Part One: Spot Your Real Shoplifters
When you own a business that involves a lot of direct interaction with the public, protecting against shoplifting or other types of customer theft can make the difference between profit and loss.

More than $35 million worth of goods are stolen from retailers every day.*At the same time, you don’t want legitimate customers to feel that they are under suspicion. Sometimes balancing the two can be hard. In honor of Valentine’s Day, this information may help you protect your operation while making sure your honest customers still love you.

Shoplifters do not fit any standard profile: Only 25% of shoplifters are kids. Shoplifting is not a gender-specific behavior – men and women shoplift in about equal percentages. The majority of shoplifters are Caucasian. Only 3% of shoplifters are actually “professionals,” those who steal for profit or as a lifestyle. 73 percent of kids and 72% of adults steal on impulse.*

Given this information, shop owners, salespeople, or security staff that profile potential shoplifters based on age or race will not only offend customers, they will miss the majority of thieves. Instead of profiling based on appearance, train your staff to profile based on behavior. Pay attention to how people dress, act, and move, and what they carry. This will tell you if shoplifting is a possibility.

Here are some indications that someone may be shoplifting:

Dressing wrong: Does someone have clothes that are inappropriate to the weather? A shoplifter may wear heavier clothes in the summer or a coat to hide merchandise. In the winter, someone may come in with no coat planning to steal one. Extremely worn clothing may indicate that the person is going to switch to stolen clothes in the fitting room. Also pay attention to people with baggy clothes or a woman with full or pleated skirts. Women have actually been known to steal whole hams and other fairly large items by tucking them under skirts and holding them between their thighs or knees as they walk out of the store.

People wearing tight-fitting and weather-appropriate clothing who are carrying nothing or just a small purse are probably not shoplifters.

Acting odd: If someone comes into the store and takes quick glances around, if they show signs that they are nervous such as sweating, flushing or dry lips, they may be a potential shoplifter. If people hold quick conversations with other people demonstrating the same behavior, or if two people come in together and one talks to you or asks questions while the other wanders, these behaviors can be a prelude to shoplifting. Notice particularly if the person asking questions doesn’t seem to be interested in the answers or has trouble continuing the conversation. From a timing standpoint, shoplifters will often come right at opening or closing. They also might not seem sure what they want.

People who pay a lot of attention to your merchandise and come in alone are probably not shoplifters.

Moving strangely: Anyone who moves quickly, walks in a strange way, makes a lot of adjusting movements to their clothes or keeps their hands low may be concealing a stolen item. Anyone who walks behind one of your sales counters or reaches into a display designed to keep customers away rather than asking for help may be looking for an opportunity to steal a valuable item. Some shoplifters cut a slit in a coat pocket to enable them to reach and grab something from the bottom, so watch anyone who always has only one hand in a coat pocket. Someone who brings a large number of items into a fitting room or moves quickly into a fitting room without asking for help may want to make sure you don’t know what they brought in with them.

Accessory choices: Shoplifters may carry dirty or wrinkled shopping bags, empty plastic bags or backpacks. They may have a large purse that is often wide open. They frequently carry bundles, boxes, a coat or sweater tossed over an arm, briefcases, umbrellas or newspapers. Another technique is to have an arm in a sling – perfect for hiding small items.

One common trick is to use a stroller. There’s a lot of opportunity to tuck items around a baby. Some strollers even have a false bottom to steal larger or more items.

Next week in part two, look for the questions you need to ask about your business to determine if you’re a “good” candidate for shoplifting, and some tips for prevention.

* Information and statistics provided by the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention (NASP), a non-profit organization.