I recall several years ago, in a previous position, sitting with a group of senior leaders discussing strategy on how to deal with expert data we received regarding “Gen Y” individuals. The purpose was to revise our LP program to take into consideration the newest generation of employees. Was it really best for us to change our program to accommodate a single generation? What got me thinking about this was some recent information I read regarding the learning process of this generation.

There has been a lot of news recently on the use of social media outlets, such as Facebook, in the hiring process of employees. Although some companies might believe this information will help them gain better insight into prospective employees, is that belief indeed true? How much background information is too much?

It is the bane of retailers nationwide; shoppers walking into stores across the nation armed with a smart phone. They enjoy the comfort and design of your showroom, they handle your merchandise, ask  your staff questions about it – if it is clothing your selling, maybe they try it on – maybe they even buy it just to try it out knowing they can take advantage of your liberal return policy. But the game plan from the beginning has been to qualify the purchase and then go online and shop for a better price.

Each year companies strive toward a goal in which the result is the reduction of loss; known to most as a shrink percentage goal. Many companies meet or achieve their goal or better yet maintain an acceptable shrink percentage year over year. Congratulations! Is your loss prevention program now in jeopardy because of your success?

Whether you are a store detective trying to convince a store manager to move high loss merchandise to reduce shoplifting opportunities, a loss prevention executive trying to convince your CFO on purchasing cutting-edge technology or if you are a solution provider trying to convince the executive suite that your solution can reduce shrink…. we all need to have a little salesperson in us.

Like a baseball team that is getting ready for a long grueling season, your loss prevention program depends on spring training to lay the foundation for discipline and to focus your approach by not letting complacency dictate results. The complacent teams are the ones we will see at the bottom of the standings by mid-year, much like what happens in retail.

Awareness v. Education. It may sound like a Supreme Court case, but when we consider Courts generally look at a set of facts, laws and precedents to determine a legal outcome for a set of actions, the title does make sense. So let’s talk about what makes sense about these two words and their actions.

Do you have a productivity problem?  Are associates having trouble getting all their work done? Is there a project that never seems to get finished, or something that hasn’t even been started? Does it seem it impossible for staff to cross everything off their “to do” lists?  Following are ten examples of possible causes – and suggested solutions.

With this past year’s studies showing shoplifting apprehensions increased by an unprecedented amount, one would expect shrink percentages should have decreased. Unfortunately that is not true. Why?

Last month, LP Innovations presented a webinar focusing on the key steps to developing and executing a successful high loss improvement program, also known as a Target Store Program. We understand that scheduling conflicts occur; therefore, provided below is a high level recap of the presentation along with a link to download the entire presentation.