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How to Prevent Accidents, Theft from Happening at Your Business

BIKLaw Medical Malpractice Lawyer > Bradley's Take > How to Prevent Accidents, Theft from Happening at Your Business

During the holidays, business can boom for certain retailers and holiday shoppers can be a business’ new best friend.  However, holiday shoppers can also be a business’ worst nightmare.  With hundreds if not thousands of holiday customers walking through the door, retailers everywhere have to be aware of theft, identity theft, phony and fraudulent returns, and slip and fall accidents.

 

So how does a business protect itself during the holiday season?  It’s simple really.

 

First, make sure that all of your items are specifically marked with price tags that are firmly attached to the item.

 

Second, install visible cameras in your store.  They don’t even have to be real cameras.  The mere sight of a camera is more that sufficient to scare would-be thieves into honesty. Or at least inaction!

 

Third, if you’re a clothing retailer, make sure you lock all of the dressing rooms and only allow customers into those rooms after you’ve checked to see

 

Fourth, only allow a customer to take a limited number of items into a dressing room at a time. 4 – 6 items of clothing are good numbers and will help clothes from getting ‘lost’ in the shuffle.

 

Fifth, have a firm return policy.  Whether you refund customers’  money, or just provide a store credit, make sure the item that’s being returned is the item that was bought.  Buying an item, taking it home, switching it for an old item, and then returning it is the oldest trick in the book for thieves.

 

Sixth, make sure that your floors are clean and dry.  This is when slip and fall accidents in Los Angeles occur! If it rains, put down mats and caution sign.  If you’re near a beach, make sure the floors are regularly swept.  People are moving fast during the holidays, so don’t give them an additional reason to slip and fall.

 

Seventh, make sure your employees know the boundaries when communicating with customers, especially where those customers are taking clothes on and off.
And finally, own the mantra “the customer is always right”.  Nothing makes a customer more likely to sue than being disgruntled.  Certainly, you can’t please everyone, but remember that losing $20 now by taking back a dirty or broken item could bring you hundreds or thousands in return by having a satisfied customer.

 

Hopefully, following these simple rules will make your holiday season a festive one… and lawsuit free!

 

We know that theft, shoplifting, and slip and fall accidents happen in stores and businesses throughout Southern California. While it seems that not all criminal activity and or potential personal injuries in Los Angeles can be prevented, many can. For more guidance on how to prevent accidents, theft, and other lawsuits from happening at your place of business, contact the skilled business lawyers at BIK Law today.

 

-Bradley

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