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Courtney Wolfe
Stay the Course
As I thought about ideas for my editor’s letter for this print issue, a variety of topics weighing on retailers around the country crossed my mind. Should I write about ORC, disaster preparedness, self-checkout, staying current on training, or any of a multitude of topics? How to pick one? Should I focus only on what we’ve featured in this issue? As I tried my best to determine where to put my attention, I felt so much empathy for LP practitioners. If I’m having a hard time just picking something to write about—how hard must it be for LP professionals to decide where they should put their energy? Demands are increasing, but the hours available each day are not. How can you possibly do it all?
Then a shooting happened.
There’s nothing like an act of violence on the national level to bring things into perspective.
In these crazy times when the world seems upside down, now, more than ever, we need people like you, those in retail loss prevention, to stay the course and do what needs to be done. We need dependable people, we need consistency. The public needs to feel like they can walk into their local drugstore and have someone there to fill their prescription—like always. John Q. Public needs to find that the shelves in the grocery store are stocked, and he can function and shop for his family in a state of near normalcy. Store employees
Stefanie Hoover, CFI Editor-in-Chief
need to know that they can pick up the phone and someone in LP will answer. We need everyone in LP to keep the stores open and running, as retail plays a significant role in our society as a hub of commerce.
You may have noticed that when things go haywire, the first department your company turns to is LP. There’s a reason for that—you come through in a pinch. Your company needs you to be the rock at the foundation, keeping the rest of the business anchored.
You may have noticed that when things go haywire, the first department your company turns to is LP. There’s a reason for that—you come through in a pinch. Your company needs you to be the rock at the foundation, keeping the rest of the business anchored.
The recent political climate reminded me that everything can change on a dime, but there must be those who are willing to stay the course. My colleague and friend Jacque Brittain wrote a bookend to this letter at the end of this print issue in his “Wrapping Up” column. In another way, Jac has mirrored my sentiments: don’t be distracted by the opinions and climate around you. You doing your job is way too important. My hope is that one of the other articles in this issue, a past issue, or our digital content will help you take a breath and refocus on what’s important.
So as you juggle and struggle over the next few months, know your hard work and efforts are noticed and appreciated—we see you. Don’t be dismayed; stay on course.
You are vital.
President Caroline Kochman
Caroline.Kochman@losspreventionfoundation.org
Vice President, Editor-in-Chief
Stefanie Hoover, CFI
StefanieH@LossPreventionMedia.com
Editorial Director
Jacque Brittain, LPC JacB@LossPreventionMedia.com
Managing Editor
Courtney Wolfe
CourtneyW@LossPreventionMedia.com
Assistant Editor Allie Falk
AllieF@LossPreventionMedia.com
Retail Technology Editor Tom Meehan, CFI TomM@LossPreventionMedia.com
Contributing Writers
Sam Boykin
Lauren Fritsky
David Shugan, CFI
John W. Jones, PhD David Thompson, CFI
Design & Production SPARK Publications info@SPARKpublications.com
Creative Director Larry Preslar
Advertising Strategist Ben Skidmore 972-587-9064 office 214-597-8168 mobile Ben@PartnersPR.com
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Jennie Anderson Vice President, Loss Prevention, Safety, Security, and Environmental, AutoZone
Michael Limauro, LPC Vice President, Global Asset Protection, Whole Foods Market
Mark Stinde, MBA, LPC Vice President Asset Protection, Casey's
Andrews, CFI Vice President, Loss Prevention, VF Corporation
Beardsley Senior Director of Loss Prevention and Safety, At Home Group
Bobby Louissant Global Security Program Manager, Meta
David Lund, MBA, LPC, CFI Vice President, Loss Prevention, (Ret.) DICK’S Sporting Goods
Loss
Dan Moren Senior Manager, Starbucks
Peck, LPC Senior Vice President, Loss Prevention, The TJX Companies
LPM's Editorial Board is composed of some of the loss prevention and asset protection industry's top executives from a wide range of retail sectors. These senior executives provide guidance to the LPM team on article topics and industry issues that are of current concern and interest to LP professionals. To learn more about the Editorial Board, contact Stefanie Hoover, CFI, at StefanieH@LossPreventionMedia.com.
Carmen DuBose, LPC, CFI Senior Director of Asset Protection, Hibbett /City Gear
Scott Draher, LPC Vice President, Asset Protection, Safety, and Operations, Lowe’s
Scott Glenn, EDJ, LPC Vice President, Asset Protection, The Home Depot
Cynthia Grizzle, CFI Vice President, Asset Protection Family Dollar
Robert Holm Director, Global Safety and Security, McDonald’s
Seth Hughes Divisional Vice President, Asset Protection and Risk Management, REI Co-op
Christyn Keef, LPC Vice President of Asset Protection and Safety, Walmart
Mike Lamb, LPC Vice President, Asset Protection and Safety, (Ret.) Kroger
Rhett Asher SVP, Community Relations and Partnerships
Bobby Haskins VP, Retail Partnerships
James Stark Segment Manager, Retail
Stephen B. Longo VP, Strategic Initiatives
Stuart Rosenthal VP, Global Sales
Tom Meehan, CFI President
Chris Reene Head of Commercial
Craig Greenberg Chief Commercial Officer
Vy Hoang Chief Customer Officer
Dave Sandoval President
Alix Arguelles Director of Product
Jack Ashton VP, Strategic Development
Tony Sheppard, MSM, CFI, LPC VP, Retail Risk Solutions
Amit Kumar Founder/CEO
Scott Thomas National Director for Signature Brands
Cita Doyle, LPQ, LPC VP, Sales and Marketing
Kelley, MBA Head of Retail, Go To Market
Ned McCauley Director, Sales
Northrup Director, Marketing Communications
LPM's Solution Partner Board is composed of the magazine's strongest solution provider supporters. These executives provide their counsel on how the magazine can better advance and serve the loss prevention and asset protection industry. To learn more contact Ben Skidmore at Ben@PartnersPR.com.
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Jordan I. Rivchun Head of Business Development
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She’s Got Your Back
Meet Your Mall-Based Ally, Dana Wright
By Courtney Wolfe
Dana Wright, director of corporate security in the Eastern US for Brookfield Properties’ Retail Division, oversees a whopping forty properties and teams across eighteen states. In this role with one of the world’s largest real estate managers, she also serves as a resource and conduit between multiple contract vendors, communities surrounding the properties, law enforcement agencies, and her corporate partners, including property management, legal, IT, marketing, and PR.
Before taking on this role five years ago, Wright was CEO of the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, where she served for more than twenty years and broke multiple glass ceilings—including being the first woman in her agency to be selected to attend the FBI National Academy.
Now, she’s using the leadership skills learned over the course of her illustrious career to carry Brookfield Properties forward, tackling the many challenges facing malls today with intelligence and innovation.
“I always look for feedback, and I’m always hoping someone will tell me the truth.”
Photograph by Nick Fochtman
COURTNEY WOLFE: You have such a strong leadership background. Do you feel that you’ve always been a strong leader? How did you gain the confidence to lead earlier in your career?
DANA WRIGHT: I always felt that titles didn’t necessarily make a leader. The people that I gravitated towards early on weren’t necessarily the designated leaders, but they were the ones that would take charge or took the time to mentor or help others. And so, I began to just do that. I didn’t always go for leadership roles, but I strived to be of service and help others. When I took on more leadership roles and I started forming and leading my own teams, I built upon the techniques and processes that were successful for those before me. Similar to the mentors I’ve had, I also encouraged new leaders to emerge knowing that in order to experience growth, for both them and myself, I had to allow others to grow. I could not be afraid to move forward and look for someone to take my place.
WOLFE: How do you continue to sharpen those leadership skills year after year?
WRIGHT: I like to read a lot of books by leaders to see what they have done. I go to trainings and seminars, and I do a lot of self-reflection as well. I don’t just assume that when I talk to people or provide direction that it works for them or that it’s right. I ask if they have any questions, or if there is any way I could have assisted better. I always look for feedback, and I’m always hoping someone will tell me the truth. At the end of the day, I reflect on whether what I did was the best way to handle that or how I feel about how I handled something. I just try to stay very cognizant of what I do, what I say, and how it affects others.
WOLFE: That’s all such good advice. Before coming to Brookfield, you spent twenty years working in law enforcement. What drew you to choosing that as a career? Do you come from a law enforcement family?
WRIGHT: I wasn’t from a law enforcement family per se; my father worked in law enforcement part-time for a while, but that wasn’t it. I always wanted to be of service and help others,
“I really took pride my whole career in just being a person of integrity, a person who emphasizes and focuses on service, and who gets work done.”
but I didn’t know what that looked like exactly. I remember when I was maybe eight or nine years old playing with some other kids, and we didn’t have a great experience with a police officer. He seemed kind of mean and gruff. I always remembered him and said, “Oh, I could probably do that and make people feel better about their interactions with me.”
As I got older, there were people along the way saying, “They’re hiring over at the sheriff’s office, you would be good at that. It is something you should try.” And at the time, I didn’t think; I was a young single parent and was focusing on a lot of different things. They saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself yet. Eventually, I began my career, and I was amazed at what I learned and what could be done in that space and just took it from there.
WOLFE: I read that you were the first woman in your agency selected to attend the FBI National Academy—what an amazing accomplishment. What do you attribute to your success in law enforcement?
WRIGHT: It was such an honor to go to the National Academy and spend time with people in leadership positions across the United States and in various countries. Being the first woman was
huge for me because I wanted to do well so that other women could go too, that was really my main goal after I was selected. I really took pride during my whole career in being a person of integrity, a person who emphasizes and focuses on service, and who gets work done. I know now that my work ethic, my ability to build teams, and my success in building relationships were the catalysts to earn that space. When I got there, I wanted to do it with excellence because, like I said, if I’m the first woman and our agency had been around for decades, I wanted to make sure other women got to do this.
WOLFE: What made you want to transition to working in security after your career in law enforcement?
WRIGHT: It felt like a natural progression. Though in law enforcement, we might assume that security is very similar, I learned early they’re not the same at all. The foundation you have from being in law enforcement is great, but security is so much more. I was pleasantly surprised at what I was able to learn and the new world I was exposed to—the tools and the different thought processes and ways to problem-solve. It has been an amazing experience. I had a lot to learn, and I
Photograph Courtesy of NRF
was very fortunate to get to Brookfield and be on this amazing team that has so much experience. It has been a great transition, but more than that, it’s been a learning experience that I did not imagine.
WOLFE: I’m sure. And malls are going through such huge changes right now, it’s a really interesting time to be working in the role that you are. How are you helping Brookfield through these changes?
WRIGHT: We have a great, innovative team. We run through scenarios and research products. We check in with one another and rely on each other to come up with the best solutions and services. But for me personally, I continue to learn—I study, I read everything, I follow all things security and technology on social media, I read magazines, I research, I ask questions, I listen to podcasts. I try to stay up to date on what everyone is doing and what they’re talking about. What are their issues? What are they experiencing
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that we can work to solve? So, when the team gets together, I can contribute in a meaningful way. The goal is to try to stay ahead of things and learn about what’s happening because our industry is rapidly changing. These changes challenge us all to stay on the forefront of what’s happening so we can continue to generate ideas and be innovative in our approach to safety.
WOLFE: Absolutely—retail theft, organized retail theft, and retail violence have all increased in recent years. What changes have malls had to make to address these growing challenges?
WRIGHT: Sometimes you have a situation, and you can look at it and learn from it. But then you also need to get a couple of paces ahead of it and say, “What is next”? Because everything progresses and things are changing so rapidly, we need to stay in front of concerns and look for trends. We must look at these situations and collaborate
partners to create solutions both proactively and because of what we have all learned. One thing we are learning is that our retail partners, law enforcement partners, and policymakers are all beginning to share information, collaborate, and figure out how to work together. Not that long ago, there were silos because everybody was trying to problem-solve within their own space. But, if I share a little bit of information with you, you share some information with me, we begin to talk about it openly, and we do much better in our problem-solving and innovation.
WOLFE: Another sort of newer threat to malls now is shootings and shooting threats. How is Brookfield working to prevent these incidents and then create efficient responses if such incidents happen?
WRIGHT: Prevention is complicated because human behavior is often unpredictable, but there are things that we can work on and technology that we
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“I continue to learn—I study, I read everything, I follow all things security and technology on social media, I read magazines, I research, I ask questions, I listen to podcasts. I try to stay up to date on what everyone is doing, what things they’re talking about.”
One thing that has really worked well for us is firearm detection canines, which are at some of our properties. We have a very customer-forward approach about including them in our communities and talking to our guests and retailers about the canines’ use and the added safety. They’ve really been a great addition, and we continue to implement solutions like that to stay ahead of what may be.
WOLFE: Are there any other specific practices or technologies that you’re working on implementing to further improve security?
WRIGHT: We are always looking at new technologies, and when we go to industry events or panels, we meet with some of the companies that are working on new technologies, and we test them. We talk about them and how we might apply them in our programs. As an example, we are looking at common areas, how to make them safer, and what type of technology could assist our property teams. So, we do explore a lot of technologies, and when we implement or try them, we want them to be the best solution for our properties and communities.
WOLFE: Do you have any advice for retailers with locations inside malls regarding building strong relationships with mall management and security and being able to thrive in these sorts of environments?
WRIGHT: I would say to all of them: We are open, and we are here to collaborate! We want to listen to what your concerns might be so that we can discuss ways that we can work better together. If we’re unsure of what you’re experiencing, we can’t find solutions. So please come to us, come to our management teams, and let’s talk about what’s happening, what we’re doing, and how we can move forward. We’ve found that sometimes, they may not even know that we have a tool already for them. As an example, retailers can speak to us
via an app and we can come and check in on them, they can send us information, or we can set up a monthly or a quarterly meeting. By opening ourselves up, retailers are more apt to collaborate with us on solutions now and in the long term.
WOLFE: During this volatile period for retail, what do you envision as the future of Brookfield Properties? Do you have any specific goals for the company?
WRIGHT: I wouldn’t use the word volatile, but we have seen the evolution of the traditional shopping mall, and our portfolio is a great example of that. Our centers are community hubs that include shopping, community gathering, dining, entertainment, discovery and recreation, and fulfillment and logistics. We are the creators of space, and my goal is to continue to keep that space safe and welcoming for everyone who goes to the center.
WOLFE: You’ve already accomplished so much at this point in your career. Do you have any personal or professional goals that you’d like to share?
WRIGHT: Everything can’t be work; you must be well-rounded. So, I’d love to continue to learn and become an expert in the security space, but I also want to continue to elevate and amplify women’s voices. That’s always been a passion of mine, and I do that now. I let them tell their stories on a platform that I have, and I just want to continue to do that. I think there’s great strength and lots of great stories with women doing some fabulous things, and I just want their voices to continue to be heard.
WOLFE: As someone who has been so successful in an industry that is very male-dominated, what advice do you have for younger women in security?
WRIGHT: Use your voice. Don’t be afraid to speak up, sign up, raise your hand, get in there, and really just learn everything you can. Get a mentor. It is a male-dominated
profession, but they make great mentors. Once you are in the space and you’re learning and doing well, take someone else under your wing, be a mentor, and pay it forward. But the biggest thing for me is that if we don’t speak up, make ourselves available, sign up for the next level, or take the chance, we won’t grow. So, keep forging the path, and then turn around and encourage others to come because we have to get those numbers up and get women in there. I do believe that when there’s a great balance of male and female voices being heard, we have the best outcomes.
WOLFE: I love that. Outside of work, what do you like to do for fun?
WRIGHT: I love reading—I’m a huge self-helper. And, I guess this is a habit from my previous profession, but I have also watched every Law and Order SVU episode. Olivia Benson is my favorite lady ever. Finally, just hanging out with my grandson—he and I have a great time, and he has taught me a great deal about life and how to see things through a child’s eyes.
WOLFE: Is there anything else you would like to add?
WRIGHT: Just to make sure we continue to collaborate and work together—within all the systems and with our partners. Collaboration and partnership are the only way we’re going to continue to make progress. Things always change—it’s how we respond to the change and how we work together that matters.
Courtney Wolfe is LPM’s managing editor focusing on creating and curating editorial content for the magazine's print publication and website. Prior to LPM, she was managing editor for SDM Magazine, a trade publication for security systems integrators. She received her bachelor’s degree in multimedia journalism from Columbia College Chicago. She can be reached at CourtneyW@LossPreventionMedia.com.
Photograph by Nick Fochtman
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LPManaging from Far, Far Away
Loss prevention professionals are getting creative as they strategically manage large LP store counts during a challenging time.
By Sam Boykin
As the retail landscape grows increasingly competitive, more companies are consolidating in an effort to grab a larger market share and sell more products at a lower price. As a result, loss prevention professionals are now managing hundreds of locations across the nation and beyond with limited resources.
It’s a challenging scenario during the best of times, but even more so as stores grapple with increasing shrinkage, shoplifting, and violent crime. LP Magazine spoke with several
experts about how they’re navigating this difficult terrain and driving results in multiple locations where there is rarely regular face-to-face interaction.
Teamwork and Connections
Many industry experts say that perhaps the most important strategy in managing multiple locations is ensuring that you have a strong team in place that can act as your company’s loss prevention conduit and connect with retail locations in a meaningful way.
David Shugan is a seasoned executive who has been in the loss prevention industry for some thirty years. In January, he started a new position as vice president of strategic initiatives for RetSci, a business management consultancy.
Previously, he served as senior director of loss prevention for nearly sixteen years at Carter’s, an Atlanta-based children’s apparel retailer. Before that, he was manager of investigations at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. He said he spent many years during his career traveling around the country, visiting individual stores.
David Shugan, CFI
“It’s all about building relationships,” said Shugan, who, during his time at Carter’s, managed multiple regional managers, each of whom oversaw upwards of 200 retail locations.
“Whatever problem you’re trying to solve, if you can get buy-in from store leaders and work together as a team, it helps make everyone’s job easier and more effective,” he said. “Walk in with open arms and an open mind and make it clear you’re there to help.”
Shugan said that critical to making these key connections is approaching the situation with a “macro-management mindset” to gain a clear understanding of it. For instance, if a store is grappling with high shrinkage, Shugan’s team members communicate with the store associates to fully break down the situation—like what departments are seeing the most theft and when—and get everyone on the same page.
“You’re trying to understand the problem,” he said. “And I’m always open to the store team members’ ideas. Now, we’re all working
“Whatever problem you’re trying to solve, if you can get buy-in from store leaders and work together as a team, it helps make everyone’s job easier and more effective. Walk in with open arms and an open mind and make it clear you’re there to help.”
David Shugan, CFI
toward the same solution. This is a much better approach than walking into a store and saying, ‘Hey, you have $50,000 in shrink. This is unacceptable, and here’s how you’re going to fix it.’”
Cary Jones is vice president of loss prevention, administration, and compliance at VSP Vision, part of VSP Global. The company operates more than 1,000 retail locations, the largest of which is Visionworks.
Jones said that since VSP Global has optometry practices with retail dispensaries spread across multiple models, the company tries to concentrate on understanding its target internal customers and keeping it simple for them.
CFI
Before moving to the parent company, Jones was assigned to Visionworks, which has been involved in VSP’s loss prevention procedures for several years. This meant more visibility and interaction with the business, which allowed the Visionworks LP team to communicate quickly with the operation’s multi-unit leaders, he explained. Compare that to Optical Outlets, which was acquired last year. The team assigned to that part of the business spent time identifying a very different internal customer. They considered multiple factors, such as prior exposure to loss prevention and the different point of sale and merchandising systems used to mitigate loss.
“While Visionworks is established and the communication can flow centrally out, the Optical Outlets team had to identify the target customer and loss differently, working from the ground up to include both the multi-unit level and individual practice leaders,” Jones said. “This required more of an individual communication strategy.”
Developing effective communication strategies with team members is particularly important for Marty Andrews, vice president of loss prevention at VF Corp., an apparel and footwear company that owns brands like Vans, The North Face, and Timberland. He leads all loss prevention functions for about 800 retail stores in the US, Mexico, and Canada. To manage such an expansive footprint, Andrews has nine team members strategically placed in areas with clusters of stores, usually with easy access to a major airport.
He works with his team and business partners to conduct store inventories twice a year. VF Corp. uses those results to create strategies and action plans to reduce theft. Andrews said he typically touches base with his team members every Monday to
get an update on the previous week and what’s planned for the current week.
“It gives me an opportunity to gauge where they’re at and determine if they have too many irons in the fire. It’s also a kind of mental health check-in to see how everyone is doing. I feel like that’s a super important part of my job.”
Individual team members support whatever brands and stores are in their territory. Retail locations can connect with VF Corp.’s loss prevention representatives directly via phone or email if there’s an emergency, like a robbery or violent encounter, or use a web-based portal to enter and track information for less crucial matters.
“I think core tenants like caring for your people and protecting assets will continue, but how we do them will continue to evolve.” Cary Jones, CFI
“I’m going to keep my team members as close to home as I can, preferably in the same time zone, which helps prevent too many long flights and burnout,” Andrews said. Moreover, Andrews said it’s important to have team members represent parts of the country where they feel most connected.
“I’m a West Coast guy,” he said. “I love New York, but I am a fish out of water there. But someone on my team from New York can interact with the store teams there about what’s going on in the city, the subway, and the schools. The store team members are our eyes and ears in each location, so it’s an important component of the loss prevention program to be able to make those connections.”
Challenges and Disruptions
Most industry experts agree that managing multiple locations from afar has gotten far more challenging since 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused a disruptive ripple effect throughout the retail industry.
“Everyone is aware of the issues out there, but there were some key learnings for us,” said Jones with VSP Global.
Cary Jones,
Marty Andrews, CFI
This included utilizing remote audits in lower-risk locations, which also helped reduce travel costs. Visionworks also began outfitting stores with big-screen TV monitors with remote meeting capabilities so both operators and regional loss prevention managers could visit and train in that location from afar.
“This meant we could spend more time concentrating on higher loss locations while still maintaining contact with the others,” Jones said.
As more loss prevention professionals oversee multiple locations in an increasingly volatile retail climate, Jones said it’s critical to understand your customer and have a simple message to convey
“Prioritization is key, and you have to learn to influence store teams because we’re usually not there in person and they don’t report to us directly. Get creative on how you do things from a distance. What can you accomplish over the phone or on video? Leverage those tools and learn when good is good enough. Not everything has to be perfect.”
Marty Andrews, CFI
to everyone in the field. This is especially true when a loss prevention manager tries to maintain relationships as he or she moves from overseeing a single big box store or district to managing an entire region.
“What made them successful before may have been one-on-one communication with a manager or group of store employees, and when they suddenly have over 1,000 employees spread over 100 locations, they can’t communicate in the style they did before,” Jones said. “Instead of concentrating on multi-unit leaders and high shrink or high-risk stores, they burn out by trying to be everywhere all the time.”
Andrews with VF Corp. said the “whole retail infrastructure is kind of broken right now,” from the magnitude and
frequency of theft to the lack of response from law enforcement.
“These are definitely challenges that keep me up at night.”
In response, VF Corp. is using more third-party security services. “Obviously, from a business standpoint, that cuts into profits, but it’s become a necessity at some of our locations.”
In recent years, VF Corp.’s priorities have shifted from investigating large external and internal cases to responding to more high-risk incidents. This new direction is complicated by ongoing challenges with retail workers, with some employees frustrated that they’re not allowed to physically stop shoplifters while others don’t care one way or another.
“We want to keep them somewhere in the middle of those two pillars,” Andrews said. “And we try to do that through coaching, leading, and influencing. It’s a partnership. We work for the stores. We’re there to serve and support them. They’re the ones running transactions and taking in money day in and day out.”
When overseeing multiple locations, Andrews stresses that one must recognize that one can’t be everywhere at once, and strategic time management is critical.
“Prioritization is key,” he said. “And you have to learn to influence store teams because we’re usually not there in person, and they don’t report to us directly. Get creative on how you do things from a distance. What can you accomplish over the phone or on video? Leverage those tools and learn when good is good enough. Not everything has to be perfect.”
Like Andrews, Shugan, in recent years, has also encountered mounting challenges when it comes to managing retail workers. With the high turnover rate, he said workers are often stretched thin, having to juggle multiple responsibilities, making it hard to focus on loss prevention measures. Moreover, it’s difficult to maintain consistent training when a set of workers might be employed at a store one month, but then the next month it’s a whole new group of employees.
“Companies are struggling to keep employees long-term and maintain morale,” Shugan said. “And with the economy, companies may only have one or two employees working at a time, which makes it hard to educate, train, and give feedback because they’re also receiving inventory, ringing up customers, and filling the floor with products. Unfortunately, many stores
today just don’t have the manpower they used to have a few years ago.”
In addition to shrinkage and theft, Shugan said a growing concern when managing multiple locations is the rise in violent and threatening in-store encounters—a troubling trend that is demanding more of his time.
“We spend a lot of time talking about personal safety, customer safety, and store safety,” he said. “I want to control shrink, but at the end of the day, I’m most worried about the safety of our employees.”
Looking Forward
Given the volatile retail landscape and the uncertainty many have about the industry’s future, loss prevention experts stress that creativity and embracing change are paramount to success.
“I think core tenants like caring for your people and protecting assets will continue, but how we do them will continue to evolve,” said Jones with VSP Global. In addition to embracing virtual meetings, Jones said VSP Global is maximizing its current technology rather than adding new bells and whistles. For example, VSP has a Global Security Operations Center that is adding retail monitoring and loss prevention review functions.
“I do think there could be AI applications for us in the future, but for now we have been concentrating on aligning what we have.”
Andrews said the retail industry is going through unprecedented changes and challenges, and it’s going to take collaboration and trust to get through this rough spot.
Jones agrees, “I hate to say it, but I’ve never seen things this bad. The loss prevention industry has to take steps now, including forging partnerships with district attorneys and police. We need to break down barriers and get people to understand the magnitude of the problems that are out there. For things to truly change, we need better policing, first and foremost. That’s a good step in the right direction.”
Originally from North Carolina, Sam Boykin is a San Antonio-based writer who has written for a number of regional and national publications, including Men’s Journal, Outside, and USA Today. He previously served as editor-in-chief for the San Antonio Business Journal and managing editor for the Sacramento Business Journal
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Collaborative Approaches to Asset Protection:
Engaging All Stakeholders
By David Shugan, CFI
In the multifaceted world of asset protection, the path to success is paved with collaboration. It’s not enough to have a team that is solely focused on preventing loss and protecting assets; the most effective asset protection strategies are those that engage every level and department within an organization. From the sales floor to the corporate office, the synergy between store managers, field leaders, and departments such as HR, Operations, Marketing, and Finance is crucial. This article delves into how a team approach, where every stakeholder plays a pivotal role, can transform asset protection from a siloed function into a cohesive and integrated part of the organizational fabric.
Imagine a retail environment where every department is working in harmony, each contributing its unique strengths towards a unified goal of safeguarding assets. In such a setting, HR isn’t just responsible for hiring and training; they’re partners in educating employees about asset protection techniques. Operations aren’t merely focused on logistical efficiency; they’re allies in streamlining processes to minimize theft opportunities. Marketing doesn’t only aim to drive sales; they also promote a culture of integrity and honesty. Finance isn’t just about balancing the books; they provide the critical data analytics that help identify trends and anomalies, enabling proactive measures to prevent losses.
The essence of this collaborative approach is to move beyond the traditional confines of asset protection. It’s about breaking down the silos and fostering a culture where asset protection is seen as a shared responsibility. When store managers feel empowered to implement asset protection strategies, when field leaders advocate for strong security measures, and when corporate departments align their goals with asset protection objectives, the entire organization benefits.
The stakes are high. In an era where retail shrinkage can significantly impact profitability, the need for an integrated approach has never been more pressing. This article explores the strategies and real-world examples that illustrate how engaging all stakeholders not only enhances asset protection but also drives overall organizational success. By reading on, you’ll discover how to encourage an environment where collaboration flourishes and asset protection becomes a natural extension of everyone’s role within the organization.
Whether you’re a district asset protection manager looking to improve your team’s vigilance, a regional leader seeking ways to integrate security measures into daily operations, or a corporate executive aiming to align departmental goals with asset protection, this article provides insights and actionable strategies to help you lead the way. The journey towards comprehensive asset protection begins with understanding the power of collaboration and the value each stakeholder brings to the table. Let’s dive into how this collective effort can safeguard assets and propel your organization forward.
The Power of Collaboration
Engaging All Departments
A comprehensive asset protection strategy requires input and cooperation from various departments. HR can aid in employee training and background checks, Operations can streamline processes to reduce theft opportunities, Marketing can promote a culture of honesty and integrity, and Finance can provide crucial data analytics to identify trends and anomalies. It’s not just about having a seat at the table; it’s about bringing tangible value to every team within the organization.
Consider a scenario where a marketing department devises an innovative campaign to drive foot traffic into stores. They plan to host a series of in-store events, offering exclusive discounts and giveaways to attract customers. While this is a fantastic idea from a sales perspective, it raises several red flags for the asset protection team. The potential for increased shrinkage and safety concerns are high. Instead of shutting down the idea, the asset protection team collaborates with marketing to develop strategies to mitigate these risks.
They increase security presence during the events, train staff on asset protection techniques, and implement crowd control measures. The result is a successful campaign that drives significant traffic and sales while keeping shrinkage and safety issues to a minimum.
Building Trust and Adding Value
To be effective, asset protection leaders must ensure they are seen as valuable partners rather than roadblocks. This involves actively seeking ways to support other departments’ goals and finding solutions that benefit the entire organization. When others see you
as a collaborator rather than an obstacle, they are more likely to include you in critical meetings, ideation sessions, and decision-making processes.
For example, an HR department may face challenges with high turnover rates, which impact overall store performance. Recognizing the importance of a stable workforce, the asset protection team can work closely with HR to develop a comprehensive training and development program. By integrating asset protection training into the onboarding process, new hires are equipped with the knowledge and skills to prevent theft and fraud. Additionally, ongoing training sessions can keep all employees updated on the latest asset protection techniques. This collaboration not only helps reduce turnover rates but also fosters a culture of vigilance and accountability among employees.
Strategies for Effective Collaboration
Proactive Engagement
Proactively engage with all stakeholders. Regular meetings with department heads, attending cross-functional team sessions, and open communication channels help foster a collaborative environment. Show how asset protection strategies can align with and support
In one instance, an operations team planned to revamp store layouts to enhance the shopping experience. While these
To be effective, asset protection leaders must ensure they are seen as valuable partners rather than roadblocks.
changes promised to improve customer satisfaction, they also posed new challenges for asset protection. By participating in the planning meetings from the outset, the asset protection team could provide input on design elements that could help minimize theft. For example, they recommended the strategic placement of security cameras
Adopt a solution-oriented mindset. Instead of focusing on why something can’t be done, find ways to say yes and offer alternative solutions.
and mirrors, and suggested modifications to shelving arrangements to reduce blind spots. This proactive engagement ensured that asset protection considerations were integrated into the store redesign, resulting in a safer and more secure environment.
Education and Training
Invest in education and training programs that emphasize the importance of asset protection across the organization. Make sure all employees understand how their roles contribute to asset protection and provide them with the tools and knowledge to prevent loss.
Consider a company facing a significant shrinkage issue in one of its high-volume stores. To address this, the asset protection team launches an intensive training program for store managers and staff. Partnering with HR and Operations, they create a curriculum that covers everything from identifying suspicious behavior to proper cash handling procedures. They also conduct regular workshops and provide access to online resources for continuous learning. Over time, there is a noticeable decrease in shrinkage and an increase in employee engagement and confidence in handling asset protection matters.
Data-Driven Decisions
Utilize data analytics to inform your strategies. Work with the finance team to analyze trends and identify potential risks. Sharing these insights with other departments can help them understand the impact of asset protection on the organization’s overall success.
For instance, a finance team might notice a troubling trend in inventory discrepancies across multiple stores. By collaborating with the finance and IT departments, the asset protection team develops a robust data analytics platform to track and analyze these discrepancies in real-time. This platform allows them to identify patterns and pinpoint specific areas where losses are occurring. Armed with this information, they implement targeted asset protection measures, such as adjusting inventory management practices and enhancing employee training in high-risk areas. The result is a significant reduction in inventory discrepancies and improved overall efficiency.
Overcoming Barriers
Breaking Down Silos
One of the biggest challenges in collaborative asset protection is breaking down silos between departments. Encourage a culture of openness and shared goals. Highlight success stories where collaboration led to significant improvements in asset protection.
In a large retail operation, there might be a noticeable disconnect between the asset protection team and the merchandising department. This disconnect often leads to conflicts and inefficiencies. To bridge this gap, organize a series of cross-departmental workshops and team-building activities. These initiatives foster mutual understanding and respect, paving the way for more effective collaboration. For example, when the merchandising team plans a major product launch, involving the asset protection team early in the process allows for input on security measures and inventory controls, ensuring a smooth and secure launch.
Finding a Way to Yes
Adopt a solution-oriented mindset. Instead of focusing on why something can’t be done, find ways to say yes and offer alternative solutions. This approach builds trust and shows other departments that you are committed to helping them succeed.
Imagine a scenario where a marketing team wants to implement a new self-checkout system to enhance customer convenience. From an asset protection perspective, self-checkout poses several risks, including increased opportunities for theft. Rather than rejecting the idea outright, the asset protection team collaborates with marketing and IT to develop a solution that addresses their concerns. They implement advanced security features, such as real-time monitoring and AI-powered fraud detection and provide extensive training for staff on how to manage and assist customers using the self-checkout system. This collaborative approach supports the marketing team’s initiative while maintaining robust asset protection measures.
In the realm of asset protection, collaboration is not merely a beneficial practice—it’s an essential pillar that underpins the success of the entire organization.
The complexity and dynamism of the retail environment demand that all stakeholders, from the store floor to the corporate office, work in unison to develop and implement effective strategies. This integration of efforts across departments such as HR, Operations, Marketing, and Finance is crucial for creating a comprehensive approach that not only safeguards assets but also enhances overall organizational performance.
The Value of Comprehensive Collaboration
When we talk about collaboration, it’s important to understand that it’s more than just having a seat at the table. True collaboration means bringing value to every interaction and decision-making process. This value is realized when each department sees asset protection as an integral part of its operations, not just a separate entity with its own isolated goals.
For example, HR departments can incorporate asset protection principles into their training programs, ensuring that new hires are immediately aware of their role in preventing loss. This early integration can significantly reduce incidents of shrinkage and foster a culture of vigilance from the very beginning. Similarly, Operations can streamline processes to minimize theft opportunities, such as designing store layouts that reduce blind spots and implementing technologies that deter fraudulent activities.
Building a Culture of Trust and Accountability
A key aspect of successful collaboration in asset protection is building a culture of trust and accountability. When employees across various departments understand that their efforts contribute to the greater good of the organization, they are more likely to engage proactively in asset protection initiatives. Trust is built through transparent communication, where goals, challenges, and successes are shared openly. This transparency helps in aligning everyone’s efforts towards common objectives.
On the other hand, accountability ensures that every team member knows their responsibilities and the impact of their actions on the organization’s asset protection goals. Regular training sessions, feedback loops, and performance metrics can help reinforce this accountability. By celebrating successes and addressing areas of improvement collectively, organizations can maintain high standards of asset protection.
The journey towards comprehensive asset protection begins with understanding the power of collaboration and the value each stakeholder brings to the table.
Innovative Approaches and Continuous Improvement
In today’s fast-paced retail environment, staying ahead of potential risks requires continuous improvement and innovative approaches. Collaboration fosters an environment where new ideas can be explored and tested. For instance, working closely with the IT department can lead to the development of advanced analytics tools that provide real-time insights into shrinkage patterns, enabling quicker and more effective responses.
Additionally, marketing campaigns designed to drive foot traffic can be executed with the support of asset protection teams to ensure that increased customer flow does not lead to higher shrinkage rates. This proactive planning and execution demonstrate that asset protection is not a hindrance but a supportive partner in achieving business goals.
A Unified Front in Crisis Management
Collaboration is especially critical during crises. Whether it’s dealing with a significant theft incident, a natural disaster, or a cyber-attack, a unified response from all departments is essential for minimizing damage and restoring normalcy. Asset protection teams must work with crisis management units, HR, and communications teams to ensure that all protocols are followed, employees are safe, and stakeholders are informed.
During such times, the strength of the relationships built through ongoing collaboration truly shines. Trust and clear communication channels enable quicker decision-making and more effective implementation of crisis management plans.
The Long-Term Benefits
The long-term benefits of a collaborative approach to asset protection are diverse. Beyond immediate improvements in reducing shrinkage and enhancing safety, collaboration leads to a more resilient organization. Employees who feel valued and part of a cohesive team are more engaged and motivated. This positive work environment translates into better customer service, higher employee retention rates, and, ultimately, a stronger bottom line.
Moreover, by entrenching asset protection into the fabric of the organization, companies can better anticipate and mitigate future risks. This foresight is invaluable in maintaining the organization’s reputation and ensuring sustained growth.
Final Thoughts
In asset protection, collaboration is not just beneficial—it’s essential. By engaging all stakeholders, from the store floor to the corporate office, and integrating efforts across HR, Operations, Marketing, Finance, and beyond, organizations can develop comprehensive strategies that safeguard assets and enhance overall performance. Remember, it’s not about being at the table; it’s about bringing value to every interaction and decision. Embrace collaboration, build trust, and become the go-to partner that drives success throughout the organization.
To truly excel in asset protection, organizations must foster an environment where collaboration is the norm, and every department understands the importance of its role. This holistic approach ensures that asset protection is a shared responsibility, leading to a safer, more efficient, and more successful organization. As we navigate the complexities of the retail industry, let us remember that our strength lies in our unity, and our success is built on the foundation of trust and collaboration.
David Shugan, CFI, is a 30-year retail industry veteran specializing in asset protection, risk resiliency, audit, safety, and supply chain integrity. He is currently the vice president of strategic initiatives at RetSci, with a focus on their Asset Protection Data Analytics and Science offering called PRISM. His career path includes leadership roles at Carter’s and Cracker Barrel Restaurants, among other national retail brands. In addition to his corporate roles, he is a certified forensic interviewer Legacy, and he has been a member of both the National Retail Federation’s Loss Prevention Advisory Council and the Retail Industry Leaders Association Council. David lives in Atlanta with his family and can be reached at David.Shugan@RetSci.com.
The LP Magazine Founders' Awards offer a means to celebrate industry accomplishments on an ongoing basis, recognizing the loss prevention professionals, teams, solution providers, law enforcement partners, and others who demonstrate a stellar contribution to the profession.
The ability to influence change is a product of drive, creativity, and determination, but it also requires a unique ability to create a shared vision that others will understand, respect, support, and pursue. Each of the following recipients reflects that standard of excellence, representing the quality and spirit of leadership that makes a difference in our lives, our people, and our programs. Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of our latest honorees.
LPM Founders’ Awards Celebrate Industry Professionals
EXCELLENCE IN LEADERSHIP
Chad McManus, CFI, CFE, LPC
Senior
Manager of Asset Protection at T-Mobile
Chair of the Georgia Retailers Organized Crime Alliance (GROC)
“There are so many things that I’m proud of in my career,” says McManus. “I am very grateful to have had such a long and fulfilling journey in the LP industry. It’s been so much more than just a job. Over the years, I’ve been able to develop initiatives and programs, mentor others, crack open some big cases, make an impact in the retail crime space, and so much more. I’ve also built many relationships that have helped me become a leader in my organization and the industry.”
Chad also serves as chair at GROC. “Over the years, I’ve seen GROC grow into a force for good in Georgia,” he adds. “Through GROC and my career at T-Mobile, I’ve also been given the opportunity to share my experience with countless students at Kennesaw State University—guest lecturing, mentoring, and sharing insights on the LP industry.”
McManus started his LP career as a junior at Purdue University, where he studied criminal justice. “I saw a sign that said, ‘Now Hiring – Loss Prevention,’ and two days later, I was on the LP team. ‘Go catch some shoplifters’ was the job description. Thirty-five years later, I’m still on that journey. The ups and downs, learnings, and experiences over the span of my career have been an honor and privilege.”
To be a true leader in the industry, Chad feels that you must make the most of what you have and lead by serving with humility. “Be there for your team and help them reach their potential by putting their needs first. You can be a great leader who gets things done while inspiring your team to be responsible and enthusiastic. Being adaptable and willing to change are valuable skills. Anyone can adopt this style of leadership.”
EXCELLENCE IN PARTNERSHIPS
Ned McCauley Director of Sales at Sensormatic Retail Solutions
“Operating with honesty and integrity is essential to gaining trust, which I believe is the single most critical element in any partnership,” says McCauley. “This is at the root of every relationship and the essence of what it means to be a true solution provider partner.”
Ned started with Sensormatic Solutions in 1991, taking on roles with increasing responsibility before leaving to pursue other career ventures in 2000 during the onset of the dot.com era. In 2006 he began working for Tyco, integrating acquired companies into the Tyco portfolio. Over the past decade, his responsibilities have primarily focused on evangelizing RFID to improve inventory accuracy and combat organized retail crime.
For those looking to build a successful career no matter where that road takes you, McCauley believes that we all need to seek out mentors that will help us along the way. “Mentors will guide you when you are lost,” he says. “Since I started my professional career in the loss prevention field, I have always felt my business instincts and communication skills helped set the foundation for my professional growth and development. But we all need those that can help us along, provide direction when we need it, and keep us moving forward. I have been blessed with great mentors who instilled many incredible lessons to help mold me into the leader I am today. They provided the training and guidance I needed to help develop those skills, maximize my potential, and become more successful.”
McCauley also feels that professional curiosity is a necessity. “In the world we live in today where everything around us is constantly in a state of change, you must have a passion to learn. A zest for learning will keep you engaged—wherever your career leads you.”
The Psychological Foundation of Career Development in Loss Prevention
By John W. Jones, PhD
I n the realm of loss prevention, where the challenges are as diverse as they are complex, the development of a robust career goes beyond the mere acquisition of technical skills and procedural knowledge. The psychological dimensions of career development are pivotal, too, influencing everything from individual performance to organizational impact. Leveraging psychological theories and principles can profoundly enhance the effectiveness and satisfaction of LP professionals.
Figure 1. Psychological Foundations for Career Systems
Intelligence & Resilience Career Committment & Engagement
A basic five step model for career development in the field of loss prevention includes the following steps, at a minimum:
1. Build Foundational Knowledge: Start by acquiring strong foundational knowledge in loss prevention through formal education, such as a degree in criminal justice, business management, or a related field. This helps you understand the basics of the industry, including common practices, laws, and ethical guidelines.
2. Gain Practical Experience: Begin your career in entry-level positions to gain practical, hands-on experience. This could involve roles in retail, corporate, or warehouse settings, dealing with real-world situations such as shoplifting, internal theft, and fraud prevention. Experience is crucial for understanding the nuances of different scenarios and for developing effective prevention strategies.
3. Pursue Professional Certifications: Enhance your credibility and skills by obtaining professional certifications. Key certifications in this field include the Loss Prevention Certified (LPC) and Loss Prevention Qualified (LPQ) from the Loss Prevention Foundation; Certified Protection Professional (CPP) and the Professional Certified Investigator (PCI) offered by ASIS International; and the Certified Forensic Interviewer (CFI) from the International Association of Interviewers. These certifications often require a combination of experience, education, and passing a rigorous examination.
4. Specialize and Innovate: Choose a specialization within loss prevention that aligns with your interests and the industry’s needs. This could be digital fraud prevention, supply chain security, or forensic data analysis. Stay abreast of technological
advancements and innovative practices, integrating them into your work to stay ahead in the field.
5. Network and Lead: Develop your professional network by joining industry associations, attending conferences, and participating in workshops and training sessions. Networking can lead to new opportunities and insights. As you gain more experience, aim for leadership roles where you can influence policy, mentor others, and lead projects or teams. Leadership skills are invaluable for advancing to higher positions and making a significant impact in the field. Figure 1 lists four very important psychological dimensions of career success among LP professionals. These dimensions form the psychological foundation that can fuel career success and longevity. While there are
many other important psychological factors driving achievement, these four are surely essential to an LP professional’s career development efforts. These four psychological factors impact the success of each step in the aforementioned career development model.
Alignment with Vocational Interests
Let’s now focus on the importance of vocational personality traits when it comes to launching, developing, and advancing one’s career in loss prevention. One potent psychological framework for career management among LP professionals is understanding the RIASEC Vocational Personality theory, developed by psychologist Dr. John Holland (Figure 2).
RIASEC Vocational Personality
Figure 2.
Table 1. Comparing highly committed vs. lowly committed LP professionals across career development criteria
Criteria
Job Performance
Consistently exceeds expectations; proactive in loss prevention.
Professional Development Regularly seeks out training and certification opportunities.
Specialization
Use of Technology
Networking and Industry Engagement
Has deep expertise in specific areas like digital fraud or forensics.
Leverages advanced technology and analytics to enhance strategies.
Active in industry associations and events; well-connected.
Leadership and Influence Takes on leadership roles, mentors others, influences policies.
Innovation and Improvement
Adherence to Ethical Standards
Organizational Contribution
Continuously seeks to improve processes and strategies.
Strictly adheres to ethical guidelines and promotes ethical behavior.
Significantly contributes to organizational goals and culture, and embraces a “better together” mindset with HR and Operations.
Career Advancement Progresses steadily in career; often promoted.
This theory posits that employees, in general, are most satisfied and effective when their selected jobs and accompanying work aligns with one or more vocational personality types: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional, defined as the following:
1. Realistic (R)—Prefers physical activities that require skill, strength, and coordination; roles are typically hands-on and practical.
2. Investigative (I)—Prefers working with ideas, theories, facts, and figures; roles often involve research and intellectual inquiry.
3. Artistic (A)—Prefers creative or artistic activities; roles often involve working in unstructured environments and require self-expression.
4. Social (S)—Prefers activities that involve helping, healing, or facilitating
Meets basic requirements; reactive approach to loss prevention.
Rarely pursues training or certifications.
Lacks specialization; general approach to tasks.
Uses minimal or outdated technology.
Minimal engagement with the broader industry.
Avoids leadership roles; limited influence within the organization.
Seldom contributes to innovation or process improvement.
May overlook ethical standards or be unaware of them.
Limited contribution to organizational goals; tends to avoid collaboration with other business units.
Shows little career progression.
others’ learning; roles often involve teaching, counseling, or serving.
5. Enterprising (E)—Prefers persuasive, leading, and managing roles; often involves business and public speaking.
6. Conventional (C)—Prefers structured, rule-regulated, orderly tasks; roles often involve data management, finance, and office settings.
If an LP professional’s vocational traits are not aligned with the professional job requirements, it is more difficult to excel across the years of commitment required to progress from an entry-level position to a management or executive position. LP professionals typically score high in Realistic, Investigative, and Conventional. The importance of these traits is codified in the US Department of Labor’s taxonomy of jobs.
In terms of becoming an LP manager or executive, the typical candidates for these higher-level positions tend to be more Enterprising, along with
Investigative and Conventional, reflecting their broader responsibilities that include decision-making and strategic planning. It helps if an LP professional possesses the Enterprising traits if they truly want to build a career that includes leadership positions.
Career Commitment and Engagement
Professionals who succeed in their careers are both committed and engaged at work. Table 1 outlines key differences in behavior and outcomes between LP professionals who are highly committed to their career development in loss prevention and those who show lower levels of commitment. The comparison highlights the impact of such commitment on both individual and organizational success. Committed LP professionals never take their career ascension and success for granted. Committed and engaged LP professionals focus intently on
the acquisition of knowledge and credentials related to their profession. Loss prevention professionals typically focus on foundational degrees and certifications that enhance their operational skills and understanding of legal and security practices. In contrast, loss prevention managers often pursue higher-level degrees and specialized certifications that equip them with strategic, managerial, and investigative skills necessary for leadership roles within organizations. LP managers are expected to handle broader responsibilities, including team leadership, strategic decision making, and complex problem solving, which are supported by their foundational degrees, advanced education, and professional certifications. Table 2 summarizes a few relevant professional certifications for loss prevention professionals, including their curriculum highlights, certification names, and sponsoring organizations. Some certifications
“In the dynamic field of loss prevention, the key to ascending to senior leadership roles lies not just in mastering the technical aspects of the job but in continuously honing your strategic thinking, people skills, and emotional intelligence. Effective leaders in loss prevention understand that fostering a culture of integrity, openness, and proactive problem-solving is crucial. Always staying ahead of the curve by embracing innovation, nurturing talent, and building robust networks within and outside the organization is essential.”
Steven May, CFI
general knowledge, and some are more specific.
Leadership Styles and Traits
To rise to the level of vice president or
leadership styles and psychological traits that enable them to handle greater responsibilities and strategically drive their organizations forward. These styles and traits not only influence their personal
RFID as EAS
Providing insights into loss prevention events at item level allows retailers to make smarter decisions in-store.
Understanding sooner what went missing, when and from where within your store gives you a greater powers to combat theft and reduce shrink.
Learn more here!
Psychological Foundation of Career Development
Certification Curriculum Highlights
Loss Prevention Qualified (LPQ)
Loss Prevention Certified (LPC)
Certified Protection Professional (CPP)
Certified Forensic Interviewer (CFI)
Physical Security Professional (PSP)
Introduction to loss prevention, elements of retail business, effective communication, teamwork, and professional development.
Retail loss prevention, supply chain security, financial fraud, and operational audits.
Security management, investigations, crisis management, and business principles.
Interviewing techniques, detection of deception, and legal aspects of interviewing.
Physical security assessments, integration of security systems, and the application of physical security measures.
Name Sponsoring Organization
LPQ
LPC
CPP
CFI
Loss Prevention Foundation www.yourlpf.org
Loss Prevention Foundation www.yourlpf.org
ASIS International www.asisonline.org
Loss Prevention Psychology Institute, FifthTheory LLC www.fifththeory.com Table 2.
Psychology Informed Loss Prevention Professional (PILPP)
The role of psychological theories and interventions in the prevention of employee crime and deviance, including on-the-job violence, collusion with ORC, cybercrime, using and selling illicit drugs at work, product tampering, and related workplace crimes.
In the post-pandemic economy, senior leaders must be more committed to their reports’ safety, security, and emotional and mental health. This is especially true for LP executives. Four leadership styles, which I believe are similar in many aspects, illustrate the ideal approach to leadership for seeking a seniorlevel position in a more demanding work climate.
The first style is “transformational leadership.” This is highly effective for senior-level leaders in loss prevention. Transformational leaders inspire and motivate their teams by setting a vision, encouraging innovation, and fostering an environment where team members feel valued and empowered. They focus on transforming their organization for the better, which is crucial in dynamic fields like loss prevention.
The second style is “servant leadership.” Servant leaders put the needs of their team and organization before their own. They focus on the growth and well-being of their people and the communities to which they belong. This leadership style builds deep loyalty and commitment—essential for maintaining high-performing teams in stressful environments.
“Democratic leadership” requires the involvement of team members in decision-making processes. It can be particularly effective in loss prevention, where the insights of on-the- ground employees can be invaluable. Democratic leaders facilitate open communication and share decision- making authority, which can lead to more innovative and effective strategies.
Finally, the fourth style is “trauma- informed leadership.” This style emphasizes creating a supportive and understanding work environment that recognizes and accommodates the varying impacts of trauma on individual employees. Trauma-informed leaders prioritize psychological safety, promote resilience, and ensure that workplace policies and practices are sensitive to the experiences of those who may have encountered trauma. This approach fosters a culture of empathy, trust, and empowerment, which is crucial for managing teams effectively in challenging environments. By developing one or more of these leadership styles, loss prevention professionals can more confidently position themselves as ideal candidates for senior executive roles. These types
International Association of Interviewers www.certifiedinterviewer.com
PSP ASIS International www.asisonline.org
PI-LPP
of leaders excel in their own right and inspire and elevate their teams, driving significant contributions to their organization’s overall success.
Psychological Traits
Three important leadership traits that are especially relevant to LP professionals seeking higher-level positions are presented below. While there are many others, these three address the unique demands of a senior LP leadership position:
1. Strategy Orientation: Leaders at this level must be able to see the bigger picture and plan several steps ahead. Strategic thinking involves understanding how different parts of the business interact, anticipating future challenges and opportunities, and devising comprehensive strategies that align with the organization’s goals.
2. Ethics and Integrity: Defines a leader’s adherence to ethical principles and trustworthiness. In LP leadership positions, integrity is crucial due to the sensitivity of handling security and potential fraud issues.
continued on page 34
PULSE CHECK
LP Career CommitmentDevelopmentAssessment
Instructions:
Answer the following statements with True (1) or False (0) based on your current professional practices and commitments in the field of loss prevention. This assessment will help you gauge your dedication to advancing your career. While this assessment is content valid, it is being offered merely to raise awareness about an LP professional’s level of commitment, and therefore the scores need to be bolstered with additional information.
Assessment:
1. I regularly seek opportunities for formal education and training in loss prevention and asset protection.
2. I have obtained or am actively working towards key professional certifications in my field.
3. I actively engage in networking opportunities with other professionals in my industry.
4. I stay updated with the latest technologies and practices in loss prevention.
5. I have specialized in a particular area of loss prevention that interests me.
6. I regularly attend industry conferences, seminars, or workshops.
7. I make a conscious effort to enhance my communication and negotiation skills.
8. I use advanced data analysis techniques to improve my loss prevention strategies.
9. I consistently adhere to ethical practices and ensure compliance with relevant laws.
10. I have strategies in place to manage stress and maintain personal resilience.
Add up the points from each response. The total score can range from 0 to 10.
Score Guide:
8-10
Highly Committed
You are highly committed to your career development in LP. You actively engage in continuous learning, specialization, and professional networking, and you are well positioned for advanced roles and leadership opportunities.
5-7
Moderately Committed
You are reasonably committed to your career development but may need to focus more on certain areas to enhance your prospects and effectiveness in the field.
0-4
Low Commitment
Your commitment to advancing your career may be limited. Consider increasing your involvement in educational opportunities, certification, and industry engagement to fully leverage career opportunities and professional growth.
Psychological Foundation of Career Development
continued from page 32
3. Analytical Thinking: Involves the ability to analyze information and solve problems based on data. Effective LP leaders use this trait to strategically approach crime prevention, resource allocation, and policy development.
4. Interpersonal Skills: Encompasses the ability to communicate effectively, negotiate, and manage conflicts. These skills are essential for coordinating with different departments, training staff, and fostering a proactive security culture.
5. Resilience: The ability to bounce back from setbacks is crucial in high-stakes roles like those of VP or senior VP. Loss prevention can involve significant challenges, including dealing with sophisticated theft and fraud schemes and managing the pressures of high expectations. Resilience allows leaders to maintain their composure and lead effectively under stress.
Emotional Intelligence and Resilience
The development of emotional intelligence (EI) plays a critical role in the success of LP professionals’ careers, and is therefore worthy of future discussion. EI is especially important to LP leaders, since EI encompasses the ability to understand and manage one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. EI impacts various aspects of professional performance and progression in significant ways:
■ Enhanced Communication Skills: LP professionals frequently interact with a diverse range of individuals, including colleagues, management, law enforcement, and sometimes suspected offenders. Emotional intelligence helps in managing these interactions constructively and empathetically, facilitating better communication and conflict resolution.
■ Improved Decision Making: LP roles often require quick and effective decision making in highpressure situations, such as during an incident of theft or fraud. High emotional intelligence allows professionals to remain calm and composed, enabling them to assess situations more accurately and make informed decisions.
■ Team Collaboration: LP professionals often work as part of a team, and emotional intelligence is crucial for fostering a collaborative work
environment. Understanding and responding to the emotions of team members can lead to better cooperation and a more harmonious workplace.
■ Adapting to Organizational Change: Change is constant in organizational settings, including shifts in policy, strategy, or personnel. Emotional intelligence enables LP professionals to adapt to these changes more effectively, helping them to manage stress and uncertainty.
■ Career Longevity and Satisfaction: By developing emotional intelligence, LP professionals can better manage their own job-related stress and maintain higher levels of job satisfaction and personal well-being, which are important for long-term career success and growth.
Avoid the Career Killers
Career development in loss prevention can be a rewarding journey, but there are potential pitfalls that professionals should be aware of to avoid stalling their progress. Here are five career development killers for loss prevention professionals that must be avoided at all costs:
1. Complacency and Lack of Continuous Learning: Staying stagnant in terms of skills and knowledge can be detrimental in the ever-evolving field of loss prevention. Professionals who fail to keep up with new technologies, methodologies, and trends risk becoming outdated. Continuous learning and adaptation are crucial for advancing in one’s career.
2. Inadequate Networking: Not building or maintaining a robust professional network can limit opportunities for mentorship, peer support, and career advancement. Networking is vital for discovering new opportunities, learning from the experiences of others, and gaining visibility in the industry.
3. Poor Communication Skills: The inability to effectively communicate can hinder a loss prevention professional’s ability to collaborate with team members, report findings clearly, and influence decision making processes. Communication is essential not only for daily operations but also for demonstrating leadership potential and managing crises effectively.
4. Ethical Missteps: The nature of loss prevention work often presents ethical challenges and dilemmas. Compromising on ethics or failing to
adhere to legal and organizational standards can severely damage one’s reputation and career prospects. Ethical integrity is paramount for building trust and credibility in this field.
5. Resistance to Change and Innovation: Being resistant to change and unwilling to adopt innovative approaches can be a significant career blocker. Loss prevention environments are dynamic, with new challenges that require flexible and innovative solutions. Professionals who resist change and do not embrace new ideas may find themselves left behind as the industry evolves. Avoiding these career development killers requires proactive engagement, ongoing education, ethical diligence, effective communication, and a willingness to innovate and adapt. By actively addressing these areas, loss prevention professionals can enhance their career trajectory and achieve long- term success in the field.
Embrace Career Development
The bottom line is that LP professionals need to be aware of the psychological aspects of their career development efforts in order to be fully successful in reaching their goals. First, do they have the proper vocational personality traits to rise within the ranks of the LP organization? If not, then they need to self-manage this mismatch scenario in order not to be derailed. Also, are LP professionals fully committed to doing what it takes to be maximally successful in their careers? Both a table that compares a high-to a low-committed LP professional and an informal selfassessment (see p.33) are provided to help LP professionals answer this question. Finally, LP professionals can benefit from working with a leadership coach if they want to develop those leadership personality traits and styles that would facilitate the ascension to higher-level positions in the profession
John W. Jones, PhD, ABPP, is the executive vice president of research and development at FifthTheory. He is a licensed psychologist in Illinois who serves as FifthTheory’s principal thought leader in the research, development, and delivery of personnel risk and talent management assessment solutions. Dr. Jones was the founding editor of the Journal of Business and Psychology and is the chief instructional officer for FifthTheory’s Loss Prevention Psychology Institute.
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Audit Is Not a 4-Letter Word: HOW TO EMBRACE THE POWER OF THE AUDIT
By Jacque Brittain, LPC
In retail loss prevention, why does the word “audit” so often hold such a bad reputation? Across the industry, many LP professionals view the process as tedious, a gremlin scorecard that points to all the negative aspects of the retail operation. Devouring efforts and energy as we inspect, review, and evaluate is an aspect of the job that is unpopular with some and downright disliked by others. To further complicate matters, the store teams frequently loathe the assessment itself, representing tedious rules and missed steps that haunt everyday operations. The process is routinely viewed as an ongoing indictment of store performance, highlighting the glitches that typically live below the surface of the business.
Granted, other aspects of the loss prevention function are much more exciting to talk about. We will not find any best-selling novels or award-winning movies on the finer points of auditing. However, there is no doubt what a successful audit program will mean to the success of a loss prevention program and the impact that it can have on a retail business. And as is true with so much of what we do, attitude and approach are everything. Despite what some seem to think, “audit” is not a 4-letter word, and when managed correctly and appropriately, it can be a driving factor in the operation’s success.
The Importance of Controls
Identifying and mitigating loss is a much more complicated problem than merely examining merchandise theft. While internal and external theft is a significant contributor to company losses, retail shrink is a complex issue with a variety of factors that can lead to retail losses. As a result, shrink management strategies require a multifaceted and broad-based approach to design and administer the process successfully. While sales drive the retail industry, all the different functions that support sales make the retail machine run smoothly. Everywhere that product moves through the retail network—from the point of purchase from the manufacturer or vendor to the point of final sale to the customer—a process is required to keep the product flowing through the system and maintain the business dynamic. When we consider the complexity of it all, it is easy to see that there are countless possibilities for issues, errors, and other operational mishaps, all of which can lead to shrink concerns. Establishing effective controls, therefore, becomes essential to the viability of the business.
The audit process is a means to monitor and measure the success of those operational controls. The breakdown of these controls is a primary contributor to many profitability dilemmas and a key component of a plethora
of loss prevention concerns. Directly or indirectly, these breakdowns can have a negative influence on every aspect of the business. The outcome can be devastating for any company, regardless of the corporation’s size or the types of products sold.
As the economic environment tightens and the retail options available to consumers continue to expand, fierce competition for our retail dollar forces businesses to keep profit margins narrow. As the cost of doing business grows and consumer spending tightens, there are fewer ways of absorbing deficits or passing on losses. The failure to control shrink affects the productivity and competitiveness of a retail business and can threaten the company’s economic existence.
Basic Audit Principles
Audits provide an objective and consistent evaluation of company standards, operating procedures, and internal controls. Using both quantitative and qualitative metrics, they allow us to evaluate and address the variety of performance efficiencies that shape and influence service, sales, shrink, appearance, supervision, administration, organization, security, safety, productivity, and a host of other factors that will impact the overall management and profitability of the store or facility.
AUDITS ARE A PROACTIVE IMPERATIVE DESIGNED TO HELP THE BUSINESS BETTER ACHIEVE FOCAL PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES.
However, a well-conceived and executed audit is much more than that. Audits provide insights regarding the bigger picture. Analyzing the results can provide a deeper look into the overall operations of a store. It should be seen as a way to improve performance, working with the management team to open opportunities for learning and engagement. It can enhance the ability to plan, prioritize, and multi-task. It can influence how certain
aspects of the operation are perceived and approached. It can help build a sense of ownership in the business’s success.
The audit itself may take on a variety of shapes and sizes. Some are thorough and complex, while others may provide a quick snapshot of a particular task or function. Some audits help manage and maintain a safe and productive work environment, some limit exposure to certain types of risk and loss, and others provide additional supplementary functions that further enhance the store’s performance and profitability.
Auditing is a process and should not be viewed as a single event that occurs on any given day. While it may provide a snapshot of how company policies, procedures, and protocols work at any particular moment, results should be reviewed and analyzed over time. Anyone and any store can show terrific results or lapses in efficiency at any given time—it is how those results are received, how they are addressed moving forward, and how they are managed over time that will provide accurate insights.
A Proactive Imperative
As the loss prevention profession has evolved, so too have many basic concepts that define that role in the eyes of company decision-makers. “Proactive” has become an essential word in our vocabulary and an essential function of the department. We have learned to drive operational efficiency and ensure controls are in place and adhered to throughout the organization.
Audits are a proactive imperative designed to help the business better achieve focal performance objectives. We have audits that analyze and review every area of the business—operations, performance, safety, data and information, information systems, control systems, legal compliance, financial statements and accountabilities, fraud, environmental accountabilities, human resource processes, and quality control.
Auditing has become deeply embedded in the fiber of the loss prevention role and is critical to our responsibilities. We serve as an essential element of the overall business plan based mainly on our ability to identify, inspect, investigate, assess, review, and instruct. These skills are not elective—they are a requirement of the profession. Those who aspire to have a prosperous career in loss prevention must not only accept but embrace this role and make it part of who they are as professionals.
As a business leader, this should be at the heart of what we do. We have learned the value of deterrence, limiting the desires and the opportunities for theft and other losses by integrating loss prevention concepts with retail practices. We have embraced a belief in training and awareness as being at the heart of a successful program. We have become more objective and practical in our methods, identifying shrink predictors
IF
THE AUDIT IS GOING TO CARRY REAL SIGNIFICANCE,
IT SHOULD
BE ACTIONABLE. OBSERVATIONS, INSIGHTS, AND IDEAS THAT TRANSLATE INTO ACCOMPLISHMENTS HELP THE AUDIT SERVE ITS TRUE OBJECTIVES.
and indicators that will recognize both efficiencies and opportunities, as well as improve performance. Our methods aren’t simply influenced—but founded on business insights and operational control concepts to manage shrink and enhance the profitability of our companies.
Factors for Success & Failure
A well-conceived audit program will provide a snapshot of the strength and operational foundation of the store or facility. Audit elements should reflect the spectrum of topics under evaluation and assess the scope of performance across various possibilities to appraise compliance. Questions and answers should reveal the level of conformity to policies, practices, and procedures and assess the employees’ awareness and understanding.
■ The audit should support the company’s mission. We want to reinforce goals and objectives that enrich performance and achieve this in ways that echo support and cooperation.
■ The audit should provide benchmarks for success and apply a process for continuing improvement. It should have
known reference points that identify targeted knowledge, strategies, and skills and the necessary breadth and depth of compliance.
■ Performance indicators should help determine whether success has been achieved or improvements need to be made. It is much easier for everyone involved to understand how things are going if there are well-defined benchmarks to serve as guidelines.
■ If the audit is going to carry real significance, it should be actionable. Observations, insights, and ideas that translate into accomplishments help the audit serve its true objectives.
■ A Management Action Plan details the steps needed to accomplish identified goals. The action plan communicates findings, addresses opportunities, and identifies ways to resolve issues sensibly and productively.
■ Action plans should be realistic and mutually agreed upon, bearing in mind business needs and other considerations that impact the business’s successful operation. Solutions should be practical and sensible. Goals should be clear. Audits are essential for ensuring operational compliance, enhancing awareness, measuring key performance functions, and providing valuable teaching and training opportunities. Still, the impact on the business is only as successful as our methods, approaches, and attitudes when
OUR METHODS AND MENTALITY SHOULD REFLECT THE APPROACH OF A TEACHER AND TRAINER, RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION AND AWARENESS TO SEND A MESSAGE AND IMPROVE PERFORMANCE.
conducting the audit, sharing the results, and supporting the store teams. Information is best used positively and productively. Our objective should be to improve the performance and productivity of the stores and add value to the organization.
Approaching the Audit
First, our attitude and approach must be positive, creative, objective, and open-minded. “Fair but firm” should always be our reference point. We want to instill the need to resolve issues and risks and reflect a spirit of support and cooperation whenever possible.
An audit is a tool—not a test. The audit should make the store or other facility more efficient and profitable, working with the store teams and providing a means to train and develop the associates. We must approach audit functions with a mindset to effectively serve the company, store, associates, and customers. That should be reflected in the way the audit document is constructed, the way it is completed, and the way it is presented. The spirit of the entire process should be one of growth and progress.
There will be challenges and opportunities which should be addressed accordingly:
■ This is what we found
■ This is why it’s an issue
■ Here is how it should be corrected
■ Establish an action plan that facilitates correction and improvement
■ Establish a timeline to follow up on the areas of opportunity
There should be few, if any, surprises. The purpose is to reinforce guiding principles and practices and evaluate compliance with known performance standards.
While there may be a natural tendency to focus on challenges and opportunities, identifying strengths and recognizing positive results is just as important. Too often, positive achievements are not acknowledged during the audit process, which tends to emphasize a negative undertone. This tendency will influence the entire process. Our methods and mentality should reflect the approach of a teacher and trainer, recognizing the importance of education and awareness to send a message and improve performance.
Through training and development, the auditor can learn to stir performance and engagement. Compliance results from information effectively taught and behavior inspired. While results may occasionally improve otherwise, we see consistent success only when both exist in concert.
Bringing It All Together
It is no coincidence that there is a direct relationship between audit performance and inventory shrink results. Performance is fortified when a well-managed audit program is used to improve operational
AUDITS ARE ESSENTIAL FOR ENSURING OPERATIONAL COMPLIANCE, ENHANCING AWARENESS, MEASURING KEY PERFORMANCE FUNCTIONS, AND PROVIDING VALUABLE TEACHING AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES.
compliance. An audit can be a tremendous tool in helping validate performance and bring attention to store strengths and deficiencies. Still, it is how that information is used that will add value to the organization.
It is crucial to maintain a positive, objective approach when evaluating compliance and recognizing exceptional performance when it exists. Of course, it is vital to identify opportunities for improvement but also educate the store on why it is an issue, how it can potentially impact the store, and how they can improve. This requires thought and creativity, not just marks on a scorecard. Audit is not a four-letter word. The audit function is designed to identify issues, correct those issues, and help make the business more efficient and profitable. But every audit is an opportunity. It is an opportunity to open doors and learn more about the store, the associates, and the business. It is an opportunity to teach and train others about our role and how that role can enhance the overall success of the company. It is an opportunity to build business partnerships and define our place beyond the stereotypical role that others see us filling. Expanding our role helps us mature as professionals, grow, and makes us better at what we do.
Jacque Brittain, LPC, is editorial director for LP Magazine Prior to joining the magazine, he was director of learning design and certification for Learn It Solutions, where he helped coordinate and write the online coursework for the Loss Prevention Foundation’s LPC and LPQ certifications. Earlier in his career, Brittain was vice president of operations for one of the largest executive recruiting firms in the LP industry. He can be reached at JacB@LossPreventionMedia.com.
The Evolution of Loss
Prevention Training
By Allie Falk
Afew months ago, my colleague Jac Brittain, LP Magazine editorial director, sent me a video from the 1950s about shoplifting. I was surprised to see the public perception of shoplifting at the time and the ways employees were trained to approach shoplifters. As a relatively new writer in the LP industry—I recently approached my one-year anniversary of working at LPM—stating that “housewives commit 85 percent of the nation’s shoplifting” and that a “topcoat worn nonchalantly over one shoulder” is a common shoplifter tactic didn’t exactly align with what I have learned so far in the LPC course and during my time at LPM. Ultimately, this disconnect inspired me to dig into the history of LP training and to take a closer look at how training has evolved from the narrow 1950s mindset to the expansive discipline it is today.
Luckily, Brittain has over forty years of industry experience under his belt, and he played a large role in developing the training courses at the Loss Prevention Foundation that have become the gold standard of training for LP professionals today. When I came to him with my thoughts, he had a wealth of knowledge to share. What started as simply sharing a video evolved into months of discussions about all the ways in which LP training has changed over the years.
These discussions, which also involved other industry leaders, revealed significant progress in the field of LP. From the days of chasing shoplifters through parking lots, we’ve now transitioned to
Jacque Brittain, LPC
more reliable LP technologies and safety-focused retailer policies. Amid these changes, one thing has remained constant and even more vital: the ongoing need for training.
The Early Days of LP Training
After speaking with multiple sources, it became apparent that for many, there were no tangible, specific training guidelines on effective procedures that extended beyond observing your mentor on the floor. Brittain noted that for him, there were no clear-cut methods that
Even as apprehensions continued to rise, store losses often continued to increase as well. Thus, a major change in LP strategies was necessary. Limited training and simply apprehending shoplifters were no longer enough to impact profit enhancement.
were taught, other than to observe and catch shoplifters, which is why he and many he knew had chosen the profession—the thrill of apprehensions. But even as apprehensions continued to rise, store losses often continued to increase as well. Thus, a major change in LP strategies was necessary. Limited training and simply apprehending shoplifters were no longer enough to impact profit enhancement. The need for more effective LP training became a top priority for retailers. Consistent training and education on the full scope of shortage awareness issues and their impact on sales and profitability was needed for all employees.
When I spoke with former-Vice President of LP at DICK’S Sporting Goods David Lund, CFI, LPC, he reflected on his training experience in 1990—the year his journey in LP began.
“Unfortunately, my initial training experience could be best described as rudimentary and primarily on-the-job. I learned the basics of my new role through hands-on observation of my slightly more seasoned colleagues and, later, by actively engaging in the work alongside them. After a few shifts, I was on my own.” He continued, “While I vaguely recall scanning company handbooks and signing off on various policy and procedure documents, the substance of those materials didn’t leave a lasting impression or contribute significantly to my learning process.”
Brittain added, “One of the biggest changes in training methods over the years has been how we approach shoplifters themselves. We used to be trained to stop or even chase shoplifters out of the store physically, but today, we’ve seen a complete change in how we approach this problem. Most companies have adopted training with a totally hands-off approach; the safety aspect of training methods has changed significantly over the years.”
The old “cops and robbers” mentality evolved due to multiple factors, but the
main forces behind the changes were the need to keep LP, shoppers, and suspects safe—and the realization that stores cannot catch their way out of shrink.
“In my early years of retail, the LP team was largely regarded as a separate entity that was mainly charged with catching shoplifters and an occasional rogue employee,” said Karen Edwards, senior instructor at the University of South Carolina College of Hospitality, Retail, and Sport Management. “Today, we recognize the LP role as a highly skilled and integral part of the management team, whose function, like everyone’s, involves maximizing profit and reducing risk for the organization.”
As retail operations and loss prevention recognized that neither profession is intended to stand on its own and that they are business partners, the focus on proper training and awareness increased. Thus, they began to understand how to serve each other better.
“We went from the narrow focus on people stealing to looking at other sources of loss within the company. We’ve really taken a giant step forward in the way that we look at the whole concept of retail loss,” said Brittain.
However, this wasn’t something that happened overnight. To truly influence the success of the business, the LP team had to be seen as valued partners who could make a genuine impact on company performance. For that evolution to occur, there needed to be a unified effort to build formalized training programs and, subsequently, credibility.
LP is now a defined profession, offering various career advancement and growth opportunities. The broadening of core responsibilities and program objectives has emphasized professional flexibility to keep up with the changing retail landscape. As a result, today’s LP professional is expected to be multidimensional, open-minded, global-thinking, and enterprising.
David Lund, CFI, LPC
Karen Edwards
Certifications Validate LP as a Profession
A significant development that forged a path forward for LP training has been the rise of specialized certifications like the Certified Forensic Interviewer (CFI), Loss Prevention Certified (LPC), and Loss Prevention Qualified (LPQ), which played a pivotal role in elevating the standards and professionalism within our industry.
Credibility is vital in loss prevention, which is part of the reason these certifications were created—to establish essential competencies for successful professionals. Developed with input from industry leaders, these credentials solidify a professional’s standing in the field.
Brittain had this to say regarding the LPC and LPQ: “To establish the credibility of these certifications, around 350 industry leaders and subject matter experts from over one hundred leading retailers were interviewed and actively involved in the development process. After the content was finalized, input from numerous college professors was sought to enhance the learning design. The result was not just training programs but comprehensive educational courses, eligible for academic credits at various colleges and universities nationwide.” Brittain continued, “The focus throughout the creation of these certifications was on identifying the essential skills and abilities for success in the field of loss prevention. The educational programs serve as tools to cultivate effective leadership qualities, incorporating industry best practices to guide professionals in navigating daily challenges.”
Lund agrees that credibility is critical in the LP field and stresses the importance of pursuing professional certifications.
“Beyond enhancing individual credibility, professional certification has fostered a sense of community and collaboration within the industry,” he said. “Solution providers, recognizing the importance of understanding the particulars of loss prevention, have not only pursued certification themselves but have also supported the certification efforts of others. Many have also invested in events and organizations dedicated to professional development, thereby contributing to a well-connected and mutually supportive network within the industry.”
The certifications add validation to the field of loss prevention, helping to establish the career path as a profession rather than simply a role. The professional credential,
A
significant development that forged a path forward for LP training has been the rise of specialized certifications like the Certified Forensic Interviewer (CFI), Loss Prevention Certified (LPC), and Loss Prevention Qualified (LPQ), which played a pivotal role in elevating the standards and professionalism within our industry.
updated regularly, enables certification holders to stay current on vital skills and advance their professional development in a field demanding expertise, trustworthiness, and credibility.
“Top-tier employers are actively seeking out certified professionals, recognizing the value of a credentialed team. Job postings increasingly prioritize candidates with certification or at least a preference for it, positioning certification as a significant differentiator in a competitive job market,” Lund stressed. “This trend reflects a broader acknowledgment among employers that investing in certified professionals leads to enhanced team cohesion and better performance.”
With seventeen years of experience in LP and now working as director of operations and partnerships at the LPF, Julie Lawson, MBA, LPC, added, “Many job descriptions will list LPC, LPQ, or CFI as a preferred or required asset on one’s resume. I think providing continued education opportunities is incredibly valuable, and, as a whole, I would love for retailers to reach out about topics they would like addressed on continuing education webinars. Providing relevant, valuable content is critical to helping LP professionals maintain these professional certifications.”
These certifications advance professionals already in the field and help prepare and educate those interested in pursuing a career in retail loss prevention. Now, some universities even offer students the opportunity to earn their LPQ as a part of their coursework.
At the University of South Carolina, for example, students in the College of Hospitality, Retail, and Sport Management can take a class on asset protection where they earn their LPQ. “Integrating the LPQ course right into the curriculum has been a game-changer—our students are able to access the same materials used by LP professionals already working in the field,” Edwards said.
More and more universities are recognizing the need to include LP in their curriculum as the field continues to grow and gain more awareness. These include the University of Cincinnati; UEI College in Huntington-Park, California; Carrington College in Sacramento, California; and the University of New Haven in West Haven, Connecticut, among others.
Karl Langhorst has 35-plus years of retail LP experience and currently serves as the SVP of operations for ALTO US. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Criminal Justice, where he instructs on retail loss prevention and corporate security.
“I am a strong advocate for the LPQ and LPC certifications,” Langhorst said. “I am especially proud of the partnership between the LP Foundation and the University of Cincinnati College of Criminal Justice. Our students are hungry for knowledge and certifications. The ability to provide them the opportunity to not only learn about retail asset protection but to also earn the LPQ certification and to put that on their resume, I believe, is truly a competitive advantage
Julie Lawson, MBA, LPC
Karl Langhorst, CPP, CFI, LPC
for our students when seeking a career in the criminal justice field.”
There are solution providers who mandate obtaining the LPQ certification as a part of the job, ALTO being one of them.
“With my role at ALTO USA, we have made obtaining the LPQ certification a requirement for our field team,” Langhorst said. “While we focus on hiring customer service-focused team members, we also want them to have the basic knowledge of both loss prevention and business so they can provide the support our customers expect and deserve. The LPQ certification provides that knowledge.”
Modern Day Training Methods
In the 1980s, the first online marketplace opened for business, forever changing the retail landscape. On the positive side, shopping methods became smarter and more intuitive. On the other side of the spectrum, shoplifting and other retail crimes evolved as well, creating new opportunities for retail thieves to resell stolen goods. A new demand arose for updated loss prevention training methods that kept pace with the offenders.
“Loss prevention training quickly adapted to this new environment by moving from a reactive to a proactive approach, focusing on customer service, operational controls, and creative merchandising to limit theft opportunities,” Brittain said. “Collaborative partnerships across departments replaced siloed operations, making a proactive approach more cost-effective in deterring both external theft and employee dishonesty.”
As part of a proactive approach, most retailers today train their LP departments to utilize advanced technology systems that furnish in-depth insights into the operation and success of the stores. Many of these tech-enabled insights also aid in the direction and performance of LP programs. Their purpose is to enhance current strategies, strengthen LP teams, and educate staff to achieve the goal of safeguarding assets.
“Technology has facilitated greater accessibility and convenience, allowing learners to engage with training materials at their own pace,” Lund said. “Digital platforms can also offer interactive features and multimedia content that can enhance engagement and retention. With the increasing adoption of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analytics in loss
prevention efforts, training programs will need to incorporate content for effectively leveraging these technologies.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our day-to-day activities, such as school, work, interviewing, etc., were done virtually, with some never quite returning to their original format. And now, virtual training has become an accepted practice.
“Technology available for online classes has come a long way, and it is very easy to ensure all students are staying engaged in group conversations with their peers and to ensure those conversations are presented in a manner in which students want to participate,” Langhorst said. “I challenge my students from day one of my classes to not just provide textbook answers but to also develop their critical thinking skills. I reinforce the development of this important skill throughout my courses in discussion posts, research papers, and in the video chats I have with them.”
There are pros and cons to online training—especially when it comes down to finances.
“More and more training has gone virtual. I do think there is something extra that you get with in-person training, so I am glad to see some of those return. However, the ability to reach a wider audience because of the cost savings of doing things virtually allows education to happen in a much wider net than possible twenty years ago,” Lawson said.
“Top-tier employers are actively seeking out certified professionals, recognizing the value of a credentialed team. Job postings increasingly prioritize candidates with certification or at least a preference for it, positioning certification as a significant differentiator in a competitive job market.”
David Lund , CFI, LPC
But the collaboration that comes with in-person training can be invaluable. For example, Edwards’ students benefit from hands-on classroom learning, especially since they may be unfamiliar with the nitty gritty of loss prevention.
“The first thing I point out to students is that loss prevention is part of every retailer’s job—whether you’re a buyer, a store manager, or work in supply chain management, there is literally no position in retail that isn’t affected by the risk of loss,” Edwards explained. “Although many of our retail majors have jobs in the industry, not many of them are extremely familiar with aspects of loss prevention beyond shoplifting. So, awareness of the many factors that can create loss is key. We cover everything from internal theft and investigations, online fraud, and conducting inventories to workplace violence, ORC, and active shooters.”
Langhorst further highlights the field’s dynamic nature, stressing the importance of staying updated beyond traditional resources like textbooks.
“Retail AP, and the challenges we face, change continuously. Textbooks can’t be the only resource that students are exposed to if the goal is to legitimately help them understand the profession,” Langhorst said. “Not only are my students exposed to real-time retail LP topics through industry publications such as the LP Magazine, but I am fortunate enough to have industry experts that I do video interviews with for my classes. I pride myself on staying current on industry trends and ensuring substantive trends are shared with the students in the form of discussion forums and additional required readings.”
Establishing an effective training and awareness program is essential for employees to gain proper awareness. Doing so requires approaching the task holistically and instituting a systemized plan that best suits the stores’ and the trainees’ needs.
“Structured training plans that blend company history, theoretical knowledge, practical experience, and fundamental organizational navigation skills are crucial. Pairing new hires with peer mentors dedicated to supporting their onboarding and training processes can significantly enhance the learning experience,” Lund said. “A holistic training approach not
only strengthens the capabilities of LP professionals but also fosters collaboration across departments, leading to more integrated and effective strategies for loss prevention. Exposure to cross-functional training has also been proven to facilitate career advancement, with LP practitioners often transitioning into leadership roles in store operations, human resources, and beyond.
“At DICK’S, LP professionals undergo a structured eight-week training program, which serves as a cornerstone for our multi-unit leaders. This comprehensive program caters to individuals both internally promoted and new to the business, offering tailored tracks to meet the varying needs and backgrounds of our teammates.”
These programs can provide individuals who are new to the industry with wider knowledge of the actual role of LP professionals, correcting any perception of these professionals as “security guards” or similar titles.
“The reality of what retail loss prevention does and the important role they can play as a business partner
and integral part of the management team, whose function, like everyone’s, involves maximizing profit and reducing risk for the organization.”
Karen Edwards
are vastly unknown to many college students’” Langhorst said. “The widely accepted impression of retail LP is that of “mall cops” or overzealous “shoplift agents.” When students are exposed to the real world of retail AP, they are amazed at the diverse career paths available to them in this profession. I have had numerous students that have shifted their career path from law enforcement to retail LP upon graduation.”
Career paths in loss prevention have expanded tremendously over the years, with opportunities now available to aid in the process of landing a job in the field.
“LP internships provide a huge opportunity for students who want to get an in-depth understanding of the profession and the many different career paths in it. The UC CJ program has partnered with several companies to help
create or promote their programs. LP internships are a win-win proposition as they not only allow students on-the-job exposure to LP professionals, but provide a great recruiting opportunity for companies to vet potential candidates.”
The Future of LP Training
Whether certain training methods are here to stay and continue to be effective will depend on the ongoing evolution of the retail environment. As the retail industry continues to evolve, so too must the available training.
“Training programs will likely continue to emphasize understanding human behavior and psychology to detect and prevent active violence and manage conflicts that seem more commonplace in retail,” said Lund. “The trend toward professional certification and standardized
“Industry stakeholders may consider implementing mechanisms to evaluate a professional’s ability to apply their knowledge in practical scenarios. This could involve incorporating hands-on simulations, case studies, and experiential learning opportunities into continuing training programs.”
— Karl Langhorst, CPP, CFI, LPC
training programs is likely to continue, as organizations recognize the value of having certified and well-trained LP teams.”
Lund also believes that this will undoubtedly entail the creation of fresh certifications and accreditation initiatives designed specifically for the challenges within the industry.
Still, the significance of “live” experience, in-person mentorship, and practical skills training is unlikely to wane, as real-world scenarios consistently offer the most valuable learning for LP professionals.
“Industry stakeholders may consider implementing mechanisms to evaluate a professional’s ability to apply their knowledge in practical scenarios,” Lund said. “This could involve incorporating hands-on simulations, case studies, and experiential learning opportunities into continuing training programs. Certification and training programs should also be regularly updated to reflect emerging trends, technologies, and threats. Additionally, mentorship programs pairing seasoned credential-holders with newcomers could provide valuable guidance and opportunities for practical skill development and skills validation—and would also create opportunities for great networking.”
By aligning training, certifications, and continuing education with the trajectory and evolution of retail, loss prevention professionals can better anticipate and respond to changing threats and identify emerging opportunities within the industry. This elevates loss prevention from a job to a profession and ensures LP has a seat at the table.
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Allie Falk is assistant editor for LP Magazine where she focuses on social media, daily e-newsletters, interviewing LP experts for magazine articles, and crafting email blasts. Prior to LPM, she was a digital content marketing intern for Tyler Technologies, the leading CAD software provider in the US, where she was awarded ‘Spotlight Intern’. Allie received her bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Detroit Mercy in 2022, where she was awarded Communications Student of 2022. She can be reached at AllieF@LossPreventionMedia.com
Hibbett and City Gear Show Their Appreciation for Law Enforcement
Strong partnerships with law enforcement are crucial for any loss prevention team. When a criminal act occurs in your store, you want to already have a relationship with local police—and you want that relationship to be positive.
The LP team at Hibbett and City Gear knows this well, which is why they’ve started hosting law enforcement appreciation events at their stores throughout the country.
LP Magazine is recognizing the unsung heroes of the loss prevention and asset protection industry. In an ongoing column, we will highlight those among us who are going above and beyond to help their community and world around them to be a better place. Whether it be an individual or a team, donating time, money, or bringing joy to others—we want to say, “thank you” and let our readers get to know you better. To nominate an individual or an entire LP team, fill out the form at losspreventionmagazine.com/something-good.
Carmen DuBose, LPC, CFI
“In certain areas, we have had a slow response time with police when reporting incidents such as robberies and grab-and-runs, and this has caused our store employees to feel unsafe,” said Carmen DuBose, LPC, CFI, senior director of asset protection at Hibbett. “We made connections with these departments to talk about what we could do better to combat these issues and to understand what it would take to get a better response.
“With most police departments, they are understaffed and overstretched, causing them to focus on the more violent crimes facing their communities. The feeling we gathered from these meetings is that they were stressed that they could not provide better service just based on their limited resources.”
After understanding these challenges, DuBose’s team wanted to make sure law enforcement knew just how much they appreciate what they do. So, the field leadership teams in Kansas City started working with police outreach officers to coordinate law enforcement appreciation events at three different store locations where officers could enjoy hamburgers and hotdogs fresh off the grill, Kona ice cream, and even music from on-site DJs.
“Following the events, we received feedback from the sergeants of the departments that they really appreciated the events because they do not experience this very often.”
Carmen DuBose, LPC, CFI
“It forged a connection between these officers and our store personnel,” DuBose explained. “I think it showed the store personnel who were feeling unsafe that we were trying to do more to get police more engaged with our stores.”
In addition to the delicious food, officers were also given swag bags with water bottles, notepads, pens, and coupons for Hibbett and City Gear products at the events.
“Following the events, we received feedback from the sergeants of the departments that they really appreciated the events because they do not experience this very often,” DuBose continued. “We are currently looking for opportunities for these types of law enforcement appreciation events in other communities. We feel it’s an important initiative for our company to show appreciation for our law enforcement officers who protect and serve our store and communities daily. We will continue to reach out to law enforcement to determine what they need from us to decide how we can continue to make these connections. It’s going to take a collaborative partnership and building of trust between all parties to combat the criminal activity facing our stores and to make our store personnel feel safer.”
The Tipping Point of The Great Self-Checkout Experiment
Retailers’
has
use of self-checkout
reached a tipping point.
Will it continue to be touted as a cost-saver, or have the losses it allows become too great?
By Courtney Wolfe
To say that opinions about self-checkout (SCO) are mixed is an understatement. While retailers love the labor cost savings and claim the self-service kiosks are more convenient for shoppers, they are also concerned about the loss associated with SCO. Some consumers complain about the lack of customer service and the long lines that can form when shoppers must clumsily scan their own items, and others enjoy not having to interact with or wait for an employee to check them out. The debate is so hot that multiple Reddit threads are dedicated to the topic.
One thread about a Gizmodo article titled “The Self-Checkout Nightmare May Finally Be Ending” provides an interesting glimpse into the psyche of some shoppers:
“I’ll be fine with self-checkout when they give me the employee discount for using it,” wrote one person. “Why should I do work for the company while they cut labor and still raise prices? Should I swing around the back and see if they need help unloading trucks too?”
“My only self-checkout nightmare is if they get rid of it and I have to stand in a 45-minute line to buy s**t because grandma is counting pennies or Methany is arguing about her 7-year-old coupon so she can save 14 cents on Altoids,” wrote another.
Continue to peruse the site, and you’ll find another thread asking how many people steal at self-checkouts and yet another full of retail employees discussing how they knowingly allow people to not pay at SCO kiosks. The general consensus is that they “do not get paid enough” to deal with potentially irate customers or to even care about the losses their employers face.
“People have strong feelings about self-checkout, no matter what ‘side’ they fall on,” said Johnny Custer, CFI, senior director of retail risk solutions at ThinkLP. “It seems like everyone is impacted—both the retailers and the public at large. You can talk to almost anyone that does any brick-and-mortar shopping and you can be rest assured that they will have an opinion, and will be more than willing to share it, along with some stories
of their misadventures while ringing themselves out. This is why I call [retailers’ use of SCO] the ‘Great Self-Checkout Experiment.’ Today, it continues to remain controversial. With brick-and-mortar constantly battling the ease of online shopping, can brick-and-mortar afford to continue supporting this controversy? Only time will tell.”
However, many hurdles had to be crossed before the technology gained popularity among retailers.
“The concept [of self-checkout] didn’t gain widespread adoption until later in the ’90s when larger retailers started to implement their own versions of self-checkout systems,” Custer said.
Because of all of these factors, loss prevention professionals have mixed feelings about the use of self-checkout in stores as well. LP Magazine recently polled our LinkedIn followers, asking whether self-checkout has created more advantages or disadvantages in their stores. Of the 205 who voted, 53 percent said it had created more disadvantages, 7 percent said more advantages, 39 percent said it had created both advantages and disadvantages, and 1 percent said neither. A follow-up poll asked followers whether they feel that retailers will be increasing, decreasing, or keeping the same amount of self-checkout kiosks in the near future; 61 percent said they would be decreasing the number of kiosks, 23 percent said they would be increasing kiosks, 14 percent said they would be keeping the same number of kiosks, and 2 percent said they were not sure.
So, how did we get here? Let’s dive in.
The Evolution of SCO
The first self-checkout kiosk was installed in a Kroger store in Atlanta in July 1986, after David R. Humble, president of electronics company CheckRobot, grew tired of waiting in long checkout lines.
“One of the first major retailers to adopt self-checkout on a large scale was Walmart in the early 2000s. Since then, self-checkout has become increasingly common in retail stores around the world.”
According to Custer, the concept of SCO has remained relatively the same in both theory and execution since its inception, enhanced by advances in technology assisting with setup and monitoring.
“Rather than only being given the abilities to ‘self-scan’ and ‘self-pay,’ now customers have many sales capture activities that they can conduct—scanning items, hand keying, departmental code entry, scanner guns, product lookup entry, weighing items, and even entry of scannable coupons may be allowed,” Custer added. “However, sales-reducing activities (SRA) are locked down even more today than they were a few years ago. A front-end supervisor is often required to enter a code or flick a key to produce an SRA, such as a discount, price override, voided item, etc. This requires the supervisor to be always in the immediate area, responding to flashing register lights and other calls for help.”
“I can think back to Safeway in the ’90s when they were trying different kinds of SCO systems using a scan-and-go system, but it sort of faded away partly because of issues around the technology,” said Adrian Beck, emeritus professor at the University of
“You can talk to almost anyone that does any brick-and-mortar shopping, and you can be rest assured that they will have an opinion, and will be more than willing to share it, along with some stories of their misadventures while ringing themselves out.”
Johnny Custer, CFI
Leicester and academic adviser for the ECR Retail Loss Group. “It’s only really in the last ten years I’d say that the use of SCO in grocery has really grown quite quickly for a number of reasons: One is the reliability of the tech has improved, and second is that grocers really saw the labor savings, so it’s a massive opportunity to significantly reduce their labor cost—that’s what’s driven a huge amount of expansion. More recently, what we’re seeing are a range of variants of SCO, so there isn’t just one type anymore. I have a list of at least twelve different types of SCO systems that exist, so it’s now becoming much more fragmented as a technology.”
CONTROLTEK
President Tom Meehan echoed that the evolution of self-checkout systems has been significant since they were first introduced.
“Originally designed to reduce labor costs and improve customer throughput, these systems were initially basic and not very user-friendly,” he said. “However, technological advancements over the years have greatly enhanced their functionality. Modern self-checkouts feature intuitive touch screens, advanced scanning technology, and reliable weight sensors, making them more accessible and easier to use across various retail settings beyond grocery stores, such as pharmacies and fast food outlets.
Johnny Custer, CFI
Tom Meehan, CFI
Adrian Beck
Daria
“The integration of mobile payment options like Apple Pay and QR codes has further improved these systems, catering to a consumer preference for contactless transactions—a trend that became particularly prominent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, recent implementations of artificial intelligence and machine learning have addressed challenges such as error reduction and theft prevention while also personalizing the shopping experience with targeted suggestions based on customer purchases.”
But while the technology itself has improved, retailers’ awareness of its association with loss has grown. Beck explains it in three phases:
At first, there was no sense that SCO generated any loss, Beck said, so the technology was shrink-neutral. “This was partly a model pushed by those who wanted to sell SCO to retailers,” he explained. “They pedaled the line that it was neutral in terms of loss, so for quite a while, few retailers thought it had an impact.”
The second phase saw a growing realization that SCO was associated with loss. In the third phase, which we are living through now, Beck says there is a very clear recognition that there is, indeed, potential loss associated with SCO, and many companies are working on strategies to manage that loss.
“How retailers deal with the third phase varies, and some companies are far more mature than others in how they manage SCO, but probably for the last four or five years, a significant portion of the industry is more aware of the risks with SCO,” Beck added.
The State of SCO Today
It could be said that the use of self-checkout in retail is hitting a bit of a tipping point these days. Yes, the technology has advanced to be easier for customers to use and better at detecting fraud. But now that retailers are realizing just how much of an impact it has on loss, customers are growing frustrated with the lack of customer service, and SCO supervisors are facing the brunt of those frustrations with verbal and even sometimes physical attacks, something has got to give. And as a result, some retailers—including Walmart, Safeway, and Five Below—are scaling back on their use of the technology.
“During the past year, Walmart chose to convert the self-checkout lanes to staffed checkouts at select locations,” Walmart Global Communications Senior Director Charles Crowson told LPM. “The conversions
“One of the challenges with self-checkout is that it has been controversial from the start, which makes mitigating shrinkage even more cumbersome due to opposition from those who are against self-checkout systems.”
Tom Meehan, CFI
were based on several factors, including feedback from associates and customers, shopping patterns, and existing business needs. We believe the changes will improve the in-store experience and give our associates the chance to provide more personalized service. As we do with many of our processes, we’ll continue evaluating our stores and listening to those who shop and work with us when considering future decisions.”
According to a Global Study on Self-Checkout in Retail commissioned by the ECR Retail Loss Group and conducted in 2022 by Beck, SCO systems accounted for as much as 23 percent of retailers’ unknown store losses, with malicious losses representing 48 percent. In addition, two-thirds of survey respondents believed the challenge of SCO-related losses was becoming more of a problem in their business.
“There’s a lot of talk about ORC, but I often compare it to if you have an ORC gang come into the store and steal $3,000. It will make the news, but if you have 3,000 customers stealing a dollar at the SCO, it adds up to the same amount of loss—even though it doesn’t get the headlines, it’s costing retailers just as much if not more,” Beck said. “You’re vastly increasing the pool of people with opportunities not to pay. It’s a big issue in retail, and they’re now waking up to the fact where it’s a tipping point, and they have to reflect on how they want to manage their SCO.”
Custer believes that now that we’ve hit this tipping point, more retailers will start scaling back on SCO.
“I would guess that very few retailers have implemented SCOs because they believe customers like ringing themselves up,” Custer said. “Most likely, this is a cost-saving decision, allowing a single associate to cover five or more registers at once. I think many customers hate the additional ‘touches’ of ringing and bagging their own items, especially when we, as a nation, are paying significantly more for significantly less. As a result, I just don’t believe any retailer is fully committed to making SCOs the future of retail POS.
“We see constant changes in the permissions/abilities of customers while ringing, ongoing changes to the count of SCOs at any given location, and continuously evolving LP best practices like receipt checking at the SCO exit point. It all just feels that, as an industry, we aren’t fully committed and are awaiting a more AI-based long-term solution.”
In a world where the customer is (usually) right, consumer preference will likely lead retailers’ future SCO strategies.
“You’re bringing in something customers absolutely hate, and we saw that in the mid-period of SCO’s adoption, where it was driving people insane,” Beck said. “Retailers are working in an extremely competitive world and need to rebalance how they can ensure customers have a reasonably good experience. We did a study on SCO supervisors a year ago, and one thing that came out of that was a realization of the level of violence and verbal abuse they face, especially depending on the number of machines they must look after. There’s a reevaluation for retailers to protect their staff, and make sure customers can get through that space comfortably and accurately.”
This reevaluation doesn’t necessarily mean completely doing away with SCO, though—just reimagining its use.
“Some retailers got into SCO when they shouldn’t have—when you’ve got stores where you’ve only ever employed one to two staff and therefore make really low guardianship spaces in the first place and then add the opportunity of SCO,” Beck explained. “For bigger retailers, what we’re seeing is some are reimagining what their SCO space needs to look like and beginning to think through what a sensible SCO strategy is, dependent on the type of store in which it’s placed. When you tailor SCO to the risk of a particular store and manage those losses, it becomes a viable proposition because there are still labor savings to be had. But it’s a rebalancing now of looking at the return on investment and whether it’s as marvelous as SCO vendors promised years ago. Still, I think it’s here to stay—retailers have invested too much money and don’t want to go back to the labor models of the past, but they have to invest far more in control. The days are gone where one person is looking after ten-plus SCO machines.”
Custer reiterated that he believes SCO is on its way out unless drastic changes are made.
“I do not think SCO is long for the world,” he said. “Of course, I’ve been saying that for the past five years, so I could very well be wrong. Based on retailers’ continuously changing SCO policies and approaches, I believe that many may revert back to human cashiers before too long. Or, if sensor-fusion technology proves itself worthy, perhaps we will see more of those cashier-less stores we’ve been hearing about for years.”
Holding onto Hope
While the industry is sitting at this tipping point, what retailers choose now will determine whether SCO continues to be an effective cost savings tool.
The biggest change that needs to be made, it seems, is around guardianship.
“When you look at the early days of SCO, the staff who were considered the poorest performers were put in the SCO area, and the reality now is that, for some retailers, as much as 80 percent of all transactions are going through the SCO—that’s a phenomenal amount of profit for the least able person to be looking after it,” Beck said. “You need the very best people to work in those spaces.”
The other piece of this puzzle is increasing the number of people who work in SCO areas. Beck recommends accounting for the volume and velocity of transactions and the type of alerting
“We did a study on SCO supervisors a year ago, and one thing that came out of that was a realization of the level of violence and verbal abuse they face, especially depending on the number of machines they have to look after. There’s a reevaluation for retailers to protect their staff, and make sure customers can get through that space comfortably and accurately.”
Adrian Beck
being used in the self-checkout when determining how many supervisors to have working at once.
“Having a store associate present and aware at self-checkout stations during the checkout process deters what would appear as a free pass to leave the store without scanning items or not paying for the entire basket,” said Senior Manager of Zebra Technologies’ Global Solution Center Andrew Doorty. “Noticeable security cameras at the self-checkout station display live videos of the shoppers on the POS, which inform anyone thinking of cheating that they are being monitored. Also, exit greeters auditing the basket to the receipt are a major deterrent.”
Receipt checking must be executed properly to avoid lawsuits, though.
“Just like anything else LP-related, consistency is key,” Custer said. “You can’t initiate a policy like receipt checking as customers leave the SCO area and only check certain individuals. If this is going to be a policy, then everyone needs to be checked. In addition, LP teams need to be especially vigilant with their companies’ required steps before making an external apprehension. Things can get very convoluted at the SCO, often taking away the clarity on whether a crime was committed or if intent was present. Following company protocol 100 percent should help to minimize the potential for litigation.”
Investing in better technology can also help reduce loss at the self-checkout.
“Well-trained and engaged SCO attendants—and adequate staffing presence of attendants, a ratio of one attendant for four SCO registers—along with the usage of AI is essential,” said Mike Lamb LPC, owner of MLamb Consulting Services.
Andrew Doorty
To the opportunistic shoplifters that use shopping carts for retail theft: Your days of free lunches (and breakfasts and dinners and drinks and snacks and soda and toiletries and alcohol and laundry detergent) are over.
Sincerely,
Purchek®
Technology
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“I believe there will always be the balance of labor savings versus the cost of shrink, and I doubt we’ll see a day where SCO no longer exists. Arguably there will just be more of a critical view of how and where the technology is deployed. In the era of the customer voting with their wallets, they will dictate how we see it evolve going forward.”
Mike Lamb, LPC
“Like many other shrinkage challenges, self-checkout requires a comprehensive approach to reducing or mitigating losses,” Meehan advised. “This involves strong customer service, appropriate training and education for staff, effective signage, the placement of physical security devices such as cameras, and regular maintenance of the self-checkout devices themselves. One of the challenges with self-checkout is that it has been controversial from the start, which makes mitigating shrinkage even more cumbersome due to opposition from those who are against self-checkout systems. Additionally, continually testing new technologies and seeking feedback from peers in the industry can provide valuable insights and innovative solutions. To truly address shrinkage at self-checkouts, I believe it is essential to implement all of these measures.”
Thieves will always find a way to steal, Doorty said, but we as an industry can at least do everything in our power to thwart their efforts.
“People who are going to steal are going to probe retailers’ processes and look for easy ways to steal—when one avenue to steal is closed down, they will find another avenue,” he said. “I believe a better staff-managed self-checkout environment and the latest technology will help prevent theft.”
Meehan believes the most notable improvements in SCO have come from the integration of artificial intelligence.
“AI has had a major impact on reducing theft and fraud at self-checkout stations through various technologies,” Meehan said. “Computer vision systems now help identify deviant behavior using video surveillance, while advanced algorithms provide early detection of deceptive actions.”
RFID, too, can be a useful tool for self-checkout.
“RFID at self-checkouts can eliminate mis-scans and many common scams because each tag has a unique serialized number that links to an item and its appropriate UPC,” Meehan explained. “Additionally, RFID allows you to track what enters and exits the self-checkout area, providing valuable insights into where and when shrinkage is occurring.”
To truly make an impact on loss at the SCO, RFID could go even further than the self-checkout area.
“Better monitoring systems for a shopper’s trip will preload what is expected to be
scanned at the self-checkout lane,” Doorty said. “The audit of a shopper’s basket needs to be streamlined. Utilizing passive RFID technology, especially for higher value items, will help retail operations identify items that are moving past the POS. Exit greeters will have RFID-enabled mobile computers that can easily scan a basket and identify items not purchased. Also utilizing computer vision at the exit will provide a method for speedy audits.”
Comprehensive data collection while testing different technologies is essential in determining whether they are worthy investments, according to Custer.
“Long-term data and full visibility into what is actually happening at the SCOs is probably most important,” Custer elaborated. “Only through that data will you be able to fully monitor the ongoing ROI of SCO use, and only through the data will you be able to make educated decisions on how to move forward.”
Ultimately, it’s a combination of all these considerations that are necessary for an effective SCO program.
The advantages of SCO, especially with the labor shortage retailers are facing today, is undeniable. Only time will tell whether the use of self-checkout will continue to grow—or die away.
“I believe there will always be the balance of labor savings versus the cost of shrink, and I doubt we’ll see a day where SCO no longer exists,”
Mike Lamb concluded.
“Arguably, there will just be more of a critical view of how and where the technology is deployed. In the era of the customer voting with their wallets, they will dictate how we see it evolve going forward.”
is
focusing on creating and curating editorial content for the magazine’s print publication and website. Prior to LPM, she was managing editor for SDM Magazine, a trade publication for security systems integrators. She received her bachelor’s degree in multimedia journalism from Columbia College Chicago. She can be reached at CourtneyW@LossPreventionMedia.com.
Courtney Wolfe
LPM’s managing editor
Dusan
Petkovic / Shutterstock.com
Mike Lamb, LPC
Drawve is the VP of Research and Innovation for CAP Index—the pioneer and leader in crime risk forecasting—and has over ten years of experience in applied environmental criminology and crime analysis research. Palmer is CAP Index’s COO/EVP, with over thirty-five years of hands-on experience in the AP industry. Drawve and Palmer can be reached at gdrawve@capindex.com and wpalmer@capindex.com
Does Time Influence Crime Risk?
This is part three of our conversation with Walter Palmer and Dr. Grant Drawve, PhD, of CAP Index. In this discussion, we focus on how time also matters in the discussion of risky places.
LPM: During our last conversation, we focused on how “place matters” in terms of crime at specific places. What about time?
Grant Drawve: Time absolutely matters but when it comes to risk, we tend to think spatial first and time secondarily. Crime’s temporal patterns—variation depending on season, day of week, and time of day—become incredibly important when planning security measures to mitigate risk.
Walter Palmer: From a retailer’s perspective, recognizing these temporal patterns can focus and optimize loss prevention strategies. For example, they can allocate staff more efficiently, schedule security patrols during high-risk periods, and implement targeted measures like increased lighting or surveillance during peak crime times.
LPM: Could you give us an example of the time of day as it relates to the occurrence of crime?
Drawve: Sure, let’s look at Dallas, comparing daytime and nighttime crime at retailers in Q1, 2024. Almost twice as many crimes occur during the day (1,131 to 661), which is expected based on typical hours of operation. The interesting part is when we look at crime types. There were 539 shoplifting incidents during daytime hours and only 166 at night. Conversely, there were only nineteen daytime burglaries but 144 at night. In another example, looking at hotels and motels, person and property crimes are more prevalent during the night than during the day (219 vs. 119). These patterns in the data indicate that bad actors are considering both time and place to identify their best opportunities for crime. Palmer: These insights optimize security by identifying potential cost savings. Given the low incidence of shoplifting at night, retailers might reduce or stop daytime-focused security measures after closing, think on-floor security staff and active customer monitoring systems. They may reallocate resources toward nighttime security needs, like enhanced alarms, improved locks, and better exterior lighting to prevent burglaries. By discontinuing redundant daytime security assets during non-operational hours, retailers can manage security budgets more efficiently while maintaining effective protection against crime.
LPM: So, how should organizations think about time when planning and implementing security measures?
Drawve: There are two types of time we need to consider: “regular” time and “unique” time events. “Regular” time refers to normal, ongoing periods. During these times, it’s essential to implement long-term strategic initiatives aimed at reducing inherent risk. This means allocating resources based on time-specific data—such as deploying guards during high-risk periods or reinforcing security measures for certain products at specific times of the day. “Unique” time events include holidays or special occurrences. During these periods, businesses should adopt tactical measures to respond to the increased risk. For example, during holidays, large events, or natural disasters, there is a heightened need for enhanced security.
Striking a balance between strategic risk mitigation and tactical responses is crucial. This approach ensures resources are deployed effectively, preventing a reactive “whack-a-mole” approach where resources are hastily scrambled to address issues as they arise, potentially missing critical vulnerabilities. Palmer: Exactly right, Grant. That tracks with what we hear from our customers. During “regular” times, businesses use data and risk modeling to develop routine security measures: deploying additional security during peak shoplifting hours, implementing product-specific security for high-theft items, regularly inspecting security systems for functionality, and performing regular staff training. When it comes to “unique” times like holidays, nearby sporting events, or even natural disasters, they’ll implement special measures like increased security patrols, bag checks at entrances and exits, crowd control measures, and performing special staff training as needed. Balancing the strategic and tactical approaches ensures efficient resource deployment and avoids a reactive approach.
Drawve: In conclusion, it is crucial to consider both spatial and temporal factors in minimizing crime risk and optimizing security asset allocation. By recognizing and analyzing the temporal patterns of crime, organizations can strategically allocate resources and implement security measures more effectively, balancing routine risk reduction with tactical responses to unique events.
Grant Drawve, PhD Walter Palmer
CAP Index’s Crime Incident Feature (CIF) shows spatial and temporal crime distribution and allows the user to filter by various criteria. Scan the QR code below for larger image.
Aaron Hancart, CFI, EPS, has over eighteen years of experience in the AP industry. He has held roles in increasing responsibility with retailers such as Target, DICK’S Sporting Goods, JCPenney, Luxottica, Casey’s, and solution provider Protos. He is currently building his third AP department at Denny’s. He is a member of IAI, ASIS, the LPRC Innovate Program Advisory Panel, the NRF LP Council, and the RLPSA board. He can be reached at ahancart@dennys.com.
Everything Is a Choice
The Toughest Choices Show Us What We Are Made Of
Everyone knows that starting a new role is hard. Everyone knows that starting a new role at a new organization is even harder. Not everyone knows that starting a new role at a new organization where that role and department, for all intents and purposes, has never existed, is beyond hard. Oh, and throw in the fact that it is in a different segment of retail that you have never operated in—that is beyond hard—it’s brutal. The only way to survive is to embrace the suck.
That’s exactly what I have done. In mid-November 2023, I started a new role with a new organization in a different retail segment, an organization that had never had a true asset protection department in the company’s 70-year history.
All of us, regardless of position, face challenges. Those challenges could be closing a difficult investigation, overcoming interviewing anxiety, obtaining funding for a capital project, or adding headcount.
Use whatever term or phrase you would like, “tough sledding,” “uphill battle,” etc. This article is not about what I’ve done in my short duration at Denny’s to navigate political waters or how I have started building the foundations of a lasting program. It’s not about the strategy or tactics, so if that is what you are looking for, then stop reading. But if you are looking for something more valuable than that—read on.
This article is a call for everyone reading this to lean into whatever challenges you face and for my fellow loss prevention executives to be mentors and coaches to others in the industry.
Challenges Are a Constant
All of us, regardless of position, face challenges. Those challenges could be closing a difficult investigation, overcoming interviewing anxiety, obtaining funding for a capital project, or adding headcount. It can be dealing with a difficult supervisor, an obnoxious coworker, or being tasked with a million and one KPIs to not only meet but exceed. It could be all of those and more. To some degree, it does not matter. What I have really learned since starting at Denny’s is that no matter where you are, what organization you are with, or what role you are in, you will always have challenges.
Your success or failure and your ability to overcome these challenges depends entirely on you and you alone and your outlook toward them. How you mentally accept those challenges, hurdles, obstacles, and roadblocks (or insert the desired term here) will, with 100 percent certainty, determine whether you succeed or fail.
Lean Into the Suck
For me, I chose to embrace the suck. And looking back on my career and my life, I’ve always done this.
Everything is a choice, and it’s a choice that has to be made and committed to daily. Are there tasks, meetings, and projects that I absolutely do not want to tackle? Yes. Do those change daily? Yes. But do I stop? Absolutely not!
If there is one thing I wish I had available to me as I advanced in my career, it would have been to have mentors from other organizations in the same space to help guide me and teach me how to be successful.
At this point, I’m not sure I know or can operate any differently. I chose to lean into everything that my new role entails. I chose to embrace the everyday grind, the slog through the mud, and you know what—I still choose to do so. Everything is a choice, and it’s a choice that has to be made and committed to daily. Are there tasks, meetings, and projects that I absolutely do not want to tackle? Yes. Do those change daily? Yes. But do I stop? Absolutely not! To steal a motto from a role model of mine, Cam Hanes, I “keep hammering.”
So, how are you going to approach whatever difficulty you are facing? Are you going to avoid it? Are you going to run from it? Are you going to let it win? Or are you going to embrace it, fight it, and, in the end, stand in victory over it? In other words—what choice are you going to make?
Push Beyond Your Limits
In my infinite wisdom, I decided to get more involved in the industry I have made a career in and started to give back. I’ve joined numerous committees, councils, and boards recently, which means I have to be extremely dialed in with my time, priorities, and effort. This is a deliberate choice I made that I knew would be a time suck, tax my abilities, and force me to become more efficient. I knew it would challenge my thought process as I am able to connect with other industry leaders who have different ideologies on how to run departments or handle various aspects of the job.
Again, everything is a choice, and this choice forced me to embrace the suck and find ways to be involved while still accomplishing my goals with Denny’s. Are there times when I want to be selfish and focus on myself and not the industry? Yes. Are there times when I don’t want to get on a plane and spend three days learning and connecting because
I know it’s going to set me back on departmental objectives? Yes. But do I do it anyway? Yes! It’s a choice I made, and I continue to make daily: to better myself, better our industry, and be a leader who can help those just starting out in our industry or the up-and-coming leaders.
If there is one thing I wish I had available to me as I advanced in my career, it would have been to have mentors from other organizations in the same space to help guide me and teach me how to be successful. Instead, I learned the hard way and failed over and over again. But each and every time I failed, I had a choice to make (at this point, I think you know what I chose), so I chose to get back up, learn from my mistakes, and embrace the suck even more! That doesn’t mean it wouldn’t have been nice to have someone help me along the path to avoid those pitfalls or failures, someone to challenge me and push me to better myself, or simply someone I could reach out to for advice on how to crawl through the muck and mire of the valley and begin the arduous journey up the mountain once again.
Now Give Back
That said, I challenge my fellow industry leaders to not be selfish with their time and talents and to make it a point to offer guidance to anyone in our industry who wants to better themselves. I made a deliberate choice to start doing this, and it has been as rewarding, if not more so, than any accolade or certification I have ever received for job performance.
So, are you going to hoard your knowledge? Are you going to remain fearful of losing your time? Or are you going to give back? Are you going to advance our industry? In other words, what choice are you going to make?
Everything. Is. A. Choice. Choose wisely.
Courtney Wolfe
Wolfe is LPM’s managing editor, focusing on creating and curating editorial content for the magazine’s print publication and website. Prior to LPM, she was managing editor for SDM Magazine, a trade publication for security systems integrators. She received her bachelor’s degree in multimedia journalism from Columbia College Chicago. She can be reached at CourtneyW@LossPreventionMedia.com.
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ORCAs in Action Summer Road Trip Webinar Available On-Demand
Get your s’mores ready for some great ORC stories around the campfire as we pack up the station wagon chock full of great cases, events, and information, and take a cross-country tour of ORC partnerships from New York to New Mexico. With an outstanding lineup of industry leaders and subject matter experts, this webinar available on-demand now promises to inspire everyone to add their own pins to the 2024 ORC Summer Road Trip.
Understanding the Latest Cyber Threats in Retail Environments
In the retail industry, loss prevention is a critical component of maintaining profitability and ensuring the safety of both merchandise and customer data. Traditionally focused on deterring theft and fraud within physical stores, loss prevention strategies have evolved to address the complex landscape of cyber threats that pose significant risks to retailers today. According to the latest Retail & Hospitality ISAC Intelligence Trends Summary report, the top reported threats for Q1 2024 were phishing, fraud, and brand impersonation. Understanding the risk posed by these threats can help loss prevention professionals integrate appropriate mitigation measures into their overall LP strategies.
Georgia Retailers ORC Alliance Hosts Its First Law Enforcement Symposium
The Georgia Retailers Organized Crime Alliance (GROC) hosted its inaugural Law Enforcement Symposium, marking a significant step forward in the fight against organized retail crime in Georgia. Months of planning resulted in an event that brought together 100 law enforcement partners as well as a few retail professionals for a day dedicated to networking and education on ORC.
Self-Care for Investigators
LPM is partnering with Wicklander-Zulawksi to share their interviewing expertise in an exclusive series, WZ’s Instructor Insights. In this video, Bryan Barlow, CFI, flips the focus onto the investigator and the impact of traumatizing interviews.
Industry Leaders Honored with NRF PROTECT Ring of Excellence Awards
Loss prevention leaders Rich Agostino, Gary Johnson, Mike Lamb, Walter Palmer, and John Velke were honored with NRF PROTECT Ring of Excellence Awards at day two of the annual event in Long Beach, California on June 5. The NRF PROTECT Ring of Excellence Awards stand as the pinnacle of recognition for those who champion loss prevention and asset protection. It’s not just an honor; it’s a celebration of exceptional dedication and unparalleled contributions to the industry.
LP Insights Podcast Ep 2: Professional Development
In episode two of the LP Insights podcast, listen in as LP Magazine‘s Allie Falk and Jac Brittain discuss professional development, delving into topics such as investing in yourself, resumes, interviewing, and stepping out of your comfort zone.
How Advanced Analytics Can Protect Retail Employees’ Mental Health
Mental health is a huge concern for retailers today. With increasing levels of retail crime and violence, the chances of a retail employee suffering from PTSD or other mental health issues as a result of events they’ve witnessed on the job might be higher than ever. Learn how advanced analytics can help to protect retail employees’ mental health in this LPM exclusive.
There is new content updated to the LPM website daily that is featured in our e-newsletter.
David Thompson, CFI
Thompson is the president and partner at Wicklander-Zulawski & Associates, providing investigative interview and interrogation training to a global audience. He has served as a subject-matter expert in developing curriculum and providing consultation to investigators, attorneys, and the academic community. He can be reached at dthompson@w-z.com.
Was the runner safe or out? Strike or ball? It may just depend on what team you’re cheering for.
A common contributor to confirmation bias is the reliance on observing physical behavior in the interview. If an interviewer observes a person avoiding eye contact, crossing their arms, becoming flush, and acting fidgety, they may wrongly conclude that the person is being deceptive.
We have all been in these conversations before, whether we are arguing about a penalty in a football game, the acceptable temperature in the car, or whether two people happen to look alike or not. As it turns out, many of our opinions in these circumstances are driven by a variety of cognitive biases. In the basic example of a runner being safe or out, our opinion may very well change depending on which team we are rooting for. If we are complaining about a penalty not being called in a football game, we may be more aware of it (and intentionally looking for missed calls) because we had just listened to a podcast where they discussed bad refereeing. These biases may fuel heated debates at a sporting event or your local watering hole, but when it comes to investigations, they can prove costly for you, your organization, and the subjects you interact with.
In a recent podcast with psychologist Jeff Kukucka, PhD, we discussed the influence of biases in investigations and how it may directly impact the interview process. These cognitive biases, as explored by researchers, are highly prevalent in everyday life—including our stubborn mindset in defending our slanted opinions. These perspectives infiltrate into our criminal justice system, ranging from our interpretation of evidence to our opinion on the credibility of a person in question.
Confirmation Bias
Have you ever been told, prior to meeting somebody, that they are unfriendly and abrupt? Then, when you interact with that person, do you tend to agree with that opinion? There may be a few issues with the reliability of your assessment. First, if you enter a conversation with someone under the presumption that they
Investigators should always inquire whether their evidence may be wrong, seek alternative theories, and use peers or supervisors to provide critical feedback on their thought processes.
are unfriendly, naturally, you may avoid a more intimate conversation. Therefore, this person may reciprocate your approach, resulting in their perceived unfriendliness—a reaction that you may have created based on your own behavior. Additionally, even if there were moments of friendliness, confirmation bias often impacts these perceptions by ignoring evidence that contradicts our theory and instead only relying on information that supports it. Regardless of the
reality of the interaction, we report back to our allies with, “You’re right; that guy was a jerk.”
This can be problematic in an investigation as interviewers often theorize the crime, including hypothesizing the responsible parties, motives, and methods. Confirmation bias suggests that interviewers may dismiss or explain away evidence that contradicts this predisposed theory while only highlighting information that aligns with their assumptions. A common contributor to confirmation bias is the reliance on observing physical behavior in the interview. If an interviewer observes a person avoiding eye contact, crossing their arms, becoming flush, and acting fidgety, they may wrongly conclude that the person is being deceptive. However, this behavior may be interpreted differently based on the context provided prior to the interview. If you watched a video of this exact behavior but were told this was a victim interview, would you still suspect deception, or would you assume they were just nervous or embarrassed? If our opinion is based on a presumption we’ve decided before the investigation takes place, we are increasing the risk of falling victim to confirmation bias.
Prevalence Effect
The research literature explains this phenomenon as a person being more likely to
misidentifying a “target” if the frequency of its appearance is low. Researchers tested this with airport security personnel, determining that the error rate for missing a weapon being smuggled through security screening was higher when officers did not experience a high frequency of this occurring. The implications of this research may be terrifying for those of us who frequent airports, but it also directly influences investigators and the interview process.
For example, if interviewers are instructed that they must talk to a group of ten people and that eight of them are guilty, the opposite effect may occur. Investigators are more likely to become guilt‑presumptive, resulting in more coercive tactics, leading questions, and aggressive behavior. In turn, the interviewee responds more defensively, creates additional resistance, and is less likely to provide actionable intelligence. The higher the frequency or likelihood of something occurring, the more alert the investigator will be—but this also may influence their strategic process.
This same bias can result in profiling based on race, gender, age, or other characteristics where an investigator places a higher or lower frequency rate on one or more of these descriptive categories. As an example, a local convenience store has a sign on its door that says only two students are allowed in the store at a time.
The availability of technology to investigators should be a way to standardize their approaches and remove some of the human elements in which bias is prevalent.
Scan the QR code and answer questions about this article to earn CEUs towards your CFI designation or to learn more about the advantages of becoming a Certified Forensic Interviewer.
The first step in addressing biases is admitting you have them. Bias is human nature, and what we have discussed above is not necessarily intentional but a result of cognitive bias and our brains attempting to fill in the gaps for us.
If we assume that this location has had a high frequency of theft or vandalism by youth, then they are becoming more vigilant in targeting this type of customer. The prevalence effect suggests that store personnel may be more successful in identifying concerning behavior from their youthful shoppers but have a higher error rate identifying those of a more senior age. This behavior and mindset are the catalysts for profiling, and then, when combined with “successful” target identification, only fuels confirmation bias.
Does Technology Help?
Maybe. The availability of technology to investigators should be a way to standardize their approaches and remove some of the human elements in which bias is prevalent. However, there are also many biases born out of the use of technology. One concept, known as automation bias, is when people tend to rely on the outcome of predictive technology or other automated decision making processes rather than seek information that contradicts it. This bias can range from the lack of any alarms or indicators that there is a physical threat at the store or the false sense of data security and digital protection. This can also be found when relying on automated testing to determine if a person is honest or potentially involved in wrongdoing. Additionally, with the increased use of facial recognition
technology, investigators may rely too much on automated reporting versus supporting this tool with manual investigation.
Regarding facial recognition technology, there are additional biases that have been shown to impact the human element in identifying whether two people look alike. For example, if you are shown a picture of two people and informed that they are father and son, you are more likely to find characteristics in which the two allegedly look alike. However, if you are shown the same pictures but told that this was a teacher and student, you are less likely to feel they are comparable and may not intently look for those characteristics. This is where the use of standardized technology combined with the human element may assist in both mitigating bias and searching for contradictory opinions.
How Do I Fix This?
The first step in addressing biases is admitting you have them. Bias is human nature, and what we have discussed above is not necessarily intentional but a result of cognitive bias and our brains attempting to fill in the gaps for us. Researchers like Dr. Kukucka suggest that one way to mitigate bias is to have protocols and standard procedures that assist in removing the variability of the human element. For example, when interviewing applicants for a job, hiring managers should use consistent questions and processes to avoid bias influencing the interview process.
In addition to creating processes, researchers suggest that we seek counter opinions on our theories and perspectives. Operating in an echo chamber only fuels the biases we have (and is a form of confirmation bias). Instead, investigators should always inquire whether their evidence may be wrong, seek alternative theories, and use peers or supervisors to provide critical feedback on their thought processes. If one interviewer feels like a person is being dishonest based on their physical behavior, and everyone agrees, then this just perpetuates the same (potentially inaccurate) assumption. Instead, we should seek opinions that suggest alternative reasons for that person’s behavior: Are they nervous? Embarrassed? Did something else cause them to be concerned today? These types of questions assist us in gaining perspective in our investigations.
Most importantly, if you feel like your rival team is getting all the beneficial calls from the referee, take a minute to think about how you would feel if they were wearing different jerseys—and don’t just listen to your hometown radio station (because they’ll just agree with you and strengthen your confirmation bias). Expand your circle, seek contradictory opinions, and allow other perspectives to help defeat your biases.
Vitalii Vodolazskyi / shutterstock.com
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Tony D’Onofrio
As President of Sensormatic Solutions, Tony D’Onofrio is responsible for strategic planning initiatives that support the brand’s ongoing innovation and industry-leading solutions. Of his more than thirty years in the retail industry, Tony spent more than twenty of those years at Sensormatic Solutions, most recently as the Chief Customer Officer in 2018. Since that time, Tony has been an advisor and board member of leading computer vision and Internet-of-Things companies, has led a global security business, and has mentored multiple companies in Silicon Valley. His career has included executive roles in both security and information technologies, including NCR, Midsouth (IBM Integrator), and more recently, Prosegur Global Retail. Tony holds an MBA from Cleveland State University and is a graduate of Case Western University. He is also CEO of consulting and advisory group TD Insights, one of Thinkers360’s Top 10 Global Thought Leaders for Retail, and a recognized global top 100 retailer and technology influencer.
How Can Intelligence-Led Loss Prevention Empower
Retailers to Fight ORC?
LPM: Since joining Sensormatic Solutions last summer, you’ve had the opportunity to spend time with multiple customers. What is top of mind for them? Are there any common themes?
Tony D’Onofrio: Since I rejoined Sensormatic Solutions, I have made it a priority to spend time with many retail companies around the world. Regionally, in places like the United States and the UK, organized retail crime and increased violence is top of mind. Employee safety is a parallel concern to these challenges. Globally, retail theft is top of mind for everyone, and retailers continue to explore new ways to attack the problem. There is a dichotomy emerging between younger generations wanting greater frictionless shopping experiences and retailers trying to find ways to increase friction to prevent theft. An NCR study found that 55 percent of those aged 18 44 prefer self checkout. A study published by the New York Times found 4 percent of shrink at the self checkout in the US, UK, and other European countries. Even more alarming, a Lending Tree study found that 31 percent of Gen Zs and 21 percent of millennials admit to purposely taking an item at self checkout without scanning it. In the United States, to increase friction, in many stores you will find items behind glass requiring store associate assistance. We know from many historical studies that too much friction, like locking up items, decreases sales. Not enough friction leads to high theft. We are still searching for that balance. Finally, RFID, along with computer vision, is coming up as technologies are being adopted specifically for loss prevention by many retailers around the world.
LPM: You participated in the 2023 NRF Fight Retail Crime Day in Washington, DC, to support the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act. Can you
explain a little about the event, key takeaways, and what is on the horizon?
D’Onofrio: Proudly, I represented Sensormatic Solutions at the important 2023 NRF Retail Crime Day. According to the latest NRF Security Survey, 78 percent of retailers see ORC as more of a priority than the previous year. As I have told many audiences when I speak about the topic of ORC, it is time that we, as the good guys, along with retailers, took a cue from ORC crime and got a lot more organized to fight it. This Washington, DC event is an example of this where retailers and solution providers jointly went to Capitol Hill to express our concerns with ORC and pushed jointly for the passage of the Combined Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA). As a follow up to this event, Sensormatic Solutions is now working with the NRF, the NRF Loss Prevention Council, and our parent company, Johnson Controls, which has a government affairs office in DC, to get further organized in helping laws get passed that make retail stores safer and more secure.
ORC gets addressed by next generation innovative solutions, legal frameworks around controversial technologies, working together to pass laws such as CORCA, and stronger partnerships between retailers, law enforcement agencies, industry groups, solutions providers, and government entities.
LPM: ORC continues to plague retailers. How have you seen intelligence-led loss prevention empower retailers to fight back against ORC?
D’Onofrio: On my return to Sensormatic Solutions, I made it a priority to accelerate technology solutions that attack ORC. At the NRF Big Show in January, we
unveiled a new solution called Shrink Analyzer. This cloud based application collects crime data in the cloud from RFID‑enabled smart exits to identify ORC events, correlate them with POS data, and integrate them into video platforms for visual evidence. The new product has taken off with many major retailers now in advanced pilots. We are just getting started in creating innovative solutions that combine data and visual intelligence to accelerate investigations and further reduce retail shrink.
Building an ecosystem of integrated applications is a major trend that retailers are now pursuing in loss prevention. This is an important trend that Sensormatic Solutions fully supports. Layers of intelligence are needed to attack ORC effectively.
LPM: What are the three biggest challenges retailers are currently facing, and how is Sensormatic Solutions partnering with retailers to help?
D’Onofrio: The three biggest challenges I see in retail start again with ORC and external theft in general. More intelligent loss prevention solutions are the answer, and the Shrink Analyzer is an example of one such solution. Because of increasing crime, retailers, especially in the United States, are locking up products for sale. Coresight Research confirms that if a consumer sees an item locked up, 26 percent will shop elsewhere, and a similar 26 percent will shop online. The answer is increased and differentiated protection of the actual products for sale. Sensormatic is currently working on new approaches that will both protect products and assist in identifying how they are being stolen.
The third biggest challenge I see for retailers is the disturbing data presented by the 2024 Retail Worker Safety Survey conducted by Theatro. Eighty percent of store workers responding to the survey said they were scared every day at work. Sensormatic is committed
Eighty percent of store workers responding to the survey said they were scared every day at work. Sensormatic is committed to developing technologies that keep employees safe.
Physical stores are more important than ever for both local consumers and as micro fulfillment centers for online orders. All this means that the definition of loss prevention, just like the rest of retail, needs to be harmonized across both physical and online stores.
to developing technologies that keep employees safe. An entire suite of solutions from EAS, RFID, and video is already available to help. More is on the way, with a focus on advanced deterrence to deliver the message that we are serious about fighting retail crime.
LPM: What do you think the next three to five years will look like for loss prevention?
D’Onofrio: In spring 2023, according to Bloomberg, 200 retailers at the CEO and CFO levels mentioned retail shrink as a negative factor impacting quarterly results. Retail loss prevention is at a pivotal moment in time when its importance as a function is being elevated. Concurrently, retail as an industry is undergoing dramatic change. Consumers are digitally empowered to instantly switch brands when they encounter poor customer experiences. Prior to the pandemic, we were worried that physical stores would go away in what was labeled the “retail apocalypse.” The opposite trend emerged post pandemic. Physical stores are more important than ever for both local consumers and as micro-fulfillment centers for online orders. All this means that the definition of loss prevention, just like the rest of retail, needs to be harmonized across both physical and online stores. This is a trend that will increase in the next three to five years.
Frictionless commerce is here to stay as younger generations are demanding it. This trend will introduce greater challenges in protecting products for loss prevention. Computer vision, along with artificial intelligence, will be combined into smarter, more aggressive deterrent solutions. Serialization of all products will continue, and those products will lead to a smart way to track them for crime control.
Meehan is retail technology editor for LP Magazine as well as president of CONTROLTEK. Previously, Meehan was director of technology and investigations with Bloomingdale’s, where he was responsible for physical security, internal investigations, and systems and data analytics. He currently serves as the chair of the Loss Prevention Research Council’s (LPRC) Innovations Working Group. Meehan recently published his first book titled Evolution of Retail Asset Protection: Protecting Your Profit in a Digital Age. He can be reached at TomM@LossPreventionMedia.com.
Cellphone Tracking: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Most consumers are aware that their online activities are being constantly monitored by various commercial interests. We’re made aware of it, for instance, when we access a website to research a certain product—and suddenly we’re deluged with ads promoting similar products. Our activities are tracked and collected by data marketers, which then enable advertisers to immediately target us with ads matching our demonstrated interests.
get otherwise. As an example, imagine that you are traveling through an unfamiliar city and decide to stop for dinner. You use your favorite app to search for restaurants in the vicinity. Immediately, a slew of options appears on your cellphone—complete with photos, customer reviews, and menu listings.
Cellphones have built-in GPS and Wi-Fi chips that can determine your location with great accuracy. Your phone is constantly pinging the nearest cellular data tower to afford you the connectivity you need and rely on.
This process reaches another level of precision and effectiveness with cellphone apps, some of which we download and some of which are preloaded in our phones. Along with the useful services they provide, these apps collect data on us and our behavior. Like website cookies, they can track a user’s shopping habits and browsing history. But they can also obtain data regarding a user’s operating system, device type, gender, age, and—importantly—geographical location. Many consumers are not aware that app publishers enhance their revenue by granting access to in‑app advertisers, which use the data collected to target prospects with precision. Their efforts are greatly enhanced by the ability to monitor the prospects’ movements.
Cellphones have built in GPS and Wi Fi chips that can determine your location with great accuracy. Your phone is constantly pinging the nearest cellular data tower to afford you the connectivity you need and rely on. By a process of triangulation, that enables the cell companies and others to locate your phone at any given time. In addition, with Wi‑Fi enabled, your phone will ping the nearby Wi Fi networks, including those of local businesses. Those businesses can then solicit you with ads for products and services you didn’t ask for.
Consumers are generally familiar with these activities and accept them—however warily. By using the services their phone apps provide, they can gain useful information that would have been hard to
Data marketers aren’t just using your location to help you find the nearest restaurants or gas stations. They’re tracking your movements from the moment you wake up and using that data to form a profile of you.
Functions like this provide consumers with an unprecedented level of convenience, so most are willing to surrender some privacy to take advantage of it. They realize that data marketers are gathering some of their personal information, but it seems harmless enough. Unfortunately, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Data marketers aren’t just using your location to help you find the nearest restaurants or gas stations. They’re tracking your movements from the moment you wake up and using that data to form a profile of you. By knowing the stores you frequent, how long you spend at each one, and the neighborhood you live in, they can tell a lot about your preferences, your age, and your income level. They can then market that information to other commercial entities that target you for ads.
That should be enough to make most people slightly uncomfortable. But it gets worse.
Cybercriminals have devious ways to hack into personal cell phones. For example, some create fake Wi Fi networks to gain access to consumers’ personal information. Others will transfer a victim’s device to their own account in a process known as SIM swapping. Some target consumers with phishing emails or texts. With access to a person’s cellphone data, they can create fraudulent financial transactions and effectively steal a person’s identity,
Stalkers with Spyware
Having one’s identity compromised is bad enough. But imagine your personal information—including all your movements throughout the day—falling into the hands of a stalker. That’s the stuff of nightmares. And for many, the risk is not theoretical. A study conducted by researchers from Cornell University, Cornell Tech, and New York University documents the threat posed by spyware in the hands of people with bad intentions toward a partner or acquaintance Computer Security and Privacy for Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence identifies dozens of spyware apps that stalkers have used to harass their victims. There are also “dual use” apps that serve legitimate functions—such as allowing parents to keep track of their children—but can also be used for nefarious purposes. Some stalkers gain access to their victims’ phone systems surreptitiously. And sadly, other victims offer that access willingly to people they’ve trusted. In either case, with a victim’s location data, a stalker can track their every move.
As troubling as that prospect is, cellphone tracking carries a potential threat that’s even more ominous.
Is Big Brother Watching?
Civil liberties advocates have often raised concerns about the potential abuse of cellphone data—particularly geolocation data—by government entities. The pervasive presence of surveillance tools in modern life is a troubling issue for people of all persuasions. Like most technological innovations, the ability to track individuals’ movements through their cellphones has a good side and a bad side.
Law enforcement and other agencies can legitimately access a person’s cellphone data after obtaining a search warrant. In that regard, the data is considered like any other personal property—subject
Law enforcement and other agencies can legitimately access a person’s cellphone data after obtaining a search warrant. In that regard, the data is considered like any other personal property—subject to privacy rights unless there is “probable cause” of criminal activity.
to privacy rights unless there is “probable cause” of criminal activity.
However, according to a 2002 article by Johana Bhuiyan in The Guardian, law enforcement agencies often obtain personal data from tech companies simply by asking for it. The companies, not eager to run afoul of authorities, are only too willing to comply. Seizing on this phenomenon, hackers have achieved the same results by posing as legitimate agencies and making “emergency” demands for private data to tech companies.
A larger concern is the prospect of formal liaisons between private data curators and government entities. A recent Wall Street Journal article noted the existence of several data brokers and advertising agencies that have funneled private data to government agencies through an India based company called Near Intelligence. That company has reportedly had license agreements with various government contractors including Sierra Nevada, Aelius, and Bazze. As these activities have come to light, the companies have sometimes backtracked or disavowed any inappropriate conduct.
However, these revelations highlight a troubling trend and the broader concern remains: How can society protect individuals’ privacy while preserving the benefits of technological innovations such as cellphone tracking?
These issues will persist until government and company policies coalesce to find equitable, workable solutions.
By knowing the stores you frequent, how long you spend at each one, and the neighborhood you live in, they can tell a lot about your preferences, your age, and your income level.
Crime Fighting in Aisle 3
How Companies Can Crack Down on ORC
Retailers, grocers, 3PLs, and other businesses are facing persistent problems with sophisticated organized crime networks. To combat common organized retail crime tactics like cargo theft, flash robberies, or third party sales of stolen goods (among other types of ORC), companies need to leverage new technology to improve their security posture and protect their assets—people and product—more effectively than ever before.
Not Your Common Pick-Pocketer Anymore
It’s not as simple as catching someone who pockets a few items for personal use at the grocery store; organized retail crime has evolved into a complex and dangerous threat. According to the 2023 National Retail Security Survey of 117 retail brands, a staggering 88 percent reported that shoplifters have grown significantly more aggressive and violent compared to just a year earlier.
“Retailers are seeing unprecedented levels of theft coupled with rampant crime in their stores, and the situation is only becoming more dire,” said David Johnston, vice president of asset protection and retail operations at the NRF.
Locked Up Detergent and Smart Shopping Carts
In recent years, many retailers have implemented stringent security measures to combat theft, resulting in a more controlled and closely monitored environment within their stores.
One of the most visible changes to combat ORC has been the widespread adoption of locked cases and cabinets for high risk items such as small electronics, cosmetics, and over‑the counter medications. These products are now securely stored behind plexiglass or metal barriers, requiring customers to seek assistance from store employees to access them.
“You’d be surprised by the lengths shoplifters will go to try and outsmart retailers,” said Tony Sheppard, VP of retail risk solutions at ThinkLP and former LP practitioner. “We’ve heard reports
from LP teams about tactics ranging from switching price tags to using aluminum lined bags to bypass sensors. It’s a never ending cat and mouse game as we constantly have to adapt our strategies to stay one step ahead of these criminals.”
Some retailers have introduced new shopping carts with advanced locking mechanisms that activate if removed from the store without proper checkout. To further reduce theft, companies are leveraging technologies like facial recognition, computer vision, RFID tracking, and license plate recognition.
Cargo Vulnerabilities
ORC extends beyond the walls of stores and increasingly targets vulnerable supply chains, including through cargo theft. Data analytics firm Verisk’s CargoNet recorded 2,852 cargo theft incidents in 2023, marking a 59 percent
increase in Canada and the US compared to previous years. Their analytics found that the most targeted location types are warehouses, distribution centers, and parking lots. Sixty two percent of the incidents involved the theft of either full or partial shipments, with an average estimated value of $188,617 per event and an estimated total loss of $331.9 million.
Since cargo theft statistics were not classified as a separate reportable category in the Uniform Crime Report (UCR) until recently, and because many companies choose not to report cargo crimes to avoid negative publicity, higher insurance rates, reputational damage, and embarrassment, the precise dollar losses remain unclear.
Effectively Detect Patterns to Disrupt Criminal Rings
In May 2024, Tulsa woman Linda Ann Been, who led a large retail theft operation, was
sentenced to sixty case of Been, the leader of the “Operation Booster Buster” retail theft ring, shows how retailers can leverage data analysis to detect patterns and collaborate with law enforcement to dismantle organized crime networks.
The probe into the ORC ring took shape when a retail investigator detected an unusual pattern of thefts occurring across multiple store locations in the Tulsa region. Through a meticulous examination of records and data, the investigator detected patterns linking petty thefts by low level thieves to crime leader Been. The investigator shared these findings with local law enforcement, paving the way for a broader criminal investigation.
They discovered that Been had been providing her network of thieves with specific lists of merchandise to target and steal from Walmart, Sam’s Club, CVS, Walgreens, and other stores spanning several states. The stolen goods were funneled to a warehouse and boutique storefront in a Tulsa suburb, where Been managed their redistribution. She sold the items to fences outside Oklahoma who resold them through online marketplaces like eBay and Amazon, exploiting the internet’s anonymity to reach unsuspecting buyers.
High-Tech Investigation Software for LP and Supply Chain Teams
Retailers and law enforcement are facing loss and safety challenges that require a multi faceted approach involving advanced security measures, data driven strategies, and collaborative efforts to combat these criminal networks effectively.
By sharing intelligence, evidence, and investigative resources, retailers and authorities can work together to disrupt the operations of organized retail crime groups, leading to successful prosecutions and dismantling their illicit crime rings.
“You’d be surprised by the lengths shoplifters will go to try and outsmart retailers. We’ve heard reports from LP teams about tactics ranging from switching price tags to using aluminum‑lined bags to bypass sensors. It’s a never‑ending cat‑and‑mouse game as we constantly have to adapt our strategies to stay one step ahead of these criminals.”
Tony Sheppard
Retailers are now increasingly investing in loss prevention safety software platforms that use AI technology and integrate directly into their other key data sources. These systems help them expedite their investigations and tracking of criminal networks across jurisdictions using data analytics and machine learning to identify patterns, connect incidents, and pinpoint key criminals.
Predictive Crime Intelligence with ThinkLP
Now, imagine having crime intelligence so powerful that you can predict crime headed your way. ThinkLP will provide you with the platform you need to stay one step ahead of criminals.
ThinkLP’s new crime linking solution leverages natural language processing to analyze unstructured data like case narratives and subject descriptions. This helps identify suspect behavioral patterns more accurately, improving the ability to link individuals to crimes.
As a hub for a wide variety of customers’ datasets, ThinkLP is able to match organized
retail crime groups targeting specific products or product categories. Most importantly, with secure data sharing across a vast network, ThinkLP equips organizations to collaborate on more investigations across brands, companies, and law enforcement than ever before.
For investigative teams, these new capabilities maintain the flexibility that ThinkLP has always offered while adding a layer of standardization to allow collaborators to work off common language and datasets. In turn, this removes the tedious manual data re-entry effort or errors that retailers may encounter with other rigid point solutions.
“Integrated with our Loss and Safety Intelligence Platform, our tools represent a new era of efficiency and effectiveness in the fight against organized retail crime,” said Spencer Marzouk, CEO of ThinkLP.
incidents across multiple locations and offering a comprehensive view of potential theft rings. It can also track seal discrepancies and identify patterns of driver leakage, helping to isolate suspicious activity and reduce loss.
Capture ORC, Capture Everything
These advanced capabilities are not limited to retail theft alone. Workplace violence incidents are rising, partly due to retail crime. ThinkLP’s comprehensive suite of tools empowers companies to mitigate risks, fostering a safer environment for both employees and customers.
Retailers can safeguard their bottom line, crack down on ORC, and access the world’s most powerful crime linking network—only on ThinkLP.
For Small‑to Medium‑sized Business Retailers, Thwarting Theft Needn’t Come with High Effort or Costs
By Lauren Fritsky
When it comes to retail theft, the industry—and the media—tend to focus on more prominent brands with more stores and revenue that are accountable to shareholders.
However, according to some industry researchers, shrink from theft significantly impacts small-to medium sized (SMB) retailers, which operate on narrower margins.
SMB retailers typically don’t have the budget or resources to invest in the training, security systems, and personnel to combat theft like larger retailers do. Offenders might also be more familiar with SMB retailers’ store layouts and know they lack specific security measures. If smaller stores with weaker security are located near larger stores with more robust protection, there might be an issue of displacement in which offenders pass by the big box shop for the mom and pop.
However, SMB retailers can employ lower cost and lower-effort solutions and strategies to fight shrink at their stores. Depending on their specific shrink prevention needs, they can use their existing resources and systems.
SMB Retailer Shrink by the Numbers
Software Advice, a software marketplace and advisory services firm owned by Gartner, surveyed more than 400 retailers with 10,000 or fewer employees about retail shrink in November 2023.
The survey found that 34 percent of SMB retailers reported a rise in shrink over the past twelve months and that 68 percent have shrink rates above the current industry standard rate of 1.5 percent. In addition, 46 percent have experienced more theft at their stores, and 45 percent experience external theft at least once per week. The SMB retailers that struggled the most with shrink had twenty or more stores.
“Shrink is rising in the retail industry, but it’s affecting small to medium sized businesses more,” said Molly Burke, a Software Advice analyst who authored the survey report. “I know from my research that it’s difficult for those SMBs to get an accurate reading of their shrink rate. It’s different regarding the resources SMBs have to calculate and mitigate shrink compared to those larger businesses.”
“Shrink is rising in the retail industry, but it’s affecting small-to-medium-sized businesses more.”
Molly Burke
Burke said another nuance for SMB retailers is that they tend to provide a more intimate, local customer experience. Regulars in a mom and‑pop store might come in daily and be friendly with the owners or employees—they’re seeking an experience rooted in community.
“If you’re, say, a neighborhood grocery or a mom and pop gift shop, customers want to go and touch those products, be able to look at them and feel them, and see if they want them from a sensory approach,” she said. “Consumers don’t want to feel like they’ve automatically been targeted as a potential shoplifter, which is also part of the problem with these super restrictive security methods.”
This means SMB retailers must carefully balance theft protection with that one on one experience. And that starts with understanding the specifics of shrink.
“I think the more you know about the shrink problem at your business, the better situated you are to preserve the customer experience through those different prevention tactics and find new ways to position your products around the store that make it easier for your employees to do everyday business without disturbances from potential shoplifters,” she said.
Burke’s report found that the most common in store loss prevention strategies for SMB retailers include security cameras (53%), store layouts (40%), inventory management software (39%), security sensors (35%), and keeping records of known shoplifters (34%).
Among the most common tactics SMB retailers surveyed use to train store employees to discourage external theft safely include:
● Greeting all customers that enter the store (62%)
● Reporting shoplifting incidents to the company (56%)
● Counting the register daily and reporting discrepancies (52%)
● Calling security for active shoplifting incidents (47%)
● Filing police reports for external theft incidents (43%)
Burke found that 43 percent of those surveyed said they discourage employees from physically stopping an active shoplifter. Given that the average
dollar value of the most frequently stolen items from SMB retailers is just $25, “it’s probably going to be more cost-effective for you just to let them go and file a police report,” she said.
First Things First: Use the Resources You Already Have
Burke noted that before an SMB retailer makes a technology purchase or tries to hire more resources to mitigate theft, it should exhaust all its lower cost options.
“Really investigate: Is it a training issue? Could you be greeting customers more frequently? Is anyone actually monitoring security cameras to see where the most stolen from areas of the store are? Can you do some floor layout rearranging?”
Christina Burton, PhD, and Justin Smith, PhD, research scientists at the Loss Prevention Research Council (LPRC), said that while the organization doesn’t have dedicated studies on shrink among SMB retailers, these stores can use the same prevention principles as any retailer at a low cost. These include:
● Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) is a multidisciplinary approach to deterring criminal behavior that focuses on changing the layout and appearance of stores.
● Situational crime prevention (SCP) can deter antisocial behavior by increasing the risk and effort involved
in committing a crime and decreasing the associated reward.
● Routine activity theory suggests that a crime occurs when three elements converge in time and space: a motivated offender, a suitable target (a person or a product), and a lack of capable guardianship (no one, whether an employee, security personnel, or another customer, is there to intervene).
“Those principles will apply regardless of how technologically advanced your store is,” Burton said. “You’re going to use them anyway. You might need to rely on things you already have in your store to satisfy some of those conditions.”
Examples include enlisting store associates to patrol specific areas to create the same deterrent effect of increasing the risk or effort of shoplifting. Given their smaller footprint, this can work even better in smaller stores than larger ones. SMB retailers can also train their staff on what to look for in terms of concealment techniques, when to approach, and how to approach potential offenders. And given the fact that many SMB retailers have been in the community for many years, are respected by the community, and employ people from the community, it builds this idea of efficacy, Smith said.
“Having ownership in the store among the employees so they’ll actually want to step up and do something because it’s like if you’re stealing from that store, well,
Photo Courtesy of Checkpoint Alpha
you’re stealing from our family, and you’re stealing from our community,” he added. “It’s not a big, faceless corporation.”
Another big (and low cost) piece of the theft prevention puzzle for SMB retailers is partnerships. Many law enforcement organizations have community policing units, where officers are specially trained to interact with local businesses and citizens to help them problem solve. SMB retailers can connect with this unit or a liaison and invite them to the store to dispense free crime prevention advice.
Other retailers can also serve as a broader intelligence network so that everyone is aware of incidents and offenders. This applies especially to co‑located retailers, such as those in the same strip mall, who can quickly share knowledge. Smith said some SMB retailers keep incidents of theft internal. Still, passing this knowledge on to other retailers increases the chances that more well resourced shops can capture the offender. The other factor is that while prosecutors rarely focus on one-off theft, tying the information together can help build a case if an offender has hit multiple stores.
“Yes, the big retailers can theoretically put in more resources, but those small mom and pop shops can still provide enough,” Burton said. “If a larger retailer catches [an offender] or law enforcement gets them because of that alert, everyone wins.”
There’s also image management to consider. Burton said that if your store looks mismanaged and the aisles are dirty and disorganized, shoppers might have a greater fear of crime and avoid that store. However, the beauty of smaller businesses is that they often have local ties to the community, which they can use to get everyone involved in maintaining a well‑run, well organized store. This, in turn, helps the community feel more invested in their local businesses.
“Maybe you can get community members to volunteer and help clean [your store] up, so now you’re not exerting any resources, but you’re also building those relationships in different ways,” Burton said.
Solutions for SMB Retailers That Are Lower Cost and Lower Lift
If, as an SMB retailer, you decide to invest in additional solutions to prevent theft at your stores, there are many feasible options on the market. But first, you must understand the problem areas you’re trying to target.
This includes figuring out your problematic SKUs and where they are in the store. Then, you can develop different tiers based on the severity of the loss and determine how much you will put into securing those particular products. This doesn’t require a paid software system—you can track SKUs in Excel if need be.
“You really need to employ that critical thinking of assessing your problem areas within your store and then coming up with the solutions that are within your budget and within your resources and are going to have the greatest impact on those pain points,” Burton said.
She and Smith shared examples of some of these products, but given that the LRPC is vendor agnostic, they did not name specific solution providers or their costs. However, multiple companies create the types of products described. They include:
● Bottle Tags: These devices could be placed on items like liquor bottles. They are tough to remove and, if attempted, will break the bottle, thus increasing the offender’s effort and risk. These tags are compatible with acoustic magnetic (AM) and radio frequency (RF) security systems, so if an offender tries to walk out of the store with an item, an alarm will sound.
employees to have a key. An alternative is to stock a sample product but store the rest of the inventory in the back room, away from prying hands.
“We’re not saying you have to pick the most advanced version of these,” Burton said. “Sometimes all you need is something to stem the bleeding. If you’re on a limited budget, you’ll get a better bang for your buck on some of those cheaper options that will still give you some of the same kinds of security.”
● Anti-Concealment Tags: These items detect light, so if an offender puts something in their pocket and, therefore, prevents light, it will trigger an alarm.
● Peg Hooks: This simple, low tech solution only lets customers remove one product at a time. It’s designed to make it difficult—and noisy—for an offender to do a shelf sweep.
● Locking Cases: Certain cases allow customers to open them with their smartphones, while others require
Smith said another factor is that theft might vary during the season. Around the holidays, for instance, SMB retailers might consider investing in a tether for specific items so customers can see and feel them but not walk out the door with them.
Being connected to local law enforcement, other retailers, and the community can also help mitigate theft in low cost ways.
“Having those partnerships helps give you that intelligence of when you might anticipate that seasonality because now, you’re working with law enforcement and maybe community members,” Burton said. Burke echoes the LRPC’s sentiment that SMB retailers can go far with their existing resources, inexpensive security products, and tapping into the wider community.
“Shrink is not something small businesses can afford to ignore,” she said. “So you’ll have to assess how it’s affecting your business. If you prioritize those low cost methods, I think you’ll find it so much less daunting—it’s an existential threat to your business not to understand the scale of shrink at your company.”
Lauren Fritsky is a seasoned journalist and content marketer whose work has appeared on CNN, AOL, USA TODAY, Huffington Post, Travel+Leisure, Entrepreneur, Adweek, and many other websites. She’s spent the last eleven years writing about IT, adtech, martech, retail, and e-commerce for global companies.
Lauren earned a bachelor’s degree in English from La Salle University in Philadelphia. Contact her
Bottle Tag
Photo Courtesy of CONTROLTEK
Patented Solutions You Won’t Find Anywhere Else
Industrial Security Solutions (ISS) has been the industry leader in custom EAS solutions for over twenty years, creating one of a kind solutions for retail’s toughest shrink problems. Whether it be a high shrink item with solutions that no longer perform or a hot new item with no solution that is flying off the shelves in quite the wrong way, ISS can help.
What Does it Mean to Be an ISS Partner?
First and foremost, it means you have someone who will listen to you. We don’t push a set catalog of the same old solutions. Of course, we have those, but we want to know exactly what you need. If the solution to your specific shrink issue does not exist, we are going to invent it.
No need to worry; custom solutions with ISS aren’t a long, drawn out process. In fact, our process of design, prototype, test, and deploy is now down to as little as four months! That is what over twenty years of specialized industry experience will get you.
Are you ready for the best part? Once we create your solution, it is going to be in stock when you need it, and it is going to stay in stock. Part of ISS’ philosophy of listening intently includes regular meetings with our partners to plan and forecast, and we take those very seriously. If you tell us you will need something, it will be there waiting for you when you need it. Sadly, this is no longer the industry standard.
Two
More Patents Secured in 2023!
Keeping with tradition, ISS is happy to announce two new patents added to the lineup last year. Both are the result of listening closely to LP professionals who need more than they are getting from their current providers. We listen to the
grumbles at the tradeshows, the sighs of disappointment at seeing the same old solutions, and we hear opportunities to improve and innovate—opportunities to make your work easier!
Introducing the Retractable Stingray
Box wraps are great and have long been a staple of EAS rosters for major retailers and boutique stores alike. They provide an enhanced level of security for high price point items that cannot be secured with a traditional tag and pin combo. Even better, they keep those items on the shelves easily accessible for customers to inspect, also avoiding the need for a revamp of the planogram to accommodate locked glass cabinets. As it always goes, times change, and so do the issues facing LP professionals.
Retractable Stingray: Box Wrap Meets
Cable Lock
a partner who was struggling with box wraps being defeated after they were taken to secluded areas within various stores. ORC grab and runs were on the rise as well. There wasn’t enough money in the budget to roll out locked cabinets, so they had resorted to securing the box wraps to store shelving with the addition of a cable lock—a two part solution that was both frustrating and, in our opinion, solvable in a more affordable fashion.
So, the Retractable Stingray was born, a patented all in one box wrap and retractable cable lock solution. The Stingray will be familiar to any professional who has used either of the separate solutions combined within
Slide Tag: For Hard to
Tag Sandals
its innovative and affordable package. Where the Stingray really shines is in its flexibility, allowing professionals to apply it in a variety of creative ways.
The box wrap design allows the Stingray to be applied to the box in any direction, providing the ability to secure the item to an anchor point above, below, behind, or on either side. Stingrays may also be chained together, creating security where there is no available fixture to be used as an anchor. The retractable cable allows for the item to be secured loosely or tightly depending on your needs for that particular item.
The Stingray can also be manufactured in any size, length, or with any custom branding desired.
Of Course, We Made a Slide Tag! Why Wouldn’t We?
Slides have historically been a difficult item to secure. An exhausting balancing act of weighing cost, convenience, and damage to the item usually leaves these sometimes pricey items unsecured. Well, all it took was for someone to contact ISS to ask for it, and now here it is!
The reusable, affordable, and easy‑to‑use tag features ink as an added deterrent. But that’s not all! Its swinging arm design makes it exceptionally quick to apply and remove. It also allows the customer to try on the shoe for fit and fashion without
the worry of a trip hazard created by cabled solutions. And did we mention it was pinless?
Just like the motivation behind the patented design of the Spur Tag, the Slide Tag leaves the shoe damage free after removal, making it the perfect fit for high end footwear. There is no pin, meaning less pieces in your stockroom and less worry for your customers.
Improving Existing Solutions: The Concealed Pinless Tag
Sometimes, there is a solution that just needs a little improvement. We do that too!
The concealed pinless tag has been all the rage over the last few years. It’s a godsend for those looking to reduce labor and save time at checkout. We understood there was room for improvement, though, and that’s why we upgraded the security and performance of our Concealed Pinless Tag.
Not only does it come with the option to add ink for additional deterrence, but we also improved the internal mechanisms over others on the market. Tests have shown that these improvements make the ISS Concealed Pinless Tag more difficult to defeat than its competition.
Like most of our all star lineup, it comes in a variety of options and colors to fit your needs perfectly.
Concealed Pinless Tag: Saving Precious Time at
Checkout
Still Not Convinced?
Reach out today for your own consultation. We’re the best at EAS, because it’s all we do. Let us prove it to you. Email us today at sales@isscorpus.com!
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
To stay up-to-date on the latest career moves as they happen, visit the Professional Development page on the LPM website LossPreventionMedia.com. To inform us of a promotion or new hire, email us at peopleonthemove@LossPreventionMedia.com.
Professionals Advancing Their Careers
Fashion (Saudi Arabia).
Jeff Johnson, LPC, is now a regional LP manager at Ace Hardware.
Ryan Clevenger, was promoted to corporate director of AP at Albertsons.
Aleksandra Kedzierawska is now a profit protection investigator at AllSaints (UK).
Sue Caulder is now senior manager of inventory control and fraud prevention, and Mohammed Al-Amiri is now head of AP at Alshaya Group (Kuwait).
Richard Sim is now senior manager of LP at Al Tayer Insignia (UK).
Sudheer Anandath is now director of GSO inventory and goods risk management, worldwide store operations (India); Maisie Glenn is now a risk manager, investigations and incident management, regulatory compliance, safety and compliance; Drew Welch, APCIP, was promoted to EMEA security and LP senior program manager, reverse logistics (UK); Claudia Di Pirro Bellisario was promoted to senior program manager global investigations (Italy); Samir Dermoune was promoted to EMEA senior investigations manager (UK); Mike Aldridge, LPC was promoted to risk manager III, ORC; Britta LaRiviere and Tiffany Hernandez
managers at Amazon.
Joshua Brustein is now a territory AP specialist at American Freight Alliances & Furniture.
Heather Muscanere was promoted to senior field LP and safety manager at At Home Group.
Sean Logan is now director of LP at Atwoods Ranch & Home.
Lucas Freitas is now an LP coordinator at Grupo Bahamas (Brazil).
Kenneth Trommler and Adam-Michael Davis are now market AP managers and Barry Babler is now an AP coordinator at Bass Pro Shops.
Ken Peschier is now senior VP of AP at Burlington Stores.
Benjamin Carter was promoted to director of AP at Bath & Body Works.
Iona Blake is now UK and Europe security manager, mobility and convenience at BP (UK).
LPC, is now a district AP manager, and Nehemiah Spence is now an AP field investigator at Burlington Stores.
David Harman is now a senior consultant of AP at CarMax.
John Lanzon, CFI, is now a regional AP manager at Carters.
Ania-Lee Jackson is now senior manager of safe and secure support at Carvana.
Kacie Hunt is now a district LP manager and Amber Roeder is now an AP specialist at Casey’s.
Rai Moura is now an LP leader at Grupo Cassas Bahia (Brazil).
Glauber Romeiro is now LP/ inventories/inventory control/risk management manager at Cercadao Supermarkets (Brazil).
Dan Davies, CFI, is now director of technical operations at CONTROLTEK.
Jennifer Perry is now an LP analyst at Citi Trends.
Rodrigo Oliveira is now risk prevention supervisor at Comercial Zaffari (Brazil).
David Broom, CFE, CFI, LPC, is now director of LP at Connectivity Source.
Scott Crawford is now director of AP at DTLR.
Brian Gross is now chief financial officer at CONTROLTEK.
Christopher Cash is now fraud and ethics lead at Costain Group (UK).
Mike Iommi, LPC, is now senior manager of inventory quality control – COE, Mitch Metty is now a multi district AP leader, and Alex Carpenter and Francisco Corona are now district AP managers at CVS Health.
Fernando Garbini is now loss and risk lead at Grupo D’avo (Brazil).
Jeffrey Hedges, CFI, LPQ, LPC, is now senior manager of AP and safety at Denny’s.
Justin Voss, MBA, CFI, LPC, was promoted to senior manager of LP operations, strategy, and solutions, and Emilia Luedtke, LPC, is now senior manager of investigations and profit protection at DICK’S Sporting Goods.
Aaron Combs is now a regional LP manager at Dillard’s.
Tim Mottershead was promoted to director of AP at DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse.
Michael Simpson, LPC, CFI, Brian Gross, CFI, LPC, and John Althouse are now regional AP managers at Dollar General.
Claudio Guedes is now manager of LP, property security, and inventories at Dom Atacadista (Brazil).
Hany Bastawey is now compliance, administration, and government relations director at El Rashidi El Mizan Confectionary (Egypt).
Carlos Valdes is now a senior regional LP manager at Equinox.
Alberto Ranaldi is now a divisional security manager at Esselunga (Italy).
Arshdeep Gill is now an area AP manager at Evergreen Goodwill of Northwest Washington.
Everson Silva is now an LP analyst at Farma Conde (Brazil).
Kenneth Morris is now a regional LP manager at Five Below.
Jason Magers is now a regional EHS and LP manager at FleetPride.
Joseph Piscioneri is now an LP specialist at Giant Eagle Stores.
Brett Rarick is now senior manager of AP and safety operations at Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona.
Bobby Jacobsen is now a district LP supervisor at Goodwill of Central Texas.
Robert Hernandez was promoted to director of risk management at Goodwill Industries of San Antonio.
Reinaldo Ferraz is now an LP specialist at GPA (Brazil).
Shaun Gilfoy, CFI, is now director of AP and safety at Guitar Center.
Sean Aefsky is now a regional AP manager at Guitar Center.
Jason Swanson is now business development manager for the restaurant and retail markets at Hanwha Vision.
Michael Bruce was promoted to senior area LP manager and Erik Di Nonno is now an area LP manager, supply chain at Harbor Freight Tools.
Walter Stamph is now a profit protection specialist at Harding.
Sandra Teixeira de Oliveira is now an LP inspector at Havan (Brazil).
Ben Thomas is now senior director of LP and security at HEB.
Soeren Weis is now compliance investigations manager at Hermes (Germany).
Jon Van Pala was promoted to regional AP manager (Canada); Phillip Rice, LPC, Miles Newbins, and Phillip Rice, LPC, are now district AP managers; and Kevin Heinzerling and Todd Budovsky are now multi unit AP managers at The Home Depot.
Richard Mathers, CFI, is now deputy retail manager at Hull City (UK).
Matthew Bailie was promoted to divisional VP of AP, and Darryl Lababit is now an area AP manager at Hudson’s Bay Company (Canada).
Alan Aguiar is now senior manager of LP at Grupo Imec (Brazil).
Troy Hardie is now head of LP at Jaycar Group (Australia).
Jaime Santiago is now a district LP manager at JD Sports (Canada).
Franklin Klink, MA, is now a field LP manager at Jewelers Mutual Group.
Ashish Kumar is now an area LP lead at Jio (India).
Michael Beck is now associate director, major projects at Johnson Controls.
Simon Patti is now ANZ LP manager at KMD Brands (Australia).
Bryan Soto is now director of AP at KnitWell Group.
John Scott was promoted to manager of ORC at Kohl’s.
Eder Batista is now an LP supervisor at Loja do Mecanico (Brazil)
Anderson Silva, CBCP, PFSO, is now director of security and LP at Loggi (Brazil).
Emerson Fernando de Freitas is now executive manager of internal audit and loss prevention at Lojas REDE (Brazil).
Christopher Savary is now LP manager at Lovisa (France).
Shantarius (Tia) Willis is now a district asset protection manager at Lowe’s.
Semarr Patrick and John Moore are now senior ORC managers, and Alba Montiel is now a senior division investigator at Macy’s.
Jenna Atkinson is now a group profit protection manager at Matalan (UK).
Dustin Brown, MSA, CFI, LPC, is now director of safety at Meijer.
Laura Medellin Romero is now transportation LP manager at Mercado Libre (Mexico).
Jyoti Kila is now senior profit protection manager at Merlin Entertainments (UK).
Lindsay Smith is now director of data center operations at Metro One.
Bryan Hale is now director of LP at Minuteman Food Mart.
Raj Kumar Tyagi is now manager, LP and control at Moglix (India).
Cristiane Teixeira Lopez Franco is now an operational tactical technology manager of LP at Grupo Muffato (Brazil).
Megan Slomovitz and Brian Stimmel are now regional LP managers at NAPA Auto Parts.
Lauren Denman is now LP manager at the National Entertainment Network.
Wouter Ubbels is now VP of global sales, marketing, and operations at Nedap Retail.
Carlos Gonzalez, CFE, CFI, is now a senior market investigator, and Pedro Deleon, Alex Cruz, and Andrew Gowin, LPC, are now area AP managers at Nordstrom.
Beth Berryhill was promoted to senior director of supply chain LP and safety operations at Ross Stores.
Mark Dunne, M.Sec.I. is now lead contract manager, external theft at OCS (Ireland).
Julius Young is now a district LP manager at Ollie’s Bargain Outlet.
Ahkeem McKinnon is now director of LP at Pandora.
Britt Davidson, LPC, CFI, is now senior manager of AP at Parker’s.
Randy Hightower is now a regional director of AP and safety at Party City.
Karen McElherron is now an LP auditor at Psycho Bunny (Canada).
Adriano Madruga Haigert is now head of LP at Plurix (Brazil).
Shane Carolan was promoted to regional security manager at R+L Carriers.
Steven Bedi is now senior manager of AP at Red Bull.
Allie Sauers is now director of retail compliance and regulatory affairs at the Retail Industry Leaders Association.
Nicola Street is now a senior LP partner at The Reject Shop (Australia).
Kapil Diwakar is now senior manager of special audit at Reliance Retail (India).
Michael Phillips is now a district LP supervisor at Rural King.
Magdalena Laura Malanowicz is now a corporate security specialist at Sainsbury’s (UK).
Jorge Estrada is now West Coast security and LP manager at Saint Laurent.
Kyle Kloes is now a market AP manager at Sam’s Club.
Dayna Howard, CPP, LPC is now global program director, Microsoft at Securitas Security Services.
Deana McLees-Bailey, CFI, is now director of retail security operations at Security Industry Specialists.
Dale Weatherson is now group head of profit protection and risk at Selco Builders Warehouse (UK).
Abelardo Lima is now head of LP at Semar Supermarkets (Brazil).
Adam Fulton is now director, ESL sales and operations at Sennco Solutions.
Sheila Martinez, CFI, is now a regional LP manager; Eddie Logan and Julie Johnson are now district LP managers; and Kavita Gill is now an LP specialist (Canada) at SEPHORA.
Eric Hernandez is now an AP operations specialist at SNIPES.
Sean Sportun, SMVol, ICPS, SAS-AP, is now national director of LP and corporate security at Sobeys (Canada).
Melissa Ryan, LPC, was promoted to field director of LP at Sally Beauty.
Emerson Carriero is now director of LP and Sebastiao Gois is now loss and risk supervisor at Nagumo Supermarkets.
David Moore is now director of LP, Asia Pacific | Latin America at Nike.
Victoria Anguiano, David Bermudez, and Daniel Rodriquez were promoted to senior area LP managers, and Xavier Ruiz, LPC, is now an area LP manager at Ross Stores.
Joseph (JJ) Marowski and Jennifer Plant are now regional AP director, Agustin Jaramillo is now a regional AP manager, and Devin Peppers is now a district LP manager at Sportsman’s Warehouse.
John Morris is now senior regional LP manager at SSP America.
Dani Serfontein is now a regional LP manager at The Swatch Group.
Zachary Richardson was promoted to director of global supply chain logistics, Melissa Hoffmeister is now GSCL AP headquarters operations and fulfillment director, Jay Harper was promoted to AP director, global supply chain and logistics, and Samantha Layton was promoted to senior AP investigations technician at Target.
Josue Jhair Sernaque Madrid is now regional coordinator of integral security at Tiendas Mass (Peru).
Chad Fischer, LPC, is now VP and director of digital LP at TJX.
now LP training specialists; Fred Helmes, LPC, is now service center LP manager; Michal Blaut is now an LP supervisor (Poland); and Pav Madra was promoted to store investigations supervisor (Canada) at TJX.
Warren Brennon is now a lead central intelligence investigator at Uber.
Corey Passafiume is now an area LP manager at ULTA Beauty.
Jenny Saunders is now an EU senior manager of LP at UNIQLO (UK).
Tom Zimmerman was promoted to senior manager of analytics AP operations, and Ross Nohara is now an ORC market investigator at Victoria’s Secret.
Josue Sanchez is now a
LPC, CORCI is now senior manager of global investigations; and Juan Herrera is now senior manager of shrink research and insight at Walmart.
Andrew Dunbar, CFI, CORCI, is now a senior regional AP adviser at Wawa.
Matthew Wolfe is now global head of security and resilience at WeWork.
Jessica Nelson is now a regional AP and safety manager at Whole Foods Market.
Marlene Weber was promoted to VP of LP at Williams Sonoma.
Spotlighting Loss Prevention Certified Professionals
The Loss Prevention Foundation (LPF) is a leader in educating and certifying retail loss prevention and asset protection professionals by providing relevant, convenient, and challenging educational resources. The LPF is dedicated to elevating the industry through its accredited LPQualified and LPCertified courses. For more information, visit losspreventionfoundation.org.
Ray Cole, LPC Goodwill NNE
The LPC course and exam are fundamental tools that have allowed me to expand and test my knowledge of LP business principles. The LPC course was extremely well rounded and provided me with an advanced understanding of industry‑standard principles as well as a complete view of LP functions. I would highly recommend this course for anyone looking to propel their career further in the LP industry. Thank you to the LPF for providing me the opportunity to continue my professional development.
Aubrey Hastings, LPC Casey’s General Store
I took the LPC course during my transition from Big Box to a C Store environment, and the course was extremely helpful in filling in the gaps in my knowledge in those two vastly different settings. This course also does well in further developing LP professionals to become better business partners and leaders in the industry.
Khurram Abbas, LPQ
Amazon Fulfillment Operations
Being a finance professional, I have always been on the lookout for something that complements my investigative and M&E mindset. When I came to know that my organization supports this qualification as part of a careerchoice program, I enrolled relentlessly. I found this program to be hands on and with high professional standards maintained throughout the course delivery and conduct of final exams. I am passionate and excited to utilize this new set of credentials with my name as being LPQ certified.
Jonathon Markline, LPQ
The Home Depot
Going through the LPQ course has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my professional development. Not only does it provide a well rounded approach to industry standards in LP, but it gives an in depth approach to retail as a whole. I’m rather new to this field, but regardless of experience, it’s clear that as long as you’re willing to learn, there will always be something to gain from the LPF. I’ve gained knowledge from this course that I would’ve never otherwise considered. Thank you!
Adam Ruiz, LPC Kroger
Thank you to the Loss Prevention Foundation and Kroger for assisting me in further expanding my knowledge of LP and the retail industry. This course provided me with insights into many new aspects of the business and refreshers that will continue to help me grow and achieve my career goals.
Samuel Paley, LPC Central Connecticut State University
As a higher education event coordinator, I am delighted to recommend the LPC program. This program has significantly enhanced my professional capabilities and profoundly impacted my approach to event coordination.
The leadership, safety, and crisis management training I received has empowered me to elevate the quality and security of our university events. I wholeheartedly endorse this certification for any professional seeking to excel in LP and risk management.
Brayden McCarthy, LPQ
The TJX Companies
LPQ had a great impact on my career as an LP professional and provided me with more knowledge of not only the LP industry but also the retail industry as a whole. I 100 percent recommend taking the LPQ course if you’re looking to grow as an individual and take the next steps for your career.
Newly Certified
The following are individuals who recently earned their certifications.
LPQ Recipients
Khurram Abbas, LPQ, Amazon
Kathryn Aldrich, LPQ, Lowe’s
Syed Arshad Ali, LPQ, Ethic Management Services
Gary Atkins, LPQ, Tire Discounters
Elizabeth Bachman, LPQ, TJX
Christine Bailey, LPQ, ALTO
Geoffrey Banks, LPQ, The Home Depot
Ashley Beun, LPQ, Solink
Dustin Birchenough, LPQ, ALTO
Reece Bost, LPQ, Tractor Supply
Bobby Bostic , LPQ, The Home Depot
Brent Bridges, LPQ, The Home Depot
Anthony Chapman, LPQ, TJX
Dustin Declercq, LPQ, Borderland Co operatives Limited
Steven Eubanks, LPQ, DICK’S Sporting Goods
Felicia Genis, LPQ, TJX
Joseph Gonzalez, LPQ, TJX
Joshua Grochot, LPQ, ALTO
James Hobbs, LPQ, ALTO
Steven Ivory, LPQ, Amazon
Evens Jn Baptiste, LPQ, The Home Depot
Callum Kemlo, LPQ, ALTO
Tyler Laflin, LPQ, The Home Depot
Sean Logan, LPQ, Atwood’s Ranch and Home
Helene Lopez, LPQ, Publix Super Markets
Jonathon Markline, LPQ, The Home Depot
Elvis Martinez, LPQ, Burlington
Brayden McCarthy, LPQ, TJX
Alejandro Meza Trujillo, LPQ, ALTO
Hannah Miller, LPQ, Penske Logistics
Michael Ovalle, LPQ, ALTO
Mynor Peralta, LPQ, TJX
Jada Pulido, LPQ, TJX
Zachary Shingler, LPQ, Gap
Ashley Starnes, LPQ, Amazon
Amanda Stoltzfus, LPQ, Amazon
Nichole Stubblefield, LPQ, NAVCO
LPC Recipients
Mark Andert, LPC, Intelli shop.com
Ray Cole, LPC, Goodwill NNE
Greg Collins, LPC, i3 International
Sam Fuentes Jr, LPC, Tailored Brands
Michael Gonzalez, LPC, Coast Guard Exchange
Aubrey Hastings, LPC, Casey’s General Store
Telly Knetter, LPC, Walgreens
Samantha Lopez, LPC, Walgreens
Jeremy Lynch, LPC, PetSmart
Kenneth Meehan, LPC, LPQ, The GIANT Company
Samuel Paley, LPC, Central Connecticut
State University
Melissa Parker, LPC, Earthbound Trading Company
Marcel Parsons, LPC, Macy’s
Don Pool, LPC, Albertson’s
Carlos Portela, LPC, Burlington
Amanda Poynter, LPC, Carhartt
Matthew Richter, LPC, Harbor Freight Tools
Marcos Rodriguez, LPC, LPQ, ALTO
Adam Ruiz, LPC, Kroger
Khalil Saqui, LPC, Macy’s
Jacob Schnur, LPC, Casey’s General Store
Jill Schultz, LPC, The Home Depot
Curtis Stoves, LPC, Books A Million
Stephen Thomas, LPC, Walgreens
Heather Vondrasek, LPC, Walgreens
Samantha Yakush, LPC, Belle Tire
Santo Zenone, LPC, LPQ, lululemon athletica
Tips For a Successful Holiday Season
Start Training Early
To help prepare employees for the upcoming holiday season, training programs that emphasize good hiring practices, strong communication, enhanced security, and both employee and customer safety often take place as early as July.
Keep Focused
Implement new ideas after the holiday rush, when employees can focus on the project and customers simultaneously, instead of during the holiday rush when their main focus is customers.
Clear Communication
Having an ongoing, easy to‑use form of communication not only helps employees understand the priorities day to day but also allows LP teams to communicate faster and more accurately to implement the best possible practices.
The holiday season is a tumultuous time in retail. In the months leading up to the holidays, consumers flock to stores in droves searching for the perfect gift for loved ones, which can leave employees feeling overwhelmed and underprepared. The infographic below highlights a few of the most important best practices for a successful holiday season to share with your team.
Leaping the Hurdles
Most retailers face unique challenges during the holidays. Identify those hurdles before the holiday rush and implement strategic plans well ahead of time. Set your employees up for success by training them on the correct course of action to approach these difficult and unique situations.
Tap Into Technology
Technology can prevent loss now better than ever. Organizations must prioritize using appropriate, high‑performing technology to minimize theft and maximize controls, especially around the holidays.
Stay Out of the Way
The holidays are a pivotal time for most retailers, accounting for the lion’s share of company sales. At this time, the business must prioritize sales and service. Now may not be the time for that full day audit. Instead, think about ways you can help the sales team drive sales.
Design. Develop. Deliver. How the Boot Came to Be
Large groups of people using flash mob‑style strategies enter stores selling designer outerwear, handbags, and clothing. They rush in through the doors and grab as much as they can hold in their arms or stuff into bags, then rush out again to scatter in every direction, not caring about the damage they left behind—organized retail crime. They scored! In and out in under two minutes, and the store has lost thousands of dollars or more. Those stolen items are going to a black market operation somewhere. How can we stop this, or at least slow them down?
Design, Develop, Deliver
Design: In 2019, we asked our engineers: Can we make a padlock tag that our Gen5 alarming tether could plug into? Could we deactivate the alarming tether and release the tag itself at the same time with one push of a button, from the tag? Answer: Technology needs time to catch up to this idea.
Develop: During 2022 2023, we developed the Gen6 SP with a pin end that plugged into the padlock tag’s side and sent it to clients for multi store testing. We needed ease of use and dual technology.
Redesign: By changing the design to the Slide padlock tag, there were no pins to insert or get bent, preventing false alarms. The lock end of the Gen6 SP tether slides into a slot in the Smart padlock tag and locks in. It is protected from unauthorized detachers with an IR signal, so if someone tries to use their own detacher, the Gen6 SP will alarm. The tethers connect to a Smart Padlock slide tag that is a dual frequency EAS tag. This allows the associate to remove the item from the tether with ease but keep it protected with the padlock tag while in the store.
Using our all in one decoder, the Gen6 SP Slide deactivates the alarm, releases the tag with the push of a button, and reactivates when it is plugged into the next tag, making it easy to remove and replace merchandise. It allows the customer to feel, try on, and still
have a positive shopping experience while the individual item is secure.
Deliver: We delivered to several stores for testing proof of concept in various ways. Approved! No more false alarms.
Now, How to Lock Multiple Tethers to a 4-Way Rack?
Design: We asked our engineer to help design a bracket that securely holds several tethers on a rack. They produced a prototype called The Boot. The Boot locks around the leg of a fixture and can hold ten Gen6 SP Slide alarming tethers.
Develop: Our first design looked very
4 way racks with a swivel lock at the top and bottom of the Boot, locking it onto the leg of the rack. Only two security screws were needed.
Deliver: The new design was tested on 4 way racks and H racks in 100 plus stores and has since been deployed to over 1,000 stores in the US and Canada, with more scheduled in the near future. Design, develop, deliver
Steampunk with metal plates, brackets, and LOTS OF SCREWS! We provided protection for our clients, and it provided ROI for one store within 24 hours, but it was laborious to apply. Proof of concept testing in stores was completed in a very short time.
Result: Huge success against grab and runs, great ROI, but needs a redesign, requiring less labor.
Redesign: We redesigned the Boot to be a solid piece that fits around the legs of
For more information on our products, pricing, and services, please call 772-287-7999 or contact us at info@cisssinc.com
Axis Communications
Metadata: What Is Your Video Telling You?
Retailers today rely on surveillance cameras to detect crime and monitor activity. But what if these cameras could provide you with more? Through metadata, you can unlock a hidden layer of intelligence within your video footage, gaining valuable insights into security procedures, customer behavior, inventory management, and staff efficiency. This translates to a smarter, safer, and more profitable retail operation.
Metadata, or data about data, is essentially hidden information embedded within the video footage. It provides a description about the video itself, in addition to the visual content. Think of it like captions on a movie that describe the scene, time, objects, and people. It adds an extra layer of information to your video, making it more useful. It includes timestamps, location data, identification of objects and people in the scene, and even their movements.
Your visual sensors are already collecting data throughout your environment. Metadata provides context for that data. Metadata helps us understand what is happening in a field of view, unlocking opportunities and insights that may have gone unnoticed otherwise. Analytics powered by metadata can quickly identify critical and relevant information needed. This saves time and improves the efficiency of data analysis. Generating a detailed scene description, metadata can help to reduce errors and improve the accuracy of analytics results. It is essential for making data usable for analytics and helping software understand a scene more like a human operator might. Analytics can be divided into two main categories for different purposes. One is for security and safety to protect assets, and the other is for operational efficiencies to enhance the customer experience.
How Metadata Boosts Retail Security
Transform your video surveillance system from passive observer to proactive guardian. This is the power of metadata, breathing life
into video footage, and transforming it from raw data into actionable intelligence.
● Real-Time Threat Detection and Response: The ability to analyze vehicle types, movement patterns, and even dwell time is possible when metadata is being collected and processed. An alert can trigger in real time, enabling security personnel to intervene immediately, upon set boundaries, preventing potential incidents.
● Enhanced Forensic Investigations: Traditionally, reviewing hours of footage is a time consuming task. Metadata streamlines this process. Imagine searching for a specific red car that entered the premises yesterday afternoon. With vehicle type, color, and timestamp data embedded as metadata, investigators can pinpoint the exact footage for swift review.
● Predictive Analytics and Resource Allocation: Advanced video analytics, fueled by rich metadata, can identify patterns and proactively identify potential security risks. The ability to recognize a surge in traffic near an exit during a specific
time each day enables stores to then strategically deploy security personnel at peak times, optimizing resource allocation and preventing possible hazards.
● Integration with Access Control Systems: Metadata can bridge the gap between video surveillance and access control. Facial recognition software linked with metadata can identify authorized personnel and automatically unlock doors, streamlining access for approved individuals while triggering alerts for unauthorized entries.
Beyond Security: Optimizing Operations
The benefits of understanding metadata extend far beyond security. By analyzing data like dwell times in specific areas, product interactions, and foot traffic patterns, you gain priceless insights into customer behavior and opportunities to improve the overall customer experience.
● Customer Flow Management: Understanding customer traffic patterns is key to efficient staffing. By analyzing time and location data, you can pinpoint peak
hours and optimize staff scheduling for exceptional customer service.
● Intelligent Inventory Control: Metadata from visual sensors can help identify high‑demand products and areas in your store. Strategic product placement and stock allocation based on this data minimize waste and maximize sales.
● Heat Mapping for Informed Marketing: Imagine a visual representation of customer behavior within your store. Detailed heat maps, derived from metadata analysis, reveal customer preferences and guide marketing strategies, store layout redesigns, and targeted promotions, ultimately driving sales and customer satisfaction.
Capturing Data for Scene Intelligence Across All 5 Zones
A retail environment has five key zones to keep in mind: community, parking lot, entrance, sales floor, and the point of impact. Capturing metadata throughout these zones yields a holistic perspective on what is happening at a store location and consequently how to improve security and efficiency to improve the experience. Through all five zones, Axis solutions support data collection, investigations, and taking action against repeat offenders.
● Community: The sharing of metadata between law enforcement, security operation centers, and other retailers
helps in detecting and identifying offenders, encompassing mutual success. Centralized data and consistent operations enable best practice identification, data analysis, and performance monitoring. Partnering with an open platform solution will enable the flexibility and scalability needed to adapt where necessary.
● Parking: Collect data on vehicles entering your parking lot, capturing their license plate numbers and what times vehicles enter and exit a parking area. Advanced analytics collect data on vehicles, people, motion, and loitering. Cameras with embedded audio analytics can detect sounds of aggression, which can then generate events or create bookmarks, even when outside the camera’s field of view.
● Entrance: At the store entrance, you can determine if a person has been loitering for a period of time and utilize audio and visual notification of their known presence. As previously mentioned, different access control solutions also register that the appropriate people have access to certain areas of the store or during set hours.
● Sales Floor: Strategically placing video surveillance cameras in areas with high theft potential guards the sales floor against shelf sweeps of frequently stolen items and theft of high value products displayed in showcases. Additionally, those same cameras can reveal customer
preferences, popular products, and high traffic areas. This knowledge can enable optimization of product placement, marketing campaigns, and promotions.
● Point of Impact: Capture the criminal at the point of impact, wherever that may be. With open drawer detection, cameras with analytics detect the open cash register when no customer is present, while also capturing images of the member of staff who is by the register. Detect fraud at check outs and carts pushed in the wrong direction without payment thanks to smart sensors. These insights inform staff planning, cashier training, and POS system optimization. Axis integrated solutions using cameras, analytics, audio, and access control work proactively, in real time and in review, to help you stay ahead of criminals in every zone. Our solutions enable you to collect data across each zone, providing valuable evidence and insights on how to improve your asset protection strategy.
Unlocking the Power of Metadata with Axis Communications
When details matter, it is important to remember that the basis for robust analytics is the camera quality. It is often said that bad data in equals bad data out. Since the image is the raw data source for metadata, and metadata fuels analytics, high quality image processing is crucial. This is true no matter if the analytics are running on the edge, a server, or the cloud.
At Axis Communications, we understand the transformative power of metadata in retail security and operations. Our cutting‑edge video surveillance solutions harness metadata to deliver real time insights, empowering you to make informed decisions and elevate your business performance. Our advanced features include object and people tracking for effective crowd management and investigations, scene analytics for real time anomaly detection, trend anticipation, and immediate alerts, along with deep learning capabilities that unlock sophisticated metadata extraction and interpretation through powerful AI algorithms. By integrating these features, our solutions equip you with comprehensive scene intelligence—enhancing security, streamlining operations, and cultivating a data driven culture. For more information, visit axis.com/en us/contact us.
Jacque Brittain, LPC Editorial Director
Jacque Brittain, LPC, is editorial director for LP Magazine. Prior to joining the magazine, he was director of learning design and certification for Learn It Solutions, where he helped coordinate and write the online coursework for the Loss Prevention Foundation’s LPC and LPQ certifications. Earlier in his career, Brittain was vice president of operations for one of the largest executive recruiting firms in the LP industry. He can be reached at JacB@LossPreventionMedia.com.
Opinions Are Like Noses Everybody Has One
In most circumstances, having differing opinions is healthy and constructive, often leading to positive and productive outcomes. In fact, in the workplace, we often encourage the opinions of others as a valuable source of creative input, helping shape the ideas fundamental to team dynamics and the success of our programs and policies. Sharing these opinions gives the entire team a sense of value, trust, respect, and belonging.
Opinions are typically beliefs based on experience and information.
They may be supported by facts or information believed to be factual, personal principles, cultural beliefs, or any number of influences that motivate our individual constitution.
But there are also times when it’s best to be more selective about the opinions we share, what we say, how we say it, or even if we should say anything at all. Depending on the subject, the context, the situation, the audience, or the delivery, sharing certain opinions can lead to animosity, insult, division, and even hostility. Especially in situations where our opinions have nothing to do with accomplishing goals, it’s extremely important to be respectful of others and think through these decisions in a professional setting. The workplace is a place where everyone should feel safe, welcomed, respected, and included, and we have a professional responsibility to act and speak with reverence and discretion.
Where They Come From
Opinions are typically beliefs based on experience and information. They may be supported by facts or information believed to be factual, personal principles, cultural beliefs, or any number of influences that motivate our individual constitution. We can even draw different opinions based on the same information depending on how we choose to read the signs.
Keep in mind that everyone believes their opinion is right—or it wouldn’t be their opinion. Some opinions may change with new information and insights, while others are deeply rooted and may never change regardless of any new arguments or substantiation that may be introduced. Some may grasp at the smallest crumbs of information that support their beliefs, no matter how baseless or insignificant, while openly dismissing or angrily rejecting prominent facts that refute their point of view.
Why It Matters
Okay, so there are no earth shattering revelations thus far. But given how divisive things are today, whether it’s politics
and the upcoming election, the ongoing conflicts across the globe, cultural or religious beliefs, or other dilemmas that we may be facing, it’s still important to lay the groundwork to ensure our interactions regarding certain opinions are civil and respectful. For example:
You have a right to your own opinion. But you don’t have a right to mine. We all have friends, family, and colleagues who think differently than we do about certain topics. That shouldn’t mean we love or respect them less or that we have a right to chastise them for the things they believe.
Just because our opinions are different, doesn’t mean my opinion is wrong Accept that you may never find common ground. Some topics don’t have easy answers, and it’s best to agree to disagree.
Having the “right” to voice an opinion doesn’t necessarily mean you should. For example, it might be your opinion that your boss dresses like a slob, but that doesn’t make it a good idea to say so. That can apply to a lot of situations.
Generalized opinions about any particular group are biased and stupid. While some are obvious, others can be just foolish. For example, “The Democrats” or “The Republicans” can quickly lead to thoughtless and insulting generalizations, just like any other inappropriate judgments we might make. We’re all Americans first, and that should matter most.
Professional platforms aren’t the place to discuss certain topics. I didn’t join these platforms to hear about your politics or thoughts on world affairs, whether I agree with you or not.
Keep an open mind. Conversation is an opportunity for better understanding. New information can reinforce our opinions—or may offer a different outlook. At least, there are times when it should.
Healthy dialogue, even when it involves social issues, can be positive and constructive. But it’s still wise to be prudent and selective about what we share, especially in the workplace or other forums intended for professional conduct and discussion. You have every right to be passionate about the things you believe. However, it’s still important to respect the choices of others. Ultimately, we’re all on the same side.
toCommitting Leadership
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