Claude Verville is vice president of loss prevention & safety at Lowe’s Companies, Inc. Discover more about Claude's thoughts on the loss prevention field in the interview below.
1. What is the biggest challenge your department faces right now?History has demonstrated that retail company savings realized as a result of reductions in loss prevention budgeting during difficult economic periods can/will be more than offset by increased losses in future shrinkage rates. Our challenges as an LP industry going into 2009 are unprecedented: deepest, longest recession in the history of our country; projected peak 10 percent unemployment rates; 40 percent to 50 percent decline in wealth for most people to go along with record foreclosures and historic levels of retail closings and retailer’s going out of business. We have to remain committed and focused more than ever on validating our value as LP professionals to our respective organizations and retain the most proven, time-tested, talented members of our workforce.
2. What new technology has the potential to change the way retailers view loss prevention?We are currently working with our electronic-article-surveillance (EAS) vendor on technology that will finally advance EAS technology from simply impacting external shrink factors to incorporating real time point-of-sale internal theft prevention benefits relative to sweethearting. I also believe that until radio frequency identification (RFID) at SKU-level becomes a reality, the best POS prevention tool available today, which Lowe’s has agreed to test, is LaneHawk top-of-basket shrinkage. LaneHawk was developed for the grocery business for bottom-of-basket shrinkage. Lowe’s requested enhanced technology that would identify top-of-basket shrinkage for Lowe’s since we rely 100 percent on handheld POS scanners without slot scanners. We believe we have an opportunity to reduce current levels of cashier scanning errors that result in operational losses as well as preventing intentional attempts at sweethearting.
3. Who do you feel is the most influential person in the loss prevention field, and why? Your respective company chief executive officer. Seriously, I have learned from many talented LP professionals over the years. In my early years, when I made my living in the investigations/interviewing side of the business, I was more prone to speak first, listen second. As I have matured in this business, I have worked extremely hard and prided myself more on being slow to speak and quick to listen, and as a result I think I do spend more time now carefully digesting information and then providing clear direction rather than just feeling the need to speak all the time just because I am in a position that requires constant leadership. Much can be learned by just listening and observing how people interact/respond to different challenges/tasks.
4. What was your first job in retail?Loss prevention agent at the May-Co/Robinson’s Santa Monica, California, location.
5. What books are you reading now?“Lincoln” by David Herbert Donald
6. What is your favorite quote?"Success has many fathers, failure is an orphan!" As we all know, in retail you are only as good as your last weekly physical inventory results and monthly P&L statements. If you are overly concerned with getting proper credit for your company’s success, you are not focused on what is important, how real value to your organization is measured and are probably in the wrong business
7. What is your favorite non-job-related pastime?Hanging out with my wife and kids, watching my daughter participate in basketball and my son in baseball, and reading.
8. What is the one thing your co-workers do not know about you?That I am actually an introvert who prefers the background to center stage and subscribes to the belief that although we make and create our own breaks in life, the most important attributes are humility, compassion, integrity and a strong desire to consistently do the right things.
9. If you could invite any four people (dead or alive) to dinner, who would you invite and why?Nothing beats a dinner gathering of some of your closest friends and family members who know how to enjoy each other along with much self-deprecating humor!