Preventing Shoplifting In Your Business

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Many people steal because they need the rush of the theft.  Some steal because they have a mental illness, and many others steal out of necessity.  The reasons of why they steal are many and varied, but the fact is that retailers big and small and consumers like you and I have to pay for the theft.  Retailers make you pay a bigger price for the things you buy to counteract the money they are loosing with the shoplifting.  The fact is that as a society, everybody looses.  What kind of protection can you have as a store owner to prevent shoplifting in your store?  Are all systems equally effective?  If you have questions about loss prevention systems and what are the best ones for your business, contact us and we will be happy to talk to you.

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


Kids used as distraction for stealing

By Victoria White

Shoplifting continues to be problematic for retailers with some people even using their children to get away with stealing goods.

Retailers said a group of adults and children went into optometrist stores in the Napier CBD last week, with adults taking items while the children were used to distract staff.

The stores realised the connection when stolen goods from one store were left at the next one hit.

At Specsavers Optometrists the group got away with three pairs of glasses.

Co-owner Mark Blades said there had been “a bit of theft of late”.

“It happens all day everyday,” he said, “it’s nothing new to me, I’ve been in retail for a long time.

“It’s unfortunate but it happens in all societies.”

Another retailer, who did not want the name of her store reported, said the group had taken $500 worth of goods from her shop.

“It was a gang of four adults and four children,” she said. “They used distracting tactics … the four kids were running around the shop and the adults were taking things, one was trying to get behind the counter.

“It was four adults using their young kids as part of the crime which is really sad.”

Staff were able to get the group’s car registration number, and identify the people for police.


ECSO starts neighborhood watch for businesses

Having alarms, locks and security grates are a good way to protect a business, but there are other ways to increase security.

One of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office’s suggestions is involving friends and neighbors.

The ECSO has launched a free crime-prevention program for local entrepreneurs called the Business Watch. The concept is simple. It’s like a neighborhood watch, only for businesses.

Lynnea McCray of the Sheriff’s Office’s Community Services Unit said that the goal of the program is to facilitate better communication between businesses and the Sheriff’s Office, as well as share information that can help prevent and solve crimes.

“A lot of times in a neighborhood, you don’t know your neighbor but you should,” McCray should. “It’s the same with businesses. They should definitely look out for each other.”

Through the program, the Sheriff’s Office plans to create contact lists of businesses based on types and regions. So if a store owner notices someone passing counterfeit bills or shoplifting, they can quickly send out an email the Sheriff’s Office will use to notify investigators and the employers’ peers.


Police ID Walmart worker killed by shoplifting suspect; gunman on the loose

Authorities have identified the Walmart worker who they say was shot and killed by a suspected shoplifter outside of Atlanta.

Lilburn police Capt. Thomas Bardugon tells news outlets that 25-year-old Jaseramie Dion “JD” Ferguson was shot Sunday night when he and another guard approached a man who was attempting to steal three televisions from the Lilburn store.

Police released a photo of the suspect from surveillance video. They say the man fled in a red or dark red four-door sedan, leaving the TVs behind.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Ferguson was a married father of three and had worked at the store seven months when he was shot.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is assisting in the probe.


 

NON-TRADITIONAL USES FOR EAS DEVICES

shoplifting3EAS is great isn’t it? For the most part, if someone is stealing product “X,” you slap on a quick tag or label and you see a pretty substantial reduction in shrink (for the most part.… Live in the real world). As my LP career has progressed over the years, I’ve seen EAS change drastically. I’ve also seen what retailers apply EAS tags to change as well. Often times, I scratch my head in disbelief at the ideas that come out sometimes and others, I pull my hair out because we could have been more proactive with tag placement. I’ve also seen some fantastic ideas from my store teams on some not so standard tagging procedures.

I had a store a few years ago that were consistently losing their register keys. We later learned that an employee was stealing them and was coming into the store during busy times and just helping themselves to cash in the unattended registers. It took a few months and over $7,500 to put the pieces together before we had an idea of what was happening. That’s a very expensive lesson to learn; especially when there is quite literally, a $0.5 solution.

All of our register keys have a small hole in the top, so they can be hooked to a lanyard for the cashier supervisor to carry around. After our theft incident, we used a pencil tag through that hole to make it less appealing to try and steal the key. Granted, the thief could take it to the service desk and remove the EAS device, but that requires a few more steps that most are not willing to take. As a matter of fact, since taking this one proactive measure, we’ve never had to replace a “lost” register key. For us, it seems to be a great way to maintain a solid key control procedure.

After using some EAS tags on these keys, it really got me thinking about what else is a potential risk in our stores that we don’t secure, but should. The list is virtually endless if you think about it. The next big item that we began securing with EAS hard tags was our handheld units (Symbols/Telxons). A few of our stores fell victim to an eBay thief a few years back, in part due to the ease of removing them from ours store. Since running an Alpha tag with a lanyard through them, we hadn’t lost a single one to theft.

We also have a lot of in-store use only type items (think step-ladders, folding carts, dollies…). As part of our risk mitigation efforts, we utilize EAS tags on all of these items. While they often have to be used outside of the store; the idea that when they do go out, our greeter becomes aware that they are going outside and can better keep track of our in store equipment. You wouldn’t believe how many times someone has stolen a hand truck, or pallet jack from me…

The bottom line is that EAS can be used to protect much more than just your inventory. There are dozens of items inside your four walls that cost you money that dishonest people would just love to take. Why go out and spend any more money that you have to in order to protect your supplies when the answer is already in your store? I’m all about leveraging available resources to accomplish your goals and this is just another item in a skilled LP manager’s tool belt.


WHEN YOU THINK THEY CAN’T GET ANY DUMBER

shoplifting4Everyone I know loves a good “dumb criminal” story. In fact, I can’t go a day without someone (store managers, district managers, executives, family…) asking me to tell a crazy shoplifting story. I have a top 10 list that I usually gravitate towards, but after yesterday, I may have to change it to a top 11.

It was about 7pm and I was finally leaving my office (my office in a store). In order to get to the front door, I have to walk right down the middle of the highest theft area of the store; footwear. Most days, I put my blinders on and try to bee-line to the door, but on this day… well she just caught my eye. No, it wasn’t the girl of my dreams…

As I’m walking down the main walkway, out of the corner of my eye I catch a glimpse of this woman placing a pair of shoes in her purse. Let me build you a mental picture for just a moment. This was a large woman; think Oprah Winfrey in The Color Purple big. And tall. She had to be pushing 6ft3in. She was wearing a dark green pajama dress, with slippers and curlers in her hair. I did not want to confront her; I was, in fact, a little scared.

I radio for one of the store’s agents, but as luck would have it, they’ve left early for the day. It’s just me and the jolly green giant. I had a decision to make; I could go through and make the apprehension, or try and recover the product that she had concealed. To heck with it, let’s have a little fun. So I continued observation and watched as she methodically placed about a dozen or so pairs of shoes in her purse. She then began her slow walk towards the front of the store. Not having an agent in the store, I grabbed one of the managers, who just happened to be former LP. I knew she wouldn’t mind getting in on the action.

As Ms. Banner made her exit, I (scared that she may break me in half) approached her and identified myself as LP. The reaction was just as I thought it would be. She proceeds to a verbal assault that would make reading me the riot act look like poetry. At the very least, I want to recover my merchandise (and hopefully keep my bones in one piece). I reach towards the basket and grab the purse with my product inside. She, quicker that I thought she could move, races around the shopping cart and tries to remove it from my hands. After all, it is her purse… who cares if it contains MY merchandise?

Before she could get it from me, I quarterback hiked it to the manager, who didn’t miss a beat and caught it mid-flight. The manager then tossed it into the storage closet that happened to be open and slammed the door shut. (It locks automatically.) Hulk didn’t think that was funny and flipped the shopping cart over on its side and commenced to beating the door. For a minute there, I thought she’d be able to make it in. She overheard me desperately pleading with dispatch to get me an officer ASAP and she took off through the parking lot. I have to say, it was quite amusing to watch a woman of her stature running through the parking lot in slippers.

She actually was able to flee the store before the police arrived and I first was pretty upset that after all that I went through, I didn’t have her identity. At least I had my product back, right? The officer finally shows up a little later and takes my report. I take him inside to photograph the purse and the stolen product. After I pulled 13 pairs of shoes out, I noticed there was a large wallet at the bottom. Inside was her state ID, driver’s license, library card and several credit cards all with her name on them. I promptly signed a warrant for her arrest.

Would you believe that the next day, she called the store manager and told her that she had “lost” her wallet while shopping in the store? The store manager, unaware of what happened, transferred the call to me. She had no idea she was talking to the guy she almost broke in half and I actually convinced her that the wallet had been turned in to the lost and found and that she could come on by and pick it up. She did. As soon as she stepped foot in the store, she was promptly arrested by two of the counties’ finest.


Retail Security

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Retail security is a big concern for retailers.  Billions of dollars are lost yearly due to employe theft and shoplifting.  But having the security in place is not necessarily enough, training personnel-Management and hourly employees-is as vital to the success of the effectiveness of the security system as the security system itself.  It is true that many of the big retailers across the United States spend millions of dollars a year in security systems for their stores, but they also spend millions of dollars in cybersecurity as well.  The threat is real and the cost of a security breach is all too present.

For more about this topic follow the links below.


Retail Security: How Can Biometrics, Video Analytics and Other Innovation Cut Record Theft Losses and Boost Commercial Performance?

Retail crime hit a 10-year high in the 2013-14 financial year, with the £603m losses recorded by UK retailers 18% higher than those racked up in the previous 12 months.

Despite this, the British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) annual crime survey also revealed that the volume of theft offences actually fell 4%. While conventional security technology – primarily CCTV and electronic product tags – has been effective at reducing petty shoplifting, a surge in gang-related bulk theft is soaring.

The average value of goods, money or services stolen now averages £241 per incident.

Clearly, the security industry must evolve its approach to tackle this growing threat.

As Retail week Live packs up for another year, we asked several security experts how the industry is harnessing – and could harness – the latest cutting-edge technology to improve not only retail security, but commercial performance too.


RBTE 2016: Data security must be retail’s priority in 2016

Essential Retail caught up with PCI Security Standards Council international director, Jeremy King, to talk all things related to data security in retail. King is speaking at RBTE in London, this afternoon.

Essential Retail (ER): What should be key data security priorities for organisations in 2016?

Jeremy King (JK): Simply put, reducing risk and making data security business-as-usual. Organisations cannot afford to do anything less -not with 90% of large organisations and 74% of small organisations suffering data breaches, and the average cost of a breach reaching well over £3 million.

The European government is introducing new regulations to protect customer data this year, which puts added pressure on organisations to demonstrate their data security efforts. Even though these regulations will not come into effect until late 2017 or early 2018, good data security takes time and effort, so organisations need to make this a priority now.

ER: What about top threats or areas of concern for retailers?

JK: Phishing continues to be an easy way for attackers to get into merchant systems – but it’s something that can be prevented. Retailers need to be aware of these attacks and others and train their employees on how to spot them and protect against them. This is where incidence response comes in. If we take the example of phishing, on average it still takes an organisation 23.7 days to resolve a cyberattack caused by phishing or social engineering! Improving security controls and processes to identify and detect attacks quickly, using the PCI Data Security Standards, and establishing an incidence response should also be a key concern for organisations in 2016.


The DIY Approach To Retail Data Security

As retailers tend to have more pressing day-to-day concerns than security — namely, selling their products to customers — it can be tempting for them to regularly presume, in acknowledging the endlessly escalating battle between cybercriminals and protective measure technologists, that the experts in the latter group will develop something to counteract whatever the bad guys come up with in short time.

Sometimes, that assumption is accurate.

In the recent instance of the XSS security vulnerabilities that befell the online shopping cart Zen Cart, for example, the company acted quickly to solve its own problem.

When researchers from Trustwave’s SpiderLabs Research team sussed out weaknesses in the Zen Cart application that could allow malicious actors to gain access to cookies, sensitive information and site defacement of online merchants that used the shopping cart, they informed Zen Cart of the situation and immediately began working with the company to develop a fix.


Investing In A Security System For Your Store

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Many big retailers do not think twice about investing in CCTV systems for their stores. Among other theft preventive measures, CCTV systems’s cost is minuscule when compared to the theft these retailers face.  Many small retail shops forego the use of CCTV systems or other preventive measures due to the cost involved initially, although the losses they suffer are more substantial than those associated with the cost of a loss prevention system.  If you are thinking the investment you are doing to prevent theft is not worth the cost, think again.  The retail industry loses billions of dollars yearly due to employee theft and shoplifting. Acquiring a security system for your store regardless of the size is worth the investment.

For more about this topic, follow the links below.


Loss Prevention Essentials: Electronic Article Surveillance Technology Helps Enhance Sales and Protect Profits

Systems must be properly managed in order to be effective.

Electronic article surveillance, or EAS, systems have long been a staple in the battle to curb shoplifting. Retailers over the years have collectively spent millions of dollars to protect their merchandise from shoplifters and, in some cases, their own employees. Like many major expenses, when the technology is first purchased and installed a concentrated effort is made by the loss prevention teams to train store associates on the proper processes and procedures that need to be performed in order to realize the most benefits that the technologies deliver. But like other big purchases one makes, time and in-attention to details takes their toll. Liken to the shining new toy that you got as a child for Christmas long ago, as time goes on and the allure of the toy begins to diminish, it all too often starts to be ignored. Technology investments like EAS often suffer the same situation, exit alarms start are dismissed without action, proper tag placement on merchandise begins to stray and even the simple process of testing the systems to ensure they are working are overlooked.


HBC settles race complaint from shopper, agrees to educate staff on profiling

HALIFAX – The Hudson’s Bay Company has agreed to educate its staff on racial profiling as part of a settlement in the case of a now-deceased Nova Scotia grandmother allegedly accused of shoplifting a rug.

African Canadian Kathleen Viner filed a complaint with the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission alleging that two employees discriminated against her at a now-closed Zellers store in Greenwood, N.S., in 2008.

Viner, then a 77-year-old grandmother of 13, was stopped by a security guard “and made to feel she had stolen a rug,” according to an affidavit from her daughters, Shelley and Donna.

Viner provided proof she had bought the rug, but the incident left her shaken, her daughters said.


OBPD attempts to help local businesses prevent shoplifting

Osage Beach
Retail loss is one of the most challenging aspects of doing business.
According to the National Retail Federation, shoplifting accounts for 38 percent of an estimated $44 billion in retail losses each year. Inventory shrinkage includes shoplifting, employee/internal theft, administrative errors and vendor fraud or error.
The Osage Beach Police Department wants to help area merchants slow that retail loss, a loss that ultimately is passed along to consumers.
The OBPD hosted a Meet and Greet Partnership Meeting recently with nine retailers to discuss retail theft issues, to give pointers and allow retailers to share tips and trends. Several area businesses, law enforcement, financial institutions and prosecuting attorneys were invited.
Sgt. Arlyne Page, communications officer with OBPD, said the department began a crime prevention program in 1981, and more recently has held meetings with Osage Beach Premium Outlet managers to coordinate prevention efforts among retailers. Target store management encouraged meetings last spring, and a month ago asked the OBPD to host a meeting on shoplifting and retail and digital fraud.


 

HELP ME! Tips To Maintaining Your Checkpoint System

 After 8+ years in the Navy as an Electronics Technician, I considered my options for the next phase of my career. My research lead me to a growing company named Checkpoint Systems, Inc. A position as a Field Service Representative was quite a change from military service. Both were good experiences, but very different. Each Involved travel, I traveled much of the world with the Navy, while exploring mainly the Eastern U.S. with Checkpoint Systems. More recently I joined the team at LPSI, doing my part to provide technical support.

Over the years I have found some items that many times Retailers do not take into account. Many times the simplest of solutions will fix an issue with your Checkpoint system. 

EASEnvironment of EAS: Electronic article surveillance systems of all varieties are subject to their surroundings. The wrong environmental conditions can cause phantom alarms, false alarms, or poor detection. How close are merchandise, metal racks, and wiring? Is your store front in need of maintenance? I will discuss some of the common items that may be affecting your EAS system performance.

Many EAS systems some level of 360° detection.

Not only do they detect in the doorway, they also have backfield detection, the area on the opposite side of the pedestal from customer walk way.

eas fieldTagged merchandise, metal racks, and electrical wiring in this incidental detection zone can have an adverse effect on system performance. As a general rule, tagged merchandise should be equivalent of at least ¾ of you doorway aisle width away from each EAS pedestal. Example; tags should be no closer than 4.5 feet, in a 6 foot doorway. Where possible: metal racks and electrical wiring should be 5 feet or more away from the system.

The store front is often the first impression a customer has of your business. It is really much more than that. Door manufactures do not design doors with EAS system in mind. The condition of older doors and framing can be causing EAS system issues. Loose metal trim, or metal on metal scrapping as a door swings or slides, can cause a false echo, tricking the system into an alarm condition. Even new doors can unintentionally affect a systems performance.  

IEAS Repairf you are not quite happy with your EAS systems performance, you may be able to take a few simple steps towards improvement. Make sure no tagged merchandise is in the backfield detection zone. Move that metal rack a foot further away. See if any wires can be rerouted, away from the system. If a bolt, nut, or screw is loose, tighten it. Have a door maintenance professional adjust the door hinges so the door does not drag on the threshold. There is no one answer to resolve environmental interference with your Checkpoint system. I have given a few ideas, but if you continue to have system performance issues, contact Loss Prevention Systems for service. 


Phones and the Theft of Time

LPSI EVOLVE-Store Mobile App 2In the past when managers discussed employee theft they mostly talked about the tangibles.  They talked about their problems with staff stealing product, supplies and money – the physical things which can be touched and seen.

They would also discuss the problem of employees “standing around” and not doing their work.  However, this conversation was separate from the one about theft, it was about productivity.  But, with the arrival of smart phones the issue of productivity can’t be separated from the one of theft.  The theft of time, via lack of productivity, is increasing at a rapid rate. 

It’s seldom looked at that way because time is an intangible, it lacks physical substance.  Its boundaries are blurrier – an employee who would never think of stealing a shirt from the store has no qualms about using company time to buy, on her phone, a shirt from her favorite website.

The idea of who “owns” an employee’s time is an old argument.  There have been countless lawsuits and court decisions made over the years, trying to define it.  In the last few years there have been several landmark ones in the tech field.  On paper it can seem cut and dried, in practice it’s not. 

Especially now, when managers are encountering issues they’ve never had to deal with before.  The debate of where, how and when people on the job should have access to their phones is a new one, one with strong opinions and feelings on both sides.  Companies are struggling with it and most have yet to agree on, develop and enforce clear guidelines. 

At this time the issue is simple.  A company pays an employee for a block of time, and during that time they have the right to expect (within the labor laws) the worker to give his attention to the duties of the job, not his phone.  The business can enact and enforce policies that support this right.

Soon however, it’s going to become much more complicated.  Most of us know someone who’s too attached to their phone – a person who is losing or has lost the ability function without it.  Individuals who may need professional help to address their obsession (there’s a fierce argument in the medical community as to whether it’s an addiction or not).

In the next few years companies will have to link their phone/workplace access policies with their ADA and Mental Health policies.  Therefore, it’s vital that companies develop and enforce basic phone/workplace access policies and procedures now, because it’s only going to get more complicated.  Don’t let employees steal your company’s time; after all you paid for it.


Nicole Abbott is a professional writer who’s had over 150 articles published.  She’s a business consultant and former psycho-therapist with over 20 years of experience in mental health, business and addiction.  She’s a coach, lecturer, trainer and facilitator.  She has conducted over 200 workshops, trainings, presentations, seminars and college classes. 

Safety First When Stopping a Shoplifter

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Safety should be the primary concern in any shoplifting detention at any retail store.  Unless the employees are trained individuals and know the laws concerning detention of a shoplifter, employees should be very wary of the repercussions associated with stopping a shoplifter.  Racial profiling is commonly used by retail stores to spot a shoplifter, and although it is extremely wrong and some stores have gotten sued because of it, the truth is you cannot spot a shoplifter by the way they look.  According to the Seattle  Police Department though, there are certain actions that are prevalent with a shoplifter: Nervousness, aimlessly walking around the store for long period of times, handling the merchandise, dropping the merchandise on the floor, etc., are some of these behaviors they display.  Stress safety first with your employees at all times when stopping a shoplifter.

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


Taking steps to prevent shoplifting

 In early July, $3,000 in designer dresses, slacks and jackets were stolen from ADORE Designer Retail Boutique in Cary, one of Nancy Alinovi’s two consignment shops in the Triangle. She still feels sick about it.

“It’s just this feeling in your chest,” she said. “It’s not a victimless crime.”

Alinovi said it will be two months before everything returns to normal at the family-owned boutiques, which cut prices in order to stay afloat after the theft. Her experience shows the toll shoplifting takes on small businesses, where margins are small and business is personal.

There were 582 calls to the Raleigh Police Department regarding shoplifting in the past year, said Jim Sughrue, department spokesman. They run the gamut from family-run gas stations to department stores, he said.

According to a National Retail Federation’s security survey, shoplifting accounted for 38 percent of the $44 billion in retail inventory loss due to crime in 2014.


Theft rings use returns to fund operations

TILTON — Next time you let a sales receipt blow away in a store parking lot, you might unwittingly be helping an organized retail crime ring fund its drug operations.
Those rings, often from other states, collect those discarded receipts, go into that store, gather items on the receipt and then take them to the return counter to get handed cash, according to Tilton police detective Nathan Buffington.
“I can tell you of the (organized retail crime) cases that we’ve dealt with, I don’t think we’ve had any that in some way, shape or form that haven’t come back to narcotics, whether it be again to fund narcotic operations, to help profit, to expand,” Buffington said after speaking at a symposium on the subject at Tilton School on Friday.
These rings use a variety of techniques to steal billions from stores annually.

Return fraud alone cost stores $10.85 billion in 2014, according to the National Retail Federation.

The rings “have a list of the stores that carry those items” they’re targeting, according to Nancy Kyle, president and CEO of the New Hampshire Retail Association. The rings often travel north along the East Coast, she said.


Cumbria police collar children as young as four for crimes

Primary school children across south and west Cumbria – aged between five and nine – have also committed crimes but are too young to be prosecuted.

Assaults, criminal damage, burglary, theft and shoplifting are among the shocking offences carried out by children, figures have revealed.

Cumbria police said that it was vital they spoke to these young people when they are at their most “susceptible” and they “do not realise the consequences of their actions”.

Police say interaction with the children can help make them understand that they are heading down a path which “could lead them to have a criminal record which could have an impact on their life, all for something they did when they were a child”.

A Freedom of Information request revealed that there were 60 crimes committed by under-10s in south Cumbria and six in Copeland.

The age of the youngsters mean police were unable to bring charges as the age of criminal responsibility in England is 10, meaning under-10s have to be released without charge.

The most common crime committed was assault, with 37 offences. This was followed by criminal damage with 12 incidents and six counts of theft.


 

 

How to Deal with Retail Burnout

theft (13)Burnout is an on-going, serious issue in the retail industry.  The industry is so immense and pervasive that all of us, even if we’ve never working in retail, have knowledge of and experience with the problem.

Personally, some of you may be currently struggling with it or have in the past.  If you haven’t personally experienced it you probably know friends and family who have.  Finally, we’ve all had unpleasant interactions (many, many times) with burnt out sales clerks, managers or customer service reps.

Last month we looked at why “Retail Burnout Matters” preventshopliftingloss.net/retail-burnout-matters/.  This month we’re going to look at how an individual can deal with it at a professional level.

There are many causes and symptoms of burnout.  One of the most universal symptoms is a feeling of being stuck.  The first place to start if you’re feeling trapped is with a plan of how to get free.  People who feel caught often do damage to others and themselves when they try to get unstuck without a well thought out plan.   

The first thing you can do is plan how to stay where you are.  You may want to stay with the same company in the same store, but need to learn (traditional/online classes, TED talks, books, short term therapy, etc) some stress management techniques to improve your outlook.  Many times if you change your attitude and coping skills it’s enough to make the situation better.

Or you may need to plan the next step.  Boredom, complacency and restlessness, when not addressed, are often the causes of stress.  What kind of change do you need (i.e. sell jewelry rather than candles, increased/decreased level of responsibility, go to a different store with the same company, go to a different company, work in a small boutique or a big box)?

Finally, you may need to plan to leave the field.  Retail may no longer, or never has been, your career of choice.  If so, then it’s time to figure out how, when and where to from here.  For many people establishing some sort of forward momentum, no matter how small, is enough to lessen the trapped feeling. 

Having a plan and actively, consciously working that plan is key to alleviating burnout, but it’s not easy.  However, the alternative is to stay miserable, and as choices go choosing to stay unhappy is a poor one.  As Yoda said, “Do. Or do not. There is no try.” 


Nicole Abbott is a professional writer who’s had over 150 articles published.  She’s a business consultant and former psycho-therapist with over 20 years of experience in mental health, business and addiction.  She’s a coach, lecturer, trainer and facilitator.  She has conducted over 200 workshops, trainings, presentations, seminars and college classes. 


Security and Loss Prevention

theft (2)The cost of cyber security for retailers seems to double year after year. The cost of a data breach in this country in 2014 cost the retailer an average of  3.5 million, and that was a 15% increase from the previous year. Not only do retailers have to worry about data breaches in their business, but shoplifting, employee theft, administrative errors and vendor fraud  are major problems they have to deal with year after year.  The losses for retailers in 2014 amounted to $44 billion, it is no wonder  then, that year after year retail executives say they plan to increase their loss prevention budgets for their business.


Counterfeit Goods and Trademark Enforcement

By aggressively protecting our brand through enforcement of trademark rights, loss prevention professionals can combat the spread of counterfeiting and retail fraud.

In the early part of November 2002, we received a call from an informant indicating she had information on counterfeit Tiffany & Co. merchandise sold at “home parties” in a suburb of a major city in Ohio. The caller claimed that one woman organized the parties and made a large amount of money in this counterfeit goods business. She also said that the local police had been notified and, if Tiffany was interested, were willing to support an investigation.

Our senior legal and security executives reviewed the caller’s information and the decision was made to go forward with the investigation. Within days we set up a meeting in Ohio with the detective in charge, the informant, and an undercover female police officer. At the meeting it was decided to attend an upcoming party where counterfeit Tiffany & Co. merchandise would be sold.


Shoplifting suspect dies hours after confrontation with Walmart employees

LAKELAND, Fla. —Lakeland police said a 64-year-old man accused of trying to leave Walmart with $380 worth of DVDs without paying for them has died.

Officers were sent to the store off U.S. 98 to investigate early Sunday morning. While en route, dispatchers told officers the suspect was not breathing and CPR was being administered. The first responding officer began life-saving measures, inclusing using a defibrillator and taking over CPR until medics arrived.

The man, later identified as Kenneth E. Wisham, of Lakeland, was taken to Lakeland Regional Health in critical condition.

According to the investigation, Wisham was trying to leave the store with a shopping cart full of DVDs when he was confronted by employees. Officials said Wisham ran off, and during the chase, he fell to the ground and was detained by employees. That’s when employees realized he wasn’t breathing and called 911.

Wisham was pronounced dead at the hospital Sunday afternoon.

The cause of death has not yet been determined by the medical examiner.


Observation skills, quick thinking help prevent shoplifting

About 27 million shoplifters live in the United States today, with offenders spanning generations.

According to the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention (NASP), that means 1 in 11 people have shoplifted. There is no “typical” offender.

“It could be anybody,” said Nathan Hershley, the security supervisor at East Hills Shopping Center. “I’ve personally dealt with (shoplifters) from 14 years old, clear up into their 50s.”

Shoplifters target all types of stores, according to NASP — from drug stores to supermarkets, convenience stores and even thrift shops.

Store employees and customers who shop there play an important role in helping catch anyone suspected of stealing. Staying alert for suspicious behavior and catching the suspect(s) on photo or video can help authorities make an arrest.

“It’s all about the information we get, so get as detailed of a description as possible,” Hershley said. “That allows us to find the suspects, and communicate with the police department better.”

Local police said helping catch shoplifters helps not only the store, but the whole community.