Family Dollar
Overview
Family Dollar is one of the fastest growing discount-store chains in the United States. With 6,509 stores and nine distribution centers spanning 44 states, Family Dollar provides families in low-to middle-income neighborhoods with exceptional values on food items, clothing and assorted household products.
Problem
As Family Dollar grows to serve a greater part of the community they enter into higher-risk markets, becoming more convenient to would-be offenders. In certain markets, Family Dollar has experienced up to 4.5 robberies per store, per year.
A history of successful robberies has established Family Dollar as an attractive target. With each successful robbery, repeat offenses became more prevalent. For example, in the South Houston market in Texas, a single store was consistently robbed an average of one time per month over the course of a year.
Finally, the psychological effects of victimization resulted in a high turnover rate of quality employees and customers who were concerned for their safety.
Goal
The clear mission of Family Dollar was to protect the safety of its customers and employees.
In addition, as a publicly traded company, it was important for Family Dollar to protect its corporate reputation with investors.
Challenges
Except for the use of cost-prohibitive physical barriers, such as bullet-proof cashier stations, and expensive guard services, the robbery problem has never been solved cost effectively.
Security guards are a significant recurring cost showing little, if any, impact. The security-guard industry is plagued with issues of inconsistent training, non-existent benefits and high-turnover rates. Guards making about $29,000 a year are not providing a high-quality product, leaving people and property unprotected.
Solutions
Following a thorough Iverification™ of high-impact stores, Iverify partnered with the Family Dollar’s Loss Prevention team to design a comprehensive robbery solution. The team developed a series of customized protocols, ranging from simple visual checks of doors and cash registers to more elaborate intuitive assessments of environmental factors and human behavior.
From Iverify’s monitoring center, called The “I”, our Protection Specialists implemented these protocols, creating a customized Family Dollar inspection that visually and audibly verified locations were secure. During emergencies, the Protection Team actively got involved, talking to sales associates and customers, intervening in situations, and engaging the police when necessary.
Technology
Iverify integrated the power of The “I” with cutting-edge technology:
- Flat screen monitors for displaying public views of security’s perspective.
- Signage to deter criminal activity by announcing Iverify’s presence.
- Interior and exterior Pan Tilt Zoom cameras to enable the Protection Team to look up and down, left and right, and zoom in for more detail.
- Interior and exterior fixed cameras for surveillance in more confined areas.
- RapidEye MULTI Media 16 input Digital Video Recorders for real-time recording and live viewing of footage.
- Interior/exterior speakers and Eagle microphones to communicate remotely with people inside and outside a location.
- Door and safe contacts to transmit alerts to The “I” when triggered.
- Optex 360 motion detectors for identifying movement within a defined field of view.
- Request-for-assistance handsets and call buttons for remote access to Protection Specialists.
Results
Installing Iverify’s robbery solution reduced Family Dollar’s guard cost by more than $6 million annually.
Prior to partnering with Iverify, Family Dollar stores were experiencing an average of 4.1 robberies per store, equalling a storewide total of 82 robberies per month. However, in January 2007, there was only one robbery among the stores protected by Iverify. For example, Iverify’s robbery solution stopped robberies in one South Houston Family Dollar store cold – going from one shot-gun hold up per month to absolutely zero.
Family Dollar employees quickly learned to actively engage Iverify during critical events, enabling us to take control in dangerous situations. Associates and managers embraced Iverify, some declaring: “When can I get an Iverify system for my store?”
And, while Iverify clearly affected Family Dollar’s numbers – fewer incidents of robbery, reduced security costs, lower turnover rates, the real difference can only be felt by visiting a Family Dollar store. Today, you will see employees and customers who feel safer, managers who operate their stores with more confidence and a company empowered to take back the communities in which it lives and works.
