How to prevent Shoplifters From Stealing Your Stock

Shop lifters! The scurge of our society, the crap on the lowest of our heel, the fly in the ointment etc etc... To many population the phrase shop lifting is reserved for pre-pubescent teenagers who steal sweets worth minuscule to the shop owners behalf margins. But there are uber-shoplifters out there who make a decent living out of taking what isnt rightfully theirs. These parasites have made a occupation out of "getting one over" the shop keeper, security guard, cctv or any security feature which a shop may have employed. With this quality comes the chance to fleece millions of pounds out of our cheaper every month!

Hand Held Credit Card Machine

So, how do you deal with these vermin?

Shoplifting Statistics and the Police

So what is the state of the shop lifting problem in the Uk? Well we positively have our fair share of the minuscule blighters and with the recent economic upheaval we seem to have a lot more!

Shoplifters are costing retailers millions of pounds in what one senior form calls an 'epidemic'. Shoplifters are becoming increasingly sophisticated and ever more likely to use violence. They are also far more aware of their proprietary when they are held in market and they often tell police they have been assaulted in an effort to get shop owners to drop the charges.

One Carlisle security firm have been quoted as saying "we are actively recruiting new security guards as swiftly as inherent to deal with this epidemic". Epidemic! That's a word ordinarily reserved for diseases! Northern security front man Paul Hopper goes on to say "To lowly shoppers, the presence of a uniformed officers is naturally a reassurance," stated Hopper in conversation with Smt Online, "but to would-be shoplifters, it shows that the store is being vigilant and taking its security responsibilities seriously". And then he goes on to say... "Retailers tell us that it's not just luxury goods which are being targeted by the type of thieves who traditionally steal to order colse to Christmas time," said Hopper. "Food, for instance, is now on the list of non-professional shoplifters - which is why it's now coarse to see security tagging on items such as joints of meat".

So what are the old bill doing to help?! Well the retailers say that the police don't have any targets for reducing company crime and more often than not they see shoplifting as not worth pursuing.

The commons explanations for not reporting shoplifters are:

- Take up too much staff time (particularly in owner operated stores)

24.5%

- Did not want to prosecute elderly, juveniles or mentally ill

23.6%

- Low success rate in courts

19.7%

- Fines/Penalties not a deterrent

18.5%

- Low prosecution rate by the Crown Prosecution Service

17.2%

- Only record the worst offenders

12.9%

- Afraid of bad publicity

9.0%

So what can you do to try and curb the onslaught of the sticky fingered jobsworths?!

Shoplifting prevention Tips

1. Cardboard Copper Cutout

Starboard cutouts cops! Ok... This is slightly tongue in cheek to start with but as far as security goes a good life size cut out of the local bobby may be sufficient for a short sighted shoplifter to go elsewhere to commit his crimes.

One drawback to this formula of prevention is the possibility that students (or the shoplifters themselves) may steal the cutout and give it pride of place in the corner of their living room. For more info see this story from The Daily Mail - Thieves steal cardboard copper used to preclude shoplifting.

2. Re-arrange the Shop Floor

The main culprit in the shoplifting case is not the shoplifter! It is your shop itself! What incommunicable areas are there? Where could person go unnoticed? Where could person hide just long sufficient to tuck something in a bag or in a pram?

You may need to re-arrange the shop floor to sell out areas of low visibility.

3. Lock up the costly Stuff

This is by far the most inescapable option. You are bound to stock items which the shoplifter will find more thoughprovoking and be able to sell on for a quick profit. So lock them up! Put them behind a screen or in a cage. It may not look too great but if it saves you money in the long run then you've got to play the game!

4. Insist on a Receipt for All Returns

Many of these greasy shoplifter yobs steal with the main intent being the return of the merchandise to the store, the same or an additional one branch, for a cash refund. This can be addressed by requiring a purchase receipt for all returns. This can sometimes generate a conflict with the interest in delivering quality customer service.

5. Get some clever signs up!

The image on the right isn't strictly a shop sign used as a shoplifting preventative but I intuit you could put off a few of the scum sucking parasites if you employed one of their chums to walk up and down out side the front of your shop wearing something similar!

Put signs up that show you are are a mean, lean shoplifter busting machine! Signs such as "smile you're on camera" or "free ride in a police car for all shoplifters" will help put shoplifters off the idea and dont worry about bending the truth a minuscule to make your point. This is war after all!

6. Lights, Camera, Action!

The inescapable preventative for most shops, and the most sufficient tool in the fight on shoplifting terror mongers, it the Cctv system. With a good Cctv system in place you should be able to track every quadrilateral inch of the shop floor and make sure that no-one can hide from the eye in the sky!

As with most things in life, the more you spend -- the more you get. Rotational "pod" Cctv cameras are by far the most sufficient and seem to attack the fear of God into even the most hardened of shoplifting vermin sucking weasels.

You should spend heavily in crime prevention formula if the Roi is worth it. Larger market are obviously more open to shoplifting carnage but the smaller shops can also advantage from a high quality Cctv system. One of the main reasons for this is proof! It gives you an strict record of what's popping in your store -- and that proof could prove invaluable for hereafter convictions.

What it comes down to...

Be good at what you do and loose the riff raff! If you run your shop well, and have proactive staff who always keep an eagle eye, then you cant go wrong! Make sure your staff are attentive and approachable whilst also maintaining a respect for the store which can only come from your input!

Making sure you have alert employees is your most sufficient weapons against these scrupulous thieves who thrive on anonymity!

Thanks for your time! Now get out there and collar those dirty rotten scoundrels!

How to prevent Shoplifters From Stealing Your Stock
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