Retail Loss Prevention: Where to Place Cameras in a Shop or Showroom

The Entrance: Your First and Most Important Camera

A camera covering the entrance at head height captures a clear shot of everyone who comes in, which matters for identifying repeat visitors and establishing a timeline if an incident needs reviewing later. This is usually the highest-priority single camera in any retail installation.

The Till Point

Till-point coverage protects against both external theft and internal discrepancies: cash handling errors, voided transactions, or drawer shortages are far easier to investigate with clear footage of the register itself. The angle matters here: a camera should capture the transaction clearly, not just a wide shot of the counter area.

High-Value or High-Theft Merchandise

Shelving or display areas holding smaller, high-value, or frequently-targeted items, such as electronics, cosmetics, or jewelry, usually justify closer, dedicated coverage rather than relying on a general wide shot of the shop floor. Wide dynamic range cameras also help here if the display area sits near bright shop windows.

Stockroom and Back-of-House

A significant share of retail loss happens out of customer view: in the stockroom, at delivery intake, or around staff-only exits. Covering these areas is just as important as the shop floor, even though it's less visible to customers, and it also helps document deliveries in case of disputes with suppliers.

Fitting Rooms and Sensitive Areas: What to Avoid

Fitting rooms, washrooms, and similar areas should not be covered by cameras. This is both a privacy and, in many cases, a legal issue. Cameras just outside the entrance to these areas, rather than inside them, can still support loss prevention without crossing that line.

The Car Park and Approach to the Shop

Loss prevention inside a shop is only part of the picture for retail properties with their own parking. A camera covering the car park or entrance approach helps with vehicle break-ins, drive-off thefts from outdoor displays, and disputes over a damaged vehicle in the lot, none of which an indoor-only setup catches. It's an area that's easy to overlook when the focus is naturally on the shop floor itself.

Tying It Together With Access Control

For larger retail operations, access control on stockroom and staff-only doors, combined with camera coverage at the same points, creates a much clearer picture of who went where and when, which is often more useful for investigating loss than camera footage alone.

• ✓ Stockroom and staff-only doors on access control, not just a shared key
• ✓ Entry and exit logs that can be cross-referenced against the time of a loss incident
• ✓ Clearer accountability for who was in a restricted area when something went missing

Retail Camera Placement Checklist

• ✓ Entrance covered at head height for clear identification
• ✓ Till point angled to capture the transaction itself, not just a wide counter shot
• ✓ High-value or high-theft shelving given dedicated, closer coverage
• ✓ Stockroom and delivery intake covered, not just the shop floor
• ✓ Fitting rooms and washrooms excluded entirely
• ✓ Car park and shop approach covered if the property has its own parking
• ✓ Access control on stockroom and staff-only doors considered alongside camera coverage