When people hear the term “loss prevention,” they usually think about limiting shrinkage and stopping theft. “Those are definitely the headliners,” acknowledges Alan Fagergren, Director of Loss Prevention at Prime Communications, AT&T’s largest authorized retailer. “But retailers incur loss in a lot of different ways, especially now with COVID. Between efficient payroll processes, operational mistakes, employee safety, and discounting, loss prevention is involved in a lot of different buckets.”
Perhaps it’s because of all the different roles they play, but loss prevention (LP)/asset protection (AP) professionals tend to be passionate about their jobs. “In general, there’s this crazy love affair AP people have with the work we do,” says Kristine Gentilella, Global Director of Retail Asset Protection at Under Armour. “For me personally, it’s probably one of the most satisfying departments to be in because you’re able to be that go-between for the back-office component and the forward-facing retail side.”