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New York, NY—As the critical holiday shopping season approaches, Jewelers UnBlocked Insurance has compiled an important reminder checklist of key safety and security tips, especially in light of the recent increase of smash-and-grab crime. Here are the tips:

Keep showcase tops clear. Don’t allow customers to place anything on the showcases, such as jackets, hats, pocketbooks, et cetera. They can be a cover for an attempt to reach in a showcase.

Increase employee presence. Always have at least two employees on the floor during the holiday season. When showing high-value jewelry, have a second employee stand nearby with a cell phone. Cell phones can be great deterrents to a burglary.

Create obstacles. Use display cases and holiday décor to block thieves from running straight in and/or out of your store. All areas that contain valuable merchandise should be visible to both customers and staff. Avoid any “blind spots”!

Train employees’ observation skills. Train all employees to be vigilant in their observations. If anything “feels” suspicious, have a code word to alert other employees.

Double—and triple—check seasonal employees. Don’t forget to perform background and reference checks on all potential employees. Even if they’re temporary, you need to ensure that all employees are trustworthy.

Limit how many pieces you show, and post signage of the policy. Establish a policy that limits one to three pieces of jewelry or watches (depending on value of merchandise) to be shown to a customer at a time. Create and display easy-to-read signage that advertises this policy in your store to deter potential thieves from trying to take off with a stockpile of jewels. If a customer complains, sales associates can point to the sign and mention it’s the store policy.

Stay under the radar. While social media can be a boon for stretching your marketing dollars, remember that criminals can “like” your page too. Be careful what you post on social media; don’t post pictures of your home or family and never indicate that you will be away on business or vacation.

Keep the showroom clean. Frequently clean all showcase surfaces. Not only will your displays look better, but it also will make it easier to obtain fingerprints in the event of a robbery.

Check display cases. Models with backs that flip up are harder to enter than those with sliding backs, but make sure no one can crawl underneath it. Shatterproof glass is best.

Greet each customer. Have an employee stationed at the entrance of the store to greet each customer who enters. This will help employees keep track of all customers in the store.

Separately, Jewelers unBLOCKed announces the appointment of Nancy Robey as brand ambassador. Robey, founder and owner of The Nancy Robey Partnership Inc., will seek opportunities to expand Jewelers unBLOCKed brand awareness within the luxury jewelry marketplace.

Nancy Robey

Top image: California Closets Blog.