If the crowds of Black Friday made you worry about your jewelry store security, you might be in for a surprise.
Business Insider reported that "Super Saturday" (which falls on December 17 in 2016) will have more shopper visits than the post-Thanksgiving pandemonium. Also, in terms of sales, Black Friday is one spot behind Super Saturday again - but both fall behind the Friday before Christmas, December 23.
So what does this mean for the security of your business?
Well, first of all, you certainly won't be able to update your showcases in the next few days to make them more likely to withstand a smash-and-grab attack. You most likely won't be able to find a security guard to hire for additional protection against violent crimes, either.
However, having your staff practice these three procedures can greatly reduce the chances of suffering a robbery, burglary, or theft.
Robbery prevention procedures
It might be tempting to open your business early if customers are waiting or start your closing procedures early so you can get home after a long day, but it's important that you stick with your regularly scheduled hours.
Robberies tend to occur around these times because criminals know that jewelry store security can be weaker. When lots of merchandise is being shifted between safes and showcases, it makes an opportune time to strike.
Jewelers Security Alliance 2015 Annual Crime Report
Make sure that your associates are opening and closing in groups and that one is dedicated to keeping an eye on suspicious activity happening outside your premises. If something unusual does occur, call the police immediately and act with everyone's personal safety in mind.
Help get your coworkers in the habit of these procedures by enrolling in JM University® and taking our training course on opening and closing procedures.
Burglary prevention procedures
Whether merchandise is in showcase or window displays, the bottom line is that you should put as much away overnight as possible.
Since you're probably carrying more inventory to capitalize on holiday sales, be sure to comply with your insurance policy's in-safe/out-of-safe requirements. Check with your agent about how it's structured — some policies are determined as a percent of your daily inventory while others require that you leave out no more than a specified dollar amount.
If your policy requires a percentage of inventory to be secured overnight, make sure that your increased merchandise for the holidays doesn't skew how much you're leaving out. The amount should be based on what's reported in your policy.
Theft prevention procedures
Before showing an item, request that you receive photo identification from the customer.
After inspecting the item, return the I.D. to the customer, but also remember one important rule while selling — only show one item at a time!
Both of these procedures are simple, but they can greatly deter grab-and-run thefts. If your associates feel uncomfortable initiating these procedures while servicing customers, consider making acrylic or glass showcase displays that state it's your store's policy to receive a photo I.D. and to show only one item at a time.
Remind all associates to hold firm if they're pressured by a customer to bypass these procedures. If they're overly insistent and you remain dedicated to the procedures, be sure to document this as a suspicious incident and share it with the rest of your staff. There's a decent chance the person will return and try to get another associate to succumb to their pressure and attempt a theft.
