Three ways to deter shoplifters this Christmas

Naturally, the Christmas period brings a huge increase in footfall to retail spaces, particularly large complexes and malls, which can make it all the more challenging to prevent theft.

With such large numbers of visitors to stores and the increasing pressure on the amount spent on gifts, it’s a perfect storm for shoplifters to take advantage of.

This can be particularly damaging to small retailers, as any form of theft can massively impact their sales without the ability to recover the item or its value in a short space of time. However, this also applies to larger retailers, where high ticket items are sold resulting in them being a prime focus for theft.

Below, we’ll guide you through some tips for protecting your store this Christmas:

Pay close attention to fitting rooms

Legislation prevents CCTV from being placed in communal fitting room spaces, which limits the amount of protection and security you can put in place without formally checking every bag that enters and leaves.

However, there are steps that you can take to reduce the chances of theft. The first being making sure there is someone attending the entrance at all times. While this isn’t a common occurrence in retail any more, knowing that someone is monitoring the space is sometimes enough to deter a shoplifter.

Along with this, if staff are actively recording the amount of items shoppers are entering the room with, any variation on this can be quickly picked up and reported.

Have a security presence

Shoplifters look for stores without a strong security presence. By employing a security guard to stand at the entrance, or even greet people as they walk in, this presence is felt immediately.

At this point, any alarm that goes off will alert the shoplifter to the fact that a professional will be tracking them, which is often enough to prevent shoplifting taking place.

Conducting walks throughout the store also helps, ensuring that shoppers are never left to feel threatened and are aware of the protection that has been put in place.

Double staff till points

While this may only be an option for larger retailers, placing more staff on the tills during checkout can help prevent any slights of hand or other behaviour taking place.

As Christmas naturally brings temporary staff to stores, who are unfamiliar with the expected processes, shoplifters can find it easy to confuse staff, distracting their attention before committing the crime.

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Christmas is a lucrative time of the year for retailers, and as such the need to maximise sales made is essential. Employing trained security professionals such as ourselves can protect not only your stock, but your shoppers too – ensuring their experience is positive and encouraging repeat custom.

For more information about our range of reliable security services, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at Leisure Guard Security today.