What should you do if there is a customer caused alarm on your stores Checkpoint security system? Here are some helpful tips:
- Approach the customer in a friendly manner and state “Pardon me, we must not have properly checked out your purchase. Please come back into the store, and we will take care of that for you.”
- Ask the customer for their bag – do not grab it.
- You should walk the purchase through the checkpoint security system pedestals verifying the alarm.
- Check all merchandise against the receipt.
- If the merchandise checks out – pass all items over the deactivation pad another time.
- If you find merchandise that has not been purchased – at this time ask the customer if they would like to purchase it.
Another way to remember this process when you approach the customer is to use the “vowels” (a,e,i,o,u) of alarm response:
A Address the customer. “Excuse me madam/sir…”
E Explain what has occurred. “…We must have failed to deactivate or remove an inventory control label or tag from the merchandise you purchased…”
I Invite the customer back into the store… “Please step back into the store with me so I may assist you…”
O Offer an apology. “…I am sorry for this inconvenience to you.”
U Understand what alarmed the system.
Common sense, training, your checkpoint security system and being prepared will stop shoplifting.
What do you mean ME? Prevent shoplifting? Recent studies show that a lack of deterrence efforts by a retailer will add up to 75% more shoplifting in a store. This makes sense, don’t do anything and your store will be wide open. Not only will shoplifters hit you but they will keep coming back over and over. Then to add insult to injury their shoplifter buddies will start to show up. Now your store is “shoplifting central”.
Shutting down shoplifters is a no brainer. A “good” program that will prevent shoplifting is made up of employees that are trained and comfortable in good customer service skills that drive shoplifters crazy. It’s simple really; Approach any suspected shoplifter as you would any customer. “Hello, how can I help you?” This type of simple greeting will shut most impulse shoplifters. Chances are they will not shoplift in your store during that visit.
A “best practices” program that will prevent shoplifting involves more. Your employees must know the techniques to send amateur and professional shoplifters down the street in frustration to your competition (who is not as smart as you!). This involves more skill and knowledge through training.
Additionally to prevent shoplifters from making your store the shoplifting hot spot in the city you must understand that they know your store as well or better than you do. They will select a time of day when your employee to customer ratio is the poor. Since you are busy it makes it easier for them. To compensate you must use an Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) system. EAS systems like a Checkpoint system bring the fight to the shoplifter.
Aggressive and proactive customer service that is appealing to customers and very stomach turning to shoplifters can only be achieved with training. However, once your people are trained you as the leader must regularly reinforce it. All of us have all put programs in together and in place. We feel GREAT! We fixed the issue! Then, six months later we back to where we started. Our failure is that we did not keep it a priority with our employees.
Are you the cause of your shoplifting problem? Prevent shoplifting 24/7, no exceptions.
For more contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
Are employee criminal background checks something that is really necessary? As a former Law Enforcement Officer I routinely came into contact with individuals that should not be allow to be loose in society with the good people. This included people that caused serious physical harm to the good people of our society that happened to become their victims. These people injured, killed, raped and stole, just to name a few. It quickly became evident to me that these people care ONLY about themselves. Most had no remorse even when caught.
I am a loss prevention professional with 30 years of experience including positions as a Director for several major businesses. I have personally investigated over 2300 employees for mainly employee theft. I found that many of these same people are in the labor pool that we as business managers and owners draw from.
These types of employees WILL steal from a business (and smile while they are doing it). The only remorse is that they were caught. This applies to all ages, sex, race, religion…. There is no magic group or age that is safer or better than another.
Add the fact that a number of different studies over the last 30 years conducted by different organizations conclude the same things: Around 20% of the work force has stolen from their employer. That’s 1 in 5 of the people in the work force today including the ones that work for you! Many people may not wish to believe this but it is an established FACT. Also please keep in mind that we are only talking about theft. It does not include other crimes.
So are criminal background checks necessary? They are not just necessary they are an absolute requirement, no excuses or compromise. Of course, if you do not mind wasting time, labor, money and losing your cash and merchandise then this does not apply to you.
By the way if you hire someone that has a past record of violence and they harm in any way another employee or customer you will be held liable. Saying I didn’t know does not hold water with both civil and criminal courts. Courts lean towards the fact that you should have conducted a criminal background check because this is normal business practice and they are readily available at low cost.
Oh, I forgot to mention that I have been told by hundreds of business people something like “I know people, I don’t have people “like that” working for ME”. Those people are the ones that are really at risk as their ego out weighs their business sense. Remember…1 in 5!
Don’t compromise on on your business contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
Are employee criminal background checks something that is really necessary? As a former Law Enforcement Officer I routinely came into contact with individuals that should not be allow to be loose in society with the good people. This included people that caused serious physical harm to the good people of our society that happened to become their victims. These people injured, killed, raped and stole, just to name a few. It quickly became evident to me that these people care ONLY about themselves. Most had no remorse even when caught.
I am a loss prevention professional with 30 years of experience including positions as a Director for several major businesses. I have personally investigated over 2300 employees for mainly employee theft. I found that many of these same people are in the labor pool that we as business managers and owners draw from.
These types of employees WILL steal from a business (and smile while they are doing it). The only remorse is that they were caught. This applies to all ages, sex, race, religion…. There is no magic group or age that is safer or better than another.
Add the fact that a number of different studies over the last 30 years conducted by different organizations conclude the same things: Around 20% of the work force has stolen from their employer. That’s 1 in 5 of the people in the work force today including the ones that work for you! Many people may not wish to believe this but it is an established FACT. Also please keep in mind that we are only talking about theft. It does not include other crimes.
So are criminal background checks necessary? They are not just necessary they are an absolute requirement, no excuses or compromise. Of course, if you do not mind wasting time, labor, money and losing your cash and merchandise then this does not apply to you.
By the way if you hire someone that has a past record of violence and they harm in any way another employee or customer you will be held liable. Saying I didn’t know does not hold water with both civil and criminal courts. Courts lean towards the fact that you should have conducted a criminal background check because this is normal business practice and they are readily available at low cost.
Oh, I forgot to mention that I have been told by hundreds of business people something like “I know people, I don’t have people “like that” working for ME”. Those people are the ones that are really at risk as their ego out weighs their business sense. Remember…1 in 5!
Don’t compromise on on your business contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
OK you just figured out that you need a Loss Prevention Consultant! What now? Many people hold themselves up to be loss prevention consultants. What does a LP consultant do? There are a number of specialties in LP: shoplifting, employee theft, inventory control, LP training and auditing just to name a few. Sometimes safety falls under LP.
Quite a few people that consult in LP are generalists in most of these areas. Consider narrowing your search down by thinking carefully about what your needs are. For example loss prevention consultants who have auditing development skills can help you control losses by identifying and preventing shoplifting, theft, cash shortages and more.
Auditing is proactive. A LP consultant should design an audit to hunt down the causes of loss and bring them to the surface. Upper management then can make procedure changes that increase profitability. Audits should then be done on a regular but unannounced basis. All results should go directly to Senior Management.
Another proactive way loss prevention consultants assist businesses with is Training. LP training should target all employees from entry-level to middle management. Topics can include inventory control, vendor fraud, employee theft identification and prevention, dealing with employee theft, shoplifting, pre-employment interviewing and more.
A seasoned loss prevention consultant should have a minimum of 15 years of experience in several major companies. Ask for letters of reference or referrals. You should discuss their experience with them at length. Does this person fit with your business model and goals? Watch for individuals that talk like a police officer. A true LP professional is a businessman not a policeman.
For more information contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
