Shoplifting costs businesses millions of dollars each year. According to the 2012-2013 Global Retail Theft Barometer, shoplifting, employee theft, supplier fraud and organized crime costs retailers over $112 billion worldwide in one year. The Retail Council of Canada reports that Canadian retailers collectively lose $3 billion each year due to internal and external crimes as well as administrative errors. Shoplifting also leads to price inflation, which costs the average American family more than $400 each year.
So what can retail stores do to reduce shoplifting? One key is to have well-trained and alert employees who know how to spot a potential shoplifter.
Spotting Shoplifters
There is no single type of shoplifter. Shoplifters come in all ages, races and backgrounds. Sometimes they work alone, other times the work in a group. There are even families that work together to shoplift. However, there are still some signs that you and your staff should keep your eyes open for. These signs can be considered “red flags.” Not all shoplifters will display these red flags and not everyone who has these characteristics is a shoplifter, but these traits should still be monitored.
Keep an eye on shoppers who:
- Look to be watching or keeping an eye on staff and sales clerks more than actually shopping.
- Seem nervous.
- Pick up items randomly without showing much interest in them.
- Walk unnaturally as if they are concealing something.
- Wear items of clothing that are inappropriate for the season. For example, someone wearing a large, bulky coat in the summer may be using this coat to hide stolen items.
- Take many items into the dressing room.
- Leave the store and return repeatedly.
- Spend a large amount of time in the store without taking steps to buy anything.
- Linger in areas where employees are not located.
- Try to avoid store employees.
What do you do if you suspect someone of shoplifting
If you spot someone who you think may be shoplifting, how you deal with the situation is important. In the vast majority of cases, you should not explicitly accuse the person of stealing. This can lead to an unwanted confrontation and potentially alienate a law abiding customer who is not shoplifting. Instead, a store employee should go over to the person in question and ask if they can help and inquire if they would like to ring up whatever item they are holding and/or “forgot” to pay for.
You should never try to physically stop a shoplifter. Instead, call security if your store is located in a mall or call police if necessary. This is much safer and you can ensure that these authorities will handle the situation correctly.
Ways to protect your retail store from shoplifters
In addition to keeping an eye out for potential shoplifters, there are a number of ways to reduce shoplifting at your retail store. These tactics include:
- Keeping your store organized and easy to navigate; this reduces places for shoplifters to “hide” in the store.
- Posting signage that states that “shoplifters will be prosecuted.”
- Greeting every customer who enters the store.
- Having visible security systems installed.
- Locking valuable items or smaller items that could easily be stolen behind security gates or in locked cabinets.
- Using security gates to restrict access to stock rooms.
By taking steps to reduce shoplifting, you can save your retail store a great deal of money and hassle.
Looking for more ways to improve your security?
Download our 10 Critical Points to Securing your Shop, your Employees, and your Goods eGuide.