In other words, traditionally the thieving shopper was apprehended and charged with theft…
However, the New Norm adds another dimension, the moral issue of adding to a cash-strapped shopper’s burden by the shame of arrest, coupled with the stigma for a leading retailer of prosecuting its customers vs. the growing problem of appearing to be soft on crime, all the subject of tabloid headlines on a slow news day.
Only yesterday in my local Co-op, I witnessed a shopper under observation by the checkout operator and a security guard as he pretended to self-check a small bag of groceries…
[NamNews readers will not need reminding that to fully appreciate the combined pressure on a retailer, think about the cost in incremental sales when a shopper steals a £3.50 tin of beans from a retailer on a 3% Net Margin, the retailer needs to make incremental sales of £116.67 to recover the loss…]
Like a formation dance-move, the Security Guard moved close to the shopper, murmured quietly in his ear, took the shopping bag as the shopper grimaced and quietly left the store, all without missing a beat...
A pointer for retailers everywhere !
However, the New Norm adds another dimension, the moral issue of adding to a cash-strapped shopper’s burden by the shame of arrest, coupled with the stigma for a leading retailer of prosecuting its customers vs. the growing problem of appearing to be soft on crime, all the subject of tabloid headlines on a slow news day.
Only yesterday in my local Co-op, I witnessed a shopper under observation by the checkout operator and a security guard as he pretended to self-check a small bag of groceries…
[NamNews readers will not need reminding that to fully appreciate the combined pressure on a retailer, think about the cost in incremental sales when a shopper steals a £3.50 tin of beans from a retailer on a 3% Net Margin, the retailer needs to make incremental sales of £116.67 to recover the loss…]
Like a formation dance-move, the Security Guard moved close to the shopper, murmured quietly in his ear, took the shopping bag as the shopper grimaced and quietly left the store, all without missing a beat...
A pointer for retailers everywhere !
#Shrink #Theft #Poverty #CashStrappedConsumers
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