Curtail Theft; Tell the Story
GDA Staff -- Gifts and Dec, 1/1/2012 2:00:00 AM
Caroll Schroeder
A: I share your outrage at the idea of a person walking into your store and taking whatever he or she wants. We would be furious if someone came into our home and did this, wouldn't we?
Unfortunately as long as there have been shopkeepers, there have been shoplifters. In her fascinating book entitled The Steal: The Cultural History of Shoplifting (Penguin Press, 2011), Rachel Shteir chronicles the root causes of this type of theft, the countless techniques used by shoplifters and also the myriad attempts over the years to curb the crime. These efforts have had minimal effect, I'm sorry to say, because in the U.S. losses due to retail theft are now over $11 billion a year.
Loss prevention is a big business, especially for large retailers. Stores are studded with security mirrors and cameras, merchandise is tagged to set off alarms, guards are stationed at the doors and store layouts are designed to curtail theft rather than to sell product.
Smaller stores can't afford as many drastic measures, so shoplifters realize that they can literally get away with a lot. But we do have a few tools at that we can use that are not as practical for larger retailers to employ.
Our primary deterrent for shoplifting is a friendly and alert staff. It is important to greet every customer entering your store, and to follow up with offers of assistance. I find it particularly worrisome when I see an employee manning a store alone. Think how easy it would be to distract that person while an accomplice stole valued merchandise. For about $10 an hour, you can add a second staff member and significantly decrease your vulnerability to both shoplifting and other crime.
A second tool in your arsenal against shoplifting should be a strong relationship with the police in your area. They will undoubtedly be willing to come train your staff on what to do if they suspect that a shopper is stealing - it is essential that the letter of the law be followed before accusing someone. Our local police have also indicated that they are willing to come walk through the store if we call because there is a suspicious person on the premises.
A third deterrent is to give careful thought to your store layout and product display. Avoid "blind" corners not visible to your staff, and have products that are tempting to shoplifters in closed (and perhaps locked) cases. Yes, this will decrease the sales of this merchandise, but there is no reason to make a theft tempting to even the casual "booster."
The casual shoplifter is unfortunately only part of the pattern of retail theft we see today, so it is important that you have a communication system set up to notify your neighboring businesses when you think that professionals (often working in teams) are ope
Rachel Shteir
rating in your area. If they've hit one store successfully, they're likely to hit another.
According to Shteir, shoplifting is not likely to ever go away. She suggests that security cameras are an effective way to catch and convict thieves, especially if you have someone monitoring the system. The addition of electronic article surveillance tags (EAS) can also be effective if your items are particularly tempting to thieves.
You might want to look into whether the amount of theft you're experiencing warrants these investments. But it's sad to think that money that could be put to use in purchasing new inventory or paying higher wages must go to fighting crime.
A: It's a safe bet that almost every item in your shop has a story to tell, and one of the services that a small shop can offer its customers is making sure that interesting product information is readily available. This can be done through personal interaction and signage in the store, and through your online presence and email marketing as well.
Your staff needs to know the background of all the different merchandise you carry in order to do an effective job of selling. Offer a generous employee discount so that they can try the products on their own, and invite your sales reps to come do product training. Encourage employees to role-play at a staff meeting, picking an item at random and listing several features.
Fair trade items and handmade crafts carry with them an interesting story of origin, but what about commercially manufactured products? Think about whether the product solves a problem for a customer - or is it aesthetically pleasing, or entertaining? These factors are all part of the product's story.
In addition to training your staff, you can convey this information in a "shelf talker" sign. Once you've created a sign about a product's origin or features, it's easy to make small copies (with your store logo on them) to tuck into the box when someone buys the item as a gift. That way the recipient also gets to learn about the product's story.
We recently purchased a small DVD player with a swivel screen that we can place in a product display. Now we're using it to show a short, looped video about Wintercraft ice lanterns. This video tells the story of the product much more effectively than we could on a sign.
The story behind the products you sell also makes good copy for your Facebook page, or your blog. Ask your vendors and sales reps to provide you with interesting facts. There are also hundreds of online resources that will help you fill in the background of craft and holiday traditions, for example. And don't forget to look for illustrations as well, because every picture does indeed at least help tell a story.
We would love your feedback!
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