Shoplifting

[Drpepper]

It's in the news today that shoplifting adds £180 a year to the average household shopping bill. Not sure how they work that out as we don't increase our prices to account for this loss, but perhaps the "big boys" do.

Saying that we don't suffer from much shoplifting (confectionery trade) do you, and what do you do to combat it?

Side issue:-
The Police are useless at helping, at a recent local meeting they claimed it's low priority as it seen as victimless. Pointed out that as our market town shops are mainly owner managers it's really no different from being burgled or mugged as the cost of the stolen goods comes directly out of our pockets - response "build it into your cost" - great does that mean we also carry a spare iPhone and extra £100 when we walk down the street in case we get mugged :|

Are you local plod any more helpful?

 

[deniser]

Ours were more helpful.

Told us to get CCTV and turn the hangers alternate ways so thieves can't lift a load of garments off and stuff them into bags.

Whenever we report an event, they patrol our parade for a few days to show some police presence.

CCTV (we only got a dummy one) worked wonders.

I reported an online fraud recently (only one of many - we get them nearly daily but I haven't reported one for over a year but this one particularly irked me) and they not only investigated it but sent an officer round to see if I was OK! They told me to report every single one online.

 

[octopusgarden]

I agree CCTV is a must, even if it's only dummy cameras - they're so cheap on ebay we put a few of those up along with our proper CCTV system.

 

[octopusgarden]

The sign in our shop... (we sell army gear)

 

[harryboon]

You can read the story here

also just to change the subject if you look here you will see Googles related searches being 'shoplifting tips' & 'shoplifting techniques' I mean WTF!

 

[Sproston]

You can read the story here

also just to change the subject if you look here you will see Googles related searches being 'shoplifting tips' & 'shoplifting techniques' I mean WTF!

They like to provide a rich user experience dontcha know?

 

[harryboon]

O yes my mistake - user experience is very important, maybe they would add 'how to make bombs' just for al-Qa'ida

They like to provide a rich user experience dontcha know?

 

[Deleted member 59730]

"The Police are useless at helping, at a recent local meeting they claimed it's low priority as it seen as victimless. Pointed out that as our market town shops are mainly owner managers it's really no different from being burgled or mugged as the cost of the stolen goods comes directly out of our pockets - response "build it into your cost""

Next time a PC comes in for a 50p bar of chocolate charge him £50. Tell him you've built his inactivity into your cost.

 

[Drpepper]

"The Police are useless at helping, at a recent local meeting they claimed it's low priority as it seen as victimless. Pointed out that as our market town shops are mainly owner managers it's really no different from being burgled or mugged as the cost of the stolen goods comes directly out of our pockets - response "build it into your cost""

Next time a PC comes in for a 50p bar of chocolate charge him £50. Tell him you've built his inactivity into your cost.

Actually they do come in often - I may just do that

 

[Esk247]

remember that its not necessarily the police that are inactive, it's the amount of paperwork it takes to actually pin something on someone.

these days the police officer has to witness the event, be filming it and then needs to provide a 20 page report about how well he/she treated the criminal.

i blame the CPS

 

[Drpepper]

ESK247 I agree the police should be freed up to patrol, however the problem was their attitude that it's a victimless crime - hurtful

 

[silvermusic]

I do wish people would stop using soft and fluffy terms like "shoplifting" let's call it exactly what it is, Theft.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00tkrlj/I_Cant_Stop_Stealing/

Great program about shoplifters

 

[Perseverance]

I work at Waterstones and it seems our staff are very unaware of shoplifting - however it's only books!

 

[Deleted member 53208]

We got a point of sale (barcode scanning) system installed. It was a really cheap, about £500 system and it worked a treat. Allowed me to pinpoint what was being taken and when it was going. This turned out to be a certain bunch of kids from the local high school. Banned them, thieving stopped, job done

It also prevented me from buying stock I didn't need and showed me which lines to add to. Thoroughly recommend it!

 

[papverpoppies]

remember that its not necessarily the police that are inactive, it's the amount of paperwork it takes to actually pin something on someone.

these days the police officer has to witness the event, be filming it and then needs to provide a 20 page report about how well he/she treated the criminal.

i blame the CPS

I watched a TV programme about shop lifters in Leeds.

It really is pathetic, the Police were doing their job, one girl was arressted so many times that she was actually banned from the shipping centre concerned, (like she cared)!

They spent weeks probably months in total filling in all of the paperwork for each of her crimes, all to no avail, she was a serial shop lifter.
Stealing, prison, out, stealing, back in out, same old same old.

I do feel sorry for them, how soul destroying to have to deal with folks who do not give a stuff about the law.

What is the answer, how do you stop them - when the law and prison is no deterrent.

Pops xx

 

[Rainbow Chasers']

This is why the Police despair with the CPS. They arrest someone, do the paperwork, take statements from everyone, present to court and the offender gets a £20 fine or community service. They feel like they are banging their haeds against a wall.

Maybe the US 3 strike rule would be better, where after 3 misdemeanours they spend 30 years locked up. Those repeat offenders who just want to be back inside with their 'Family' will be, and those that just try it out for teenage pranks will only do it once if at all.

I know it would mean lots more inmates, but consider in the states, they can get 7-15 years for possession of drugs, yet over here they walk free with a bit of rubbish picking....makes you wonder!

 

[maria102]

When we had money stolen from our till, the thief was caught (he rocked up in his own car) and he now pays us back about 64p every other month. The police turned up around a week later.

More recently we have had a huge amount of stock stolen over a period of several months and I have an inkling that this was a member of staff. Unfortunately we did not have CCTV and as we weren't able to pin point the exact date each piece got stolen, the police would not even bother coming out to speak to us.

 

[Rainbow Chasers']

When we had money stolen from our till, the thief was caught (he rocked up in his own car) and he now pays us back about 64p every other month. The police turned up around a week later.

More recently we have had a huge amount of stock stolen over a period of several months and I have an inkling that this was a member of staff. Unfortunately we did not have CCTV and as we weren't able to pin point the exact date each piece got stolen, the police would not even bother coming out to speak to us.

Then you really need to look into CCTV - Police love it, there is no argument, they are on tape, end of story. Cuts time, cuts arguments and helps secure prosecution with minimum effort. Everything is about cameras nowadays.

The reason you are losing stock, is because you have no cameras at all! Word will get around quickly that you are a soft target!

 

[maria102]

We've got CCTV now, just about 2 years too late.

 

[scothost]

Interesting that the article early on in this thread estimates a 1/3 of all theft relates to employees yet nobody has touched on it.

Whether its "borrowing" an A4 pad from the office or a quick can of coke from the shelf, its in my view more of an issue for business owners than an unrelated person coming in to steal.

 

[maria102]

Interesting that the article early on in this thread estimates a 1/3 of all theft relates to employees yet nobody has touched on it.

Whether its "borrowing" an A4 pad from the office or a quick can of coke from the shelf, its in my view more of an issue for business owners than an unrelated person coming in to steal.

Thats exactly right, when we first had our first robbery Jorge (private detective on here) said it was the biggest loss from shops...and I still procrastinated about the cameras. All the stuff we had stolen (about 1.5k) was definitely taken from the stockroom, which we would have noticed had it been customers. My husband however, insisted that the it no way would it have been the two assistants as they didn't need to steal. Of course we are NOT accusing anybody...

 

[vvaannmmaann]

It's the elephant in the room.No-one likes to think their staff are stealing from them.

 

[scothost]

the two assistants as they didn't need to steal.

Needing to steal is what opportunist thief's will use as an excuse, simply because they need to feed a habit or simply lack money. Not excuses by any means but you can to a degree understand why they do it.

For staff it's more about opportunity, they can take things without being noticed or found out. Often they dont even see it as stealing.

I let someone go a couple of years ago, paying them £28k a year in an IT role. They stole 2 small items with a value of £19. Worth loosing your job over? May seem harsh however thats what I found out about, what else did they take or plan to take?

It's a real danger with staff, unfortunately when they take 1 thing and appear to get away with it, more will follow.

Lee

 

[papverpoppies]

Just over half of private small company executives expect employees to steal something of value within the next year, nearly double the rate who have actually experienced such loss in the last five years, a new survey found on Tuesday. Skip related content
The Chubb Private Company Risk Survey polled executives at 451 for-profit U.S. companies, almost all of which had annual revenue of less than $25 million.
Some 54 percent of those surveyed said they expected employees to steal company funds, equipment, inventory or merchandise over the next year. Just 30 percent have actually experienced such theft in the last five years.
Employee theft was seen as the second-most financially damaging event a company could experience, according to the survey. The most damaging event, the executives said, was an employment practices liability lawsuit.


American survey, but I expect it is pretty much the same here.




Poppy xx

 

[oliverbanks]

I used to be friends with some shoplifters, and let me tell you they have their methods.

If you're using the tags they use in TK-MAX, they offer no protection whatever as they can be easily detagged in the shop with a tiny piece of bent metal.

If you use the pin tags then you may want to keep a look out, as these can be removed within seconds with a special type of magnet - which costs about £50.

 

[maria102]

I used to be friends with some shoplifters, and let me tell you they have their methods.

I know, the things we had stolen though were in cellophane in the stock room, although some did go from the shop floor. The stockroom now has a lock, so we have done that as well as the cameras. Still a worry though as I am about to take 2 people on for the run up to Christmas.

I do think people steal for all different reasons as I explained to my husband. Years ago when I worked in an office, I had bought some christmas wrapping paper which I left in my draw and it got stolen. Bizarrely I then got a gift from a colleague, wrapped in it.

 

[GotLiveChat]

The sign in our shop... (we sell army gear)

My favorite variation of your sign is the one that says SURVIVORS WILL BE SHOT AGAIN

 

[oliverbanks]

I know, the things we had stolen though were in cellophane in the stock room, although some did go from the shop floor. The stockroom now has a lock, so we have done that as well as the cameras. Still a worry though as I am about to take 2 people on for the run up to Christmas.

I do think people steal for all different reasons as I explained to my husband. Years ago when I worked in an office, I had bought some christmas wrapping paper which I left in my draw and it got stolen. Bizarrely I then got a gift from a colleague, wrapped in it.

A very smart colleague then!

I think there are a variety of reasons why people decide to do it, can be for the adreneline rush, money, or the enjoyment of outsmarting the secruity.

For the most part I would advise you to ring police if/when you catch someone instead of just giving them a slap on the wrist, since the involvement of police does really scare a lot people away from doing it again.

 

[Mustaka]

I had a clothing shop at one point and was getting loads of thefts. So we put in a couple of cameras that linked to the desktop. They were the ones that you could remotly move/change angle. One of the techs put in a little sound so that everytime you moved it to zoom in or watch someone it would play an appropriate sound over speaker system.

Worked a treat and was a lot of fun to spook people.

 

[headshotlondon]

It is true, how hard it is to make sure you are not loosing any stock. I guess if you were selling clothes or anything else then electronic tags could be a good way of stopping them. Displaying your most valuable stock behind glass or cash point could help as well. CCTV and a warning sign could be additional measure to protect you and your premises.

 

[maria102]

It is true, how hard it is to make sure you are not loosing any stock. I guess if you were selling clothes or anything else then electronic tags could be a good way of stopping them. Displaying your most valuable stock behind glass or cash point could help as well. CCTV and a warning sign could be additional measure to protect you and your premises.

Problem with the tags, is that they can have foil lined bags so that they don't go off. I think we are now doing as much as we can really, still a trust issue, but unless I do a stock take after every shift I work myself before someone works by themself, I can't think of much else!

 

[UKSBD]

I bought a pair of shoes the other week, got home, got them out the bag, and they still had the tag on them.
Didn't make a sound when I went through the security doors.

Just to add:
had to take them back the following weekend, I couldn't get the bl***ing tag off

 

[Atilla]

Random security searches??

Done by all the big retailers.

Doesn't stop thieving in total but the risk of being caught is usually enough to deter all but the determined.

 

[arcon5]

Random security searches??

Done by all the big retailers.

Doesn't stop thieving in total but the risk of being caught is usually enough to deter all but the determined.

Wouldn't go down well with law abiding customers who probably wouldnt come back. I know for certain I wouldn't let anybody search me or my bags on the way out in the name of 'random security searches'.

 

[S-Marketing]

Wouldn't go down well with law abiding customers who probably wouldnt come back. I know for certain I wouldn't let anybody search me or my bags on the way out in the name of 'random security searches'.

I think they mean search the staff mate.

 

[Kay15]

CCTV is a must, we've had ours for 2 years now and we've caught atleast 30 people since we've had it installed. Also having the TV monitor on the shop floor so you can view the customers while your on the till and not just in the office. The police can be abit of a waste of time even if you have caught someone, they would take the goods away for evidence and wont bring them back so you lose the money anyway! When the thief does get away with it and then gets caught they are not made to pay for stealing the goods and your wasting your time gathering information for the police i.e dvd footage etc.. for no reason. I also think greeting the customers when they come into the shop helps, as they know you know they are there.. the scanning system EPOS is great for tracking goods too.. finally we have a buzzer at the door everytime it opens so the staff are aware that there is a customer in the shop floor.

 

[PI Guy]

CCTV is a good deterrent but only a Store Detective will make any impact. In the meantime have a look at my blog on the subject, The 7 Habits of a Highly Successful Shoplifter

 

[John_Orcus]

It amazes me that more goods aren't stolen from shops, particularly from independents.

Whenever I do a demo or an installation for independents, there are often only one or two members of staff covering the floors. And this is in shops without CCTV.

It wouldn't take much for theives who know what they're doing to distract the staff while their pals are helping themselves. Thankfully the crime rates in a lot of places must be pretty low.

 

[Cromulent]

This is why the Police despair with the CPS. They arrest someone, do the paperwork, take statements from everyone, present to court and the offender gets a £20 fine or community service. They feel like they are banging their haeds against a wall.

Maybe the US 3 strike rule would be better, where after 3 misdemeanours they spend 30 years locked up. Those repeat offenders who just want to be back inside with their 'Family' will be, and those that just try it out for teenage pranks will only do it once if at all.

I know it would mean lots more inmates, but consider in the states, they can get 7-15 years for possession of drugs, yet over here they walk free with a bit of rubbish picking....makes you wonder!

Taking the US as an example of good law enforcement is ridiculous. The amount of money the US governments spends on their prison system is absurd. If we did that I can imagine the NHS and Schools having to deal with big cuts. Perhaps we should just give the police guns and let them shoot shoplifters? No more paperwork!

The drug reference is also stupid, 7 - 15 years for a bit of marijuana (perfectly possible in the US)? Seriously?