Public View Monitors

Considering installing public view monitors (PVMs) in the meat department and/or health and beauty aid departments in supermarkets? Hear what other security professionals had to say, including customer feedback regarding their use.

• We evaluate each store based on perceptions of risk and records of theft. New stores and remodels are targeted for additional PVMs at salad bars, infant formula, health and beauty aids and entrances. We have not had negative feedback from customers. PVMs in our view are a deterrent to less highly motivated thieves.

• We have some public cameras and some monitors in these areas in many of our stores. There was no negative customer reaction to the cameras or monitors. I believe that they also reduced our shrink in these areas, and they also led to the arrests and convictions of shoplifting offenders.

• Every camera installation that we do includes four public view monitors. One is placed at the entrance so that customers can see themselves on video the minute they enter the store. The other three monitors are placed at various locations in the store. One at the front end so that cashiers can see what’s coming in the front door or behind them, another in HBC with a camera mounted on its side, and the other either in the meat or wine department. This has been very successful for us in serving as a deterrent to our “non-paying” customers.

• I’ve done so in the past without any problems. You may wish to place a sign on your monitors stating, “Customer Service Monitors” as a PR move. You may want to look at mirrored ceiling tiles as well. Utilizing the ceiling tiles, you can observe customer activity from adjacent aisles and often even the hard-core shoplifters can be caught using them.

• We have public view monitors in several high theft locations throughout our warehouse type (box) stores including entrances. We have found that in our supermarket divisions where we have only some stores that have public view monitors at the entrances, some crooks will turn and walk away because they are known. Both methods serve as a partial deterrent and the honest customers feel more secure in questionable neighborhoods. As far as stopping theft in the aisles, I can’t see where it has. You’ve either stopped the theft at the door with the customer view entrance monitors or the thief just simply takes the product off the shelf and goes to an out of view location to commit the crime. We also record all of our customer view monitors and have a lot of pictures of thieves that have stolen from us and we haven’t got a clue who they are the police don’t either. I know that I have given you mixed messages here, but that’s our experience.

• We have been installing 27” public view monitors and cameras in meat, HBC, infant formula, and beer and wine for well over three years now. In addition, we have been installing 32” PVMs at each entrance. Although difficult to measure the specific financial impact (shrink), we have interviewed a number of boosters who have told us they stay away from these areas when they are in our stores. In addition, the cameras themselves provide an excellent tool to verify if product has been stolen or purchased, in the event large holes are discovered on store shelves. Since installation, we have not had a single complaint from anyone (customers). In fact, just the opposite has occurred where we are almost always complimented for having made stores safer.