Retail Security: How To Prevent Shoplifting
For stocklifting, we usually expect about 1.33% on turnover. A rule of thumb is that a higher cost of living, will drive this up but how much we do not know yet. Also the increased idle time many in our community have, the reduced staff in shops and the wearing of masks have created a boom in shoplifting.
The reason it is now in the minds of retailers is that after a stocktake; they know they can determine their shoplifting figures.
Once done, our POS System will give them three figures: quantity, cost and totals. All tell a story.
Tips for what can be done?
Here are some thoughts for a webinar that I attended on this subject recently:
1) Quantity will give you a hint of how many such incidents occurred.
Cost is how much it costs you.
Totals will tell you how valuable this is to the thief.
So reviewing these figures will highlight departments and goods that are most at risk.
It will also give you an idea of what is being taken.
2) What I do suggest you do is map your shoplifting figures see here. It does not take long and will graphically show the current danger points in the shop.
3) Consider mirrors and cameras. An old mirror placed in a blind spot was shown to reduce theft dramatically there. That cost the retailer nothing. Shoplifters are looking for these details.
4) Greet people that come to the shop. As well as being good customer service, it shows that you are watching.
It is hard to identify people in advance. In a survey, 75% of shoplifters said they had no intention of committing it before entering the shop. Very few fit any profile.
Yet here this is an interesting idea from the webinar. Have grandmother greet everyone that comes into the shop. Besides showing that you care, it has been known to do wonders. Grandmother has been proven to be very effective in identifying dubious people, such as people who often come without buying. She is also excellent for shaming people thinking of stealing. She is also a great witness if things go legal.
5) Have enough staff. Much of the current problem with shoplifting is that many retailers have reduced staff. No one is monitoring the stock yet there is a lot of money there. Having a staff member go to a suspicious customer and ask, “How can I help you?” can do wonders.
6) Show a security monitor in the front of the shop where customers can see it before entering. This shows that you are monitoring.
7) Good signage. This issue I will discuss in a future post after I go to the next webinar.
8) Review the shoplifting figures this will give you an idea of the size of the problem and allow you to make a shoplifting budget. in the future.
9) Do not display highly desirable and/or expensive items close to the shop's exit.
It is too big a temptation for someone to grab and run and it is very hard to stop such actions particularly if you pile high-value items together.
Shoplifting prevention and detection security prevention retail loss shoplifting are all important in order to keep your business safe and protected from losses.
