Shoplifting Prevention
Shoplifting is rising at an alarming rate. There are two categories of shoplifters. One is the professional ones and the other ones are amateurs. Professional shoplifters steal to earn money whereas, those who are amateurs do this for fun and adventure. Hiding the stolen merchandise inside the clothing of the shoplifter or handbags or in the purchased items is the most common technique of shoplifting. Changing the price label is another widely used method. If the shoplifter is really bold then only they will pick up an item and run out of the store.
How to Identify Shoplifters and Shoplifting?
They mostly prefer to carry out their operations when the employees are less alert like during the opening or closing of the stores or when the store is crowded. Identifying shoplifters is a tough task as they do not have any specific profile. They can be of any age, ethnic background and gender. The staff should closely observe the following people:
- A group entering the store and one or two among them are creating a lot of disturbance in order to distract the staff. This is because shoplifter prefer to work in a group of two or more.
- If a person makes visit to the store frequently but never buys anything.
- People wearing heavy clothing like coats even in warm weather or carrying large bags.
- A person who is spending more time around the cashier and not shopping anything.
- A person who seem to be nervous and is randomly picking up things from the rack.
Shoplifting Prevention Methods
All the merchandise should be properly arranged on the racks. This will help the staff to detect any missing items. Do not let them lie around here and there unnecessarily. This may prompt the shoplifters to pick up those items. The display racks should be kept away from the gates in order to avoid "grab-and-run" thefts. Those items that are small but expensive should be displayed in locked cases.
The staff members of the retail store should be given training to prevent shoplifting. This involves identification of the shoplifters and signs of shoplifting. They should be made aware about the various tactics practiced by the shoplifters. They should maintain eye contact with the customers so that they can understand if the customer needs help or is looking for scope to steal items. They should be familiar with prices of various items so that they can detect switching of the labels.
Ensure the safety of the cash counter. Empty the cash drawer after regular interval of time so that minimum amount of cash is kept in it. When not in use lock the drawer and keep the keys in a secured area. At the end of the day, the cash should be counted behind closed doors and not in front of the customers.
There are shoplifting prevention systems which can be used to minimize thefts. CCTV or closed circuit television is considered as one of the best devices to prevent shoplifters. It gives the thieves a sense of insecurity as they feel that they are being watched. Another device is EAS or electronic article surveillance system. Here an EAS tag is attached to each and every time of the store. When a customer is buying the item, the tag is either detached or deactivated. If someone tries to take some unauthorized item out of the store with the tag, then an alarm will blow as it passes the gates.
Every year the retail industry suffers huge loss due to shoplifting. For this reason, shoplifting prevention is a must in order to reduce the opportunities for the thieves. Moreover, shoplifting is a major crime and the offender need to be punished. If it is done by juveniles then we should teach them a lesson so that they do not go on to commit serious crimes in future.
