Canadian Retailer - Fall 2013 - 26

MYSTORE RETAILER'S GUIDE VOL. 9.5: LOSS PREVENTION

Example: "How was your weekend? What
was your Saturday like? I want to go over several things today. First, let me make sure I have
some details in your employee file correct.
What's your date of birth? How long have you
worked here? Tell me about how you see your
responsibilities here. What is our process for
handling cash? How about inventory-how do
we track inventory? And what about our process for managing returns?"

There is also a school of thought that says
some guilty people want to confess. They
just need the right conditions-a nonjudgemental confessor, the understanding
that they have already been caught-
before they can admit to what they did.
Once the interviewer gets a read on the interview subject, gets their alibi and establishes
the subject's knowledge of their job and the opportunity to commit the theft, then the interviewer can change tactics. They can establish
their credibility as the investigator-and suggest that the case is all but closed-and let the
person across from them know the reasons for
the interview.
Example: "Now that I've had a chance to remind you about how I monitor the business, I
want to talk to you about an issue I have been
tracking. Merchandise has gone missing and I
want to know why something like this might be
happening in my store."
Making confessions easy

"The primary reason people confess is because they believe the truth is known," says
Norris. Knowing this fact, a retailer wants to 1)
know as many of the facts of the matter as possible before the interview, and 2) create a situation where the interview subject believes they
have been found out.
To tug the confession from the person, the
interviewer wants to maintain a non-judgemental, understanding attitude about the theft.
This might mean showing sympathy and summarizing some of the reasons why the person
committed the theft.
Example: "I can understand why a person
might take some of the merchandise. Times
are tough and it's tempting. I have been there
too and I wouldn't hold it against the person
who did this. We all make mistakes. What we

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canadian retailer | fall 2013 | www.retailcouncil.org/cdnretailer

need to do is to find a way to correct this mistake." (Note: The interviewer hasn't made a direct accusation at this point.)
Norris says that one tactic is to provide a
choice for how the interview subject can react.
The interviewer can give some sense of control
to the interview subject by letting them choose
how they will react when the truth comes out.
Example: "If you were the store owner and
you were in my position, how would you want
the person who did this to react? Would you
want them to tell lies and compound the mistake? Would you want to see them get themselves deeper into trouble? Or would you rather see the person maintain their dignity and
come through this stronger?"
There is also a school of thought that says
some guilty people want to confess. They just
need the right conditions-a non-judgemental
confessor, the understanding that they have
already been caught-before they can admit to
what they did.
Example: "I am not here to judge the person
who did this. I want to resolve this as simply as
possible and with the least trouble for all of us.
Before I escalate this matter, is there anything
we need to talk about together?"
Consider using alternatives to direct accusations. Rather than saying, "You've been stealing from me," say, "When did this start?" Rather than saying, "It's time to start being honest,"
say, "I have worked out the details of what happened but I am very curious about why this
happened?"
What if the employee won't confess? Maybe
they didn't do it. The retailer might have to
interview other people, re-evaluate the evidence or hire a professional investigator to
close the case. Another strategy is to take a
harder approach. Presenting irrefutable evidence to the subject, consulting a lawyer,
pressing criminal charges-these are valid
routes. But the purpose of a non-confrontational approach is to make it easy for the guilty
party to confess. When a person confesses, the
termination can proceed more quickly.
For more Retailer's Guides and other MySTORE
resources available to you and your teams,
visit www.retailcouncil.org/mystore. To find
out more about MySTORE and the cost saving
benefit programs available to members of RCC,
contact the association Membership Service
`s
team at 1-888-373-8245, or email at
mystore@retailcouncil.org.

http://retailcouncil.org/mystore http://www.retailcouncil.org/cdnretailer

Canadian Retailer - Fall 2013

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