Taking The Offense To Shoplifting

February 28, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Some shoplifters are violent. I follow these incidents and they seem to be becoming more frequent. The reasons why are many and there is plenty of blame to go around: State and local governments, courts and lax Judges, parents and even retailers themselves. Much of that is out of our control. We must keep violent and non-violent shoplifters from even entering our stores.

What is under our control is how we, the retailer, approach the shoplifting problem? First, you cannot be on the defense. We cannot play the defensive strategy any longer. You must go on the offense! Defense is putting up a sign like “no shoplifting” or some other weak response in place and hoping for the best. This includes a camera system. I cannot even count the number of retailers that have asked me why they still have a shoplifting problem when they invested in CCTV.  CCTV is a passive system; it does nothing pro-active.  CCTV is great for after the fact but even the dumbest shoplifter knows you do not have the staff to be watching all the time.

An EAS system like a Checkpoint System is a PROACTIVE system. It is working 24/7. It does not take breaks, vacations or let its mind wander or get distracted. A Checkpoint System protects your retail good at all times. The shoplifters know this and for the most part will be deterred by a Checkpoint System when they look in your doorway. 

If we deter shoplifters by going on the offense as they walk in, then we also reduce the chances for a violent encounter. Contact us today for information on your Checkpoint System and let’s go on the offense together.  

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THE IMPOSSIBLE ACT OF “SELLING YOUR WAY OUT OF SHRINK”

February 28, 2017 by Leave a Comment

I recently read over an article opining the phrase “sales cures shrink”. While the author touched on both sides of the coin, I found it interesting that in today’s retail climate, anyone would think that you can simply sell your way out of losses. Let’s cut to the chase here; we’re not bringing in 20% increases over last year, hell we’re lucky to come in flat to last year. Online giants like Amazon are eating up market share like never before and if brick and mortar don’t do something fast, sales will continue to slump.

Let’s break this down a bit further. Let’s say your shrink last year was 2% to your sales of $1,000,000. That’s a loss of $20,000 for the year, or about $57 a day. Taking that shrink number and dividing that into your loss per day gets you right at $2680. That means you have to sell an additional $2,680 on top of that $57 loss just to get to the break-even point. Understand this, you CANNOT stay in business if all you’re doing is breaking even. You just can’t. You need to turn a profit!

Being a realist here, there is no way that you’re ever going to sell your way out of shrink. EVER. It is a flawed philosophy and if you ever hear someone utter this crummy phrase, understand that whomever that person is, they have no idea what they are talking about. Unless you have some miracle business model and you’re bringing in money hand over fist, then “selling your way out of shrink” just isn’t an option. It’s a start…

Offsetting shrink takes a multi-faceted approach. Just as you can’t sell your way out of shrink, you can’t very well keep everything under lock and key, and it’s impractical to have the security devices on every single sku. If you’re trying to increase sales, you may be inclined to have more displays of merchandise. Copious amounts of data show that a customer is more likely to make a high dollar purchase if they have a chance to touch and feel the item. (Think sunglasses, hunting scopes, sports equipment, etc.) To sell it, they have to be able to touch it. For you not to lose it, you need to secure it in some manner. Once you find the balance of sales vs. LP procedure, you’ll find the winning formula for shrink reduction.

Proper security measures will only go so far to stop external losses. Internal theft accounts for an even bigger percentage of losses inside your store. Knowing who to hire, and whom you are hiring are both vital spokes in the retail wheel of shrink reduction. You need to go a step further and encourage a culture of honesty, integrity and ethics in your store. Employees should feel invested in your business, as that emotional attachment will likely deter an employee from stealing.

As with any problem, there are always a multitude of solutions to bring about positive change. Get away from a soloed approach to shrink and look at all the ways your losses may be tackled. Just as you would be foolish to believe that locking up all of your merchandise would stop theft, you’re of equal foolishness if you believe that sales are the cure all for shrink; and I personally, pity the fool.

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TAKE AN OFFENSIVE APPROACH TO EMPLOYEE THEFT

February 28, 2017 by Leave a Comment

I’ve been doing employee theft investigations for years now. Sometimes, they’re a blast. Often, they frustrate me. Not because the person is a thief, but because the loss could be so avoidable if managers would take the time and play offense. Sure, we can run reports and watch video, but all that’s doing is keeping us on the D-Line. You have to play hard and not be afraid to call an audible when needed.

Kick things off in the interview

Are you a good interviewer, or do you just think you are? I’ve sat around and listened to dozens of managers interview potential candidates. Some stick to the HR script, others go off on their own tangents, others talk non-stop for 20 minutes and rarer, are the mangers that take time to get to know their candidate. Just because someone can show up for an interview doesn’t mean they should get the job.

When asking questions, do so in a way that allows you to understand the candidates work ethic. Don’t ask if they enjoy hard work (most will say YES)! But instead ask for examples in their life where they had to work hard at a job or task. Instead of asking if they think it’s wrong for an employee to steal, ask instead at what point do they feel it’s the job’s fault that an employee steals. Bottom line, get the candidate talking. If you’re doing more than listening, take a step back and ask if you really know the candidate before offering a job.

Return with a background check

Trust, but verify. In today’s world, there really is no excuse to hire a criminal. A background check is simple, easy and provide a host of information that lets you make a more informed hiring decision. People lie. Get over and stay ahead of it.

First down with a strong training program

A good employee has to have a strong foundation. Training an employee shows that you are willing to invest into that person. That goes a long way for most people. If someone took the time to invest time, company resources and money into you, chances are, it becomes morally harder for you to steal from that person. Just look at the opposite. Say you hire a new person for your stock team. The only time they have manager engagement is during the interview and they are thrown to the wolves to learn the job on their own. They won’t care about the job and more importantly, they won’t care about you. That emotional tie is severed and an unhappy employee is more likely to steal from you.

Second down with a culture of integrity

Rules and policies are in place for a specific reason. We simply cannot live and work without structure. It’s important to always address policy violations from all of your team members. Don’t let the little things slip; they can easily snowball out of control. For example, let’s imagine Manager Dave is talking near the front lanes with Little Wendy. Little Wendy grabs a cold drink from the cooler and fails to pay. Little Wendy knows that Manager Dave saw her do this, but Manager Dave doesn’t “sweat the small stuff.” Next week, Little Wendy steals a shirt; she got away with drink, right? Week after that, she steals a designer hand bag. Before you know it, Little Wendy is robbing you blind.

Be open with your team about your expectations. Every employee should know that above all else, honesty and integrity is rewarded. Transversely, failing to meet those standards guarantees the quickest ticket to the unemployment line.

Third down with basic control policies

Implement some very basic controls to prevent employee theft. This is as simple as requiring all employees to check out at one designated register. It could also mean that no personal items/belongings such as purses, jackets, backpacks or lunch kits be kept on the sales floor/office areas and that they must be kept in the break room area. It could also be implementing a package check of all employees prior to the end of their shift. For cashiers, you could have policies that limit the dollar amount of return transactions before needing a 2nd level approval. Think of the ways an employee can steal from you and then implement a control to stay one step ahead.

Touchdown with weeding our poor performers

Even the best interviews end up sideways. I can recall at least two from my past. One young man in particular still stands out, even 10 years later. He was the most enthusiastic and well-spoken person I had interviewed in my career at that point. He was going to be a shining star, I just knew it. 3 weeks into the job and I realized he was a complete flake. Attendance was horrible, performance was below standards, couldn’t multi-task. Disregarded the uniform policy; you name it, he did it. At first, I let it slide due to his sales ability and how attentive he was with customers. That, I learned, hurt the morale of the rest of the team. When you have someone that’s not meeting your expectations, cut them. It’s very easy for a person who can’t follow policies to quickly slip into stealing. I’ve seen it happen time and time again.

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Technology And Shoplifting

February 28, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Shoplifting affects everyone. As shoplifting and employee theft seem to be an unstoppable problem for the retail industry, researchers try to find different methods to prevent and combat shoplifting.  Law makers across the country try to pass laws to deter shoplifters by imposing harsher sentences. Technology has for many years now helped loss prevention personnel catch shoplifters, and prevent bigger loses for stores.  But as technology has improved, shoplifters ways have changed to account for the technology being used to catch them.  As the technology evolves, so does the shoplifter. Are you keeping abreast of the problem? Keep reading by clicking the links below.

Why hasn’t security technology put an end to shoplifting?

As the UK crime rate falls, there is one crime that is on the rise. Recent figures show that shoplifting has consistently grown by an annual 6% against a wider backdrop of reduced crime. This statistic is surprising considering the vast amount of time, money and effort that goes into developing anti-shoplifting technology. So why isn’t it working?

How does anti-shoplifting technology work?

The vast majority of retail stores are equipped with several high tech security measures. CCTV cameras are the most common. According to the College of Policing, CCTV is more effective as a method of gaining evidence to catch and convict a criminal than as a deterrent.

Many security camera providers provide monitoring services to ensure footage is captured and analysed as efficiently as possible. However, surveillance systems require careful planning; Banham Group, security experts with more than 90 years’ industry experience, advise that CCTV installation must include guidance, particularly on data protection laws and system legalities.

Through the Eyes of a Shoplifter

In the June 1968 issue of the magazine, then-managing editor John J. Sullivan tried his hand at shoplifting from a few independent stores, just to see how easy it was to get merchandise past the sales register.

He didn’t have much trouble. With prior permission from the owners, he hit six stores in and around one city in one weekend, for a total of almost $250 worth of merchandise in about an hour—more than $1,700 today. Then-editor Bob Vereen got in on the experiment too, taking nearly $25 worth of merchandise in about 10 minutes from one store.

The point wasn’t, of course, to steal product from hardworking, honest hardware retailers. It was to show how easy it was to do so.

For a quick checklist you can share with your employees to make sure everyone is working to improve store security, click here to download our Loss Prevention Checklist.

Not all businesses on board with new shoplifting proposal

QUINCY, Ill. (WGEM) –

A new proposal by the Illinois State Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform has been met with multiple opponents.

Right now, any theft valuing over $300 will land you a felony charge in Illinois. An Illinois criminal justice reform group has asked lawmakers to raise that thievery threshold to $2,000, in an attempt to combat prison overcrowding.

Executive Director Amy Looten of the Quincy Chamber of Commerce said on Monday that there are many reasons to oppose it.

“For every product that walks out the door, they’re not paying sales tax on that.” Looten said. “So our local government, our state government is not getting that income from the sales tax.”

Quincy Menard’s Assistant General Manager Scott Warner added on Monday that shoplifting affects many more people than just the person stealing.

 

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Are You Ready To Catch A Shoplifter?

February 21, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Big retail stores across the nation rely primarily in technology to prevent shoplifting according to industry analysts.  The physical loss prevention officers of long ago, are quickly being replaced by technology in the stores.  The interpretation and study of the data obtained fighting shoplifting and employee theft are invaluable during these times. 

While smaller stores rely on locking freezers to protect their merchandise, that is not feasible for most other stores. Smaller stores need to understand the problem, and find a  solution that is reasonable for them.

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

Retailer forced to use bike lock on chillers to prevent shoplifting

A Coventry convenience retailer has been forced to fit a bicycle chain lock on his chiller doors to prevent shoplifting after it cost him £12,000 last year.

Paul Cheema, owner of Malcolm’s Store, said as well as the bike lock, he had put bells on the chillers. He said the store had been targeted by gangs stealing large amounts of meat and cheese.

Speaking to Radio 4’s You and Yours, Cheema said: “One man took 32 packs of bacon and 20 packs of cheese. We put bicycle chains and doorbells on our fridges so every time a door opens an alarm sounds.”

He added that he was using social media to post pictures of suspects.

Eyes open: Catching shoplifters takes vigilance, prevention

When a retailer sees someone suspicious wandering the aisles, they can’t just call police.

Acting shady in a store isn’t illegal. Neither is putting an item in your pocket.

Under North Dakota law, an item must be taken past the last point of sale before it is considered stolen.

Jerry Cox, a regional manager for Valley Dairy in Grand Forks, said employees at their nine area convenience stores are trained to watch for shoplifters.

Often, he said, a shoplifter will pocket some items and purchase others. If an employee sees someone tuck something away between the aisles, they have to give the person every chance to pay. The clerk often will ask if there’s anything else they want.

“You have to assume they’re honest,” Cox said.

Using technology in today’s loss prevention career environment

“You don’t have to be an IT guy to understand cyber security, and it’s critical that you have enough of an understanding to know what questions to ask”

As an adjunct professor for AMU’s Center for Applied Learning, Dr. Robert Pittman imparts wisdom to next-generation loss prevention leaders, for whom he has the following warning—you can never “complete” your education. The world, risks, and business are always changing and loss prevention practitioners, and the loss prevention industry as a whole, must continually adapt. If not, individuals will find their career paths limited and the industry itself—just now gaining a seat at the management table—could be pushed to the background.

Today’s major retail operations are driven by technology, and entire supply chains rely on how effectively it is managed. Loss prevention practitioners need to have the skills to effectively navigate this tech-based environment if they want to advance their careers and help the LP industry thrive, Pittman believes. “Loss prevention used to be about focusing on the shoplifter in the store, but that’s completely changed. Those strictly physical security guys are quickly becoming extinct,” he said.

 

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Tips To Prevent Shoplifting and Employee Theft

February 13, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Shrinkage and employee theft cost the retail industry an approximate $42 billion a year according to recent industry studies.  Businesses around the globe lose less than merchants in the United States, but the quantity lost is still a tremendous amount that put retailers in a precarious position.  In the United States, the study suggest that close to half of revenue lost is due to employee theft. The retail industry is aware that while shoplifting accounts for a lot of lost revenue, employee theft can be so much more devastating for their business.

To read more about this and other topics, follow the links below.

Law column: Dealing with employee theft

Policies, record keeping can help protect employers.

There recently has been a spate of news articles regarding theft and embezzlement from Iowa cities. Former city clerks in Delhi, Garwin and Vining are all alleged to have embezzled or improperly spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars.

In another instance, a former city clerk in Casey was even indicted on charges of burning down City Hall to hide her alleged theft.

As the above stories revealed, an employer may not discover the crime until years after it has begun during an official audit or when someone follows a hunch or notices an irregularity. The Iowa State Auditor warned cities to “trust but verify” employees that handle money.

Public employers are not alone. One study by a national supermarket organization found that its employees were responsible for around 56 percent of supermarket thefts.

Such theft included shoplifting, taking cash from registers and/or providing unauthorized customer discounts. Theft should always be a terminable offense.

Top safety tips to prevent shoplifting

Despite the prevalence of security cameras and high-tech alarm systems, shoplifting continues to be a concern for retailers across the country, with well-versed thieves easily able to outwit these technological barriers.

For business owners this alarming trend is especially unnerving, given their reliance on stock and increasing competition from online retail sites. Rather than simply accepting theft as part of business ownership, it is important that storeowners remain vigilant, enforcing appropriate preventative measures and learning to identify some of the key signs that could give a criminal away. 

Here are a few top tips to bear in mind to avoid falling victim to shoplifting:

1. Know the signs

While not all shoplifters employ the same modus operandi, a few key behavioural traits should raise the alarm. Shoppers trying not to be noticed or walking around nervously are obvious candidates, as are those who loiter purposefully, picking up and putting back the same items repeatedly.

4 Home Depot workers in Palm Coast fired after helping nab suspected shoplifter

PALM COAST — Four Home Depot employees in Palm Coast say they are shocked, saddened, and left wondering why they were fired this week after helping to recover almost $1,000 in stolen store merchandise.

Jeffrey Miller, 59, of Palm Coast said he’d been working at the store on Garden Street for 10 years when he was fired Wednesday over a November incident in which he tried to help other employees stop a suspected shoplifter.

He said his help landed an already-wanted thief in jail, but a company spokesman said the interference was against national corporate policy.

“I was really shocked,” Miller said Thursday about being fired. “I never confronted this individual. Even if I saw him in a lineup I wouldn’t be able to show you what he looked like. All I was doing is getting a license plate (number).”

 

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How Businesses Are Combating Shoplifting

February 1, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Inventory, policies and procedures, and every aspect of how you run your store should be checked regularly.  Implementing policies, or business procedures in your store and never checking whether they are working or not is not profitable. Is your return policy being carried out as it was implemented?  Are you letting employees go unsupervised when it comes to returns?  There are many employees that are exceptional workers and work diligently and honestly, but it’s always better to maintain an atmosphere where they know the owner or management of the store are on top of things.

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

Businesses rally to prevent shoplifting

TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) – Serial shoplifters cost business owners in Pima County $5.91 million a year. On Wednesday, the Pima County Attorney, law enforcement, and local retailers partnered together for the new “We Watch, We Prosecute” campaign to stop thieves.

2016 was the first year ever that 100% of retailers say they were victims of organized retail theft, according to a study by the National Retail Federation.
Police say 80% of organized shoplifters steal because of drug addiction.
The Tucson Metro Chamber brought together retailers, law enforcement and prosecutors to form the Coalition Against Retail Theft (CART).
CART’s “We Watch, We Prosecute” campaign will:
Educate retailers and consumers on protecting themselves from organized theft through workshops.

Increase tools for retailers to identify and help prosecute organized retail thieves by working more with law enforcement.

Westport police capture serial shoplifter

Detectives from the Westport Police Department have arrested a man they say is responsible for a number of shoplifting incidents at Lee’s Supermarket.

Police arrested Gutemberg Freitas of Westport for allegedly shoplifting more than $150 during a number of visits to the supermarket. Freitas was dubbed the “gassy bandit” after taking a package of Beano food enzyme supplements out of its packaging and leaving the store without paying for the supplements.

Police say Freitas, on a number of occasions, removed the Universal Product Code (UPC) labels from items then swapped them out with less expensive items. His thefts trace back as far as November 2016.

Diebold Nixdorf debuts world’s smallest self-checkout at National Retail Federation’s BIG show

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Imagine heading to your favorite supermarket and having the store know not only that you’re coming in, but what you plan to buy. Then as you walk through the aisles putting items in your cart, you’re also scanning them with your phone, which keeps a running tally of how much you’re spending as you go.

When you’re ready to check out, you bypass the lines at the registers and head straight to the self-checkout terminal, where you pay for your purchases with cash or a credit card swipe, and walk out.

That’s the kind of scenario that Diebold Nixdorf, the Summit County-based ATM and bank security company, envisions as it unveils what it calls “the world’s smallest self-checkout concept” at the National Retail Federation’s NRF BIG Show in New York on Jan. 15-17.

Diebold Nixdorf’s latest innovation lets customers withdraw cash or pay for their purchases at a kiosk that’s less than 10-inches wide, or the length of one and a half dollar bills. The kiosks take up a fraction of the floor-space of current ATMs and self-checkout registers and combines those abilities within a single unit that can fit almost anywhere, the company said.

 

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Set The Tone For Your Business In 2017

January 31, 2017 by Leave a Comment

How did your retail business do in 2016? Face it, regardless of how well you did or did not do, you could have done much better. The key is to keep your cash, assets and merchandise on YOUR bottom line not someone else’s. Thieves take the money you could have had away, easily in some cases.

The problem is that thieves like shoplifters and employees that steal from you, are attracted to you like flies to honey. Only your assets are the honey. And once one finds you and your weakness, then here they come. Shoplifters talk to each other. They are no different from anyone else. Shoplifters associate with, well other like-minded people… other shoplifters. They share ideas, techniques and discuss the best places to score. If you make their list, then you become the honeycomb not just the honey.

The key is to set the right tone. For example, with shoplifters you must have a two prong attack. First, excellent customer interaction; every customer must be recognized when they enter your store. One out of ten people that walk through your doors is there to shoplift. That is an established fact, yes, even in YOUR store. It is also well established that over 50% of those shoplifters will not shoplift during that visit if greeted.

But what about the other nine people? They are your legitimate customers that you depend on. Greeting them is also critical. It lets them you know you appreciate them and their very presence. This type of interaction also tends to close more and better sales. Why are they in YOUR store as opposed to a big box retailer? You may even sell some of the same merchandise. For the most part they are looking for that interaction, give it to them!

The second piece is electronic protection. You and your staff cannot be everywhere, with every customer all the time. Shoplifters seek out this situation and in many cases will create it. An Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) system such as a Checkpoint System is actively working 24/7 and tells the one out of ten shoplifters “go away” even as they enter your store. Shoplifters know what a Checkpoint System is and will shy away. They will go down the street to someone who is “easier”. Your other 9 customers will not care or in most cases even know what the system is for.

2017 is time to kick butt in sales. By all indications the economy will start to pick up. Let that work for you, not the shoplifter. Contact us today. We can help you with BOTH pieces, customer interaction and a Checkpoint Systems solution and help you make ALL of 2017 a great retail sales and profit year.

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How Do You Handle Returns, Refunds, Voids: Is It Easy For Someone To Steal Money? Now Is A Good Time To Review Your Procedures.

January 31, 2017 by Leave a Comment

If you were asked what area of your store would present the most opportunity for employee theft and fraud, what would you answer? The checkout lanes where cashiers have access to the register, the ability to pass merchandise,  or steal gift cards and credit cards? At the register cashiers also have access to electronic article surveillance (EAS) detachment tools and deactivation pads. It is easy enough for them to “unprotect” merchandise and walk it out of the store undetected. Perhaps the sales floor, where employees can take merchandise and conceal it  in the boxes of other merchandise then return and purchase it later (box stuffing)? On the sales floor they have the ability to conceal merchandise under clothing or wear clothing belonging to the store and walk out during a “break” without paying for it.  Maybe the stockroom staff has the most opportunity to steal since they generally have little direct supervision and have plenty of hiding spaces to conceal empty packages if they take something not protected with EAS tags or devices. One area that could be overlooked and can be a source of a significant amount of undetected theft and fraud is the return desk.

     What can happen at the return desk that makes it a vulnerable point for employee theft? Cash theft, merchandise theft, return fraud, gift card fraud or any combination of these can take place here.  When a customer returns merchandise with a receipt is the cashier giving the original receipt back to the customer along with the new receipt?  What do you do with items that have been returned? Is there a central location for keeping returns until they can be processed? Is there a procedure in place for getting returned merchandise protected with electronic article surveillance tags and anti-theft devices shortly after the return takes place? If you haven’t thought about the ramifications of not having adequate procedures in place, then this list will provide you with some reasons evaluate your processes and options for improving controls:

  • If a return is done, the item returned should be circled on the original receipt and the slip for the completed return attached and handed back to the customer. Return desk employees who keep receipts may be fraudulently refunding other items from the receipt that were not really returned. They then remove that amount of cash from the register and keep it.
  • Do you audit the merchandise at the return desk? You should be able to review each item and verify it was returned and when. You could find that a dishonest employee is stealing returned merchandise that was not damaged. If there is no auditing, there is little chance the employee will be caught engaging in theft.
  • If a piece of merchandise is returned and the same item is protected with an anti-theft device on the sales floor, is that merchandise being processed and secured right away? Failing to immediately secure merchandise with EAS protection could be an indicator an employee intends to steal it.
  • Is the service desk area neat, organized and set up so everything has a place? Or is the return area cluttered and unorganized with random merchandise laying all over the counters, in storage bins and on the floor? If so, there is greater opportunity for employees to hide merchandise they would like to steal. If there is no organization it becomes very difficult to determine what should be behind the desk and what shouldn’t be.
  • Do you monitor for excessive line voids from your cashiers, including the return desk associate? Employees who void multiple items during sales transactions may be passing merchandise to friends or family members.
  • Inspect boxed and packaged merchandise returns. Open the package to be sure the proper merchandise is inside. Some thieves will put in the wrong item to defraud the store. Also look at shrink wrapped merchandise being returned. There are criminals that will take the time to change out the merchandise in the box for a rock or item with a similar weight and then shrink wrap the package. It looks like it was not opened, but often a close inspection will reveal an edge or a corner that does not appear to be manufacturer issued…open it up!
  • Are return desk employees assigned their own register till? Multiple cashiers working on a register makes it difficult to identify the source of a cash shortage.

The return desk can be a tricky area to control and can be the location where shortage, theft and fraud can run rampant. Take the time to review your procedures and be sure you are doing all you can to deter criminal activity.

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Look At Your Policies, Cash Flow, Deposits, Cash Drawers. Are You Setting Yourself Up For Theft? Either By A shoplifter Or An Employee?

January 31, 2017 by Leave a Comment

What policies do you have in place concerning cash handling, deposits, cash flow and preventing theft by a shoplifter or employee? If you have policies when did you last review them? If you don’t have set procedures and policies you are putting your store at risk for theft and potential robbery. Below are a few suggestions that can be used to create policies or strengthen polices already in place.

CASH FLOW

Starting with your cash office, there are things your cash counter, managers/supervisors and you can do to maintain cash flow integrity. At the start of the day the cash office employee should set up your money bags for registers with a set starting amount for each one. A manager should put the money in the tills and verify the tills are correct. I prefer money bags be used to move cash from the cash office to the registers with each bag being numbered to match a corresponding register. Some locations have the cash counter set up the tills and the tills are carried to the check-lanes. A rolling cash cart with a drop slot and locking door can be used to move the money bags to and from the cash office keeping cash secure. When a cashier is done for the day the money from their register can be placed in a money bag and dropped into the cart and rolled back to the cash office by a front end supervisor. A log should be kept requiring each person entering the cash office to write the time they entered, the date and their name and the time they exit. Money should always be locked in a safe and never left out on a counter in the cash office.

DEPOSITS

     Deposits can be done in one of two ways. Some small stores have a manager take deposits to the bank or get change from the bank when the need arises. The second method is to contract with an armored car company to pick up deposits and bring change orders. This is the safest method and my recommended method for deposits. However, it is an expense and may not be in the budget for a small business. IF your managers are making the deposits, there are several safety precautions to take. NEVER go at the same time of day, it establishes a pattern for a criminal who may be looking for an opportunity to rob the manager. Likewise, NEVER take the same route to the bank every time, change up the direction even if there are only a couple of ways to get there. Always have someone watch the manager from the exit doors as the manager walks to their car and be ready with a cell phone to call 911 if a robbery takes place.

CASH DRAWERS

    Train cashiers to never allow a customer to reach over the counter and get near the register drawer. IF someone reaches towards the drawer the register should be shut. Registers should be closed immediately following a transaction. If a cashier is sorting through the money or “straightening” they could be slipping money out and pocketing it or dropping money, then putting it in their pocket. Don’t “exchange” bills for patrons, there are some shoplifters who also engage in short changing and confusing cashiers and steal money using this method. Others will argue they did not get the right amount of change and start reaching in the till. If there is a dispute over change a manager needs to conduct a till audit with a partner, in the cash office. If there are enough registers in the store, limit one cashier to one register, when the cashier is done for the day, their money goes in their bag with a supervisor present and the supervisor drops it in the cash cart and rolls it to the cash office. Keep large bills under the till, if they are on top they are easy to see and easier for a grab and run. Consider purchasing locking till covers for registers that have money in them but are not currently in use. There are traveling shoplifting rings and till tap rings that have register keys and will open drawers if no one is paying attention. Till covers prevent someone from getting to the cash even if they open the drawer. Finally, when a register has too many large bills or excessive amounts of money, do a skim and take the excess to the cash office.

Cash handling policies can make your business safer and more profitable. Establish them and then periodically review them to ensure they are being followed.

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