LPM DIGITAL By Jacque Brittain, LPC, and Kelsey Seidler Brittain is editorial director, digital, and Seidler is managing editor, digital. The two manage the magazine’s digital channels that includes multiple daily e-newsletters featuring original content and breaking news as well as vibrant social media conversations. Brittain can be reached at JacB@LPportal.com and Seidler at KelseyS@LPportal.com.
A New Chapter in Retail F
ollowing are a few article summaries that can provide you with a small taste of the original content available to you every day through our daily digital offerings, which are offered free through LossPreventionMedia.com. In addition to our daily newsletter, a comprehensive library of original content is available to our digital subscribers at no cost to you. Visit our website to gain access to all of our content. You can also follow us on Facebook (search LP Voices), Twitter (@LPMag), and LinkedIn.
By Loss Prevention Media Staff
Mike Lamb, LPC, has been named vice president of asset protection for Kroger. A seasoned industry leader, Lamb has served with some of the nation’s most prominent loss prevention programs, embodying a style of leadership and a standard of performance that his teams respond to, rally around, and strive to emulate. He was previously the vice Mike Lamb, LPC president of asset protection and safety for Walmart US, where he also served as senior director operations support, asset protection prior to assuming his role as VP. Over the course of his career, he has also held leadership positions with The Home Depot and Federated Department Stores. In addition to serving with some of the nation’s most prominent loss prevention programs, Lamb has also offered his guidance and leadership throughout the loss prevention community as a board member with the Loss Prevention Foundation (LPF), the Loss Prevention Research Council (LPRC), the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) LP Steering Committee, and LP Magazine’s editorial board. Most recently, he was also recognized with the LPM “Magpie” Award for Excellence in Leadership in January 2017. “As a lot of people in the AP/LP industry have heard, I’ve decided to resign from Walmart and accept a role with Kroger,” said Lamb. “I thoroughly enjoyed my time and experience at Walmart. It’s an outstanding company with an outstanding history, and I will always reflect back on my time there with a sense of pride and appreciation for the opportunity and support provided to me. I established lifelong friendships with an outstanding group of AP leaders and store executives. “I’m equally excited to join Kroger as their vice president of asset protection. Their storied past, enormous future, and legacy brand are equaled by their leadership team and core values. I could MAY–JUNE 2017
Shoplifting in Fitting Rooms By Bill Turner, LPC
Mike Lamb Named Vice President of Asset Protection for Kroger
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not be prouder nor more humbled to join the Kroger family and look forward to the next chapter in my career!” To learn more about Mike Lamb, his style of leadership, and the outstanding commitment to excellence offered by the entire asset protection team at Walmart, check out “Making It Easier to Get It Right,” from the March–April issue of LP Magazine.
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Any loss prevention professional who has worked in a store that sells apparel is probably familiar with customers shoplifting in fitting rooms. But how much do you know about changing shoplifting laws, current practices to control it, public opinion, and future technologies when it comes to fitting rooms? Records are not exact, but shoplifting is estimated to cost US retailers between $24 and $40 billion per year in terms of shrink and the costs to control it. Below are other statistics being quoted from various sources, some of which are estimates: ■O ne to 2 percent of all customers enter a store with the intent to shoplift. ■F emale shoplifters outnumber men by a large margin. ■N ine out of ten shoplifters are reported to be under the age of thirty. ■T he peak shoplifting age is fifteen. ■F orty-nine percent of all shoplifters have attended some college. ■D ollar for dollar, shoplifting losses outnumber bank robbery losses 300 to one. ■A ccording to the National Retail Federation, shoplifters are responsible for 38 percent of retail shrink. These statistics do bear varying degree of statistical accuracy, but when it comes to shoplifting in fitting rooms, it’s difficult to find even estimates as to its magnitude. However, the anonymity offered by a fitting room is a strong draw to a shoplifter. Whether in a booster bag, booster girdle, or stroller, or wearing stolen merchandise out of a store, the fitting room seems like a great place to conceal merchandise. So what are some current methods to curb shoplifting in fitting rooms? Most are obvious and not new. They include: ■F itting room attendants counting garments in and out ■P ublic-view monitors and highly visible video cameras outside a fitting room entrance ■F itting rooms located near high-traffic areas ■ I ndividual fitting room service at upscale retailers ■C himes to alert store personnel when a customer enters a fitting room area
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