What Should Retail Workers Be Expected To Do To Stop Shoplifting? Part 1

Is everyone in your store prepared to stop shoplifting? Do they know what signs to look for that may tip them off that someone may try to steal? I was talking with my son who recently started working for a nationally known clothing retailer. He has been working in food retail for about 6 years but wanted to get try other areas and picked up this second job. He is assigned to the shoe department and so I was talking with him about whether he has encountered any theft incidents. He said he did have one occasion where he believes a theft took place and he didn’t realize it. He said he was busy straightening up his department and a man asked him about an expensive pair of shoes. My son said he noticed the customer was already wearing a pair like the ones he was inquiring about. My son went to the back wall and retrieved the size the customer was asking for and the customer “seemed friendly” and they talked for a few minutes and the patron left. A little later the department supervisor asked my son if he knew where the man had gone to, Loss Prevention suspected he had stolen the shoes. My son had no idea where the customer had gone and told them so. As we talked he said he must not be very good at identifying potential shoplifters. I asked if their store uses Sensormatic hard tags or other electronic article surveillance tags on the shoes to stop shoplifting and he said they do. I told him that the tags should set off the alarm system if the suspect hasn’t gotten hold of a detachment device that will work with their tags.

This took me back to my days as a Loss Prevention Manager and I recalled the training I did with store employees. I spent time at orientations meeting with new staff members and teaching them some of the characteristics that help to identify crooks. I also reminded them they are not Loss Prevention and are not expected to nor did we want them to accuse anyone of trying to steal. I always stressed the importance of customer service and keeping Loss Prevention or management aware of suspicious persons. I also made sure my training for cashiers and front end supervisors included how to properly respond to electronic article surveillance alarms. If done properly a response to an alarm would result in recovered merchandise and a safe interaction. An improper response was another issue. The take away is that no one was expected to be a Loss Prevention professional. That was the job for my team and me. 

I reminded my son that his job was to ensure that shoes were properly tagged with Sensormatic hard tags or whatever devices that store uses before a customer could get access to them. The other expectations were to offer great service and if he was suspicious of someone to contact Loss Prevention. I did give him some hints about what to look for that would make it easier for him to know when to contact his Loss Prevention Department.

But how about you and your team? You probably do not have a Loss Prevention Department. Who trains you and your employees on how to stop shoplifting? Do you have a Sensormatic security system in your store? If you don’t are you aware of how much you could save in shortage reduction with the installation of a system? Would you know what may indicate someone is a shoplifter versus a shopper? We haven’t even touched on the problem of identifying dishonest employees and their impact on your store shortage. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) is your go-to source for information on everything from Sensormatic hard tags and electronic article surveillance towers to training to stop shoplifting and employee theft. This is a company that has been in business since 1983 specializing in theft prevention and shortage reduction. Having conducted many Loss Prevention training sessions and worked in the field using retail anti-theft tools I have familiarized myself with LPSI’s offerings. I strongly urge retailers to consult with this company. They have all the resources usually available only to major retail chains (and more so in many cases).

In Part 2 I will impart some of the advice I gave my son and training tips I used as a Loss Prevention Manager to instruct our store employees. What I can’t do is offer all of the resources to you that I have seen offered by LPSI. Read, Part 2, use it to help improve your efforts to stop shoplifting but also visit LPSI’s website. They can give so much more than I can in an article or two.

Sensormatic hard tags are important and we can help you with them. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.