In 2022/23, the crime rates for the UK in the retail sector rose from around 870 incidents per day to over 1,200. Employers and, indeed, employees are faced with a myriad of threats when working retail, regardless of the sector. From opportunist thieves stealing food, stuff, or alcohol from a grocery store to planned and targeted attacks on high-end retailers, there will always be those who sadly think they’re entitled to take things without paying.
For small business owners, the effect of crime can carry a considerable toll and cause countless issues, not least having to increase prices to account for loss and increased premiums due to multiple claims.
These tips can help you boost security in your store and protect against retail theft.
Table of Contents
1. CCTV
Arguably, it is one of the best deterrents for crime out there. If an individual thinks they’re going to be caught and identified via CCTV, then chances are they will think twice before stealing. You can work with commercial CCTV installers to help you design a setup that exposes areas that are likely to conceal crimes being committed and to give you visible presence in areas that you need to keep an eye on such as cash rooms, safes, till points, or staff areas and stockrooms. You can place your cameras exactly where they are most needed; it gives you added peace of mind.
2. Hire Security Guards
Suppose you’re already experiencing high levels of theft, work in a more remote location, or have anti-social hours. In that case, a security guard can help you boost visibility and act as a physical deterrent for those wanting to come in and steal your goods. A person patrolling your store, whose sole aim is to ward off thieves and catch those who commit crimes within your store, can help you reduce losses associated with retail theft and protect local employees.
3. Security Tags
Adding security tags on clothing security labels to products or using boxes or dummy cakes can go a long way in shaping you to reduce the loss of high-value items. While keeping them locked behind till points is a good idea, even in storerooms, this is not always foolproof, and thieves will simply target other items instead. Not only that, it can reduce sales of these items.
Having security attachments that need to be removed or deactivated at the till once they have been paid for will help you to be alerted when someone does try to leave with the time without paying. Typically, using these controls means you need to have technology placed at entrances and exits to signal an alarm when people leave so you know what is happening, but it also increases the chances of you retaining high-value items and reducing theft across the store.
4. Lighting and Layout
The lighting you use in your store and how you layout displays and shelving will also help you reduce crime committed. Staff should be able to see what is happening at all times, so avoid high shelving, awkward or tight spaces, or areas that allow for concealment, e.g. corners away from till points where a person can hide behind shelves.
Then, you need to light up any dark areas or spaces that shoplifters can use to hide items they wish to steal. By increasing viability, you can eliminate pockets of space within your store that can facilitate theft and help you remove this level of secrecy.
5. Customer Service
Above all else, improving your customer service will help reduce retail theft. Having an active employee presence on your shop floor and engaging with everyone who walks through your doors will act as a deterrent to shoplifters.
Best of all, this technique increases your sales and improves the customer experience.
This is a contributed post.