Customer service All customers should be greeted with a smile and a simple statement: “Welcome to Housing Works Thrift Shop, can I help you?” Follow the 10/4 rule: at ten feet, make eye-contact, at four feet, verbally greet the customer. Bag Check All employees/volunteers must have their bags checked by a manager when exiting the store. Employee/Volunteer Purchases All employee/volunteer purchases must be rung through the register by a manager. Manager/Administrator Purchases Manager and administrator purchases must be rung through by another member of management. Inventory Log All stores must log and track all non-clothing items of $100 and over. Banking Deposits must be made before the store opens. Pricing Two individuals must be present when items are priced. Securing the site Manage the property to ensure maximum safety and control. Internal Any Housing Works employee/volunteer/manager found engaging in any dishonest activity will be terminated immediately. Conflicts of Interest All potential conflicts of interest must be reported to a supervisor before date of hire. Overview of Internal Theft Research indicates and retail industry experts generally agree that employee theft is the largest cause of inventory shortage. While only a small percentage of employees are dishonest, the losses caused by this group are considerable. There are many theft methods used by dishonest employees. The following are theft methods that cause inventory shortages: Removal of merchandise Carry out, wear out Pass to a friend or relative Remove in trash Under-ringing Void fraud Fraudulent markdowns and ticket-switching Abuse of the employee discount Theft of donations There are other employee theft methods that do not cause merchandise inventory shortages but do cause the loss of profit or other assets. A few of these methods are: direct cash thefts, credit card/check fraud, payroll fraud, and non-merchandise property thefts. All Housing Works employees and volunteers who bear witness to any illegal, disrespectful, or otherwise harmful activity have a clear responsibility to report it immediately to a supervisor. Any Housing Works employee, volunteer or manager found engaging in any dishonest activity will be terminated immediately. All Internal Theft incidents must be documented in an incident report and then sent directly to the VP of Operations and the Loss Prevention Department. Ensuring employee honesty has a lot to do with the selection, training and management of people. It also has a lot to do with developing an awareness and concern throughout the thrift shops which results in everyone helping to deter or report a dishonest associate. Finally, because all associate dishonesty cannot be deterred, the Loss Prevention Department conducts investigations to uncover embedded associate theft in Housing Works facilities. Price Negotiation Under no circumstances may staff negotiate the price of any item in the store (items on the floor, donations received, etc.). No person can price an item they wish to purchase, nor may they price down an item another staff member has expressed an interest in. Absolutely no stashing of merchandise allowed in Housing Works Thrift Shops, The PDC or at offsite events, nor can unpaid for items be placed in lockers or behind the register or in offices or in any area inaccessible to customers. Report stashed items to management and the Loss Prevention Manager immediately