Holiday retail security: a checklist for the season
The holidays bring your best sales weeks and your biggest crowds, and the same weeks bring more theft and more mistakes. This is the checklist we run with retail clients every fall.
Staff up before you need to
Lock in coverage from Black Friday weekend through the first week of January now. Good officers get booked early, and a new officer on your busiest day is a risk on its own.
Control the back of the house
Keep stockroom, back and emergency doors closed and alarmed. Give one manager per shift control of keys and codes. Seasonal staff should not have access they do not need.
Open and close in pairs
Two people open and two people close. Check fitting rooms, restrooms and stockrooms before you lock up, and vary the routine so nobody outside can learn it.
Be visible at the front
A greeting at the door and an officer people can see are two of the simplest theft deterrents there are. Most opportunists move on when they know they have been noticed.
Handle shoplifting the safe way
Train staff to observe and report, not to chase, block or grab anyone. Let trained officers and the police handle it, and write down what happened while it is fresh. No merchandise is worth an injury or a lawsuit.
Plan for crowds and cash
Set a line plan for door buster sales so the queue does not block exits or the sidewalk. Keep register cash low, and receive deliveries at set times with someone checking them in.
This article is general information, not legal or fire code advice. Requirements change, so confirm the details for your site with the agency named or with us before you rely on them.