What is an Easy Store to Steal or Shoplift From?

What is an easy store to steal from?

It doesn't matter if you're from New York or California, from Boston or Miami.
Small stores are easier than large stores to shoplift from.

Small retail stores with few employees are easier to go under the radar when shoplifting. If your the manager of a small store it is your responsibility for shrink control. Train your employees about all forms of shoplifting.

15 ways in How shoplifters steal from retail stores

Don't ever forget who is the number one shoplifter in small retail stores. The employees are the biggest shoplifters stealing a lot more than a candy bar.

Professional Shoplifters are more likely to pick a small family owned supermarket before stealing from a large chain supermarket. why? Because even with a camera everywhere, its less likely anyone is paying attention.

  I worked for a small 14 store chain of closeout stores. One night after inventory the district manager put together A bag painting supplies. He explained they were painting the office. There was no accounting of the merchandise and the store manager didn't question it.

   Same store I caught a teenage neighbor of the owner stealing from the register. She was smart she didn't steal directly from the store. What she did was give the customers the wrong change. when no one was looking she would take money out of the cash Register. I caught her by watching for signs of a their and doing an audit. Because it was a small company and she was a friend if the owner, nobody seemed to care. "Well she wasn't stealing from the company", they said.

  Today that company is out of Business. Control Shrink or shrink will control you. I'm pretty sure it wasn't lack of sales or a low gross margin that killed that company. More likely it was Poor Management.

   If your reading this blog you are either a retail manager or a thief. Read my past posts and learn how to stop shrink. Then teach what you have learned. Pass on this blog to your fellow employees.

  Think Shrink !


How To Turn Pe

How to be a Better Retail Store Manager!

How do you be a better retail store manager?

Ask yourself.  "Do I want to be a better store manager"?

"Can I be a better store manager than the last one"?

"How can I be a better store manager"?

" What's the benefits of being a better store manager"?

Having a retail store manager job is something to be really proud of. Part of you still might be nervous about your new management job.

You've probably been training as an assistant 

retail store manager, so are well aware of

the misconceptions of the store manager's duties.

We don’t need to tell you it’s more than being in charge of the store and keeping customers happy.

Your  role will involve being in charge of just the store’s sales, keeping an eye on stock levels, reordering supplies and managing and motivating your staff .

 You’ll also need to set an example to your employees and stick to company policies . It's a lot of work being a retail store manager but it's worth it.

Not sure what skills you're going to require to do the job?

How to keep the team happy?

Motivating your employees will become one of the most important parts of your job, without their help you’re in big trouble, and could even go out of business. So how do you keep your staff happy while still getting their respect?

• Take an interest
• Keep them in the loop
• Compliments cost nothing

Keep in mind how your felt when you were in there shoes.   Things that motivated you will Motivate your employees.  Things that disgruntled you will do the same to them.

Management styles

If you’re still lost and unsure about how to manage your team effectively, don’t panic! There are several different styles of management you can try.

A Better Store Manager is a Hands on Retail Manager.

• Work with your retail associates.  Teach them the right way and the wrong way to do the task at hand.  Show that your willing to help out when needed.   If your the manager who sits in the office and only comes out on the sales floor the critique, expect disgruntled employees.   
• Lead by Example!  The Ruff-riders followed  Teddy Roosevelt into battle.  He didn't stand back and say go charge up that hill alone. 

The Delegator  

Although it’s important to be aware of everything that’s going on, don’t do everything yourself, remember as manager it’s now your job to get more done than you can do yourself.

As long as you know what needs to be done, you can delegate the work to the best person and your store will still run efficiently. 

Stay Calm and Collected

Stay calm in a crisis and leave the excitement to your staff; remember if anything goes wrong the staff will look to you to lead the way. 

As a manager, you are  responsible for the whole team. You are the voice of reasoning for the group when dealing with company-wide issues. If your team let you down, you have to take it on the chin, but equally if they do well, you can be credited with the success – and that is the most rewarding part of the job.


Personalized Gifts Printed on Demand

www.1800FreeBitcoin.com

Do Your Employees Steal From Your Store?

Do Your Employees Steal from your retail store?

Yes they do.  Call it what you will, someone is stealing from you.  Studies have shown that more than half of all employees have taken something from their job with out permission.  

Employee theft accounts for more than 50% of shrink in a retail store.  A lot of it happens right in front of you and your blind to it.

Do you know what happens when your not there?   I've seen employees go right up to the candy aisle and help themselves.  They don't even think there is anything wrong with it.  Well the boss knows, he lets us eat the open candy.  "Oops, this is open, now I can eat it".  

Family is worst of all.  They take for themselves, they give there friends all while other employees watch.  "What's good for the them is good for me too"!    

If your employees are disgruntled, they are more likely to steal from you.  So what can you do about it?

1. Set rules that everyone must follow, even you.
2. Damaged merchandise should be writen on a log, boxed up and labeled.  
3. If you decide to give away the damaged or open goods, they should be done privately.
4. Log all merchandise used for store use.  Only management should approve taking something for store use.  Store use is an expense, this log is needed for bookkeeping.  Not logging the expense causes shrink!
5. Employee purchases should be witnessed if not rung up by management.  
6. Employees should not be allowed to ring up friends or family with out management approval.  And should be witnessed.
7. If you do take merchandise for your own personal use from your business.  It should be done privately and be written down on a log for bookkeeping purposes.
8. Keep moral high.  You can be nice to your employees with out giving away your store.

Http://Whatthefiasco.blogspot.com 

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

Earn Free BITCOINS... FREE BTC....

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

Personalized Gifts Printed on Demand

All Natural Organic Vegan Health and Beauty Products

Learn How to Get Free Bitcoin Here!

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...

What Should I do If I See Someone Shoplifting or Stealing From My Store?

Follow @Kogwar

Catching a Shoplifter can be very tricky.  You have to be very careful or you can be in more trouble than the shoplifter. This is why many retailers find it's more important to deter shoplifting before it ever happens.  Here are some things to consider before stopping a shoplifter.

1. Know the Law.   You need to know all the laws in your Country, State, and local government.  More than Just those laws that have to do with shoplifting may apply.
2. Who saw the shoplifter?  Are you 100% positive the person still has the item concealed on them?  If you stop and accuse a person of shoplifting, you have to prove it!  Falsely accusing someone of shoplifting can cost you 1000's of dollars in law suits and legal fees.
3. Always have a witness.  After stopping a shoplifter, never go alone with them into a closed room or office.   If the person is of the opposite sex it is wise to have witness of that sex.  If you are accused of inappropriate behavior, even if your innocent it will cost you in legal fees to defender yourself.
4. Never use physical force to stop a shoplifter.  If a shoplifter gets hurt while trying to leave your store, you may be at fault.  If an employee gets hurt you may be at fault.   Either way you are going to pay legal fees to defend yourself.  Is it worth getting hurt or killed over a $10.00 item? 

Before you stop someone for stealing from your store, consider what it may cost you.  Is it worth it?  This is why more time and money is put into stopping shoplifting before it happens.

Bookmark and follow this blog to learn more on ways to deter shoplifting, and decrease the shrink it causes.

Home

Day Dreamer Mugs, shirts, custom printed on demand

The Best Things to do are on Long Island

15 Ways How Shoplifters Steal from Retail Stores and Create Shrink!

   A Shoplifter is described as a person who lifts or steals items from a shop or store.  There are many ways people do this. Here I will teach you the most common ways thieves steal from stores.  Once you know how they shoplift the more likely you will be able to spot them.
   
     Always be on the lookout for the odd person looking to see if he is being watched, also large groups and overly friendly people.  These overly friendly people usually distract you while their friends steal from you.

15 Ways How Shoplifters Steal from Retail Stores and Create Shrink!

• Shoplifters will Stuff merchandise in there pocket or conceal it in some way. Sometimes they steal the whole item. Other time they take it out of the package. 

• After all ready paying for one item at the cash register they walk back into the retail store and add things to their store logo shopping bag when no employee is watching.

• Thieves will put one item inside another. Such as putting a lunch box inside a school bag. If the cashier asks any questions the customer will say they thought they went together. Or they wedge merchandise inside wrapping paper tubes. A Thief will try anyway they can to hide the merchandise the want to steal.

• Shoplifters will open sealed boxes and put other loose items inside.An example would be opening a board game and placing a computer memory card inside the box. The Shoplifter then pays for the board game and  is getting the memory card free.

• Customers eat food while they shop. Leave the empty package and never pay for it a the register.

• Try on new shoes or clothing item and wear it out the of the store. Return to store with receipt for item purchased the same of different day and try to walk out with a new one waving receipt to prove he paid for it. If you don’t look at the receipt carefully you wouldn't notice it was and old receipt.

• Walks into store with nothing and brings item to register for return with no or old receipt. Just because some one hands you a receipt doesn’t mean they came into store with the item. They could of found the receipt on the floor and took the item off the shelf and try to return it for money. If you didn’t see the thief come in you have no proof. If you turn down the return he still walks out the door with free merchandise.

• They just carry items right out the door. Shoplifters wait until you turn your back and will just walk right out the door. Some times they use a partner that will try to distract the person covering the front door so the other person can take merchandise and walk out the door with it. I’ve seen a team of three work together. One drives the get a way car waiting in front. Second person distracts employees while third carries out full floor shippers or hand baskets full of merchandise right out the door into the car and takes off. The distractor acts like he’s not involved. They are so good at it sometimes you don’t notice it ever happened until you realize the display is missing.

• They don’t steal merchandise but from other customers. Picking pockets or stealing purses. Ever hear an announcement in a supermarket “ If you have the wrong cart please return it”. It is found down another aisle with out the purse that was left unattended.

• Shoplifters with take anything of value. A portable tv/dvd used for demonstrations. Put in a shopping cart and wheeled right out the door.

• Purposely letting very young children hold expensive items then walking out the door and having the child carry it. This way they can say it was an accident.

• Customer drops change on the floor over the register counter while cash draw is open. When cashier bends down to pick it up the thief takes money from register with out being seen. If seen he runs, if not you may end up blaming cashier for shortage. But whose fault was it. The Cashier or the managers for not teaching the cashier to never turn your back on an open cash draw.

• Counterfeit money. Thief may hide bad bills mixed in the middle of good ones so if you don’t look carefully at it you don’t notice.
  

  

• Confuse cashier while making change while still in middle of sale. Thief always walks away with more money then he should of.



THANK YOU FOR HELPING THIS SITE GROW BY SHARING IT WITH OTHERS.

Follow us on Twitter and Google Plus, like Us on Facebook,.

Comments and Questions always welcomed.

What do you need to open your own retail store.

Need help with your business?

The Best Things to do are on Long Island

Visit me on Ebay

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 problem.  Set your self up with a Loss prevention program now before its too late. 

 Its everybody's  job to control Shrink.

1. Keep your store and stockroom organized.  Messy stockrooms are great places to hide things.  Employees take advantage of your organizational skills.  Don't be fooled by people who are your friends.  A good thief will use friendship to con you.  Everything has a place and if its out of place question why?   Your questions are a deterrent to employees.  They will know you will notice when something is out of place and think twice before trying to steal something.    If your stepping of merchandise, your creating shrink by damaging merchandise.   Lead by example, if you do it then your employees will do it.  
2. Check the Garbage before it leaves the store.  Do it in front of employees as much as possible so that they are kept off guard.  Hiding something to steal in the garbage and then taking out to the dumpster to retrieve later is very common with a thief.  Also I look for merchandise in small boxes that got accidentally mixed into the garbage.  I have often found cosmetics, stationary and other small items left behind and mixed with similar empty boxes.
3. Check that Price changes are done correctly.   Don't assume that because your told Price changes are completed that they are.  Follow up on your employees and they will be less likely to try and get one over on you.  Markup are more important then markdowns.  No one has ever complained at the register when things come up at lower prices.  Shrink happens when the register rings up higher price then marked on the box and the customer demands the marked price.  Now there is a difference between what your inventory price and what your actually sold it for.  Even .10 cents can per item can add up if not corrected right away.
4. Checks and balances.  Use daily record keeping inventories for high shrink items like electronics or cigarettes.   Check counts daily to what sold the previous day.  If employees know your checking they will be less likely to try to steal one.  From time to time let the employee do the inventory count and audit it.  Make them part of the team and they will become more concerned when mistakes are made and less likely to steal. 
5. Use Anti-Theft Deterrents.  Real or fake, they make a real difference.  If employees and customers know that they might be watched, they are less likely to steal.  Never tell someone that a silver dome in the ceiling doesn't have a camera inside it.  Signs and fake devices work as deterrents.  Having at least one working camera that you show working works even better.   
6. Teach your employees what to look for in customers and employee theft.   Let them know your looking and get them looking at each other.  The more eyes looking the less chances someone will try to steal. 
7. Hire the right people from the start.  Do an in depth interview. Ask the right questions.  Don't be afraid to ask, "Have you ever taken something that didn't belong to you".    If you don't ask you wont know! 
8. Check deliveries for correctness.  If your paying for merchandise your not getting, your losing money by shrink your inventory. 
9. Take yearly inventories of the whole store.  If your don't know what you have on hand in inventory you won't know when something is missing.  Your employees will know this and take advantage of you.  Make not causing shrink a priority to your employees.  Let them know what your expect and celebrate and reward beating that number. 

Over all the best thing you can do is just be concerned about shrink.  Let your employees know your concerned with out blaming everyone.  Because if your employees are stealing, your the only one to blame.

follow this blog ,comment and questions welcome.

15 ways how shoplifters steal from your retail store

How to Increase Retail Store Profits Without Increasing new Customers

Other than increasing retail store sales  by increasing customer flow there are things a good business person can do to increase profits.

Every little bit added together can make a dramatic increase to store profits when sales are not increasing.

1. Increase the gross margin of each sale. That means buying items at a better price and selling them for a higher retail profits. Shop around and get the best deals possible. Look at the bottom line price that includes discounts for cash payments, and shipping costs. These costs adding in can bring margins up or down.
2. Control Shrink. Shrink can bring a store to its knees and force it to close. Control Shrink and watch you store's profits climb.
3. Payroll expenses. Don't tell your employees but payroll is one of the largest expenses any business will have. You must have the right balance in man hours to run a store correctly. Too few and there is no to do the work. Too many and your just wasting money. Salaries need to stay competitive. You get what you pay for. Finding the right people you pay less and train can save much on payroll.
4. Getting the right location is very important. You want the lowest possible rent with the highest possible customer flow. With a unique retail store people may travel anywhere to get to you. If you have an average store you need street traffic to pull people in the door.
5. Other expenses. Keep good records. If you don't know what your spending on things you cant control them. Keep spread sheets with all your expenses. You should have a column for current expense, last years expense and plan budget. Break it down month and year. Constantly review them to see where improvements need to be made. These expenses include everything you spend money on broken down by category. Some expenses include: Travel, insurance, office supplies, cleaning supplies, services, phone, electric, repairs and maintenance, banking, garbage, etc.
6. Good Customer Service. Keeping your current customers spending the same amount is as important as increasing your sales. The last thing any retail store wants is for sales to decrease. Keep your current customers happy and your customer base will increase by word of mouth. Bad Customer Service and watch your sales drop.

You would think at looking at all these things that increasing profits would be hard to do.  But just a little change in each area will increase your profits.

 Every little bit adds up to a sizable increase.  

Here's an example.

Today: Sales $250,000

cost of goods $145,000 = 42% gross margin

Payroll 40,000

Rent 30,000 = 12 months @ $2500

Shrink 5,000 = 2% of sales

Utilities 7,200

Supplies 1,500

maint. 1,500

other 1,000

Profits $18,800

Get better pricing on goods, sell more items per customer, better customer service, cut back on man hours, control shrink, recycle, cut back on off hour lighting, add power saving light bulbs, change to an online phone provider, save on bank fees and supplies, Negotiate lower rent, fix things yourself etc..

Plan : Sales $250,000  ( no increase in sales)

Cost of Goods 137,500 = 45% gross margin

Payroll 39,000

Rent 28,800 = 12 months @ $2400

Shrink 4,500 = 1.8% of sales

Utilities 6,000

Supplies 1,200

Maintenance 1,200

other 1,500

Profits $30,300 = 61% increase

Increase Sales by 4% or $10,000 and Profits go up to $34,800. Its important to note that these numbers aren't real and yours will be different. But it shows how with a little effect in all areas of business you can make a big difference to the bottom line.

Ways to Increase Retail Store Profits.

Follow @Kogward Simply putting a little effort in each of the following areas will bring back big increases in your bottom line.  Focus on all areas, giving a little extra to those that are tougher for you.

1. Increase you customer count.  Easiest way to increase profits is to increase sales.  There are lots of  ways to get more customers into your store.
2. Increase your ave transaction.  Increasing the amount each customer spends in your store takes really good sales and customer service skills.  You don't need any advertising although good signage and merchandise presentation helps. 
3. Decreasing Expenses.  I think this speaks for itself.  Keep good records, knowing what your spending is the first step in controlling it.  Reduce Shrink!
4. Increasing Gross Margin.  Margin is the amount of money you make before expenses.  Or simply put Gross Margin = Sales - cost of goods.    If you buy a book for $1.00 and Sell it for $2.00 then gross margin would be $1.00 or 50% of every dollar.   Now find items that cost you less and sell them so you can make more than 50% . 

Here's an example:

100 customers spending $8.00 each = Daily Sales of $800  , $5600 a week,  $291,200 a year
margin 50% = $145,600 - expenses of $70,600 = $75,000 Profit .

Increase 10 more customers per day spending $1 more = daily sales of $990.  or $373,550 yearly sales.
increase margin by 2 cents on the dollar or 52% and decrease expenses by less than $15 a day to $65,610.  Total Profit is now $122,000 an increase of $47,000 or 62%.

You can easily see that doing a little can compound into a big profit increase on your bottom line.

Home