Retail thefts (shoplifting) cost Canadian businesses nearly $5-billion in lost revenue each year. As a business owner, there are actions you can take to reduce your risk and the potential impact of retail theft.

A female shoplifting in a store

Manage Your Risk

The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) recommends that businesses focus on prevention, which can help minimize losses due to shoplifting. Consider adopting the following measures:

  • Ensure your store is well-lit
  • Advertise against shoplifting and discourage loitering
  • Pay customers a lot of attention - potential thieves are likely to leave
  • Position mirrors so all areas of the store can be seen at a glance
  • Avoid tall display counters that obstruct views. Avoid narrow, cluttered aisles.
  • Only display one of a pair or quantity of an item (e.g. a single pair of shoes)
  • Divide stores into sections. Assign designated employees to monitor each area.
  • Keep valuable merchandise away from store exits and in locked cabinets. Fasten down items used for display.
  • Develop adequate inventory controls
  • Include shoplifting policies and procedures in your business planning strategy and implement them early
  • Inform and train employees on how they can help deter theft
  • Closed-circuit TV cameras aid in identifying thieves
  • Staff should be extra vigilant during peak hours, store openings, closings, and shift changes
  • Provide customers with receipts and spot check receipts at exits
  • Consider hiring trained security personnel
  • Form cooperative, mutually beneficial partnerships with other retailers, property management, police, and community agencies

Train Employees

The most effective way to prevent theft is to remove the opportunity for it to take place. The HRPS recommends that you train all employees with the following in mind:

  • Greet customers as they enter the store and provide them with the best customer service possible. Shoplifters shun attention.
  • Take note of people who frequently enter the store without making any purchases
  • Watch for people who appear nervous, are wandering around, and/or who are picking up items with little interest
  • Pay close attention to people carrying large purses, shopping bags, strollers, umbrellas, or bulky clothing. Note that thieves concealing items may walk with short or unnatural steps.
  • Be mindful of distractions. Professionals often work in pairs (i.e. one distracts while the other shoplifts).
  • Only show one valuable at a time to customers
  • Lock display cases
  • Limit and know the number of clothing articles a person has with them in a dressing room at any given time
  • Remove empty hangers from clothing racks so that the presence of one can more easily indicate a shoplifter is at work
  • Watch for label switching, short-changing cashiers, and phony returns