Several years ago I challenged a friend who
owned a Health Food / Vitamin Store to an experiment. Over a three day period
an accomplice and I would try to rob his store blind. The owner was confident
that his staff was alert and he had some good anti-theft devices. Equipped with
special “booster bags and packs” we walked into the premises on two different
occasions while the store was understaffed and relatively busy. Virtually
unnoticed we stuffed the packs and bags with various items, purchased a handful
of items and quickly slipped out the door. After the experiment we ended up
shoplifting a little more than $2000 worth of merchandise ranging from vitamins
to natural body care products from athletic supplements to grocery items. What
makes this experiment even more interesting is the fact that we were not
experienced shoplifters. Much of what I had gathered and learned was while I
was doing my research for a shoplift prevention training program where I had
interviewed approximately 300 shoplifters. Although my friend, the shop owner
was shocked at the ease and the high volume of stolen goods, the good new is
that this was only an experiment and all his goods were returned but this is
not an uncommon scenario. External theft accounts for more than a third of
retail shrinkage, and most stolen goods are gone for good: For every dollar
recovered, $30 is lost. For every shoplifting incident detected, approximately fifty go
unnoticed. Many establishments are just unaware of how widespread the problem
is unless they have strict inventory controls. While a secure floor plan that
limits hidden areas and provides an open view of the store is important defence
against thieves, a well trained and alert staff is by far the most effective in
dealing with loss prevention. It is important to have potential shoplifters
think twice and make them uncertain if and when they may be under surveillance.
If shoplifters identify a store as an easy target, losses will climb quickly.
Even with the latest anti-theft devices shoplifting continues to skyrocket
because many shoplifters have become very sophisticated and can get around most
anti-theft devices... In working with retailers, I have found that an
establishment does not necessarily need to spend tens of thousands of dollars
on sophisticated surveillance equipment in order to effectively reduce losses.
Too often retailers feel that as long as they have security systems in place,
they are protected. Well that is not enough, for many retailers it simply gives
them a false sense of security. To be effective in reducing shrinkage sometimes
just a few tweaks in store layout along with a fully trained staff in shoplift
prevention will make a big difference in security.Biography
After losing a business to shoplifting and two years later being a victim to a shoplifting assault FJ Tarasoff made a commitment that he would help retailers protect their assets as well as the safety of all staff members. Twenty years later, Tarasoff is a leading authority in retail loss prevention, he conducts training workshops on various loss prevention techniques, including shoplifting and intenal theft and is the developer of “The Shoplifting Prevention Program” an affordable online training program. He has also been interviewed by numerous media outlets including, The CBC, The Globe and Mail, Small Business report, Hardware Magazine, Grocer Magazine, GlobeandMail.Com, Canadian Retailer and is a member of Retail Loss Prevention professionals Group, Security and Loss Prevention for Retail Industry and the UK Loss Prevention Group.
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