.0547

In our goal to prevent shoplifting loss we have to keep in mind that juvenile’s pose a different set of challenges. Unlike an adult kids steal for some additional reasons that we must keep in mind. Of course, there are the usual reasons, want the item, need the money… Kids though have another reason, peer pressure.

You will not fully prevent shoplifting loss by juveniles unless you understand the peer pressure that may be driving them. We as adults would not even consider jeopardizing our freedom, reputation and risk criminal and civil sanctions because someone dares us to shoplift. We are probably not going to shoplift in order to steal something for a “friend”.

Why do they do this? I have been told that our morals and ethics do not begin to become a permanent part of us until we are around twenty-one years old. After that we are less likely to be swayed by someone because of the desire to fit in. Think about it. You may have started smoking at that time because “your friends did it” and your desire to fit in. This is a reason why we give juveniles special status in our country. They are not held to the same legal status as an adult. In many states a juveniles criminal records are sealed to protect them.

Kids tend to travel in groups of two or more when involved in this type of activity. They deserve special attention when in your store. Of course this does not mean that every kid in your store is there to steal. But kids without adult attention should be watched.

The good news is that in most cases you can generally prevent shoplifting of this type easier than adults. Good eye contact and customer service skills will for the most part stop the individual kid from stealing on that visit. A Checkpoint system is also a very strong tool in this battle.

However, let them get away with it and you will become the magnet for juvenile shoplifters. We know how fast word will travel with kids. There are no secrets with them since knowledge is power.

For more information contact us at prevent shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547

 

 

 

Someone told me a short time ago that they did not have a shoplifting problem and that “their” customers would not do that to them. Wow, what do you say to this? We know from reliable studies that shoplifting makes up about 35% of retailers losses (employee theft is about 45%). For a retailer to have that attitude simply tells me that this person is asleep at the switch. His business, a gift type store, is a clear target. “Prevent Shoplifting Loss” is not even on his radar.

Many times we run into retailers that feel that if they are paying the bills and got some money at the end of the month that they are doing well. It doesn’t matter that shoplifters or employees are stealing. The sad part about this is that with just a little effort they could have much more money on the bottom-line. This is money or profit that they are already making. They just let it slip out the door.

Consider the cost to put in a Checkpoint system. It is a very small investment in both dollars and labor. The payoff is higher profits as the system generally pays for itself in six to eight months.

But even worse an attitude like this is frightening. To not use even good customer service skills to detect and prevent shoplifting loss is simply asking for shoplifters to hit you. Once you become known as an easy target it is like fly’s to honey. As with anything else attitude can be most of the problem. If that retailer does not understand that shoplifters are out there and take proactive measures to prevent shoplifting what do you imagine his employees think? They simply do not care.

In the long run retail is like life: survival of the fittest. If you are not stronger, smarter and faster than your competition then you are simply someone else’s dinner.

Don’t be someone else’s meal ticket prevent shoplifting loss you can also call us at 1.770.426.0547

“Prevent Shoplifting” can actually be a fun quest or sport for you and your employees. Turn the tables on the shoplifter and make their dreams of easy theft their worst nightmare.

To prevent shoplifting loss consider this. Shoplifters have to have privacy to steal. Take it away from them and customer service them to death! They will give up and leave. In most cases they will go to an easier target such as your not  quite so savvy competitor.

To explain how to do this I will give you a real example. I had done a shoplifting prevention training session with a store. I taught them the skills to deal with shoplifters. Two weeks later I got an excited call from the store manager, “it works!” (well of course it works. I have been doing this for 30 years now).

This was a hardware type store. A person went into the electrical department picked up a circuit breaker worth about $70. He stuffed it in the front of his pants. The employee did saw him do this from behind. The employee proceeded to get on the PA and made an announcement in “code” that only other employees would understand. This code let store staff know that he had a shoplifter and need help.

The Cavalry came to the rescue. A total of 4 employees followed the shoplifter through the store. They acted like they were counting items or doing other work. They stayed back about 20 feet but keep following him. Every time the shoplifter would stop and look at something an employee would approach him and ask if he could help.

The shoplifter got the message he pulled the circuit breaker out of his pants (disinfectant anyone?) put it on a shelf and walked out of the store.

The employees hunted down the shoplifter and pursued him with customer service as their weapon. They bagged him and he left in frustration. No criminal charges, no reports just great customer service that worked to prevent shoplifting loss! You can do it to!

For help to prevent shoplifting loss in the Atlanta area or anywhere else contact us at prevent shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547

 

In a retailers effort to prevent shoplifting we must never forget our good customers. These are the people that pay the bills. The good news is that in our goal to prevent shoplifting and our quest for sales with our good customers the solutions are the same.

Customer service is a key factor in increased sales. We know that the more positive attention we pay to a customer the more sales will increase. A well-staffed store with highly trained employees makes a customer feel special and comfortable in a shopping environment. One of the advantages that a smaller retailer has over the big discount stores such as Wal-Mart, Target… is that customer service is available on the sales floor. Have you ever tried to get help at one of the big stores? You wander around aimlessly looking for someone. You may even need to return to the front, which can be a hike.

Shoplifters on the other hand hate customer service. They want to be anonymous, blend into the background. So when you provide them with even a small amount of customer service you drive them crazy and prevent shoplifting. Why? Because a shoplifter needs some privacy, even for a few moments to steal. You take that away from them when you customer service them. This is especially true if you check back on them, linger or work in the area.

I have seen many shoplifters get frustrated and simply leave the store when we provide good customer service. The only problem with this concept is that as we have tighter labor budgets we have less customer service support on the sales floor. To counter this you have to either accept higher shoplifting losses or put tools in place such as Checkpoint Systems. These tools can extend your customer service reach. Checkpoint systems change the shoplifting dynamic in the store.  Even if there is a high customer to employee ratio the shoplifter is much more uncomfortable and tends to simply go elsewhere.

Using customer service is not just a tool for increased sales it is a weapon in the war to prevent shoplifting.

For more information contact us at prevent shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547

 

Me? Prevent shoplifting? Studies show that a lack of deterrence efforts by retailers will encourage up to 75% more shoplifting in a retail store. It makes sense, do nothing and you leave yourself wide open. Not only will a shoplifter hit you but they will come back time and time again. And to add insult to injury they will tell their shoplifter friends. Suddenly your store is “shoplifting central”.

Shutting down shoplifters is not rocket science. A “good” program to prevent shoplifting consists of employees that have been trained and are comfortable in customer service tactics that deter shoplifters. It’s simple really; Approach any suspected shoplifter as you would a customer. “Hello, how can I help you?” This type of simple greeting will shut most impulse shoplifters. They will not shoplift in your store during that visit.

A “great” program to prevent shoplifting takes more. You must know the techniques to shut down amateur and professional shoplifters. This takes a bit more skill and knowledge. In addition to prevent shoplifters from cleaning you out you must also understand that they know your store as well as you do. They will select a time of day when your employee to customer ratio is the lowest. Since you are busy it makes it easier. To compensate you must use an Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) system. EAS systems like a Checkpoint system give the retailer an equalizer in the fight.

Aggressive and positive customer service that is appealing to customers and very unappealing to shoplifters can only be achieved with training. But the key is that once your people are trained you as the leader must reinforce it. We have all put programs in place then walk away feeling great. We solved the problem! However, six months later we are no better off. That’s because we did not keep it a priority with our employees.

Do not be the cause of your shoplifting problem. Prevent shoplifting every day, day in and day out.

For more contact us at prevent shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547

If you are not actively working to prevent shoplifting your business is going to suffer. Shoplifting is not going away. As the economy remains unstable and un-employment is high more people will turn to theft to get what they want. Studies also show that shoplifters shift to unprotected retailers.

I know that from experience that once shoplifters know that you are an easy mark they will return time and time again. They will also tell their friends who also shoplift. You slowly become a magnet and with out realizing it your profits drop.

What measures do you take to prevent shoplifting?

Training!!! Anti-shoplifting training. You can’t do it just once you have to refresh and train new people.

Checkpoint Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) systems. Tag and label your merchandise. This will act as a labor multiplier. This means less labor dollars to watch the same amount of sales floor. A shoplifter tries to steal and they are caught at the door.

Do not be afraid to approach a suspected shoplifter. They want to remain anonymous. Give them the feeling that you know, see and are helping them. Customer service! Shoplifters hate it.

Don’t wait prevent shoplifting now before you loose any more profit.

Contact us or call 1.770.426.0547

More than 60% of shoplifters steal from the same store because they got away with it and the store culture made them feel comfortable. It makes sense. If we create an environment that makes the shoplifter relaxed enough to continue they will also tell their friends. Your store is or will become a magnet to shoplifters.

Once caught, very few shoplifters will return to the same store to make another attempt. The key to prevent shoplifting is to first deter. If that does not work make them feel uncomfortable once they do pick up an item and attempt to conceal it or catch them. A Checkpoint anti shoplifting system covers that at all three levels, deterrence, attempt and catching the shoplifter.

Habitual shoplifters, after being apprehended, will return to the same store when no Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) system is in place because the chance of being caught a second time is only 2%.Shoplifters want your merchandise whether to keep or sell. The goal is to make them uncomfortable enough or shut them down completely. This will send them down the street to another retailer that is not proactive or even trying to prevent shoplifting. That reputation will also spread among shoplifters.

For additional information:  prevent shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547

Checkpoint’s broad range of tag and label offerings gives retailers more options to prevent shoplifting than any other Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) technology. The reason is that all of Checkpoint’s tags and labels are radio frequency-based, allowing retailers to protect apparel with reusable hard tags, flex tags or designer tags while using disposable labels for all other merchandise. Checkpoint sensors will detect any Checkpoint RF tag or label – reusable and disposable.

Checkpoint’s disposable EAS tags and labels provide retailers with a versatile and wide selection. Available in a range of sizes, Checkpoint’s paper-thin RF labels prevent shoplifting by protecting all types of merchandise found in drugstores, supermarkets, mass merchandiser, apparel stores, liquor stores, hardware stores and sporting goods stores. All of Loss Prevention Systems’ Checkpoint disposable tags and labels are deactivatable without having to be found or touched during checkout like AM systems.

For more information:  prevent shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547