Alpha High Theft Solutions

Shoplifting and Preventable Measures

November 15, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

As a manager of a retail shop, the layout of the store is probably out of your hands and there is nothing to do about it. You have no control if the changing rooms are way in the back of the store where the opportunity to shoplift presents itself with regularity.

There are several tactics to prevent shoplifting in your store, and even though the layout of the store is out of your hands, other preventive measures can be taken to prevent and deter shoplifting.

According to experts, these preventive measures can help you manage your store better:

Customer Service
Lighting
CCTV cameras
Staff training
Signage
EAS and Security systems

Each and every one of these preventive measures cannot solve the problem of shoplifting. But when a manager or owner of a store is vigilant and knows they need to use a combination of these measures to prevent shoplifting, then the results can be seen clearly.

Target has announced that as of October, they have increased the minimum hourly wage to $11. With this increase, they hope there will be a decrease in turnover and sick days and an increase in productivity from their hourly employees.

Whether they believe employee theft will decrease with this increase in minimum wage is still unclear. And research has not found to be the case.

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

Target’s Minimum Wage Increased. What Does That Mean for Theft?

To reduce loss from theft, retailers need employees to be more honest. Could Target’s minimum wage bump help?

Employee theft is a source of loss simply too costly to ignore, which is why loss prevention practitioners are always on the lookout for novel ways to prevent it. But what if the best theft-prevention tool wasn’t a security measure at all? What if you just paid your store associates a little more money? Would that make a difference? To what extent can wages act as a loss prevention tool?

On Sept. 25, Target announced its plan to boost staff pay. “This October, we’re raising our minimum hourly wage to $11—and we plan to increase the minimum hourly wage for all team members over the next few years to reach $15 by the end of 2020,” the company said in an announcement. According to the consensus of research, Target may experience a range of benefits for its investment, including an increase in worker productivity and decline in turnover and sick days.

Hampshire businesses targeted 35 times a day by shoplifters study shows

NEW research has found that across Hampshire more than 35 incidents of shoplifting take place every day.

A study by OnBuy.com revealed that Hampshire Constabulary reported 12,578 shoplifting offences throughout 2016/2017.

The figures showed that the force had the eighth highest rate for the crime in England and Wales.

Of the 43 police forces within that area, Metropolitan Police Service had the highest rate with 47,580 crimes reported, where as the City of London Police were bottom with just 729 incidents.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, Background checks, CCTV cameras, EAS Devices, employee background checks, Employee Theft, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Training, Periodic inventory, prevent shrinkage, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security, retail security and monitoring, shoplifting, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, surveillance

Shoplifting Prevention

November 10, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Kleptomania is a mental disorder. Not as serious as a more severe case of schizophrenia for example, but a mental disorder nonetheless. The inability of people suffering from this disorder to stop themselves from grabbing merchandise and stealing it is a problem mental health professionals try to understand and help these sufferers find a way to overcome.

The problems caused due to shoplifting are many. Police departments across the nation spend countless hours answering calls to retail shops where shoplifting incidents occur daily. Society as a whole loses the taxable merchandise lost to shoplifting, and the owners of some of these retail shops see their business crumble due to the heavy shoplifting they experience. But, we must remember that in some cases, these people need help, not jail.

Safety and Security For Your Retail Store

October 31, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

As the biggest shopping season of the year seems inevitable close, retailers across the world prepare themselves to not only have a great holiday season but a profitable one.

Merchandise is not the only aspect retailers need to prepare themselves for this season. Hiring employees and making sure security is in place are as important as the merchandise they plan to sell.

Retail shoplifting cannot be solved by having a simple solution only. Management, owners, and employees play an incredibly important role to combat shoplifting in their stores among security systems and loss prevention personnel.

CCTV systems cannot by themselves offer the solution for the growing shoplifting problems that are pervasive in the retail industry. Customer service, personnel training, or security systems cannot be the answer to this problem either if they are implemented by themselves.

A security system, excellent customer service, and trained personnel in the store can help you combat shoplifting if implemented together to offer a solution to the shoplifting in your store.

Having excellent customer service first and foremost has been found to help deter shoplifting in retail stores as well as any other security measure. Trained personnel at checkouts can stop customers from lingering too long and walking out with merchandise they have not paid because the lines were too long and didn’t want to wait any longer.

Implementing security measures to follow in case of a shoplifting incident can save lives. Is the security personnel team in your store trained and know what to do when approaching a shoplifter? Reviewing security measures with all your employees is paramount, but security personnel need to know what to do and when to do the approaching and apprehension of a shoplifter.

Keeping your employees and customers safe has to be your number one priority regardless of what the shoplifter is pocketing. By following the guidelines of the store, employees and customers alike can feel safe and can count on the store to protect their safety. No amount of merchandise that a shoplifter is pocketing is worth the lives of your customers or employees.

Have a safe and profitable season this year!

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, Background checks, CCTV cameras, EAS Devices, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, loss prevention, Loss Prevention Seminars, Loss Prevention Training, Loss Prevention Workshop, Periodic inventory, Prevent Shoplifting, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, surveillance

Fitting Room Theft

October 31, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

You know the drill. At the end of the day, you find your merchandise tags on the floor or hidden in your fitting rooms. Shoplifters bring your merchandise into a fitting room and put it on under their clothes. Sometimes many layers of your apparel are under the clothes they wore in.

One in ten people that walk through your doors is there to steal. It is a fact of retail life. Studies show that a large percentage of these thieves are female and under the age of thirty. This feeds into the fact that the average retailer’s inventory shrink from shoplifting is approximately 35%.

Shoplifters conceal your merchandise in a variety of ways, in a stroller, pockets, a booster bag, booster clothing or like mentioned above, simply wearing your merchandise out of your store under their clothing. All of these methods require one thing, privacy, even if only for a few seconds. What better place to get privacy in a retail store than a fitting room. Shoplifters can take their time. And because some fitting rooms are handicap accessible, it is not a problem to bring that shoplifting vehicle (stroller) right in with them.

What can you do to protect yourself from theft that a fitting room helps to facilitate? Start with fitting room design:

Fitting rooms should not be located in out of the way areas. I prefer high-traffic areas.
Walls should be smooth and continuous with no decorations, picture frames, signs… that a shoplifter can hide or dispose of a price tag.
Mirrors should be permanently attached to the wall and the edges should be caulked to keep the thieves from hiding labels behind them.
Avoid carpeting in the fitting room. Carpet can be pulled up and labels can be hidden there. If you have to use carpet, ensure it is one piece and the edges are securely glued to the flooring.
Doors should not go all the way to the floor. This still provides privacy but does not give the shoplifter a complete feeling of privacy.
Doors should have a lock that is called a “storeroom” style. This means that a key is always required to unlock the door and that cannot be changed by turning the knob on the other side.
Bright lighting helps your legitimate shopper but gives the shoplifter less of a feeling of privacy.
CCTV cameras in plain sight outside of the fitting room doors. The area outside of a fitting room is the perfect place for a public view monitor so customers see that the system is live.
Chimes that alert staff when a fitting room door opens.
Seating such as benches should be fixed or built in. Any seams, cracks should be sealed. The underside of the bench should be a smooth surface that will not facilitate the hiding of tags.
Cove base and shoe mold should be securely mounted, the edges glued and caulked.

Of course, all of this is worthless without proper procedures and a trained staff:

Consider fitting room attendants that count garments in/out.
Key control. Staff must never leave a key in the fitting room door.
For high volume and multiple fitting rooms use a number tag system.
Consider limiting the number of items a customer can take into the fitting room at one time.
Staff should be trained to keep an eye on anyone who they have let into a fitting room. This is not just a theft concern but also customer service. Your staff can keep track of merchandise and help the customer with different sizes.
Do not allow merchandise to build up outside the fitting room. Besides presenting a sloppy appearance, a disorganized area allows shoplifters to more easily conceal merchandise and tags.
Customer service, customer service, customer service…

Make sure that when you do have an incident that you bring it to the attention of all staff members so everyone can learn from it. Even though the key to preventing this kind of theft is customer service, you may still have more than acceptable losses. At that point, it is time for a Checkpoint System. The tags on the merchandise are working 24/7 and will alarm even if the stolen merchandise is under the shoplifters clothing.

Contact us at 770-426-7593 if you have any questions about this topic, would like our help or if you would like a quote on a Checkpoint System.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-thefts devices, EAS Devices, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, loss prevention, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Seminars, Loss Prevention Training, Loss Prevention Workshop, Perpetual Inventory, prevent shrinkage, racial profiling, Retail Anti Theft Devices, security devices, shoplifting, Shoplifting Prevention, surveillance

Helpers Hired For The Holidays May Take Advantage of You

October 31, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

I wonder if Santa Clause conducts background checks on his newly hired elves? I’ve been contemplating the chaos that would take place in Santa’s workshop if he just hired any old elf to work for him. Does Santa ever get into a time crunch right around June and bring in seasonal hires to help meet timelines to get all of the toys made? Imagine the pilferage that would ensue if Santa’s Helpers haven’t been properly screened for criminal activity before being brought on board. Defective dolls might be delivered to darling little girls who deserve better. No firetrucks for a little fella because a fiendish elf stole it. I have no idea what might happen at the North Pole but what I do know is that retailers DO get in a crunch for adding seasonal staff and that CAN lead to criminal activity and chaos.

There are times when employers hire staff for their busiest times of the year but they rush into it as if they had no idea it was coming. Poor strategic planning can lead to a hurry up and hire mentality. This leads to a myriad of issues:

Managers are no longer as selective as they would be if they were hiring at any other time of the year. Interviews are shortened and unless something glaring stands out on an application it is submitted to Human Resources with a request to hire.
The focus is on getting a candidate into “the system”. They can be included in orientation and trained in time to fill the holes in the schedule. This is prime time when other concerns fall by the wayside.
People are hired who may not truly have the competency to do the job they are hired for. Forget potential theft issues, these workers through no fault of their own may just not be good at their job. A new cashier may not know how to count back change. They may not understand when a short-change artist is trying to con them. They may not get enough training to understand the importance of looking at everything that comes through the lane. Each of these issues causes significant cash and or merchandise shortage to the store.
Pre-employment screening may not be done. Background information that might have uncovered a checkered past is never discovered because there wasn’t enough time to conduct a check and get the training started. Was a convicted felon just hired? Perhaps it was just a simple petty larceny charge on their record. It could be a conviction for assault was not reported on the application and the employer won’t know because there was no pre-employment screening.
Hiring on the fly may result in bringing in someone who has been fired for poor performance or insubordination and that attitude may carry into the new workplace.

The list can go on but the bottom line is that not making staffing plans for the busy season can impact more than you might think.

What is the solution? You have to get the store staffed and you will be competing against every other retailer for limited resources. Plan a stepped process for adding new team members to your store.

First, make a commitment that EVERY new hire will undergo a pre-employment screening NO EXCEPTIONS! Loss Prevention Systems Inc. can conduct thorough background checks that will minimize your chances of bringing in a poor candidate.
Determine how many new employees you need and add at least 5 to 10 to that number to account for attrition.
Establish where you will post your job ads and what date you will begin interviews. Build a realistic timetable that includes the length of interviews, length of time for conducting the background check and length of time to complete hiring paperwork and orientations and training.
Set a Firm “Do Not Hire After This Date” date. Make it firm and don’t allow other managers to make exceptions.
Allow at least one full week from the time the last person is expected to be hired and processed to get properly trained. Failing to do so sets the new employee up for failure.

Start early enough to make your plan achievable. Starting too early and making a hiring offer then making people wait to start working will cause those new workers to quit. They are working for a paycheck. Starting too late and you will struggle to find people let alone people you want to have working for you.

Santa may not have staffing issues, his team works all year long. You have real personnel concerns and have to hire more for the holidays. Plan ahead and make sure you are taking advantage of available workers don’t allow workers to take advantage of you.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-thefts devices, EAS Devices, employee background checks, Georgia shoplifting systems, loss prevention, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Training, mobile POS loss prevention, Perpetual Inventory, prevent shrinkage, preventing shoplifting in your store, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security, retail security and monitoring, security devices, shoplifting, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, surveillance

The Best Gift Boxes and Wraps

October 31, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

When we think of gift boxes and wraps during this time of the year we would probably think of robe boxes, shirt boxes or jewelry boxes. Wraps would bring to mind those colorful papers and foils that we use to hide the boxes and try to camouflage the gifts inside. Then there are the ribbons that tie everything together and make the packages beautiful. The whole purpose is to protect the items we have purchased from prying eyes and snoops.

Retailers have to protect their merchandise against more than just prying eyes, nosey relatives, and curious kids. Store owners have to think about theft issues that will be impacting them during the holidays. It is an unfortunate fact of life that during this time of the year criminal activity, especially shoplifting rises significantly. The harm that is inflicted by these criminals is more than simply the loss of a piece or two of merchandise. The business owners, store employees, and customers are all impacted by the actions of those who enter a store and steal from it.

The obvious effect theft has on the business owner is that a stolen piece of merchandise eats into the profit margin of the store. We use to estimate in Loss Prevention that for a big box retailer it required selling approximately 10 units of something to make up for the loss of one unit of the product. The small or medium retail owner is trying to be careful in how much to markup goods in order to stay competitive with the national chain stores. Consequently, these owners may have to sell a bit more to make up for a stolen item.

Employees are impacted by shoplifters because it could mean a storekeeper may not be able to hire an additional worker for the holidays, never mind for an entire year. Merchandise shortage may mean seasonal hires have to be let go a little earlier than a business owner truly wanted to release them. Shoplifting also means that shortage has to be considered when a store owner is deciding on employee pay. Knowing that theft is going to happen and it will hurt profits, a business owner has to keep expenses lower and one of the biggest expense areas to a store is payroll.

Customers are affected by thieves because many of the store markups are a direct result of shoplifter activity. Customers don’t want to pay more than they have to for an item and so they may take their business to a big box competitor or to online shopping if prices increase. Mom and Pop shop owners can’t afford to mark-up goods too much or they risk losing business. Not marking up to make up for losses means Mom and Pop stores have to sell more to customers. Customers they are already fighting to keep. To top it off, the shoplifters take merchandise that may have been available to a paying customer to purchase. The customer can’t buy what isn’t there and a vicious cycle ensues.

In order to combat shoplifting and larceny at all times of the year, the small retail owner should be using retail anti-theft devices. This is where the best boxes and wraps come into play and they aren’t the type we use for our gifts. The ones store owners should be using are those that will keep thieves and criminals from stealing in the first place. Small items can be protected in Alpha Keeper boxes while larger items are securely surrounded in Spider Wrap. Both devices allow owners to leave merchandise in the open and accessible to customers who can then carry items in the store or to a register. By the same token, the anti-theft devices keep criminals from being able to get access to merchandise and prevent them from getting products out of the store without causing alarm activations.

Business owners, you don’t need to experience empty shelves and cash drawers on the account of theft. Don’t allow crooks to victimize you, your employees and your customers. Box and wrap your products with retail anti-theft devices so your shoppers can have the merchandise they want at affordable prices. Your customers can enjoy more green in their pockets and you will see more green in your registers.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, Background checks, CCTV cameras, EAS Devices, employee background checks, Employee Theft, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, Loss Prevention Seminars, Loss Prevention Training, Loss Prevention Workshop, preventing shoplifting in your store, surveillance

Dash Through The Snow But Not After Shoplifters

October 31, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

“Dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh…” OH BOY, this is one of my favorite times of the year! Christmas time and the other holidays just make it special for me. The television specials, the music, the foods and treats and the decorations all combine to just give a warm feeling. I even feel like people tend to be friendlier and more helpful to each other. Then there is the shopping to do, going out to window shop or find that perfect gift for someone(s) special in our lives. Living in the South we don’t often get to dash through the snow but when you live up in the northern states you can add the winter frolicking to your holidays. Even if we haven’t experienced it almost all of us have seen pictures or movies with reindeer dashing through the snow pulling Santa’s sleigh. There’s something about it that evokes a bit of childhood magic.

While dashing may be magical and exciting when it comes to playing in a winter wonderland it isn’t good when the dashing involves the pursuit of shoplifters. The holidays may bring out the best in most of us but somehow it brings out other things too, like thieves and criminals. The holidays are a notorious time of the year for the increases in shoplifting. Professional shoplifters often use the crowds in stores to hide their activity. Casual shoplifters or spontaneous shoplifters come in and steal to get a thrill or because they want to impress their friends. It may be greed that drives these people because they want something they can’t afford. Whatever the reasons shoplifters make up for their crime the fact is they are still stealing and it makes no difference if they are professionals or amateurs. It is important for store managers and employees to try to deter the theft before it takes place. The use of retail anti-theft devices like a Checkpoint Security System and promoting excellent customer service are two ways to accomplish this.

When that deterrence fails however the objective becomes one of trying to get a shoplifter to dump the merchandise before they get to an exit door. Loss Prevention professionals have some tricks they may try to employ, pulling out radios, talking about the merchandise that is concealed, making it apparent they are following the person towards the door. The one thing they can’t (or shouldn’t) do is make an accusation they cannot support. It also may depend on the laws of a state about whether concealment alone and walking past cash registers is enough to constitute shoplifting. In any situation, care has to be taken on how much store personnel does to try to get a shoplifter to dump merchandise.

When all of these steps fail and a shoplifter refuses to drop merchandise they have concealed there is a good chance they will dash out the door and run to get away. It is a natural reflex for the store employee to have the urge to chase after the criminal. Having been in this situation more times than I can count as a Loss Prevention Associate and Manager, I know the feeling. It takes restraint and self-control not to follow the perpetrator when they run. Associates must understand that chasing can lead to someone being injured and that can turn into a lawsuit. A dash to catch a shoplifter can take an employee into a dangerous situation where they may end up facing a weapon. A shoplifter who runs has little or no regard for others and may trample someone, push them down or worse, get to their car and run into someone. Some people have gone so far to try to grab a shoplifter from their car and have wound up getting dragged by the vehicle. Believe me when I tell you there is nothing your store sells that is worth anyone getting hurt over.

Be smart and safe this holiday season. Use retail anti-theft devices on the merchandise you sell. Make customer service training a priority as you are training seasonal and even older staff members. Let them know how their service makes a positive impact on sales and prevents theft. Finally, make a point of emphasizing the dangers involved in dashing after a criminal. The only running to be done by employees is the running of cash registers as your cashiers are ringing up holiday sales.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, Background checks, CCTV cameras, EAS Devices, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Loss Prevention Seminars, Loss Prevention Training, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security and monitoring, security devices, shoplifting, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, surveillance

Preventing Shoplifting In Your Store

October 16, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), there are more than 28 million small businesses in the United States and they account for more than 99% of businesses in the country. Small businesses employ close to 57 million people in the United States alone and are a driving force in the progress of the US economy. The good news for an entrepreneur that wants to start a business is that they are not alone, but if you are a small business in the retail industry, the problems you will encounter do not come as paperwork filings or taxes paid. Shoplifting and employee theft are two of the major causes small retail shops face financial distress during their business enterprise. It is an unfortunate problem, but the problem is there and the small business owner has to find solutions to the specific problems in their store.

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

Retailers ‘tagging’ meat to prevent shoplifting

First it was clothes‚ then electronic goods and baby formula. Now it is meat.

Retailers waging a battle against grocery store shoplifting are adopting unorthodox crime prevention measures by placing electronic security tags on expensive cuts of meat.

The food tags work in the same way as on items such as clothes. Exit the shop without paying for the chunk of steak and an alarm goes off.

Sowetan observed a packer gingerly placing the strange tags on meat this week at one retail chain store west of Johannesburg.

The drastic measure is apparently a direct response to a rise in shoplifting of unconventional goods like meat in tough economic times. In the past‚ tagging was reserved for goods like CDs.

Last week Sowetan reported that a Kliptown policewoman was caught shoplifting meat worth R620 at a Pick n Pay store in Lenasia. She has been released on R500 bail.

Retailers offered top five tips to stop shoplifters

More than 360,000 shoplifting offences were reported in the UK in 2016-17 financial year, according new research.

The data from online marketplace OnBuy.com revealed that the Metropolitan Police had the highest number of shoplifting offences reported in the 12 month period at 47,580 – the equivalent of 130 incidents a day. The Met was closely followed by West Midlands Police, who had 19,741 incidences of shoplifting reported, followed by Greater Manchester Police with 18,002 shoplifting offences.

Meanwhile, City of London Police had the lowest number of shoplifting cases, with only 729 reported – the equivalent of two occurrences every day.

Cas Paton, managing director of OnBuy.com, said: “Shoplifting is more prevalent than we would like to think. Considering the amount of time and energy shops put into running various aspects of their operation daily, shoplifting is really an unfortunate occurrence for them.

Shoplifting: How to prevent ‘blind spots’ in the store layout

Though many types of theft deterrent equipment exist, one of the most effective and affordable approaches is preventing retail shoplifting is by avoiding “blind spots” in the store layout.

In this regard, one of the hardest places for supermarket or mass merchandise cashiers to control and easily view has been under the shopping basket, which is usually blocked by a basketful of other items above it. Failing to ring up items under the basket before customers leave the store can be extremely costly to retailers.

To prevent such losses, one nationally recognized mass-market retailer has already installed over 90,000 bottom-of-the basket (BOB) mirrors in an effort to limit this type of shrinkage in their business. The inventive mirrors are comprised of lightweight acrylic and the mirror mounts opposite the standing cashier to provide a clear, unobstructed view of the bottom of the cart without requiring the cashier to move or stoop, which also expedites checkout.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, Background checks, CCTV cameras, EAS Devices, employee background checks, Employee Theft, Georgia Alarms systems, loss prevention, Loss Prevention Seminars, Loss Prevention Workshop, Periodic inventory, preventing shoplifting in your store, racial profiling, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, surveillance

Implementing Security Measures to Prevent Shoplifting

October 9, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

It might be too early for retailers to prepare for the holiday season, but it is never too early to implement security measures to prevent shoplifting in their stores. The holiday season attracts more customers than at any other time of the year, therefore shoplifting incidents increase with the increase of customers as well.

Having and implementing security measures before the holiday season starts can be beneficial to your bottom line.

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

Shoplifting: How to prevent ‘blind spots’ in the store layout

Though many types of theft deterrent equipment exist, one of the most effective and affordable approaches is preventing retail shoplifting is by avoiding “blind spots” in the store layout.

Tuesday Tip: How to Avoid Shrink

Retail theft affects a retailer’s bottom line and, ultimately, the cost of goods to the consumer. According to the 2017 National Retail Security Survey released in June by the National Retail Federation and the University of Florida, retail theft and other inventory shrink grew to $48.9 billion in 2016 from $45.2 billion in 2015. The thefts amounted to 1.44 percent of sales, up from 1.38 percent the prior year. So what are retailers to do to minimize shrink?

“Good customer service is the best deterrent to theft,” said Tom Konopacki, owner of Anastazia Treasures for the Home in Geneva, Ill. Introducing yourself and letting your customers know you’re there and willing to help them also lets them know that you’re aware of them and possibly watching.

Sorting It Out: Protecting the Supply Chain Against 4 Common Security Threats

Maintaining Security Awareness is Essential

Retailers in America lost billions of dollars in 2016, largely due to shoplifting, employee theft and other types of inventory “shrink, according to new data compiled by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and the University of Florida. The survey shows that inventory shrink grew to $48.9 billion in 2016 from $45.2 billion the year prior. The increases in losses were found to be largely due to the result of flat or declining retail security budgets.

“While Retailers are proactive in combating criminal activity in their stores they acknowledge that they still have a lot of work left to do,” NRF Vice President of Loss Prevention Bob Moraca said. “The job is made much more difficult when loss prevention experts can’t get the money they need to beef up their staffs and resources. Retail executives need to realize that money spent on preventing losses is money that improves the bottom line.”

Nearly half (48.8 percent) of retailers surveyed said they saw an increase in inventory shrink, while nearly 17 percent said it remained flat.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, Background checks, Employee Theft, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, Loss Prevention Workshop, Periodic inventory, Prevent Shoplifting, prevent shrinkage, security devices, shoplifting, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, surveillance

Who Is Your Shoplifter and What Do They steal?

October 3, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

A Department of Corrections officer was arrested this week at a Walmart for shoplifting. The perpetrator was a former Walmart employee who had left to become a corrections officer. The incident was reported to the authorities, indicating the amount stolen was around $400 dollars during 45 visits at that particular Walmart.

The retail industry loses billions of dollars due to employee theft and shoplifting. It is more difficult when former employees that were in charge of the loss prevention department or have worked there are arrested because of a shoplifting incident they are committing. This month a shoplifter; a corrections officer and former Walmart employee has been charged with 5 counts of shoplifting that happened at the Walmart he used to work for. What is the solution to this problem? How can the retail industry prepare itself for the many shoplifting incidents that occur every day at their stores?

Many industries experts agree that training is the logical solution. Training, constant vigilance, and state of the art technology that can help prevent, deter and even stop shoplifting while is happening.

For more news about shoplifting, follow the links below.

Walmart nabs former employee for shoplifting — in his corrections officer uniform

A onetime Walmart loss prevention officer was arrested Friday for shoplifting from his former employer.

George Smalling, 38, of Pasco, was booked in the Franklin County jail on five counts of shoplifting in what the Pasco Police Department described as an “interesting” case.

According to the police department, Smalling worked at the Pasco Walmart pursuing shoplifters until he left in 2015 to become a corrections officer with the Washington Department of Corrections prison system.

This summer, a current loss prevention officer was investigating a series of shoplifts. In connection with the investigation, the store determined that a particular man came in at least 45 times during that period. The suspect would use the self-checkout lane. He would scan one item but pass others over the reader. He would pay for the scanned item and then leave.

Shoplifter attempts to steal laundry detergent. Does not get away clean.

Police are asking for your help to find a shoplifter. If you have information about this crime, don’t try to take action on your own. Anonymous tips, including photos and videos, can be submitted by texting LEXPD plus the tip to CRIMES (274637). Information can also be sent anonymously through Bluegrass Crime Stoppers at 859-253-2020 or Bluegrasscrimestoppers.com.

Crime of the Week

This week’s Crime of the Week involves a shoplifter who struck the Kroger store on Bryan Station Road.

He tried to leave Walmart with steaks in his pants, police say

A 25-year-old man was arrested Monday in connection with shoplifting after police say he hid steaks in his pants and left without paying at a Myrtle Beach grocery store, according to a police report.

Payton Christian Abbott, 25, was cited in connection with shoplifting, online jail records show.

Myrtle Beach officers were called about 11:30 a.m. to the Walmart Neighborhood Market at 3915 N. Kings Hwy. in regards to an alleged shoplifting incident.

Filed Under: Security News Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, CCTV cameras, EAS Devices, Employee Theft, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, loss prevention, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Seminars, Loss Prevention Training, Loss Prevention Workshop, mobile POS loss prevention, Periodic inventory, Perpetual Inventory, retail security and monitoring, security devices, shoplifting, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting violence, surveillance