Cash on the Sidewalk
Picture a busy street. A cash bag falls out of an armored truck and bills scatter across the pavement.
Quick question: What do people do?
The Swiss answer: Everyone pulls out their phones and calmly calls the police. Some may even stand guard until help arrives.
Our comment?
If you’re not in Switzerland — like us — smile, be a little jealous, and move on to something more realistic.
The real-world version:
The boldest ones grab the cash first. Then the hesitant ones join in — once they see there are no consequences. And from there… things escalate quickly.
The point?
When there’s no control — and no consequences — bad behavior spreads fast.
Back to the Store Floor
Who’s stealing your product?
Simple answer: people.
But who exactly?
Employees?
Sure — but that’s an HR issue. Screening, vetting, access control.
If you’re hiring foxes to guard the henhouse — don’t expect Security to save the day.
Customers?
Also yes.
But not all of them — just certain types.
And only if there’s no real deterrent.
If there’s no accountability?
Scroll back up — remember the cash on the sidewalk.
A Word About SCOs (Self-Checkout)
Let’s be honest:
Self-checkouts are a goldmine for shoplifters.
No more sweating under surveillance, sneaking bottles under jackets.
Now? It’s easier:
Just skip scanning a few items and if someone stops you, smile and say:
“Oh wow, I thought it scanned everything automatically! Sorry, I’m not great with tech…”
Sound familiar?
You’ve seen it all — the sweet grandmas, the kids, the organized crews — and the endless black hole of losses via SCO.
What NOT to Do
- Don’t assume everyone’s honest.
This is retail — not a social experiment. - Don’t rely solely on tech.
RFID tags, cameras, plainclothes security — they look good on paper but often just simulate control. And they’re expensive. - Don’t chase shoplifters manually.
Yes, even with your own LP team.
It wastes time, drains energy, and barely moves the needle financially.
What You SHOULD Do
- Make rapid in-day inventory checks the norm.
- Every shrink event should trigger an investigation.
Tool of choice? Your video archive. - Log each caught offender in your internal “Do Not Admit” list
across all store locations. - Use facial records to track prior visits.
Trust us — what you’ll discover is worth it. - Build a detailed offender profile
with a full list of incidents and a live “balance due.” - Automatically detect repeat offenders on entry — across the entire chain.
- When detected:
- Either collect full restitution
- Or call the police
But Who Makes the Stop?
Not your Security team.
Their job is investigation and analytics.
At the moment of detection, all they need to do is press the button —
and your private security or local police will take it from there.
Want to See It in Action?
And the Bottom Line?
Security performance shouldn’t be measured by how many shoplifters they wrestled over a bottle of vodka or a pack of sausages —
but by how much they reduced total shrink.
