View Alert

Statewide occupation search

Sort your search results or select and compare details of two occupations. Find out if an occupation is in demand or not in demand in your local area, at Learn about an occupation.

Print

Retail Loss Prevention Specialists

Implement procedures and systems to prevent merchandise loss. Conduct audits and investigations of employee activity. May assist in developing policies, procedures, and systems for safeguarding assets.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

    • Respond to critical incidents, such as catastrophic events, violent weather, or civil disorders.
    • Investigate known or suspected internal theft, external theft, or vendor fraud.
    • Apprehend shoplifters in accordance with guidelines.
    • Recommend methods to reduce potential financial fraud losses.
    • Testify in civil or criminal court proceedings.
    • Recommend new or improved processes or equipment to reduce risk exposure.
    • Conduct store audits to identify problem areas or procedural deficiencies.
    • Identify and report safety concerns to maintain a safe shopping and working environment.
    • Perform covert surveillance of areas susceptible to loss, such loading docks, distribution centers, or warehouses.
    • Train establishment personnel in loss prevention activities.
    • Conduct employee background investigations and review reports with operational or human resources managers.
    • Inspect buildings, equipment, or access points to determine security risks.
    • Coordinate with risk management, human resources, or other departments to assist in company programs, investigations, or training.
    • Inspect buildings, equipment, or access points to determine security risks.
    • Collaborate with law enforcement agencies to report or investigate crimes.
    • Monitor compliance with standard operating procedures for loss prevention, physical security, or risk management.
    • Maintain documentation or reports on security-related incidents or investigations.
    • Identify and report merchandise or stock shortages.
    • Verify proper functioning of physical security systems, such as closed-circuit televisions, alarms, sensor tag systems, or locks.
    • Prepare written reports on investigations.
    • Implement or monitor processes to reduce property or financial losses.
    • Direct work of contract security officers or other loss prevention agents.

    Skills

    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    Abilities

    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    Knowledge

    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

    Education

    Education
    High school diploma or equivalent
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    Less than 1 month on-the-job training

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    42310/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    20.34/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    5,900
    Yearly Projected Openings
    1490

    Personality

    Conventional: People interested in this work like activities that include data, detail, and regular routines. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Integrity
    • Self Control
    • Attention to Detail
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Cooperation
    • Dependability

    Tools

    • Alarm systems
    • Cash registers
    • Closed circuit television CCTV system
    • Digital camcorders or video cameras
    • Digital video disk players or recorders
    • Fire alarm systems
    • Laser cutting machine
    • Laser fax machine
    • Mechanical lock system
    • Motion detectors
    • Notebook computers
    • Personal computers
    • Photocopiers
    • Scanners
    • Security cameras
    • Security metal detector
    • Security or access control systems
    • Special purpose telephones
    • Two way radios

    Technology

    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Enterprise application integration software
    • Office suite software
    • Operating system software
    • Presentation software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Transaction security and virus protection software
    • Word processing software