“I was RIGHT there…” “I was watching them every minute.” “One moment it was there, the next moment it was gone.” We hear these comments again and again on Too Good to be Threw. Heck, I even get messages from shopkeepers asking over and over again: Tell me how to stop shoplifting!
It happens to all retail shopkeepers sooner or later. Something goes missing… and you are sure that you were extra-vigilant. In fact, you’re pretty darn sure you know who stole that sweater, slip, sled from your shop. You were watching them like a hawk, right? And they still stole from you.
The thing is, you want to learn from this experience so it won’t happen again. You can read all the information you want, but nothing will help if you don’t learn how your attention can be easily diverted. Here’s a test that will stun and amaze you. It was in Oprah magazine a month or two ago, in an article by Martha Beck. First, do what I say in the next paragraph without reading on. Then, come back here to read the rest of my post here, and you will find out something amazing about paying attention.
Go to http://viscog.beckman.uiuc.edu/grafs/demos/15.html . There’s a short video clip there. Watch it and count how many times the white-shirted team passes the basketball.
Don’t continue reading until you count how many times the white-shirted team passes the basketball.
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Got it? Did you count how many times the basketball was passed? Good for you! Now here’s the thing: several seconds into the film, a gorilla walks through the scene, even pauses and thumps his chest. Did you even notice that? Very few people do. Go ahead, go watch it again. The gorilla is real (well, it’s not real-real, but you know what I mean.)
So, how did that shoplifter steal from you? Distraction. I told you to count the ball passes… the shoplifter might have done something that was equally as compelling for you to watch, then concealed the stolen item just as flagrantly.
Lesson learned? Watch for the guy in the gorilla suit. Don’t get so caught up in what someone wants you to see, that you become blind to everything else.
Auntie Kate The Resale Expert 
Oh, MY! Great post! After 18 years, I can, truthfully, say that we have had very little shoplifting, but when we have had it, it’s a bunch! Look for the ones who you’d never dream that they would do it! Those, who have ripped me off, are the ones, who I’d never dream would be shoplifters…the private school girls, the beautiful, athletic college girls, wearing their sorority shirts, etc. (Don’t get me wrong…both my daughters went to private school, so I have no preconceived notions, nor any prejudices toward anyone!) Those who one would think would be potential shoplifters, are, usually, not! And BEWARE!!! If they do it one time and get away with it, they WILL come back and back! One particular lady who came in…former prep school girl, in a school 1 mile from my business…father, a prominent Dr. in the community…lifted 8 items in the dressing room, while an employee was there…I’d gone out for a few minutes. I called my peers, who owned shops in my shopping center, and she’d gotten away with merchandise from them, also, in just a few minutes! It’s amazing! And, she came back and back, but I was 1 foot away from her the entire time. I wanted her to feel uncomfortable and not come back in my store, but thieves are, sometimes, determined, and it’s a game to many of them! The only time I’ve gotten, totally, taken on a bad check was a women, who stayed in my store 2 hours, talked the talk and walked the walk, with the daughter, attending the private school a minute from my business, with an address on my own street, a few doors down from me (!), and “so glad she’d found my store!” After the $500+ check was returned, with a closed account, I marched up to the house and realized, that this was not the person who was in my store. She’d stolen the checks from my neighbor’s mailbox, but I didn’t know my neighbor, till then! BEWARE of those who you think are the “good” ones! They may not be, and, what an idiot was I?!? Never got the money back, but was involved in a sting at the bank to catch her. I identified her, and she got a slap on the wrist, and I got nothing in return. Wow!
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My shop is in Mexico and shoplifting is a big problem. I installed the round mirrors and that has helped. I also limit the number of pieces that they can try on. I take the pieces away from them before they enter, take the hangers off and let them know I have counted them. WIthout the hangers they cannot take them out and try to go put them back on the rack. Also, shoes………..I only put one of the pair out for display. The other goes in an area we have designated by the counter where the customers cannot reach. We also keep the more expensive items close by the sales counter and the cheaper items closer to the exit. These little things have helped a lot but sometimes things still get stolen. Hope these little tips helps someone else.
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Hi Segunda Vida,
That’s an interesting tip re taking the hangers away… after all, how many times have we been told, “Oh I put it back on the rack”… this would completely forestall that! So I guess your dressing rooms have an abundance of hooks to hang garments on? Thanks for your idea!
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I counted 15 and did see the gorilla not to brag but truth is we don’t have eyes in the back of our heads. But we can also use our ears for detection. After loosing a very expensive handbag to theft I when out and bought the largest Christmas bells possible and attached them to my high priced purses. The customers don’t mind the noise and it certainly gives me a heads up when I hear the bells ring.
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I too counted the correct passes but did NOT notice the gorilla the first time either When I went back to look at the video again – it stuck out like a sore thumb when I knew what to look for. I guess the lesson here is “lesson learned”!
I’m a baby and maternity shop and too have been a victim of theft just recently. I have been open for a year now and have not had any issues up to now. This past month, I have been shoplifted twice in the last two weeks – 12 empty hangers in all. Since the tags are gone with the items, I have no clue what’s been lifted until consignments are up. Even though I state that I’m not responsible for theft or loss, I will still pay the consignor out so there won’t be any negative feelings. It’s not my consignors fault that I didn’t see the goods get heisted.
How it happened: The first day I found 5 empty hangers hanging on a rack in the back of my store, I had my suspicions on who it was. But a week later I found 7 more empty hangers (same MO) but the person I THOUGHT took them hadn’t been in my shop that day. Since it was a slower day I remembered an older lady who was asking a lot of questions as I was “straightening up my store” and she even stopped by my checkout and asked if she could have one of my bags because she “feeling sick because she ate some ice cream” before she left. Right after she left was when I found the second set of empty hangers that I know was NOT there before she walked in so now I know who is shoplifting. I just want to catch her in the act now. I then installed video camera’s in the blind spots so I could watch what goes on in that area in case I happen to get stuck behind the counter. Well, sure enough, two days later she’s back. This time flashing a card and stating “I remembered my card today so I can do some shopping”. As I step from behind my counter I noticed a large messenger bag she was carrying. It was obviously empty AND unzipped. Ok, so now I know how she’s getting the items out of the store. I basically left her unattended in hopes of catching her but in walks one of my consignors who starts shopping in the same section the potential shoplifter is. The lady started to act nervous as she kept looking all around at the ceiling (obviously checking out the newly installed cameras) and then decides that “she didn’t see anything she wanted today” and leaves – and her messenger bas was visually empty. I watched her go into Goodwill a few stores away. After my consignor left, I locked up and walked over to alert Goodwill’s manager to this potential thief. Well as i was walking in to Goodwill she was leaving and guess what? Her messenger bag was stuffed full. I asked the checkout gal if the lady had purchased anything and she said no. I told her that I thought she shoplifted from me the week before but didn’t catch her in the act. By the time the manager got to the front of their store, the lady was getting into a “waiting truck”. Since nobody actually saw her take anything, she got the license plate number and was going to rewind their video to see if they could catch her that way but at least they would know what she looked like. I’m sure they saw the Goodwill manager take down the license plate number and I doubt that she will be back to either of our stores. But you never know -some thieves can be really dumb. And if she does – I’ll be ready!
Now you can say that I’m officially “Gorilla Lesson Learned” but it’s sad to say I had to learn the HARD way!
Thanks Auntie Kate for this awesome tidbit!
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Thanks, Kathy, for your story. It brings up an important point. EVERY resaler should have a phone tree set up with her peers to alert them in such situations (you don’t REALLY want to close your shop and go trotting down the street!)… how this works: Person A is the trunk of the tree and receives all such info. She then calls the 2 shops “beneath” her, and each of those 2 call their 2, and so on. Of course, if you’re steps away from another “target” like Kathy was, you call them directly first, then send out the general warning.
Just one more thought: If a suspected shoplifter comes in with an open and empty bag, either insist she leave it behind your counter or zip it up. Since it’s EMPTY, there shouldn’t be the objection of “but it’s my purse!” and since you suspect her, if she gets offended and leaves (hopefully for GOOD) that’s great!
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The amazing thing for me is that the people you think would shoplift are not the ones who do. They always come in groups of three and one will distract. We have caught two groups – now that we know what we’re looking for. I believed a girl had shoplifted from me and I and my daughter happened to be in the store at the end of the day with my store manager. People know we’re busy at the end of the day bringing mannequins in, straightening up, etc. This girl walked in the back door with a friend while another friend came in the front. I recognized the one, so very sweetly (hard for me, I know) I went to the girl I knew and her friend and asked if they minded putting their bags behind the counter – they were a bit large. They said, “no, we trust you” (funny, right) but they were gone in about 5 minutes. They are usually high school age girls looking for a thrill and if one has gotten away with it, they will come back with friends to see if they can do better.
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I only counted 14 times, and I did see the gorilla walk thru, stop, thump his chest and move on. However, the story of the 3 little girls was interesting. In my store, I do not allow children under the age of 16 in the store with out a parent.
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My shop has only been open a year. It’s in a small town and I took it for granted that all was safe and sound. 3 little girls came in one day just after a friend of mine arrived. They were cute, asked us a lot of questions & they were so young! One was looking DIRECTLY at an item asking if I had any of ‘that brand’. Being the super helpful person that I am, I went on a search for all of that brand in her size while the other two girls were looking. It was at the end of the day and no one else was in my store after them. It was not until the following morning when I noticed an empty ring box staring at me from the checkout counter. I searched the floor and even emptied my vaccum cleaner bag thinking maybe I had swept it up by some chance. Long story short, 12 pieces of jewelry missing in the end (we ALL know right where we put things in our little shops). I certainly suspected no one else but them but I’ll be darned if the 3 didn’t show up the very next day and the same girl asked the SAME question about her fav brand of tops – that is the moment I was CERTAIN of what had happened the day before. It was so dissappointing – I never thought about young girls (6-12) doing such a thing. They mentioned the previous day that they had ‘been in every store in town’ that afternoon. 😦 It just made me sick to think they were playing a little game for the day. Instead of causing a big ruckus in town (they are LOCAL) – I kept quiet. The following day, I asked them their names and made it OBVIOUS that I was writing them down (and asked for spelling 🙂 then I followed them around making myself quite obnoxious. Two of the three were literally looking over their shoulders and may as well have ‘guilt’ written on their forheads and could not get away from me fast enough. I followed them to the door also.
Since all 12 items had my tags tied with ribbons on them, I am fairly certain the parents found something at some point. The girls have never been in my store ALONE since then, and one of them is now a consignor (as her mother brought her in to open an account). The experience made me a little paranoid, but was also a lesson in the tricks of the trade. When I read the chapter about shoplifting – it was textbook technique!
Like everyone else I suppose, my cons. agreement states ‘not responsible for loss’, but I paid the consignors for the missing jewelry. It was a $100 loss for me. (not counting my half…..
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I counted the number of passes correctly and did not see the gorilla. Darn! We’ve have a few instances of shoplifting – one woman I caught out of the corner of my eye as she stuffed two pairs of shoes into her bag. She’s been a regular for several years and I suspected once before that she’d stolen a pair of shoes. This time I caught her red handed and told her I was calling the police. She begged me not to (in Spanish) put some money on the counter and left. I told her never to come back again or I would call the police and immigration. I’ve never seen her again and she’d been in our store once weekly for years.
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I sure did NOT see the dang gorilla!
We’ve been very lucky that we’ve not had a shoplifting problem in our store but I know that one day it will happen that something will go missing and we’ll have to eat it.
It’s part of doing business I guess.
When I was a teenager, I worked at a pet shop and one day, a group of thieves got each one of the employees busy at the front and side of the store while their accomplice stole a parrot from the back. We didn’t notice for several hours but then remembered that little mini rush when we were all so busy with people who bought nothing and left…. If they want to steal from you, how can you stop them?
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[…] How do shoplifters GET AWAY with it? […]
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The reply by Jenni is troublesome to me, please be aware that there are statistics available that tell us 1% to 10% of our profit can go out the door with shoplifters. I had to make a very expensive investment (over $5000) in anti theft devices which has helped out a lot, but it hasn’t completely stopped the shoplifting. Some will rip the device off the garment or case the store for those items that don’t have the devices on them. On a more positive note it has stopped a lot of the undesirable traffic. There’s a reason why big box store put anti-theft devices on everything.
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