Security a la Amazon

As warehouse operators
increasingly turn to
sophisticated antitheft
devices to prevent
shrinkage, online retailer
Amazon.com has invested
in the ‘name and shame’
option.
According to a recent
report by Bloomberg, based
on interviews with current
and former warehouse and
anti-theft staff, the online
giant displays examples
of alleged on-the-job
theft on f latscreen TVs
strategically positioned in
its warehouses.
While the perpetrators
are not named, each is
represented by a black
silhouette stamped with
the word ‘terminated’
and details of the alleged
crime – what was stolen,
what it was worth and how
they were caught – are all
displayed.
Theft is a persistent
concern for Amazon,
with warehouses full of
small but valuable items
and a workforce with high
turnover and low pay,
reports Bloomberg.
According to a security
consultant, there are some
people who will never steal
and some that will always
steal. “You’re always trying to
influence that middle group
by reminding them there is a
high probability they will get
caught, and if I get caught,
these are the consequences,”
he told Bloomberg.