While Thanksgiving and the holiday season bring joy and celebration, they also mark a risky period for jewelers, who are especially vulnerable to criminal activity.
“This is an ideal time for jewelers to get hit, while they’re enjoying their turkey,” warns Scott Guginsky, executive vice president of the Jewelers’ Security Alliance (JSA). “Burglars don’t take holidays. Historically, we’ve seen burglars exploit holiday weekends, knowing jewelers are closed.”
Stay Alert During the Holidays
Guginsky emphasizes that jewelry stores should have an employee on-call during the holiday weekend to address potential service interruptions, such as:
- Power outages.
- Security camera malfunctions.
- Internet or communication errors.
- Loss of cell phone service.
“These could signal a criminal test or break-in attempt,” he explains. Jewelers responding to such issues should never go alone. Always bring a police officer or security guard as backup.
Beware of Jammers
Guginsky also warns that some criminals use illegal cell phone and Wi-Fi jammers. “If you arrive at the store while they’re in use, you may find yourself stranded without any way to call 911,” he says.
Suspicious activity should be reported immediately to local authorities and the JSA (jsa2@jewelerssecurity.org). The JSA will have someone monitoring emails throughout the holiday weekend.
Post-Thanksgiving Challenges: Protecting Inventory and Staff
As the holiday shopping season intensifies, jewelers often stock up on extra merchandise. However, storing excess inventory outside of safes or vaults leaves it vulnerable to opportunistic thieves.
“These aren’t necessarily sophisticated criminals—many are just opportunists pulling off three-minute burglaries,” says Guginsky.
To safeguard inventory, particularly heirlooms and jewelry brought in for repairs, it’s crucial to lock everything away securely.
Train Your Seasonal Staff
Temporary holiday employees must be properly trained on the store’s security protocols, even if they’re only working for a few months. “They need to understand the types of crimes that target jewelry stores,” Guginsky stresses.
Carrie Volp, vice president of commercial lines operations at Jewelers Mutual, adds that all staff—seasonal or permanent—should know how to handle:
- Opening and closing procedures.
- Security responses during theft or casing incidents.
“The extra preparation ensures your team’s and customers’ safety during the holidays,” Volp notes.
For more detailed security tips, visit the JSA website or check out their published guides.