If customer service is hot issue, there's only one word you need to remember: communication. You should keep in constant touch with all your customers, especially unhappy ones. Let them know what kind of progress you're making on their order, when you expect their project to be finished, and when they should have it in their hands. Express your desire to please them, and apologize profusely for mistakes. Whatever you do, don't blame foul-ups on customer, even if you'd be right. Accept responsibility, apologize, and speedily correct problem.

Last but not least, always ask customers if there is anything else you can do for them. Give them your phone number or email address (even if they already have it) and ask them to contact you if they ever need anything else.

To make a long story short, customer may not ALWAYS be right, but they ARE lifeblood of your business. Even if they're difficult to deal with, remember that if they're happy, your bottom line will be happy, too. Even ones who complain can be turned around and made into repeat customers.

Guerrilla Loss Prevention Tip: Even if you don't have a EAS system, consider buying some tags anyway. There are suppliers who sell recycled tags inexpensively. Shoplifters will recognize tags, but since they don't see any sensor gates at exit, they may think you are using a new system that they aren't yet aware of. It might just be enough to deter theft.

6.MONITOR YOUR FITTING ROOMS Do not let customers enter and exit your fitting rooms without encountering your staff. A fitting room is an ideal place to conceal merchandise: if shoplifters can get merchandise into fitting room, they have complete privacy, and even a mirror to gauge how nicely merchandise is concealed.

A favorite shoplifting method is to place several items of clothing on a single hanger. This relies upon inattentive employee counting number of hangers, not number of clothing items. Or worse, barely lifting their eyes as they ask "How many?"

Shoplifters then enter fitting room and conceal extra merchandise brought in on single hanger. Generally, it will be extra clothing brought into fitting rooms, but I have brought 35mm cameras in with a pair of jeans draped over my arm (and camers).

Make sure your fitting rooms do not have anyplace to discard labels and pricetags.

7.SIGNAGE Posting correct signs around your store can deter many shoplifters, even (possibly especially) experienced shoplifters.

Guerrilla Loss Prevention Tip: Shoplifters are dishonest people, so don't feel guilty about stretching truth a little on your signage, for effect. For example, you might post classic sign that says simply, "Smile,You're on Candid Camera", whether you use cameras or not.

Or a sign with changeable numerals on J-hooks that says "## Shoplifters Prosecuted This Year. Are you next?" Be creative. All retail greats were creative people. And remember your primary goal is to coerce shoplifters into taking their craft elsewhere.

8.CAMERA DOMES A recent study has showed that closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras are now most feared anti-shoplifting device. Perhaps this is due to cameras being mentioned so often in nightly news.

Whatever reason, shoplifters don't like them. CCTV systems can be costly. But as with signage, if shoplifters can be deceptive, why can't you?

Guerrilla Loss Prevention Tip: The smoke-colored dome housings used to mount CCTV are fairly inexpensive. Buy several, and place a lot of them in ceiling tiles all around your store.

Smart shoplifters know that not every dome has a camera inside. But then question in shoplifters mind is, "Am I standing under one that does have a camera in it?" This is extremely effective. To see it in action, next time you visit a Wal-Mart, look up.

You don't have to prove you have any cameras at all in order to deter theft, all you have to do is make shoplifter think you have cameras!

9.PROSECUTE ALL THIEVES Call police on every shoplifter you catch. No exceptions.

In shoplifters' minds, if you don't call police, they win, and they will continue to hit your store over and over.

Do not release juvenile shoplifters to their parents; prosecute them. The only time I was ever caught, I was thirteen years old. The police were not called, and I continued shoplifting another 15 years --including from store in which I was caught.

Prosecute all thieves. Period.

10. EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE This is, far and away, single most effective thing you can do to deter shoplifting. By knowing where your customers are, offering your assistance, and anticipating their needs, you will virtually eliminate shoplifting. An alert employee is your most effective weapons against thieves who thrive on anonymity.

Isn't it strange how virtually everything about successful retailing eventually comes around to quality customer service?