The point of sale is a key weapon in the fight against shoplifting. As the place where transactions are made and staff are based, it provides the central location to not only identify retail loss but to actively combat it.

With that in mind here are six ways to stop shoplifting using the point of sale.

Location, location

The point of sale is among the most important focal points of any retail outlet, and its location alone can help combat theft.

The POS should be positioned so staff have a clear line of sight across the shop floor. In larger outlets, registers should be near the door to ensure customers coming in and out are observed in a welcoming manner.

Meanwhile, self-service registers should fall under the watchful gaze of a dedicated attendant.

Analytics and insight

A great asset of the modern-day Point of Sale is that it reveals a wealth of data relating to loss prevention.

For example, it can tell management when a store is most likely to be busy, which staff member handled what transactions, and what items are meant to be in stock, but cannot actually be located on the shop floor.

It also reveals information about returns and refunds.

Together this paints a picture of where your retail loss is occurring, providing clues as to whether that’s due to employee theft, fraudulent returns, or shoplifting of specific items.

Gift cards and returns

On that note, the Point of Sale is where transactions including refunds, exchanges and gift card redemptions most commonly occur. And each of these transactions offers the potential for retail theft involving fraud.

Service staff at the register should be well trained in what to look out for when it comes to fraudulent returns and gift cards, along with being made aware of a store’s policies relating to returns without receipts.

EAS strategy

The Point of Sale is integral to loss prevention strategies like electronic article surveillance. After all, this is the site where the security labels and security tags which protect individual products against theft are deactivated or detached.

Staff at the POS are also likely to be among those responding to any EAS alarms.

That means detachers and deactivators should be readily accessible at the Point of Sale, allowing staff to quickly remove tags or deactivate labels as they complete a sales transaction.

Meanwhile, POS staff should also be educated on how EAS works, including proper deactivation and detachment techniques to avoid false alarms and what to do in the advent of an actual alarm.

Identifying suspicious behavior

As the central location that customers attend to make a purchase or an inquiry, the Point of Sale is also among the places in a store where suspicious activity can be quickly identified.

For example, organized gangs of shoplifters will often seek to distract staff at the POS while items are stolen.

It’s also a central position to observe consumer behavior looking for the key signs of shoplifting.

High value stock

Best loss prevention practice indicates high-value stock should be positioned within view or reach of the Point of Sale.

In smaller retailers, this might mean high-value stock is positioned behind the counter, or a display model is available but actual merchandise is locked in a drawer or glass cabinet, accessed by POS staff.

The final word

The role of the Point of Sale in loss prevention is just one factor that retailers should consider when It comes to combatting shoplifting, theft, and organized retail crime.

The right positioning of the POS, the right insight from its analytics, and the right training of POS staff ensure this key feature of all stores can be used to great effect to help reduce shoplifting and theft.

For more tips on loss prevention see here, or view our range of security tags and security labels.

As the place where transactions take place, the Point of Sale is a pivotal to loss prevention. Not only is it the station where staff cast a watchful gaze over the floor, it’s also the potential site of employee theft and consumer fraud.

Here’s a guide to improving loss prevention at the Point of Sale.

Central positioning

The Point of Sale requires careful positioning to ensure it is accessible to customers looking to make a transaction and is also centrally located to allow staff to monitor the floor and additional areas such as changerooms.

For staff, it should be spacious enough to accommodate the tools they need, such as a register, cash drawer and barcode scanner, and should be easy to exit and enter, while still indicating this is an arena for employees only.

Easy exit and entry ensure staff can come out from behind the POS to assist customers when required.

Mobile POS

Mobile Point of Sale assists with both customer service and loss prevention. It allows staff to move freely on the floor, while still making sales, and cutting customer time spent in the queue.

Meanwhile, mobile POS can also assist with loss prevention because it ensures staff can be where they need to be, meeting and greeting clientele while facilitating sales.

Software to measure and manage

The POS is key to measuring exactly where loss in-store is occurring. Sales reports and inventory software can help identify trends such as items that are missing, along with peak periods which might be more prone to theft.

This software can also assist in identifying employee theft and customer fraud, by highlighting trends in gift card sales, returns and exchanges, and offering information about who is on duty at that time.

CCTV

CCTV that monitors both the store and the Point of Sale serves to reduce both shoplifting and staff theft. When CCTV is obvious and clearly labelled it acts as a deterrent, while also serving to identify perpetrators.

Staff training

Staff training is imperative to reducing loss throughout a retail outlet, and much of this training relates to the Point of Sale.

Store policies and procedures set parameters for exchanges and returns, while also fostering secure cash management skills, accountability, good customer service, and employee expectations.

These in turn help minimize miscellaneous loss, shoplifting and employee theft.

EAS handling

The Point of Sale is inextricably linked with loss prevention strategies like electronic article surveillance. For example, the POS should have a line of sight to EAS antenna so staff can quickly be alerted to an alarm and see exactly what’s occurring.

Meanwhile, the POS is the place where security labels are deactivated, and security tags are removed.

Store management should ensure there are sufficient detachers for tags available, so staff can seamlessly remove tags at the POS as part of the sales transaction.

These detachers should also be secured so they are not the target of theft, while it’s important to note accurate and consistent tag detaching helps mitigate false EAS alarms.

When it comes to label deactivators, these should be positioned with the barcode scanner, so the transaction is registered, and the label is deactivated in one maneuver. This reduces time spent at the POS while also improving EAS accuracy.

You can learn more about strategies to improve loss prevention in store here, or contact our friendly staff to order your security tags and labels here.