Retailers are doing everything they can to keep shoplifters away. Over the past few years, nearly every major chain has implemented some kind of security upgrade to protect its stores from thieves—whether that's by locking up more items or even pulling products off of shelves completely. Now, a former Lowe's worker is warning shoppers about specific anti-theft measures they'll want to be aware of. Read on to learn how the home improvement retailer is preventing shoplifting.
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Retailers are battling a significant rise in shoplifting.
ShutterstockRetail theft has become a growing problem in the U.S. According to a 2022 report from the National Retail Federation (NRF), more than 72 percent of retailers say they have seen an increase in the risk of shoplifting since before the pandemic.
The NRF also found that organized retail crime (ORC) cost stores an average of over $700,000 per $1 billion in sales in 2020—increasing the risk of loss from theft by more than 50 percent in just five years.
The issue has affected major retailers like Walmart, CVS, and Lowe's. "Across the retail industry, brazen theft inside of stores has been increasing," Josh Shabtai, Lowe's Innovation Labs senior director of ecosystem, confirmed to Digital Commerce 360 in January.
This means that not only are more people shoplifting from Lowe's stores, but they're also not afraid to get in confrontations with employees before walking off with merchandise.
An ex-Lowe's worker is opening up about the retailer's anti-theft measures.
A former Lowe's employee posted a TikTok on how the retailer handles shoplifting. In the now-viral video from Jan. 27, @jessicas_journal4 explained that she used to work in Lowe's ProServices department, which is located right next to the retailer's loss prevention (LP) office.
"If you ever go to Lowe's and you see this like gray box room, that's what it is," she said. "That's where the LP person sits and watches the monitors and stalks people."
Jessica goes on to explain that she became "good friends" with the guy who worked as the LP at her store—so good, in fact, that she said she would sometimes sit in there and watch the monitors with him.
"I learned a lot about what happens on that end of it," she said.
Best Life reached out to Lowe's about the TikTok, and we will update this story with their response.
She said they know when you're shoplifting.
iStockNot much happens without Lowe's knowing about it.
"They watch you on the monitors," Jessica warned. "So it's not that you just get away with it, like they know you do it. They can see you."
Through these monitors, Lowe's loss prevention workers are able to compile evidence against the thieves that come to its stores.
"If they're not able to physically go out and catch you, then they will watch you on the monitors, they will create like a file for you and put it on a CD," the former employee explained. "You don't just steal and leave and you're good ... They create a profile for you."
And you can be arrested after you leave the store.
John Hanson Pye / ShutterstockAs Jessica explained in her video, her Lowe's location had an officer from the city that was assigned to that specific store.
"Every day or every couple of days, he would come in and he would grab the CD or the DVD with all the evidence of the person stealing on it, and he would take it to the police station," she revealed. "And they would track them down, they would put a warrant out for their arrest."
According to the former employee, only the LP workers can actually stop shoplifters in the store—so the retailer uses this anti-theft measure as a failsafe in order to catch thieves after they've left.
"If you're ever at a Lowe's and you see someone walk out and you're like why aren't any employees doing anything about it? It's because of that," Jessica said. "Cause there's already someone doing something about it."
