How To Discourage Shoplifters In Your Store
Posted on: 24 January 2017
If you run a retail store, one of your biggest risks is likely dealing with potential shoplifters. This not only causes you to lose money from the goods stolen, but it can also make things more difficult when working on inventory and trying to track down the missing items. Here are some helpful ways to discourage shoplifters.
Train Employees to Spot Suspected Shoplifters
The first thing you want to do is train your employees to be able to spot signs of someone that might be about to steal something from your store. Your employees spend a lot of time in the store, so they really are the best ones to look out for people and let your security team know. This might include someone who seems to wander around without looking at anything, a person who comes in multiple times without making a purchase, or anyone that is looking around nervously. Also keep an eye out for someone who keeps looking at all the security cameras and where they point to.
Install a Security System With Video
Having a really good security system can help tremendously with reducing thefts in your store. First of all, if people can see that you have security, particularly with video surveillance, they are much less likely to steal from your store. Nobody wants to get caught, and if it seems too risky, they might not bother trying to shoplift. The security system can also help to spot someone who might be showing signs of an attempted theft of merchandise, as well as identifying someone who you didn't catch in time, but police can later arrest.
Have a Strict Policy and Enforce it
This is one of the most important things you can do to avoid repeat offenses. You might not be able to prevent the first person from shoplifting, but if word gets around that they were apprehended and that you called the police, who then arrested them, others might not be so inclined to steal. You definitely don't want to be known as the store that never sticks to your anti-shoplifting policy, as it just makes you a target.
Keep a Close Eye on Dressing Rooms
Dressing rooms are the place where a lot of stuff gets stolen because people know that security cameras are not allowed in there. You can prevent this by having a dressing room attendant that counts items that go in, and items that go out.
For more information on how you can improve the security at your store, contact a company like HSI Security.
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