Advice for sales assistants dealing with price tag switchers

another question

I work in retail and we are having an increasing problem with people switching the prices on garments.

This has become an increasing issue since the recession primarily because we are often continually 'in sale' and SOME people go into the fitting rooms with a full price item and a sale item and switch the tags. Then go to an inexperienced sales assistant at the till who just scans the tag and up pops the sale price.

This is happening more and more often and as we are more understaffed now aswell this scam is happening alot more to even the more experienced sales assistant.

We can't accuse them of this even though the same people are doing it time and time again. This is ridiculous behaviour.

Is there any very experienced managers or staff out there who have experienced this got any tips or information for this problem.

Thanks in advance.

Shane-KornSpace

Used to work for harry Corry.
had this all time.

If you know or feel the price is incorrect, excuse yourself for a second and check it with the other garments to confirm your suspicion.
It will only take a minute.

If it's the wrong price, explain it to them that you can't sell it for that price as it is an error. You are not obliged to sell it at that price.

Procrastastudy

"I'm very sorry we have a problem with people switching price tags. This is a criminal offence and we are checking our CCTV to find out who it it and this information is passed on to the Gardai. I'm really sorry you've picked up a garment someone has done this too and thought better of it."

If it was them watch them exit the store quickly. Point to the CCTV camera as you say it so their face is recorded.

That was my trick any way.

another question

I like your idea procrastasturdy but we have no cctv or security guards or a tagging system, its a nightmare, the tuned in wans know this....what really gets me is when they are as nice as pie to your face and then go off laughing at the eejet that let them get away with it...makes my blood boil

borderlinemeath

another question wrote: »

I like your idea procrastasturdy but we have no cctv or security guards or a tagging system, its a nightmare, the tuned in wans know this....what really gets me is when they are as nice as pie to your face and then go off laughing at the eejet that let them get away with it...makes my blood boil

But why are they 'let away with it'? Surely there's more of the same items on the shop floor with the correct price and it's easy to point out that the price has been deliberately changed by 'a' customer.

The store is not obliged to sell an item if the incorrect price is put on it. It's a gesture of goodwill. The law is in the retailers favour in this case. It's called an 'invitation to treat' and no consumer is entitled to a price just because they put it on an item. Maybe you should suggest to management that an official store policy should be displayed at the till point for back up in instances that you describe.

You may lose a few customers, but in the long run they appear to be the ones costing you money.

another question

Yes borderlinemeath I like that idea....we have a HUGE stock range...run promos constantly and we nearly always have a sale on with new items added daily...its nearly impossible to know what everythings price is all the time...apart from items that are 'brand new' in off a delivery....we have a large turnover of staff too and minimal contracts who may be in for a couple of hours a week...everything has changed again by the time they come in and someone comes to the till to buy someone, staff don't suspect them, usually bamboozled with chit chat, just scan the item in and ask for the money....in most cases of this...alarm bells never seem to go off with these staff that the price may be incorrect as they are just not there often enough...its sounds easy in theory but thats why I'm asking for help because it's become a major problem for us.

Procrastastudy

Procrastastudy wrote: »

"I'm very sorry we have a problem with people switching price tags. This is a criminal offence and we are checking our covert CCTV to find out who it it and this information is passed on to the Gardai. I'm really sorry you've picked up a garment someone has done this too and thought better of it."

If it was them watch them exit the store quickly. Point to the CCTV camera as you say it so their face is recorded.

That was my trick any way.

Sorted

JD Dublin

If you cant stretch to real CCTV, why not try fake cameras? A lot cheaper, althoughh if someone calls your bluff you're done for. The likelihood is that these 'wans' will move on to the next easy target i.e. another shop that does not have CCTV.

Mind you you could always ask staff to have a look at the till receipt after scanning just to ensure that the item they are selling is the same as what is coming up onthe till receipt i.e. black ladies top on the receipt ( coz thats what scanned ) versus white mens shirt in the customers hand.

sandin

I notice Zara scan the a barcode printed on a cloth label attached to the garment and then check that the barcode and description match.


Its quite simple to stop this practice.

1 - have your system up to date and have items properly described.

2 - Tell staff to check that the scanned item description and the garment match

3 - put notice up in store stating that recently there has been an increase in tag switching and that should an item scan in at a price that does not match, the correct price will be found and that is the price that will be charged. - Also have a notice behind the till stating how the price tag is NOT a legal contract of price and give them details of the NCA if they have a complaint.

4 - Put another notice up and state that switching of price tags is a criminal offence and anyone caught doing so will be prosecuted. And the tagline - We do not make any exceptions with regard to this rule.

highlandseoghan

Like a previous poster said if you cant afford real cctv system at least get dummy cameras or go to a local cctv / alarm instaler and see if they would have old cctv cameras that are not working that you could use as a visual deterrent.

How much are you loosing on theft a week? When you calculate how much your loosing due to this form of theft, then do a stock take and see if items are being stolen as well and work out how much your loosing altogether on a weekly or monthly basis you might actually find that putting in a basic tagging system could be cost efficent and save you money. Do you have an idea of who is doing the switching of tags, if so you should be on the shop floor watching everything when they come in.

If staff are only doing a few hours each week they wont care about your business and if they know how poor security is, it could lead them to taking items or informing there friends of how poor security is.

Cameras can be a great deterrent but do not tell any of your staff that there not real. I would recommend highly you get at least fake cameras and install them when the shop is closed so nobody knows.

another question

Thanks for all the above suggestions everyone, I am definitely going to look into this more closely...out of interest has anyone actually seen a sign in any high street chain stores like topshop etc for the above problem...

CRM Ireland

Switching price tags, thanks for letting me know about this recession busting tip!

Victor

another question wrote: »

.we have a large turnover of staff too and minimal contracts who may be in for a couple of hours a week...everything has changed again by the time they come in

Can you improve this?

amen

Your problem isn't really the switching of tags but the high staff turnover, the lack of cctv/security, large stock range (although you can't be bigger than some of the big boys) and a lack of tagging.

You have to got to sort out the above first.