I have heard from more retailers in the last two weeks about shopper than at any time in recent years. It leads me to ask the question:
Is shopper theft on then increase?
Please comment and provide information about what you are experiencing.
In my own situation, we spot stock take key parts of the business, those valued items near the front of the shop and items people are known to covet. Our magazine arrivals and electronic returns process shows if any theft of magazines has occurred, and has done for years.
The bigger challenge is with higher value specialty items for which we consider security to be good. A theft yesterday tells us security needs to be better. I is that experience and what others have told me over the last couple of weeks that got me asking the question.
One newsagent told me abut the customer who brought one card to the counter but “forgot: about the three cards in the baby pram. Another told me about the customer who put gift card in their broken arm sling and was disappointed to learn it would not work unless activated. Another told me about a customer who loaded four reams of paper under their supermarket shopping bags in a trolly.
While these stories are frustrating, it is the stories we do not hear about, the theft discovered long after it have been done, that frustrate the most. This is where how and when you check your stock matters.
With so much business now done online and accurate stock on hand data key to business success, theft can embarrass the business more than ever.
Have you found shopper theft to be on the increase?
Absolutely on the increase Mark. They also are aware more then ever that nothing will happen to them. The police do not even bother coming out anymore for petty theft.
Yes for us.
Definitely increasing and no fear of being caught.
Definitely on the rise, and no fear of any repercussions. The biggest tool we have in fighting back is Facebook. We post pictures off our CCTV of those we know to have stolen on our store FB page, then share that to many of the local community PB pages. This has been our biggest success and seen many thieves return to pay for the goods in return for the details being removed from FB.
Biggest thing is being 100% sure of the theft with clear footage of them stealing.
On the increase for sure. Cards stuck in papers is a constant for me and pens going up sleeves but when we are flat stick we can’t seem them all the time.
On a side note, I’ve noticed more and more people eating in our local Woolies whilst walking the isles. Boxes of doughnuts, lollies, bananas, yoghurt, chips etc. Talking to staff they know it’s a problem but can’t catch all of them and let it go.
we were challenged by old ( 6 feet soon underground) man to call police for stealing spree and he knows he can get away for being special old age man
If you did a full store stock take you would probably be gob smacked by the shrinkage. In many cases the $ lost is a staff wage. In my experience if you do these 3 things you will have a very substantial decrease in your business shrinkage:
-Have staff on the floor at all times. Every single customer who walks in the door needs to be greeted.
-Reduce clutter and open sightlines through the business.
-Make your business look a million $$$. If it looks like a dogs breakfast chances are the thief will thing you don’t really care about your business anyway.