Don’t Know What You’ve Got Until It’s Gone

May 6, 2014 by Leave a Comment

theft (11)Inventory accuracy is absolutely critical to maximizing sales and customer satisfaction. In the most basic of terms, if you do not have product, you cannot make a sale. If you cannot make a sale, your customer will be dissatisfied and will go somewhere else to make their purchase.

There are two kinds of inventory tracking and processes: Periodic and perpetual inventories.

A periodic inventory is one where a business takes an inventory on an infrequent basis. It might be every six months, or even annually. At that time, all of the current merchandise/ assets are accounted for. Inventory numbers are then based off of the previous inventory.

Thanks to the accessibility of computers and other digital tools, perpetual inventory is more common. It tracks each movement that the inventory takes from receipt of the product, to sales, to returns. This allows for much more immediate reaction to stock levels, customer satisfaction, and theft concerns. Inventory levels can be determined immediately through a spot check called a cycle count.

A cycle count is an informal count of a specific item of merchandise. Say you are gearing up for a sale and want to know if you have enough merchandise to satisfy the demands of the sale. You can look at your perpetual inventory system and see “item X” should have a quantity of 10. You go throughout the store and look to find all 10 pieces of inventory. After looking on the sales floor, stock rooms, and wrap stands you find all 10 pieces and know your inventory on hand is accurate.

If you can only find 5 of the item, you would start by ordering in more of the product to satisfy your upcoming sale. Next you would want to investigate why you are missing 5 of “item X”. Did they break and get thrown into the garbage unaccounted for? Were they stolen? Is this a shipment from a vendor that is in transit? Did the vendor make a paperwork error and over charge you?

By upgrading your inventory systems to a perpetual inventory you can react faster to such shortages and then quickly resolve the losses.  You still want to have a periodic inventory, at a minimum once a year, to ensure your inventory is accurate. Cycle counts are good to spot check items, but simply cannot be done for the thousands of SKUs that most businesses carry on any given day.

Call us today at 1-770-426-0547 if you would like help fixing your loss Prevention problems.

Sell More, Lose Less!

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Out Of Your League

May 6, 2014 by Leave a Comment

theft (2)A Professional Shoplifter is the hardest category of thief to thwart. The professional shoplifter is well equipped and has the ability to create a devastating financial loss in a single incident of theft. After evaluating how the professional works, some solutions will be provided.

The professional shoplifter is one that is seen as looking to steal specifically to make a profit off of their heist. These are the criminals that do this for a living. It is a full time job for them, so don’t even think you can wait them out to make them go away. Professionals are often well connected. They are frequently part of a larger organized crime ring. That means that the person inside your store is simply an employee of a larger organization of criminals.

These thieves can be addicts or homeless people paid to do the dirty work of stealing. It can also be people who have been doing this for years and have no fear of getting caught. Either way, each theft is big, quick, and the merchandise is selected ahead of time since they know how or where they will sell it later.

Professionals typically commit, grab and run. It is a simple but effective scheme. The shoplifter loads up bags or carts of merchandise. They linger by exit doors and wait till the coast is clear. Then they run out the door, into a getaway car that is waiting for them.

Professionals will also use tools like foil lined bags to thwart EAS devices and prevent the alarms from registering. They might use other boosters such as secret linings inside a coat or other clothing to hide large quantities of merchandise.

Beyond the industry standard of EAS tags and labels there are a few other ways to reduce your losses if you have a group of professional thieves targeting you. One way is to determine if there is a pattern to which items you are loosing. If every time you get a shipment of toothpaste in, you loose the entire shelf’s worth, the obvious solution is to limit the quantity of toothpaste you put on the shelf at any time. It sends a message that you are aware of the theft and are working out plans to mitigate them.

The next way to stop professionals is through constant vigilance. Talk to neighboring retailers and local law enforcement to develop a community network. Share ideas and insight to bring an end to the theft. In the mean time find ways to identify your product. You can use EAS labels that have your store’s name and contact information on them. You can even take a marker and write your store number or another indicator next to the bar code. Even something as simple as an “X” will push the thieves down the road to unidentifiable merchandise.

Call us today at 1-770-426-0547 if you would like help fixing your loss Prevention problems.

Sell More, Lose Less!

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Do Your Employees Know Your Business Shoplifting Policy?

April 28, 2014 by Leave a Comment

law-3If the management and/or supervisors do not have a clear sense what the shoplifting policy for the store is, the chances are your other employees will not have any idea what to do in a case of a shoplifting  case at the store.  Making your workforce knowledgeable about the company’s policy about shoplifting can in the future prevent situations that can be detrimental for your business and your staff.

Read more about the shoplifting rulings in Arizona, and other measures in other Townships.

An Arlington Kroger Manager Was Fired For Body-Slamming a Shoplifter

Kroger, according to the wisdom of online shoplifting forums, doesn’t have a firm “no-chase” policy, at least not one that’s routinely heeded. Leave the store without paying, and you may well have a store manager on your tail.

Claude Medlock did. The 51-year-old — a seasoned veteran of taking other people’s stuff, with a long rap sheet of robbery and theft convictions — was confronted in the parking lot of an Arlington Kroger by a store manager.

It did not end well for Medlock. The manager slammed the alleged shoplifter into a car, disarmed him of a knife, then body-slammed him on the pavement. All captured on video.

It didn’t end well for the manager, either. Kroger fired him, telling Fox 4 that his actions were “not a reflection of our company’s fraud prevention, protocol, procedures or training.”

Ruling: Right to jury trial in shoplifting cases

PHOENIX — Citing 17th Century English law, the state Court of Appeals concluded Thursday that those charged with shoplifting are entitled to demand a trial by jury.

In a unanimous decision, the judges said the Arizona Constitution makes it clear that if a jury trial was mandated for a crime during territorial days, then that right remains more than a century later. They said the fact that the crime is only a misdemeanor, punishable by six months in jail, does not override that constitutional right.

Thursday’s ruling is most immediately a defeat for the city of Peoria which had argued against having to go through the time and expense of a jury trial for Edward Bosworth. But the decision has implications for other city and county prosecutors who have until now convinced municipal judges and justices of the peace that they alone can decide a shoplifter’s guilt.

Both the state and federal constitutions entitle people charged with crimes to a trial by jury. But courts generally have held that right does not extend to offenses which can result in jail time of less than six months. And that means all misdemeanors.

In Arizona, however, there’s another factor at work. The state constitution, adopted when Arizona became a state, spells out that “the right of trial by jury shall remain inviolate.”

Appellate Judge Lawrence Winthrop, writing Thursday’s ruling, said that means if someone was entitled to a jury trial prior to 1912 for a comparable common law offense, then that right continues to exist.

When shoplifting cases are selling like hotcakes

Deptford Township has the right idea with a new ordinance that fines retail businesses if they call police on shoplifters and fail to follow through.

Police in the township handle about 2,000 shoplifting calls annually, which is understandable for the home of Deptford Mall and a multitude of mega-power centers.

But here’s the rub, and the main rationale for imposing limits: Only about 400, or one fifth, of the five-finger-discount calls result in prosecution in any given year.

Police should not waste time responding to businesses that won’t sign complaints. Worse, say officials, police can wait in court to testify against suspects — but the store owners don’t show up.

When the ordinance takes effect, a store will get only two cases per month that don’t result in prosecution. If there are more such calls, the store will be fined $250 for each one.

Mayor Paul Medany says that “big-box” retailers — those most likely to have sophisticated store security — take the most advantage of the willingness of the police to come running.

“I feel very strongly, personally, that the big-box retailers have to provide security, cameras and loss prevention officers,” Medany said. “You’ve got to protect your store better.”

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Shoplifting News

April 25, 2014 by Leave a Comment

theft (12)Shoplifting cases across our nation are ever so present.  Shoplifting cases in New Jersey, Washington, Texas, and Detroit are some of the examples of what the retail industry faces every single day.  Shoplifting rings are as prevalent as the shoplifting individual, and the economic hardship the stores suffer because of it can be devastating for the store and for the economic growth of a community.

Read more news about shoplifting by following the links below.

Shoplifting Suspects Possibly Part of a Ring

Police believe they may have busted up part of a shoplifting ring. Three women were arrested over the weekend, accused of stealing from a Gaithersburg store. Investigators believe at least one of them also hit a Lord & Taylor where a security guard was pepper-sprayed Friday.

Police believe they’ve busted up part of a shoplifting ring in Montgomery County.

Groups of women have been targeting stores in the area and even pepper-sprayed an employee at one last week.

Shoplifters hit two Lord & Taylor stores Friday and a Burlington Coat Factory Saturday, where three were arrested.

“Them stealing from stores brings up our prices, and we have to pay more, so it is a concern of ours,” said Gaithersburg police Officer Dan Lane.

Police arrested Ikia Williams, Shantel Dorsey and a third woman Saturday. At least one of them is suspected in the pepper-spraying of a Lord & Taylor security guard.

Detroit Police Bust Shoplifting Ring Accused Of Stealing $15K Of Stuff Per Day

While you might think you know about shoplifting based on that ill-advised stint in middle school when everyone was doing it, cops in Detroit have fried a much bigger fish than your normal grab-and-go thieves: Investigators say they’ve just busted a shoplifting ring responsible for stealing as much as $15,000 worth of merchandise a day and reselling it on the Internet.

According to the Detroit Free Press, the accused thieves worked out of a 7,600-square-foot warehouse that served as the hub for the multimillion-dollar theft ring. Cops say it’s the largest such operation they’ve seen.

The county sheriff called the operation “amazing in size and scope,” and said it probably has been doing business for years before drug investigators happened upon it last month.

Investigators say the shoplifters were given shopping lists of what to steal, like cold medicine, antacids and other over-the-counter drugs from CVS, Walgreens and others. Theft of those items led investigators to the ring, thinking perhaps it was connected to making methamphetamine.

The “shoppers” would then wear special clothing designed to hide their ill-gotten gains, stuff their pockets full and bring the goods to the warehouse. They were allegedly paid $2,500 in cash per day for their hauls.

Two Deputies Hurt as Shoplifting Suspect Flees

Two alleged shoplifters face charges in connection with a knife attack on a Loss Prevention Employee at Park City Center.  City police responded to a call at about 1:30 pm to Boscov’s Park City store where Loss Prevention employees were holding two shoplifters. Before officers could arrive on the scene one of the male suspect produced knife. He stabbed the employee on the hand and then he and the female fled on foot.

The first officers began to arrive on the scene. After seeing that the employee was being taken care of, they pursued the suspects. The female was apprehended after a short chase. Other officers spotted the male suspect running across a parking lot and back inside Park City. Converging police caught up with the suspect in a common area outside J.C. Penney without further incident.

Witnesses positively identified the suspect who taken to police headquarters in downtown Lancaster. The knife used in the assault was also recovered. Witnesses told police that the suspects had been confronted regarding thefts from multiple retailers in Park City. When the male suspect produced the knife and cut the employee, he then held the knife to the employees throat and threaten to harm again. The male told the female to collect the loot that had been confiscated. The female put the loot into her purse.

Two Loudoun County Sheriff’s deputies were injured when they tried to stop a shoplifter from fleeing the scene on Saturday afternoon.

Police said a suspect was trying to take two televisions from a Costco store in Sterling, Va., when deputies confronted him. The suspect got into his car and closed the door on one deputy’s hand.

A second deputy tried to grab the suspect through the window, but the suspect began driving away.

“This individual drove off and dragged one of our deputies approximately 60 feet,” Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman said.

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Electronic Article Surveillance

April 22, 2014 by Leave a Comment

theft (4)Electronic article surveillance is one of the many methods employed by retailers to prevent shoplifting from their stores.  Special tags are attached to the merchandise and removed or deactivated by the clerks at the registers.  When an article is removed and the person exits the store with such item, a detection system sounds alerting the staff of what’s happening giving them the opportunity to alert security.

Read more about this and other topics by following the links below.

Retail loss prevention team priorities for 2014

The challenges facing today’s retail loss prevention teams are increasingly complex and serious, from cyber security to active shooter to workforce training, compliance issues and – unfortunately – even armed gunmen inside stores or shopping malls. And with NRF’s annual Loss Prevention Conference and EXPO coming up in June, we wanted to know what’s top of mind for retail LP professionals.

We asked a few of our LP Advisory Council members to weigh in on what their top priorities are for 2014. Three different retailers, three different answers. But in our unofficial small survey, we found one common theme — people.

Our top priority is two-fold. Reducing shrink is always a priority, but the No. 1 priority in our company is always the safety of our associates and customers, so we’re focusing efforts on making sure all of our LP programs address how to keep people safe in the world we live in today. We’ve put a complete policy in place about how to handle what we call an “active incident,” not just an active shooter, and that will continue to evolve this year.

Family Dollar Promptly Applying EAS Loss-Prevention Technology To Stores Nationwide

Checkpoint Systems, leading global supplier of merchandise availability solutions for retail businesses, recently announced they are rapidly supplying more than 8,000 Family Dollar Stores with electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems nationwide. Since deployment in October 2013, 3,500 systems have been installed and 120 are happening each week, this marks the move as one of the fastest introductions of the new service for Checkpoint.

Family Dollar will be implementing use of Checkpoint’s source tagging, hard tagging program on merchandise as well as installing EVOLVE P10 ECO, “the most advanced shrink management system on the market” throughout all stores by December of this year. The powerful EAS system features include data analytics, alarm management, energy savings, and RFID technology. All three systems combined will provide Family Dollar with an all-inclusive approach to reducing shrink and increase sales.

Family Dollar entered into a multi-year agreement with Checkpoint in October 2013 after analyzing positive results during three years of testing EVOLVE P10 ECO system in select stores. Use of EVOLVE ECO electronics is expected to reduce store shrink in addition to reducing energy consumption by 75 percent compared to other solution alternatives. “We are thrilled to participate in the continued success story of Family Dollar.

Two charged in stabbing of Loss Prevention employee at Park City Center

Two alleged shoplifters face charges in connection with a knife attack on a Loss Prevention Employee at Park City Center.  City police responded to a call at about 1:30 pm to Boscov’s Park City store where Loss Prevention employees were holding two shoplifters. Before officers could arrive on the scene one of the male suspect produced knife. He stabbed the employee on the hand and then he and the female fled on foot.

The first officers began to arrive on the scene. After seeing that the employee was being taken care of, they pursued the suspects. The female was apprehended after a short chase. Other officers spotted the male suspect running across a parking lot and back inside Park City. Converging police caught up with the suspect in a common area outside J.C. Penney without further incident.

Witnesses positively identified the suspect who taken to police headquarters in downtown Lancaster. The knife used in the assault was also recovered. Witnesses told police that the suspects had been confronted regarding thefts from multiple retailers in Park City. When the male suspect produced the knife and cut the employee, he then held the knife to the employees throat and threaten to harm again. The male told the female to collect the loot that had been confiscated. The female put the loot into her purse.

 

 

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How To Protect Your Store From Shoplifters

April 18, 2014 by Leave a Comment

theft (8)In the United States alone the retail industry loses approximately $35 million each day due to shoplifting for a whopping $13 billion a year.  While you may be wondering if the shoplifting is done by customers only, the answer is a resounding No! A lot of the shoplifting is done by employees in the company and the rest by the customers.  How can you prevent yourself from the shoplifting that is happening in your store or small business? Read more about this topic by following the links below.

Top tips for preventing shoplifting

According to a new report, shoplifters now steal goods worth £400,000 from British retailers every single day. The cost of shoplifting is going up, and retailers need to consider ways to protect themselves.

Shoplifting losses are never welcome, but with many retailers concerned about the potential for reduced consumer spending this year, protecting yourself against theft has rarely been so important.

Preventing shoplifting is something of a Sisyphean task. But, while you may never be able to eliminate the risk altogether, there are some simple steps you can take to help protect yourself from thieves.

1. Install visible security

Many shoplifters are simply opportunists. If your shop looks like easy pickings, your chances of falling victim to thieves are increased. On the other hand, if your premises are visibly secure, many potential shoplifters simply will not bother coming in.

Make sure that your security systems are within plain sight, but not obtrusive. You may also consider displaying polite but firm notices explaining that shoplifters will be prosecuted.

2. Minimise access

Customers should not have unnecessary access to products, particularly if those products are of high value. Consider placing big-ticket items in cases or behind counters. Alternatively, if you want potential customers to be able to touch and try them, make sure that they are properly secured.

You should also make sure that toilets and similar areas do not have outside access. This will help to prevent shoplifters picking up an item, taking it to the toilet, and leaving through a window.

COMBATING THE SHOPLIFTER

What can you and your employees do to discourage shoplifters from frequenting your store? Training in alertness and effective detection techniques will improve your chances of recognizing the shoplifter.

Crime prevention experts generally agree that the best deterrent to shoplifting is an alert, well-trained staff which pays careful attention to the needs of the customers.

Here are a few more things you and your staff can do:

• Serve all customers as quickly and efficiently as possible. Customers who are approached immediately will appreciate the service. Shoplifters will realize that this is not the time or the place to attempt a theft.

• Acknowledge the presence of additional customers with the phrase,“ I’ll be with you in a moment” when you are busy with a previous customer.

• Don’t ever turn your back on a customer. This is an open invitation to the shoplifter to proceed with his business. If you have to use the phone, turn so you can see your sales area.

How to Protect Your Store from Shoplifters

  1. Make sure your store is equipped with security cameras. Even if they are fake, any shoplifter may think these are real and be discouraged. Try to think like a shoplifter. Make sure items that would be more likely targets of shoplifters are protected by video surveillance.
  2. Get some Sensormatic detectors installed at all entrances and exits if you can afford it. These detect unpaid tags.
  3. Encourage the store employees to practice great customer service in order to deter shoplifters. A person who overtly attempts to evade store associates could be a potential shoplifter. Set some people at main entrances to monitor the Sensormatic detectors.
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How To Identify A Shoplifter

April 9, 2014 by Leave a Comment

theft (9)When you suspect shoplifting theft issues in your store, you have to be able to identify the problems before you can start to find a solution. Because there are different styles of shoplifters, understanding how and why they steal will help you develop a better anti shoplifting program to target the shoplifters that affect you the most.

There are three categories of shoplifter: the Amateur, the opportunist, and the Professional. Each one has it’s own defining characteristics and ways to identify the shoplifting in progress. Let’s take a look at how the Amateur Shoplifter operates.

The Amateur is the basic level of shoplifter. They are typically inexperienced but may escalate their shoplifting if they got away easily in the past. They are the people who come into a store and intend to steal rather than buying their products. They can steal for economic reasons (need based), for personal gain, or perhaps emotional reasons like peer pressure or boredom.

The Amateur shoplifter probably has a basic knowledge of retail anti theft devices, and knows to avoid them instead of trying to disable them. Because of this, anti shoplifting devices greatly reduce the losses incurred by the amateur. They will target a store that does not have the devices, versus one that does.

When an amateur shoplifter enters a store, there are a few red flags they might exhibit. They can be nervous or seem on edge. Often these shoplifters will go out of their way to avoid any employee interaction. Customer service is a highly effective deterrent.

Sometimes Amateurs will try to better enable their shoplifting. They may bring large bags or purses that appear unusually empty for their size. They may be planning on concealing merchandise in the bag. They might also come in wearing a bulky or oversized coat, even when it is warm outside. Again, the thought is to conceal the merchandise without being seen.

Lastly, when you watch a shoplifter, notice how they look at your product. Are they more concerned with anti shoplifting devices than they are with the actual product? Do they pick up items quickly and then go to a remote corner of the store. Are they watching you and your employees instead of paying attention to what they are doing? If you can answer yes, then it is more possible that they are shoplifting.

The best deterrents will be customer service and anti theft devices. Since the amateur is more likely to be deterred by the thought of getting caught and arrested, anything that might draw attention to their actions is a powerful deterrent.

Call us today at 1-770-426-0547.
Sell More, Lose Less!

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When Opportunity Strikes; Your Losses Are Their Gain

April 7, 2014 by Leave a Comment

theft (12)The Opportunist Shoplifter is a trick shoplifter to figure out. At their core, the opportunist shoplifter is not a person who came into a store with the intention to steal. Rather they are a generally honest customer who was presented with an opportunity to cause a loss to the store. They let that opportunity get the best of their normally honest judgment.

A common example of opportunistic theft is clothing losses in a fitting room. A customer goes into a fitting room to try on some clothes. There are extra clothes in there from the last customer that the store’s employees did not clean out. While the customer is trying on their clothes they realize that no one is paying any attention to the fitting rooms. They decide to steal one of the left over pieces of clothing because they know no one will notice.

When I train employees, I give another example. It might not be theft, per se, but it still causes a loss to your business. A customer comes to the cash register to buy some items and a cashier makes a mistake while ringing them up. They erroneously bag an item without charging for it. An honest customer who notices the error in the store will speak up to correct the error. If that same customer does not realize the mistake until after they get home, they may or may not go out of their way to return the item back to the store.

Opportunistic theft can also be as simple as a customer who is looking at a small item. When they realize that no one is watching, they pocket the item instead of paying for it. I once saw a customer who was standing in a very long checkout line finally get frustrated at the wait. He screamed how ridiculous it was, and left the store- with his entire cart full of product he hadn’t paid for.

In each of these scenarios, the root cause is a breakdown of operating procedures. The fitting rooms should be cleaned after each customer. The cashier’s should be diligent in ringing up every item. The store employees should provide excellent and attentive service to all customers regardless of where they are in the shopping process. By reducing the opportunities through operational accuracy and standard levels of execution, you reduce the amount of opportunities that are presented within your store.
Call us today at 1-770-426-0547.

Sell More, Lose Less!

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Is Your Store Protected From The Shoplifter?

April 6, 2014 by Leave a Comment

theft (4)During the economic downturn in 2008, many retailers sought to save by reducing the dollar amount they spend in loss prevention.  Although the mistake of reducing their loss prevention budget lead to more shrinkage in their stores, the harm and certainly the knowledge of reducing their budget in that sector was rectified and learned.  Retail stores need to spend wisely and investing in loss prevention devices and seminars is the way to reduce more shrinkage in their stores.

Read more about shoplifting crime by following the links below.

Pair of shoplifters cited in boutique theft

Two individuals were cited for shoplifting Saturday after they allegedly went into a boutique and stole a number of items.
Timothy Wayne Hamlet, of Cookeville, and Mandy Nicole Williams, of Baxter, were stopped by Officer Marc Declaire in a vehicle described as one involved in a shoplifting at Bella Boutique on South Jefferson Avenue.

“The suspects were described as a white male with a camouflage hat and the white female wearing pajama pants,” Officer Declaire reported.

The officer spotted the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop.

During an interview, Williams indicated that Hamlet had taken a Victoria Secret handbag that contained a green watch from the store, the report states.

“A search of the vehicle revealed numerous items from Bella Boutique, all with price tags still on them and most of which were in constructive possession of Ms. Williams,” the report states.

The boutique owner arrived and identified her property, including five headbands, a Tennessee Vols diaper cover, a leather bracelet, a green watch, a handbag, a necklace, two handmade scarfs, and other items valued at around $200, according to the report.

Woman accused of shoplifting with 9-year-old daughter

Baytown police say a woman is behind bars after leaving her 9-year-old daughter behind after she stole more than $150 worth of merchandise from a Walmart.

“People steal all the time, you’d be surprised,” said shopper Jordan Pridgeon. “But the leaving-your-kid part, that’s crazy.”

LaKeeasha Artis, 28, was booked into the Harris County Jail and held on a $3,000 bond. She made her first appearance Friday before a judge in magistrate court.

Police said she went into the Walmart on Garth Road, placed two cameras in her purse and gave the purse to her daughter.

When she went to get her SUV, police said she had the girl wait with the purse at the door.

When Artis saw a store loss prevention officer waiting for her, she reportedly jumped in her vehicle and took off.

Officers said she literally left her 9-year-old daughter — now crying and in tears — holding the bag.

Venezuelan Tourist Cleared Of Alleged Shoplifting At Macy’s

A Venezuelan tourist was acquitted Monday of shoplifting at Macy’s Herald Square flagship store, in one of several cases of shoppers saying they were wrongly accused of stealing at major New York City retailers.

Maria Paez was cleared by a judge Monday, according to attorney Daniel Hochheiser.

Court records were not immediately available Monday evening. Manhattan District Attorney’s office representatives had no immediate information.

Paez said she was stopped after putting items in a Macy’s bag to carry them around the flagship store Sept. 12. She said she believed she was targeted because she spoke Spanish and had words with an impolite fitting-room attendant.

Paez claimed she was racially profiled, falsely arrested, imprisoned and forcefully separated from her child when she was taken to the lockup at the store.

She claimed she was not allowed to call her 12-year-old son, who was shopping on another floor in the store, throughout the entire ordeal. She was charged with petite larceny, however, claims she never walked out of the store with the clothes.

Macy’s has no immediate comment.

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Is Your Store Protected From The Shoplifter?

March 25, 2014 by Leave a Comment

theft (8)There are many security devices that retail store owners invest to protect themselves from shoplifting theft, among them are security bars and security guards.  Some small businesses that cannot afford to hire a full time security guard for their store relay in security bars to protect their merchandise.  Although some experts agree that security bars is not the best way to protect their merchandise, small business owners have to device a way to protect themselves from the shoplifter.
Read more about this by following the links.

Employees help thwart shoplifting attempts

A trio of would-be shoplifters had their plans foiled by police and store employees over the weekend.

Chad Burk, 40, was arrested late Friday after witnesses said he left a Safeway store on North Market Street without paying for his alcohol. A clerk watched Burk grab a $13 bottle of vodka and a can of beer, walk to the frozen foods section and place the can of beer inside. Burk pocketed the vodka in his jacket and walked out without paying, according to the store clerk.

The employee followed Burk outside and a scuffle ensued, during which Burk allegedly threw some punches and the bottle of vodka into the street, where it shattered. He was booked into Spokane County Jail on a first-degree robbery charge but was released without bond this weekend.

Heather Duncan, 32, was arrested outside the NorthTown Mall on Sunday afternoon, where she was accused of stealing clothing worth roughly $110. When a store employee approached Duncan outside the store with the merchandise, she used pepper spray in an attempt to get away, according to court documents.

Shoplifting suspect flees scene, leaving purse, dog behind

STOCKTON – A shoplifting suspect fleeing an east Stockton shopping district this morning left behind some interesting evidence – her purse containing her identification and a small dog, police reported.

The 39-year-old woman was in a gray Kia when she was approached by security guards around 11:13 a.m. in the 600 block of North Wilson Way between Oak and Park streets. She used her vehicle to intimidate the store employees who had planned on making a citizen’s arrest, according to police.

In her hurry, she dropped her purse and fled the scene, according to a report, leaving behind identification and the dog.

Shoplifters cited for stealing makeup, chocolate

A woman was recently cited for shoplifting from a local department store after reportedly concealing nearly $270 worth of makeup in her purse.

Officer Robert King’s report states he was dispatched to Walmart on Wednesday.

Once there, loss prevention personnel informed him they witnessed Emily M. Birdwell, of Nashville Highway, Baxter, “conceal makeup in her purse and on her person.”

She was cited in lieu of continued custody for shoplifting.

She was also banned from the store.

In another shoplifting incident, a woman was caught concealing store items at Walgreens on South Willow Avenue early this morning.

Officer David Harris’ report states he arrived on the scene and the store manager said there was a woman in the bathroom they believed had taken merchandise without paying.

Harris waited for the woman to leave the restroom, who was identified as Bobbie A. Randolph of Buffalo Valley Road, Cookeville, and spoke with her.

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