Shoplifting is a given in retail. Nationwide, it’s responsible for billions of dollars in losses. Sooner or later, your store will probably get hit, but that doesn’t mean you should resign yourself to theft. You can take proactive loss prevention steps, and that starts with understanding the threat.

Some shoplifters are obvious, but most are ingenious and experienced. This crime has been around for centuries, so thieves have had plenty of time to hone their craft. And thanks to technology and the internet, shoplifters are now giving new meaning to the word  “brazen." They are actually using Tumblr to brag about their scores and teach one another how to perfect their stealing techniques. So you need to protect yourself.   

Be on the lookout for any of these shoplifting methods:

1. Tools of the trade

• A shopping bag or purse or not-quite-furled umbrella set on the floor or hung over the arm – these all make it easy to simply drop articles inside. Look for shopping bags from other stores, or dirty, wrinkled paper bags.
• Real or faux moms use strollers as mobile containers. The baby, blankets, etc. easily conceal stolen items. Some pros outfit strollers with a false bottom.
• A folded newspaper can conceal something small.
• Metal-lined bags can outfox electronic exit alarms.

2. Theft-friendly clothing

• Pants, skirts, coats – the baggier or bulkier, the better. Pros add interior pockets and even hooks inside to hold items.
• By cutting a slit in a coat pocket on the inside, shoplifters can appear to be examining an item with one hand while surreptitiously snatching items with the hand that appears to be resting in their pocket.

3. Bold behaviors

“Smash and grab” is a common form of theft after hours. When your store is open, thieves don’t have to smash, they can simply:

• Grab items near the entrance and flee.
• Walk out with large items too bulky to bag.
• Take apparel into the fitting room and put it on under their own clothes.
• Skip the fitting room – just don the garment(s) and leave.

4. Distractions

• Groups split up upon entering, making it hard to track their movements.
• One person engages you while the other steals.
• Theft happens while your employee is in back, checking on something for the “customer.”

5. Other tried and true methods

• Some thieves switch the price tag for a lower-cost one.
• Some “return” an item they just picked up, having “forgotten” their receipt.
• And some “accidentally” steal by “forgetting” to pay for an item at the cash register.
• Unfortunately, inside jobs are also common. Employees can collude with friends to steal, or they can do it on their own. You have to consider this when you think about prevention.

People shoplift for financial gain or the thrill, very rarely out of need. But it’s no game for retailers. “Forewarned is forearmed,” as they say. The more you know about shoplifting methods, the more you can do to foil their efforts. That’s proactive loss prevention.