Nearly every regional LP manager is saying this exact thing this season: We need more than one guard. We need a plan.
Because when Super Saturday traffic spikes 58%, and shoplifting incidents jump 93% compared to 2019, having just one officer pacing the front isn’t enough.
Holiday threats don’t come evenly. They come fast. They hit hard. And they concentrate on red-hour windows, door rushes, mid-shift crowding, and late-day theft runs.
The only way to stay ahead? Staff smarter. Plan earlier. Use proven tactics to place people where the risk is real. This post shows you how.
Balancing Supply and Demand
Security staffing doesn’t fail because of headcount. It fails when coverage doesn’t match the moment.
Retailers often hire thousands for the season. In 2023, over 490,000 holiday jobs were added nationwide. But too often, those shifts get distributed evenly across the day, not where they’re needed most.
That’s the trap. Blanket coverage wastes budget and still leaves stores exposed during peak windows.
Smart teams use foot-traffic forecasts, event calendars, and weather insights to align staffing hour-by-hour. Shift planning platforms like WorkJam and POS-linked traffic data help schedule not just who works but when and where they’re most effective.
Add in floating teams who can shift across stores on surge days like December 21st, and you stop reacting. You start anticipating.
Real Savings with Battery Storage
Yes, the title’s a misfit here. But the message isn’t.
In a holiday LP, real savings come from preventing shrinkage and not reacting to it.
A randomized field trial proved that placing visible security guards reduced victim-generated crimes by 16% (PLOS One). Those aren’t just stats. That’s payroll turning into protection.
When you place a greeter at the door and a mobile LP observer in the aisles during your store’s red hours, you send a message to both staff and potential offenders: this store is prepared.
That visibility deters theft, supports de-escalation, and ensures your frontline isn’t left to manage aggression alone. In some situations, pairing unarmed security guards with visible deterrents can enhance de-escalation while keeping the environment welcoming.
It’s not about having more guards. It’s about placing them precisely where loss happens.
Storing Off-Peak Energy
Translated for retail: keep your guards focused during risk peaks. Push noncritical tasks to slower hours.
Too often, teams burn high-value visibility during times when nothing’s happening and disappear when threats surface.
Here’s the move: schedule tasks like incident reporting, escorting vendors, or in-store training during low-traffic hours. Keep your attention on floor coverage from 2 PM to 8 PM, when most late-day theft and aggression clusters (RetailDive).
Per OSHA’s official guidance, crowd management plans should be finalized before the store opens on high-demand days. Doors stay closed until barriers are up, comms are tested, and personnel are in place.
The best deterrent is readiness. That starts before the first shopper walks in.
Smart System Integration
Holiday LP is no longer just a headcount game. It’s tech + timing + training.
Start with radios. Not just having them but using them right. Clear, disciplined communication prevents chaos when seconds matter.
Then layer in data. Heatmap-based patrol routes from video analytics platforms like Rhombus or Verkada focus your patrols on the real hotspots. That way, guards aren’t just roaming. They’re targeting.
Finally, log incidents. Every interaction, escalation, and ejection should be recorded. That documentation supports prosecution. But it also justifies staffing adjustments and makes the ROI case to finance.
When guards, tools, and comms work as one? That’s integration that deters, defuses, and delivers.
Cutting Costs with Stored Solar Power
Here’s the right frame: cut costs with right-sized security.
Start with cross-trained roles greeter, LP observer, queue manager who can flex based on foot traffic, not just the clock. That makes each guard more useful, and more valuable.
Then add floaters. Have 2 to 3 licensed officers available to rotate across a cluster of stores during red hours. On Super Saturday alone, stores saw foot traffic spike over 50% (Placer.ai). Without flexible staffing, stores were either short-staffed or overspending.
Use shift-optimization tools or even simple spreadsheets to map coverage by hour and zone. Aim to protect peak windows without padding quiet ones.
Done right, you lower both overtime and shrink without compromising the shopper experience.
Conclusion
Holiday security isn’t about being everywhere. It’s about being where it counts before it counts. Use OSHA’s crowd management guide to design your store’s layout, manage ingress and egress points, and assign roles with intention.
Map foot-traffic peaks using Placer.ai or in-store data to identify red-hour windows that demand real coverage. Schedule visible deterrence exactly where risk concentrates at the door and in the aisles.
Assign floaters to cover regional surges, and cross-train your team so each member can flex based on what the moment calls for. Most importantly, document every incident and use that data to course-correct daily.