February Issue
- A New Year, a new word
- Editorial - Shine a Light
- Candle trends with
extra glow factor - Gadget Magic -
- Must-have culinary picks - Smart games for a new generation
- Strategy and logic-based fun is topping the leader board - Bringing Special Back
- Mother's Day 2010 - Caught Red Handed
- Taking Stock of Security
Caught Red Handed
Do you have the upper hand when it comes to protecting your store?
Protecting your store, your stock, your customers and yourself from crime are
areas many retailers like to think they've got covered. In reality, however, they
are issues many fail to actively consider or stay abreast of, with the old adage
‘what I can't see can't hurt me' playing a key role in decision-making.
Graham Zuill of SLS Retail Theft Control Ltd – who has worked in the retail
industry for many years, including loss prevention roles in senior management
for retail giants Woolworths and The Warehouse – believes that retail security
starts with management and store owners communicating with their staff.
“It's up to store owners to liaise with their staff and explain the store's
security measures/procedures with them,” he says. “It's about giving staff a
clear understanding of what causes shrink (loss), how to prevent it and the
implications that might arise from failing to follow correct procedures. Typical
events include failing to receipt stock at the back door and managing the paper
trail, through to dealing with situations involving customers stealing goods.”
Communication
Zuill believes it's no use installing top-of-the-range security devices if senior staff members don't know the ins and outs of how the system works, don't know how to operate it, nor know how to react when a situation occurs. “It's quite common to see staff looking dumbfounded when, for example, an EAS (electronic article surveillance) antenna is activated,” he explains. “They don't know what to do, so they just stand around with blank looks on their faces.”
Involving your staff; enrolling them in loss prevention and security training courses – such as those run by the Retail Institute – and making certain that all staff know and understand your store practices, procedures, and of course management expectations, is of added value to your business, says Zuill. “Many business owners are quick to blame staff when products go missing – they treat their staff as the bad guys,” he explains. “However, my experience is that if staff are treated with respect, if they thoroughly understand the store's policies and procedures, and are trained to respond to security situation, there is less likelihood of staff theft occurring because staff feel valued . . . Communication is the key.”
On the other hand, when a staff member's attitude becomes negative towards the organisation they work for, the very nature of being an employee gives that person a ‘planning advantage' when it comes to stealing from the store, says Zuill. “They know where the boss is, they know the environment, they know when it's safe to steal, and they have access to secure areas and bulk lines of stock. A customer has access to stock on display, whereas an employee has the whole store's merchandise!”
Incidents involving external theft or shoplifting are generally higher, but the dollar value of the merchandise taken is less, explains Zuill. “Employers have to start taking responsibility for their staff's awareness by involving them, and explaining or having them professionally trained on how they should react if a certain situation arises.”
When staff members know how to react when something bad or unusual happens, they can turn a negative experience into a positive one, says Zuill. “There're always unfortunate customers who'll purchase an item, and through a staff member not knowing or understanding, walk out the door with an EAS tag still attached to their item. It's terribly embarrassing for them when bells start going off,” he says. “Now if you've got a staff member that can approach this person in a non-invasive way and make light of the situation, then that customer won't be put off coming back to shop.”
A well documented survey reports that after a customer has one bad experience in retail this negative event will be relayed up to 64 times with friends, family or associates, says Zuill. “Naturally this can have serious ramifications on a business, including loss of customers, sales and profitability.”
When it comes to electronically protecting your store, Zuill says it's never the same for everyone. “Not every retailer is going to need the layers of protection in their store that one of the major chains might need,” he explains. “Retailers have got to look at their store and map out how much protection they'll need in certain areas.”
Identifying the risks
For example, in a supermarket, the biggest external threats occur around the cash office and the tobacco section, Zuill explains. “You've got to work from the centre out,” he says. “If you own a large store with a cash room, start by securing your safe – ensure you lock it fully each time (you'd be surprised how many people think they have, but they haven't). Then look at the deterrents around the safe and ask: Do the bad guys have to bypass an alarm and a double-bolted door before getting to the safe? It's about limiting access wherever possible.”
Merchandising stock in a safe and secure way on shelves is becoming increasingly important, says Zuill, and there is a whole range of security concepts available on the market. “SAFER boxes are an excellent solution for retailers who have high-value merchandise such as DVDs, small electronics, healthcare and cosmetics,” he says. “There are larger SAFERs suited to all retail sectors. For example, instead of simply having a car stereo sitting on a glass shelf, retailers can put it into a SAFER box that has an alarm built into the lid that'll add another layer of protection.”
Whilst SAFER boxes have added alarm features such as EAS tags, they do not prevent shoplifters from physically taking off with the product, but, says Zuill, having noticeable extra protection on products is a greater deterrent. “Simply put, it's about identifying the risks within your business and safeguarding your products where possible,” he says. “Manage your stock control and stocktake regularly – everything you do counts in the long run.”
Choosing a security system and/or store camera that's up with the play and times is vital when it comes to reducing shrink in retail, says Zuill. “Before you purchase and install a CCTV system in your store, have a sales consultant show you the system working and most importantly view the pictures on playback – many DVRs (digital video recorders) look great on live view, but on fullscreen playback the images can be pixelated and extremely poor quality,” he explains. “It's no use waiting for an incident to happen instore before you check out how clear the images are.”
Quality assured
Zuill recommends servicing CCTV systems every 12 months as the investment pays a dividend when and if an incident occurs. “Basically, with the newest IP (Internet protocol) digital cameras, you spend a little more, but the level and quality of information available from the systems is so much better.”
When it comes to EAS systems, most are suited to retailers across the board, and provide an extra security layer, says Zuill. “EAS systems have improved with time, with the main two types available on the market being RF (radio frequency) and AM (acoustic magnetic),” he says. “Both RF and AM are excellent products with plusses and minuses for each. Many clothing retailers use AM as they are more stable in mall situations. However, grocery and general merchandise retailers commonly use RF systems because you can source-tag a greater number of items.”
However, having a tagging system in place is of no benefit to your store if staff are not trained how to respond to an activation, says Zuill. “It comes back to ensuring your staff members are following the security procedures/systems you (the owner) have put in place,” he explains. “If you don't communicate with your staff and oversee operations, then you'll get incidents like forgotten tags on garments causing false alarms, or products being taken out the door, or tags not going on garments at all – incidents that will happen on a regular basis.”
For further advice and information on security systems and protection for your store, contact: Graham Zuill, SLS Security,