Unfortunately, almost all supermarkets worldwide face theft every day. According to the US National Association for Shoplifting Prevention (NASP) more than US$13 billion worth of goods are stolen from retailers each year (or approximately $35 million per day). NASP reports that only 1 in 48 shoplifters are caught. These huge numbers only reflect the value of shoplifting in the US. Therefore, you can only imagine the total amount that stores worldwide lose annually.
Shoplifting has a direct impact on the supermarket’s bottom line. In addition, and everyone will understand this, the cost of theft and loss is factored into the retail prices paid by consumers in your supermarket. Fortunately, there are plenty of easy ways to deter potential shoplifters from visiting your supermarket.
Many articles have been written about preventing shoplifting by reputable institutes and trade magazines. We have selected 16 simple tools for you to use directly. Above all, it is important that you stay alert to theft prevention on a daily basis. If you do not know what is happening in your store, you cannot do much about it either.
➔ Install a well-functioning CCTV system.
➔ Clearly indicate at the entrance that your store is equipped with CCTV.
➔ Place warning signs in strategic places in your store.
➔ Place mirrors in strategic places in your store.
➔ Ensure your store is tidy, well-maintained and brightly lit.
➔ Require your customers to shop with a shopping cart or shopping basket.
➔ Design your store with shorter aisles. One or more busy in-between aisles make it easier to survey the store.
➔ Establish a good relationship with your employees, make them aware that they are an important part of the store’s success.
➔ Discuss shoplifting regularly with your staff, train your staff so they know what to look out for.
➔ Know your customers, greet your customers as they enter.
➔ Greet your customers when they are shopping, so they know they have been noticed. Make eye contact with your customers.
➔ Always have staff at self-checkouts.
➔ Place theft-sensitive products in a highly visible place.
➔ Have a set procedure on what to do if you catch a shoplifter.
➔ Agree a code with your staff that alerts them if there are problems on the store floor with a shoplifter. (For example, a call: Refill baskets at checkout 10)
➔ Establish a good relationship with the local police.
Do you want to know if your store is a shoplifter’s dream? We put together a checklist with a couple of questions regarding shoplifting. Answer those for yourself and get to know if your store is at risk
View checklistAside from the above items, shoplifting can be prevented by using technical solutions such as: Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) and Rocateq’s Check Out Security system:
➔ Use EAS tags for theft-sensitive products. The EAS Tags will cause an alarm to go off if removed from store products. If the tags are highly visible, this product will be less attractive for a shoplifter to steal.
➔ The Rocateq Cart Security System prevents shoplifters from walking out with a full cart without paying. In case the cart has not gone past the checkout, it will lock when leaving the store and an alarm will be activated.
Finally, an effective but expensive solution is the deployment of Security Staff. Security officers are trained to recognize shoplifters and know what to do in case of shoplifting. How many Security Officers your store needs depends on the size of your store.
Have you already implemented most of the tools as listed above? And do you still experience shoplifting on a regular basis? Don’t hesitate any longer and contact us today for a personalized quote.
Does your store need our solution? Let us know and we are happy to make you an offer.
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