Zara is a leading multinational clothing store with locations worldwide. Aside from clothing items, they also sell accessories that are often seen as easy targets by shoplifters.
Like all retailers, Zara employs various strategies to reduce shoplifting as much as possible.
Overall, Zara’s shoplifting policy is quite balanced. Staff are trained to spot suspicious behaviors and stop shoplifters as long as it’s safe to do so. Zara also invests heavily in technological solutions to stop thefts, like chips embedded in merchandise as well as facial recognition and artificial intelligence technologies.
Keep reading to learn more!
What’s Zara’s Policy Regarding Shoplifting?
Zara has a somewhat balanced approach to handling shoplifting. While other retailers are either aggressive or hands-off towards the people stealing from them, Zara uses a combination of staff vigilance, security guards, and technology to reduce losses from theft.
Firstly, Zara staff members can intervene when they witness someone stealing items from store shelves. Of course, they have to be careful not to accuse anyone of shoplifting unless they’re absolutely sure, as false accusations can lead to lawsuits.
Zara workers are also trained to spot suspicious behaviors that suggest someone might be looking to steal merchandise.
When that happens, they’ll notify security guards, the in-house loss prevention team, or the on-duty manager to keep an eye on them.
Naturally, Zara workers are told not to intervene if the situation is dangerous. After all, some shoplifters can turn aggressive and violent when they’re confronted, thereby putting workers and other customers at risk.
Aside from the well-trained staff who patrol the floor, Zara also uses common theft deterrents that you’d find at any leading retail outlet. Those deterrents include:
- Security cameras – All areas of a Zara store are monitored by security cameras continually recording video. The cameras themselves help to deter would-be shoplifters, and the video they capture can also be used as evidence against them.
- Electronic tagging – Clothes and other items have electronic tags attached to them. These tags will trigger the alarms at the store’s entrances and exits if the cashier doesn’t remove them first.
- Signs – As you walk around a Zara location, you’ll also see signboards reminding customers that they’re being recorded on camera and that shoplifters will be prosecuted.
- Mirrors – Some areas of the store also have convex mirrors. These mirrors help Zara employees see more of the store and potentially spot shoplifters.
- Uniformed security guards – Lastly, Zara also hires uniformed security guards to patrol the store. The presence of these guards helps to discourage shoplifters from stealing.
Shoplifters are generally given light punishments with little or no police involvement if the value of the items they steal is low. However, Zara is more likely to act against high-value thefts by pressing charges against those who are responsible.
How Does Zara Discourage Shoplifting?
Earlier, you read that Zara uses plenty of common deterrents to discourage shoplifters. They include security cameras, electronic tagging, and warning signs, just to name a few.
However, Zara is also one of many retailers investing heavily in technological solutions to make shoplifting significantly more challenging to do.
In 2023, Zara is starting to phase out the use of electronic tags on their clothing items. Now, Zara is moving towards using chips embedded directly in each clothing item and RFID technology instead.
These technologies offer several benefits, including faster checkout times and better stock management. However, they’re also incredibly effective at reducing the number of shoplifting cases in stores that use them.
Plus, once the use of those technologies becomes widely known, would-be shoplifters are sure to think twice before targeting a Zara store again.
What Happens When Shoplifters Get Caught At Zara?
Zara employees are often aware of potential shoplifters even before they take any merchandise. That’s because they’re trained to spot suspicious behaviors among customers and report them to store security and management.
Still, everyone involved will monitor a shoplifter until they witness the person taking an item and attempting to hide it under their clothing or in their bags. When that happens, security guards or loss prevention employees will stop the shoplifter and bring them to a security room.
Once there, the shoplifter is asked to remove the stolen items. They’re also photographed and asked to provide details like their name, address, and contact information.
Then, shoplifters are asked to sign a document admitting their guilt and banning them from Zara stores permanently or for a fixed period.
After this point, the shoplifter’s experience can vary. The police aren’t usually involved unless the value of the stolen items is high or if the shoplifter was violent towards staff and other customers.
If they were, they’d be reported to the police and charged in court. Depending on what local laws say, shoplifters could face hefty fines, jail time, and community service.
Besides that, Zara might also use lawyers to issue a claim to the shoplifter to pay for the stolen items and other costs involved with the loss.
Again, these outcomes differ depending on the Zara store location and the decisions made by its management on whether or not to go after specific shoplifters more aggressively.
Does Zara Use Facial Recognition Technology To Catch Shoplifters?
Aside from RFID and embedded-chip technologies, Zara is also a growing number of leading retailers investing in facial recognition technologies.
These technologies form an incredibly powerful arsenal that Zara can use to deter and catch shoplifters, especially known ones that store employees have caught before.
Zara maintains a database of known shoplifters, which includes their photos. The facial recognition technology uses those photos to look out for them if they ever return despite being banned from Zara locations.
As a result, the system will trigger an alert so security guards will escort those people out of the store.
On top of that, Zara also invests in smart artificial intelligence (AI) technology that can recognize suspicious behaviors among customers.
While staff members are already trained to spot these behaviors, having the support of AI technology will undoubtedly make them much more effective at monitoring potential shoplifters.
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Does Zara Have Self-Checkout Kiosks?
Yes, Zara has self-checkout kiosks at many locations. Shoplifters often take advantage of these kiosks to steal items as they pretend to pay for other things.
Still, stores like Zara have ways to catch people who try to do that because they understand that self-checkout areas face a high risk of theft.
As a result, several store security cameras are often focused on the self-checkout areas to look out for suspicious behaviors.
Besides that, one or more store workers are usually assigned to the self-checkout area. They provide customers with support but also check receipts to ensure that they’ve paid for all the merchandise they’re carrying out of the store.
Despite that, some shoplifters still manage to get away with stealing through the self-checkout lanes.
Final Thoughts
Zara’s shoplifting policy can be described as balanced and increasingly reliant on technology. Its employees are trained to recognize suspicious behaviors among customers, and they seem to have no problems approaching and stopping shoplifters.
On top of that, Zara is also investing heavily in embedded chips, RFID technology, facial recognition, and artificial intelligence, all in an effort to deter and catch shoplifters in their stores.
Reference Source
https://www.chargedretail.co.uk/2023/03/31/tech-shoplifting/