anti-theft devices

Does Your Business Culture Encourage Employee Theft?

January 9, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

There is a belief among many small business owners that, because the company belongs to them, they ought to be allowed to behave anyway they want. They want to be able to run things their way and believe the employees “should and will” respond accordingly. That’s why they went into business for themselves – they wanted to create and control the work environment or cultural.

This is the paradox, and downfall, of many small business owners. The characteristics of independence and self-determination, coupled with the need to be in charge, are the hallmarks of a successful entrepreneur. Unfortunately, they’re also the attributes of unsuccessful, bankrupt entrepreneurs.

One of the differences between successful and unsuccessful owners is the ability to marginalize the negatives and maximize the positives of their desire to be in control. This ability is particularly important when establishing and maintaining the business’s security culture. Yet, ask any business consultant or security advisor and they’ll say this is one of the areas owners are least likely to address.

They usually don’t address it because they have the mistaken belief that the culture they’ve established and are maintaining, through the power of their personality, is an effective theft deterrent. They believe the way they behave (i.e. nice, nasty, supportive, demeaning, conciliatory, confrontational) will keep them safe from employee fraud.

However, it rarely works that way. The company’s culture is usually not enough to stop employee theft. “Good” guys who try to create an atmosphere of ease for their employee and “bad” guys who create one of stress have the same amount of fraud. The statistics and antidotal information show that owners who manage through personality, rather than systems and controls, are likely to fail.

Employees are 15 times more likely to steal than outsiders and are responsible for 44% of a business’s theft losses (National Federation of Independent Business). This results in almost a 1/3 of businesses failing due to employee fraud (U.S. Department of Commerce). In another 1/3 it’s believed to be a .05% – 1% loss of profit.

The number 1 deterrent is security systems and controls embedded into the cultural. A business’s security culture – values, beliefs and norms which guide how the business and the people in it operate – is important to a business’s survival. When people work within one there’s a profound positive effect on employee morale, operations and the bottom line.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, anti-theft devices, EAS Devices, Employee Theft, Loss Prevention Workshop, Prevent Shoplifting, prevent shrinkage, retail security and monitoring, Shoplifting Prevention

What’s Trending in the World of Shoplifting?

January 8, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

Wouldn’t it be nice if the criminal world was as easy as Twitter? You could just go online and look at what’s trending and then take proactive steps to stem any potential losses. That would be great! Unfortunately, criminals, especially thieves rarely broadcast their intentions. It’s up to the loss prevention community and local law enforcement to share these trends amongst each other in order to combat shoplifting.

You may or may not be aware, but shoplifting is much more than just putting one item in your purse, or pockets. I routinely see individuals and groups operating some very sophisticated fraud schemes in order to remove product from the store. One of those trends that have become more and more prevalent over the past year has involved refund fraud. I had a very complex case that spanned several months that was more sophisticated than anything I had every come across in all my years conducting Loss Prevention Investigations.

The basic storyline is that a brick and mortar store front was employing individuals to target stores for small, high dollar merchandise. Once the product was stolen from one store, it would then be brought to a second store where a refund was given for the product in the form of store credit. That individual would then utilize that credit in order to purchase a high end electronic item. The item, along with the receipt was sold to the store front. This is where it takes a more complex turn.

The store owners would then arrive back at the store with the receipt and electronic item and ask to exchange it for other product. This was routinely conducted with footwear or apparel items. The store owners would conduct the exchange and, on most occasions, pay a difference in cash of anywhere between $10 and $20.

Over several days, the store owners would return to my store and refund each item that was purchased during that exchange transaction. Since the receipt showed they paid a cash balance, inattentive store personnel would always give them a full cash refund. Did I lose you?

Essentially, I was at a loss 5 times for the same product. First it was stolen. Second, I gave them a store credit for stolen goods. Third, the store credit was then spent. Fourth, the product the credit was spent on was exchanged for additional merchandise. Fifth, we gave them cash. It was incredible once it was all uncovered. This group has figured out a way to essentially launder stolen goods and with a few steps and some patience, get cash. All while keeping the appearance of a legitimate transaction. All told, our stores lost well over $100k to this scam.

It was an expensive lesson to learn, but it goes to show just how creative people can be when it comes to fraud. While this was the first time I had ever seen something of this complexity, I can assure you that in the next year, someone will come up with an even more complex method to defraud retailers.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-thefts devices, Employee Theft, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Workshop, Prevent Shoplifting, prevent shrinkage

The 80/20 Rule

January 5, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

The 80/ 20 rule for retail is actually a series of rules, or guidelines to how and where your inventory shrink comes from. Once you drill down to see what is actually driving your shrink, you have the ability to implement much more efficient anti theft and anti shrink strategies.

The first part of evaluating the 80/ 20 rule is to determine a generalization of how your store is incurring losses. There are three main areas of shrink loss that all shrink can be categorized as. They are Internal, External and Operational shrink. As a rule of thumb, internal shrink is explained as asset losses intentionally carried out by an employee of the store. Employees who are stealing merchandise drive internal shrink.

Operational shrink, on the other hand, is merchandise losses carried out by an employee unintentionally. These are the store’s operational errors that end up causing losses. Did an employee accidentally miss an item when they checked a customer out? Did an employee pull some glass cleaner from the shelf to clean their workstation, but not record it on a store use log? Did an employee break an item of merchandise beyond repair and threw it in the trash without letting anyone know?

These are all everyday examples of how an employee can unintentionally cause losses. These are not theft related actions that we would arrest and prosecute and employee for, but the end result is still the same. We are now showing missing merchandise and our bottom line has suffered from the shrink loss. Unidentified items missing from freight shipments also fall into this category.

External shrink losses are created by anyone outside of the company. These are non-employees who steal our products- the shoplifters. The average shoplifter steals much less per incident than an employee does. Even if you have a higher frequency of shoplifters in your store, employee theft will still outweigh the losses caused by shoplifters over time.

While it is really up to you to determine the actual breakdown in your store, most retailers average about 40% of their losses from internal theft, 40% from operational errors, leaving only 20% to external theft. Obviously these numbers can change based upon your location, kinds of goods sold, and staffing sizes. Overall, these numbers equate to about 80% of your shrink is derived in house (by your employees), and 20% comes form external sources.

Next you want to drill down even further into your losses by looking at departments, and the individual items that are being stolen. Ideally you want to have an inventory system that allows you SKU level accuracy. By drilling down to the actual item number that is shrinking out, you can create an action plan suited specifically to that item. At the very least, you should know which departments and product assortments are the highest losses.

Once you determine your highest shrink items, you should know the quantity and/ or dollar amount lost. You can then put your efforts into where the biggest losses are. You might be loosing 100 packs of gum that cost $1.00 each, or you could loose one handbag worth $200. Frequency versus actual dollar amount lost might dictate a closer eye on your handbags, than the multiple losses in packs of gum.

By taking a look at the highest dollar losses, you should see that about 80% of your total shrink losses are coming from only about the top 20% of your shrink items. This drill down approach further streamlines your anti shrink strategies. Now, instead of focusing on every little loss that occurs in your store, you can focus on only the top items. By creating feasible reduction strategies on only those items, you can create a significant reduction in your store’s overall shrink losses.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, EAS Devices, Employee Theft, internal Audit, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Workshop

Is Shoplifting Becoming More Violent?

December 30, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

The detrimental effect that shoplifting has on profitability in a retail business is monumental. While businesses compete by keeping prices low, shoplifting makes it difficult for those businesses to compete at any level. Retail businesses struggle to survive in any economy, and adding shoplifting issues into their struggle make it almost impossible to be profitable. Spending millions of dollars in security cuts into their profits as well and they do not get rid of shoplifting or employee theft by doing this. All these issues make it impossible for retail stores to offers prices that can be competitive with other stores, or make sense to the consumer. Follow the stories below for more news about shoplifting.

Shoplifters caught on tape fleeing Macy’s

SARASOTA, FLA — Detectives with the Sarasota Police Department are attempting to identify two women who were caught on camera stealing merchandise from Macy’s at Westfield Southgate Mall in Sarasota.

Officers were dispatched to Macy’s on Dec. 20, 2014 in reference to two women shoplifting. The loss prevention officer for the store observed the two women taking items off shelves and concealing them in a purse and other shopping bags. The loss prevention officer called the Sarasota Police Department as soon as he noticed the two women from the office, on camera, all while keeping dispatchers on the phone updated.

When the two women attempted to leave Macy’s, the loss prevention officer asked them to come back into the store and they took off running. No subjects were located but the two women shoplifting were caught on camera. When one of the women started running, she dropped a bag of items worth nearly $1,100.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call Detective Kim Laster at 941-364-7327 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers by calling 941-366-TIPS (8477) or online at www.sarasotacrimestoppers.com

1 suspect still at large after Christmas Eve robbery, assault

Eighteen-year-old Hunter Thompsin Ackerman and 19-year-old Eden Araque were booked into Metro Corrections Monday night after police said they were caught on surveillance video shoplifting at JC Penney.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) — Two of three people wanted in connection with a robbery and beating at the Mall St. Matthews are now behind bars.

Police said the trio stole nearly $400 worth of merchandise and assaulted a loss prevention officer when she tried to stop them Dec. 24. According to police records, the employee suffered a broken nose during the assault..

APD reports string of violent shoplifting cases

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —As the holiday shopping season comes to a close, Albuquerque police say they’ve seen a substantial increase in shoplifting cases this December with offenders brandishing deadly weapons.

Officer Tanner Tixier couldn’t provide specific numbers, but says shoplifting cases where an offender threatens a store employee with a weapon have become all too common this holiday season.

“These attacks are becoming more and more prevalent,” Tixier said. During these attacks, Tixier says loss prevention officers who are trained to spot and confront shoplifters are being threatened.

“These criminals have the ability to escalate their violence very rapidly,” Tixier said.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Security, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, Loss Prevention Seminar, Perpetual Inventory, retail security, retail security and monitoring, Shoplifting Prevention, surveillance

Loss Prevention

December 18, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

During this time of year the number of shoplifters visiting your store is more than at any other time of the year. Stores across our nation invest millions of dollars in loss prevention, and still billions of dollars are lost due to this crime. Some of the measures retail stores use to prevent shoplifting are the use of video surveillance, security guards, and special tags that are attached to the merchandise and are set off when leaving the store without paying. These are some of the many other prevention measures that help retailers deterred shoplifters from entering their stores. Are your loss prevention measures adequate? Do you need to do more to prevent loses? Read the articles below for more news about shoplifting.

Police conduct holiday shoplifting operation, 19 arrests

ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. —

Yesterday plain clothed detectives with the Department’s Economic Crimes and

C.O.T.A. Units conducted a one day operation with loss prevention officers at

the Wal-Mart Store located at 201 34th Street North.

The purpose of the operation was to address the problem of shoplifting that increases during the holiday season.

A total of 19 individuals were arrested, mostly on charges of retail theft although several had outstanding warrants and one juvenile was in violation of court ordered home detention for a previous burglary charge. Of those arrested, 9 were adults and 10 were juveniles.

Great Falls merchants go on guard against shoplifting

Downtown Great Falls’ Amazing Toys owner Dave Campbell said his staff noticed that a $350 Legos set was missing from its perch. They searched the store and found the valuable toy stashed near the front door where a thief planned to retrieve it later.

Dragonfly Dry Goods owner Alison Fried said her staff warmly greets customers, which most shoppers welcome. But some folks, possibly with bad intentions, turn around and walk out the door. She said she has a good camera system inside and outside the store that videotapes 24 hours a day. Fried lets other downtown merchants know who to look for if her store has been hit by a shoplifter.

“We use the team approach,” she said. “We’re a cooperative community downtown.”

“Shrink,” a business concept that includes shoplifting, employee or supplier fraud and administrative errors, cost the retail industry around $42 billion in sales in the United States last year, according to the latest Global Retail Theft Barometer. Worldwide, those factors cost businesses $128 billion.

Man Accused Of Abandoning Child While Shoplifting Speaks Out

A Lexington couple who allegedly abandoned their child while fleeing from loss prevention officers at Walmart say that the police have it all wrong.

Eric Powell and his girlfriend Samantha Barker are accused of shoplifting and taking off leaving behind their 9-month-old child.

Powell says that is not at all what happened.

“We was at Walmart shopping she was at the store shopping and I was by myself looking at magazines and stuff,” says Powell.
He says when they went to check out, he realized he couldn’t pay for the diapers they were trying to buy.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-thefts devices, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Training, Loss Prevention Workshop, prevent shrinkage, retail security, retail security and monitoring

Conceptualize Dishonesty Using the Fraud Triangle

December 16, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

Honest people can have a hard time perceiving and understanding dishonesty in others. Because they have a difficult time conceptualizing it they have a difficult time detecting it. A common lament among managers who have discovered fraud among their employees, vendors and clients is, “I don’t understand how he could do this to me. I had no idea it was happening. I’m just too trusting.”

People too often identify themselves as being trusting, when they’re really being naive. Don’t be naive, protecting your business is vital, many small businesses have been closed due to the fraudulent behavior of their employees, venders or clients. If you don’t want to be taken advantage of it’s important to understand the 3 key factors of the Fraud Triangle.

Before discussing these factors it’s helpful to define fraud, people often have misconceptions about it. According to “Black’s Law Dictionary” fraud is “a generic term, embracing all multifarious means, which human ingenuity can devise, and which are resorted to by one individual to get advantage over another by false suggestions or by suppression of truth, and includes all surprise, trickery, cunning, dissembling, and any unfair way by which another is cheated.”

The 3 factors, which make up the Triangle, are typically present when someone commits fraud. Understanding these elements will help a manager spot dishonesty easier and earlier, because a person who exhibits these thoughts and characteristics is at great risk for deceitfulness.

1. The perceived pressures the person believes they are under.

2. The perceived opportunity the person has to commit fraud.

3. The person’s rationalizations for committing the fraud counter-act their innate integrity.

Here’s an example of how the Fraud Triangle works. Mrs. K has never stolen from her employer and is indigent when others do. She wants to take her immediate family to an expensive reunion. She can’t afford it, but all of her extended family are attending. Mrs. K perceives this as a personal and financial crisis (1^st side). She’s the company’s bookkeeper and there are no fiscal controls in place (2^nd side). Mrs. K rationalizes that she’ll “only borrow” the money for the trip and then pay it back (3^rd side).

She embezzles the money, gets away with it and keeps on stealing. Because usually, once all 3 components are present, when people commit and get away with fraudulent acts they continue the behavior. Also, they may continue behaving dishonestly if they get caught but have no or too few consequences. This is why many managers have found that giving someone “a break” usually backfires on them.

When you understand the Fraud Triangle, and use it as a touchstone for conceptualizing people’s dishonesty, it becomes easier to formulate a defense against deceit. There are many ways to mitigate each of the 3 factors, which can greatly reduce or eliminate the possibility of being taken advantage of. After all, your honesty should be an asset to your business not a liability.

Nicole Abbott – writer, educator and psycho-therapist

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Security, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, EAS Devices, Employee Theft, Loss Prevention Training, retail security and monitoring, security devices, Shoplifting Prevention

Is Shoplifting More Prevalent During The Holiday Season?

December 11, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

Do you know the shoplifting laws in your state? Shoplifting is a crime and many businesses Do prosecute the shoplifter regardless of the amount they stole. Retail businesses and communities across the United States are more vigilant during this time of year due to the number of shoppers and merchandise they have in their stores. If you think you can steal without any repercussion, think again. People that are prosecuted for shoplifting can be charged with misdemeanor theft, and face up to $1,500 fine and six months in jail, although if it is their first offense the fine is usually less. For more news about shoplifting follow the links below.

2 Charged with Shoplifting from Coon Rapids Kohl’s

Two Anoka County residents are facing charges after allegedly shoplifting from a Coon Rapids Kohl’s and attempting to flee police.

Officers were called to the Kohl’s on the 12700 block of Riverdale Boulevard around 6 p.m. on Black Friday on a report a shoplifting in progress. A loss prevention employee said a woman seemed to be putting merchandise in her purse.

An officer arrived and found a black Ford Taurus driving slowly through the parking lot, which eventually stopped at the front of the store. The suspect woman was then seen leaving the store and getting into the Taurus, according to the criminal complaint.

The officer turned on his squad car’s emergency lights and started issuing commands to the people inside the vehicle, but the driver of the Taurus allegedly continued to try to get away, getting repeatedly blocked by the officer’s squad car before giving up.

The driver of the vehicle was identified as 42-year-old Randal Anthony Daher of Fridley, and the woman was identified as 34-year-old Jennifer Jane Stoffers of Blaine.

The officers said they saw the Kohl’s merchandise in plain sight in the vehicle, the value of which was $594.98.

Norwalk Woman Charged With Shoplifting From Whole Foods

FAIRFIELD, Conn. — Police arrested a Norwalk woman on charges of shoplifting from Whole Foods in Fairfield, adding to a growing number of arrests at the grocery store.

Amanda Maxwell, 54, of Westport Avenue, was spotted shoplifting by Whole Foods’ Loss Prevention on closed-circuit television and was stopped in the parking lot of the store at Kings Crossing Shopping Center on Grasmere Avenue, police said.

According to Loss Prevention officials, Maxwell emptied a full cart of food items into reusable plastic bags while shopping near the fish market, police said. She then attempted to leave with $155.46 worth of groceries without paying, according to police.

Great Falls merchants go on guard against shoplifting

“We use the team approach,” she said. “We’re a cooperative community downtown.”

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, Employee Theft, loss prevention, Prevent Shoplifting, prevent shrinkage, Retail Anti Theft Devices, security devices, Shoplifting Prevention

Employee Theft This Holiday Season

December 9, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

Billions of dollars are lost every year due to shoplifting every year in the United States. Many retails stores prosecute every incident and some others choose not to contact the police. According to research, 64% of small businesses that have experienced employee theft, only 16% have reported the incident to authorities. One of the main reasons not to prosecute the employee according to the research is because the expense of hiring attorneys outweighs the theft committed by the employee. You can read more news about shoplifting by following the links below.

Shoplifters pepper spray Walmart employee during attempted toy theft

SAND SPRINGS — Police are searching for two women who used pepper spray on a Walmart employee while attempting to steal toys from the store Monday morning.

The robbery attempt happened about 1:30 a.m. when two women tried to leave the store with several toys, Sand Springs Deputy Police Chief Mike Carter said.

One of the women used pepper spray on an employee who intervened before they fled the area in a black or navy blue Chrysler PT Cruiser, Carter said.

Detailed descriptions of the shoplifters were not provided.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call the Sand Springs Police Department at 918-245-8777.

5 ways to avoid employee theft and fraud at Christmas

Christmas: a time when many businesses celebrate the harmony between carols and cash registers. But while Christmas may be a cash cow for some, the combination of temporary staff, increased business activity and financial pressure on staff can move your business from booming to busted.

Employee fraud and theft have fast become a major problem for small businesses in Australia. According to KPMG, workplace fraud more than trebled between 1997 and 2012, costing businesses millions of dollars.

While employee fraud and theft happen all year round, the hectic nature of Christmas produces the perfect environment for staff, both long-standing and new, to become opportunistic.

You see, opportunity is one of the key drivers of employee theft. In a recent global survey by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, 85 per cent of respondents admitted that they would commit a fraud if the ‘right’ circumstances existed.

Employee Theft Is More Widespread Than You Think

Think of all the ways stores lose money.

Pricing Errors. Damaged Goods. But what about when employees steal merchandise? It’s actually a lot more common than you would think.

There’s a reason your average shopper doesn’t know about this problem.

“It’s kind of an embarrassing topic,” says Richard Hollinger. He’s a criminology professor at the University of Florida and he’s been studying why and how employees steal for more than 25 years.

It all started when he was 16. He was working at a small grocery store just south of Macon, Georgia.

“Some of the guys around me, they would graze or eat their way through the store. And I asked them: ‘Stealing food and eating it while you’re at work: isn’t that theft?’ And they go, ‘No, that’s part of your fringe benefits package.’”

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, EAS Devices, Employee Theft, loss prevention, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Training, Prevent Shoplifting, prevent shrinkage, retail security and monitoring

Holiday Help

December 5, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

The Help Wanted signs, advertisements, and postings are already popping up across the country. Retailers nationwide are starting the process of hiring their holiday help. By hiring them in October and Early November, retailers anticipate that these employees will be trained and ready for the big day after Thanksgiving sales, and throughout the holiday shopping season.

The plus side to hiring temporary help, whether it is during the winter holidays, or the summer garden season, is that the employees are there for the hours and days only when the store actually needs them. Hiring on a seasonal or temporary basis allows the retailers to terminate the employment at the end of the season with little future responsibility in the form of unemployment or severance benefits. This doesn’t mean that it is a one-sided employment relationship.

These temporary jobs are a great solution for people looking to make some extra money to pay for holiday gifts or toys. Teachers who have the summer off can pick up additional work that will not interfere when the school year starts back up. Many temporary workers are hard working, and enjoy the freedom that a temporary position gives them. Other temporary workers do so in the hopes of proving themselves worthy of a permanent position after the season is over.

The downside to hiring temporary help, regardless of time of year, is that many of these employees will not have a sense of ownership or loyalty for the company they are working for. In particular, near the end of their employment these disengaged employees who are about to be let go might try to take a little extra for themselves on their way out the door.

Just as with any other employee theft case where the employee steals because they feel they are owed additional compensation, temporary employees can fall into this same mentality. Perhaps it is because they were not offered a permanent position, or perhaps they feel like they gave up more of their holidays than what they realized they would working these seasonal hours, it is easy for a temporary employee to decide they want more.

With no ownership, a limited time frame of their employments, and a sense of entitlement, many seasonal employees historically end up in employee theft situations. These losses cut into very critical profits, as seasonal/ holiday sales often make or break a store’s financial success for the year. It is also problematic due to the short time frame that these crimes are executed within.

Typically, employees who steal do not want to leave their jobs. They might stay at a particular employer for years, building their safety net and refining their methods. They will usually escalate over a period of time, starting with very small thefts to see what they can get away with. This gives anyone investigating a pattern of shortages discovered over a period of time to look for and follow.

When a seasonal hire decides to steal, they know that they might only have a matter of a few months, or only a few weeks to take all that they can. They might decide to only make one large theft, or multiple small thefts that might not pop up on anyone’s radar. From an investigative standpoint, it is often too late to determine who is causing these shortages. By the time the losses are discovered, or a pattern of theft appears, the employee could have already left their employment.

One of the best ways to prevent these losses is to execute all policies and procedures at 100%, especially during these overly busy times. Any breech of policy is more likely to quickly red flag. Seasonal hires should not be given access to keys, codes, alarms, etc. Leave those to a permanent employee. Finally, conducting mini investigations during the season will help uncover any potential theft risks while they are happening, instead of waiting to find evidence after the fact.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Nano Gate, anti-theft devices, EAS Devices, Perpetual Inventory, retail security and monitoring, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics

Shoplifting And The Law

December 2, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

Shoplifting has become a “silent crime” people want to ignore, and regardless of the time of year or the amount stolen, shoplifting is a serious crime that many states are finding hard to ignore. States across the United States are changing the law to prosecute shoplifters, and the charges can run from an “infraction,” or a misdemeanor, to felony charges. Shoplifting is a serious crime that we all need to take seriously. Read more news about this by following the links below.

Sales lure shoppers — and shoplifters

As shoppers finalize plans for a big weekend of holiday gift buying, retailers and law enforcement officers are making preparations to ensure merchandise is paid for before it leaves stores.

“It’s the Super Bowl of our year,” said John Leatherman, loss prevention leader at Scheels in West Des Moines’ Jordan Creek Town Center. “We’ll have a lot of people in here, and that makes our job that much more difficult.”

Retailers throughout Iowa and the nation have hired additional off-duty law enforcement officers to help patrol stores and parking lots during the annual Black Friday shopping bonanza, which attracts crowds of shoppers and shoplifters annually. In addition, police and sheriff’s departments have either staffed more officers or rearranged patrol routes Thursday through Sunday to keep tabs on potential traffic tie-ups, shoplifters and vehicle break-ins.
Individual stores such as Scheels beef up staffing in their loss prevention departments.
“Just because it’s a big shopping day doesn’t mean we won’t have shoplifters,” said Leatherman, whose team watches shoppers on a bank of monitors that are fed from

Retailers, cops prepare for holiday ‘shoplifting season’

Once the Thanksgiving turkey is wrapped in cellophane and days of leftovers lie ahead, stores prepare to be inundated with shoppers, as the Christmas shopping season begins.

As the number of shoppers goes up during the holiday season, the number of shoplifting cases increases as well.

In response, store security personnel prepare to be extra vigilant and police officers are prepared for an increase in shoplifting related calls.

“There is just that many more shoppers in the store,” said Layton Police Lt. Travis Lyman.

People feel pressure that time of year, Lyman said, and their dollars are spread a little more.

Each year, retailers lose millions of dollars in theft.

Utah has been hit by organized retail theft rings, which move from state to state, but for the most part, theft during the holiday season is a matter of volume.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-thefts devices, Prevent Shoplifting, prevent shrinkage, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security, retail security and monitoring