Employees can prevent shoplifting – Atlanta Georgia

February 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment

You find another empty package out on your sales floor, and are irritated once again that you cannot do more to prevent shoplifting in your business.  But there are things that a business owner can do in order to prevent shoplifting – simple techniques that can show results by reducing your losses.

Schedule an appropriate amount of employees at one time in your business.  Having too few employees allows for more opportunity for the shoplifter to find a secluded area to steal from you.  Also, your employees are better able to provide good customer service and attention to a possible shoplifter, which can further prevent shoplifting.  Shoplifters do not want attention, so you can be sure to provide them the attention they despise by having good coverage on your sales floor.

Having registers or an employee working near the entrance of your store can also prevent shoplifting, once again by providing attention to the shoplifter.  By greeting a customer that comes into your store and asking them if you can help them today, the shoplifter has been noticed.  The shoplifter now knows that employees are aware of his or her presence within your business.

Employees should also help prevent shoplifting by being available to customers.  While your employees are working on the sales floor, they should keep their eyes up, looking around.  By doing this while they work, they will notice suspicious customers or any customer that may need help finding an item.  Your employees can provide better customer service as well as prevent shoplifting by being more aware.

Your employees can be an important tool to prevent shoplifting, and they may not even know it.  Once you make them aware of the difference they can make, you can reap the benefits of reduced loss.

For more information contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Marietta Kennesaw Cobb Georgia

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Retail Loss Due To Vendor Fraud – Atlanta Georgia

February 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Retail loss can come in many forms. Most of the time we attribute this loss to either external theft (shoplifting) or internal theft (employees stealing merchandise, taking cash from the registers, etc.) However, shrinkage is defined as a reduction or loss in inventory due to shoplifting, employee theft, paperwork errors and supplier fraud. It is often assumed that when we purchase a product or products from a vendor or supplier that they will send exactly what we asked for. After all, we’re providing them with business and paying them for it. This is a terrible assumption.

You must always be aware that there are some organizations that have some rather unscrupulous practices, and in nearly every organization there exist one or two unscrupulous employees. Therefore, it would behoove you to keep a close eye on your receiving processes and perform regular audits every time you receive a shipment to manage any retail loss. Why? I had a case a few years back where a store’s jewelry department was seeing some extreme inventory losses. Of course we explored the usual suspects but the department was locked down tighter than Fort Knox, making shoplifting virtually impossible. The young lady who ran the department did so with an unrivaled zeal that made the idea of employee theft quite unlikely.

So, we examined their receiving processes and found that on many different occasions, dating back nearly 2 years they had been shorted on shipments; just an item here or there at first but the shortages had progressed to an enormous level. We coordinated with the vendor and law enforcement and found that an employee in the vendor’s organization had nickel and dimed several stores out of nearly $200,000 worth of jewelry in the previous years. If any of those stores had done proper and continuous receiving audits they would have been able to stop this retail loss much sooner.

For more information about retail shrinkage contact us at Retail Loss or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

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Use Your Checkpoint Security Systems For More Than Shoplifting

January 31, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Checkpoint Security systems are an undisputed anti shoplifting tool in the war on shoplifters. But in addition to being an anti shoplifting tool you can get even more out of them. Consider the following items.

Employee theft. Merchandise with Checkpoint tags and labels can also be a deterrent to employee theft. As long as you control who has access to detachers or deactivation. This is where the key lock on the detacher also comes in handy. Deactivation that is tied into your POS so that an item can only be deactivated after the item is scanned will also be a deterrent. Most companies only allow employees to enter and exit from one door. If that door is covered with antennas then this closes off another way merchandise can be removed.

Another use is to tag items that you do not want to leave the store. Restroom keys, manager keys, even documents can be labeled. If you have items that sometimes go home with an employee such as a set of keys, the tag can be a reminder. It is not an issue of theft but if the item leaves it can create a nightmare for others.

How about tools or other store use items? Checkpoint tags with a flex string or lanyard will help remind someone that they have it in their possession and to put it back before they go home. What about an employee who is working on a display and is using store tools. He leaves for a little bit and does not secure the tools and a customer decides he wants that cordless drill or battery for himself.

What about store use items such as calculators or flashlights? A Checkpoint tag or Checkpoint label will solve that. Don’t forget other critical items such as pricing guns and the gun that puts the hangtags on clothing.

We have a limited supply of a Checkpoint tag that Checkpoint security systems no longer makes. It is a key tag. It looks just like a key ring tag. But it is a Checkpoint tag. We include them in our new customer welcome kits. Would you like one?

For more information about retail theft prevention , retail anti theft devices , Checkpoint security systems , anti shoplifting , Checkpoint tags or Checkpoint labels contact us at stop shoplifting . You can also visit our On-Line Store or call 1.770.426.0547

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Eyes Wide Open with Employee Background Checks in Atlanta GA

January 31, 2011 by

Eyes Wide Open with Employee Background Checks in Atlanta GA

Putting a new employee into a position of trust requires a giant leap of faith on the part of the employer.  The employer deserves to know the facts about his new employee, facts that are frequently developed through employee background checks.

The employer will learn plenty about the employee after he is hired, but some of that education could come at a high price. Not only stealing thousands of dollars in cash and/or merchandise, but hundreds of thousands if he subjects the business to a negligent hiring or negligent retention lawsuit.

Employee background checks can alert the employer of any red flags or past history of illegal activities on the part of any potential employees, mitigating the risk of a dishonest employee, or one that may affect profit through poor performance, or one that may affect employee morale with a bad attitude.

Evidence of these things can be found through employee background checks.

Better to limit spend a little now on quality background checks than to pay a lot later in lost profits and the costs of recruiting a training yet another replacement after the employee show his true colors.

To learn more about background checks, call 770-426-0547 or click here:  Background Check Experts – Atlanta GA

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Coping with Internal Theft Atlanta GA

January 31, 2011 by Leave a Comment

You own a retail business and have begun to suspect that there is a case of internal theft, an employee who is stealing from you.  There have been small amounts of cash missing, the register doesn’t always balance at the end of the day, or an item of merchandise you were sure you had yesterday can’t be found today, and there is not a record of its being sold.  Things are happening that you can’t quite put your finger on, but you know you are losing profits.

How do you determine if you have a case of employee theft or fraud, and how do you determine how much there is or who is involved?

In order to stop and properly handle internal theft correctly, certain steps must be taken to protect any innocent employees from feeling suspect and to protect you and your business from liability.

If you have a suspicion, is it time to confront the employee or to launch a full blown internal investigation to find the source of you suspicions or the involvement of others?  Will a confrontation cause the guilty employee to stop his actions before you have proof of his involvement?

This is the time to contact an experienced loss prevention investigator who has the skills and experience to quickly get to the bottom of your internal theft problem and to find out the depth of employee involvement using highly developed investigative analytics and interview skills and to bring the situation to a successful conclusion.

For advice or assistance with any internal theft questions, call 770-426-0547 or click here: Employee Theft

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Recognize the risk and prevent shoplifting – Atlanta Georgia

January 30, 2011 by Leave a Comment

It can be extremely frustrating for a business owner to suffer a large loss due to shoplifting.  Owners and managers sometimes do not know where to begin to fix this issue.  In order to prevent shoplifting, one must recognize the factors within the business that make it at a greater risk to shoplifting, and then take measures to correct these factors while still providing a pleasing shopping environment to the honest customer.

Businesses do not want to cater to the shoplifter; just the paying shopper.

Businesses should consider keeping small expensive items or high theft items in locked cases or behind counters where employees control access to these items.  Having a policy in place to where the customer has to pay for the item at the counter is a good idea as well.  Theft can be greatly reduced by keeping these types of items secure until a customer is ready to purchase them.

Other controls in your business can help prevent shoplifting. Have employees located near restrooms and fitting rooms.  Also teach employees to check the number of items going into fitting rooms, and verify that the same number is coming out.  Additionally, fitting rooms should be locked when not in use, and unlocked only when a customer is ready to try something on.  This simple policy can prevent shoplifting inside of fitting rooms, because the potential shoplifter has to get the attention of an employee in order to go into the fitting room. Shoplifters do not like to draw attention to themselves.

Having security tags, security labels two way mirrors, and CCTV are additional ways to prevent shoplifting.  Have signs posted that CCTV security systems are in use.  Also, have visible camera globes, especially in corners and other areas attractive to shoplifters.  Utilizing a merchandise alarm with security tags is also a good theft prevention technique.

We may not be able to eliminate all shoplifting, but with a few of these suggestions we can go far to prevent shoplifting in our businesses.

For more information contact us: prevent shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

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The Best Way to Stop Shoplifting in Atlanta, Georgia

January 28, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The Best Way to Stop Shoplifting in Atlanta, Georgia

Actually, there is no one best way to stop shoplifting in Atlanta or anywhere else.  Whenever merchandise is put on display there will be shoplifters.

The best approach is to use a combination of anti shoplifting methods that are customized for your location, merchandise mix, and customer base.  Although shoplifting is widespread, there are groups and types of merchandise that require extra attention.

Some of the more common retail theft prevention strategies are:

·    Plainclothes store detectives.  Great for large businesses with the budget to support them, word gets out fast that shoplifters are being arrested frequently.
·    CCTV.  A good deterrent, but much more useful if there is staff available to watch.  Added value to disprove slip and fall claims.
·    Uniformed Police or Security Guards.  Again a budget buster, but necessary in some areas where violence is a threat.  More of a robbery deterrent.
·    Signs that indicate shoplifters will be prosecuted.  May prevent some impulse thieves, may be a turn-off to some legitimate shoppers.
·    Locking merchandise in display cabinets.  Pretty secure, but will it hurt sales, or take too much time to lock and unlock?
·    Arrangement of merchandise.  Keep high theft items near a wrap stand, raise the cashier area for better viewing, and eliminate hidden areas.  This is a low cost avenue to reduce theft.
·    Training staff in anti shoplifting policies and procedures?  Do they no how to act or react if they see or suspect a shoplifter in your store?  Another low cost high value activity.
·    Increase staffing when shoplifters are likely to hit.  Opening, closing, and after school are prime times.
·    Staff awareness/customer service.  Every customer should be greeted soon after entering the store, so they are aware that someone knows they are there.
·    Retail anti theft devices such as Checkpoint Security Systems. Checkpoint Security Systems are designed to detect merchandise that has active Checkpoint Security Tags attached and emit an alarm.

The store owner who wants to reduce or stop shoplifting at his place of business, should consider combining several of the methods that apply to his situation.

Need a partner to help stop shoplifting in Atlanta, Georgia or elsewhere? You can also visit our On-Line Store or call 770-426-0547 or click here.

 

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The Criminal Background Check and Hiring Decisions

January 28, 2011 by

The Criminal Background Check and Hiring Decisions

If your company is like most others, there is some type of criminal background check done on all applicants for employment or newly hired people.  What employers do once the arrest and/or conviction information is received on a candidate can be very different.

Some companies have very strict guidelines on hiring parameters, excluding candidates who have any criminal history at all, while others are willing to take a chance on hiring someone with a record based on a number of factors such as age at the time of the offense, seriousness of the crime, or time since the crime was committed.  Still other companies use the criminal background check only as part of a comprehensive pre employment screening program and consider many other variables, like education, employment record, or personal references as mitigating factors for someone with a criminal history.

To be fair across the board, a company should define requirements and qualifications for each position in the company.  These do not necessarily have to be the same for each position.  A company might reject an applicant for an accounting position who has a record for embezzlement, but hire a driver who has written bad checks.  Categories of the crime for which the candidate was convicted may be a factor as well.  Felons might be excluded while misdemeanor convictions are accepted, or an applicant might be disqualified for a conviction of a crime of violence, like assault or battery.

The important thing to remember is that the qualifications should be written down as policy, and applied fairly and consistently across the board.  A labor attorney or background check experts can help with this.

An employer has the right to conduct a criminal background check on employees and new hires within certain bounds, and can use this decision tool effectively.

For more information on the criminal background check, call 770-426-0547 or click here:  Background Check Experts

 

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A simple decision – Clothing security for your business

January 28, 2011 by

You are a business owner.  You would like to make a profit – not have your profits walk out of your front doors at the hands of shoplifters.  There are so many ways to decrease shrink and increase profits, it can be difficult to choose amongst all of the options.

If you business sells clothing, clothing security tags are an option to consider when researching loss prevention ideas for your business.  Security tags on clothes can be an excellent deterrent to the shoplifter that comes into your business looking for the easy steal.

Clothing is a very common item for shoplifters to target, because it is easy to conceal and bunch up.  A large amount of clothing can fit into the average sized purse, under a jacket, in a pocket, or where ever else the creative shoplifter can think to conceal.  When a shoplifter is deciding whether or not to steal from you, having clothing security tags can definitely influence their decision.  Shoplifters do not want to have to figure out a way to get around clothing security, especially when they can target the business that does not have security tags on clothes.

The investment into clothing security is minimal compared to the increase in profits that you can experience as a business owner.  You can bring lower prices to your honest customers if you can reduce your losses due to shrink by investing in clothing security tags.  If you do not have any type of clothing alarm on the items you sell, you will experience increased loss, guaranteed.  And to recoup that loss can be detrimental to your business and your loyal, paying customers.

It’s a simple concept. Reduce your loss and increase your profits with clothing security and a clothing alarm .

For more information about clothing security tags or clothing security or security tags on clothes contact us at clothing alarm or call 1.770.426.0547.

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Is there anything I can do to prevent shoplifting?

January 28, 2011 by Leave a Comment

There are many ways that businesses can prevent shoplifting . Ways that the average business owner may not think of, but that are important none-the-less.  Loss prevention experts can analyze the aspects of your business and offer up important advice on how to reduce your losses from shoplifting.

For example, store design should be taken into consideration.  Registers should be near the entrance and exits of the business.  This can prevent walkout thefts and also make a shoplifter nervous that they have to walk past where there are employees.  Another way to prevent shoplifting by store design is to not have aisles that stand too tall or create blind spots.  You do not want to provide shoplifters a place to hide and complete their crime.  Have mirrors in place to eliminate any potential blind spots, and also have good lighting so there are no dark corners for shoplifters to lurk.

Do not place high theft, expensive merchandise near the entrances and exits.  Some bold shoplifters will simply “grab and go” by taking the merchandise and quickly getting out of the store.  You can prevent shoplifting in this manner by placing this type of merchandise further back within your store, near employee work areas.

You can prevent shoplifting in your business by keeping a neat and organized store.  If your employees know the merchandise and what is on the sales floor, they are more apt to notice when merchandise is missing.  This is also a good prevention tactic for employee theft.  Employees will be less likely to steal if they know that it will be quickly noticed.  Having good inventory audit programs will also allow you to keep tabs on your merchandise and notice right away when something is missing.

In order to reduce your losses, you have to think like a shoplifter, and then react by creating an environment less desirable to most shoplifters.  Do that, and prevent shoplifting within your business.

For more information contact us at prevent shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547.

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