Retail stores depend on delivering excellent customer service. Part of achieving that goal relies on guaranteeing smooth interactions between your customers and your staff. However, the threat of shoplifting is always a possibility, and for that reason, monitoring both customer and employee behavior is always essential. Using security guards in your retail store can enhance loss prevention strategies and deter shoplifting. Here are some ways you can bolster your awareness of customer and guest activity on your premises.
Consider Vulnerabilities
Securing your store involves considering where you might be vulnerable. You need to consider the design of your store or your premises when it is time to establish or reset patrol routes for your security personnel. For instance, a large department store with multiple floors and sections will need more protection than a single outlet store, and it will be more challenging to monitor customer behavior if there are blind spots where your guards cannot follow. In some cases, you will need to depend on personnel and cameras alike to make sure nothing unusual is happening.
Pair Guards and Cameras
Adding more cameras to your store can allow you to track what is happening on a daily basis, especially between shifts when one guard goes off-duty and before another one comes on duty. By setting one guard by the registers and one guard by the doors, you can help improve response time to any incident – whether a customer initiates an altercation with another customer, or attempts to otherwise disrupt your operations by causing mischief, stealing, or misplacing your items.
Another way to prevent potential shoplifting by customers is to use electronic tags on your items. However, although these electronic tags are useful, there is even more training involved. You must train your sales associates on how to deactivate these tags, as accidents will happen on occasion. However, when the tags move past the door sensors and have not been disabled properly, it can alert your security guards to respond. Security guards should be trained to quickly find the tags and determine if that is the problem at hand.
Add More Lights
Low light levels might add to the ambiance and aesthetic of your store. However, it can make it harder for your employees and loss prevention specialists to see what your customers are doing. Adding more lights can also increase the security of your store, because everyone inside will feel much safer and it can discourage any potential trouble, even after hours.
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Since we were founded in 1975, we have been committed to serving businesses in the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Maryland. Our values include proactive communication, honesty, reliability, and quality. We also believe in paying unparalleled attention to detail, no matter which service you require us to provide.
Our services include the following: Professional security teams for permanent, temporary, emergency and rapid-response support; around-the-clock patrols and management attention; concierge and hospitality staffing; and a dedicated mobile patrol service with associated staffing. Contact us for a free, professional consultation today and follow us on Social Media through Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn!