Store Security by Jeff Grant
Retailers lost between $14 billion and $18 billion to shoplifters last year. (And more to internal employee theft, but that’s another article.) To put a finer point on it: Assuming a typical bottom line margin of four percent and a forty percent mark-up on your merchandise, you’d have to sell fifteen $100 MP3 players to just pay the wholesale price on one stolen MP3 player. Clearly shoplifting can take a heavy toll on your bottom line. With margins already as tight as they are, the small retailer who doesn’t take steps to control shrinkage will suffer in relation to his competitors who do.

Defeating shoplifters is a tall order. Complicating your efforts is the numbing variety of shoplifters. You face everything from teens grabbing cosmetics on a dare to professional shoplifting rings working on assignment with fences. Your merchandise will determine which sub-species of shoplifter will target your retail store, though you’ll always want to go after the lowest common denominator. There are some simple, inexpensive steps you can take that will return immediate dividends.

You face everything from teens grabbing cosmetics on a dare to professional shoplifting rings working on assignment with fences.

Tips to Prevent Shoplifting
• Greet every customer as they enter the store. This lets them know that you know they’re there and they’re being watched.

• Concentrate your resources on deterrence as your first line of defense and apprehension second. It’s easier to prevent shoplifting than it is to catch a shoplifter.

• Smart store design, especially for the small specialty retailer, is very effective theft deterrent. If your merchandising allows, use low aisles so your employees can monitor several rows at once. Keep sightlines open from the cash register to all corners of the shop. Keep your high-end items away from the door. Place the dressing rooms in plain sight of the cash register. Count items that go into the dressing room.

• Train your employees to keep an eye on customers and to watch for suspicious activity. Instruct them on the basic tactics of shoplifters.

• Issue a receipt for every purchase, and mark the receipt when it has been used for a return. A common ploy is to purchase an item, dump in it in the car, return to the shop and pick up the same item, and show the old receipt as proof of purchase.

• Alternate the way the hangers face in your clothing racks. This will make it harder for a shoplifter to grab an armful of clothing and dash out the door.

• Put up a sign that says “Security Camera Surveillance” or something along these lines. It doesn’t matter if you have security cameras or not. Throw a couple of security tag systems (“electronic article surveillance” systems) are very effective. Plug in the transceiver and place the tags on your merchandise and you’re ready to go. For extra protection, put two tags on an item—one in an obvious place, and the other hidden. Again, if you want to go a less expensive route but to somewhat the same effect, buy the inexpensive labels but not the transceiver. The shoplifter will assume you have the transceiver hidden. Check for customers for “booster bags.” These are bags that have been lined with foil to stymie EAS systems.

• Lock your small high-end items in a showcase.

• Install surveillance mirrors.

• Check all items before they go into the dressing room. Watch for multiple articles hidden on the same hanger.

Further, keep up to date on the newest shoplifting tactics and check the TRIO Display website for the latest inventory loss prevention tips and security prevention systems.