Nothing is worse than seeing an item gone from your antique mall booth and being so excited that it sold, only to find out it was stolen. I still vividly remember the first item that was stolen from my antique booth business.
When you are building your own business and every item is a personally selected investment, theft really hurts – both emotionally and financially.
While you won’t be able to eliminate all theft from your antique mall booth, there are a number of proactive things that you can do to deter theft. While some of these theft-deterrent strategies come with a cost, they will often pay for themselves the first or second time they prevent someone from stealing your inventory.
As an Amazon affiliate, I will make a small commission if you purchase items from this post, but I only recommend products that I personally believe will be valuable for your business.
1. Choose an open floor plan
Having an open floor plan—meaning that someone standing outside of your booth can see inside your entire booth--deters theft. Shoplifters try to be inconspicuous by hiding behind shelves or clothing racks. Evaluate your booth layout and be sure there are no hiding places!
2. Remove buttons and knobs from electronics
There are two main reasons why I am suggesting you take the buttons and knobs off of your electronics, like old radios, clocks, and toys.
First of all, did you know that buttons and knobs are some of the most commonly stolen items? – People steal knobs and buttons to replace their own missing ones or to sell them on eBay or amazon. I personally had a knob stolen from a valuable antique—and I had to reduce the price by more than $50 to compensate for the missing knob.
Secondly, thieves are less likely to steal merchandise that is missing buttons and knobs, because there is little to no resale value, and it is can be a hassle to find authentic replacements.
Ask your mall’s manager if your buttons and knobs can be held at the front desk until a buyer requests them. Then, place a photo or sign next to your item that says, “Ask a mall associate for the buttons/knobs.”
3. Use security cameras (or fake security cameras)
Wireless Security Camera
One of the best things you can do is place a security camera—or cameras—within your booth. Compared to just a few years ago, security cameras are now incredibly affordable and easy to use.
With a modern security camera, you can monitor your booth from the comfort of your own home and review archived footage on-demand. As an added benefit, you can see when a large piece of furniture sells, so you know to go replace it!
When choosing security cameras for your antique booth, you will need to consider these two important factors:
Wireless Internet
Most security cameras allow you to access the camera feed and archived footage through a website or phone app.
In order for this functionality to work, your mall needs to have a wi-fi internet connection and they must allow you to connect your camera.
While this is increasingly common, if your mall does not have wi-fi available, you can still get a camera that records to an internal SD storage card so you could review the recorded footage on your computer.
Power
Depending on your booth setup, it may be difficult to plug a camera into a power plug on the wall.
Even if a plug is available it may not be the best option since it would be easy for your camera to be unplugged.
There are many security cameras that run on rechargeable (or replaceable) batteries.
Just be aware that you will typically need to charge the battery on these cameras every 1-2 months depending on the camera.
One of my readers asked me if I had tried fake security cameras. The answer is Yes! Fake cameras look strikingly similar to the real thing. While they do not record anything, they do deter theft because casual thieves can’t tell the difference!
If you can't use real security cameras in your antique mall booth, then fake cameras are a good alternative and they are incredibly affordable. They are a very small financial investment that could help you keep bigger profits in your pockets! Check out this 4-pack if you’d like to try it out for yourself.
The last thing that I recommend for your security camera system is a sign to alert customers that they are being filmed. A simple sign that says “Smile! You’re on Camera” tells potential shoplifters that your booth is not a place where they can get away with stealing.
Even if you didn't have any security cameras or fake security cameras, just the simple presence of a sign like this can scare away potential shoplifters.
4. Demonstrate that you care
If you neglect to maintain your booth, you are sending a message to thieves that you won’t notice if an item is out of place—or even gone! Messy, disorganized, seemingly forgotten booths invite theft. Conversely, if your booth is tidy and well-maintained, offenders will know that you are looking out for your shop and that you will not hesitate to utilize measures to protect your business.
A well cared for booth also draws more customers, and the more customers in a booth, the less likely it is that someone will try to steal from that booth.
5. Install security mirrors
Like I mentioned before, thieves want to be inconspicuous. Potential shoplifters will notice your mirrors and they will realize that they can be seen by people outside your booth. Antique mall employees and customers walking by your booth will be able to clearly see who is inside your booth and what they have in their hands.
The presence of antique mall employees on the sales floor is another example of why choosing the right antique mall makes a huge difference for your business. Let the employees know where your mirrors are and ask them to keep an eye on key items in your booth.
If you place mirrors and reflective objects throughout your booth, thieves will get the feeling that they are always being watched. Plus, studies have shown that people do not like to see themselves stealing!
Tip: It is best to place mirrors high up in the corner of a wall to provide optimal coverage.
6. Replace valuable merchandise with a picture
Maybe you have a very valuable item for sale that you hesitate to display at all—for fear that it may be stolen. If you don’t have a locked case, consider posting a picture of the item instead of the actual item.
Offer another dealer a small commission on the sale if they will agree to let you place your item in their locked case. Or, you may ask your mall manager if there is a protected place near the front desk where the item can be stored until there is a buyer. Make sure, in either case, that you include a note with your photograph that says, “Item available at (location).”
7. Use a locked glass showcase
Whether you rent a locked glass showcase from your mall, or you purchase one of your own, they can be an effective theft deterrent. You should lock up valuables, breakables, miniatures, and delicate items like ephemera for example.
Keep in mind, though, that it is important to be strategic in determining what to lock or not to lock. Locked glass showcases can also be a sales-deterrent for those who are not willing to ask or wait for a key!
Malls rent showcases to dealers for an average of $100/month. Ask your mall for availability and rental rates. You might also consider buying your own showcase if your mall permits it. While the initial investment may be high, it will cost you less than renting a case from your antique mall within the first year. And it will be yours forever.
8. Try sticky price tags
There are times you will find price tags on the floor while you are tidying up your booth. How’d they get there? Sadly, the answer could be theft.
What’s even more sad is that it could be an “inside job.” Dealers have stolen from other dealers and placed those same items for sale in their own antique booths. It makes me sick to think about and solve these kinds of problems, but it is an unfortunate reality.
In order to deter theft, use sticky labels instead of a string price tag when needed. Sticky price tags are less likely to be pulled off—or fall off. They are more of a hassle to peel off, that’s for sure! And, you can still hand-write everything on a sticky tag that you would write on any other price tag.
Please note that sticky labels may take the paint or patina off of your merchandise, so be selective in choosing what to use them on! These tags on Amazon are super-sticky and are incredibly affordable.
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9. Write detailed descriptions on tags
Ahh, who out there has a story about tag-switching? The idea behind tag switching is that the offender removes the tag from an item they are interested in “buying,” and they replace it with a tag from a lesser expensive item in your booth. Obviously, this is still considered theft and will hurt your profitability. This is why it is important to write detailed descriptions of items on your tags.
As an example, I once had two copies of the same book for sale. One of them was an autographed, first-print, first-edition. I recognized that it would be possible for a thief to switch the tags on the two books and take home the more valuable book for the cheaper price tag. So, I was very careful to be descriptive on my tags, and as an added precaution, I locked the more valuable book in a glass showcase cabinet.
10. Personalize your antique booth
One of the best ways you can increase your sales and your connection to your customers is to personalize your booth. By letting customers know who you are, you are creating a relationship with your them even when you aren't physically in your antique mall.
There is also a huge side benefit of personalizing your antique mall booth. Studies have shown that shoplifters feel much more guilt when they know they are stealing from a real person rather than a nameless, faceless, corporation. So let your customers know who you are, and let potential shoplifters know that they are stealing from a real small business owner rather than a giant "retail company."
I want to leave you with one final word of wisdom now that you are thinking about security cameras, mirrors, sticky tags, and locking all of your merchandise up! It is so important to find the proper balance between preventing theft and promoting shop-ability in your antique booth.
If all of your merchandise is locked up, you might actually lose sales because many customers won’t go through the hassle of finding a mall employee with a key. And customers connect with a product when they pick it up in their hands, so you may lose incremental impulse sales from customers who pick something up and purchase it before taking time to mull it over.
Striking a balance between shopability and theft-prevention is an important element of your merchandising strategy. Being a small business owner is a continuous-learning experience, isn’t it? My best advice to you is to partner with your mall, talk to other dealers, and stay connected with us here at AntiqueStartup.com. We are all in this together.