Protecting Your Small Retail Business From Crime Is Easier Than You Think

If you’ve taken the time to set up a retail business that you pour your heart and soul in, the last thing you want to overlook is the security. Small retail shops are prime targets for thieves and especially shoplifting gangs that work in a team to overwhelm, confuse and rob you blind. There are too many items, for you to keep an eye on all the time, and not enough employees can watch every customer who comes into your business. Small businesses whether solely online or in the real-world, all suffer from the vulnerability of being infiltrated and destroyed from the inside. That’s why it’s also a good idea to have staff on-site that can stand as a layer between you and your employees as well. The good news is, that with modern strategies your retail business can become more secure than in previous years.

Risk assessment

Before anything, you should carry out a risk assessment to get a clear picture of what you might need to change. It always starts with identifying where the weak spots are, so try and put yourself in a thieve’s shoes. Don’t put the most valuable items, nears to the exit. Although this may be a good business move to advertise your best clothes to passersby, but thieves will be more enticed to grab and run with more expensive items nearest to the door. Make sure you cover any blind spots with mirrors attached to the walls, so if there is a corner that is obscured by a wall or a stack of clothes, without moving from the counter, you can still see what’s going on by looking at the opposite wall. Carry out a test of the camera system, i.e. is it able to switch cameras quickly, can you zoom in on customers, do you have alarm systems on your clothes and at the entrance of the store, etc.

Hire a guard

Sometimes it’s better to be safe than sorry, especially if you’ve set up shop in a heavy traffic area. Thieves love to hide in among the innocent, and sometimes the trained eye of security specialists like Cannon Guards, is the only thing stopping your business from being targeted by individuals looking to steal. With a qualified and licensed security guard, you can have peace of mind, which they will keep a close eye on customers that are acting suspiciously, make sure the items in your business are properly looked. Many teams of thieves want to distract you at the counter, by making bogus claims or purely fabricated concerns of trying on clothes or asking you random questions about prices, stock or discount deals. A security guard can be your third eye, whose job it is to spot and stop such teams who come to ravage your inventory.

Cameras for night

Although you may lock up your business at night, thieves often do a daytime scouting operation, looking for the latest premises, to attack during the night. A system of security cameras that both alert you to trouble, as well as the police simultaneously should be fitted to your business.

Many entrepreneurs are put off by the idea of starting a retail business because of the risks involved. However, nothing should put you off from following your dream, and a few basic security steps, researched and enforced, can give you the peace of mind you deserve.
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