A Pet Supply Warehouse Notices Items Going Missing from an End Cap. Is a Regular Customer to Blame?

CASEY OPENED HER PET retail warehouse called Casey’s Pet Supply about five years ago. After working with a distributor in the pet industry for a few years, she got the bug to open her own retail store. She wanted to offer only pet products, and at a lower price than other stores. The store is not fancy, but it is busy seven days a week in its greater New York City location.

A staff of one full-time and six part-time employees help with workload, and the longer hours they are open. It was early on a Tuesday morning that a shipment came in before they opened, and Casey and her full-time employee Cameron were digging into it.

Her end caps changed to keep up with new trending product categories and tied in with each season. Casey was stocking an end cap, and this particular one has always been a pain point, as items tend to walk out the door.

“Cameron, can you get me the inventory list for this end cap?” she asked.

Cameron walked over. “Here ya go. Are we missing items again?”

“I hope not, but it looks sparse today, and I feel like we just did this end cap. I guess we’ll find out soon,” Casey said with a sigh.

“Do you still think it is the Johnstons swiping our stuff?” Cameron asked.

“I have a hunch, but just can’t prove it. And since they are always here buying a lot of dog food and treats, I don’t know … but they seem to always be here at this end cap,” Casey said.

“Yeah, and they were in again the other day when you weren’t here,” Cameron said.

Even though Casey had cameras in the store, they had only a few, and not every square inch was covered. Casey tried to put inexpensive items on that end cap.

The Johnstons started coming into the store about a year ago with their adorable dog, Muffin. Muffin tends to distract employees because he is always a little uncontrollable, and one of his parents usually walks away to go shopping. They spend a decent amount a week on toys, treats and raw food, but they always pass by or stop at that specific end cap. Casey also noticed that they seem to come in when it is busier than normal, almost as if they time it perfectly.

As Casey did the inventory, and it was off by about $20 worth of products.

“Cameron, can you double-check my inventory here?” she asked.

Ten minutes later, Cameron confirmed it. “I found we are missing about $20 worth of products.”

“Every week, just in this spot!” Casey said. “That is really adding up fast. I think we need to have a team meeting with everyone again. We need to catch them in the act somehow. I mean, why spend $50 bucks a week, to steal these small items?

What goes through someone’s head?”

She went on, “I don’t think it is just them, I can’t imagine they are the only ones swiping items here. Maybe we should just put signage here?” Casey sighed. “We can’t tell them to leave their dog at home can we? Ugh, I don’t know what to do!

Considering the amount of inventory we have here, I guess our losses could be worse, but this end cap and the shoplifting is infuriating!”

Cameron walked over. “OK breathe,” she said. “Let’s try to figure this out.”

Expanded Real Deal Responses

Marjorie K.Greenfield, IN

Move one of the cameras to point at that end cap. Remove the small product and keep a couple very large items on that end cap all of the time so they cannot walk out with the product easily.

Kathryn M.
Richmond, MO

Remove products and make that end cap a place to put pet pictures. Deterring is the best option because it is most likely the easiest area to steal from in the store and will always be a problem.

Marvin S.
Grand Junction, CO

Put a camera on the end cap and then when the customers in question come in, look at the tape and see if they did take anything, or see if it was someone else.

Frank F.
Farmingdale, NJ

Have additional cameras targeting the suspected area. Only approach the suspect if you see solid evidence from the camera. Make a copy of the video. Dismiss the ex-customers from ever darkening your doorway again or you will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.

Ramie G.
Evanston, IL

Consider having an area where customers can leave their shopping bags and backpacks while they shop, send a staffer with the pet owner who is doing the shopping to be an extra set of hands. You can make the security look like customer service! But always remember you don’t know who is doing it, so keep your accusations to yourself until you have definitive proof. Then you can decide if there is action to take.

Debbie B.
Colorado Springs, CO

Cameras are an excellent suggestion, with an employee staying close by if they suspect a particular couple. We had a shoplifter and ended up putting up signs — “Smile, you’re on camera” — that actually seemed to cut down theft in the store.

Donald D.
Hamilton, MT

Place a camera to watch and record that end cap. Then you would have evidence of who did it, when they did it and how they did it. That would give you evidence of the crime, and the video would be admissible in court. If it is an employee, then you could fire him, and deduct your losses or take him to court and have him ordered to give you the amount of stolen property as well as your court fees. If it is a customer, then you have to weigh in your mind if it is worth losing the income and a future customer. You could also tell the customer that you have video proof of them stealing and that if it happens again you will press charges against them.

Jim C.
Three Locations in Michigan

Add a camera and stop guessing before taking any action. As it stands in this situation, to approach a customer or employee with unsubstantiated accusations is likely much more costly due to lost sales and goodwill, negative social media/reviews and/or the loss of a valuable employee than the losses incurred in this case, which are relatively small.

Cecelia M.
Park Rapids, MN

I’ve found if I moved things around, especially one area of the store that didn’t have security cameras, this would usually take care of the problem. We love our customers, too, and don’t want to assume the problem is with just one customer.

Dawn T.
Vero Beach, FL

Casey should invest in a camera specifically on this end cap so there is proof of the person(s) shoplifting. It is a thin line retailers walk when they feel it is a regular customer shoplifting, so make the extra effort to make them feel important by helping them when they come into the store to shop, thanking them for their loyalty as well as introducing them to other customers, and having an employee stay with them as they continue to shop. If they pace by the end cap, become irritated or even try to insist on shopping by themselves, it is a red flag they may be guilty.

Eric M.
Columbus, NC

A camera pointed directly at the end cap. No notification of a new camera, nothing out of the normal. Just put the camera and wait. Then, forward to the police. We caught a regular customer stealing a $17 bottle of sardine anchovy oil. He denied it, threw a fit and left. I forwarded to the police. He ended up paying over $225 in fees and court costs.

Greg G.
Cody, WY

Move a camera to cover the area. You know it’s getting hit, so cover it. Put security camera sticker on end caps. I did, and it does catch suspicious people’s attention.

Angela P.
Stratford, CT

Luckily, I have not discovered a shoplifting problem at my store. However, I have the same frustration with the camera system that cannot see every angle of the business. It’s frustrating to have set up an expensive system that somehow misses a particular spot that you are trying to see. To me, it sounds like Casey is doing everything right … putting lower-priced items there, being cautious of a suspicious customer and letting her staff know to keep an eye out when this customer comes in. My suggestion is to redo the end cap. Maybe that is where the 50-ound bags of dog food should be located, or freebies should be placed there that might prompt a sale. And, as owners, we are always weighing the pros and cons of keeping/firing customers. I wouldn’t risk losing one without being absolutely certain that shoplifting had taken place.