Best Buy Asset Protection

[capurato]

I someone wants to get into grocery LP I suggest they apply and work directly for the grocer. Contract security with grocery tends to be temporary, as contracts come and go. One thing about grocery, people always eat and that industry, although the profit margins are low, tend to survive. Grocery operators are some of the best retailers/wholesalers around.

Do grocers hire entry level direct? I was looking at grocery and it was contract only for floor walkers.

[Curtis Baillie]

Do grocers hire entry level direct? I was looking at grocery and it was contract only for floor walkers.

Yes they do. That's how I started. I walked into their corporate office and asked if they had a security department. I got an immediate interview and was hired two days later. I started in the windows and walking the floor looking for shoplifters. It was one of the greatest career moves I ever made. They hired a total of 3 people and they were not doing any advertising for the positions. I went from Agent to Investigator to Senior Investigator to Director of LP Services.

[BLPA]

So should I just go up and there and ask?

[Curtis Baillie]

Yes, they don't always advertise. Many times positions are filled by names submitted by existing security staff.

Many times I filled positions by seeking out people. I gave them my card and told them if they were interested to give me a call. In fact, while in grocery, I never advertised an open position. Never needed to.

If your in Tyler, Texas Brookshire is in your back and front yard. Ed Van Fleet is the VP of LP there.

[bbylp]

Any updates?

[A2012SC]

In my area Walmart and Albertson's have proprietary, however all the local or "regional" grocery stores use contract. It seems they are VERY slowly moving toward their own departments. I think it just depends on the size of the company. I've worked grocery in-house and contract and the difference was night and day.

[BLPA]

Curtis, I contacted several local grocery stores and they all seem to hire the off duty police for loss prevention. Bbylp, no not any updates yet.. What was the difference in contract and in house?

[A2012SC]

Organization and professionalism. On average, from my experience, contract LP had about a one or two page "post orders" whereas in house had about 1-1.5 feet of manuals and logs if you stacked them up.