Theft reduction in a grocery store through product identification and graphing of losses for employees.

A grocery manager wanted to stop theft of three high-loss items.

Workers first marked each item with a tiny sticker so losses could be counted fast.

Twice a week the manager posted a simple line graph in the break room showing how many of those items had disappeared the day before.

No lectures, no threats—just the graph and a short note.

Daily thefts dropped from about eight items to two items after the graph went up.

The low level held while the graph stayed on the wall.

When the graph was removed for a few weeks, losses crept back up, showing the picture really mattered.

Carter et al. (1995) later showed that flashy store promotions can accidentally double theft of the same products.

Together the two papers tell one story: watch your numbers, because both good and bad events show up in the theft line.

Greene et al. (1978) used the same break-room graph trick with staff who taught kids with disabilities; client gains jumped when staff saw their own data posted.

The tactic travels—graphed feedback works in grocery aisles, therapy rooms, and preschools alike.

You do not need expensive cameras or long meetings to cut rule-breaking.

Pick one countable problem, track it daily, and post the trend where the people who can fix it will see it.

A single sheet of paper and two minutes of plotting can do the job.