Avoiding Shoplifting: Three Suggestions
Your small shop might be gearing up for a large sale or a major holiday. You might have ordered more inventory and hired more staff for the occasion. However, realize that chances could be higher for shoplifting happening on the premises. How can you protect inventory while racking up sales?
Test Locks
The doors to your store are the first place where any intruder will attempt to breach the space. Whether you have sliding doors or simple hinged doors, you should examine them before any large sale event. Are the doors fully intact, or are they fraying or rusting along the edges? Can they be kicked in or easily broken?
Even if the doors themselves are strong, the weakest part of any door could be the lock. If the back delivery door, for instance, has a weak lock that can be jimmied or easily bypassed, now is the most important time to have it repaired. Door lock repair should be done on every single entrance to the retail area. You may even want to spend money on new, more durable locks if the budget allows. Giving criminals a difficult time with good locks could not only prevent entry, but can delay them at entrances where they can be noticed, observed, and apprehended.
Staff the Floor
Increased staffing is another way to lower chances of shoplifting. You might have hired more people to run the registers or stock the shelves, but having employees whose task is to wander the store and staff the floor itself could be instrumental in catching anyone attempting to steal. An added benefit of more floor staffing is that if customers need help locating products, floor staff can help without needing to pull another staffer away from their work. You might want to rotate cashiers and inventory staff onto the floor at different points of the day.
Change Safe Code
If you're already using a store safe like many retail shops, you should learn to change the digital code so that you can change it daily or weekly. Sometimes those stealing from you are employees; ensuring that not many people know the safe information is a smart way to keep all store money accounted for.
Shop security measures can be discussed and later implemented to increase safety during times of high traffic in your store. Contact commercial door and security professionals to assess and guide your methods at this time. Door lock services can ensure your locks are in proper working order.