If you read part one of this two-part blog series, you know that shoplifters are as varied in appearance as the contents of a cornucopia (even more-so). You are also familiar with the story of the pregnant woman who stole the shoes from the store after asking for help from a store employee. This second part of this brief blog series is to finish telling the story by dissecting it and analyzing a couple of the behaviors that this woman displayed that allowed us to catch her in the act and to prevent shoplifting once again.
The first suspicious behavior that caught my eye was her quickness. I don’t mean that because she was walking quickly that I knew she would steal. What I mean is that when she decided to start “shopping” she acted far from the normal shopper. Normal shoppers take their time when looking at merchandise. They pick up items, examine them carefully, usually look at their price and maybe size, and if they meet that person’s particular criteria, they will select the item. The pregnant woman walked up to the shoe box, pulled it off of the shelf, and moved right along. This was highly suspicious.
Secondly, the pregnant woman started looking in all directions but down. Next time you see people shopping in a store, pay attention to where their eyes and heads are. They are faced toward the merchandise they are trying to buy! People shopping don’t gaze over their shoulders or at the ceiling. When people do this, they are typically looking out for people and surveillance cameras. This was another bright red flag that something wasn’t right and that we were going to have to prevent shoplifting that night.
She went into a dark, secluded corner. Shoplifters don’t want to be seen committing the act—it means they are likely to get caught. Being in a dark, secluded corner is the perfect place to slip merchandise into a shopping bag, purse, waistline, baby stroller, or shopping cart! Normal shoppers browse the merchandise where it is displayed. They have no need to take the item away from where it is supposed to be, unless they are heading to a register. When you combine this behavior with the previous two, your odds that the subject is thinking about shoplifting are extremely high.
The next part isn’t always typical for a shoplifter. Many times, they will avoid any contact with employees, especially if the shoplifter is an amateur. The pregnant woman went to ask an employee a question. What people say to store employees can be considered verbal behaviors that should be carefully considered. For example, a customer asking for a fitting room with clothing in hand seems to be legitimate. However, when the customer says something like this woman did, (“Where is the register closest to an exit? Don’t worry, I’m pregnant. It’s not like I would steal or anything…”), it should be blatantly obvious that something isn’t right. Normal customers don’t even think about shoplifting. What’s more, it is obvious that the shoplifter was trying to mask her intentions with a blatant lie.
At this point, it should be painfully clear that this individual is not in the store to be a paying customer. They are there to take what they can without paying, and to not get caught. Remember, thieves come in all shapes, sizes, and gestational status. Train your employees to look out for strange behaviors, and to address them appropriately.
For more information contact us: Prevent Shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547
If you read part one of this two-part blog series, you know that shoplifters are as varied in appearance as the contents of a cornucopia (even more-so). You are also familiar with the story of the pregnant woman who stole the shoes from the store after asking for help from a store employee. This second part of this brief blog series is to finish telling the story by dissecting it and analyzing a couple of the behaviors that this woman displayed that allowed us to catch her in the act and to prevent shoplifting once again.
The first suspicious behavior that caught my eye was her quickness. I don’t mean that because she was walking quickly that I knew she would steal. What I mean is that when she decided to start “shopping” she acted far from the normal shopper. Normal shoppers take their time when looking at merchandise. They pick up items, examine them carefully, usually look at their price and maybe size, and if they meet that person’s particular criteria, they will select the item. The pregnant woman walked up to the shoe box, pulled it off of the shelf, and moved right along. This was highly suspicious.
Secondly, the pregnant woman started looking in all directions but down. Next time you see people shopping in a store, pay attention to where their eyes and heads are. They are faced toward the merchandise they are trying to buy! People shopping don’t gaze over their shoulders or at the ceiling. When people do this, they are typically looking out for people and surveillance cameras. This was another bright red flag that something wasn’t right and that we were going to have to prevent shoplifting that night.
She went into a dark, secluded corner. Shoplifters don’t want to be seen committing the act—it means they are likely to get caught. Being in a dark, secluded corner is the perfect place to slip merchandise into a shopping bag, purse, waistline, baby stroller, or shopping cart! Normal shoppers browse the merchandise where it is displayed. They have no need to take the item away from where it is supposed to be, unless they are heading to a register. When you combine this behavior with the previous two, your odds that the subject is thinking about shoplifting are extremely high.
The next part isn’t always typical for a shoplifter. Many times, they will avoid any contact with employees, especially if the shoplifter is an amateur. The pregnant woman went to ask an employee a question. What people say to store employees can be considered verbal behaviors that should be carefully considered. For example, a customer asking for a fitting room with clothing in hand seems to be legitimate. However, when the customer says something like this woman did, (“Where is the register closest to an exit? Don’t worry, I’m pregnant. It’s not like I would steal or anything…”), it should be blatantly obvious that something isn’t right. Normal customers don’t even think about shoplifting. What’s more, it is obvious that the shoplifter was trying to mask her intentions with a blatant lie.
At this point, it should be painfully clear that this individual is not in the store to be a paying customer. They are there to take what they can without paying, and to not get caught. Remember, thieves come in all shapes, sizes, and gestational status. Train your employees to look out for strange behaviors, and to address them appropriately.
For more information contact us: Prevent Shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547
There are many crafty methods thieves use when stealing clothing in stores. You probably know the typical methods such as concealing in a bag or under their own clothing, but are you aware of some of the not so standard methods that are being used today? One trick some people use is called wardrobing, and it’s a little more difficult to prevent than a typical shoplifting incident. It’s tricky because the people actually purchase the merchandise. Some people may argue that it technically isn’t stealing, but it does cause a loss to the retailer. It’s kind of like getting a free clothing rental, but making it where the business can’t resell the clothes.
If you don’t know what wardrobing is, it is when someone buys an item, wears the item, and then returns it for a refund. This usually occurs with expensive clothing, and it’s not always about the price. As with regular shoplifting, some people actually have the money to purchase what they are taking. They know when they purchase the item that they are going to wear it once or twice, and then get their money back. An example of this is if someone needs a suit for a job interview or for an event, but they can’t or don’t want to pay for it. Not everyone does this just for special occasions, some people do this on a regular basis.
Although it is not the same as the shoplifting you see every day, it does cause a loss. Even though the merchandise is brought back to the store, it is worn and used. Trying on clothing for a minute to see how it fits is one thing, but actually walking around and wearing it is another. How many people do you know that would want to buy something that someone else had already worn for a day or two? Damage could also have been done to the clothing, which makes it unsellable. Who knows what they did while they were wearing the clothes, and you don’t want to pass that guessing game on to your customers.
So how do you stop this from happening in your store? Standard clothing security tags will not be effective in this situation because they are designed to deter or stop theft from occurring in the store. This is a different situation, and calls for other methods to prevent the loss. Some companies have now began fighting back by taking measures to ensure it doesn’t happen at their stores. One method they are using is to place special wardrobing tags on their merchandise. These tags are strategically attached to the clothing in order to ensure they cannot be hidden.
If the customer removes the tags to wear the clothing, the return will be denied if attempted. The tags still allow the customers to purchase the items and bring them home to try on, or even give as a gift. If they do not fit, and the tag is still attached, the return will be accepted. Applying the wardrobing tags to the clothing will discourage customers from trying to get the clothing without paying for it, because no one wants a big tag hanging off of their clothes when they are dressed to impress.
For more information contact us: (Wardrobing) or call 1.770.426.0547
There are many crafty methods thieves use when stealing clothing in stores. You probably know the typical methods such as concealing in a bag or under their own clothing, but are you aware of some of the not so standard methods that are being used today? One trick some people use is called wardrobing, and it’s a little more difficult to prevent than a typical shoplifting incident. It’s tricky because the people actually purchase the merchandise. Some people may argue that it technically isn’t stealing, but it does cause a loss to the retailer. It’s kind of like getting a free clothing rental, but making it where the business can’t resell the clothes.
If you don’t know what wardrobing is, it is when someone buys an item, wears the item, and then returns it for a refund. This usually occurs with expensive clothing, and it’s not always about the price. As with regular shoplifting, some people actually have the money to purchase what they are taking. They know when they purchase the item that they are going to wear it once or twice, and then get their money back. An example of this is if someone needs a suit for a job interview or for an event, but they can’t or don’t want to pay for it. Not everyone does this just for special occasions, some people do this on a regular basis.
Although it is not the same as the shoplifting you see every day, it does cause a loss. Even though the merchandise is brought back to the store, it is worn and used. Trying on clothing for a minute to see how it fits is one thing, but actually walking around and wearing it is another. How many people do you know that would want to buy something that someone else had already worn for a day or two? Damage could also have been done to the clothing, which makes it unsellable. Who knows what they did while they were wearing the clothes, and you don’t want to pass that guessing game on to your customers.
So how do you stop this from happening in your store? Standard clothing security tags will not be effective in this situation because they are designed to deter or stop theft from occurring in the store. This is a different situation, and calls for other methods to prevent the loss. Some companies have now began fighting back by taking measures to ensure it doesn’t happen at their stores. One method they are using is to place special wardrobing tags on their merchandise. These tags are strategically attached to the clothing in order to ensure they cannot be hidden.
If the customer removes the tags to wear the clothing, the return will be denied if attempted. The tags still allow the customers to purchase the items and bring them home to try on, or even give as a gift. If they do not fit, and the tag is still attached, the return will be accepted. Applying the wardrobing tags to the clothing will discourage customers from trying to get the clothing without paying for it, because no one wants a big tag hanging off of their clothes when they are dressed to impress.
For more information contact us: Wardrobing or call 1.770.426.0547
I’ve learned over the years that I will never stop shoplifting completely. I can deploy camera systems, invest in additional checkpoint security systems, or even hire armed guards. Sometimes, that’s still not enough. In order to prevent a theft, and really combat the problem, you have to stop it at the source. Sometimes that’s training your store teams. Sometimes that’s making smart merchandising choices. Other times however, you may find yourself battling a professional group of individuals whom sole job in life is to steal from you. I am so grateful that I found a career field that allows me to aggressively go after these types of people.
I wasn’t prepared for how much work would go into this case. I’m used to closing a theft case pretty quickly. Most times, cases are simple. Someone comes in, rips an anti-shoplifting device off a product, conceals it, exits, and then goes to jail. I know, as well as anyone else in this industry, that stolen goods are often funneled somewhere. Just like a street level drug dealer doesn’t give up his supplier, a booster will keep where the goods are going a closely guarded secret. In both instances, that level of secrecy is what, in fact, keeps the money in their pocket.
At this point, it was several weeks since a joint investigation with a local police department had uncovered a store front dealing in stolen goods. On the outside, it was your typical corner market. Once inside though, it was clear to people like myself, what was really going on. There were cases of tide detergent, NFL jerseys, branded product… there was no way they were acquiring this legally. Some of these manufactures wouldn’t sell to my company, so I knew they couldn’t possibly have a purchase order with this tiny store.
As the weeks progressed, several retailers and their LP departments became involved in this case. The police department would request certain items and an undercover detective would sell the product to the store. We needed to make certain that the items appeared to have been stolen. Here’s where a simple checkpoint label made a huge impact in this case. We provided a certain type of branded cap to the undercover detective. That cap had an anti-shoplifting device attached to it, in addition to a checkpoint label with my company’s name and logo. Any normal person could assume that the merchandise, presented in the way it was, had to have been stolen from a merchant.
They took the bait. The store was more than happy to take the caps from the detective. The store clerk even told the detective to make sure that all the security tags were off the hats “next time”. It was a remarkable piece of evidence, all thanks to a very simple tag. A few more weeks went by and the store was eventually raided. The store and a warehouse belonging to the owners were found to contain about $250,000 in stolen goods from several different retailers. We did, in fact, make the front page the next morning!
For more information, contact us: Anti-Shoplifting, or call 1.770.426.0547
I’ve learned over the years that I will never stop shoplifting completely. I can deploy camera systems, invest in additional Checkpoint Security Systems, or even hire armed guards. Sometimes, that’s still not enough. In order to prevent a theft, and really combat the problem, you have to stop it at the source. Sometimes that’s training your store teams. Sometimes that’s making smart merchandising choices. Other times however, you may find yourself battling a professional group of individuals whose sole job in life is to steal from you. I am so grateful that I found a career field that allows me to aggressively go after these types of people.
I wasn’t prepared for how much work would go into this case. I’m used to closing a theft case pretty quickly. Most times, cases are simple. Someone comes in, rips an anti-shoplifting device off a product, conceals it, exits, and then goes to jail. I know, as well as anyone else in this industry, that stolen goods are often funneled somewhere. Just like a street level drug dealer doesn’t give up his supplier, a booster will keep where the goods are going a closely guarded secret. In both instances, that level of secrecy is what, in fact, keeps the money in their pocket.
At this point, it was several weeks since a joint investigation with a local police department had uncovered a store front dealing in stolen goods. On the outside, it was your typical corner market. Once inside though, it was clear to people like myself, what was really going on. There were cases of tide detergent, NFL jerseys, branded product… there was no way they were acquiring this legally. Some of these manufactures wouldn’t sell to my company, so I knew they couldn’t possibly have a purchase order with this tiny store.
As the weeks progressed, several retailers and their LP departments became involved in this case. The police department would request certain items and an undercover detective would sell the product to the store. We needed to make certain that the items appeared to have been stolen. Here’s where a simple Checkpoint Label made a huge impact in this case. We provided a certain type of branded cap to the undercover detective. That cap had an anti-shoplifting device attached to it, in addition to a Checkpoint Label with my company’s name and logo. Any normal person could assume that the merchandise, presented in the way it was, had to have been stolen from a merchant.
They took the bait. The store was more than happy to take the caps from the detective. The store clerk even told the detective to make sure that all the security tags were off the hats “next time”. It was a remarkable piece of evidence, all thanks to a very simple tag. A few more weeks went by and the store was eventually raided. The store and a warehouse belonging to the owners were found to contain about $250,000 in stolen goods from several different retailers. We did, in fact, make the front page the next morning!
For more information, contact us: Anti-Shoplifting, or call 1.770.426.0547
