Fuel & Fuel Alternatives

nience stores (especially independent chains or mom-and-pop businesses) to consider as a new POS option,” said Richard Crone, CEO of Crone Consulting. “The customer doesn’t even have to have an iPhone to do this,” added Heidi Liebenguth, managing partner for Crone Consulting. “Customers could be using any number of mobile wallets, and so the merchant … can take payments with their own iPhone, potentially out at the pump, at the curb or in the shop. They don’t need to be tied to a point-of-sale device any longer.”

owned MAPCO. Our vision has been to fundamentally transform the retail checkout experience by driving speed and eliminating friction,” Gad said. One benefi t to customers is there’s no need to fi nd or scan barcodes.

DK Touch-less sits alongside the chain’s legacy POS, with data fl owing through to its backend systems, Gad explained. “The success of DK Touch-less has been driven by extremely strong in-store execution and the amazing focus and support of our store associates,” he added.

Frictionless options are continuing to grow.

In early February Apple announced plans to introduce Tap to Pay on iPhone. The new feature will allow U.S. merchants of all sizes to use their iPhone to accept Apple Pay, contactless credit and debit cards, and other digital wallets through a tap to their iPhone with no additional hardware or payment terminal required.

The feature will be available for payment platforms and app developers to integrate into their iOS apps and offer as a payment option later this year.

Retailers will be able to unlock contactless payment acceptance through a supporting iOS app on an iPhone XS or later device. At checkout, the retailer will simply prompt the customer to hold their iPhone, Apple Watch, contactless credit or debit card or other digital wallet near the retailer’s iPhone and the payment is completed using NFC technology. “This is something for conve-

Seeking a Proactive Approach to Security

The COVID-19 pandemic

brought an increase in crime alongside economic uncertainty, and retailers are still grappling with the effects today.

According to the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) 2021 National Retail Survey, more than two-thirds of retailers said the pandemic increased risks for their organization, with workplace violence (61%) and organized retail crime (57%) topping the list.

These days more than ever, establishing proactive measures is key, from new technology to advanced training efforts and community engagement.

TRAINING IS KEY

Larry Carroll, vice president of asset protection for Ankeny, Iowa-based Casey’s, which operates 2,400-plus stores in 17 states, has been working in loss prevention for more than 30 years. When he joined Casey’s a year and a half ago, he was tasked with implementing the retailer’s first formalized asset protection program.

It all starts with employee training, he said. And it leads to the guest experience.

“You not only have to have a good training program,” Carroll explained, “but it has to be one that’s engaging. … We’re doing on-site training with team members, and that’s happening every day in our organization. It has quite a good effect upon team members when they can see something in action.”

Casey’s is also making sure that team members understand the ‘why’ behind the chain’s actions.

Pandemic Saw Uptick in Retail Risk

Percentage who reported the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an increase in fraud, crime and overall risk to their company:

Overall

48.6% 20.8%

33.3% 27.8%

34.7% 22.2%

33.3% 16.7%

33.3% 11.1%

13.9% 6.9%

Total 69.4%

Workplace violence

Organized retail crime

Shoplifting

Employee theft

Cargo theft

61.1%

56.9%

50.0%

44.4%

20.8%

■ Slight increase ■ Significant increase

Source: National Retail Federation (NRF) 2021 National Retail Survey

“Why are we training this way? And why do we do things this way? Our philosophy is, once they understand the ‘why,’ we get better engagement, and you get a top-notch guest experience out of that,” he said.

Security expert Sean Sportun sees training as vital to successful loss prevention and security, too. Sportun’s spent about 18 years in the convenience store world, 15 of those with Circle K, leading the company’s Central Canada Loss Prevention Department.

At Circle K, he worked to redevelop the employee training program: “made it very hands on, used videos to our advantage … made it more of a robust training mechanism than just, ‘here’s what happens in case of a robbery or a theft,” he explained.

But Sportun’s most known for his proactive, community-centric loss prevention initiatives, like the now-famous positive ticketing and mural programs.

Today’s approach must be proactive, Carroll agreed. It’s vital to be in tune with things happening in the world — and in your communities.

“If asset protection folks are not proactively understanding the communities that they’re in, they’re behind the eight ball,” he said. “You have to have your hand on the pulse of everything that’s happening out there; when you think it’s not relevant now, at some point it becomes relevant to your organization.”