Holiday Preparedness Playbook for Retail & Food Retail

Download the Holiday Preparedness Checklist for Retail and Food Retail

A practical AP/LP + HR guide for the season when everything speeds up—especially risk.

The holidays don’t change your risk profile so much as they press fast-forward on it. Traffic surges, tempers shorten, inventory swells, and everyone is moving a little too quickly to do things the careful way. Your north star is simple: protect people first, brand second, assets third – and keep the operation breathing while you do it. What follows is a rough guide for managers and higher-ups: what’s happening, what to decide, and how to act without turning the sales floor into a police procedural.

The seasonal shift: what really changes

More people, more pressure, and more product. That combination widens every crack in your process. Lines get longer, “last one on the shelf” moments multiply, and social media turns small misunderstandings into big performances. Professional thieves notice your endcaps and your overwhelmed staff. Well-meaning seasonal hires want to help and sometimes help a little too much. The fix isn’t heroics; it’s clarity—clear policies, clear roles, clear scripts—and repetition until muscle memory takes over.

Customer and Employee Stress (where sparks fly)

Most flashpoints are predictable: a missing size, a denied return, an ID check, or the classic “I’ve been waiting twenty minutes.” Your posture should be chosen in advance, not improvised on the fly. Decide whether your stores are non-engagement (observe/record/report), light engagement (tactful, brief, with an easy exit), or something in between. Managers should be visible during peak blocks, not hiding in an office. Teach staff a simple de-escalation rhythm: notice what’s happening, name the issue without blame, narrow the options to one next step, and move. Space matters too—give people a little room and they’ll often calm themselves.

If your team needs de-escalation training, TPOP offers scenario-based training that addresses the most common conflicts in your environment. You can watch a recorded webinar from TPOP, or get more details on team training here.

A line worth posting in the breakroom: “We don’t win arguments. We win exits, good outcomes, happy customers.”

ORC and Shoplifting

The holiday floor is an attractive stage for both opportunists and organized crews. Your best defense is presence and policy, not pursuit. Decide your deterrence posture by store tier: where do you post uniformed security, where do you do receipt checks, and where do you harden product or lock cases? If you choose locked displays in Tier 1 stores, compensate with fast service at the case; nothing drives theft like frustration. Coordinate with mall security and local police beforehand so you know exactly how to document, who to call, and how evidence moves. Cameras should cover entry/exit paths and high-risk aisles, and staff should know the difference between “observe and document” and “become part of the scene.”

No-chase, no-hands isn’t just a slogan; it’s a lawsuit prevention plan.

TPOP has comprehensive shoplifting prevention training. You can watch a recorded webinar from TPOP and our industry experts, or contact us to get the training for your team.

Internal Theft and Fraud (remove temptation)

Overflowing backrooms, extra cash, and tired managers create perfect conditions for “just this once.” Tighten your cash-office controls and make it hard to steal: dual control where feasible, timed drops, manager approvals that mean something. Tune POS exception reports for the holidays so you’re actually looking at the right anomalies—voids, no-sales, post-close refunds, and rapid-fire gift-card activations. Limit who can access high-value cages and log it. Then coach, don’t witch-hunt. Most people want to do the right thing; make “right” the easiest path.

Returns, Exchanges, and Gift Cards (expect “creative” customers)

December 26 to January 15 is the “fraud Super Bowl”. This is when creativity shows up—in box swaps, counterfeit receipts, and “found” gifts that were stolen yesterday. Set clear rules on receipt-less returns, ID requirements, and which items require serial or IMEI checks. If you can, separate the “fast lane” for clean returns from the “problem desk” where you can slow down, verify, and keep the main line moving. For gift cards, throttle split tenders and log activations so the track is visible later. It’s amazing how much conflict you avoid just by posting expectations before people get to the counter.

Seasonal Hires (aim for competence over completeness)

You won’t turn a brand-new seasonal employee into a policy expert in one afternoon, so stop trying. Give them a 60-minute starter that covers only the essentials: de-escalation basics, your theft-engagement policy (what we never do and why), and the three emergency actions (stop work, evacuate, shelter). Pair each new hire with a buddy for the first few shifts. Run five-minute huddles before peak blocks with one takeaway lesson each time. Mark seasonal staff in a way that helps managers spot them quickly (lanyards, badges), not to single them out for customers. The goal is minimum viable safety and confidence.

TPOP offers a comprehensive 30-minute core training – perfect for beginning seasonal workers – that covers Behavioral Indicators of Violence, Situational Awareness, De-Escalation Techniques, and Active Shooter Preparedness. For part-time and seasonal workers, it’s an investment that pays off quickly in performance, safety, and customer satisfaction. Learn more here.

Download the Holiday Preparedness Checklist for Retail and Food Retail

Security Posture (presence without provocation)

Uniformed guards calm most customers and deter the wrong ones; mishandled presence does the opposite. Choose armed vs. unarmed vs. plainclothes based on store tier and local risk, and write orders that match your policy—especially your no-chase, no-hands expectations. Confirm vendor training and insurance before the season, share radio channels, and use one incident log with time stamps and camera references so nothing goes missing. Put security where tension concentrates: entrances and exits during peaks, roving coverage when the floor cools.

Civil Unrest and “Heat Events” (someone else’s stage, your storefront)

You can’t control the larger world, but you can control thresholds. Decide in advance when you lock doors, limit occupancy, or temporarily close. Keep a short list of liaison numbers for property management and local police, and draft the messages you’ll use with staff and customers so you’re not wordsmithing while adrenaline is high. If your footprint allows for CPTED upgrades (bollards, planters), great; if not, designate safe rooms and rally points and make sure every manager can point to them with their eyes closed.

Outside the Doors (parking lots, curbside, perimeter)

Incidents often start where coverage is weakest: the lot. Good lighting and camera views matter, but so do habits. Do quick exterior sweeps at open and close. Escort closers to cars in pairs. At curbside, verify identity before hand-off—name plus order PIN beats “looks like the right car.” In snowy markets, place piles so they don’t create blind corners. Safety doesn’t have to be slow; it has to be predictable.

Age-restricted and high-misuse items

Alcohol, pharmacy goods, blades, batteries, infant formula—holiday magnets. Keep the tone calm and the rules visible. Use POS prompts for ID checks, and give cashiers refusal scripts they can actually say without sounding accusatory. In higher-risk hours (especially evenings) consider reducing on-floor quantities or moving some units to secured displays where you can still serve quickly.

Digital threats (swatting, doxing, and threat calls)

A ten-second call can empty a store. Teach staff a simple approach: keep the caller talking if trained to do so, capture caller ID and exact language, and escalate to the manager who follows the evacuate vs. hold decision tree you’ve already agreed on. Have the police liaison number posted where managers can see it and a short template for internal updates so rumors don’t outrun the facts.

Bias-motivated harassment and domestic spillover

Some incidents aren’t about merchandise at all. Your stance should be zero tolerance, your scripts should be firm and brief, and your after-care should be real. If an employee has a restraining order, adjust schedules, escorts, and entry/exit plans. Post EAP information where it’s actually noticed (near schedules, not behind a filing cabinet).

Facilities, weather, and power (preparedness pays off)

Nature loves a cameo this time of year. Decide who has closure authority, what comes back online first on generator (POS, lights, comms), and how you’ll reopen. Treat slips and trips like the preventable morale killers they are: mats, patrols, and quick cleanup win more goodwill than any holiday playlist.

Reporting, evidence, and after-care

If it isn’t documented, it didn’t happen—at least not in the ways that matter to insurers and counsel. Use a one-tap incident form or a laminated backup so you’re never stuck with “we meant to write it down.” Capture times and camera references. After any serious event, debrief briefly, offer EAP, and give people a clear path back to work. The goal is to be human and consistent at the same time.

Legal, labor, and insurance

Policies protect people in the moment and organizations afterward. Get your engagement and use-of-force language final before the rush. Train supervisors on protected activity so well-intended crackdowns don’t turn into charges. Align your signage with your policy so customers aren’t reading one story while you’re enforcing another.

Technology that actually helps

Tools are only useful if someone owns them. Decide which alerts trigger action (POS exceptions, dwell time in hot aisles, line length at service points) and who acts on them—store vs. central. Tune camera tours so you’re not watching scenery while the fireworks are in aisle twelve.

Communication that lowers the temperature

Set expectations early and you’ll avoid most theater later. Put simple, friendly signs where friction starts—returns, ID checks, limited-quantity items. Use an SMS “red banner” channel for urgent internal updates instead of rumor relays. Send a short daily ops note and a weekend “hot sheet” highlighting what matters today, not everything that could matter someday.

A Timeline for Preparedness

Here’s a helpful drumbeat.

• About 90 days out you tier stores, finalize policy, and lock security and hours.
• About 60 days out you finish training assets, signage, and tech checks.
• About 30 days out you walk stores, run tabletop drills, and confirm with vendors and local PD.
• Two weeks out you start daily huddles, distribute hot sheets, and double-check contingencies.
• During peak weeks you huddle before the rush and debrief for ten minutes after. That’s it. Do it every day and you’ll see the temperature drop.

What “good” looks like

Forget vanity metrics. If incidents are down, lines are moving, staff say they feel prepared, BOPIS hand-offs are verified, and shrink on your highest-risk classes is stable or better, you’re winning. If police calls are concentrated in a few Tier 1 stores, that’s not failure; that’s a focus list for next week’s attention.

A script you can actually use

When a customer heats up at the counter, try this cadence:
“Thanks for telling me—here’s what I can do right now. We can [refund or replace], and I’ll make it fast. If that doesn’t solve it, I’ll bring my manager in to help. Your time matters; let’s get you taken care of.”

It sounds simple because it is. Simple survives contact with reality.

Download the Holiday Preparedness Checklist for Retail and Food Retail