Lower Crime in Your Retail Store by Doing This 1 Thing

According to the National Retail Federation, nearly 90% of retailers reported falling victim to organized crime in 2014. However, with the help of a new, simple to install technology, retailers are seeing a triple-digit drop in shrink. Here’s what you can do to stop crime in your retail store.

Retail theft doesn’t always involve pricey electronics or luxury items. In fact, a growing percentage of loss for retailers involves everyday necessities—such as laundry soap, baby formula or over-the-counter medications. These items are targeted because demand is high—virtually everyone uses them or knows someone who does—and they’re easy to steal.

Retailers are faced with a difficult dilemma. Shoppers want a self-service shopping experience. Placing these items behind locks or using theft-resistant dispensing hooks might deter would-be thieves, but it also deters customers.

Electronic tags are easy to counteract using “booster” bags—bags designed to keep the tags from triggering loss prevention checkpoints. That’s if the tags would deter anyone in the first place. Today’s thieves are more organized and brazen than ever. They know what once they’re out of the store, tracking a large quantity of these simple, everyday items is next to impossible.

Would-be thieves are also working together to form organized retail crime rings, using the power of a group to overwhelm staff and grabbing carts full of items at a time for quick resale.

While traditional CCTV and surveillance technology might capture footage of the perpetrators, it does little to deter the event from happening. Many of these groups switch between different stores, regions and markets. By the time you’ve handed footage over to a law enforcement group, the criminals—and your products and profits—are long gone.

Public View Monitors: An Effective Criminal Deterrent

Public View Monitors (PVMs) are a proven way to make criminals pause and think twice about what they’re about to do. With integrated screens and cameras, they’re simple to deploy in high-theft areas and provide a real-time stream criminals and other customers can see (have a look at our Bristol CT security cameras systems).

Yes, traditional cameras are noticeable and you might think that they would hold the same benefits. However, according to the Loss Prevention Research Council, seeing a real-time stream of their face, clothing or the goods they’re about to steal—the evidence that proves their guilt should they continue with their plan—decreases shrink in high-theft areas by as much as 330-percent! A PVM eliminates any doubt that footage might catch them in the act and shows them “You are being recorded.”

If you’re looking to reduce loss and crime within your retail business, Mammoth Security has extensive experience with PVMs and other surveillance tools. From optimizing coverage and deterring theft to ensuring that you obtain convictable evidence, our professional installers can help you design a custom surveillance system—or upgrade your existing system—to meet the needs of modern retailers. Getting started is as simple as picking up your phone and calling (860) 609-6539 or sending us a message through our contact form! Our professional team can help with all your needs and offer quality security camera installation in New Haven CT.