Shoplifting Prevention

Shoplifting is one of the fastest growing crimes in America. The National Crime Prevention Institute has estimated that shoplifting costs the American storeowners over 30 billion dollars a year. Shoplifting is a crime of opportunity. Training employees and smart store design are the first and most important lines of defense.

There are two categories of shoplifters: the amateurs and the professionals. Generally, amateurs are grouped into four different categories:

The juvenile - steals as a dare or just for kicks.
Impulse shoplifter - succumbs to temptation.
Kleptomaniac - involuntarily motivated by a compulsion to steal.
Transient, drug addict or drunk - looking to make a quick buck.

The professional accounts for a very small portion of shoplifting crimes. Unlike the amateur, the professional is highly skilled and very difficult to spot. They usually work as a team and take expensive items that can be easily fenced or resold quickly.

Regardless of their skill level, it is very important to remember that shoplifters come in all sizes and shapes. There is no such thing as the typical shoplifter.

So what do you need to do to protect your store?

Vigilant Employees. Your employees have to be alert and vigilant. Greet every customer that walks into your store. Ask how you can help them or let them know you will be with them as soon as possible. Watch your customers and do not turn your back on them. Not only is it good customer service, it is a good preventive measure.

Fast and efficient service. This is a deterrent to shoplifting, especially in juveniles. Quick service and special attention will go a long way in reducing the opportunity and the temptation to steal.

It has been proven time after time that a shoplifter will avoid the store with "tight security" in favor of the easy mark. Your first line of defense is your salespeople and the design of your store.

Here are some basic steps for building tight security.

Put yourself in the shoplifter's shoes. Look around your store for the weak spots, places where it would be easy to steal something and then do something about it. Change the layout, lock items down, put up mirrors, remove small items near the doors, etc.

Avoid building "blind spots" in the store with displays that block visibility. Place display racks perpendicular to the check out counter if possible.

Consider putting up convex mirrors or angle mirrors.

Articles of high value that can be easily stolen should be safeguarded under glass or locked away.

Check the lighting levels throughout your store. Good store lighting makes it tougher to conceal shoplifting.

Be aware that some thieves steal by removing or switching price tags. Make sure that price tags are not easily removed.

Alternate direction of clothes hangers on racks to prevent grab and runs.

Place expensive items in the center of the store, away from the door.

All discarded sales receipts found on the floor or elsewhere should be picked up. This will prevent someone from stealing your property and then returning it with the discarded receipt for cash back.

Establish some kind of alert system so all the sales staff can discreetly keep an eye on suspicious shoppers.

Once again, make eye contact with every customer that enters your store, and be sure to greet each customer with "How can I help you?" or "I'll be right with you." Making eye contact is a psychological deterrent because the shoplifter feels that you can now ID them if they commit a theft.

Watch the person who is:

Constantly looking around
Walking around the store with one hand in their pocket.
Constantly touching the back of their heads, tugging on sleeves or adjusting socks.
Walking into the back room or behind the counters.
Picking up an item and then walking behind a display or counter.
Carrying large purses, shopping bags boxes or umbrellas.

Watch a customer's hands. When they pick up a piece of merchandise and hold it, it may be to buy it or to steal it. Watch the customer who loiters around a certain department handling items and making no attempt to ask for assistance or purchase.

Watch for customers who travel in twos or threes. Often one will keep you busy or act as a look out while the others steal from you.

Shoplifter tactics:

Palming. This is the most common technique. The offender places his hands over an item, removes it from the counter or rack and drops it into his/her pocket or purse.

The Clothing Gimmick. In some instances, shoplifters wear the articles they have stolen. Loose flowing coats and full shirts may be used to camouflage stolen shirts, sweaters and ties. Articles like hats, purses and shoes are often used to hide other stolen articles. For example, a small bracelet may be placed inside a purse.

The Marking Switch. Another tactic commonly used by shoplifters is the switching of price tags; taking the tag from "on sale" merchandise and attaching it to more expensive merchandise. If no item is on sale, the shoplifter may forge his own ticket provided the tickets are handwritten, or use a ticket from a lower priced item.

The Grab and Run. Some thieves will scoop up several articles and run out of the store.

The Booster Box. The booster box is a large parcel with a collapsible side that appears to be a solid gift wrapped package. It has been used to steal everything from radios to portable television sets.

The Hooker. The hooker is another popular gimmick employed by the shoplifter. It is often a belt equipped with many hooks that are used to carry stolen items. A team of two to five shoplifters can walk through a store and literally empty it within a few minutes.

Booster Pants, Bloomers and Girdles. Booster pants, bloomers and girdles are basically large pairs of underclothing worn under pants or dresses. The legs of the pants and bloomers are drawn tightly around the leg making it possible for the shoplifter to go through a store and drop merchandise down into them.

For more information on shoplifting prevention, contact the Business Watch office at 661/267-5153.

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Shoplifting Prevention