24 Hour Emergency Response 604-644-9229 (BC) 780-995-9229 (AB) 416-628-3393 (ON)
24 Hour Emergency Response 604-644-9229 (BC) 780-995-9229 (AB) 416-628-3393 (ON)
Are you getting ready for the holiday season at your retail operation? The festive season is the time of the year when stores are full of eager shoppers ready to score great deals during this busy time.
Although the rush of customers is great for business, it can create security threats that might require additional retail security in Vancouver. For this reason, you should consider expanding your security measures during the holiday period. To help you get started, we will discuss the ways to secure your business against retail theft during this festive time.
If you’re like most business owners, you probably have a good share of your current inventory. By doing some holiday preparation, you stay on top of your inventory count at all times. To get ready before the rush, watch your inventory to see what products are selling the most. Take note of the most popular products that are selling quickly, and make sure you order more and have some overstock. By neglecting proper inventory management, you risk the chance of internal theft and shoplifting during the busiest time of the year.
If you haven’t done it yet, you should do an annual review of your security system to ensure that everything is working fine. By having an updated security system, you prevent internal theft and shrinkage from occurring. The following list includes what needs to be functioning properly during the holiday season:
An access control system. Giving your permanent staff members and seasonal workers employee ID cards is a great way to track who was working what shift. Whenever your employees enter or exit your business, they have to swipe their ID cards in the access control logging system; this records the time and date of each employee. By issuing ID cards, it acts as a deterrent to internal theft, as each employee knows if they steal something, it can be traced to a specific date and shift.
CCTV monitoring. Having security cameras set up in the interior and exterior parts of your business deters shoplifting and internal theft. Sometimes, though, the security cameras are not angled properly and are out of focus. Be sure to check that all of them are panning over the overall space and that the external recorder or digital video recorder is functioning properly.
Motion detectors. Setting up motion detectors at the exits of your business works as an effective crime deterrent, especially when there is an influx of customers. When motion detectors go off, shoplifters are seen on video surveillance and can be easily identified when caught leaving the premises.
Even though the holiday season brings in the most sales during the year, it also generates millions of dollars in lost revenue due to shoplifting. However, if you implement the following anti-shoplifting tactics, you can finish off the year with attractive profits and reduced loss.
One of the most effective ways to prevent shoplifting from occurring is to hire highly-trained security guards. The guards you hire during the holiday period can work on seasonal contracts, and this can give you peace of mind that your store is protected against shoplifters. Not only do security guards prevent altercations from escalating between customers, but they also can be on the lookout for suspicious activity and apprehend any potential shoplifters. As well, the presence of security guards adds an extra layer of protection to your business, and ensures that customers enjoy their shopping experience.
Besides hiring uniformed security guards, adding plainclothes prevention officers during the holiday rush can prevent theft from shoplifters and internal theft from your staff. You do not have to tell your staff that you hired plainclothes prevention officers; or, you could hint at it and say they might be around, but you don’t know what days they will be working. This will definitely keep your staff on their toes, and for those who are contemplating stealing from your business, they might forget about it altogether.
Assigning your uniformed security guards to stand at the exit of your business to manually check the bags of your customers upon exiting is an effective way to prevent theft. They can request to see the receipts of your shoppers to make sure the merchandise they bought matches the items on the receipt. They can also double-check to see if customers are hiding any items in the bags or on their person.
To continue social distancing and follow maximum capacity rules, implementing a crowd control management plan is important if you want to follow safety protocols. Here are some tips to get your crowd control plan started during the holiday season:
Study the layout of your store and, on a store map, mark the entrances, exits, point of sale, fitting rooms (if you have any), and other spaces where people can walk through. Estimate how many people can go into your fitting rooms and stand in line to pay. Then, write down a maximum number of how many people can be in your fitting rooms at one time. You also have to factor in the 2-feet-apart social distancing rule when setting up the line for checking out.
Be sure you plan around your store’s maximum occupancy and never go over. Permitting your business to go over capacity can result in a hefty fine. Also, cramming too many people in one space could create crowds and increase the risk of shoplifting or a dispute. Let’s say the maximum number of people allowed in your business is 25, you can assign security guards to manage the traffic flow by having them stand outside of your store and letting a specific number of people in as some exit.
If you would like more information about our retail security services in Vancouver, call Optimum Security at 604-644-9229 or contact us here.
