Every year, right after the Thanksgiving feast, crowds head to malls to get Black Friday deals before anyone else. It’s the biggest shopping day of the year. Black Friday has slowly morphed to Black November, with discounts available earlier and throughout the month for those on top of their holiday lists. 

While this lengthier discount period helps with crowd control, the entire holiday season from November through New Years continues to see an increase in retail theft. Stores are packed, staff is overextended, and shoplifters take advantage that no one’s looking. 

Loss prevention and organized retail theft have seen a 60 percent increase since 2015, according to a 2020 survey from the National Retail Federation. A majority of retail theft occurs during the holiday season. 

Online holiday shopping remains popular, providing plenty of package fodder for porch pirates. But the National Retail Foundation reports that a slightly higher percentage of consumers this year plan to shop in person, as consumers try to avoid shipping and inventory delays. 

It’s no surprise that more than half of U.S. retailers are allocating resources to technology to try to head off potential retail theft. 

So how can you protect your business from organized retail theft during the holiday season? 

Install video cameras to cover blind spots inside the store

A 2021 Retail Security Survey found that 50 percent of respondents reported an average dollar loss of at least $1,000, compared with 29 percent in 2019. Equip your store with cameras and let customers know that they’re being recorded with signs. Also, keep displays simple and free of clutter to avoid blindspots. While cameras won’t wholly prevent organized retail theft, they can help you catch thieves in the act or shortly afterward. 

Add enough staff for the season

A packed store means busy employees and not a ton of bandwidth to watch for retail theft. Be prepared for the holiday season by hiring a few additional seasonal employees. Vet them thoroughly, even if they’re short-term, to make sure they’re not part of an organized retail theft group. The more responsible eyes you have on your inventory, the better when it comes to the busy holiday season. 

Inventory your store often

Inventory often falls to the bottom of the list due to time constraints, but it’s essential to keep track of all items in the store and detect if something is missing. Have your employees count their register at the end of every shift to make sure everything matches correctly. Valuable items, like electronics, should be under lock and key with the manager, if possible. 

Install Flock Safety License Plate Reading (LPR) cameras outside your store

Over 70 percent of crime occurs with a vehicle — and organized retail crime rings attempting to make off with lots of valuable merchandise will need a vehicle to remove it from the property. While they’re moving the merchandise, Flock Safety’s Licence Plate Reading camera will capture the car’s make, model, and license plate. Flock cameras can read vehicle license plates up to 100 MPH, day & night, up to 75 ft. away — so yes, even if they are speeding away. 

Learn how Flock Safety’s turnkey camera solution can help you prevent organized retail theft in your store.