Posts Tagged ‘shoplifters’

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Pawn Shop Bust

January 18, 2011

$750,000 in Shoplifted Goods
That’s how much police according to this news report from Covington, Kentucky.

Pawn shop bust leads to shoplifted goods

Pawn Shop Selling Shoplifted Goods. Click on image for video report

 

Fencing Shoplifted Goods
It appears that the pawn shop was reselling stolen goods, both in the store and on eBay. Police say the goods came from shoplifters and shoplifting rings in the Cincinnati and northern Kentucky area.

Stolen Items Included
As usual, if there’s a demand for the item, it was stolen. Here’s a list of some of the items recovered.

  • $1,800 espresso machine
  • Electric tooth brushes
  • 2,000 boxes of Crest White Strips
  • Sporting goods
  • Power tools
  • Video game consoles
  • Thousands of DVD’s
  • 400 bottles of ExtenZe male enhancement supplement
  • and many other items

Can New Regulations Help?
It wasn’t complaints that led to this bust. This “Power Seller” had almost 17,000 feedbacks on eBay, 99.9% positive.

Local officials were looking into the store’s non-compliance with a new regulation that required pawn shops and resale shops to tell police about the items they are collecting.

Let us know whether you think increased regulation can help fight shoplifting

In the meantime, protect yourself from shoplifters.
You’ll have a quick payback on an investment in anti-shoplifting tools.

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You can do something about shoplifting! American Theft Prevention Products has tools to help retailers combat shoplifting. Visit www.AmericanTheftPrevention.com or call 866-416-0999 or 847-972-6540.

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Pockets are for Shoplifting…

December 20, 2010

…even on Sesame Street?
I recently came across this classic Sesame Street video on YouTube.  Actress Marilyn Sokol sings about things you might do with pockets.

Watch the young girl on the video
You only need to watch the first 30 seconds. Keep an eye on that little girl beginning about 14 seconds in.

Hey! Did she just stick a piece of fruit in her pocket and walk away?
OK. This video was meant in fun. But it’s another reminder that anyone might shoplift from you.

Protecting Small Items
You’re not going to spend much to protect a single piece of fruit, but there are simple things you can do to protect small items, even produce.

  • Provide great customer service, greet each customer
  • Layout your store to reduce blind spots
  • Security Mirrors help you keep an eye on larger areas and hidden areas
  • Protect small items that can easily go into pockets
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You can do something about shoplifting! American Theft Prevention Products has tools to help retailers combat shoplifting. Visit www.AmericanTheftPrevention.com or call 866-416-0999 or 847-972-6540.

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Trail of Blood Leads to Razor Blade Thief

December 15, 2010

They’re sharp
Razors. Not all shoplifters.

Police caught a Pennsylvania shoplifter after he tried to steal several trays of Gillette razor blades from a Wal-Mart store. News reports say store employees were tipped off when they noticed blood on the floor.

Apparently, the shoplifter removed the blades from the packaging and cut himself in the process. The trail of blood led them to the man.

Easy to Steal

Retailers know it.

Razor blades are small.  Easily concealed. Relatively expensive. Heavily promoted. Widely used. If a product is in demand and easily resold, it’s at risk.

So some retailers put them behind counters. But that has a strong negative impact on sales.

Alpha 3 Alarm Razor Keeper

Per unit shrink was 59% lower in stores using Alpha Keepers, according the Loss Prevention Research Council.

You Can Do Something About Razor Theft
In tests conducted by the Loss Prevention Research Council, it was found that using Keepers reduced shrink by 59% (on a unit basis) compared to stores that did not. In their sixty store study, this related to a three-year positive financial return of over $33,000 per store.

Keepers are reusable polycarbonate security cases that are easily opened and closed at check out counter using a special hand-key. For stores that have Checkpoint or Sensormatic Electronic Article Surveillance Systems, Keepers have your choice of non-deactivatable coil built-in.  However the study showed Keepers are effective even in stores without EAS.

What Did Customer Think?

  • Overwhelmingly, customers preferred stores using Keepers to having the blade and razor products being locked in a display case or kept behind counters.
  • The physical characteristics and appearance were given high marks. More than 80% rated Keepers physical appearance an “A.”
  • In almost all cases, customers said the use of Keepers and public view monitors would make them “more likely” to buy blade or razor products.
  • In no case, did customers say these shrink management techniques would make them “less likely” to buy.

What Did Employees Think?

Read Hayes, Director of the Loss Prevention Research Council, told an interviewer that employees were “happy with them, finding them practical and easy to use.”

  • A majority felt they were effective in reducing theft of blades and razor products
  • Indicated it was “easy” to place the blade and razor products in the Keepers
  • Indicated is was “very easy” to place the Keepers in the display

Lose Less and Sell More
American Theft Prevention Products offers a line of Keeper products specifically sized for blades and razors.  Give us a call if you’d like more information on Alpha Keepers for razors, blades and health & beauty products.

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You can do something about shoplifting! American Theft Prevention Products has tools, including Alpha Keepers, to help retailers combat shoplifting. Visit www.AmericanTheftPrevention.com or call 866-416-0999 or 847-972-6540.

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Shoplifting In Full View

November 14, 2010

Out the Front Door
A surprisingly common approach used by shoplifters is putting on the product and simply walking out the door.

You can do something about clothing shoplifters

Paying attention to customers as they enter and leave your store can mean higher sales and lower theft

Often thieves go into a dressing room, and change clothes.  Sometimes they leave their old clothes in the dressing room. Sometimes they take them out in a bag.

With some products customers actually try them on in public.

From Natchez, Mississippi, here’s an article about a man attempting to steal a pair of tennis shoes.

A Natchez Police report said a manager at Kmart witnessed Joshua Bludnick enter the shoe department and try on a pair of black and white Protege brand tennis shoes.

Bludnick allegedly proceeded to replace the new shoes in the shoebox with the old pair he wore into the store before walking out wearing the new pair.

You Can Do Something
Here are a few suggestions that can help you do something about this type of theft.

  1. Monitor what goes in and out of dressing rooms.  Keep tabs on the number of items a customer takes into a dressing room.  People counters and annunciators can help alert you to people walking in and out of dressing rooms.
  2. Minimize blind spots
    • Layout your shelving to allow clear lines of sight
    • Keep shelving heights low
    • Security Mirrors are one good way to help. Choose the right mirror for the areas you are trying to protect.
  3. Keep Your Shelves Full and Neat.  It helps you merchandise your products more effectively. It also makes it easier for you to quickly see whether a product is missing.
  4. Electronic Article Surveillance alerts you to unpaid merchandise leaving your store. If you are installing a new EAS system, be sure its specified for your store layout and your product mix.
  5. Protective store fixtures, like cabled coat racks, recoilers and tethers, allow customers to try on merchandise, but not remove them from the fixture.
  6. CableLoks are an interesting protective device from Alpha Security Products. These allow customers to try on clothing, move around the store, but still alerts you to theft. Cable lengths range from 6″ to over 100″. Some tags will alert you when someone tries to improperly remove the tag.

Keep in contact with your customers
Offering good service is an all around winner.  Greet your customers when they enter and leave your store.  Make eye contact.  Pay attention.

When you pay attention, who knows what you might see. At a shoe store in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, a man was accused of trying to shoplift a $70 pair by simply wearing them as he walked out the door.  The man was wearing a size 10 pair of high-heeled pumps.

Share your experiences
about customers brazenly walking out the door with your inventory.

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You can do something about shoplifting! American Theft Prevention Products has tools to help retailers combat shoplifting. Visit www.AmericanTheftPrevention.com or call 866-416-0999 or 847-972-6540.

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More on Shoplifting from Halloween Stores

October 14, 2010

Dealing with Shoplifters
In the past few months we’ve posted articles discussing how some stores deal with people caught shoplifting.

At the Wagon Wheel Liquor Store in they keep shoplifter’s shoes.  At some stores they charge a fee (to help cover loss prevention costs) in return for an agreement to not prosecute. Other stores ban the customer from returning.

Virgina Shoplifter agrees to Costumed Punishment
At a Halloween Store in Charlottesville, VA one store owner worked out an agreement with a teen shoplifter.  He’s having the shoplifter stand outside his store in costume.

Here’s an Associated Press Report


Share your ideas
Leave a comment on effective ways you deal with shoplifters.

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You can do something about shoplifting! American Theft Prevention Products has tools to help retailers combat shoplifting. Visit www.AmericanTheftPrevention.com or call 866-416-0999 or 847-972-6540.

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Retail Theft & Seasonal Stores

October 8, 2010

I’ve been coming across several news reports that remind us when a product is in demand, shoplifting and theft for that product is up.

Shoplifting at Halloween Stores
News reports are popping up around the country of theft and shoplifting from Halloween stores.  For example, in Greenville, NC police are investigating the theft of thousands of dollars worth of costumes and accessories from one store.  That case was a nighttime break-in.

Seasonal shops that take over former big box retail space often have some anti shoplifting tools in place.

 

In Jersey City, NJ, a store manager said he saw someone stuff two Halloween costumes (worth $79.00) into his duffel bag. That was mid afternoon.

Retail Theft & Seasonal Stores

“It’s a tough blow for a seasonal store only open for a few months of the year,” points out WCTI12 News in Greenville.

Pam Brady, owner of the Halloween Store in Marion, IL recently responded to a shopper who posted an online complaint about sales staff at her store “harassing” (the patron’s word) customers by keeping too close an eye on them.

Pam apologized for what might have been an overly zealous employee, but pointed out the impact of shoplifting on stores like hers.

…we lose 5 %-10 % of our product every year with shoplifting.  Unfortunately, the good people are always judged by the bad in this world.

She added that they pride themselves on service and do not intend to anger their customers.

What can you do?

Stores that are open for only a short period of time still need to take precautions.  There are a number of inexpensive options.

  • Many of these store rent space previously occupied by big box retailers.  If they’ve left their Electronic Article Surveillance system (either Checkpoint or Sensormatic) in place, use inexpensive tags to protect merchandise.
  • Layout your store to minimize blind spots.
  • Keep your store as neat as possible. This helps you quickly identity “missing” products. Also full shelves sell more.
  • Security Mirrors are inexpensive and allow you to reduce blind spots within your store.
  • Anti theft Special Peg hooks or slat-wall hooks help fight “sweep,” which is when a shoplifter quickly slides all the product off a hook or shelf.
  • Benefit Denial Tools, like ink tags, help deter theft through reducing the incentives to steal.
  • Provide training to all your employees, even temporary ones, on the basis on loss prevention, as well as issues of employee theft. As Pam probably knows, along with being a good sales technique, good customer service is a great anti theft tool.

Share your anti shoplifting techniques with American Theft Prevention’s readers.

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You can do something about shoplifting! American Theft Prevention Products has tools to help retailers combat shoplifting. Visit www.AmericanTheftPrevention.com or call 866-416-0999 or 847-972-6540.

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Liquor & Clothing Spending Way Down

October 6, 2010

Deepest Cuts in Two Decades
It’s no surprise to most of us that spending, especially discretionary spending, is down.

 

Theft prevention tools, like security bottle caps, can help limit the impact of reduced consumer spending.

 

Released yesterday, the US Department of Labor’s annual spending report said that, overall, in 2009, middle class spending shrank 3.5% from the previous year.  As a group, only the poorest Americans saw increased spending, despite the largest drop in income. (Analysts attribute this to that group having little discretionary spending.  “People at the bottom trying to hang on,” they say.)

Even the richest 20% of consumers cut spending 2.8%.

Particularly Hard Hit
Discussing the report, today’s Wall St Journal reports that middle class spending was particularly noticeable in a couple of areas:

  • Spending down 20.1% on alcoholic beverages
  • Spending down 15.2% on clothing

Retailers & Loss Prevention
This makes your anti shoplifting efforts even more important. Inexpensive anti theft tools like Bottle Caps in liquor and wine stores, Electronic Article Surveillance systems, inexpensive hard tags (or specialty “high theft hard tags,” designed for particular products, especially clothing) can help you keep more of  your profits, while still allowing consumers access to your products.

It’s important to remember that the cost of theft comes directly out of your bottom line profit.

When consumer spending is tight, you need be sure no one is taking your product without paying for it.

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You can do something about shoplifting! American Theft Prevention Products has tools to help retailers combat shoplifting. Visit www.AmericanTheftPrevention.com or call 866-416-0999 or 847-972-6540.

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Red Handed

September 22, 2010

Retail Theft Prevention Video
Wins National Award
And it’s no wonder.

Here’s a video produced by high school students Zach Scallon and Zachary Wentz from the May-Port CG High School in Mayville, North Dakota. It won first place in this year’s Future Business Leaders of American Digital Video Production competition.

The contest’s theme was retail theft prevention.

Creative, Entertaining, Informative
In just four minutes they managed to cover a full range of issues:

And the music is great as well.

Thanks FBLA
Thanks to the Future Business Leaders of America for focusing on retail theft, in this year’s competition. It’s group of more than 1/4 million students preparing for careers in business and business related fields.

In the  coming weeks, I’ll post a few more of the winning videos.

…and if you want to support the winning school or FBLA
Here’s a link to the FBLA chapter at May-Port CG High School.

The FBLA’s Professional Division is a way for businesses to help, teach and encourage future business leaders.

What do you think of these students production?
Leave a comment.

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You can do something about shoplifting! American Theft Prevention Products has tools to help retailers combat shoplifting. Visit www.AmericanTheftPrevention.com or call 866-416-0999 or 847-972-6540.

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Any Neighborhood

September 20, 2010

Historic Georgetown, Kentucky

10 miles north of Lexington…it’s where Kentucky bourbon was first produced. Home to over 300 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places and other  beautiful architecture. It’s not surprising that Georgetown is a great place to find antiques.

Home to Georgetown College, established in the 1780's

It’s a community like any other. People living normal lives. The good and the bad. You’ll feel comfortable walking around.

A Reminder

This report from Georgetown’s News-Graphic comes as a reminder.

Georgetown police arrested and charged at least six people Friday afternoon in connection with a shoplifting and drug syndicate operating out of a home on Old Mill Road….

..the alleged ringleader of the syndicate, was assigning lists of items to shoplift from central Kentucky Kohl’s department store locations

A classic technique

A few months back,  we wrote about “The Shoplift/Return Cycle.” That’s exactly what was happening here.

According to local police, “they were (stealing) high-dollar items, then taking them to customer service and getting a merchandise card back.”  Police believe they were then selling stolen items and merchandise cards to buy prescription pills to sell.

Pay Attention, Be Prepared

Once again, this is a simple reminder that you have to deal with the threat of shoplifting. Theft prevention techniques and tools are at your disposal to help protect your merchandise.

Anti shoplifting efforts almost always have a positive return on investment,  no matter where you’re located.

Every dollar of theft recovered…better yet, deterred, is a dollar added to your bottom line.

…and if you visit Georgetown

Join with an estimated 33,000 others who will attend this year’s 30th Annual Festival of the Horse. It will kick off on September 30 with the Fireman’s Chili Cook-off, where you can sample 27 different chili’s.

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You can do something about shoplifting! American Theft Prevention Products has tools to help retailers combat shoplifting. Visit www.AmericanTheftPrevention.com or call 866-416-0999 or 847-972-6540.

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Welcome Potential Shoplifters

September 13, 2010

Great customer service deters sholifters and enhances sales.

“Meet and Greet” suspicious characters as soon as they enter your store. That’s the advice being offered by police and city officials in Leicester, the tenth largest metropolitan area in the UK.

It’s a classic, and particularly effective, anti shoplifting approach. It cost little, and it can help increase sales.

Graham Collins, an officer with Citywatch, a neighborhood watch type program for shops and bars told the Leicester Mercury newspaper:

“Rather than let a shoplifter wander around, the idea is to make life uncomfortable for them.

“The last thing thieves want when they walk into a shop is to be looked in the eye and spoken to. They want to go unnoticed.”

It Deters…
If it’s a known shoplifter, you can just ask them to leave.  But many shoplifters steal when they have the opportunity.

So don’t provide it.

Shoplifters don’t want to be spoken to. Thieves don’t want to be recognized. They want to be anonymous.

It promotes sales
Do it right and you’re enhancing customer service. Just know the boundary between bugging a customer and offering good service.  On the other hand, said one store manager, “If we have suspicions about someone, we’re all over them,” she added, “but in a very friendly way. Eventually they know they won’t be left alone and they give up.”

Take A Good Look
Make theft deterrence through good customer service part of your regular employee training program. One ready-to-use employee training tool is Take A Good Look, newly updated dvd and training manual that teaches employees to:

  • Observe details as a customer enters the store
  • Read a customers body language
  • Maintain attention to customers
  • Provide great customer service
  • Deal with shoplifters

“I can’t understand why some shops seem to sit back and wait for the stock to go into a pocket or a bag. The way we work keeps our staff on the shop floor at all times.”

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You can do something about shoplifting! American Theft Prevention Products has tools to help retailers combat shoplifting. Visit www.AmericanTheftPrevention.com or call 866-416-0999 or 847-972-6540.

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