DON'T let crooks feel anonymous
DO deliver in-your-face customer service
One of the first things to realize is that criminals need anonymity to do their work. They need you to overlook their presence, ignore their behaviour patterns and forget them when they leave the store.
Pauline Delaney, Loss Prevention Manager at Group 4 Securicor (G4S), says the best defence against thieves is exactly what you give every customer who enters your store: superb customer service. "It's all about really good, in-your-face customer service,"
says Delaney.
If you think somebody is acting suspicious and wants you to ignore them, for example, ask "How can I help you?" or "Are you shopping for yourself?" Strike up a conversation. Smile at them. Introduce yourself.
Keep in mind that if a pair of thieves enters your store, one thief will try and distract you while the other sneaks off to steal. If you cannot detach from a customer, or if they intercept you while you're attempting to investigate a particular customer or section of the store, there may be another person in your store that you
need to watch.
Randy James, Regional Loss Prevention Manager (Manitoba and Saskatchewan) for The Katz Group, which operates 1,800 pharmacies across Canada and the U.S., advises retailers to watch customers' eyes as they enter the store. Normal customers look for sale items, flyers and carts, while thieves look for staff.
James says he has a "3 Contact" rule when it comes to welcoming customers. The first instance of eye contact is when the customer says hello. The second time the customer looks the retailer in the eyes, it's probably a coincidence. The third time the retailer and customer make eye contact, it's suspicious. "That's when I start watching them," says James. |
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DON'T hide your security
DO let the criminals know you're watching
Don't let crooks feel anonymous and don't hide your security. Let them know you're watching them. If your store uses cameras, for example, post a polite message that informs customers their actions may be caught on tape.
Although a camera system does not always deter professional thieves, it can provide a historical record of what happens and it may aid you in prosecuting shoplifters.
James says that he has had success with mirrors. Professional thieves fear mirrors because they cannot know for sure if someone is watching.
DON'T get flustered at the cash register
DO take transactions one at a time
Imagine this scene: A customer holds the pack of gum he bought
and waits for his change.
"Since your register is already open, can I get change for this
$100?" he asks.
The cashier looks at the money in his hands — it's almost a hundred
dollars already. "Okay," she replies.
The cashier sets aside the change and begins to break the $100 bill when the customer says, "Give me two fifties. No, one fifty, two twenties, two fives… Scratch that, give me a fifty — no, a crisp, new one — two twenties, and a ten. And my change. Hurry up, I haven't got all day. Give me my fifty!"
The cashier looks at the long line and the impatient customer who cannot wait for his change, and gives the customer change for his purchase, change for his $100 bill — and the two twenties he asked for but didn't deserve.
A quick-change artist is a person who profits by confusing cashiers — usually young and inexperienced — when they're counting change. |
