In An Economy Predicted To Improve Here Are Some Things You Can Anticipate

December 29, 2016 by Leave a Comment

After a long and contested election cycle, a new president will be inaugurated and with this result, some experts are predicting the economy will begin to improve significantly.  If the rebound is as strong as these experts are predicting retailers will be one of the beneficiaries, with an increase in customers and sales.  Likewise there may also be more shoplifting activity that takes place.  An increase in sales would seem to make sense given that there would be more people with jobs and potentially more money in their pockets, but why would there be an increase in shoplifting?  There are a couple of possible explanations, for example during those periods when the economy is slumping retailers tend to order less merchandise.  The result is shelves may stay empty longer or there may be fewer high ticket goods available for criminals to steal.  Less product displayed can translate to less opportunity and opportunity is one of the necessities for a theft to take place.  There is also the chance that with fewer customers in a store, employees are more readily available to offer customer service to shoppers and this is certainly a deterrent to shoplifters.  One of the first recommendations I always make for improved shortage results is for a store to focus on customer service.

Along with increased sales and the potential for more shoplifting, what are some other things you can anticipate with an improving economy?  You may find you are in need of more employees to help in your store.  Cash stands that may not have been very active could start to see new life as lines begin to increase.  Customers don’t want to wait for service so it is important to have enough staff to meet the demand.  Sales floor coverage will likely be stretched thin again impacting shopper perception of wait time.  Hiring could be crucial and in an improved economy you could be fighting for talent.  Don’t settle on a warm body, ensure you conduct pre-employment screenings so you can be confident that the person you hire is the right fit for your team and has no hidden skeletons in the closet.

An improving economy means more transactions and that means cash registers have more money in them and credit card swipes.  Make sure credit cards are the only thing being swiped and then only during the customer transaction.  More cash in a register is a tempting target to an employee who may be experiencing a personal financial crisis.  Make sure your front end or cashier supervisors are doing random cash drops at the registers, taking most of the money and leaving enough in to continue ringing sales.  Watch for cashiers who may be tempted to swipe a credit card and forget to hand it back to the customer.  If you see credit cards lying beside a register, question where it came from and pick it up and retain it in a lost and found.

Anticipate the need to replenish shelves more quickly.  During slow economic times merchandise doesn’t always sell quickly and so filling empty spaces on shelves and fixtures may have been able to wait until the next truck load of freight arrived.  If sales improve as predicted it is important to have plans in place to address “holes” more quickly.  Prepare to monitor for out of stocks during the day and get it refilled from your stockroom quickly.  If you are selling a lot of vendor supplied product, such as soft drinks, bread, cereals and snacks, etc., partner with your vendor representatives to increase deliveries and representative visits.

If you require an increase in floor replenishment, don’t forget to protect product with retail anti-theft devices before it gets to the selling floor.  Remember I mentioned there could be increased shoplifting with an improving economy.  It is easy to overlook the protection of merchandise as it flows from the stockroom.  I should note that I would prefer to see merchandise protected as it arrives to the store, but some stores do wait until it gets sent to the sales-floor before applying Checkpoint tags and labels.

The potential for growth in sales is exciting for retailers.  Don’t miss the boat by not being prepared for it.  Have a plan to meet the needs of an expanding customer base. Be ready to fill your sales-floor and don’t forget to prevent shoplifting by protecting your merchandise before it gets to the floor.  Going green will take on a whole new meaning in the coming years!

     

     

     

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Can An Improving Economy Lead To A Case Of “Keeping Up With The Jones’s” And An Increase In Employee Theft?

December 29, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Have you been keeping up with the news? It appears the stock market is on the verge of breaking new records.  People are gaining confidence now that some economists are expressing optimism that we are about to see a jump start in economic growth.  Does that mean EVERYONE is going to benefit? Unfortunately, the answer is no. There are many people who will continue to work in their current jobs and experience little personal benefit in their own eyes. What do I mean, “In their own eyes?” Just this, there are some people who are not satisfied with their job, or financial situation, or any number of things in their life and do little or nothing to try to change that. What they WILL do is get jealous when they see others who do well. It may be a co-worker who gets a promotion, a friend who has received a pay raise, a relative who has purchased a new car, there are lots of things that people can get jealous over. Sometimes this jealousy turns into an attitude of “Keeping up with the Jones’s” and can result in someone engaging in dishonest activity so they can have new things too. Frequently those who steal because they haven’t gotten that raise or promotion will try to justify their actions by rationalizing that they deserve it and aren’t being recognized for their contributions.

So what does this mean for the employer? You are excited about increasing sales, selling more merchandise, perhaps hiring more people and even expanding your business. First, you have to be alert to the people you currently have working for you. You should also include involving your supervisors in this since they may be closer to your workers and more likely to hear scuttlebutt than you will in the various work areas. If you have an employee who has been passed over for promotional opportunities make sure you explain to them why they were not chosen and provide feedback and even create a professional development plan with that employee if they express interest. If they don’t want feedback and don’t seek input on their development, they are probably not really interested and may be looking for a promotion for the sake of a promotion. Often this is the employee who will go back to their work center and complain and gripe. You must address this quickly and if the behavior continues get rid of this type of worker, they can create a negative work environment and it does influence others who may normally be great workers.

Watch for employee theft, especially from the disgruntled workers. There is a tendency to see themselves as victims and deserving of something, even if they have to steal it to get it. You may start to see extra money in your registers in an improving economy. You could have a disgruntled cashier who sees that money and since they only received a 2% pay raise on their last review, they decide they are going to give themselves a raise. Watch for all cash shortages, some stores make a minimum of $5 missing before it is addressed. In many instances I had cashiers who stole two or three dollars for lunches for quite a while before moving up to greater amounts of cash theft.  If you start to see any trends, you need to address it early.

Then there is the employee working in the electronics department (as an example) who sees friends or acquaintances buying new televisions, laptop computers, or the latest techy gadget. This is the employee who gets green with jealousy because they aren’t making “enough” and can’t afford these goodies. It is unfortunate but it happens and I have apprehended employees in very similar circumstances. When it came down to the bottom line, after all the excuses were done it was usually a case of, “I just wanted it.” Employee package checks and receipt checks and the use of Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) retail anti-theft devices often discourages much of this behavior.  I would still suggest you have a discussion with an employee if you hear them complaining or get word of it. You may get a better feel if it is just idle chatter or a potential problem waiting to happen.

An improving economy is exciting for store owners but watch out, those Jones’s may have what your employee wants and that could come at your expense. Make sure you spend time with your employees and listen to what they are saying. Your investment of time may save you headaches in the future.

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Put The Freeze On Cooler Theft (And Other Merchandise) With Alpha Cable Locks

December 27, 2016 by Leave a Comment

 

Alpha Cable Lock-5                                                                                                                  WC blog 228
Prevent Shoplifting-4
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Alpha Security-4
Put The Freeze On Cooler Theft (And Other Merchandise) With Alpha Cable Locks 
     As I was preparing to write an article on Alpha Security products, my wife came to me with a newspaper article and asked if I had seen the story about a name brand cooler that has become the target of thieves.  I had not, so I was interested in what the report had to say.  I was surprised that anyone would be interested in stealing coolers until I saw that the newspaper reported the price range of these items from $250.00 to $1,300.00!  Well, this was a local newspaper so I had to put on my investigator hat and start digging a little more.  Was this a local issue, or is it impacting other regions of the country?  I was finding reports of this item being stolen in Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama and Texas.  That was enough to convince me this is a major problem for retailers.  I had one more thing I wanted to verify.  I went to the company’s web site and wanted to confirm the prices of the coolers, yes indeed, I found the prices ranging from $299.99 – $1,299.99!  What advice would I give to any retailer that is selling this product (or high ticket product for that matter) to prevent shoplifting?  I would recommend using an Alpha Cable Lock to protect the merchandise against theft.
     Many Alpha Security retail anti-theft devices come in 2-alarm and 3-alarm styles and this includes the Alpha Cable Lock.  The 2-alarm version provides electronic alarm system (EAS) protection by causing EAS antennas to activate when a tagged piece of merchandise is carried into the area of the door where the antennas are located.  They are also tamper proof, sounding a built in alarm if someone tries to cut the cable or defeat the device.  The 3-alarm version of the Alpha Cable Lock has an added feature that activates an internal alarm in the lock if someone gets out the door with merchandise protected by this retail anti-theft device.  Concerned that someone could try to cut the cable to the lock?  You can be confident that this would not be an easy task.  The locks are made of 7×7 aircraft grade coaxial cable.  How strong is this?  According to the Fastenal website https://www.fastenal.com/products/details/45501 the breaking strength of 7×7 galvanized aircraft cable is around 480 lbs. 
           In addition to the strength of the Alpha Cable Lock and the 3-alarm feature, I also like this retail anti-theft device for this product because it can prevent box stuffing of this cooler.  My concern as a Loss Prevention Manager was not so much the theft of a cooler, ours were never in this price range, I was concerned with merchandise being stuffed inside and the customer getting it past the cashier.  The coolers, as I am looking at the images and information, have holes for a small padlock to secure the lid to the frame.  This hole could fit a cable through it, leaving some slack in the cable so that a customer can look inside, but not enough room to hide merchandise.  If used strategically, a store could prevent shoplifting and box stuffing with the Alpha Security device.
     Lest I leave you thinking that the cable locks are one trick ponies these retail anti-theft devices also prevent shoplifting of other merchandise.  They can be used to secure coats, bicycles, baseball gloves, even high priced detergent bottles with handles.  Anything that has a place the cable can be looped through is a candidate for being secured with a cable lock.
     I don’t know whether your store carries high priced coolers that may be targeted by crooks, but I feel certain that you need to prevent shoplifting of some type of merchandise.  Before you get cleaned out by thieves, contact Alpha Security and find out more about the 2 alarm and 3 Alpha Cable Locks.  
Alpha Cable Locks are important and we can help you with it.  Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
     

As I was preparing to write an article on Alpha Security products, my wife came to me with a newspaper article and asked if I had seen the story about a name brand cooler that has become the target of thieves. I had not, so I was interested in what the report had to say. I was surprised that anyone would be interested in stealing coolers until I saw that the newspaper reported the price range of these items from $250.00 to $1,300.00! Well, this was a local newspaper so I had to put on my investigator hat and start digging a little more. Was this a local issue, or is it impacting other regions of the country? I was finding reports of this item being stolen in Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama and Texas. That was enough to convince me this is a major problem for retailers. I had one more thing I wanted to verify. I went to the company’s web site and wanted to confirm the prices of the coolers, yes indeed, I found the prices ranging from $299.99 – $1,299.99! What advice would I give to any retailer that is selling this product (or high ticket product for that matter) to prevent shoplifting? I would recommend using an Alpha Cable Lock to protect the merchandise against theft.

 

Many Alpha Security retail anti-theft devices come in 2-alarm and 3-alarm styles and this includes the Alpha Cable Lock. The 2-alarm version provides electronic alarm system (EAS) protection by causing EAS antennas to activate when a tagged piece of merchandise is carried into the area of the door where the antennas are located. They are also tamper proof, sounding a built in alarm if someone tries to cut the cable or defeat the device. The 3-alarm version of the Alpha Cable Lock has an added feature that activates an internal alarm in the lock if someone gets out the door with merchandise protected by this retail anti-theft device. Concerned that someone could try to cut the cable to the lock? You can be confident that this would not be an easy task. The locks are made of 7×7 aircraft grade coaxial cable. How strong is this?  According to the Fastenal website https://www.fastenal.com/products/details/45501 the breaking strength of 7×7 galvanized aircraft cable is around 480 lbs. 

In addition to the strength of the Alpha Cable Lock and the 3-alarm feature, I also like this retail anti-theft device for this product because it can prevent box stuffing of this cooler. My concern as a Loss Prevention Manager was not so much the theft of a cooler, ours were never in this price range, I was concerned with merchandise being stuffed inside and the customer getting it past the cashier. The coolers, as I am looking at the images and information, have holes for a small padlock to secure the lid to the frame. This hole could fit a cable through it, leaving some slack in the cable so that a customer can look inside, but not enough room to hide merchandise. If used strategically, a store could prevent shoplifting and box stuffing with the Alpha Security device.

Lest I leave you thinking that the cable locks are one trick ponies these retail anti-theft devices also prevent shoplifting of other merchandise. They can be used to secure coats, bicycles, baseball gloves, even high priced detergent bottles with handles. Anything that has a place the cable can be looped through is a candidate for being secured with a cable lock.

I don’t know whether your store carries high priced coolers that may be targeted by crooks, but I feel certain that you need to prevent shoplifting of some type of merchandise. 

 

Alpha Cable Locks are important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
     

 

 

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Preventing Shoplifting This Holiday Season; Inform Your Employees

December 20, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Many stores, public places, and government  buildings display firearms law posters on the wall where everyone that enters their place will undoubtedly see it.  Some retail stores display their shoplifting policy where customers can see it.  But, many of these places though, fail to educate their employees as to their store policy when stopping a shoplifter.  Who is responsible of making sure every single employee knows the policy of the store? When is this supposed to happen? At the time of hiring?  For many retail stores, preventing shoplifting begins by educating their employees about the policies and procedures they need to follow when stopping a shoplifter.

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

Home Depot employees fired after following suspect

PALM COAST, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) – Four former employees at a Home Depot in Florida were fired after they attempted to stop a shoplifter in November.

Jeffrey Miller, 59, George Ippolito, 56, Joe Spector, 29, and Jazmin Kelly, 27, all worked together at a Home Depot in Palm Coast, Florida. On November 19, the 4 employees attempted to track down a customer who appeared to be shoplifting at the store.

However the co-workers did not know that their act to prevent crime went against company policy.

The Home Depot released a statement in regards to the incident: “Pursuing shoplifters in the store or in the parking lot is extremely dangerous and risks the safety of everyone, which is why we only allow trained security personnel to do so. We’ve had instances of serious injury and even fatality in our stores. No amount of merchandise is worth risking the safety of others.”

The employees expressed shock by their termination as Fox 35’s Kelly Joyce reports from Flagler County in the video above.

The suspect has been identified as 22-year-old Brandon Charles Edward Mullins Lowe of Hastings, Florida who allegedly admitted to stealing close to $1,000 worth of tools from the store. Lowe was being held in the Flagler County Jail on grand theft charges.

Police: Shoplifting doubles near holidays

As shoppers hit area stores for the impending holidays, so will shoplifters, say area police.

“It probably doubles during the peak of the holiday shopping season,” said Logan Township Police Chief Tim Mercer, referring to the number of retail theft calls the township’s officers will handle.

Mercer said officers typically get one to two calls each week, and with the increase in retail thefts also comes increases in other crimes related to shopping, such as identity theft, where people are opening up credit cards in other people’s names, and thefts from vehicles.

Most of the incidents of retail theft and other thefts occur at two highly concentrated shopping areas — Logan Town Centre and the Logan Valley Mall, Mercer said.

Stores are reluctant to talk about shoplifting, either out of a fear of calling attention to their stores and becoming targets or because they don’t want to divulge exactly how they deal with retail thefts.

One store manager of a longtime township store, who spoke only if his name of business wasn’t published, said stores take two approaches to dealing with shoplifters — either they try to catch them or they try to prevent them from stealing in the first place.

Five Steps to Recruiting the Right Loss Prevention Professionals

The success of any organization is determined by the talent of its people. In his book Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…and Others Don’t, Jim Collins put it this way: “People are not your most important asset. The right people are.”

Whether it’s a company, a loss prevention and safety department, or a sports team, the more talented people within the organization, the greater chance it has to succeed. Loading any organization with talented loss prevention professionals requires a comprehensive five-step people strategy.

Want an awesome LP career? Download this FREE Special Report, How to Find the Best Loss Prevention Jobs and Build a Successful Loss Prevention Career.

Recruiting. The first component of this strategy is recruiting. It all starts with a sound recruiting strategy to ensure there is a sufficient pool of applicants.

 

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TIPS TO PREVENT A ROBBERY

December 5, 2016 by Leave a Comment

outsidemallCan you believe we are in December already? This year has flown by and we’re in the home stretch. For many, many small and large businesses alike, this next month is crucial to profitability. Often times, the 4th quarter can mean you stay open for another year, or it could mean that you didn’t make enough to pay your vendors. If you think that’s not a reality, do you remember a little electronics company by the name of Circuit City? So it becomes even more important to do every single thing you can to retain as much profit as possible. That means having the right product, providing the best service and definitely making sure your money makes it to the bank.

Holiday time brings an increase in sales, which in turns leaves you with a little (or a lot) more cash on hand than you normally would. This is great. We love to see money, right? Well, there can be a downside to all this extra green hanging around; a robbery. No one likes to think this can happen, or will happen to their store, but the reality is that it can. Criminals know this time of year means more cash in stores and it’s no secret that robberies tend to happen more frequently during the last few weeks of the year.

Last year, one of my stores were targeted very early in the morning. Thankfully, we were not open for business yet and none of my team members were hurt, but it exposed some holes in what we believed was a fool-proof procedure to deter these acts.

The first lesson is being vigilant. A good manager will always drive the perimeter of building when they first arrive. You should look for any signs of breach, or anyone who doesn’t belong in the area. If something stands out, don’t hesitate to call the local police. Better to be nothing than to walk into a robbery. Also, safety is in numbers. Managers should wait until all morning team members arrive before entering the store. This way, the store can remain locked and a manager isn’t opening the door several times throughout the morning.store-door

Prepare for the worst. You don’t want it to happen to you, but it can. Train you managers, as well as your store team on what they should do in case of a robbery. You don’t want any heroes and you don’t want anyone to get hurt. You should constantly stress the importance of complying with the robber’s demands and getting them out of the store as quickly as possible. The very last thing you want is to have a hostage situation because the police responded while the robber was still inside. Remember, do what they say, give them what they want and get them out.

In my many years in LP, I have never seen a robbery happen in the middle of the day. Each one that took place in one of my stores happened either early morning, or late at night. At closing, a manager should head to the front of the store about 15-20 minutes prior to closing. Take a look at the parking lot. Are there any suspicious vehicles, or people hanging around? Once the last customer has exited, and it’s closing time, quickly lock your doors.

Try to avoid having team members leave the store at different times. If possible, schedule every to leave at the same time each night. That way, everyone can leave at once. You want to avoid opening/closing the door as much as possible. Robbers will stake out your store for days, or even weeks before hitting their target. If they know you open the door several times after close, you could set yourself up for a robbery attempt. By leaving all at once, in a group, you make the robbery less appealing to the criminal.

There’s no secret formula or magic wand that can be waved to completely prevent a robbery. You have to assume that at any time, it can happen to you. The best thing you can do is to work robbery prevention into your daily routine and most importantly be prepared for it. The last thing you want is to have your team faced with this reality and not know what to do. A simple conversation about expectations can very well be the difference between life and death.

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(SOME MORE) TIPS TO PREVENT ROBBERIES

December 5, 2016 by Leave a Comment

moneyIn the previous article, I gave some great tips on how to prevent and prepare for a robbery. Like many things, it’s impossible to provide a solution that is all encompassing. After I penned that article I couldn’t help but think that there was more that I could share; more that I should share. I draw on over a decade’s time spent in the LP field and this is one of those topics that I just can never stress enough to my store managers. So, what else can you do to limit a robbery and/or cash loss?

When do you (or do you) conduct a cash drop? I know, some of you may be scratching your head after reading that. What’s a cash drop? Most stores have a safe where money from the day is stored prior to it being picked up by the armored carrier/dropped in the night deposit at the bank. When a cashier has so much money in the till, some cash is taken out, and then stored securely in the safe. Think about it, would you want any cashier to have several thousands of dollars in cash in their till? It’s December and Christmas is right around the corner. A few grand in cash in one till is not out of the realm of possibility.

If your store, or company does have a drop policy, then make sure your cashier leadership is following it. For the company I work for, we set the threshold at $500. Our cashiers start with a bank of $200. Once they have $500 above their original bank, they are required to get a supervisor to drop the additional funds. You should also monitor this throughout the week and coach those cashiers that are failing to meet the expectation. If by some chance, you don’t have this practice, I suggest implementing this yesterday.

Not only does this prevent a criminal from robbing a cashier, you also prevent yourself from being exposed to a quick-change artist. You may know them by a different name, but this guys and girls can quickly scam a cashier out of hundreds of dollars. The basic scam has them pay a small ticket item with a large bill ($100 mostly). After the cashier gives change and before the drawer is closed, they begin confusing the cashier by asking for different change. A quick palm and some sleight of hand later, you’re out a few hundred bucks.

Again, training and policies can help you to avoid this. First, as mentioned above, make sure to keep the amount of cash in the till at a minimum. Second, train your cashiers to immediately close the till once change is given. I see cashiers let their tills linger open far too long quite often. As soon as the change is removed and before they tear the receipt off the spool, that drawer needs to be closed. The criminal needs the drawer to remain open to steal your money. You can easily beat them at their own game. Second, forbid your cashiers from even giving change. That’s how it is at our stores. If a customer needs change, we’ll be more than happy to oblige, but they must walk to the service desk where a supervisor assists them.

Cash drops are an important tool to fight against a robbery attempt. They take away that added liability of excess cash in the drawer and help protect against quick change scams. Remember, they most important thing you can do to prepare for a robbery is to prepare for it, every day. Prepare by training your managers to open and close as a team. Prepare by teaching your staff to comply with a robber’s demand. Prepare by dropping excess funds in your safe. Prepare by training your cashiers to do something as simple as closing their drawer quickly. By taking a few simple steps, you can shrink the size of the target on your store.

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Making A Case For Using Alpha Spider Wraps On Cell Phone Cases

November 28, 2016 by Leave a Comment

I have been working in retail for a LONG time now, the majority of those years being in Retail Loss Prevention. Even today as I work in the sales and customer service side of retail, I still draw on my Loss Prevention experience to prevent shoplifting. Just the other day I had an opportunity to stop someone from stealing a cell phone case. This wasn’t just an ordinary case, this has a built in charger that plugs into the mini-port on a phone so it can charge while still in the case. I began watching the suspect when he knelt down in the phone accessory aisle and began picking up phone cases. He reminded me of someone I had stopped from stealing phone cases a few weeks prior to this. As I watched the suspect for a few minutes I noticed that the guy was avoiding the cell phone cases wrapped in Alpha Spider Wrap.

 

The Alpha Spider Wrap is a retail anti-theft device that secures around a piece of merchandise. The device has wires that extend from a housing unit and are wrapped around an item and secured together with a clip. The units have tamper alarms that are set off if someone cuts one of the wires. the noise from the alarm is loud enough to be heard across a store, alerting employees to a possible theft in progress. The Alpha Spider Wrap also activate electonic article surveillance antennas if a piece of merchandise that is protected by a wrap is carried out of a store. The antenna alarms activate and employees are made aware a theft is taking place. Staff respond to the alarm and recover merchandise, OR in many cases, the alarm scares the thief and they drop the merchandise.

 

The “shopper” in my situation was looking at cell phone cases and examing them and then he started to take them out of the packages. While doing this he also looked around and appeared to be trying to make sure no one was watching him.  He did finally seem to settle on a case and he removed it from the package.  He put the package down then palmed the case in his hand and stood with his hand at his side next to the front pocket of his shorts. Based on experience I knew what he was going to do as he took one last glance around the store. I walked towards him and asked if the cell phone case in his hand was the one he wanted to purchase. The “shopper” was clearly startled and fumbled over his words as he tried to tell me he was making a decision about the case and if it was what his daughter needed for her phone. I engaged him in conversation as I would anyone else and at the same time picked up the empty package for the phone.  He asked about the price of it and I scanned it and found it was almost $70.00. My friend was shocked, why he thought it was on clearance for about $6.00. After several minutes of conversation my customer said he might be back and met up with a woman he was with and they walked around for several minutes and left together. Because of our conversation, I believe this was the same person I stopped from shoplifting previously.

 

As I put the case back in the package I was surprised it was not protected with an Alpha Spider Wrap like other phone cases that were a few dollars more in price. As it turned out, the case my customer had his eye on did not fall into the price range of those that our company protects with retail anti-theft devices. Because of a few dollars difference, we almost experienced a loss due to a merchandise theft strategy that is not very flexible. It is my contention that retail anti-theft devices work, they just have to be used in order to do the job. In my opinion, setting a “price point” as a basis for protecting an item is not necessarily the best way to prevent shoplifting. Protect ALL of your products and you will see your merchandise shortage decrease significantly because of their ability to deter theft.

 

Invest in retail anti-theft devices such an Alpha Spider Wrap and you will prevent shoplifting. As you stop theft you will see your profit margin grow and your store in-stocks improve, allowing merchandise to be available to paying customers.

 

The Alpha Spider Wrap are important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.  

 

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Preventing Shoplifting During The Holidays

November 22, 2016 by Leave a Comment

shoppersFrom Miami, Florida to Seattle Washington, police departments across the nation plan to increase police patrols and police officers around shopping malls, downtown, and most frequented shopping areas around their cities to ensure people feel safe when they come out to shop for the holidays.  Another reason is also to ensure shoplifters know police officers are present and that their criminal activity will not go unpunished.  Shoplifting during the holidays increases, and retailers and police departments try to mitigate it by implementing shoplifting measures that can help them keep shoplifting to a minimum.

For this and other topics, follow the links below.

How does Walmart’s latest anti-theft program work?

Walmart is taking a different approach to shoplifters. 

The world’s biggest retailer is using the Restorative Justice Program to help reduce theft and police calls in their stores.

Walmart is often a hotspot for crime, according to an August Bloomberg report.

It’s not only petty crimes that plague Walmart stores all across the country, more than 200 violent crimes- including murders, attempted kidnappings and shootings- have happened in the nation’s 4,500 Walmart stores this year, according to the report.

While the Restorative Justice Program aims to cut down on shoplifting specifically, less petty crime often means less violent crime.

Restorative justice by definition, is a system of criminal justice that focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with victims and the community.

Walmart aims to do just that.

“The program offers first time low risk offenders a second chance in order to make things right by participating in an educational course in lieu of prosecution.” said Delia Garcia, Director of Communications at Walmart.

The program launched in 2014 and is currently in effect in about a third of all Walmart stores, including in the Sacramento market, according to Garcia.

No retailer is immune to shoplifting

If you pay attention to court news, you know there’s a problem with serial shoplifters.

Many individuals are convicted of shoplifting three times or more. Sometimes, they try to steal from the same store.

In Grand Island, the majority of shoplifting violations reported this year have been at department or discount stores. That category is followed by grocery stores/supermarkets and then by convenience stores.

Businesses point out that theft translates into higher costs for customers.

A sign at Super Saver, for instance, says “To keep prices low we have installed an electronic inventory system.”

The number of thefts is probably proportional to the number of shoppers a store attracts, notes Capt. Jim Duering of the Grand Island Police Department. In other words, the greater the foot traffic, the bigger the number of shoplifters.

A Walmart spokeswoman points out that a company with multiple locations in a city will be victimized more than a single entity.

Walmart uses a multi-pronged approach to make sure the store is meeting “our customers and our associates’ expectations for a safe and enjoyable shopping experience,” says Delia Garcia.

Having a safe environment “begins with a very positive relationship with law enforcement,” Garcia said.

Mt. Juliet police increase patrols in shopping areas

Starting this week, Mt. Juliet police will increase patrols in Mt. Juliet’s retail areas for this year’s holiday shopping season.

On Thanksgiving afternoon, Black Friday and throughout the shopping season, more police officers will be concentrated near the primary shopping areas by Interstate-40, according to a release from the Mt. Juliet Police Department.

“The ultimate goal is to deter and prevent criminal activity,” Chief James Hambrick said. “We simply want Mt. Juliet’s shoppers to have a great experience at our area shopping destinations. Residents and visitors will see an increased police presence, and there will also be undercover officers that will not be easily noticed.”

 

 

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How The Changes To Shoplifting Laws Affect You

November 3, 2016 by Leave a Comment

We have begun to see a breakdown in the protection we used to be able to depend on. Recent decisions in California and other areas are basically decriminalizing shoplifting.

These changes in the law by out of touch Legislatures are having a devastating impact on retailer’s and society as a whole. Law makers are not addressing the real problems, only the results. People are able to get away with crime and this will have a further reaching impact on future generations and our society as a whole. pic-1

But today it is causing shoplifting in those geographical areas to rise substantially, impacting the retailer’s bottom line and the consumer’s pocket book.

What are we to do? We can no longer depend on the criminal laws to protect us. The politicians have lost their nerve, their minds and the understanding on why they were elected. But the real problem is that the brave and highly skilled Law Enforcement Officers that are there to protect us all, are barely able to contain violent crime let alone shoplifting.  Budget cuts, Democrats, Republicans…… are all to blame.

But you have solutions.  The first is as professionals, we know that we can only depend on ourselves.  So let’s solve this like any other business problem we face on a daily basis. The real solution has three elements.  The good news is that you do have control of all three.

1. How vulnerable have you made yourself?  

pic-2Step back and take a hard look.  Or better yet ask someone you trust to do that. A friend, another business owner…… they really do not need to have any special skills. You should look at your store from the prospective of the shoplifter. If you were going to steal, how would you do it? Do you have dark areas, high shelving, hidden spots that would make the thief comfortable? Is your store unkempt, dirty and not stocked in an organized way? Shoplifters are attracted to these environments. If you are presenting that look, then the shoplifter probably knows you are not able to keep up or simply do not care. This will also breed more shoplifting as word gets around that YOUR STORE is an easy mark.

2. Equipmentpic-3

I am not going to hit this one hard. You know that we sell and install the finest Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) equipment made worldwide. Checkpoint Systems must be part of your strategy. That is why you see it in almost every major retailer. 

3. Your Staff

pic-4Are they asleep at the switch? Do they care? Have you trained them how you want the shoplifting deterrence program in your store to work and what their roll in it is? This is not something you can put off. It’s like saving money in an account. You got to start. If you are one of Loss Prevention Systems Customers already, then you know this. That is why we conduct live, personalized shoplifting prevention and loss prevention training for our customers. We do this as reasonably often as you need it, free of charge.

These three elements put and keep YOU in control. But you have to start now before it gets worse. And if the trend continues, it will.

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Shoplifting And The Holiday Season

November 1, 2016 by Leave a Comment

grandmaIt is not surprising that CVS is once again the recipient of a lawsuit.  The history of legal suits against the chain is not new.  Black and hispanic shoppers are regularly profiled by the chain according to this Daily news report, and now CVS is targeting the elderly.  During the holiday season, stores do hire more personnel for their store to offset shoplifting, but targeting a specific group is a violation of their constitutional rights as United States citizens.  Profiling has been an ineffective practice that stores and in this case CVS keep engaging in, and which brings them no solution to the problem.

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

10 bizarre things Americans steal during the holidays

Shoplifting ends up costing the average consumer an extra $50 during the holiday season.

Americans tend to get sticky fingers around holiday time.

Shoplifting is a major problem for retailers around the holidays, says Ernie Deyle, the co-author of the Checkpoint Systems’ Retail Holiday Season Global Forecastreleased in October, and an industry consultant. Indeed, 37% of a store’s annual shrink loss — shrink is the revenue companies should receive minus what they do receive, due in large part to a combination of losses from shoplifting, employee theft and fraud — happens during the holiday season.

There’s more theft during the holidays for a number of reasons: Increased store traffic leads to more shoplifting, and people tend to rationalize shoplifting around this time: “It’s much easier to do so when a child’s Christmas present is at stake rather than an extra bathing suit for the summer,” the report reveals. Plus, stores tend to carry pricier merchandise during the holidays, “so even if the same quantity of merchandise was stolen, the value of the merchandise stolen is higher,” the report reveals.

Grandma and Grandpa, shoplifters? CVS thinks so

Public enemy No. 1 at your local CVS: Grandma and Grandpa.

Seven discrimination lawsuits filed Monday against the pharmacy chain in courts across the city include the revelation that a CVS “Loss Prevention” handbook warns employees that senior citizens on a “fixed income” present a “special shoplifting concern.”

Attorneys from the Manhattan law firm Wigdor LLP brought the suits on behalf of former employees arguing that the policy is “tantamount to an admission of discrimination against older customers.”

The lawyers, Michael Willemin and David Gottlieb, have testimony from 16 whistleblower ex-staffers who claim that CVS stores across the city discriminate by profiling elderly shoppers, as well as blacks and Hispanics.

CVS’s 2014 “Loss Prevention” training guide says that “each store may have special shoplifting concerns based on it’s location, type of customer, etc.,” according to court papers. Sticky-fingered seniors are listed as one “special concern,” the suit says.

Rare to have older kids join adults in shoplifting

When it happens, officers must use discretion

Adult shoplifters employ all sorts of methods. Among the most insidious schemes are those that use children as decoys or unknowing partners.

Most times, the kids in cases like these are too young to understand, let alone participate in, the crime. They are infants or toddlers under whose clothing or strollers the stolen items are stashed.

But there also is a smaller subset: adults who use older kids as outright accomplices in shoplifting. This latter problem became an issue here locally this week when Ocala police accused a woman and her boyfriend of inducing the woman’s 12-year-old daughter to help them steal clothing from the Wal-Mart on Southwest 19th Avenue Road.

The girl had the unusual distinction of being both a suspect and a victim in one single criminal experience: Police arrested the girl and charged her with theft, and then charged her mother with both theft and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

 

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