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Shrink Tip: How To Catch A Cashier Stealing from a Retail Store

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Cashiers in local retail shops today are smart.  They know that a local retail store is open 10 - 14 hours a day, even with cameras , its very unlikely they will be caught stealing money out of the cash register  You can't see every second of what' happening.

A savvy store cashier will be on the look out for when the store manager is not near the register or video monitor.   You should do a video review and a surprise cash draw audit randomly on each store cashier.

Having shrink controls in place to deter cashier shoplifting theft is your best course of action.   Its very important that only one cashier rings on a cash draw.  If something should be off, you have an idea who did it.

Things you should look for if you think a cashier is stealing from your local retail store.

•  Loose coins on top of the register.  May only be a few cents.  The cashier may use that to keep track of how much extra money is in the cash draw.  They may be shorting customers on change and storing it up for later retrieval.  The coins on top could mean there's that much extra in dollar bills in the register. 
• Do a surprise cashier audit on this register.  Take the draw to the count down room. With the cashier present, count it back and check the totals. 
•  The total should never be more or less than $2 off the reading.  Keep a log and watch for big unexplained overs and shortages in the register.

 If you catch a cashier stealing.  You can't under any circumstances let them continue to be a cashier.  Doesn't matter if its your sisters kid, it only says its ok to steal to every one else.

Remember a good store manager keeps calm, stays in control and is respected by their employees.  A manager who isn't, is more likely to have his or her employees take advantage of them. 

Be professional all the time. 

Control Your Shrink!
Don't let it Control you!

http://theretailconsultant.blogspot.com/2017/03/what-is-easy-store-to-steal-or-shoplift.html?m=1

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Different Kinds of Retail Customer Service

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There are different types of customer services in a retail store.  Each with their own good and bad features.  

1. The Sales Man -  this persons job is to engage the customer and sell them a product directly. Example would be a car sales man.  Their job is to talk you into buying the product.
2. Sales helper - this can be anyone working in the store.  Its everyone's job to help the customer find what it is they want, and not leave them wandering around your store.  This is the second most common form of customer service in your store and a lot of attention should be paid to it,
3. Customer Self Service - more times than not there's no one to help the customer find what it is they are looking for, so they have to be able to find it on their own.  Example would be supermarkets, mega discount stores like Walmart and Target, or just about any retail store.  This is the most common form of customer service. It needs to be treated as the most important part of laying out your store.

THE RETAIL CONSULTANT: Ways to Stop Shrink Casued By Your Employees

THE RETAIL CONSULTANT: Ways to Stop Shrink Casued By Your Employees: Employees cause to forms of shrink.  Paper shrink caused by mistakes and theft.  Here is a list of what you can do to control your shrink pr...

How To Be A Good Retail Store Manager

There's a lot that goes into being a Retail Store Manager.  From a Company or Business owners point of view, do you deliver the profits easily with out problems.

If your looking to get ahead at work.  The fourth quarter is what its all about.  Its the busiest time of the year and if you can't handle it now, forget the rest of the year.

So what is it you need to learn to be a really good Store Manager. 

• You need to know how to do everything in the store.  You shouldn't have to do everything yourself. But, if someone has a problem, you need to know how to help them fix it with out looking like a fool.   Being the go to person is always a plus in your favor.   It means you have the respect of your employees and coworkers as having the knowledge to help them solve problems at work. 
• Be Prepared.  This means always knowing whats going on in your store.  Read your memo's.  Make a plan of how and when your going to get the project done. 
• Years ago I was a Manager for a toy store.   At a Managers meeting the District Manager asked if anyone needed help completing the required resets on Schedule.  Half the Store Managers had not even begun. One Manager didn't know we had resets to be done.  I was the only Manager already done.  Needless to say I became the go to person to help everyone else finish.
• A Great Manager is organized.  This means making a plan every day.  It should be said that all plans are subject to change.  There is a difference between making a plan and what actually happens.  This is why plans change. Have a  back up plan.  Know what you will do if someone calls in sick.   How many people do you need to do a project and still run the sales floor.  Don't just move Betty to work overnight to do a project with out making sure Betty's daytime shift is covered. 
• Every day at the start of my shift I did the same thing.  I took a piece of paper and folded it in half.  On one side I listed everyone working in the store. I put down there positions , what hours they worked and when They should take a break.   I always knew who was supposed to be where and doing what.  I followed up though out the day to make sure  that everything happens as close to plan as possible.
•  Don't ever and I mean EVER have a employee come to  you and ask why didn't I get to take a lunch today! Unless there was some kind of emergency it was the Managers fault.
• Learn to be an expert on the products you sell.   Know what the customer wants and what makes you the most money.  If you have any control of the products you can order, use your knowledge to make a profit.  Don't just buy hot product if you cant make money on it.
• A good example is the Video game market.  Stores make almost nothing on the newest systems.  On the other hand the older video systems have a larger profit margin. Because they are older the manufacturers lower the price to sell out inventory.  But if you buy too many you could get stuck with more than you can sell.  Be an expert and you will know whats selling and whats not.  You have to sell the new systems to make customers want to shop in your store on the other hand you need to make a profit too.
• Learn how to motivate your employees. Be friendly, talk with them, get to know them.  But let it be known talking is fine as long as work gets done.  Let them know that when at work the customer comes first.  Make sure your seen helping out.  If your the kind of Manager who sits in the office and walks the sames floor with a clipboard, expect to be resented. 
•  The biggest complement I got from my employees is this.  " Wow I've never had a manager pitch in and help us do our work before."  Every time I got transferred or changed companies I heard the same thing.   I got their respect quick.
• I also let the lazy people know my favorite quote.  "If I have to do your job for you, then I don't need you."

The bad thing about retail and probably every other type of job.  Is that the business goes on with out you.   The question you need to ask yourself is can anyone do your job better than you?  Will they miss you when your gone?  Or can you be easily replaced?  

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Plan Now For Fourth Quarter (4th QTR) Holiday Retail Store Sales.

Now is the Time for Small Business Retailers to Plan for 4th Quarter Profits.

Don't wait for the last minute to take advantage of the increase in customer volume during the fourth quarter Holiday sales.

Plan for fourth quarter sales now.  Clean up your retail store.  Add extra register lanes. Hire seasonal employees.  Now is  the time to increase seasonal selling merchandise displays.  You don't want to miss out on any extra retail sales. 

With the increase in customer flow, now is the time to clear out slow selling merchandise.  Here are some tips to keep in mind.

• Clearance discontinued merchandise.  Make sure it is visibly signed to attract customer attention.  Use progressive markdowns to insure sell through of the the old to make room for new merchandise.
• Customer Service Training.  Now is the time to reinforce the need for good customer service, both to increase sales and to decrease shoplifting.
• Raise your retail prices on your best selling items 2 - 5 %.
• Lower your retail prices on worst selling items with a high gross margin 5 - 10%.  Sign with a new everyday low price sign. 
• Plan ahead for sale promotions ,items people buy seasonally as well as everyday item.   High margin items, fast selling mid margin items, and clearance items your over stocked with are best.  Don't forget the sign!
• Plan your payroll needs based on last years sales, and this years planned promotions. 
• Set up your seasonal floor plan.  Moving non-seasonal items to back or off the sales floor and moving the fast movers, impulse and gift merchandise up front. 
• Change window display to attract new customers. 

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Retail 101: Controling Paper Shrink!

Because there are different kinds of shrink there are different ways to control it.  There are three kinds of shrink, Paper, internal and external.  Large companies have Loss prevention departments who's job it is to stop shrink.  The truth is the best defense to control shrink is education and training. 

                                      
PAPER SHRINK

Paper shrink is a mistake made on paper that causes a loss of money.  Putting the wrong price on an item and giving it to the customer at that price is a loss of money.  I hear all the time on TV news such and such  store was caught scamming people because the items are marked one price and the register scans another.  Every retail manager who hears this knows the store didn't do this on purpose. Somebody didn't do their price changes correctly.  Worse management didn't follow up and check to see that price changes were done correctly. 

A good manager audits the price changes to make sure they are being done correctly.

Signing for merchandise unseen is a major way to cause shrink.   When merchandise is received it needs to be checked for discrepancies.  Then the Bill when received must be checked again for price and quantity.  Make sure your only paying for what you got.  Even if your a large company who automates the check in process of company packed deliveries, mistakes happen. 

One mistake many retail stores make goes unseen a lot of the time. 

Example #1: You receive a case  packed 12 mini boom box radio's which scan at $9.99 each.  The Distribution center labeled the box pencils packed 144 with price labels $1.99 each.  No big deal you think just change the price stickers to read $9.99.  But you just lost $168.68 in paper shrink. 

Why?  You sell the 12 radios for  $119.88  your company bookkeeper thinks you received 144 boxes of  pencils and sold them for $286.56.  When you do inventory at the end of the year your short $168.68 and think it must of been stolen. 

Now what if that happens 10 times a year?  Well now that's $1,686.80  in shrink.  This happens every day.  If you don't find the errors and correct them you will shrink on your inventory. 

Train your employees to receive merchandise correctly.

Example #2: The meat department manager in a grocery store needs to transfer hot dogs from another store to his store.  So he goes to the nearby store asks for 5 cases of hot dogs to transfer.  He goes to the managers office and tells the manager he needs to transfer 5 cases of hot dogs to his store. 

The store manager takes out a manual transfer book and fill in the information. 

Without ever looking for himself he asks what are your transferring?  Hot dogs. How many? 5 cases  packed 12 each = 60 pieces total.  How much does it retail for?  $2.99. 

The department manager goes back to his store and hands in the transfer slip with out anyone ever checking in the merchandise.  Only the hot dogs are packed 10 to a case and the correct price is $4.99.  on sale for $2.99. 

So now two stores inventories are off.  One short and one over by $70.10.  

Train your employees to do paper work correctly.  Lead by example and never assume some one else did it right.  If you don't check it your self never sign your name to it! 

Last make sure you get a good count on your inventory.  If your stores a mess you will not get a good count.  You have to be organized, have not only your merchandise in order but your paperwork as well.