32 
BULLETIN 1044, TJ. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
tion and by keeping a running inventory of certain articles which 
the dealer believes would be particularly susceptible to such thievery. 
If the latter method is to be used, it is well to pick out small articles 
which could be easily concealed and which are more or less expensive. 
A half dozen of these could be selected and the inventory taken of 
them at the beginning of the day's business. The kind, size, and 
brand of each article should be given to the cashier or checker at 
the exit, who would be required to list all those articles when pre- 
sented at the exit by the customers. At the end of the day, another 
inventory should be taken and the number of items removed should 
be listed. If all articles are to be accounted for, these figures should 
Fig. 13. 
-General view of a self-serve grocery store, showing both shelves and tables for 
display of goods. 
agree with the cashier's or checker's figures. If there is a difference, 
either the goods were removed without being paid for, or else the 
cashier or checker failed to list all the articles presented by the cus- 
tomers. If this method is used a number of times and over a general 
line of merchandise, a fairly good estimate of the shrinkage by 
thievery can be obtained. 
The instinctive fear of detection comes simultaneously with the 
act of taking anything for which no payment is intended to be made. 
Therefore, if the articles most likely to be taken are so placed that 
an effort must be made to reach them, there is less danger of their 
being taken. Another method commonly used is that of placing all 
