Four Ways to Prevent Shoplifting

If you’ve been letting your loss prevention strategy slip throughout the year, now’s a good time to put it back into focus. Your theft-prevention strategy should include these four steps:

• Have good customer service. This is the single most effective way to prevent shoplifting from happening in your store. Shoplifters want to be left alone, but showing you are a constant presence, ready to help when necessary, will discourage them.
• Train your employees on how to spot shoplifters. Send them through NRHA’s Loss Prevention course in External Theft. This will alert them to the various ways shoplifters try to conceal products and will tell them what they should do to prevent theft before it happens.
• Refine your store layout. As much as it is within your power, arrange store fixtures to prevent blind spots that are difficult for you to see as you walk down main aisles. Use bright lighting to maximize visibility. Place theft-prone merchandise, like power tools and accessories, near the front of the store.
• Use deterrents. Have visible deterrents around the store that let customers know you take a proactive approach to shoplifting. Signs warning against shoplifting, cameras, mirrors and locked cases for theft-prone merchandise are all ways to send the message that you are watching.