Prevent Shoplifting in Your Store

Dan Blank -- Expert Business Source, 3/7/2007 12:55:00 PM

Mike Delaney of About.com shares 10 tips to prevent shoplifting in your store:

• Get rid of blind spots.
  Shoplifters require privacy in order to conceal merchandise. Determine where your staff spends the majority of their time, and arrange the fixtures to ensure can look down almost every aisle. Install a large convex mirror to view any unavoidable hiding places.

• Put up barriers.
  For merchandise that can be easily grabbed near the door, put up barriers to prevent this from happening. For clothing, alternate the direction of each hanger on the display. This prevents thieves from quickly grabbing a huge amount of merchandise off the rack at once, and running out of the store.

• Require a receipt for all returns.
  Many shoplifters steal with the express intent of returning the merchandise to the store, the same or another branch, for a cash refund. This can be addressed by requiring a purchase receipt for all returns.

• Lock up expensive merchandise.
  Keep small, expensive items behind the counter or locked in a display case. If the display case has a lock, lock it; do not assume that the case alone will dissuade a shoplifter.

• Be smart about electronic article surveillance (EAS) tag placement.
  Hide the tags beneath seams and labels, or on an internal page of books and magazines. If you can't hide the tag, try to make it less noticeable by aligning it with physical aspects of, or the graphic design on the packaging.
  Consider placing two tags on the merchandise: one obvious, and one not so obvious. The shoplifter may remove the obvious tag and not notice the other one, thus setting off the alarm.

• Monitor your fitting rooms.
  Do not let customers enter and exit your fitting rooms without encountering your staff. Be sure they accurately count the number of articles that are brought in, and that none are concealed on the same hanger or under other items.

• Post signage.
  Post signs that explain how you deal with shoplifters.

• Use camera domes.
  A shoplifting study has showed that closed circuit television cameras are now the most feared anti-shoplifting device.
  
• Prosecute all shoplifters.
  Call the police on every shoplifter you catch. No exceptions. In the shoplifters' minds, if you don't call the police, they win, and they will continue to hit your store over and over.

• Give exceptional customer service.
  By knowing where your customers are, offering your assistance, and anticipating their needs, you will virtually eliminate shoplifting. An alert employee is your most effective weapons against thieves who thrive on anonymity.

Find further details on About.com.