Loss Prevention Academy

Shrink Impact On Profitability

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M. Degener, J.D.) — Tue, 13 Sep 2016 15:33:00 +0000

Shrink or shrinkage is a business term used to identify inventory or merchandise that is recorded as being present but unavailable or unsaleable in actual means. This can arise from errors (bookkeeping miscue), dishonesty (employee or customer theft) and/or damage during handling of stock.

As we know it loss prevention directly impacts net profit and this business component must be approached seriously, therefore having or maintaining a low shrinkage volume is crucial. While the rate varies from different industrial standards, a normal shrinkage rate is 2.6 % to sales.

Shrinkage impacts profitability of an establishment leads to:

1. Reduced Profits and Lost Revenue

If an inventory is lost that equates it to lost revenue and this impacts profits because you cover the cost of acquiring a good and making no money from the investment this will ultimately drag the business below the bottom line.

2. Price hikes and Lower wages

Most entrepreneurs and business owners will resort to raising consumer goods prices to account for these lost sales; this can put them at a competitive disadvantage. Businesses may also present their employees with low wages, making it hard to retain or attract seasoned and experienced employees.

3. Internal Trust Issues

Shrinkage from employee theft destroys the trust culture built and employers will be forced to implement employee bag and coat checks and install CCTV in various areas. This introduces a barrier between employees and their employers and guilt by association for those honest employees who are not part of the problem and this impact negatively on morale.

4. Poor Service

In a retail business, example, a grocery shop, or a supermarket, where shoplifting has been rampant, employees might tend to be less friendly and leery of customers, partially because they are often at the receiving end through reduced wages. The business owner may decide to put up signs requiring customers to surrender their bags and coats and also excessive use of scanners can dissuade people from purchasing in your store.

5. Slowed business evolution

Managers often get involved when a high shrinkage rate is experienced and more time is used to investigate and strategize countermeasures leaving little time for growth of the business and employee coaching.

There are, however, strategies for reducing shrink in a business, outlining some of the basics:

· Getting organized, this is the prime step in inventory management and it should be structured to minimize shrink. Use of EAS tags can help.

· Regular inventory counts, at least once a year for business. This determines the current inventory value. (Cycle Counts).

· Accurate pricing of items and updating price file regularly.

· Embracing technology, for example, barcode scanning, point of sale software systems

· Training, education and employee coaching, as every business and organization has its own set of standards, practices and values that are acceptable and internal culture defines the relationship among employees and employers and also to an extent the customers.

In the long run, prevention is always the key to avoid loss through shrink and improve net profit.

LPDT, LLC offers the only E-Learning training for Retail Loss Prevention at www.LossPreventionAcademy.com. Check out our awareness posters for shortage and safety at www.LPPosters.com. You can follow us on Twitter under LPACADEMYcom and Facebook under Loss Prevention Academy.

How Will Retail Look Ten Years From Now?

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M. Degener, J.D.) — Mon, 05 Sep 2016 14:05:00 +0000

How Will Retail Look Ten Years From Now?

There is little doubt in the dynamic nature of the retail industry. Predicting how it will look two years from now is quite difficult, let alone ten years. However, certain trends shape for some reason. These reasons could be the result of market trends, customer preference or anything. In short, predicting the future of retail marketing is quite difficult in most cases. Here, we present to your valuable info on how to judge the probable future of the retail industry in years to come:

Retail Trends Are Changing

If you’ve been attached to the retail business, you would know that its landscape has changed drastically in the last ten years. In fact, there is a constant shift in the way consumer shopping trends. They’d see the price, compare it online through their smartphones or tablet PCs and shop for the one having low prices.

With e-commerce becoming a popular way of shopping, things are only going to get tougher in years to come. However, traditional stores are still going great guns. These stores include roadside shops and stores that people provide people with instant shopping options. According to an estimate, these retail stores will account for up to 85% of the overall retail sales in the US by 2025. Keeping the ongoing retail trends in mind, it is entirely possible that the retail industry will see a significant impact from these trends in the next ten years:

· E-commerce retailing

· Revolution of distribution

· Personalized marketing

· Innovative retail business trends

· Demographic changes

A part from these, the upcoming e-commerce boom will likely sweep away many traditional, smaller retail stores.

Will Malls Survive the Amazon Onslaught?

For the past few years, Amazon has indeed revolutionized the retail e-commerce industry in many ways. So much so that it now stands as the biggest online retailer in the world. Amazon provides customers many benefits including a unique and varying collection of many types of consumer goods, a very speedy shipment process that takes few hours, and global accessibility.

The online retail Goliath just announced that it is now testing a two-day delivery pass membership process to improve transfers. Apart from these, retail shopping with Amazon has more security compared to physical shopping. Judging that Amazon could well end up sweeping many physical retail stores in the next few years, Walmart has invested approximately $2 billion in improving its online retail presence.

Despite Amazon, Physical Retailers Will Do Well

To the surprise of many, the brick and mortar stores are doing reasonably well in the market. According to ICSC Holiday Consumer Trends, in January this year, approximately 91% of shoppers shopped from a physical retail store. About 32% utilized click and collect service for shopping but ended up picking their merchandise from a physical store. Before you start wondering why this shift in consumer trends, it would be wise to see the share of e-commerce sector.

Despite an increase in share, the e-commerce segment doesn’t get a huge chunk of retail business. In fact, it barely accounts for 7% of the total consumer spending. While it has taken a good chunk of its share from physical retailers, brick and mortar stores are doing well in the market.

Who Will Survive the Next 10 Years?

If current trends are anything to go by, both e-commerce and physical stores will serve consumers side by side for many years to come. When you look back, it becomes evident that both market segments have survived and prospered the hard times and are doing well as we speak. However, the e-commerce will steal a bigger share of the market from physical stores. On the other hand, the physical stores have been improving their business strategies to cope up with the challenge they face from e-commerce giants such as Amazon. They’ve been working to train staff with sophisticated loss prevention techniques, online training, and reducing theft and stealing through loss prevention academies that help train their employees for the cause.

Overall, the retail industry could well see both e-commerce and physical retail business surviving side by side. Though the percentage market figures may fluctuate here and there, no serious threat is looming over either segment of the retail sector.

The Challenges of HR To Maintain Workplace Decorum

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M. Degener, J.D.) — Sun, 28 Aug 2016 23:29:00 +0000

The Challenges of HR To Maintain Workplace Decorum

Human Resource or simply HR is a broad field that with time has been influencing companies regarding its importance. An HR department is vital irrespective of the size of the company because managing Human Resource is something the most vital part of any workplace. The purpose of the department of human resource is much more than finding right people for the right job: it might just be the tip of ice burg. The HR department of any organization is required to make sure that they have the right mix of ingredients in their human resources so they can all collectively work to achieve the goals of the organization. But when people come from different background, getting them to gel with each other is a task which is certainly not easy!

For most of the top HR/ER practitioners, there cannot be a harder task than to manage a group of people coming from different backgrounds, level of education and experience. When a workplace offers such diversity, then clashes among them is inevitable. An HR personnel does not only resort to resolve the conflict between them but tends to create harmony so that the office environment remains on a positive tone.

Having said all of this, despite having an HR department, companies tend to face major problems in the wake of sexual harassment and the very common; time fraud and work place violence. These are some of the major problems which the HR department is required to cope with. Not only they have to make sure that it is mitigated to a large extent but they also have to investigate it in order to prevent it from happening again. But since, all of these issues are so delicate, investigating and interrogating for these matters is confronted by large number of difficulties and challenges.

These challenges are hard to deal with because of several reasons. For instance, in the case of sexual harassment, the HR personnel in most cases is unable to come up with enough evidences to support the claim or prove the allegations. The interviewing and interrogation process does not help much either. It is mostly because the HR personal does not usually receive the training to deal with these kind of issues and as such, is unable to deal with the situation effectively. Furthermore, since in most cases it is done at the places where usually third party is lacking, evidences come short and as such no action is taken. However, this should not be the case because sexual harassment in any way is not acceptable especially in the workplace because it tends to hamper the goal of the organization.

The same problem arises with the issues like time fraud and work place violence. With time fraud, mostly none of the people are prepared to speak out against anyone because they themselves would have been involved in this activity and speaking out would also lead them to a mess. Furthermore, it has been noted that in workplaces such as these, people have formed a lobby enabling them to overpower any honest individual who dared to stand in its way. Moreover, they also tend to find a way to make him fall in this kind of activity as well.

If any workplace has consistently been a victim of these issues then it is the HR department which is to be blamed. But like every other thing, it also come with a solution and that solution lies in training of not anyone else but the HR department. These days, personalized Online Training is available that can help the personnel to learn about non-confrontational methods that can be deployed to investigate these delicate issues. With the help of this training, the individual will be able to attain those soft skills which are an added advantage when it comes to eliciting out the information.

The Wicklander-Zulawski distance learning is certainly an enriched program which can help you in minimizing the discords that exist in your workplace. They offer a very conventional and step by step course at www.WZAcademy.com to help you attain all the skills that are needed to get the truth.

LPDT, LLC offers the only online training for Prevention at www.LossPreventionAcademy.com. Check out our awareness posters for shortage and safety at www.LPPosters.com. You can follow us on Twitter under LPACADEMYcom and Facebook under Loss Prevention Academy. Lastly, check out our new site with WZ at www.WZAcademy.com.

Loss Prevention and RFID

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M. Degener, J.D.) — Sun, 21 Aug 2016 14:27:00 +0000

Retail Loss Prevention and RFID

The term RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification. It is often used for a device that can be planted in humans with ease. Essentially, the RFID is nothing more than a computer chip with interaction and data storage capacity. The fact that this technology is considered by many to be the pioneering endeavor in taking wireless technology to a whole new level. In literal terms, the RFID is the name of unstoppable possibilities. It is made by keeping your modern trends in mind. As such, the device should remain viable for many years to come. Retail loss prevention is among the biggest benefits of using RFID chips. Here are some genuine uses of RFID chips:

Difference Between RFID and RF Technology

Though the two offer virtually same performance and protection, there are obvious differences between both. For instance, the RF tags will always send the same signals and will let the user know whether something suspicious is present at that vicinity or not. Call them a simplified version of the more elaborated RFID systems if you will. To keep your inventory protected, you need to tag an RF tag to a merchandise or item. One such technology is the Acousto-Magnetic RF tag.

This will generate a pulse beam through the onboard transmitter and will set an alarm if a theft is about to occur. Another benefit of these RF tags can be scanned from quite a distance. This makes them an ideal solution for those who are short on budget but are genuinely concerned for inventory loss prevention. On the other hand, the RFID system is a more advanced and elaborate form of radio frequency tags. To use these tags, you may need to acquire loss prevention training

Can You Do Retail Loss Prevention?

The natural answer to this question is yes. However, assets protection is not as easy as some may think. Even more important is the fact that preventing retail loss should be done by keeping affordability in mind. Though the RFID technology was designed for a much larger purpose, retail prevention should be one of the primary things it needs to address. In terms of capabilities, the RFID provides users with an item level visibility for entire supply chain. It is well known that visibility of supply chain can improve the accuracy of existing entry up to 60% or more in some cases. With RFID in use, this figure can reach as high as 90%. Since the FRID provides highly accurate near real-time information, businesses using an Omni channel retail strategy can take great benefits from this technology.

Theft Prevention Through RFID

The item level RFID tech can provide companies with real time and highly accurate data to keep their inventory protected. This is done through many ways, for instance, improvement in data accuracy leads to better formulated logistical strategies. Also, it helps keeping employees in check. There have been cases where employees were found to be the cause for shrinking the inventory. Statistics show that employee theft has risen in the last few years. It accounts for as high as 43% of retail shrinkage in some cases. With RFID solutions in place, you need not to worry about inventory shrinkages in your business. Moreover, combining the RFID tech with other similar technologies such as point of sale or electronic article surveillance, the results become even more acceptable to the entrepreneurs. The RFID also helps keep the stock levels under check. With more inventory visibility, your RFID tech is just about the best thing happened to your business in the current market scenario.

Other Benefits

Your RFID system is by default compatible with most of your security systems in use. This makes the RFID a highly valuable entity for protecting your inventory. Apart from this, the RFID also provides valuable data on preventing any type of loss in the inventory. Doing so will take the performance of your RFID system to a whole new level. It will also add more capabilities to keep your inventory protected. It is suffice to say that through your RFID system can easily work as a standalone system. However, to get the maximum results out of this technology, you should combine its functions with that of other similar protection systems as well.

Technology vs "Block and Tackle"

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M. Degener, J.D.) — Sun, 08 May 2016 16:36:00 +0000

Facial recognition, RFID, data mining tools, video analytics are all exciting tools being tested and used in the LP industry. Some are very costly to implement and are sold via an ROI that supports other goals in addition to shortage control. RFID can be used to reduce shrink and as a means for instant updating of counts in a store. Accurate inventory counts allows replenishment to work at it's highest level.

How do these compare to more "traditional" tools for shortage control?

"Block and Tackle" programs like establishing operational standards and auditing to them, employee training, shoplift prevention tools, awareness programs for associates and managers and incentive programs including cash awards are great examples.

Is it either or, or does one replace the other, or?

During my career I worked for an office supply company. Those were exciting times as this was the birth of the internet and all the supporting companies were being created to capitalize on it. The company followed a very simple shortage mission statement. If you establish and maintain tight operational controls, theft would not impact your shortage number in a large way. Every store was audited every month. The audits included coaching and training to the operational standards. Yes, employee theft and shoplifting, especially ink-jet cartridges were there, but our results were often below .50.

We never had all the tools of technology during those days. Not even EAS was installed until I left after 12 years and yet we were successful in achieving our number.

In my opinion, "block and tackle" works the best. Focus on the basics everyday through your employees and managers and use technology when it can be combined with another goal.

Enjoy the week,

Steve

Had a chance to look? See our new site at www.WZAcademy.com. 2 online courses, one for Loss Prevention and one for Human Resources/ER.

LPDT, LLC offers the only E-Learning training for Loss Prevention at www.LossPreventionAcademy.com. Check out our awareness posters for shortage and safety at www.LPPosters.com. You can follow us on Twitter under LPACADEMYcom and Facebook under Loss Prevention Academy.

E-Learning....the New Norm

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M. Degener, J.D.) — Sun, 10 Apr 2016 15:10:00 +0000

First off, we want to thank the 79,500 visitors to our blog since we went live. We appreciate everyone for taking the time to stop by and view our articles. We are very excited about our next online course for HR/ER and site, www.WZAcademy.com.

Every article you read on the subject, e-learning indicates an upward trend in the years to come. After all, why would the birth of the internet not touch this area of education/training?

Is it possible to eliminate all classroom training and replace it with online training? Doubt it...

Every student seems to gravitate to learning via different formats of teaching. For some it is the listening from an instructor along with the option to ask immediate questions to clarify a point or expand on a topic. This format can be enhanced with an excellent instructor who has the ability to engage the student with their teaching style. Do you still get this value when the classroom is over 100 students and instructor lectures via video and voice? How many students actually raise their hand and ask questions in class?

Colleges are expanding their teaching options in what they call "hybrid" instruction. Hybrid is a combination of online courses and face to face time with an instructor. This option will grow in popularity as in reduces costs with online training, but still does not eliminate the quality time with an instructor. As business entities, online courses eliminates the cost of an instructor, classroom and faculty support.

What about the individual that lives in a country that does not offer quality courses or the person that works full time and does not have the flexibility to attend a classroom schedule or when online courses reduces the cost of the "teaching" now making it more affordable for some or the person that feels online training is better format for content retention?

The advantages to offering online courses will continue to grow based on the above concerns and it's acting as a solution to them.

Lastly, e-learning needs to be established with guidelines for quality. Uploading a power point presentation is not quality e-learning. Courses need to be written with an instructional designer that includes voice over, interactions and establishment of learning objectives.

Enjoy the week,

Steve

LPDT, LLC offers the only E-Learning training for Retail Loss Prevention at www.LossPreventionAcademy.com and www.WZAcademy.com. In addition,we offer a FREE job search tool for Loss Prevention at www.LPjobsFREE.com. Check out our awareness posters for shortage and safety at www.LPPosters.com. You can follow us on Twitter under LPACADEMYcom and Facebook under Loss Prevention Academy.

Does Online Training Replace Classroom Courses?

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M. Degener, J.D.) — Mon, 07 Mar 2016 16:33:00 +0000

First off, thank you to the 78,000 individuals who have stopped by to view our blog. We appreciate your time. You can also stay connected with us via Linkedin in our group, Loss Prevention Academy...http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Loss-Prevention-Academy-4170938?trk=myg_ugrp_ovr

Often I get the question, does online training replace classroom courses?...My response is maybe yes and maybe no. Hopefully, my comments will be neutral, owning an online Academy has probably tainted by thoughts.

If an individual has the fortunate experience to take a course with a dynamic, engaging instructor, smaller sized classroom with epic peers, then yes, classroom would be an excellent venue to learn a subject or skill set.

Do all instructors offer "real world" experience along with their academic background?

What if the classroom is a lecture hall and there are 250 students in the class? Doubt one would argue that all students will engage with the instructor and their peers on the subject.

What if the student is working full time and can not make the class due to their schedule?

What if the student can not afford the full cost of tuition?

What if a person leaves in a remote area and the subject matter they want to learn is not available locally?

What if a person lives outside the Country?

As you can see where I'm headed with this, online training has advantages to offer that a classroom can not accomplish. The six bullet points above demonstrate how online training adds a different option for those that can not make it to class, can not afford it, live remotely or outside the Country etc. Studies have also shown that individuals retain the material better via online training vs. classroom. Online training allows the individual to go back and review modules again and again until they understand the concepts. Often, online is cheaper.

I asked my daughter the other day how many "excellent" teachers she has had??? Her response...4 to 5. I will let you interpret that response.

We feel online training will only grow as time goes on. Online training is an excellent alternative to the classroom in many cases.

Enjoy the week,

Steve

LPDT, LLC offers the only Loss Prevention training for Retail Loss Prevention at www.LossPreventionAcademy.com and www.WZAcademy.com. Check out our awareness posters for shortage and safety at www.LPPosters.com. You can follow us on Twitter under LPACADEMYcom and Facebook under Loss Prevention Academy.

Why can't Loss Prevention think like Guards?

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M. Degener, J.D.) — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 17:05:00 +0000

Seems everyone is in agreement that finding the right talent to fill LP Detective positions is a challenge. Most people do not even know what the position is unless a friend tells them. You rarely seeing any communication on hiring for these positions and for sure, no training is offered.

Why is Loss Prevention behind the uniform guard business? In every State, an individual that wants to become a uniform guard needs to complete mandated training. In California the requirement is 40 hours of training the first year. In addition to the training, the individual needs to be fingerprinted and a back ground check completed. All this to guard a construction site?

So, unlike guards....Loss Prevention employees require no background checks, no training, no drug test.....that would be NOTHING !!! An LP Detective will effect arrests, write reports, testify in court and work with the police, all with no required training.

The Loss Prevention industry needs to think outside the box and not wait for State legislators to mandate training. Make basic LP Detective training a requirement before they can be considered for a position. Move the training from the employer to the employee as a means to have basic LP concepts already trained, along with the costs. If needed, reimburse the employee for the cost of training if they maintain employment for 3 months.

Loss Prevention is behind....We need to think more like guards.

Enjoy,

Steve

LPDT, LLC offers the only E-Learning training for Retail Loss Prevention at www.LossPreventionAcademy.com and www.WZAcademy.com Check out our awareness posters for shortage and safety at www.LPPosters.com. You can follow us on Twitter under LPACADEMYcom and Facebook under Loss Prevention Academy.

What is new at the Academy(s)???

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M. Degener, J.D.) — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 18:04:00 +0000

Happy 2016. Hope everyone's holidays were good. 2016 is shaping up to be an exciting year for the Academy(s). Yes, that is plural....we have 2 now we are involved in.

We have worked with the group at Wicklander-Zulawski (WZ) to tailor a 10 hour, online course sharing their non-confrontational skills aimed at the Human Resources/Employee Relations group. Why? Well...this group often is challenged to complete investigations and conduct interviews in areas involving sexual harassment, time fraud, work place violence etc. As with Retail Loss Prevention, the skills to complete these interviews are learned and need to be developed over the years. This online course is an excellent start to developing those skills. The great news is that the course has been approved by HRCI and SHRM as 10 continuing education credits for those designations.

Now, you will be able to see the Loss Prevention course and the Human Resources/Employee Relations course at a new site, www.WZAcademy.com. The WZ Academy is a central housing site for all of the WZ distance learning, whether they be webinars, one hour courses or their two, 10 hour courses.

Online training offers the trainee the opportunity to receive their training based on their schedule and location. All that is required is a computer and an internet connection.

So, that is our latest news. Please stop by the WZ Academy http://www.wzacademy.com/ and check it out.

Hope everyone has an awesome 2016...

Steve

LPDT, LLC offers the only E-Learning training for Retail Loss Prevention at www.LossPreventionAcademy.com. In addition, we offer a FREE job search tool for Loss Prevention at www.LPjobsFREE.com. Check out our awareness posters for shortage and safety at www.LPPosters.com. You can follow us on Twitter under LPACADEMYcom and Facebook under Loss Prevention Academy.

HR/ER Professionals trained to "Get the Truth"?

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M. Degener, J.D.) — Sun, 06 Dec 2015 18:00:00 +0000

Among many hats they must wear, HR/ER professionals are being tasked to complete investigations for various reasons within their company. Sexual Harassment Investigations, Work Place Violence, Time Fraud to name a few.

Do they have the skill sets to complete these investigations and obtain the truth?

Interviewing and Interrogating an associate to get the truth is a learned skill set and can take many years to develop and master. Knowing how to prep a room before the interview, how to read body language, the path of denials and how to overcome them, expanding the admission and preserving the statement are learned skills. One may obtain some tips via a mentor and sitting in on actual interviews will help learn the process. The other, obtain some formal training.

www.WZAcademy.com

Wicklander-Zulawski (WZ) are the industry leaders in teaching how to interview and interrogate to get the truth in a non-confrontational way. In addition to their seminars, WZ now has (2) 10 hour, distance learning courses available for those that live remotely, unable to make it to a seminar or want a refresher course. You can see the course's description and register at www.WZAcademy.com.

Online allows the trainee the opportunity to complete the course based on their time and schedule.

Hope your week is good.

Steve

LPDT, LLC offers the only E-Learning training for Retail Loss Prevention at www.LossPreventionAcademy.com and www.WZAcademy.com. Check out our awareness posters for shortage and safety at www.LPPosters.com. You can follow us on Twitter under LPACADEMYcom and Facebook under Loss Prevention Academy.

7 Ways to Develop Rapport...Guest Blog article from Angela Nino at WZ.

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M. Degener, J.D.) — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 16:41:00 +0000

7 Ways to Develop Rapport

by Angela Nino, CFI

Sometimes it seems so easy to connect with someone, and other times it seems nearly impossible. How are you at connecting with people? Are you naturally introverted? Are you overly extroverted? Everyone talks about how rapport is crucial for interviewing. Rarely does anyone tell you how to do it. Rapport is so much more than having a few good questions to ask someone. Rapport is about you and your energy. In her book “You Say More Than You Think” bestselling author, Janine Driver, discuses some ways to be mindful of our own behavior when communicating.

Smile and offer a handshake.

Yes, this is basic rapport building. People judge people on their handshakes. I once forgot a guy’s name and referenced him as “the guy with the weak handshake.” I don’t think anyone wants to be that guy. If you want someone left with the impression of confidence, strength, power, and of someone in total control of themselves:

Use your right hand
Less than 3 seconds
Palm meets the palm of the other
Fingers curl
Grip pressure enough to know you are there, and does not make the knees buckle
A limp handshake could send a message of insecurity or make the other person uncomfortable

Smile. Wouldn’t you rather speak to someone who is smiling? So pick up your head, put your shoulders back, and smile. Offer your hand first, announce your name, make eye contact and show you are friendly and confident at the same time.

Make them feel like an old friend at once.

Your body language broadcasts precisely how you feel at any given moment. Every inch of you must be sending the signal that you care. When we step into most conversations, especially an interview we are thinking too much. Instead, respond with candid, unself-conscious friendliness.

To trick your body into reacting, you can try this visualization technique. Picture a good friend that you lost touch with and then suddenly you are in a Starbucks and you see them. Now obviously you’re not going to go run up to your interview subject and embrace like you might your old friend. Act like a normal human and say hi and shake their hand and smile. This technique isn’t about the words. It’s about how you feel internally, the energy you give off and how you make them feel.

Make them feel safe.

When approaching someone under stress, there’s a warming up process you have to go through first because people are afraid of being judged. Let them know you care about them, and acknowledge there is other stuff going on in their lives. Make them feel valued. This could be as simple as, “thanks for meeting me, I know you’re busy.”

Come across as credible to everyone.

Beware of the appearance of lying. If you feel uncomfortable or intimidated by the person you are talking to, problems could arise. Whether you are talking to a person you are attracted to, a co-worker, your boss, or a subject during an interview there are a few things to keep in mind. Refrain from shifting, touching your face, rubbing your nose, picking your nails, touching your neck, folding your arms, rounding your shoulders or biting your lip. Of course context of the situation matters. A lip bite on a date means something totally different.

Don’t be a jerk.

Devices should be turned off when you meet with people you want to persuade. Turn off the phone, look them in the eye, listen and pay attention.

A few taboo topics to avoid are race, accents, religion, politics and cultural heritage. Avoid jokes with sexual undertones. Unless you’re Betty White, it’s uncomfortable. My favorite question to ask people is “what’s the most annoying thing people say to you in your profession?” I’ve been taking cabs to and from the airport every week for the last 4 years. I’ve learned cab drivers find it most rude when someone asks “Where you from and why are you here.” Don’t be that jerk.

Demonstrate empathy and understanding.

Saying “uh huh” is definitely better than a blank stare, and there are better options. Try short supportive statements like “I can appreciate you decided that,” or “I understand why you would say that.” When you respond in complete sentences you come across as more articulate, and your listener feels that you really understand.

Have something in common with as many people as possible.

Ever go to a party with a significant other and you don’t know anyone there? Then you find someone that you click with and gravitate to that person for the night. It’s likely because you had something in common with that person. Having something in common is the quickest way to rapport. People like people like themselves. Familiarize yourself with other worlds so you can discuss just about anything with anybody, no matter how little you have in common. Get a magazine you wouldn’t typically read. Follow different people on twitter. If you do this every other month, soon you’ll know a little about a lot.

Half of communication is physical behavior and tone. Less than 10% of communication is about the words. If you’ve ever sent a text message or email that was misinterpreted, you know that tone and physical behavior matter. Remember to focus on your own behavior and energy when building rapport.

- See more at: http://www.w-z.com/blog/7-ways-to-develop-rapport/#sthash.ir25MyEi.dpuf

LPDT, LLC offers the only E-Learning training for Retail Loss Prevention at www.LossPreventionAcademy.com. Check out our awareness posters for shortage and safety at www.LPPosters.com. You can follow us on Twitter under LPACADEMYcom and Facebook under Loss Prevention Academy.

Another Action Plan for Shrink......Really?

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M. Degener, J.D.) — Tue, 27 Oct 2015 15:48:00 +0000

Do we really need another action plan for SHRINK?

A common tool in retail and I'm sure in other businesses as well, is to develop an action plan to address an issue(s). I'm not opposed to these in any way but, they can force us to try and recreate the wheel instead of re-focusing on the basics, a better approach.

As a whole, the basics of loss prevention have not changed over the years. Yes, technology has come into play and it has forced LP Professionals to adjust their focus. A good example would be using gift cards instead of paper credit vouchers. The basics i.e. customer/employee theft and paperwork errors still are the overall theme to focus on.

Often, the action plan is to go back and dust off the last 5 action plans and reformat them in a new word document. Time and time again I observed beautiful action plans that had incredible focus in the beginning fade as the demands of retail move it away.

If you are going to ask for action plans, here are some thoughts...

Focus on the basics. A good block and tackle loss prevention program is always the best foundation. As an example, if you are going to purchase locks for liquor bottles, insure that they are installed 100% of the time. Often we see a poor execution of installing them which allows the shoplifter to just pick the one that has none!

Most action plans should not exceed 5 bullet points per major issue. Too often we feel the need to turn in a 10 page action plan that has a zero chance of being executed properly and for the long term. LP Professionals have to balance their requests with all the other demands of retail to get sufficient attention to execution.

Where possible, develop action plans as a group. Include those who will be doing the action steps so you can get a "buy in" to the program. Without a "buy in" your chance of successful execution goes down.

Action plans ONLY work if they are followed up on a regular basis. This can be accomplished via conference calls, store visits and or in meetings.

And lastly, hold people accountable. If an action plan is realistic, the failure of those responsible for it's execution need to own it and also own the consequences for not implementing it.

It goes without saying, celebrate progress and wins along the way.

Enjoy your week,

Steve

LPDT, LLC offers the only E-Learning training for Retail Loss Prevention at www.LossPreventionAcademy.com. In addition,we offer a FREE job search engine for Loss Prevention at www.LPjobsFREE.com. Check out our awareness posters for shortage and safety at www.LPPosters.com. You can follow us on Twitter under LPACADEMYcom and Facebook under Loss Prevention Academy.

Loss Prevention and the Holidays...

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M. Degener, J.D.) — Sun, 27 Sep 2015 14:45:00 +0000

It is that time of year. Retailers are getting ready for the holidays. Holiday sets will be going up. Major banner ads will be hung causing havoc with motion detectors at night. Logistics will be ramping up to flood the stores with merchandise. It is time for LP to make their holiday plans.

As with all holiday seasons, issues for Loss Prevention and Store teams goes up. Many retailers will hire seasonal employees who knows their work life is limited. This encourages them to steal faster if they are so inclined to do so. Below are some points to consider while in the field....If we missed some that are important to you, feel free to post a comment. We appreciate diversity of opinions.

* Shoplifting goes up. New employees trained on what to do? Customer service them to death.

* Robberies can increase. Program in place to reduce the cash in the tills on a more frequent basis?

* Receiving doors are up more? Increased checks of back areas and dumpsters for stashed product?

* Cashier accuracy is important. Are they scanning accurately?

* Don't ignore exception reporting. Employees have a short window to steal via the registers. "Sweet Hearting" goes with the holidays it seems.

* Are parking lot lights adjusted for the new hours? Customer safety is important?

* Forget to take armored car pickups from 5 days to 7?

* How to mange the opening on Black Friday? Customer flow needs to be maintained to avoid the elderly and children from being trampled over.

Those are some things to address...

As a reminder, you can brush up on your Interviewing and Interrogation skills with the new online Wicklander-Zulawski (WZ) course. In HR/ER and complete investigations? Check out a dedicated online course for them at www.WZAcademy.com.

Enjoy the holidays and check out our chalkboard video on ORC...

Steve

LPDT, LLC offers the only E-Learning training for Retail Loss Prevention at www.LossPreventionAcademy.com. In addition,we offer a FREE job search tool for Loss Prevention at www.LPjobsFREE.com. Check out our awareness posters for shortage and safety at www.LPPosters.com. You can follow us on Twitter under LPACADEMYcom and Facebook under Loss Prevention Academy.

HR/ER Investigations...

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M. Degener, J.D.) — Fri, 04 Sep 2015 13:45:00 +0000

First off, thank you to the 84,000 folks who have stopped by our blog. We appreciate your time.

When we think of the word investigation, we often focus on criminal conduct and or dishonesty. There is another side to investigations and it involves the Human Resources/Employee Relations division. Sexual Harassment, Time Card Fraud and Workplace Violence to name a few. The role of a HR professional wears many hats and juggles a lot of issues at once.

Are they prepared for this? For some yes and for others no. Interviewing and Interrogating employees to discover the truth and obtain the facts is a learned talent. It is not something you learn by watching TV or just doing it.

The group at Wicklander-Zulawski have been aware of this need for many years and have developed seminars to assist and train. In the near future (say a week) there will be a new website launched, www.WZAcademy.com. This site will be a hub for all "distance learning" by the WZ group, including webinars and one hour online courses. In addition, the site will offer 2, 10 hour online courses...one for Loss Prevention and one for Human Resources/Employee Relations.

Filling a need. Now HR/ER professionals can obtain some WZ training when attending a live seminar does not work for them. For those that live remotely, missed a seminar or want to polish up their skills, the WZ Academy is there to assist.

Check it out...http://wzacademy.com

Steve

LPDT, LLC offers the only E-Learning training for Retail Loss Prevention at www.LossPreventionAcademy.com. Check out our awareness posters for shortage and safety at www.LPPosters.com. You can follow us on Twitter under LPACADEMYcom and Facebook under Loss Prevention Academy.

Building a Loss Prevention Strategy for Retail...

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M. Degener, J.D.) — Thu, 13 Aug 2015 17:29:00 +0000

Loss Prevention Strategy...

First off...thank you to the over 73,000 folks who have stopped by our blog....we appreciate it !!!

Losses occur every day in retail business. They may either occur through the abuse of the company’s policies, vandalism, employee theft, fraud or shoplifting. No matter the causes of the revenue shrink, one needs to take appropriate steps to counteract it. The foremost way is by implementing retail loss prevention plans.

Let’s have a look at the concepts to implement that can help you protect the business its profit:

Talk to the management

You need to carefully strategize your approach. To effectively minimize the losses, talk to the management. Get a commitment from them that they will make your retail loss prevention plan a priority. It will put power into your actions plans and makes sure that enough resources are allocated to you for combating the problem.

Gather data

Collect information regarding your company’s current revenue shrink. How much are you losing each week? Are the numbers going up or down? Knowing all the facts and figures help you lower the shrinkage more effectively.

Be cautious while hiring

An honest employee is an asset for your company. He will go a long way to reducing the shrinkage. When it comes to new hire, carefully interview the applicants, check their references and also look at the past records. A simple research can help you weed some candidates that might have been caught doing malpractices in the past.

Monitoring activities at the retail location

Ensure your employees are monitoring cash drawers and also other activities in the store. Not many customers indulge in shoplifting when they think they can be caught. Also, install a video surveillance system and make sure you are monitoring them regularly.

Use a safe to keep the cash

Cash are at high risks for robberies. Do not make easy for the staff to pilfer at your drawer. Keep the money locked away in the cash safe.

Motivate your staff on handling these problems

Find ways to motivate your staff members to reduce the shrinkage. The loss in the businesses is not solely your loss. Your team also suffers. So clearly communicate your goals with them. Open up with them so that they can come with new ideas. Also, offer an incentive to those who contributed the most.

The Loss Prevention Academy offers online, e-learning training programs for retail sectors. Our courses are written by professionals that have years of experience in the industry. Call us for more details or email us your queries. We will be happy to help you.

Have a great weekend...

Steve

LPDT, LLC offers the only E-Learning training for Retail Loss Prevention at www.LossPreventionAcademy.com. Check out our awareness posters for shortage and safety at www.LPPosters.com. You can follow us on Twitter under LPACADEMYcom and Facebook under Loss Prevention Academy.

5 Common Fears that Spark Denials..

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M. Degener, J.D.) — Wed, 05 Aug 2015 18:47:00 +0000

Guest Blog article by Shane Sturman with WZ !!!

First off, thank you to the over 72,000 visits to our blog. We appreciate the support.

As you know, we have partnered with the industry leaders in Interviewing and Interrogation to develop a 10 hour online course on their proven methods by WZ. Below is a guest blog article by Shane Sturman, President of WZ. Enjoy...

You can see their online course at www.LossPreventionAcademy.com.

5 Most Common Fears that Spark Denials

By Shane Sturman, CFI, CPP

It would be hard for any of us to imagine the many different fears or the strength of those fears a guilty subject must have during a well-planned interrogation. I think it would be very rare for a subject to have just one fear. Although there is probably one fear they are focused on most, I believe an interrogator must plan on dealing with multiple fears. It must be noted that the fears a subject has during a business-related interrogation can be much different than during a police custodial interrogation. First, I will discuss the five most common fears during a business-related interrogation. Then, I will show the difference in the order and cause of the change in fears during a custodial interrogation.

1. In a business environment, the first two fears are relatively close. However, I have found that for the majority of employees, their greatest fear is embarrassment and what others will think of them. This is why it is so important that we give the subject the opportunity to save face. If you do everything else right, but fail to allow them to save face, you are very likely going to be dealing with denials. We must keep in mind that this fear reaches beyond the workplace to friends, family, church and community.

2. The second most common fear is loss of job. These first two can be reversed based on age, title, how long they have been employed, licenses they may have and even the job market. If you take a manager that has been employed at a company for ten-years and they are terminated for theft, how can they explain where they have worked for the past ten-years? This is much different than a person just entering the job market. The seasoned manager must consider not only their current job, but future employment as well. We must also consider any special licenses or certifications one must maintain for their job that could be revoked if their guilt is admitted or proven.

3. Prosecution in a business environment is usually down the list at number three. The reason for this is that the dishonest employees have not even thought about their actions in terms of criminal activity. If they would have, perhaps they wouldn’t have committed the crimes in the first place. If you are talking with someone that has prior criminal history, this fear can easily jump to number one. It is very important that the interrogator avoid saying anything that enhances this fear. It is much easier to overcome the first two fears than this one because if the person is prosecuted, the first two fears of embarrassment and loss of job are almost guaranteed. Therefore, the interrogator would have to overcome all three fears.

4. Restitution can be a significant fear if the subject is responsible for a major financial crime. Often these crimes happen over a long period of time and the subject has spent most or all of the money. Now they are fearful of having to pay it back knowing they will not have a job once they have been terminated and possibly prosecuted. To recover the loss, it is common to file a civil lawsuit that could result in the sale of all their assets for repayment.

5. If we are dealing with employees from tougher neighborhoods and there are multiple employees involved in the theft; their biggest fear could be that of bodily harm. We all know the saying, “snitches get stitches”, and their greatest fear might be what others think they might be saying. In these types of cases, it is easier to talk with them off site if policy allows, so no one knows who is being interviewed.

In a police custodial interrogation, prosecution moves to the top of the list. The subject has been arrested, handcuffed, transported in a police vehicle and is sitting in some type of a locked room/cell and finally read their rights before they are interrogated. Therefore, the fear of jail/prosecution has been very real from the time they were picked up. Even the introduction of the subject to a detective can heighten these fears. When the interrogation is non-custodial, there are still reminders of punishment everywhere if the interrogation is conducted at the police department. I think it is easy to see why police interrogations can be a little more difficult. Not only are there many reminders of punishment, but it is likely the subject also has one or more of the fears listed above that the interrogator must deal with other than prosecution.

Have a great week...

Steve

LPDT, LLC offers the only E-Learning training for Retail Loss Prevention at www.LossPreventionAcademy.com. Check out our awareness posters for shortage and safety at www.LPPosters.com. You can follow us on Twitter under LPACADEMYcom and Facebook under Loss Prevention Academy.

Deterring Employee Theft...

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M. Degener, J.D.) — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 13:04:00 +0000

Deterring employee theft- loss prevention strategies to curb the urge to steal

Combating employee theft is one of the major issues a retailer faces. It is a problem in all types of businesses. If the issue is handled efficiently, it can help deliver strong returns. Prior looking into the methods that can handle the problem; let’s have a look at the main things that tempt them to steal:

• The staff member is prone to indulge in such things if they have any family issues or are under debt.

• If they are not paid well.

• The opportunity: Poor management of merchandise is another factor. Poor procedures or lack of reporting gives the employees chance to steal.

So, therefore, it is relevant to curb all the practices that give employees an opportunity to steal. Be open with your team so that they can share their problems with you. Also, make sure they are paid well as per their capability. Dissatisfaction will increase their urge to steal.

What to do?

• Identify: Review processes where there is a high potential of theft like cash bills, stock handling, deliveries, asset handling, data and information access.

• Measure: Introduce measures to highlight fraud. Restrict stock and assets information. Make sure you are available in the store to check and sign off the deliveries.

• Segregate: Segregate the departments within your team. Do not let one person handle everything. Make sure you regularly monitor their work.

• Employee education: Make sure your team knows how to identify and deter theft.

Other important measures

• Keep the proper count of the stock. Check against delivery information and purchase orders. If you find any discrepancies in these, inquire about it there and then.

• Also, make sure your warehouse employee check all the goods against the documentation.

• Check the goods that are fully received. It will highlight any cheating in transit and dispatch.

Here are the simple steps that can help you prevent internal theft. Safeguarding your store from internal vandalism is very important. However, doing this is not that easy as it sounds but small measures and vigilance on your part can help you handle the situation effectively.

Loss prevention strategies are a must to keep your business away from such malpractices. It is where Loss Prevention Academy can help you. We offer online training programs for retail loss prevention. The courses we offer were written by industry professionals with over 100 years experience.

LPDT, LLC offers the only E-Learning training for Retail Loss Prevention at www.LossPreventionAcademy.com. In addition,we offer a FREE job and resume posting board for Loss Prevention at www.LPjobsFREE.com. Check out our awareness posters for shortage and safety at www.LPPosters.com. You can follow us on Twitter under LPACADEMYcom and Facebook under Loss Prevention Academy.

eBay + Fraud + Whatajoke...

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M. Degener, J.D.) — Thu, 23 Jul 2015 13:06:00 +0000

First off, thank you to the 72,000 people who have stopped by our blog since we went live. We appreciate your time.

I was one of those people who wanted a first glance at a Apple Watch so I pre-ordered one. I received it timely and used it for about 5 weeks. Not seeing the need or what it had to offer, I decided to sell it.

I checked Craigslist but, did not see many posted so I explored using eBay. I have an account there and thought it might be a safe way to sell the item. WRONG !!!!!

The first time I listed the watch, it was set to bid for 7 days. One person bid twice and was the highest. The bid closed and the person never responded to my emails or made payment. Two days later I received an email from eBay saying the buyer was not a registered eBay purchaser. Really? Doesn't eBay have some form of verification process in place to screen fraudulent buyers? Guess not !!!

So, I decided to list the watch again with a bid and price to purchase. It sold very quickly to a buyer who was listed as a "positive" buyer. Communication from the buyer started to look suspicious. Emails from PayPal were not worded in the format I would expect, demands were made for over-night shipping etc. I called eBay and after pushing my way to a supervisor was told that I should not ship the watch. Really? Why didn't eBay's system catch this? Why did I have to call to get a warning flag?

Last time...I posted the watch and it again sold quickly. Same bogus emails, same pushing for over-night shipping etc.

It is obvious to me there is NO seller protection at eBay. Fraud is rampant with little protection for the consumer. I'm sure there are many legitimate transactions every day but, this experience has showed me eBay lacks the systems to protect transactions, they are unable to screen purchasers timely and their customer service to handle calls is weak at best.

What does one learn here? Let the Buyer and Seller BEWARE !!!!

Anyone want to purchase a Apple Watch? 42mm Stainless Steel with black band...email me at trainlp@gmail.com

Have a great balance of the week.

Steve

LPDT, LLC offers the only E-Learning training for Retail Loss Prevention at www.LossPreventionAcademy.com. In addition,we offer a FREE job and resume posting board for Loss Prevention at www.LPjobsFREE.com. Check out our awareness posters for shortage and safety at www.LPPosters.com. You can follow us on Twitter under LPACADEMYcom and Facebook under Loss Prevention Academy.

Loss Prevention Practices

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M. Degener, J.D.) — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 14:16:00 +0000

Loss prevention Practices: Internal & External Theft and Administrative errors...

Inventory shrinkage is not acceptable in any condition. It causes losses in your business as a result of which you have to face many issues. Due to this, you annual budget shrinks and so are the plans for your growth. To combat the problem, the store owner needs a loss prevention plan that focuses on identifying the causes of inventory shrinkage.

Let’s peek in a few significant loss prevention practices that you can comply to:

Putting a stop to employee theft

Whether an employee is stealing the cash or making a receipt for less, it is the biggest issue to address.

Strategies to work on:

• Develop a fraud avoidance plan. It clarifies the staff members that you are not going to be lenient for such instances. It should include pre-employment background checks and regular updating of the computer passwords.

• Ensure you perform a detailed background check on job applicants. Speak to their previous employers. Also, look at their records. If you find any inconsistency in their application, reject them.

• Once you hire them, well verse them with the company’s policies and procedures. They must know that you have a strict approach towards such incidents and would not spare the one responsible for theft or mishandling of inventory.

• If you have other businesses to handle, make sure you make unscheduled inspections to the store. Check accounts and sales on the regular basis.

How to stop external theft?

Retail stores also face the issue of shoplifting. Let’s have a look at a few guidelines that can help you curb it.

• Greet each customer who walks into the store. Make sure you have enough staff members to greet and help them. It warns the shoplifters that the operators are aware of their presence.

• During peak hours, ensure all your staff is present in the shop.

• Do not let them take more than two dresses at a time in the dressing room. There must be helpers available outside the try chambers. It will help you curb such instances.

• Install mirrors throughout the shop. It makes them feel watched.

• Also, post warning signs all over. It could be as simple as shoplifting is a crime or offenders will be punished.

Other causes of potential loss

You may also face loss due to vendor error. You can prevent it doing truck and delivery audits. Administrative errors can occur due to a simple pricing mistake. Account reviews can help you put a stop to such errors.

2 New Chalkboard Videos about our Training for Loss Preventioon

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M. Degener, J.D.) — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 11:58:00 +0000

Why a Career in Loss Prevention?

From Apprehensions to Management in Loss Prevention

Curbing Shoplifting

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M. Degener, J.D.) — Fri, 19 Jun 2015 13:57:00 +0000

Loss prevention Techniques to Curb Shoplifting

Most merchants take only basic precautions to lessen the instances of theft in their stores. They think just training their employees and installing surveillance systems can help them combat such serious issue. However, these two steps are not enough. There is still room for more. The article discusses a few loss prevention techniques that can help you keep the thieves at bay.

Make arrangements for constant video surveillance

In the morning, in the hustle of opening the store and setting the things, many merchants forget to turn on the equipment. When they turn to review the footage during non-busy hours, they get distressed to note the camera was not even switched on. So make sure the first thing you do in the morning is check the equipment setting. Ensure all the cords going to the recorder are secure. Also, change the default passwords for the video system so no one can erase the footage from the memory.

Apart from this, it is also important to place the camera at the right spot. Put them at the cash counter or near high-theft items and at the store’s exit point. It will help you curb such incidences.

Position the monitor near the front of store

While installing the camera, we usually install the monitor behind them. It is recommendable to put a screen near the front door as well. When someone walks from the gate, he or she sees themselves on the television. They understand they are being watched, and it is a physiological way to stop them from doing something illegal.

Check the shortages and overages in the register

Shop owners track shortages more keenly them overages. Doing this, we commit a blunder. Extra money in the register can indicate that the employees are short-changing customers. Check the overages or shortages either manually or using a software. If you suspect an employee, carefully monitor them for the rest of the day.

Train your staff members to be active

Shoplifters do not steal from the stores where the staff members are active. Saying a simple “hello” or “may I help you” shows that your staff is engaged and carefully monitoring the activities of the customers. It makes the thieves extra vigilant, and they avoid taking chances at such places.

Training is very important. You can not expect your staff to know the "rules" if you do not train them. Consider adding some online training from the Loss Prevention Academy at www.LossPreventionAcademy.com.

Formation of Assumptive Questions to ask ORC Suspects

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M. Degener, J.D.) — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 21:31:00 +0000

Formation of Assumptive Questions to ask ORC Suspects

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

We are pleased to post a guest blog article by Eric Mizner Sr., currently an Asset and Protection Mgr for KMart.

Formation of Assumptive Questions to ask ORC Suspects

When you apprehend a booster it is important to ask the right set of questions. Remember that more often than not the booster is the lowest man on the organizational chart.

Like a narcotics officer who is not as interested in "the man who has a bag of pot" - He is after the man who is supplying the dealers who is over all responsible for the pot in the mans hand! The ORC Investigators mindset should be the same way. We should not be as interested in the Booster. We want to learn who and where the fence is. To gather this answer we should be asking open ended Assumptive questions.

Here are a few examples:

Closed Ended question - “Is this the first time you've been here?”
Assumptive Question - “When was the first time you stole from our store?”

Closed Ended question - “Is it easy to shoplift at our store?”
Assumptive Question - “What makes it so easy to shoplift at our store?”

Closed Ended question - “Do other people that steal from us sell to the same people?”
Assumptive Question - “How many other people that you work with sell to the same people?”

Closed Ended question - “Do you get order forms or requests for specific merchandise?”
Assumptive Question - “How detailed are the order forms that you get?”

There are many other questions you will want to ask but I think you get the idea. I hope this helps. Remember the more facts we can gather the better our chances or having the Police support us.

For more tips in ORC interviewing check out www.w-z.com They run an amazing ORC webinar where I learned these skills.

Eric Mizner

Philadelphia Organized Retail Crime Alliance (PORCA)

Loss Prevention Strategies...

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M. Degener, J.D.) — Tue, 26 May 2015 20:11:00 +0000

Relevance of loss prevention strategies to combat the issue of shrinking merchandise

If you are running a retail store, you would probably understand consequences of merchandise shrinkage. It can be an enormous problem. If you allow going this problem unnoticed, then it may result in a loss of your business. Combating the situation is the only way you can make your business thrive in today’s competitive era.

As a shop owner, you have to make efforts to hinder shoplifting and employee theft. A retail store has thousands of merchandise displayed in it. While some of the incidents may be very visible, but not all are. If you do not take adequate measures to stop all this, your store may be out of money. Constant vigilance is very relevant for handling such situations.

If you are facing such an issue, it is time to create loss prevention strategy for the business. Involve your staff in it as well as they must know how they can thwart theft. The biggest challenge is to determine the best to handle the situation associated with employee theft, shoplifters and lot more. These are two different issues that need its set of actions.

What to do?

Dealing with it needs a systematic approach. Just circulating the guidelines for the employees cannot help combat the problem. The best way out is to take help professionally. There are many loss prevention companies available online. Such institutes offer online, e-learning training programs for Loss Prevention/Profit Protection. The curriculums are set by industry professionals. Such courses can be really helpful for you and your staff members. They courses the institutes offer cover all hierarchy levels. The content of the courses are comprehensive and goes beyond the e-book format. It includes voice over, interactions and reviews.

Where to look for such organizations?

Look for them online. Make a list of the top agencies and inquire about their experience and background. It is relevant to know their format, topics they cover, charges they incur and also the list of the trainers they have. Ask for the references from the company. Contact their previous clients to know about their experience with the firm. You can also read their reviews on the third party sites.

Such courses are expensive. So ensure you choose to work with a reputable and experienced firm.

Loss Prevention Academy is international. We offer loss prevention loss/profit protection courses for retailers, employees, and managers. Our courses apply to any country worldwide. Call us for more information or send us your queries online.

How to get into Loss Prevention...

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M. Degener, J.D.) — Tue, 19 May 2015 12:12:00 +0000

First off, thank you to the over 70,000 folks who have stopped by our blog since we went live. We appreciate your time...

People seek out a job in Loss Prevention based on a few factors in their life. Some are coming out of the military and want to get into a career field. Some are in the security field and want to explore higher paying jobs with a career path. And some are looking at college and want a job that will help prepare them for a career in Law Enforcement.

Entry level positions for Loss Prevention usually involve two types, Door greeters and Undercover Loss Prevention Detectives. A door greeter is just that. It is a position based near the front door that welcomes customers, provides a deterrent for walk outs with unpaid merchandise and in some cases, walks the floor to provide another sense of deterring theft. Like many security jobs, a door greeter may be required to stand for long periods of time without much activity.

The other "traditional" entry level position is the undercover Loss Prevention Detective. This position might also be called LP Agent or LP Investigator. It all depends on the company and sometimes the job duties. The basic responsibility of this position is to identify and apprehend shoplifters. Other duties might include auditing, reviewing video, safety issues and key holder responsibilities.

So how does one get into Loss Prevention with no experience? Many large retailers have extensive training programs for people that want to work in LP with no experience. You just have to convince them you are the right person for them to invest their time into making you successful. One of the reasons we started our online training courses at www.LossPreventionAcademy.com was to provide people a base line course on the LP Detective position so they have some knowledge of the job before they apply. By taking a course shows the employer you have the desire to do the position and are really interested in the position. Once the course is completed and the final test is passed, you can print a certificate of completion right from the site. Seems to us, by attaching the certificate to an application puts you ahead of others with no experience.

Loss Prevention can be a "pass through" job onto other areas or as a career. There are many opportunities in Retail LP to make a career out of if you choose to work at it.

Enjoy the week. Please check out all our online Loss Prevention courses at www.LossPreventionAcademy.com. Need help with finding a LP job? Use our 100% free search engine at www.LPjobsFREE.com.

Need help or have a question? Email us from the Academy's site.

Steve

LPDT, LLC offers the only E-Learning training for Retail Loss Prevention at www.LossPreventionAcademy.com. Check out our awareness posters for shortage and safety at www.LPPosters.com. You can follow us on Twitter under LPACADEMYcom and Facebook under Loss Prevention Academy.

Retail.....Customer Service.....Technology.....

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M. Degener, J.D.) — Thu, 07 May 2015 14:12:00 +0000

If you work in Retail for a period of time, the concept of customer service moves with you into your daily life, sometimes to a fault.

Every time you make a purchase, ask for customer service, refund an item....you are analyzing the delivery of customer service and seeing if it meets your expectations.

Banks need to change their in-house service. Adjust the controls of their ATM machines and reduce their head count. Tellers have become a money handing machine.

Here is the typical transaction to get money at a branch (Our at least the bank I go to)

Welcome....Please swipe your ATM card.

Thank you....Now key in your pin number.

OK.....Please select the type of transaction you want today.

Thank you....Please select the format you want your receipt in....email ok?

How would you like your money today?

Up sell time....Oh, I see you are pre-approved for a new credit card. Want one? Or, if we adjust your account, your interest on your savings will go from .10% to .15% Interested?

One time I made the comment to the teller..."seems I'm doing all the work here" Her response, "we want you to be engaged with the transaction". El Barf O.....

Banks...adjust the ATMS so we can get hundred dollar bills, not just twenties....increase the amount allowed to be taken out to 1,000.00. Then, cut the tellers who just hand people money.

Banks....time to make a change !!!

LPDT, LLC offers the only E-Learning training for Retail Loss Prevention at www.LossPreventionAcademy.com. Check out our awareness posters for shortage and safety at www.LPPosters.com. You can follow us on Twitter under LPACADEMYcom and Facebook under Loss Prevention Academy.