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A Tough Question For a Storeowner: Are You Going to Pay For That?

By Tony Gallo

From any cannabis retail owner’s perspective, one of the concerns of every store owner is the shoplifter.

Shoplifting will never be completely stopped, but it can be minimized/greatly reduced. Unlike robbery and burglary, shoplifting is typically undertaken by amateurs and involves entering a store during business hours, concealing product or sellable merchandise, and leaving the store without paying for it.

When employees notice a shoplifter at work, they automatically want to stop the crime and see the person arrested. While it may seem natural and appropriate in the moment to try to stop a shoplifter, doing so is a poor decision that could end in injury or worse.  Attempts by untrained store personnel to apprehend shoplifters is a workers compensation and liability train wreck waiting to happen.

That is not to say there is nothing you can do to prevent theft from happening. The key to dealing with a possible shoplifter is the same as the key to all other aspects of successful retail security — Great Customer Service.

Shoplifting: A timid crime

Shoplifting, for the most part, is a timid crime. The shoplifter does not want to be observed, and if he or she feels noticed, it greatly reduces the likelihood that they will commit a theft. Proactive deterrence is always preferable to reactive problem response.

Having surveillance cameras and training your employees to be on the lookout for suspicious customers are important strategies.

Another way to discourage shoplifting is to maintain a clean and organized store, including racks and shelves. A disorganized, dirty store may signal to a potential shoplifter that the employees are not paying attention to their surroundings. Store shelves should be kept clean and organized and adequate lighting should be maintained throughout out the sales floor.

If a person conceals unpaid for product or merchandise, there are ways that employees can respond. Once again, this has to do with/is related to Great Customer Service.

If the shoplifter has concealed a pipe, for example, the employee could approach the individual and ask if they need help. The employee may mention that the store has a great selection of merchandise, such as pipes, and may even mention the kind of pipe which was concealed.

In this way, there is no direct confrontation by the employee, but the shoplifter will most likely know that the employee is aware of what they may be planning or what they have done. At this time, the employee should announce the store’s secret security code phrase to alert all employees that there is a problem on the sales floor. This is a phrase that will not alarm any customers in the store but will alert all employees that they need to be alert, i.e.: “Mr. Rolland’s batteries just arrived.” All employees should be familiar with the secret security code phrase.

Under no circumstance though, should any employee accuse or otherwise confront a shoplifter. All conversations with the shoplifter in the store should use the customer service pretext. In most situations, the shoplifter will likely refuse help and then ditch the merchandise somewhere in the store.

What an employee can do

Should the customer service pretext fail to deter the shoplifter, then the employee should follow the shoplifter at a very safe distance to the front of the store. Once a shoplifter leaves the store, the employee — without following the shoplifter –should note the direction of travel of the shoplifter and any other details such as physical description, license plate number, make of car, etc. The police should be notified and given all pertinent information to help them follow-up with an arrest. The police will probably want to see your store’s video of the theft for their investigation, and will want a written description of what was stolen.

There is no doubt that having security procedures in place will help businesses deal with shoplifting.

Following the “Great Customer Service” recipe is an effective way to ensure the safety of employees and customers in your store, and also to prevent or reduce your losses from these types of thieves.

If you have any questions about how to train your employees on this practice or would like more information about how to better improve your security in at your location, please contact Tony Gallo at Sapphire Protection.

Be safe and be profitable.

Tony Gallo

Tony Gallo

Tony Gallo is the Managing Partner for Sapphire Risk Advisory Group www.sapphirerisk.com with over 30 years in the Loss Prevention, Audit, Safety, and Risk/Emergency Management fields. He is a published author on cannabis security and has spoken at numerous cannabis business conferences across the country. Tony is considered one of the leading authorities on cannabis security programs.

This Post Has One Comment
  1. I once saw two guys run out of one of those places with a glass jar full of green weed and get away. They almost knocked me over on the street. The owner came running out screaming – cops don’t really like going to those places.

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