How to Spot a Shoplifter

Shoplifting is a big problem. Last year, retail crime cost UK businesses ￡700 million. Of that, shoplifting accounted for ￡500 million.

Sadly, smaller retailers—who often have fewer security measures in place – bear the brunt of this. In fact, the constant onslaught from shoplifters has led many small retailers to throw in the towel, and simply accept that a portion of their profits will be eaten up by losses.

However, some of the most effective ways of deterring criminals cost absolutely nothing. We offer a comprehensive overview of these in The Complete Retail Security Guide for First-Time Shop Owners.

In this article, I’m going to focus on just one of them: identifying shoplifters.

Although it’s impossible to tell if someone is a criminal just by looking at them, shoplifters often display similar behaviours and characteristics.

By gaining an understanding of how shoplifters operate, you and your staff can learn to spot them.

What to Look For

Shoplifters come in all shapes and sizes. As such, you need to look beyond visual appearance and focus instead on behaviour and mannerisms.

I’ve listed some of the most telling behaviours below. It’s worth keeping in mind that a shoplifter will usually exhibit more than one of these.

• Individuals spending a lot of time watching staff members – Even if you’re not keeping a close eye on them, a shoplifter will be keeping a close eye on you and your team. In order to get away unnoticed, shoplifters will monitor employees to see when they can slip an item into their pocket or bag – or before they attempt to leave your store with unpaid for goods on their person.
• Individuals who appear nervous and are picking up items randomly without giving them much attention – A good shoplifter will make a concerted effort to appear like a legitimate customer. Inexperienced shoplifters, however, may not be able to conceal their nerves. This is often manifest in their behaviour. For example, whereas a true customer will pick up a few similar items to determine which one they want to buy (and, as such, will pay a great deal of attention to each them), a shoplifter will often pick up many unrelated items in quick succession without paying much attention to any of them. 
• Individuals who repeatedly refuse offers of help – It’s not uncommon for an honest customer to refuse help: they may just be browsing. But individuals who refuse help after spending a long period of time in your shop and after being asked multiple times should arouse your suspicion.  
• Individuals who frequently enter your store but who rarely (if ever) make a purchase – The most prolific shoplifters will invest a significant amount of time into choosing which stores they will target. Once they’ve settled on a store, and found that they can steal without getting caught, they will usually make numerous subsequent visits in order to increase their takings. If an individual is regularly in your store, and rarely (if ever) makes a purchase, you may have a repeat shoplifter on your hands.
• Individuals who enter your store just after opening or just before closing – Shoplifters will target a store when staff are busy. When staff are preoccupied with other tasks, they have less time to spend observing the shop floor and assisting customers. Just after opening and just before closing, your staff will likely have a list of tasks they need to carry out. As such, shoplifters often make the most of this by carrying out their crimes during these times.
• Individuals moving in a strange way (using small steps, for example) since this could indicate they are concealing something on their person – Shoplifters are able to conceal a surprising amount of goods on their person. Although they are often very good at hiding stolen items, when they attempt to take a large haul, their gait may change to accommodate their load. For example, they may need to take smaller steps, walk with a waddling motion or hold their belly.
• Individuals wearing heavy, bulky clothes even when unnecessary – Heavy clothes afford shoplifters lots of rolls and creases to store goods. As such, shoplifters may overdress in order to take home more products. Keep an eye out for people wearing bulky coats and clothes, especially in hot weather.  

Common Shoplifting Techniques

The most prolific shoplifters commit their crimes over and over again. To do so without getting caught, they rely on some tried-and-tested techniques. By understanding the most common of these, you and your employees will be better placed to spot them.

• Drop and Run – The drop and run technique involves the thief placing a large open bag at their feet. Multiple items are dropped in the bag, before the perpetrator exits the store without paying. This technique is usually used by seasoned shoplifters who have become very good at dropping multiple items into their bag unobserved. The bag is often a rucksack, so look out for shoppers carrying open backpacks.
• The Umbrella Snatch – A closed (but not snapped) umbrella provides an ideal place to conceal unpaid for items. Thieves will often hang the umbrella from their arm or lean it on a counter, before surreptitiously dropping or placing items inside. Keep an eye out for anyone carrying a closed umbrella.
• Doubling Up – Some thieves will make a legitimate purchase from your shop. However, they may conceal one or more unpaid for items within the one they buy. For example, a thief may purchase a cushion, which is paid for in the usual way, but which they have filled with other, smaller products before proceeding to your till. To avoid this, make sure you inspect items thoroughly before selling them.
• Pushchair Raiding – Mothers are often overlooked when it comes to identifying suspicious individuals. As such, some thieves will use a pushchair to make themselves appear more trustworthy – and as a place to store stolen goods. Look out for pushchairs without a child in them or with lots of loose blankets gathered in the seat. Some shoplifters may even commit crimes while their child is present.
• The Walk Out – Sometimes, the most obvious thing is the most difficult to spot. Some shoplifters will overtly pick up products, wander around with them, before exiting your shop with the goods still visible in their hands. This technique relies on the shoplifter assuming a casual appearance and acting normally. They may even speak to employees in order to bolster trust. This approach is most successful during busy times of the day and is best countered with robust surveillance.
• Distraction Techniques – Seasoned shoplifters often operate in groups. One member of the group will create a distraction (perhaps by being rude to staff or customers, feigning illness or dropping a product) while the others use your staff’s lack of attention to pilfer goods. If an incident occurs in your store, make sure at least one person is keeping an eye on what’s going on elsewhere within your premises.

So, now you know some of the ways to spot a shoplifter. However, you and your team also need to know how to respond when you catch one in the act.

Shoplifters are criminals and may become angry and argumentative when confronted. This means it is essential that you react appropriately to any shoplifters you encounter.

In The Complete Retail Security Guide for First-Time Shop Owners, we go on to explain exactly what you and your staff should do when you encounter a shoplifter– as well as show you how to layout your store to minimise losses, how to handle cash safely, what to do in the event of a robbery and much more.

Make sure you check out the guide so that you can properly protect your store.