The period between Thanksgiving and Christmas is often the most profitable time of the year for retailers. Unfortunately, it’s also a profitable time for thieves as well.

Of course, you should always pay attention to your business security and thwarting shoplifters, but you need to be extra vigilant during the busiest time of the year.

To help you protect your retail business, we want to offer you four tips courtesy of the Business2Community website to help you protect your business against some of the most common holiday scams.

1. Install a high-quality video surveillance system
   A high-quality business video surveillance system will let you look at what’s happening inside your store at any given time, and trained personnel can scan the store for potential shoplifters. In the event, you catch a criminal, the video surveillance system can provide the evidence you need to hand over to police.
2. Hire security guards
   With these guys or gals around, would-be shoplifters will think twice about walking off with your merchandise. If your store is located in a mall you might want to ask mall security about sending a security detail to walk by your store or even patrol inside it. You could also hire some secret shoppers who could keep an eye out for anything that looks suspicious and alert your security people.
3. Lock up valuable merchandise
   If your business sells expensive items like electronics or jewelry, you should probably keep them locked up in display cases, and you should also limit the number of people who have keys to those displays. Preferably, just the floor manager should have the key. The other employees can ask him to unlock the case to show the merchandise to customers.
   Additionally, you should control access to certain areas of your store like your stock room. You can use an electronic lock that opens with a PIN. But again, you should only give the PIN to employees who need access to the stockroom. You could also use key card access systems that can use key cards, key fobs, numeric PINs or biometric finger print readers.
4. Signs, signs, everywhere a sign
   Posting a sign that says “Shoplifters will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law” and “This store is monitored by XYZ Security Company could go a long way to deterring people intent on ripping you off. Let shoplifters know you and your employees are paying attention to them and that they’re being monitored by a business security system. They’ll be less likely to try anything.

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