NORTHWEST LOSS PREVENTION CONSULTANTS

08/26/2025

11/11/2024

Bartender thefts can take many forms, and some methods are particularly unusual or creative. These often go unnoticed due to their subtlety or complexity. Here are some "strange" methods bartenders might use to skim or steal from the register, inventory, or customers:

Phantom or “No-Ring” Sales: Bartenders might serve a drink but avoid entering it in the register, pocketing the cash paid by the customer. This theft is harder to detect when the bar is busy and cash transactions are frequent.
Pouring Short: Some bartenders will pour slightly less than a standard serving for each drink, allowing them to "save up" enough extra alcohol over time to make additional drinks without taking inventory. These extra drinks are sold for cash that’s pocketed.
Backdoor Cash Refunds: Bartenders will enter fake refunds or discounts in the system after a cash sale, pocketing the refund amount while the customer remains unaware.
Phantom Tabs: Creating a tab for a customer who didn't actually order anything and then adding charges to it over time. They may even add friends’ or accomplices’ drinks to the tab. At the end of the night, they cash out and keep the proceeds.
Watering Down Liquor: By diluting liquor, bartenders increase their supply of high-demand spirits and can pocket the cash from sales of the “extra” drinks. Though highly risky, some still attempt it.
Comping and Discount Abuses: Some bartenders abuse the ability to discount or comp (offer for free) drinks. They might charge customers full price but ring up the sale as a discount or comp and pocket the difference.
Running Fake Promotions: This can happen when bartenders tell customers that a certain drink is on a “special” or “happy hour” pricing, so customers pay a specific amount. However, this special price may not exist in the register, and the bartender pockets the difference.
Over-Pouring on Purpose: Pouring a little extra on purpose can also be a technique, especially when they know that bigger tips usually follow generous pours. Over time, this adds up in inventory losses but increases the bartender’s tip revenue.
Fake Breakage: Some bartenders falsely report broken bottles to explain missing inventory. They may claim that a high-demand bottle accidentally broke, then keep it for personal use or resell the “broken” bottle outside of work.
Excessive “Waste” Reporting: Similarly, bartenders may report wasted ingredients or over-pours to explain inventory discrepancies. They could be using these items for free drinks for friends or to pocket sales.
To detect and prevent these types of theft, bar managers and owners can implement practices like regular inventory audits, mystery shopper visits, surveillance, and tracking discrepancies between inventory and sales reports.

11/09/2024

Mystery shoppers often come across surprising and strange things during their evaluations. Here are some unusual finds from mystery shopping experiences:
Expired Food & Odd Smells: Some mystery shoppers have reported finding food way past its expiration date on shelves and in the kitchen. There have even been cases of odd smells in restaurants, sometimes due to forgotten items like a dirty mop bucket tucked away in a corner.

Questionable Behavior from Employees: Mystery shoppers have witnessed employees doing things far beyond normal customer service lapses. From employees sleeping on the job to heated arguments between staff members, some strange scenes unfold in front of shoppers meant to stay unnoticed.

Surprise Pets: A few shoppers have reported pets — even a stray cat or dog wandering the aisles of a retail store, or in one case, a parrot kept behind the counter by a cashier who insisted it was part of the “store experience.”

Weird Displays and Decorations: Out-of-place decor can sometimes baffle shoppers. For example, one store displayed a mannequin dressed in clothes from a completely different season, or had Christmas decorations up in the middle of July!

Bizarre Product Placement: In one case, a shopper reported children’s toys placed in the liquor section, and in another, office supplies among groceries. Sometimes, it’s an oversight — or an unusual attempt at creative marketing.

Too-Friendly Employees: Occasionally, employees can be overly enthusiastic, talking with the shopper as though they’re long-lost friends. Some mystery shoppers have been invited to events or given very personal advice, which can blur the line of professionalism.
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10/17/2024

A mystery shop program offers several advantages over online comment cards when it comes to evaluating customer experience and operational effectiveness:
Objective Assessment: Mystery shoppers provide unbiased, objective feedback based on a specific set of criteria, whereas online comment cards typically reflect individual customer opinions, which may be subjective or driven by extreme positive or negative experiences.
Comprehensive Evaluation: Mystery shoppers evaluate the entire customer journey, from first impressions to the end of the transaction, ensuring all aspects of service and operations are assessed. Comment cards often focus on individual experiences, leaving gaps in feedback.
Consistency: Mystery shops can be conducted consistently across multiple locations, making it easier to compare performance and identify trends. Online comment cards vary in number and quality, making it harder to gather consistent data.
Detailed Reporting: Mystery shoppers follow a predetermined checklist, ensuring all aspects of the business are examined, from employee behavior to cleanliness and product knowledge. Comment cards are often limited in scope, with customers focusing on a few elements they feel strongly about.
Employee Accountability: Since employees are unaware of who the mystery shoppers are, it encourages them to maintain a consistently high standard of service at all times. Comment cards are often completed after an interaction, and employees may not feel the same level of scrutiny.
Actionable Insights: Mystery shop reports provide specific, actionable feedback that management can use to implement targeted improvements. In contrast, online comment cards may provide limited information, making it harder to develop concrete action plans.
Reduced Bias: Comment cards are often filled out by highly satisfied or dissatisfied customers, leading to skewed results. Mystery shopping provides more balanced insights, covering both typical and exceptional customer service scenarios.
By using a mystery shop program, businesses can gain a clearer, more actionable understanding of their service quality and operational effectiveness, helping them make more strategic improvements.
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10/10/2024

Why Businesses Should Have a Mystery Shopping Program. Part 2

Service quality is one of the key factors that can differentiate a business from its competitors. Customers who feel valued and well-served are more likely to return, make repeat purchases, and recommend the business to others. A mystery shopping program is an effective way to measure and improve the quality of service being offered.
By using mystery shoppers to assess customer service interactions, businesses can pinpoint specific areas where employees may be underperforming. Whether it's slow response times, lack of product knowledge, or insufficient attention to customer needs, the feedback provided by mystery shoppers helps management address these shortcomings. Moreover, it can be a valuable training tool for employees, offering real-world examples of what needs improvement and where they excel.

10/01/2024

Why Businesses Should Have a Mystery Shopping Program
In today's highly competitive market, customer experience plays a pivotal role in determining a business's success. The modern consumer expects more than just a product or service; they seek a seamless experience from beginning to end. For businesses that want to meet or exceed these expectations, implementing a mystery shopping program can be a valuable tool. It provides an unbiased perspective of the customer journey, helps improve service quality, and ensures brand standards are consistently maintained. Below, we explore in detail why businesses should incorporate a mystery shopping program and the various benefits it offers.

05/16/2022

Join us at the Hyatt Regency Airport in Pittsburgh June 9 - 11 for ShopperFest 2023!

12/16/2021

This is my favorite Christmas song, especially when it's played in this version. Hope you enjoy it.Subscribe and let me know if you want to hear any songs on...

03/03/2021

Did you know that approximately 75% of employees have stolen from their employer at least once? Employee theft costs business approximately 60 billion in losses per year? Why do employees steal? READ MORE!

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