Talking About Telephone Safety

At any given moment, a small retail store can have thousands of dollars worth of inventory and cash inside its walls. If your store is a freestanding one, you likely don't have access to mall security guards who can regularly monitor your business. You are responsible for ensuring that your assets, employees, and customers remain safe; use these pointers to increase security for your freestanding retail store.

Have All the Building's Locks Changed

One thing that is easy to forget is that if your freestanding store is like most, it has changed hands over the years. Not only have real-estate agents and brokers had keys to the place, but previous owners and their workers and friends have as well. If you never took the time to have new locks put on the doors and gates of your store when you moved in, do so as soon as you can. That way, you can have a very clear idea of who has access to the building; if anything should go missing or become stolen, you might resolve the situation more quickly because you can easily identify anyone who could have gotten in with a key.

Get an Alarm on Each Door

During the business day, it's not always easy to monitor who is coming in and out if you have multiple entrances and exits to your store. This is particularly the case if you use a door for mail pickup, inventory dropoffs, and sales calls. These doors are typically unlocked in the morning and left open until the store closes for the night. However, people can slip out of a side or back door with unpaid merchandise, or when it's dark, intruders can easily open a bay delivery door without being detected.

To increase security, consider installing a comprehensive alarm system with an alarm on each of the doors in your store. If you want people to be able to open the doors without setting off the alarm, you can give employees the access code, but be sure to change that code frequently.

Assess Outdoor Lighting

Generally, a well-lit parking lot is less attractive to burglars, who don't want to be seen. Assess the lighting that you have outside the store itself, such as pole lighting for the parking lot, to ensure that your lot is as brightly lit as it can be. This will also help customers and employees to feel better about being in the area.

These ideas can get you started so that the security in and around your store can be heightened. Talk with alarm-system contractors such as Tele-Plus and other professionals to figure out what security measures make the most sense for your freestanding retail store.