The answer to that question isn’t always clear, though every business does need to focus on upping their security to prevent theft.
In low crime areas, small retail businesses might not feel the need to hire security guards. However, every area has crime, especially shoplifting.
All it takes is enough individual incidents to put a small retail store on the brink of bankruptcy. Before you dismiss this higher level of security, consider why it may be necessary.
Police May Not Always Respond
Your first thought is to simply call the police. However, the police may not always respond to small retail businesses when it comes to shoplifting incidents. For instance, in some parts of Atlanta, GA, police are no longer responding to these calls due to higher crime rates. They simply don’t have the manpower to deal with everything, so they focus on the worst crimes.
They recommend these retail stores hire their own security to prevent smaller crimes. This means in areas of higher crime rates, your small business might be on its own, especially when it comes to non-violent crime.
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Budgets Are An Issue
Big box stores don’t usually have to worry about budgets. They have the finances to invest in security guards. However, small retail businesses often exist month to month with little left over to hire their own security team.
However, hiring a single guard per shift makes a major difference. It’s still affordable and the amount of shoplifting, both internal and external thefts, prevented easily pays for the guard.
Shoplifters Are Dangerous
When you watch TV shows and movies, it’s easy to think you could be as heroic as that one cashier who jumps to the rescue and stops someone from getting out the door with stolen merchandise. Remember, those are fiction. It doesn’t usually work out that way.
Not only could you be held liable if the shoplifter gets hurt, you could easily get injured or even killed. Shoplifters are dangerous. They’re already doing something illegal and they don’t want to be caught. This means when the adrenaline kicks in, they’re going to do everything possible to get away, including hurting you.
Security guards are trained in how to handle these situations. They’re less likely to get hurt while still preventing theft and other crimes.
Security Guards Compliment Other Security
At the very least, every small retail business should have monitored surveillance systems. This might mean having employees watching the monitors to check for potential problems or even investing in remote monitoring.
However, having a security guard compliments this security measure. When you notice something on the monitor, you simply radio to the security guard to let them know what’s going on. Think of it as having a large security team, but you only need a few people and minimal budget.
Frequent Theft Can Ruin Small Businesses
Take a look at your own losses. It’s amazing how much you lose every week to shoplifting. Even your employees may be stealing from you. While individual incidents may only be around $50, those add up. In fact, those add up to millions every year across small retailers.
Before you think it can’t happen to you, look carefully at these four shocking statistics, one of which is covered above. These prove theft is a serious problem for all retailers, no matter what size.
If that’s not enough to convince you that every retailer is at risk, consider these 39 loss prevention statistics. While they cover businesses of all sizes, it’s terrifying to see that theft percentages are increasing rather than decreasing.
If you ignore theft and other crimes, your small retail business could be just a few incidents away from closing the doors forever. It’s better to invest in security now versus losing out on your dream business because of a few criminals.
Contact BOS Security
Could your small retail business use some help with security? Contact us today at 404-793-6965 to learn more about our security guard services.
Interested to find out how vulnerable your business might be to security threats? Try our free Security Needs Assessmenttoday.
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