Retail loss prevention

[2] Most companies take this traditional approach by either having their own in-house loss prevention team or using external security agencies.

Also known as shoplifting, thefts that occur in retail settings are done during business hours and involve the lack of security and prevention measures.

Since associates have access to the entire building and during non-business hours, they are capable of costing the company substantial losses over a longer period of time.

"A well-informed security superintendent of a nationwide chain of retail stores has estimated that it takes between forty and fifty shoplifting incidents to equal the annual loss caused by one dishonest individual inside an organization.

An attempt to recover merchandise is known as a recovery or a "burn" and is generally one of the primary job duties of loss prevention associates.

Many retailers operate in-store loss prevention teams including Target, Walmart, Macy's, JCPenney, Nordstrom, and Sephora.

The development of electronic article surveillance (a magnetic device attached to the merchandise that would trigger an alarm if removed from the store, also called EAS) led to an increase in arrests; however, many cases have been dismissed due to lack of observation of the crime.

Fred Meyer, an Oregon-based hypermarket, has begun to contract external security to perform receipt checks.

Some supermarkets in the United Kingdom introduced receipt scanners in 2022-23, following a 22% increase in shoplifting linked to the cost-of-living crisis, but the systems proved unpopular with customers and attracted some negative public reaction.