According to latest
reports, retail shrinkage (public enemy number 1 for most retailers)
cost Australian businesses a staggering $45 billion in 2015 alone.
Unfortunately a large chunk of this was due to fraud or theft. So if
you don’t want to add to that statistic in 2016, how do you beef up
your security and prevent commercial losses? Let’s take a closer look
at the common issues and what can be done to prevent them
Shoplifting
There’s no doubting
that shoplifting is a common problem amongst retailers but it can be
dramatically reduced if you follow these steps.
Train staff to
recognise the signs – keep a close eye on those who avoid eye
contact, wear bulky clothing when it isn’t necessary, enter and exit
the shop repeatedly without purchasing anything and appear nervous.
Keep the shop tidy
–A tidy shop makes it harder for individuals to steal from you.
Arrange attractive items in such a way that they’re in good view of
you at all times and avoid clutter.
Welcome people into
the shop – Saying a polite ‘Hello’ or ‘Good Morning’ to
potential customers walking into your store has a two-fold action.
Firstly it presents itself as good customer service to those who are
genuinely shopping or browsing, but more importantly, it lets
potential shoplifters and criminals know that you’re watching them.
Return Fraud
Dealing with return can
be tricky, but you have to develop a hard and fast policy that won’t
alienate real customers but will help with loss prevention. Here are
some tips
Make your returns
policy visible to all – Returns work best when customers know the
rules from the start, so display the rules prominently both in store
and printed on receipts.
Request for proof of
purchase – As a shop owner you’re quite within your rights to ask
for a proof of purchase. A store receipt is often the quickest and
easiest way to distinguish a genuine purchase, so always include it
in your policy and ask the customer for theirs when returning goods.
Employee theft
Surprisingly one of the
largest reasons for retail shrinkage is employee theft. If you want
to prevent your staff from getting sticky fingers, here’s what you
need to do…
Employ the right
people – Run background checks on all potential employees before
you hire them. Ask for references and generally make sure that they
are of the right character.
Be a great place to
work – Happy workers don’t steal from their employees fact! So
make your store a great place to work by building a good team
atmosphere.
Perform
regular audits – Carry out regular stock checks and audits
and introduce some form of staff search into your routine. Doing so
will make any potential thieves think twice before stealing from you.
Here at MA Security we
help businesses with all aspects of their security. This includes
providing highly experienced and fully trained security personnel,
through to carrying out security audits and giving security
recommendations. Contact us on 1300 020 406 today and
don’t let your retail business become part of yet another statistic.
