What you and your employees can do within the store:
Loss experts agree that a crucial way to prevent shoplifting is to have well-trained and alert employees who how to spot a potential shoplifter. Employees need to watch for customers who:
- Avoid eye contact
- Appear nervous
- Wander the store without buying
- Leave the store and returns repeatedly
- Linger in a location that employees have a hard time monitoring
- Constantly keep an eye on store employees and other customers.
In addition to training your employees to spot shoplifters, general shoplifting-prevention techniques include:
- Staying alert at all times.
- Greeting all customers.
- Asking lingering customers if they need help.
- Knowing where shoplifting is most likely to occur in the location.
- Using a log to share suspicions about shoplifters among employees.
- Displaying signs that “Shoplifters will be prosecuted.”
When shoplifting is suspected, it’s crucial for your employees to know how to handle incidents. It is recommended that retail employees:
- Never directly accuse anyone of stealing (call security instead).
- Give the person a chance to pay for the item they “forgot” to pay for by asking, “Are you ready to pay for that?” or “Will I take for that?”
- Never try to physically stop a shoplifter. Call security and/or the police.
How to ensure your building is secure:
- Ensure you have locks on all outside entrances and you have adequate inside security doors.
- All windows should have secure locks. Burglar - resistant glass treatments are also recommended.
- Lighting inside and outside of the premise during the day and at night provides additional security from theft. Well lit areas deter thieves, make sure the entire perimeter is well-lit, especially around doors and other entrances.
- Having an intruder alarm with monitoring is a must. Ensure the alarm is serviced regularly.
- Your cash register should be kept in plain view from outside the building so that it can be easily monitored and should be left open with empty and not in use.
