To not understand why TF some companies don’t employ security guards to help tackle shoplifting in retail?

This.

Then you have to factor in the lawsuit from the security guards when they get lamped round the head with a tin of beans.

I would be interested to know what part of the country you are in, OP. In the Leicester area almost every supermarket, including Sainsburys Local & Tesco Express has security guards, many complete with bodycam. The self-checkout staff at Tesco Extra also wear bodycams. Even Waitrose has a security guard, although by the look of the old boy he would keel over if he had to chase anyone.

Be grateful you don't live in the US.

Security guards are actually limited in what they can legally do and it's has to be "reasonable force" if it's used. Also would you put yourself in harms way for little over minimum wage? It's ok if you're fairly confident the shoplifter isn't going to give you a black eye the second you walk towards them but many aren't that readable. No one deserves to be in danger at work, no one signs up for that (not even the police).

I work in a larger superstore where we take well over £80000 a week (well over that a day on Fri/Sat/Sun) and we have 4 security guards that are there most of the time. There's only so much they can do and if someone decides to leg it or become violent I don't blame them for not pushing it further. We also have a special call out for all available colleagues to front of store, I've heard it twice this year and it's because either 2 (or more) customers are fighting or someone's attacking a colleague. It's basically used to try and de-escalate the situation by providing numbers until people calm down of the police arrive. It's only used in active situations and not as a preventative as I imagine 15+ colleagues turning up in 10 seconds can be intimidating.

Also, I know you're saying you're looking several hundreds each week, how much are you loosing in waste and other unsaleable stock? That's a far bigger bill in my store and I imagine most stores.

I used to work in retail. Part of the problem is the police. They won't come out to deal with shoplifters, so there's little point in catching them.

Even on the odd occasion the police did come out, they wouldn't do anything.

Even if they do have security guards they can't really do anything, they aren't allowed to stop the shoplifters from leaving the store, a security guard near me lost his job and ended up with a criminal record himself because he broke the arm of a shoplifter.

@Pebblesandshells and@ComtesseDeSpair

As I said, I'm not saying it's right and no, I don't think that we should give shoplifters a free pass, at the very least it may get them/their families some support once police are involved and the reason comes to light, and indeed serve as a deterrent to them and others (if in fact there's any concequences) if they're caught and prosecuted.

What I'm saying is that some people may choose to turn a blind eye because someone is in dire straits, people like that exist. You or I don't have to agree with their stance but it doesn't stop them existing or having that stance.
There's a difference between lifting a basket full of steaks to sell down the pub for beer money and taking a sandwich or box of cereal etc.

But just out of interest, are there different punishments for the amount stolen? For example would you get the same sentence for taking a bar of chocolate as you would a trolley full of steaks?

I suppose the root of the matter is that the supermarkets aren't looking to be moral compasses and make sure that anyone who steals from them is caught and punished - because the cost of doing that probably outweighs the cost of what they lose. Their objective is to make as much profit as possible and lose as little as possible and if what's stolen is worth less than the cost of preventing the stealing then that's what they'll go with.

Also the human element, I'm not saying that theft is right but especially now and in the coming months, some people may shoplift out of desperation

The vast majority of crimes are crimes of desperation, addiction, ignorance or being hampered to do any better because circumstances have been against you your entire life. Our prisons are not, in the main, filled with conniving serial killing psychopaths. If we saw the “human element” in crime and opted to forgive it, we’d have emptied prisons and a more effective and productive criminal justice system. But we don’t, and so I don’t think shoplifters deserve a free pass just in case they’re stealing that leg of lamb to feed their six hungry children.

80k per week for a supermarket isn't very much at all.

£65-85k per week is a very, very small amount of money for a supermarket to take.

I've managed supermarkets in a previos career, and even those making £750,000 plus a week struggled to afford guards. They're very expensive - you pay agency fees, often have to have 2 guards to cover hours etc - it can end up costing upwards of £100k a year. Retail just can't afford that at the moment - a lot of businesses are hanging on by a thread!!

Part of the problem as well is perception, I've seen posts on here and witnessed in person in shops when security guards or shop staff stop someone or are walking around generally watching people and someone kicks off because they feel they're being falsely accused, watched, followed etc - some of these are going to be people who are just pissed off at being clocked and therefore less likely to get away with what they plan to do, but the complaints, scenes caused and inevitable fall out on social media when staff or security guards are doing their job and trying to prevent theft (and shoplifters don't wear a badge to identify them and as said on this thread, aren't easy to identify by looking - they could literally be anyone) but may get it wrong, or may have even got it right and stopped it before it happened, therefore there's no proof, is probably another headache that is avoided by just accepting what is stolen.
And then as already mentioned, there's the lack of punishment past having the stuff taken away and being barred - even if the police attend and arrest then will there actually be a conviction or anything to deter it in future.
Also the human element, I'm not saying that theft is right but especially now and in the coming months, some people may shoplift out of desperation and the staff/security guards might genuinely feel bad to prevent someone getting something they really need but can't afford, they also have to face dealing with the concequences of someone not 'coming quietly' if caught too and weighing up if a good hiding or being jumped on their way home from work is worth it.

Yeah we have successfully prosecuted a few actually

Most of them are scared.

But even employing a security guard won't eliminate shoplifting. They can't be everywhere and watch everyone. You'd need a team of them to actually make an impact.

There's also the issue of what happens when a security guards sees a shoplifter. Will the police even bother to attend? If they do, will they arrest? If so, will CPS press charges, and should it actually get to court, will there be any punishment or will it be a slap on the wrist.

There's a lot more to it than just "catching" them.

I used to work in a department store, we had security, but they could only intervene if they or a shop floor member of staff could see what was happening. We had a security blind spot behind a pillar, and that was where we had older boys branded coats. Most of them went. This was pointed out, but we weren't allowed to change the layout to have something cheaper and less desirable there. Eventually a camera was put in.

We also had branded shirts by the doors. Somebody came in, shoved an armful of them into a holdall and legged it. Again, couldn't be moved because we had a layout plan to follow and couldn't deviate.

A lot of stock went missing from the loading bay as well - electronic mainly. That was quite a big problem.

We have a couple of plain clothes security

They are brilliant!! Catch all sorts of scum

Duty of care lies with shops to try to at least prevent theft. We sell blades for example... they are a fave with thieves ...

In cities the big stores all have security guards, so stores do employ security guards when it makes sense to do so. It's probably not worth it for shops in small towns / villages etc.

It’s not a case of helping a bit. Businesses operate on pure math. It is more cost effective for the business to lose money in theft than employ security.

I’m not convinced that the security guards in our local Sainsbury’s are much use, tbh. They mostly stand at the front of the store and totally ignore or wave through the vast majority of customers who set the door alarms off. I also suspect they have shoplifting mates who they cover for in return for some of the spoils, is the only explanation I can find for some of the very obvious dodgy characters they clearly seem to know and let pass.

It's like everything. Cost vs benefit.

Someone in a head office somewhere will have calculated that they would lose more money paying for security than they lose in stock. Bear in mind the underlying cost or value of the stock is lower than the retail price they charge.

Because they hope the staff will step in and do it . Don't .