How to Prevent Shoplifting

Whether you have a small boutique or a big retail store, you are not immune to theft. For that reason, it’s important that you, as a business owner, know how to prevent shoplifting. In this blog, we’ll provide 6 tips that you can follow for theft prevention.

Shoplifting is something that the retail industry deals with every day. The National Association for Shoplifting Prevention states that it results in $50 billion in retail crime each year. This represents a big loss for businesses. As a result, they’re getting less revenue than they should.

So, we believe that all big and small businesses should have anti-theft policies. We know we can’t completely reduce the number of stolen items. But, we can help reduce shoplifting.

Keep reading our blog to learn more about business loss prevention.

Learn How to Prevent Shoplifting with These 6 Tips

Stores all around the world lose billions of dollars to customers and employee theft. That’s why you must learn what the common shoplifting items and the methods used are. As a result, you’ll be able to protect your store and inventory.

Learn how to prevent shoplifting by following these 6 tips:

• Identify potential shoplifters in your store
• Use customer service to reduce theft
• Think carefully about the store layout
• Use tagging methods
• Install security cameras and other surveillance
• Hire security personnel

Don’t put the security of your business at risk. Instead, follow these anti-theft tips to ensure your business thrives.

Identify Potential Shoplifters

One of the ways for loss prevention is stopping potential shoplifters. But, you can’t stop them if you don’t know common shoplifting behavior. For that reason, it’s vital that you learn how to identify them. You and your employees must know what to look for in customers to spot a thief.

It’s more common for shoplifters to have items to conceal their theft instead of just grabbing and running. So, you need to look out for these items. Some examples are female shoppers with multiple large bags or someone with a big coat while it’s hot outside.

Other clues should keep in mind are taking a lot of items into the dressing rooms, paying close attention to you or other employees, and causing a distraction. There are many more clues that you and your employees should beware of to spot a potential shoplifter.

Use Customer Service to Prevent Shoplifting

Another great theft prevention method is customer service. Shoplifters take advantage when there is no one around them watching. So, you should train your employees to be engaged with your customers.

But, they need to be careful not to smother your customers. This is because you may have normal customers that feel uncomfortable with an employee follow them all around the store.

If your employees are truly engaged with your customers, then any shoplifter will know they are being watched.

Other things you can implement include having your employees help take items into the dressing room. As a result, you’ll know how many items that customer is taking.

Think Carefully About the Store Layout

Your business or store layout plays a big role in your anti-theft measures. If you think about the layout, then you could reduce shoplifting.

In your store or business, you should try to reduce the amount of “hidden” places or blind spots. If you can’t see what a customer is doing, then your number of stolen items increases.

Another tip is to not place a lot of items on tall shelves. As a result, you’ll be able to see from a distance across them. With too many items, something may block your view.

This leads us to making sure that your store is organized at all times. If you have a mess in your store, then it is easier for shoplifters to steal.

Also, we recommend locking expensive items in cabinet displays far away from the entrance.

Everything in your store must be placed with a strategy in mind to reduce shoplifting. If not, then how will you know that someone stole from you?

Use Tagging Methods

The retail industry uses tagging methods to prevent customers from stealing from them. Even if you don’t own retail stores, we recommend using tagging methods for your products. Now there are several tagging methods for different types of products.

The tags can go directly in or onto the product. So, when a customer leaves your store with a stolen item, an alarm will go off.

Install Security Cameras and Prevent Shoplifting

Installing security cameras is one of the best security tips for businesses. Not only do security cameras help prevent customers from stealing but also employee theft. We recommend installing them in strategic places in your business. This includes restricted and non-restricted areas.

Since you can’t be in all places at once, having a security camera will help you. If you suspect someone stole from you, then you could go and check the cameras.

We mentioned before about having a clean and strategic store layout. This will also help when installing the cameras because you’ll be able to see clearly if something happened inside your store.

Hire Security Personnel

Finally, we recommend hiring a security guard to help prevent shoplifting. Security guards know how to recognize a threat. So, they can avoid theft from happening.

You can have your security guards inside your store or at the doors. If someone tries to grab an item and run, then your security guard will be able to stop them.

Also, they can help check a customer’s bag if an alarm goes off as they are exiting the store. If they find a stolen item in the bag, then they can proceed with your theft policies.

Now that you know how to prevent shoplifting you can start implementing these tips in your store. No matter what business you have, it’s important that you take anti-theft measures. As a result, you’ll be able to reduce your business losses due to shoplifting.

Even if your store or business is small, you can apply some of these techniques. Just take the measures that we talked about here and adapt them to your type of business.