Part 8: Stand For What Matters
Body Positioning
One of the most effective techniques that can be used is called, “bladeing”. This is where the way that you stand can help you when you are interacting with a shoplifter. This technique is taught and used by many of the Loss Prevention department’s of big retailers. It is effective for two, very good reasons and this is why it is so widely utilized:
- It allows you to ensure your safety should the situation escalate
- It conveys confidence and allows you to use your body language to dominate the shoplifter
In Practice
The theory behind this technique is simple. You minimize the person’s ability to strike you and allows you to maintain your balance if they do. Placing one foot behind the other naturally turns your body. This means that most soft targets, groin, stomach and throat are not as easily accessible. If the person attempts to move towards you, your backward motion is not hampered. Standing square to them would mean that you could only move left or right. If they shove you, you will most likely fall backward in an attempt to catch your balance.
Notice in this picture, the agent has their hand extended. This is vital to ensure that the suspect can inflict minimal damage should they decide to get physical.
Your goal should be to convey confidence. Size does not matter! Your body and your stance can be the difference between safety and mayhem.
Remember that yelling and threatening just make the situation worse. It could even be said that the shoplifter expects the situation to get heated. They know that most small businesses aren’t as well trained as the Loss Prevention departments of the big retailers.
How They Choose
Here is the choice the bad guy has to make. They can either go into a huge store or your small one to steal in. With the first choice, there is much more merchandise at their disposal. They can use the larger space and bigger crowds to blend in. The odds are in their favor that Loss Prevention will not notice them. The second one means going into your small location and definitely being noticed by your employees. The large retailer is sure to have a well-equipped LP department. While your store, will likely have a few people who may or may not be brave enough to confront them. There’s no way to determine which choice is best for them, but it does mean that if they go into your store, they did it for a reason.
