As a nonprofit organization that primarily sells items that have been charitably donated, the concept of shoplifting at Goodwill is perhaps slightly more complicated than at other retailers. If you’re interested in how they handle the issue then you might be wondering: does Goodwill have a no-chase policy?
Individual Goodwill locations have their own loss prevention and theft policies so there is no universal “no-chase” policy that they all choose to implement. With that being said, employees at Goodwill stores are typically not expected to chase down potential shoplifters.
Read ahead to find out more!
What Is A “No Chase” Policy?
To understand exactly what we are talking about here, we first need to get a good idea of what a “no-chase” policy actually is and what it means.
A no-chase policy is a term that is primarily used to refer to instances when law enforcement is advised not to pursue a suspect – often due to the likelihood that the pursuit might result in harm to the suspect, the officer, or the public.
In more general parlance, and in the private sector, a no-chase policy for a store or retail location is basically a policy that states that the employees are instructed not to chase down a potential criminal who has committed some kind of offense in their stores.
These policies will often even apply to security staff and loss prevention teams, meaning that nobody at the store is supposed to run after someone who tries to escape with stolen goods.
Why Are No Chase Policies Implemented?
You might be wondering, why would a store choose to let potential criminals simply get away? Well, it’s all about liability.
At the end of the day, a no-chase policy is a way for stores to ensure the safety of their staff and prevent lawsuits.
Pursuing somebody out into the public and attempting to chase after them is fraught with many risks. The employee could end up hurt, the alleged shoplifter could end up hurt, it could result in property damage, and members of the public could become involved as well.
All of this opens up the door for potential lawsuits and civil liability, which might mean that the store owner ends up paying much more than the value of whatever goods were stolen.
In the worst-case scenario, the person being pursued might not even be guilty of a crime in the first place, and could then turn around and sue the company.
That is not to say that a no-chase policy means that shoplifters will not be pursued or prosecuted. These policies often instruct staff to call the police immediately, who will then attempt to chase down the suspect themselves. Stores will often have plenty of evidence to press charges even if the individual manages to escape.
Read also >> Does Goodwill Have Security Cameras? (Here Is Why)
Does Goodwill Have A Problem With Shoplifting?
The idea of shoplifting at Goodwill almost seems a little strange compared to other retailers, for a couple of reasons.
For one, the products in these stores are almost always charitably donated and, secondly, the money that they raise goes toward enhancing the dignity and quality of life of individuals and families in need.
The surprising reality is that Goodwill actually has a very big problem with shoplifting. They are far from the only ones, too, as the problem occurs in most charity retailers.
They are often viewed as relatively soft targets, perhaps because staff may be seen as less likely to confront shoplifters and because the stores operate on a higher level of trust than other outlets.
It’s not just external threats that charity-based retailers face either. They are also known to be vulnerable to fraud and even corruption from staff and volunteers, which can lead to significant financial losses.
As a result of this, Goodwill certainly does take shoplifting very seriously and their stores are typically quite diligent about preventing loss.
Do Goodwill Stores Operate A No Chase Policy?
Since shoplifting is such a problem for Goodwill, are their employees likely to try and chase down suspects that try and leave with stolen goods? The short answer is no, but it is more complicated than that.
The first thing to note is that each individual Goodwill location will have slightly different loss prevention and theft policies in place.
There is no universal policy that all Goodwills have to abide by, so there is no single answer to how they will handle a shoplifting situation.
Another important factor here is that not every Goodwill has the same kind of staff to utilize for these kinds of incidents.
While some stores will have dedicated security and full-time loss prevention officers patrolling their locations and watching their cameras, some stores will have no loss prevention employees at all.
On the whole, though, it is very unlikely that a Goodwill employee, whether they are security staff or not, will actually pursue a shoplifter outside of the store. If loss prevention officers or trained staff are present then they may confront the individual and attempt to retrieve the items but they are not likely to follow them if they choose to run.
Fundamentally, as a large organization, they do not want to risk injury to their staff members or open themselves up to potential lawsuits.
What Loss Prevention Policies Does Goodwill Have?
That is not to say that Goodwill is lax when it comes to handling potential theft – far from it. Most locations have highly detailed loss prevention policies in place that incorporate a multitude of different strategies, from staff training to store logistics and advanced technology.
For example, many policies will outline how customers are to be greeted and monitored in order to discourage theft, where and when third-party maintenance staff is allowed access to the building, how donated goods are to be stored, and what staff need to be trained on and look out for.
Of course, video surveillance is a key component in how most retailers prevent crime, and Goodwill is no different.
Many locations have even upgraded to more advanced cloud-integrated solutions that directly connect with their POS platforms and give access to the footage from almost any device anywhere in the country.
Instead of sending an employee running after a potential shoplifter, a Goodwill store is much more likely to hand over the footage from their video surveillance to the police so that the suspect can be “chased down” through the legal system instead.
Will Goodwill Prosecute Shoplifters?
Although a shoplifter is unlikely to be chased by security at Goodwill, that definitely does not mean that they are likely to get away with it.
Many Goodwill stores will involve the police for almost any instance of shoplifting and will actively pursue an investigation to ensure that the merchandise is returned and the perpetrator is convicted. In fact, analysis done using data from the Seattle City Attorney’s Office records showed that more people were charged for stealing from Goodwill than any other retailer.
Goodwill has even been known to press charges and seek an arrest in cases where the shoplifter was confronted by loss prevention and the stolen products never even left the store.
Summary
So, does Goodwill have a no-chase policy? Not exactly. There is no universal policy that covers all Goodwill locations telling employees not to chase down potential criminals, and each store can have its own loss prevention or theft policy in place.
For most Goodwill stores, though, it is not worth the risk to advise employees to chase after potential criminals and they are much more likely to gather evidence, contact law enforcement, and pursue the person through the legal system instead.
Reference Sources
https://losspreventionmedia.com/inside-the-world-of-goodwill-loss-prevention/