This time of year brings more shopping and with it, more shoplifters — there were seven shoplifting arrests in Brookhaven over the weekend alone. Sgt. David C. Johnson of the Brookhaven Police Department advised local retailers on how to protect themselves against shoplifting.

“You start to see it more and more this time of the year,” Johnson said. “More on Brookway and some of those other stores, shoplifting activity starts to pick up during this time of year.”

Johnson warned that there is no typical shoplifter — they come in all ages, all races and appear as normal people. He gave an example of a shoplifter from Brandon who was caught downtown and had the appearance of a typical soccer mom. She was driving a new SUV, dressed nicely, had nice jewelry on, was with two sons, but she lifted more than $600 in merchandise from a local retailer.

This middle-class “soccer mom” type of shoplifter has become more common in the last couple of years, Johnson said, and said there is no such thing as the standard shoplifter. Shoplifters are using strollers, diaper bags and baby carriers to conceal merchandise — children’s and baby clothes being one of the more popular items stolen in the area.

“You have different types,” Johnson said. “Some shoplifters are naturally thrill-seekers and do it for the excitement and rush; you have those who steal out of need or want and then there is the professional shoplifter who shoplifts for profit.”

Johnson said these thieves will go so far as to take orders with specific sizes, colors and brands before setting out to steal items. According to the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention, 3 percent of shoplifters are “professionals,” yet are responsible for 10 percent of total dollar losses.

Johnson offered a few tips to prevent theft:

• Keep smaller and more expensive items closer to the register and away from the exit so they may not be easily grabbed and hidden.

• Let customers know that you know they are in the store. Whether everyone is greeted or there is a chime when the door opens, employees are aware of customers’ presence and customers know they have been seen.

• Practice dressing room policies. Many places have a way of keeping up with how many items a customer has brought into the dressing room, which helps monitor theft even when employees don’t stay with the same customer throughout the process.

• The No. 1 way thieves steal is by concealing merchandise, so be aware of oversized clothing, merchandise being stuffed under babies in baby carriers. Pay attention to accessories such as bags, umbrellas and even boots or they may stuff things in pants-legs.

• Look for mannerisms — if you see a person paying more attention to you than the merchandise, they may be trying to see if you’re too busy or if you’re preoccupied with paperwork.

• Develop a reputation for not putting up with thieves with signage such as “Shoplifters will be prosecuted,” and then follow through with prosecuting offenders.

• Create a bag-check policy for any outside shopping bags that come into the store. Most of the larger department stores have one.

Johnson advises merchants if they suspect someone in their store is stealing, to call the police immediately and let them handle the situation. If the person is leaving, be sure to get a description of their vehicle and tag number as well as which direction they were going when they left.

“As the holiday season approaches we will have extra patrol or you can expect to see walk-throughs with our officers,” Johnson said. “Anytime merchants feel like they need extra patrol or the occasional walk-through, feel free to contact the Brookhaven Police Department, and we’ll do what we can to help.”