With the holiday season just around the corner, it’s time to dust off the Michael Bublé Christmas soundtrack and start reviewing your retail security measures for the gift-buying rush.

To help you with your holiday season retail safety measures, we’ve compiled a checklist to ensure everyone has a merry—and safe—shopping experience.

✅ Security System Audit

Shoplifting prevention during holidays has a unique set of challenges (such as more customers and merchandise to track). This makes it a great time to check your security system to ensure it’s up to the task. Integrated security systems have a lot to them, and it’s important to double-check to ensure every piece is doing the job it should be doing.

If you don’t already have a strong security system, there’s no time like the present to invest in the safety of your people and your product. Visible security measures deter crime and increase feelings of safety. Plus, advancements have made security systems more useful than ever, with software like video analytics able to help you track and even predict suspicious behavior and other patterns.

What to check:

-    Ensure cameras are positioned the way they need to be (with special emphasis on entrances, exits, and point-of-sale systems)

-    Look for blind spots or areas without sufficient lighting

-    Check video storage capabilities to ensure they’re up for the longer holiday hours

-    Test alarms on doors and windows

-    Watch for weak spots (and check with employees to see if they’ve noticed anything you might have missed)

✅ Building Reinforcement

While you may have invested in a quality building for your business, it doesn’t take long for wear and tear to start making unwanted adjustments. It’s important to check that all aspects of your building are still functioning properly, especially when it comes to any sort of entry point. If you can upgrade your access control system from locks to keypads or your windows from regular glass to shatter-resistant, that’s wonderful, but the most important thing is making sure you have all of your bases covered.

What to check:

-    Check and update your access control system (ranging from locks to key card systems)

-    Identify and correct weak points in the store, such as broken windows or doors that are frequently propped open and left unattended

-    Ensure lighting is sufficient throughout and around the building

✅ Store Layout and Organization

Store layout and organization is a simple but powerful tool on several fronts. A clean, organized store changes the shopping experience for the better. Solid organization makes inventory that much easier while making shoplifting more difficult (since it’s easier to notice things missing or out of place when a store is clean and well organized). Clear sightlines make security cameras more effective while also providing more room for holiday shoppers.

What to check:

-    Clear sightlines and aisleways

-    Avoid overcrowding aisles with product

-    Consider limiting high-value stock out on shelves

-    Focus on neat organization as it adds visual appeal and easier inventory management

✅ Inventory Management

Shrink (the loss of product) is a big issue that ranges from theft to product misplacement. Keeping a clear picture of your inventory’s status (everything from numbers to location) makes life easier for both your employees and your customers. Inventory management systems can track merchandise and help identify problems, but no matter how you go about it, it’s important to regularly reconcile your records with your actual inventory.

Electronic article surveillance (EAS) tags and alarms can help track high-value products. If someone attempts to leave the store without paying for an item (and removing the EAS tag in the process), the alarm will sound at the exit.

What to check:

-    Implement a sustainable inventory management system

-    Track your product numbers and in-store locations

-    Reconcile your records with your inventory

-    Tag high-value items with EAS tags and regularly check their functionality

✅ Parking Lot Security

Parking lots serve a much bigger role than just a place to park a car. A store’s parking lot is the first impression customers and would-be wrongdoers have of the business. A well lit lot with obvious security cameras (such as mobile security units) and attentive curbside employees sends an obvious message: This business cares about customer service and safety. Conversely, a dim lot with no security cameras or employees in sight gives the opposite message.

It’s also important to note that first impressions go both ways; if a customer parks illegally or otherwise acts suspiciously, there’s a good chance that this isn’t a regular customer, but a wrongdoer looking for a quick escape plan. With the busy holiday season, consider putting up additional barriers that can make illegal parking that much more obvious.

What to check:

-    Watch for illegally parked vehicles or other suspicious behaviors

-    Make security measures obvious (mobile security units are great for this)

-    Ensure security cameras are up to date and can capture clear images

✅ Security Plans and Procedures

Knowing what to do and how to react in a stressful situation can make the difference between a peaceful resolution and a deadly reaction. While most negative encounters won’t end quite so dramatically or violently, it’s not an impossibility. Keep your employees and customers safe by putting response plans in place for as many realistic situations as possible.

When creating your security plans and procedures, consider the area you’re in, the product you sell, and possible negative situations. As situations occur, keep communication open with employees to learn what went well and what needs to be improved.

What to check:

-    Keep limited cash in the store (and advertise that with posted signage)

-    Encourage employees to walk to their cars together (and provide escorts to those ending a shift alone)

-    Stagger entry on really busy days to keep crowds from reaching an unsafe size

-    Develop clear procedures for emergencies—ranging from medical emergencies to robberies or other threats

-    Keep communication lines open with employees to see what is and is not working with the security plans and procedures

✅ Employee Training

The best security plans and procedures in the world won’t do any good if no one knows what they are. Employee training is crucial on so many fronts, as your employees are your first line of defense and response to in-store situations.

What to check:

-    Ask employees about weak points

-    Train employees to recognize suspicious behaviors

-    Train employees what to do if they notice shoplifting or other types of theft/wrongdoing

-    Carefully place staff in theft hotspots like fitting rooms or self-checkout

-    Train employees to engage customers (regular customers will see it as good customer service while bad actors will be deterred by involved employees)

✅ Seasonal Hiring

With the holiday rush comes an added workload. It’s common practice to hire temporary workers to lighten the load, but temporary workers come with their own challenges. Unfortunately, a good chunk of retail shrink comes from employees themselves, and temp workers can be even more of a risk as they have less investment in and loyalty toward the company. It’s also important that these seasonal workers are just as well versed in security plans and protocols as regular employees.

What to check:

-    Be careful to select employees committed to preventing retail theft

-    Don’t cut corners in the hiring process even though they won’t stay as long; background checks and employee training are just as important with seasonal workers

✅ Collaboration Efforts

While it might be easy to see them as your competition, neighboring retailers can be a huge asset when it comes to safety collaboration. Chances are high that if one store is seeing suspicious activity and problems with theft, neighboring stores will as well. Working together to share information and prevent crime helps to create a safer environment for everyone on the block.

Building relationships with local law enforcement is also incredibly important. It’s likely that you’ll need to work with law enforcement at some point when dealing with issues of theft or other wrongdoing. It helps to start the relationship with open lines of communication and working together where possible.

What to check:

-    Collaborate with neighboring retailers on any suspicious activity in the area

- Collaborate with law enforcement in regards to any crimes or other law-related or safety issues