Did you know that shoplifting accounts for a massive 70% of all retail crime? Quite shocking, isn’t it? In fact, the cost of shoplifting to the retail sector is in excess of $2 billion a year! So what can you do to prevent this behaviour?
Fortunately, there are several things that both you and your staff can do to significantly reduce the level of shoplifting in your retail store plus there are ways that your establishment can be made secure so that it’s still inviting for customers but a nightmare for shoplifters to perpetrate. So let’s dive right in and take a closer look.
Things you can do to prevent shoplifting
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Light up all areas – Shoplifters love nothing better than stores with dark corners and poorly lit shop floors and even if there is CCTV chances are that the footage will be too poor in these areas to be of any use.
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Lock it away – Some of the most commonly stolen goods include those that are valuable, easily hidden, and not securely tied down or alarmed. Take a look at your displays and see if this applies to you. If so, consider placing them behind your cash till or locked up inside a glass cabinet.
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Scare them off – It has been shown that signage can put off would be shoplifters. Consider signs stating that bags will be searched and police called, whatever the value of stolen goods or the excuse.
What your staff can do
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Greet visitors – Ask your staff to greet every visitor with a “good morning” or “good afternoon” just so they know that staff are aware of their presence.
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Be vigilant – Once a person is in the store make sure that they’re asked if they need any help. Honest customers will welcome the attention whereas dishonest ones will sense that they’re being closely watched.
While we’re on the subject of staff, make sure you have enough on duty at any one time. It’s easy for a person to steal goods while the only member of staff is distracted with a customer.
Securing your retail outlet – what can you do?
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Physical guard – Technology is all well and good but it’s important also to have a physical presence who can ‘sniff’ out someone acting suspiciously. For larger stores, hiring a commercial security guard can act as a great deterrent to that intent on stealing your property.
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Cameras – Cameras are the next best things after a set of human eyes. They can act as an additional pair of eyes, work throughout the day and night, and be linked directly to your alarm, monitoring, and access systems.
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Electronic tags – Electronic tags which sound an alarm or damage the goods when they’re taken off the shelf act also act as a great deterrent and many casual shoplifters are put off by these and will look for a softer target.
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Access control – It’s a sad fact of life that often the people stealing from you are the staff whose salary you’re paying. An access control system can let you limit access to certain parts of your establishment and keep tracks of the movement of staff too.
By taking on board the above tips you’ll know that you’ve done your best to deter any shoplifters and you may even catch them in the act. MA Security Guards provides security services for the retail sector so why not give us a call and start scaring off those bad guys!
