How to Deal with Customer Theft in Retail

How to Deal with Customer Theft in Retail

Business management advice from Tower Systems.

If you have items that you know are regularly stolen through regular spot stocktakes consider these tips for managing to reduce the cost of theft.

  1. Ensure all staff know about the problem.
  2. Spot stocktake weekly. Record the number stolen somewhere for staff to see. This sets a target for all.
  3. Place a portable work table near the often stolen products and move most tasks there such as product pricing, invoice checking or other tasks that could be easily done on the shop floor.
  4. Ensure you have camera coverage of the location.
  5. Place the stock so there are no blind spots that make theft easy.
  6. Try other locations and see if theft declines.
  7. Watch the location or stand from outside your business to see how shoppers interact with it.
  8. Act based on your business data.
  9. Involve the police if you get any actionable evidence.

The alternative is you complain about the problem and do nothing and that is not good management. Theft is something to be managed.

Reducing customer theft is all about understanding the problem and developing a plan to reduce it.


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