Fighting back against retail crime is no small feat in the c-store industry — it requires attention, a plan of action and thorough training of employees. To dive deeper into what c-store retailers are facing today, CStore Decisions Editor-in-Chief Erin Del Conte sat down with industry experts in an exclusive webinar.
Panelists in attendance included Kristy Clement, loss prevention manager at Walters-Dimmick Petroleum, and David Johnston, vice president of asset protection and retail operations at the National Retail Federation (NRF).
To kick things off, Johnston talked about the evolving nature of theft, which has increased coming out of COVID.
“Particularly since 2022 to present, from an evolutionary standpoint, we’re seeing that the methods, the tactics and even the profiles of those doing the shoplifting have really moved away from what shoplifting really was,” he said.
Some of these new tactics, according to Johnston, include brazen smash-and-grabs and mob thefts.
“It’s really become a theft of greed and not need,” he continued. “Violence is definitely the priority to the retailers right now, (in terms of) protecting the employees and the consumers from potential harm.”
Clement noted that while incidents of theft are up and evolving, Walters-Dimmick has not seen a notable uptick in violence, which she mentioned she is trying to get ahead of in case it begins to follow industry trends in the future. To do this, Clement said it is important that the crimes are reported and cataloged.
“I do feel it is my responsibility to get ahead of that, and part of it is encouraging everyone to report it, so I know what we’re dealing with,” she noted. “Without those details, I can’t help. So, that’s number one, gathering that data.”
A lot of this information can come as a result of proper training — managers need to not only be aware of potential theft, but they need to be trained to actively try to combat it in a variety of ways.
“I’m trying to get my managers to focus on what we are already doing that works, and on what’s in our immediate power. And that is customer service, general awareness and respect for people,” said Clement. “I do believe that you can stop someone from shoplifting or committing some sort of crime just by being a kind and attentive person.”
Johnston agreed that training is essential for loss prevention, but another tactic that can be helpful is technology.
“Take a look at what security measures and what technologies are in use today,” he said. “How can some of those be adapted or even evolve to be able to prevent, deter and even help investigate the types of thefts?”
The panelists covered a wide range of other topics, including surveillance, artificial intelligence (AI), RFID chips, body cameras and much more.
To download the full webinar, click here.
