H-E-B’s loss prevention journey before and after Auror

Over the last 10 months, Texas grocer H-E-B has been rolling out with Auror in an effort to curb crime incidents with an easy-to-use and mobile-friendly solution. Little did they know, they were setting themselves up for much more in the best way possible.

In the first virtual fireside chat of Auror Connect ‘23, Auror VP Retail Partnerships - North America Bobby Haskins talked to Clint Hedgpeth, Senior Director - Loss Prevention Operations for H-E-B. They explored what it’s been like using Auror, Clint’s lightbulb moment, and their experience so far with Automatic License Plate Recognition.

Loss prevention at H-E-B before Auror vs after Auror

Before Auror, loss prevention (LP) at H-E-B was all about doing the best they could with what little they knew about their loss.

With their theft data “back in the shadows,” there was a lot going on they simply weren’t aware of because of a lack of visibility. The focus was on violence prevention, active shooter training, and managing serious incidents as they occur through standardized procedures and policies.

“That’s where we were before Auror…doing the best we could with the resources we had, with the things that we knew.”

Now with 90% of H-E-B stores using Auror’s platform, it’s been nothing but successful in meeting their needs, and more. Some of the unexpected benefits have been being able to link together events and people, and easily spotting trends and gathering information for reports whenever they need it.

It’s also been a huge timesaver. Instead of Managers in Charge having to sit at a computer at the end of their shift to enter incident information, they can simply enter and distribute information about incidents on the spot through their mobile devices.

The biggest lightbulb moment for Clint, though, has been the impact of having timely alerts and notifications. Thanks to the ability for any user with access to receive notifications, the benefits of Auror and the impact on crime and loss haven’t been a hard sell to leadership.

Unearthing the true extent of retail crime

Data collected so far has shown that just 10% of people who offend are responsible for 75% of loss at H-E-B. Having this information at hand has allowed Clint and his team to not only build a team to handle ORC, but to explore other ways of preventing loss through merchandise protection devices, and different packaging and merchandising.

Having timely intelligence has also helped Clint see who has been responsible for loss – and it’s not the people he expected. He explained that the biggest “aha” they’ve had is the number and frequency of “opportunists.” These are people who are not career shoplifters or involved with ORC groups, but rather, people with ordinary jobs — nurses, teachers, parents — who steal everyday items such as bread, milk, and eggs.

“[They] don’t have any fear of detection, or if they do, they know you can’t touch them or chase them. They know the police aren’t going to come depending on what city you’re in if it’s less than $1000…the shame is gone…I’ve talked to others out there, and they’re seeing the same thing. We had no idea that was going on.”

Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) key takeaways

H-E-B is Auror’s first North American retail partner to begin testing ALPR and Clint explained they were open to it partly because Texas offers a favorable environment to test it in.

Additionally, conversations with industry peers and realizing the impact of LPR technology helped motivate Clint to test Auror ALPR.

It’s still early days yet, but all indications so far point to it being a game-changer for the organization.

One early ALPR win involved the detection of a vehicle that was associated with someone who had acted inappropriately towards a young cashier. Through ALPR, they discovered this person was a registered sex offender and they had been returning to the store regularly despite having been trespassed before. With this information, this person has been issued with a criminal trespass warning. 

“The fact you can get that alert in three, four seconds to a guard out in the lot and potentially approach that car before they even get out…that’s priceless. It’s all about safety.”