How does one become a Loss Prevention person?

[Sharsarannon]

I need some further info about that job from anybody who's ever done it...
Please?

[Dawnchaser]

I suppose it depends on the store.

I applied at Target for it - first job I ever had working in a retail environment.

Didn't have much of a job history...a seasonal phone job, and some assembly experience.

They did an interview with 2 people - head of security and HR. Asked me customer service questions, "what if" scenarios, and similar things. Called me back a couple days later and said I had the job.

Lost that job about a month later - partly my fault, partly the DM just wanted to get rid of someone that day (I was warned before he came in that day that he usually gets rid of one person each time). Before I lost the job, they did send us to get some sort of state security certification, which was easy...they paid for it, etc..

It seems like a good gig if you can be one of the non-uniformed folks...kinda sucky for those who just stand up front and try to look intimidating as people walk out with all kinds of stuff they didn't pay for as you fruitlessly try to get one of the folks with actual power to come help.

The whole time I was there, they managed to catch 2 of em.

I wasn't very sorry to leave...got tired of SCs walking up to me and telling me how boring my job seemed to them. Yeah, ya think, buddy?

Plus people in other depts wouldn't really talk to us since they knew we had to watch them too. Got the cold shoulder from most. And I really think our head of security knew about some theft going on in the back...not sure if he just didn't want to deal with it or was in on it.

All in all, a fairly negative experience for me personally...but folks who did security at Shopko seemed to love it.

[lordlundar]

A baseball bat, a suspicious attitude and a starting weight of 200lbs, all muscle.

[Boozy]

You'll likely need a diploma in Law and Security. Its a two-year college program here in Canada; I'm sure there's something similar in most countries.

There may be some positions available that only require a year or two of security guard work, but I suspect they don't pay so well.

[Primer]

Plus people in other depts wouldn't really talk to us since they knew we had to watch them too. Got the cold shoulder from most.

When I worked in retail, I got along with LP just fine--but then it never occurred to me to actually try to steal anything.

[Dawnchaser]

When I worked in retail, I got along with LP just fine--but then it never occurred to me to actually try to steal anything.

Yeah, I couldn't figure out why the paranoia if nothing was going on...just made me want to keep more of an eye on them.

Perhaps there were also political inter-department type issues that I either hadn't been there long enough to be privy to, or was simply oblivious to.

[Hon'ya-chan]

The guy at our place went to College. Some Specialty Colleges offer LP Courses.

[Zombi]

Our head of LP is a complete dick. There was one guy who was pretty cool, but he got fired for some stupid reason, and the young girl (seriously, she looks about 12) is pretty nice, but some people just take their job way too seriously. I work with data-protected material (credit card info and all that), so they come up to our department fairly often, just to check that there's no paperwork being left out on the desks. The crazy thing is that they're perfectly entitled to search the staff, including our lockers, but by law they can't search the customers. I think it'd make more sense to just search everyone's bags as they leave the store, like they do in Australia - they'd catch more shoplifters that way than by doing random staff searches. But, you know, rights of the individual and all that.

[Andara Bledin]

I acutally had a stint as the uniformed security person at a small grocery in a lousy neighborhood.

My whole job was to be seen. That's it. I wasn't supposed to stop anybody, I was barely supposed to actually look for anybody.

I stood up front for most of the evening, and did a walkaround about once every half hour or so, just to make people think I was watching for shoplifters.

Most of the people in the back areas, like the meat department and bakery, were pretty cool. I had to do walkthroughs of those areas, too, also just for show.

It wasn't a bad gig, all told. Not a lot of hours (4 hours a night, 5 nights a week) and it would have been nice if the guy who had the contract actually managed to pay me for the last two weeks...

[edit to add]

I'm about as menacing as my avatar image... less the horns and funky eyes, that is.

^-.-^

[JustADude]

I'm about as menacing as my avatar image... less the horns and funky eyes, that is.

Soooo... you mean not menacing at all, right?

[Bella_Vixen]

I'm about as menacing as my avatar image... less the horns and funky eyes, that is.

^-.-^

Your avatar scares me.

[Broomjockey]

Soooo... you mean not menacing at all, right?

Hey, if I saw a purple person with pointy ears walking down the street, I'd either be intimidated or looking for the portal to Azeroth that is undoubtedly around somewhere.

[Andara Bledin]

Soooo... you mean not menacing at all, right?

Yeah, that's supposed to be the general idea. If you wanna see what I really look like, head over to the new photo section as I have a few pics up. I'm not nearly as tall as I look in that first one, and I've lost a few pounds.

Your avatar scares me.

Oh-kay... she's supposed to look nice, but I can see how a violet-skinned, horned, glowing-eyed person might be a bit intimidating. Just wait till I get the wings....

Of course, you've got a big-eyed Pussyfoot as your avi, and Pussyfoot can be downright evil.

I'm thinking I might send in a couple shots of my character, if Raps doesn't mind.

^-.-^

[Bella_Vixen]

Of course, you've got a big-eyed Pussyfoot as your avi, and Pussyfoot can be downright evil. ^-.-^

Touche.

[Rapscallion]

I'm thinking I might send in a couple shots of my character, if Raps doesn't mind.

^-.-^

Let's try one to start with?

Rapscallion