How to control Shoplifting ? (Remedies to Shoplifting)
How to control Shoplifting ? (Remedies to Shoplifting)
Establish a Policy
Establish a store policy for the prevention of customer theft and ensure that all staffs are aware of it. Remember to brief new and part time employees on store policy procedures.
Educate Your Staff
Well-trained and alert staff forms the basis for good crime prevention. Don’t rely on Technology instead of investing in proper staff training. Training need not be expensive - 15 minutes each week should be enough to refresh your staff’s memories, and stay alert.
Vigilance
Teach your staff to be alert, and to recognise shop thieves. Thieves will often look around the room rather than at the products, or behave in other suspicious ways. Train your staff to spot potential thieves.
Knowing what to do when a suspect is identified
Decide what you expect your staff to do when a suspect is identified. Making suspects aware that they have been noticed will often be enough to deter crime. Use the normal sales approach e.g. ‘can I help you in any way?’ or ‘can I help you find anything?’ Make yourself busy near the suspect; keep walking past them; smile at them, and look them in the eye. If the theft has already occurred you will want your staff to keep the suspect under observation - or alert specialist security staff if you employ them & detain the customer when he/she approaches the exit gate.
Physical Security
Use of a combination of preventive measures. Most strategies work best in combination rather than isolation, e.g. CCTV can work effectively, particularly where helped by security mirrors, good lighting, and alert well-trained staff. Store design is important.
Some useful measures are:
Mirrors:
Mirrors can help you keep an eye on areas, which would otherwise be out of sight.
Display (’Loop’) Alarms
High value goods can be protected by alarm wires which ‘Loop’ through them to an alarm box. If the wire is disconnected or cut, the alarm sounds. Product tagging may also be of value.
In-store closed circuit television (CCTV)
CCTV cameras will deter some thieves, and can help with prosecutions if good quality equipment is used. Cameras should be highly visible, e.g. monitors may be mounted at entrances, and signs displayed alerting potential thieves to the use of CCTV.
Dummy cameras can provide an inexpensive short term deterrent on their own, or increase the apparent cover and hence deterrent value of a live system. But do not rely solely on dummy cameras. Thieves will soon find it out.
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
RFID tags can be tagged to each of the inventory capturing rack-space. If someone tries to take out this products with RF tags tagged to it, sensors will find it and it will beep.
Store Banning
Your shop is private property, just like your home. Although there is an implied invitation to come in and shop, you are fully entitled to exclude any person from your shop if you feel that their presence is unhelpful to your business - e.g. drunks, or someone whom you have previously caught, or suspected of stealing.
You do not have to give any reason for banning someone. Just politely tell them that you would rather they did not shop here any more, and that you would appreciate it if they do not come into your store again. If they return they will be trespassing, and you can order them to leave. If they refuse, you are entitled to call the police assist you in removing them. If your shop is in a shopping centre, then you can call a security guard.
How to control Shoplifting Remedies to Shoplifting - To learn more about this author, visit Nilesh Shah's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
Here are a few remedies that helps control theft.
Establish a Policy
Establish a store policy for the prevention of customer theft and ensure that all staffs are aware of it. Remember to brief new and part time employees on store policy procedures.
Educate Your Staff
Well-trained and alert staff forms the basis for good crime prevention. Don’t rely on Technology instead of investing in proper staff training. Training need not be expensive - 15 minutes each week should be enough to refresh your staff’s memories, and stay alert.
Vigilance
Teach your staff to be alert, and to recognise shop thieves. Thieves will often look around the room rather than at the products, or behave in other suspicious ways. Train your staff to spot potential thieves.
Knowing what to do when a suspect is identified
Decide what you expect your staff to do when a suspect is identified. Making suspects aware that they have been noticed will often be enough to deter crime. Use the normal sales approach e.g. ‘can I help you in any way?’ or ‘can I help you find anything?’ Make yourself busy near the suspect; keep walking past them; smile at them, and look them in the eye. If the theft has already occurred you will want your staff to keep the suspect under observation - or alert specialist security staff if you employ them & detain the customer when he/she approaches the exit gate.
Physical Security
Use of a combination of preventive measures. Most strategies work best in combination rather than isolation, e.g. CCTV can work effectively, particularly where helped by security mirrors, good lighting, and alert well-trained staff. Store design is important.
Some useful measures are:
Mirrors:
Mirrors can help you keep an eye on areas, which would otherwise be out of sight.
Display (’Loop’) Alarms
High value goods can be protected by alarm wires which ‘Loop’ through them to an alarm box. If the wire is disconnected or cut, the alarm sounds. Product tagging may also be of value.
In-store closed circuit television (CCTV)
CCTV cameras will deter some thieves, and can help with prosecutions if good quality equipment is used. Cameras should be highly visible, e.g. monitors may be mounted at entrances, and signs displayed alerting potential thieves to the use of CCTV.
Dummy cameras can provide an inexpensive short term deterrent on their own, or increase the apparent cover and hence deterrent value of a live system. But do not rely solely on dummy cameras. Thieves will soon find it out.
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
RFID tags can be tagged to each of the inventory capturing rack-space. If someone tries to take out this products with RF tags tagged to it, sensors will find it and it will beep.
Store Banning
Your shop is private property, just like your home. Although there is an implied invitation to come in and shop, you are fully entitled to exclude any person from your shop if you feel that their presence is unhelpful to your business - e.g. drunks, or someone whom you have previously caught, or suspected of stealing.
You do not have to give any reason for banning someone. Just politely tell them that you would rather they did not shop here any more, and that you would appreciate it if they do not come into your store again. If they return they will be trespassing, and you can order them to leave. If they refuse, you are entitled to call the police assist you in removing them. If your shop is in a shopping centre, then you can call a security guard.
How to control Shoplifting Remedies to Shoplifting - To learn more about this author, visit Nilesh Shah's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 | |
 |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
 | |
| |||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. |
 | |
|  |
Subscribe to Nilesh's articles
 | |
|
|  |
 | |
|
| |
 | |||||||
|
 | ||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
|
| ||
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
|
|
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"
Click Here To Learn More |
|
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
|
 Free SEO Report Business Success By Design Making Networking Work Relationships and Referrals Pro-Forma Template |
|
 | ||
 |
Top 50 Marketing Blogs
Top Blogs To Watch In 2008 | |
 |
Top 50 Blogs For Startups
Top Blogs To Watch In 2009 | |
| ||
 | ||||
| ||||
|
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||