Use protective personnel and equipment. Protective devices may not be cheap, but shoplifting is costlier. You can get an idea of how much you can expect to lose to thieves by multiplying the number of shoplifters apprehended last year in your store by the average value of the stolen merchandise, then multiplying that figure by 50 weeks. The total is usually far greater than the cost of deterrence systems. To be valuable, surveillance devices must be properly placed and monitored.
Uniformed guards are powerful visual deterrents to the shoplifter.
There are several ways to identify merchandise as having been legitimately paid for. One is to instruct cashiers to staple receipts to the outside of the packages. Electronic tags may be attached to soft articles such as clothing. They can be removed only by a cashier with special shears, and they trigger an alarm if the shoplifter tries to carry the article from the store. If you see electronic sensing devices, be sure cashiers are diligent in their use.