Let's face it: all retail store owners and managers have to deal with stickyfingers at one point or another.
No one likes to think about shoplifting, but it does happen in just about every type of store at any time.
There are all types of shoplifters.
You cannot assume that the teenager who walks in your door with his skateboard in one hand is a thief; it very well could be the mom hiding things in her baby's carriage.
Retail Displays Can Help Prevent Shoplifting Fortunately, you can help prevent many shoplifting experiences by simply improving your retail displays.
By changing your retail displays slightly, you make it harder for those who come into your store with shoplifting in mind to succeed.
They will leave your store disappointed and ready to try another target.
Your well-planned retail displays are an ideal way to prevent many problems with shoplifting.
When planning your retail displays think of which items could easily be slipped into a pocket or bag.
Those items are most likely to be in danger of being shoplifted.
There are different types of shoplifters - some do it out of need and others do it out of compulsion.
The compulsive shoplifter will shoplift any type of item, even an item they do not need.
So while some of your smaller items might not be as expensive, when you add them up over time they certainly will cost your business money.
Planning your retail displays so the smaller items are placed just in front of and near to the counter will help protect them.
This gives employees the chance to keep an eye on these items and make them harder to steal.
Hanging the items individually and properly will also assist in making them more difficult to steal.
Try this test yourself: try to quickly pull some of the smaller items off and put them into your pocket.
The packaging that the company you purchase them from may actually be helpful in keeping sticky fingered customers from taking them.
Hang products with tags or small baggies so they make noise as they come off the retail display.
You may also consider hanging mirrors or cameras so that they are affixed just above the displays.
When a mirror is mounted at a high location your employees can look up, to see downward.
This avoids direct eye contact, which may be engaging with a possible thief, and gives them a bird's eye view of the shoppers' hands as they interact with merchandise on display.
Retail displays also allow you to place expensive items out of reach, either behind glass or above arms length.
This will still allow for direct viewing, yet the customer will be required to seek assistance to directly interact with the merchandise.
Train Employees to Interact With Retail Displays Instructing your employees to interact with customers as they use retail displays is also critical.
While many customers like to shop by themselves, having an employee greet them in a friendly way is not only good customer service - it lets a stickyfingered customer know "we're watching you.
" If a sticky fingered customer knows an employee is watching them while they are looking at a display, they will find it very difficult to steal.
Some employees feel that retail displays do their job for them; they do the selling for them because they display the items.
But retail employees need to be coached to look for signs that someone may be a sticky fingered customer.
Someone who is too quiet or too talkative.
Someone who seems to be moving his or her hands a lot.
The employee may notice them put things in their pockets or in their bag.
Good employees can help prevent theft with your retail displays.