home > security advice > crime prevention continued
How to Prevent Crime against Your Business - Part II
Methods to Discourage and Prevent Shoplifters
There are certain ways to prevent shoplifters even contemplating stealing from your store. If you can get a name for yourself as a particularly difficult shop to steal from, it might deter shoplifters from attempting to steal from you.
- Shop Layout
After performing your risk assessment, you should be able to determine where there are potential areas in your shop that people might try to steal from. Thieves want privacy to steal, so the layout of your shop is very important for theft prevention.
To minimise blind spots for staff, make sure you lay out your shop to suit where they spend the majority of their time - this is usually the cash register. Staff should be able to see down every isle and there should be mirrors placed in certain areas so staff can see behind fixtures. Professional shoplifters will be able to spot the way you have laid out the store and see that you are aware of danger areas.
- Stock Security
There are a number of methods to make it inconvenient for thieves to operate in your store. Shoplifters can steal a lot of clothing by grabbing as much as they can and running out the door, using the element of surprise to give them a head-start. If you alternate the direction of clothing hangers, it makes it very difficult for someone to grab a large amount of clothing in one go. Make sure staff know to do this when they open the store and throughout the day. Also, look out for people who are picking up lots of one item and replacing them so the hangers face the same way.
When using EAS systems in-store, try to place the tags in discreet areas of your merchandise. If you can afford to place two tags on an item, one in an obvious place and one hidden, it might help to catch out more experienced thieves. Even if you can't afford an EAS system you can still buy recycled tags from suppliers and this could help deter potential shoplifters from operating in your store.
- Procedures and Policy
Implementing certain staff procedures and store policies can be a great way of deterring shoplifters. You still have to be aware of your legitimate customers, but there are methods that protect consumer rights and stop thieves.
A trick shoplifters use to get money for the goods they have stolen off you is to return the stolen merchandise to the store for a cash refund. To prevent this you need to implement a policy of only supplying cash refunds or credit notes for items that have a receipt. This can create some conflict with real customers, so it is wise to offer same item exchanges for products that don't have a receipt. This prevents shoplifters from gaining anything by trying to make some easy money, but accommodates legitimate customers.
One of the best ways of stopping thieves from operating in your store is to make it clear that you prosecute all thieves - with no exceptions. This means any age, from young to old. If you get a name for being tough on shoplifters, it will help keep them away from your store in the future.
These are just some tips on how to prevent and deter people stealing from you. Talk to other shop owners about the methods they employ and use what is right for your store. By training staff and implementing tough security measures, you can build a reputation that you are not an easy target and stop thieves from trying to steal from you.
Find out more about our CCTV systems and how it can help you with crime prevention.
|
