Craig Root Seminars

Craig Root offers a variety of seminars to industry leaders. He has spoken to the Wine Industry Symposium, U.C. Davis, Sonoma State University, Unified Symposium, Wine Tech Grape Tech, and Women for WineSense, among others.
Topics include, but are not limited to:

1. Improving Trade Relations

2. The Secrets of Wine Club Success

3. The Importance of Sales and Customer Service

4. Acquisition, Display, and Sales of Non-Wine Items

5. Avoiding Theft (see below for a brief synopsis)

6. Tasting Room Design and Management

AVOIDING THEFT:

External Theft Prevention
The good news is that, by and large, tasting rooms attract a pretty reputable group of people. There are always exceptions to any rule, but ask yourself this question: “How many bounced checks do I get every year in my tasting room?” In most cases, the answer is: “very few,” so we are lucky to be dealing with a generally non-larcenous few who do visit your facility.

1. Shoplifting One way to spot shoplifters: they spend a lot more time looking around to see if you are watching them rather than looking at the merchandise. The normal shopper is looking at the merchandise 70% of the time, and looking around the shop 30% of the time. With shoplifters, reverse those percentages. Keep your valuable small items in glass cases which the staff has to open for each customer.
Also, look out for people with backpacks, bags, and newspapers because they are great receptacles to hide stolen merchandise. Be aware of distractions: a team of two comes in your tasting room, one with a large purse or backpack. One of them drops a bottle of wine on purpose, so naturally you go get a mop to clean it up. Meanwhile, the person with the purse or backpack is putting four or more bottles of your most expensive Cabernet into the purse.

2. Counterfeit money and traveler’s checks These types of fake currency feel wrong when you touch them, particularly the traveler’s checks. It is usually too difficult or costly for the counterfeiter to produce the type of embossing that traveler’s checks feature. In addition, U.S. currency from $5 bills up have a security strip which is extremely problematic to reproduce. If you hold up a bill to the light, you will be able to see and read the strip.

3. Storage of currency Don’t leave the money around all weekend. Frequently on busy weekends (especially holidays), wineries fail to make night deposits. That means: by Monday night of a three-day weekend, there is a considerable amount of cash in your safe or strongbox. Avoid that temptation. If you are held up, never ever try to resist or in any way, verbally or physically, interfere with the robber. Let them have what they want: try to focus on giving the police a good description.

4. Common sense Don’t leave by yourself. When closing up your tasting room, particularly in the dark, try as much as possible to leave with a fellow employee.

5. Be observant Keep an eye on your visitors. This is especially important on tours. People have been known to wander away from tours and cause all kinds of problems in the production area. Also, use deadbolt locks around important doors, such as storage closets.

6. Mark your important keys with the words: “no duplication.” Should they be lost or stolen, you are protected.