6 Ways to Prevent Shoplifting at Christmas

Shoplifting is a crime and one that is committed all year round. But with retail outlets promising to be busy throughout the festive shopping season, preventing shoplifting maximises your profits and protects stock.

Rising crime in the retails sector was estimated to have cost £700 million in 2017, the burden of which is carried by the retailer – and it seems that it is a crime that is on the up. From small boutique shops to larger retailers and brands, shoplifting is problematic.

However,  it can be prevented. Here are six tips for preventing shoplifting in your store this Christmas;

#1 Welcome customers

There are two psychological impacts of welcoming every customer as they enter a store;

* Genuine customers feel welcomed and valued
* For would-be shoplifters, however, it sends a clear signal that you are watching and taking notice

Every shoplifter’s fear is confrontation. With a myriad of means of hiding products and leaving the shop without paying, they want to be able to do this without being spotted or interrupted. By interrupting this routine by talking to them, you place them on edge.

#2 Keep your store tidy

Facing up products is something most retailers do so that consumers can clearly see the products on the shelf. It is also a tactic to attract attention to certain products at certain price points.

But this ‘facing up’ and keeping your store tidy is also a weapon in your fight against shoplifting. See gaps easier on shelves and walls, taking note of who you see taking what and whether they are travelling toward a pay point or not.

#3 Change your layout

You may have already been a victim of the ‘grab and run’ shoplifter who chances their arm at grabbing anything. Other shoplifters are more systematic, taking items that they can do so quickly and easily, such as unobserved corners of the shop or from the ends of a display that no one on the till can see.

Consider changing the layout of your shop so that you can see all of it, moving high-value items to within proximity of your till area. Think about adding mirrors to reflect what customers are doing down aisles and other hard to see areas.

#4 Anti-shoplifting signs

Again, it is a sign that you are taking shoplifting seriously and that you are a shop that promotes vigilance in its staff for watching and – more importantly – preventing criminal behaviour.

If you feel the look or the message is too stifling for your brand, there are other quirkier signs you can invest in or place them close to CCTV cameras etc., the tools that many shoplifters will look for.

#5 Get clued up to shoplifter behaviour

Understanding human behaviour is also an important tool in your fight against shoplifters. In an attempt to hide what they are doing, shoplifters will ‘act’ in a different way.

For example, lingering in a certain area, looking about the shop, wearing a larger jumper or coat perhaps in a day when there is no need for several layers of clothes. Take notice of people and the things they carry like bags. Or when they enter a changing room for example, not what they were wearing.

Vigilance and persistence is your key to preventing may opportunistic thefts from your premises.

#6 Invest in professional retail security

We have thousands of SIA licensed security guards who can play the role of both uniformed security guard at your premises as well as plain-clothed security for mingling with people on the shop floor.

Highly trained, they can spot suspicious behaviour that helps to deter crimes and theft. And of course, should the worse happen and someone attempts to leave your premises without paying for items, our personnel know how to stop people and detain them until the police arrive.

Why not call us to find out more 0844 800 0071?