Posts Tagged ‘shoplifting’
Ungluing Sticky Fingers - 7 Tips for Tackling Shoplifting
Tuesday, March 4th, 2008
Have you ever thought about how much money you could be losing from merchandise that goes out the door without your knowledge?
The price of shoplifting on retail businesses is high. Millions of dollars are lost to shoplifting annually. This represents lost money that you have to make up through increased sales.
Even if your store loses only ten dollars a day to shoplifting (which is a low estimate for retail shops), that translates to over $3,600 a year. How much nicer would it be to have an extra $3,600 in the bank instead of trying to make up for $3,600 in stolen goods?
Reducing loss takes work. And that work will be rewarded by a boost to your company’s bottom line.
Here are tips to protecting your store from shoplifters:
1. Out of Sight, Out of Store - Shoplifters look for an opportunity to steal and get away with it. Where does your staff stand in the store? At the cash register? Near the dressing rooms? From their vantage points, are there areas of the store they cannot see clearly?
These “blind spots” are where shoplifters go to grab merchandise. Rearrange your store to allow clear sight of all the racks and items from wherever your employees are.
2. Shoplifters Hate Great Customer Service - Not only is great customer service a way to make your buying customers happy, it is also a way to scare away non-buying customers who would try to steal from you.
By making sure your employees know where all customers are and go out of their way to offer assistance, shoplifters will know that they will probably be spotted - and will be prosecuted if they try to take anything.
3. Pay Attention To The Fitting Rooms - If you run a clothing store, the fitting rooms are an area where a lot of shoplifters will try to hide merchandise in their clothes or belongings and steal them.
Make sure an employee counts the articles of clothing both on the way in and on the way out.
4. Take Temptation Away - If you look around your store with a critical eye, you can see which items will likely catch the eyes of shoplifters. Items that are more expensive and easier to sneak out with - like jewelry - should be under lock and key to keep unwanted hands out of the till.
5. Have Enough Employees - The best time for a shoplifter to strike is when there is only one employee working the cash register. They know that person is focusing on transactions, leaving them with an open window to take off with the goods. Never leave just one person running the shop.
6. Don’t Go Light on Shoplifters - Often, once a storeowner catches a shoplifter they will let them go if they “promise not to do it again”. This is a surefire way to have more shoplifters come to your store. The lighter your prosecution policy, the more likely you are of being a target.
Instead, you should prosecute shoplifters to the fullest extent of the law. This sends a message that you will not allow this activity in your store - both to the shoplifter you caught and others.
7. Get Your Employees Involved - You should have a shoplifting policy in place, letting your employees know what to do if they catch a shoplifter. Make sure they are fully trained on what and what not to do. Many businesses also offer an employee reward program, offering bonuses to employees who catch shoplifters in the act.
While you will never be able to completely stop shoplifters from trying to target your store, the more you do to make this a harder task for them, and levy consequences when they are caught, the more likely they are to avoid your store - and hit one with a lighter enforcement policy.
Tags: advice, brick and mortar, customer service, Generating More Sales, Leeia Ladipoh, protecting your business, retail, Sales, shoplifting, tips
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