StateWays is the only magazine exclusively covering the control state system within the beverage alcohol industry, with annual updates from liquor control commissions and alcohol control boards and yearly fiscal reporting from control jurisdictions
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/286992
43 StateWays Q www.stateways.com Q March/April 2014 shoplifter] knows you know they are in the store and you know what they look like." "What I teach store employees is that, when you talk about customer service, when you talk about pre- venting underage sales, when you talk about preventing shoplifting, you use the exact same approach: say hello to everyone, ask everyone if they need help," said Montgom- ery County's Wurdeman. Many retailers and loss-preven- tion specialists cite the WalMart greeter as an example of this tactic. And Mellor, who was once in charge of loss prevention for a jewelry busi- ness, suggested taking it one step further, by asking customers their names as part of the greeting. "Most people will automatically answer that question truthfully," he said, "and now, that shoplifter is not going to steal because you know his name." Scott Dunn of the New Hamp- shire Liquor Commission says employees at the NHLC state stores are taught "the 5 to 10 rule," which is if the employee is within fi ve to ten feet of a customer, they should greet them and, if 10 feet or more away, they should make eye contact. EYES ON THE PRIZE C amera systems have their place in a store's secu- rity system, but they don't always deter shoplift- ers, according to Bregar. "That's because they know you are not watching those images right then," he said. However, technology may be developing to help with that. Some camera systems can be set to send alerts or alarms, even an automatic message over the store's public-announcement system or a text sent to a manager's cell phone, when the camera records an event of a certain type. "If you have a product of high value, a champagne for instance, you can set a box around that area and, if the camera records a person lingering there for longer than a certain time, it will send the alert," explained Brian Davis, director of national accounts for 3xLogic, a se- curity-equipment company whose camera systems are in use by a number of control states, including Virginia and North Carolina. Davis also pointed out that video images are important when it comes to determining who committed a crime after the fact and in building a case against them in court. Retailers can also post pictures of shoplifters from their security systems for the employees to see, including posting them at all the locations in a chain. Control- state agencies, including the NHLC and the Montgomery County De- partment of Liquor Control, are particularly good at sending out notices to all stores, often by email, when shoplifters or other thieves have struck a location. Both the NHLC and the Montgomery County DLC value their camera systems and are constantly upgrading their capabilities. "It's a little too expensive to do all at once," said the DLC's Wurdeman. In New Hampshire, the focus is on making the stores' camera systems all web- based. That way, enforcement offi cers can access a cam- era anywhere in the system and get live shots. Store design is also crucial. New Hampshire's Dunn as well as many others at the NHLC have attended for- mal training in store design. "You want to harden the site to make it less appealing to thieves without harming the shopping experience for customers," said Dunn. The Montgomery County DLC also considers security and loss-prevention when it comes to store design and store displays. Because vodka is a very commonly shoplifted item, in the DLC's stores, the vodka displays are always kept in sight of the check-out lanes. Also, when it comes to displays and signs, "Our fi rst priority is to check if it blocks the view of any of the cameras, over anything else," said Wurdeman. Benefi t-denial devices, such as a locked cap on the bottle that must be taken off at the check-out, can also deter theft. These devices can also be used as part of an electronic article surveillance (EAS) system. Those are the systems that set off an alarm if a product is taken past a sensor at the door of a store when its tag or bottle cap has not been deactivated. A store selling rare wines in London, called Scott Dunn, New Hampshire Liquor Commission's Deputy Director, Enforcement Division, receives reports of shoplifting from the state's network of stores on a daily basis. "We have even found that some shoplifters will take orders, from a restaurant or bar in New Hampshire or from another state, for what liquor to steal." — SCOTT DUNN NEW HAMPSHIRE LIQUOR COMMISSION, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, ENFORCEMENT