Security Policies and Guidelines Addendum

Stores Training

Updated 4/6/2020

These policies are intended as operational guidelines, but additional depth and understanding of the security operations will come from experience and more detailed training.  We are now asking Store Managers and Assistant Managers to be “Security Minded.”  Please read these policies and guidelines thoroughly.  It is IMPORTANT that all store associates be trained to be aware of the following circumstances and be able to handle the types of situations we may expect to see.  Should you have any further questions please call the Home Office.

General Mission

There are three priorities for the Security of the store and its occupants.  They are in order:

  • SAFETY – the overall personal safety of the Store Customers and Staff.
  • THEFT DETERRENCE – Provide a physical presence to deter shoplifting.
  • ASSET PROTECTION – Keep an eye out for structural issues with the building and surrounding property and report those issues to the home office.

Safety

The safety of our staff and customers must be in the forefront of any action decision.  Any possible situation or confrontation should be diffused or de-escalated until the proper local authorities arrive.  The only exception to this policy is if any customer or staff is in imminent danger that requires decisive action.  ALL MANAGERS AND ASSISTANT MANAGERS SHOULD CARRY THEIR CELLULAR PHONES WITH THEM AT ALL TIMES WHILE ON DUTY.  THEY SHOULD ALSO HAVE THE APPROPRIATE EMERGENCY CONTACT PHONE NUMBERS (FIRE, POLICE OR SHERRIF, BUILDING MAINTENANCE) PROGRAMMED IN THEIR CONTACT LISTS.

 

Police – 911

Fire – 911

Bldg Maintenance

Carolyn – 614.648.0466

Teri – 614.483.1172

Joe – 937.408.3373

Mark – 614.352.3629

Jeff – 614.352.3648

 

Physical safety can be accomplished by being aware of conditions that may lead to an accident.  Improper use of headphones, spills, broken fixtures, floor hazards should be dealt with immediately to prevent a potential accident.  If an accident or serious event should occur, complete the DFWh, Inc. Incident report immediately.  This includes any witness statements, witness contact information, pictures and reports regarding the incident.  This information should be sent to the home office as soon as possible.  NO EMPLOYEE SHOULD EVER ENTER OR EXIT THE BUILDING ALONE.

Theft Deterrence

Most deterrence of external or internal theft will be accomplished by having a strong visible presence in the stores or on any of our properties.  This can be accomplished in several ways.  All associates should strive to give any customer an “eye to eye” greeting and a welcome to the store.  This provides the customer with acknowledgement that there is a security presence onsite.  This presence can provide safety and security to those who need it, and acknowledgement of our ability to stop those who may have the intention to steal.  If potential theft comes to our attention, make sure that the possible suspect is aware that you are watching them.  Continuous contact with the potential offender will reinforce to them that we are aware of their activities.  Likely they will leave the premises if they sense they are detected.

Internal theft can also be deterred by the same presence.  Executing proper bag checks, making sure employees are not in restricted areas or areas they should not be in, and monitoring entrance and exits to the building at off times or unexpected times will help achieve our goals in theft deterrence.  Properly monitoring employee purchases or improper register behavior can also help.

Asset Protection

Proper protection of the physical property decreases the potential for accidents or theft to occur.  Be aware of and check perimeter security regularly.  Generally, check the perimeter at the beginning and ending of each day.  Prior to close, make sure that all man doors and dock doors are secured.  Check the status of all HVAC units to make sure they are functioning properly and are set to the proper temperatures.  Make sure all windows are locked.  Check Restrooms for security and any running water issues.  Periodically check fire extinguishers and make sure you know the locations of all fire extinguishers in the event of an emergency.  Make sure you are knowledgeable of the operations of all fire panels in any facility.  You should keep a log of all emergency contact numbers including security monitoring, fire monitoring, fire departments, and local police or sheriff.

Types of Incidents

There are likely only a defined set of incidents that can occur at any store.  Although names, places, and methods may vary, types of incidents can be predicted:

More Dangerous/Difficult Situations:

  • Robbery – Interior or exterior – see below
  • Theft – Internal or External – see below
  • Harassment – We do not tolerate any form of harassment. If you observe harassment occurring, notify a member of management and call the home office.  Refer to the HR Policy and Procedures manual as to what defines harassment.
  • Medical Issues – Staff or Customers – contact 911 immediately.
  • Disgruntled Former Employees – Escort them out of the store, call 911 if they become belligerent.
  • Fire Issues – Call 911 if you see fire or see or smell smoke.
  • Power Outages – Escort customers to the front of the store and call the Home Office or building maintenance.
  • Angry Customers – De-escalate the situation by calmly talking to the customer to identify their concerns. If they become belligerent, call 911
  • Intoxicate/Unstable Customer – Call 911

Operational Situations:

  • Rowdy Customers – Speak with customer and ask them to refrain from whatever activity you considered to be rowdy. If they do not refrain, escort them out of the store and call 911 if necessary.
  • Messy Customers – Politely ask the customer to keep any items with them while they are shopping. If they become belligerent, escort them out of the store and call 911 if necessary.
  • Children Unattended – Ask the children to point out where their parents are and reunite them. Politely remind the parent(s) that they must keep their children with them at all time for safety reasons.
  • Dressing Room Issues – pay specific attention to the dressing rooms at the end of the day when they are most likely to be crowded. Longer than normal waiting periods may create angry customers so be aware of this situation.
  • Trying on Clothes – Not in dressing rooms – let the customer know that this is prohibited because of safety/public decency reasons. Internally we know that the risk of theft increases when customers are not monitored while trying on our clothes.
  • Drinks/Food – Food and drinks are prohibited in our stores because of the risk they pose to our merchandise as well as the risk of creating a dangerous situation should a spill occur.
  • Ticket Switching – To ensure that this does not happen, check all tickets carefully when checking out a customer. If a ticket appears to have been switched, politely inform the customer that this has occurred and that a new ticket will need to be placed on the item.  Do not accuse the customer of switching the ticket.
  • Counterfeiting – From time to time we will receive counterfeit money. If you believe that you have received a counterfeit bill, check the bill using the counterfeit detector.  Make sure that you read the instructions for identifying bills carefully.  Every bill has specific characteristics inherent to its denomination.  If any of these characteristics are missing, inform the customer and return their money.  If they wish to purchase our merchandise, they will need to provide another form of payment.
  • Opening/Closing Procedures – Pay special attention to security concerns during the opening and closing of the store. We are most at risk for theft/robbery during these times.
  • Shoppers staying beyond operating hours – If a customer is not making their way to the registers after we have made our final closing announcement, politely approach them and inform them that your registers will automatically shut down to new sales shortly after we close. If they wish to make a purchase, they will need to do so quickly.
  • High Theft Areas – The best way to reduce theft is to have a strong visual presence. Make sure that if you observe a customer “lingering” in an area known to have high theft rates, stay in that area and make frequent eye contact.
  • Greeting Customers – It is important to greet every customer that enters the store. This tells the customer that we are aware that they have entered the store.  This also provides good customer service by “welcoming” them to our store.

Administrative Issues:

  • Know your emergency call list and contacts – Familiarize yourself with the contact list included in this handout and add the contacts to your phone for quick reference.
  • Opening/Closing Checklists – make sure you follow the checklists for opening and closing the store. They have been developed for both your safety and for efficiency.
  • Register Area Issues – It is important that we always maintain a presence at the register area. Make sure that no drawers are left open.  Drawers should only be opened during a transaction or at the beginning or end of the day.
  • Employee Break Areas – This area should be kept clean so that we do not have issues with insects or other vermin. Only DFWh employees are to be in our break areas as many of our employees keep their personal items there.
  • Security Cameras – A member of management should make sure that the cameras are working properly at the beginning and the end of the day. If there is an accident or incident, we may need to refer to the information captured by the camera.
  • Employee Bag Check – At the end of the day, all employees bags are to be checked prior to exiting the building. There are no exceptions to this rule.  If a member of management is not present at the exit, it is the responsibility of the associate to locate a member of management before exiting the building.

Additional guidelines in dealing with specific situations listed below:

Robbery – Interior or Exterior

Interior Robbery – A person comes into the store and intends to rob the store using a gun, weapon, or threat of some type of harm.  The number one concern here is the safety of the persons in the store, customers and staff.  We are fully insured for any losses, so we do not want anyone trying to be a “hero”!  Let the person take what they want.  Do not impede their exit from the store.   If they question you let them know we are insured, and you have not intention of impeding their plans.  Let them know that other persons may not know what is going on and to not be surprised.  Just take what they want and leave.  If they ask about cameras, tell them you are not sure if they work or not.  If they ask about a safe, tell them we take deposits to the bank regularly and that you do not have access to the safe.  When it is safe to do so, press the silent alarm button and immediately call police after they leave.  If possible, obtain a license plate, or description of their car.  Try to focus on a description of the persons involved including any distinguishing scars or marks such as tattoos.

Exterior Robbery – Two areas of exposure here.  First, before you enter or exit the building at the end of the day, scan out the door to make sure there are no strangers or suspicious persons “lurking” about or “casing” the store.  Any cause for concern should prompt a call to local authorities.  When you are the first to arrive, make sure you are clear in the same manner for entering the store.  Fumbling with keys to open (or lock) doors gives those with bad intentions times to approach.  Also – IMPORTANT – know the Security codes to punch if you are subject to a forced entry.  Each store has a code that disarms the Security alarm yet notifies the authorities that this situation has occurred. The panic code for all the stores is 2222.

Secondly, when you are leaving the store to transport a bank deposit.  Don’t take the deposit at the exact same time every day.  Be alert and make sure you have a clear path to your car.  Have someone watch you as you exit until your car pulls away.  Be alert to anyone that might be following your car.  Immediately call the police if you believe that you are being followed.

Theft – Internal or External

Internal.  Sadly, most stores theft will be internal, or perpetrated by an existing or ex-employee.  Collusion (more than one) can be involved, although it is rarer than random theft, it may be harder to detect.  A book can be written about this topic, but let’s start with a few basics.

  • Register Area Theft – make sure cash drawers are reconciled COMPLETELY each day.
  • Keep an eye out for open cash drawers, or a person who is counting or handling the cash more often than they should. If there is NO transaction – drawers should not be open.
  • If a customer wants to always check out with the same register person, or the register person always wants to check out the customer, it is suspicious.
  • A store employee not assigned to registers – should not be behind the registers.
  • Register area – unattended in general for any reason.
  • A disturbance in a store – DON’T leave the register completely unattended.
  • Keep an eye on items not rung up at the register.

Last Customers

At 15 minutes after the store closing time, we will take a “more firm” approach with asking customers to check out at the register.  This will be initialized by store management.  At the 30-minute mark we should ask the customers to leave now as registers and credit card machines will automatically close and they will not be able to check out.  This should be done by store management.  Be nice, but firm when needed.

Coverage Patterns

Generally, we need to have an employee presence at or near the door/entrance to the store.  This is for the obvious reasons of greeting the customers and establishing a security presence as they enter or leave the store.

In times of large crowds or at peak hours, the dressing room area can be a possible conflict area if there are long lines or long waits.  There are specific rules in the dressing room area of the amount of goods that can be taken into the dressing rooms.  We may need to support the dressing room monitors in their polite enforcement of those rules.  The rules may vary slightly by location.  Make sure you are aware of the specific rules of each location.

Exit doors and restrooms should also get some attention.  No merchandise is allowed in any restrooms.  There may be a temptation to try this when lines are long.  Additionally, customers may “hide” or seek secluded or sheltered area in the store to change or try on clothing.  We need to discourage this type of activity that is really intended of the dressing rooms.  Watch for customers attempting to discreetly exit without paying.  This could happen in low or high crowd situations.

Be aware that a disturbance in one area of the store could be a distraction designed to take security eyes off an area where planned theft can be taking place.

Security Cameras

All our locations have security cameras that monitor activity.  As the manager or assistant manager, you should ascertain each day or shift that the cameras are working.  If you determine that the cameras are not working, contact the IT support staff for immediate repair.  You should also be aware of the camera locations, numbers and coverage area for each location.  Also, most cameras will be set to record at “motion”.  Make sure these types of settings are functioning.  Be aware of the ability of the cameras to get good facial recognition shots or adequate coverage of the store.  Be aware of the operation of the camera systems, especially the knowledge of how-to playback or record activity to a cd or flash drive.  That all said, we want the management staff on the floor, not sequestered in the camera office for long periods of time.  We do not expect the security to be “tech support” but we do expect that you will be aware of the proper functioning of the camera system, or more importantly, when it is not functioning correctly.

Cash

The exposure here is obvious.  Additionally, we may encounter counterfeit bills from time to time.  If this is brought to your attention, then assist the register staff in politely telling eth customer they may have received a counterfeit bill and we cannot accept them.  Direct them to their local bank.  If this appears to be any type of an issue beyond a single instance, contact local authorities for resolution.  Each store will have Counterfeit Detector for large bills to determine if there may be a counterfeit bill.

Check

In all our locations, we use “Telecheck” to verify the availability of funds.  This service removes or holds the funds in the account at the time we process.  In some cases, the service may ask for additional ID, or for us to call the merchant services department regarding a customer.  These are usually confirmation or administrative issues and typically result in approval.  In some cases, the approval is denied.  We are not allowed to accept any check outside of the Telecheck service.  If a customer is denied they must give payment in another form to complete their transaction.

The cashier should receive a printout from the credit card machine authorizing the check.  This slip must be signed by the customer.  This slip must be included in the nightly close paperwork.  If the customer asks for the actual check they may take it, but not the signature slip.

Many customers understand this process now as it is an increasingly common process.  It is very safe for both us and the customer.  Should the customer feel uncomfortable, assist the cashier in advising them that we will take some other form of payment.

Credit Card

We generally accept all types of credit cards but we discourage the use of AMEX (It’s expensive).  In the event the customer has no other form of payment, we can accept AMEX.  Additionally, cashiers need to be instructed to make sure a signature is on the back of any credit card, and in the absence are instructed to ask for proper ID.  If you determine that a card might indeed be a stolen card, contact local authorities.  A description of the person trying to use it along with car license plate number would likely be useful to local authorities.

Coupons and Discounts

We do give out various coupons and discount cards for promotional reasons.  You may be called on to support the register or store staff if any issues arise from these.  Some may be expired, or some customers may try to use copies or fakes of coupons.  Store manager should keep a list of various authorized coupons on site.

Dressing Room Coverage

Each Location has a Dressing Room policy.  Make sure that all the employees are aware of the specifics of the policy for each location.  Dressing rooms can be a flare point, especially at peak crowd times.  Customer patience may be tried with longer than normal waits.  In any conflict we instruct the dressing room monitors to engage management quickly to avoid an escalation of a situation.  Typical issues are multiple persons in a dressing room, or those that are trying to take in items that exceed the maximum items allowed.  The priority is to diffuse or de-escalate the issue.  Should that prove impossible, engage local authorities quickly.  Make sure that store personnel are properly monitoring or in the area of the dressing room especially at busiest times.

Children

Customers bring children into the store.  We want to restrict the children from running or engaging in playful activities that may result in injury.  Please gently ask the children where their parents are and take them to the parents, explaining that we are worried that they may hurt themselves and we require that they be supervised while in the store.  If the issue continues, notify the customer they may be asked to leave the store for the safety of all.  Be polite, you’re dealing with people’s children and typically they are sensitive around this issue.

Messy Customers

Customers may not clean up their messes.  We can ask them politely to help us and we can put signage up to remind them.  But, unless a customer is deliberately making a mess or causing a disturbance, we should clean up their mess – as part of our service – and keep our store looking clean and organized.

Incident Reports

Store Management should utilize the standardized “Incident Report” that should be filled out when an incident occurs.  Keep copies of the reports at each site and send a copy to the home office upper management.

Employee shopping

We have specific policies for employee shopping.  Make sure that you obtain a copy of them and are very familiar with the policy.  Management is involved in logging employee purchases.  There are rules that determine what an employee can set aside and hold to purchase.  There are rules as to when and where they can shop.  There are rules regarding when they can take purchases to their car.  You should discuss the policies with each store employee to make sure you are all working jointly to assure compliance.

Employee Bag Check

We have strict guidelines for any associate that leaves our building with regards to having their bags checked.  The manager on site is responsible for checking bags during the lunch time and at the end of any shift.  At any other time, an employee may leave the facility they are responsible for getting management to check their bags.  This would include any break time or any other such as leaving early for doctor appointment, etc.  Any official employee purchases will be known to you (employee shopping) so make sure you check purses, boxes, etc. on the way out.

Use of cell phones

Please minimize all nonessential cell phone usage.  Personal calls should be limited to break and lunch times, just like any other employee.  Make sure that you have all appropriate contact numbers stored in your phones.