Thieves will take advantage of almost any opportunity…

January 4, 2013 by

I have a lot of hardworking, good people that are employed in my stores. There are quite a few of them that continually go above and beyond for whatever the stores or the managers need. Because of that sort of loyalty, it really makes me mad to see outside “customers” take advantage of them.

 We have a great lady who helps our clothing security stay up to date by doing spot checks on our retail anti-theft devices, and greets customers at the door as they come and go.

 Well, one day a man was walking with a cane and trying to push his shopping cart out the door. As soon as he walked in front of her, he tips the cart over and falls on the ground.

 Being the good person she is, our associate immediately went to help him up and make sure he was ok. Well, as she bent down to offer a helping hand, another male ran out the door setting the alarm off with his arms piled high with clothes.

 We decided to go back over the CCTV footage from the parking lot to see if we could get a license plate number and when we scrolled back to the point where the thief entered the store we were astonished to find he and the man with the cane walking into the store together. The two were in cahoots and took completely advantage of our associates’ helpful nature. Luckily we passed the surveillance off to our other stores and the pair was apprehended trying to pull off the same job as again.

 Visit RBC Security Solutions for Checkpoint Compatible Clothing Security Anti- theft Devices that can help you protect your clothes and prevent retail theft in your business with products like Cheap Tags and Cheap Labels. Our Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS Labels and Tags are not cheap they are inexpensive and made in the U.S.

 For more information on how you can use Clothing Security Anti- theft Devices in conjunction with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system to protect your Clothes and help you prevent retail theft in your business with products like Cheap Tags and Cheap Labels contact us.

 Click here for your Free Sample of these new Checkpoint Compatible Cheap Tags and Cheap Labels for your Clothing Security needs!

 

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Don’t let your apprehensions get out of hand!

December 31, 2012 by Leave a Comment

In retail theft prevention the key to a safe apprehension is simple; be smart. We have all seen the horror stories of apprehensions gone wrong, and situations where something gets out of hand causing dangerous circumstances. I myself have experienced situations that have come close to getting out of control had I handled it incorrectly. Situations like these can cause lawsuits, job loss, and can even be life threatening. The biggest thing to remember is that a bad apprehension is never worth its weight in what we could have recovered. Relying on your checkpoint systems can help keep you safe from apprehensions gone wrong.

Your first line of defense is to check for defeated anti- shoplifting devices when investigating a shoplifter. Finding defeated anti -shoplifting devices is extra proof that the shoplifter had the intent to steal. If you don’t find removed Checkpoint tags or Checkpoint Labels, did the checkpoint systems alarm sound when they left the store? If it didn’t, are you positive you saw concealment and had constant surveillance? Video review to ensure accuracy is not only easy with the right equipment, but can save you from a bad mistake if you missed something during your surveillance.

Be a good judge of the situation; always be aware of what is going on around you and be prepared to get out of the way if danger ensues. Having used the hands off approach for years, I have come to realize there is always another way. If words don’t work, rely on the authorities to locate the suspect for you with the information you have already obtained.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase Anti-Shoplifting devices and your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system from Checkpoint Systems to stop shoplifting in your store.

For more information on Anti-Shoplifting, Checkpoint Labels, a Checkpoint Security System, Checkpoint Security Tags, Checkpoint Systems, or Checkpoint Tags and how they can work with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system contact us at Retail theft prevention to Stop Shoplifting in your store or call 1.770.426.0547

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Small Businesses need Background Checks Too!

December 31, 2012 by

One of the toughest things for a small business owner to do is spend money, especially when there is nothing tangible they can hold in their hands as a result of the expenditure. That is exactly the challenge I had as a LP consultant when broaching the subject of employee background checks. Small business owners very rarely take into account the pre-employment screening process when they start the search for employees.

There are many things to discuss as a consultant with a new business owner regarding loss prevention but the number one concern is ensuring the business secures a reputable background check company that employs background check experts with a wide array of experience. It is not merely enough to conduct criminal background checks you must also conduct employee background checks as well. Trying to pull an owner from the belief that a mere review of a job application and an interview is enough of a pre-employment screening to the full understanding of what background checks can achieve is a monumental task.

A perfect example was the owner of a small clothing retailer with five locations located within a largely populated city. This owner had two speeds fast and stop. Trying to get him to sit down for a consultation was tough enough even though he was the one who contacted me for a LP consultation overview of his business. The main problem he had was shrink and he could not determine the source or sources of the bad inventory results.

 I took about a month to review all aspects of the five locations including interviewing all of the employees and management. What I found was staggering. Essentially there were five locations running five different businesses doing whatever each store manager felt was right for their own store. This included the pre-employment screening process. The hiring ranged from a job application and a five minute interview to a store manager who at least conducted two interviews and called for reference checks. There were no criminal background checks, no education checks and no employee background checks. In fact no one including the owner of the business ever entertained the idea of hiring a background check company to conduct background checks for the company.

I reported my results to the owner which included my thoughts on how the losses where occurring as well as the potential solutions to the shrink problem. I told him that his losses were mostly internal and that an in depth investigation would be required to pinpoint the problem employees. There were some minor administrative issues that were easily rectified but the staffing problem was not going to be so easily put to rest.

I explained to the owner that before he went and started replacing employees he needed to retain a company that employed true background check experts that would help him choose the right staff. I explained to the owner the cost of hiring and training an employee and that seemed to get his attention since he would now be losing several employees, the cost of hiring and training them and now have to hire additional employees and invest that training cost once again. We narrowed the choices down to one reputable background check company. This company offered criminal background checks from local to federal levels, educational background checks as well as employee background checks with very reasonable pricing. I was also impressed with the transparency of the company to reveal the backgrounds of their background check experts. This openness put the owner at ease to take the necessary step to put a proper pre employment screening process in place.

It took the owner about six months to sort out his employee theft issues as well as at the same time successfully implementing the new hiring process. He called it a labor of love that in the end kept him from losing his business. He is now one of the biggest proponents for small business owners to implement good hiring processes that screen potential employees before they are allowed to take position of employment.

To purchase Pre-Employment Screening Services or for more information on background check experts, background checks, criminal background checks, employee background checks or pre-employment screening contact us at the background check company or call 1.770.426.0547

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Protecting your Investments

December 31, 2012 by

From ancient Greek Mythology, to the lost gold of Spanish conquistadors, to children’s fairy tales, riches beyond our wildest dreams have captivated us.

Sadly, for as long as we have been amassing wealth, there have been those determined to steal that wealth. Some intentionally, others, like Jack and the Beanstalk, stumble upon those prized possessions.

I’ll bet that Giant never thought twice about setting up a security system for his Golden Goose. He was lucky that the goose was able to make a commotion when it was being stolen.

Protecting your hard earned investments should not be left up to chance. There will always be people out there trying to steal your wealth, in this case your store’s inventory.

Bottle security needs should be more effective than a goose squawking on its way out the door. Liquor bottle security should be a deterrent first and an alarm second.

Liquor bottle locks provide that type of duality in their liquor bottle security. Liquor bottle locks are a bottle cap that is fitted onto the mouth of a bottle, clearly stating their presence. If someone does make an attempt at stealing one, the EAS alarm will sound alerting you to what is going on. It is liquor bottle security at it’s finest.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase EASy Bottle liquor bottle locks by Alpha Security and your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system.

For more information on Alpha Security, Liquor Bottle Lock, Liquor Bottle locks, Liquor Bottle Security, EASy Bottle or Liquor Bottle Security and how they can work with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system contact us or call 1.770.426.0547

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My First Apprehension…

December 31, 2012 by

I was alone at my first LP job when I started watching a woman on camera that entered with a crumpled, empty shopping bag. The previous day I finished training and was released to detain shoplifters. I hadn’t made a solo arrest yet; I was incredibly nervous and secretly hoped this was nothing. I wanted my first stop to be with another agent to assist with surveillance and back me up during the apprehension. Although I could feel myself shaking, I went to the sales floor to perform live observation; after all, it was my responsibility to maintain the store’s clothing security.

After locating the customer, I watched her check merchandise for Checkpoint tags and select a handful of tops without clothing alarms. She placed them on a rounder, held the shopping bag under the merchandise, and slipped each item off its hanger so it fell in. With this, I realized I must stop her when she exited. As she headed to the door, my nerves took over and I was hit with a wave of nausea. I was going to be sick and made a beeline for the restroom. I went to find the subject when my queasiness had passed, but of course she was gone. This wasn’t my proudest moment and while my boss was kind about it, I felt I had failed to preserve my store’s clothing security.

Employees can make mistakes; they call in sick, they take breaks, and no one can afford hiring enough people to watch all merchandise. Retailers that understand this utilize clothing security tags to fill in the gaps that naturally occur if a mission as significant as clothing security is left only to people. Clothing alarms are most effective when used uniformly and on merchandise that would hurt the store the most to lose. That way, if a rookie investigator has anxiety, it won’t break the business.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase a clothing alarm or clothing security tags and an Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system.

For more information on Checkpoint tags, clothing security, clothing alarm, or clothing security tags how they can work with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system contact us at security tags on clothes or call 1.770.426.0547

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You’re never too experienced for New Training

December 31, 2012 by Leave a Comment

As a trainer and as a store manager, I have spent countless hours sitting on both sides of the training room tables. Some have been the most enjoyable and rewarding hours of my life, while others have been hours that I will never get back.

Being a good trainer means providing the necessary material in the most innovative and exciting ways possible. It also means that you need to be able to read your audience and know when you have them eating out of the palm of your hand, and when you are quickly loosing them.

Having overseen a fair amount of loss prevention training, I have the advantage of teaching a great subject matter. If your audience starts to drift off, just start telling riveting stories of high speed chases to wake them back up.

This sort of interaction is so important. I can’t imagine my employees ever walking away with as much information as what they did if they were only reading manuals or listening to a computer-training program.

If you have the opportunity to send yourself, or your employees to loss prevention workshops or loss prevention seminars,  I highly recommend it. You can’t ask a computer follow up questions, and manuals don’t always clarify themselves.

I even enjoy going through additional loss prevention training. It’s a great refresher for me and gives me a chance to stay up to date with the most current employee theft and shoplifting trends.

For more information on a Loss Prevention Workshop, Loss Prevention Seminar, or Loss Prevention Training contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

Visit the Loss Prevention Systems website for more information on Retail Shoplifting and Retail Employee Theft problems and view the Retail Loss Prevention Seminars, Retail Loss Prevention Workshop and Retail Loss Prevention Training we offer to help with your Employee Theft and Shoplifting problems.

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If only we had Jewel Loks…

December 31, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Many LP professionals have had a known theft suspect they couldn’t wait to arrest. They were aware of the subject, but for whatever reason, this person had evaded detainment and continued to steal from their store. While working for one company, I had a woman who came in multiple times per month and treated our store like a swap meet, leaving her old earrings on the cards and taking ours. Whenever she entered the store, we would initiate surveillance and intend to make a detainment, but she would either dump the merchandise or we’d be uncertain which items she took.

 In my experience, jewelry is one of the toughest items to protect against loss. It’s challenging to maintain observation of such a small item when it’s being carried by a moving person or being palmed in their hand. Jewelry can be easily concealed and just as easily dumped, increasing the likelihood of an unproductive stop. Many companies place additional apprehension requirements for jewelry items as a result of the risk they create for retailers. I’ve made the difficult decision many times to let a shoplifter go because I wasn’t willing to gamble my job or jeopardize my employer on an item that may have been either stolen or dumped. Obviously, detainment isn’t going to be the answer to retailers’ jewelry theft problem.

Because so many challenges face retailers trying to protect their jewelry from five finger discounts, the creation of the Jewel Lok is like a miracle. Introduced in 2011, this innovative retail anti-theft device from Alpha Security resolved the aesthetic display dilemma others before it couldn’t. My favorite feature of this solution is that a shoplifter attempting to defeat it will break the jewelry before they can remove it. If my store had the Jewel Lok, we wouldn’t have a collection of that subject’s earrings which we plan to return to her when we finally get her someday.

 Visit the Loss Prevention Store for Alpha 2Alarm, Alpha 3Alarm, Alpha Fashion2, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Jewel Lock, Alpha Nano Gate,  Alpha Shark Tag, Alpha Spider Wrap and other retail anti-theft devices from Alpha Security to use in conjunction with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system that can help you prevent shoplifting in your business.

 For more information on how you can use Alpha Security retail anti-theft devices and your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 

 

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Hold your shoplifters up, not the other way around…

December 31, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Some shoplifters are in and out of a store in a matter of minutes. If they are a repeat shoplifter in your store, it might just feel like you are trying to capture a ghost.

 Then there are the others who take so long, that you almost want to go over and give them a hand stealing just so you can speed up the process of apprehending them. Those are the times that drive me nuts.

 When you are at the point of watching a shoplifter talking them into actually concealing the item, there is no turning back. You have to watch to make sure you know what they are taking, and where they are putting it.

 I have found that the usual hold up and saving grace is the retail security anti-theft devices. These cheap tags and cheap labels hold the shoplifter up. The shoplifter is trying to figure out what to do with it so as not to set off the store alarm and they tend to take a lot of time doing this. Do they try and remove it? Should they just take the item anyway?

 You can tell they really want the item, but they are debating if it is worth the risk. This is the heart of anti-shoplifting methodology: using retail anti-theft devices to deter and prevent shoplifting in your stores.

 While I hate the wait, I am glad the EAS tags are doing their job.

 Visit RBC Security Solutions for retail Anti-Shoplifting or retail Anti-theft Devices that can help you with your Retail Security needs like Cheap Tags and Cheap Labels. Our Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS Tags and Labels are not cheap they are inexpensive and made in the U.S.

 For more information on how you can use retail Anti-theft Devices in conjunction with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system to help you prevent retail theft in your business with products like Cheap Tags and Cheap Labels contact us.

 Click here for your Free Sample of these new Cheap Tags and Cheap Labels for your Retail Security and retail Anti-Shoplifting needs!

 

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Don’t let Employee Theft Run Rampant!

December 31, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Many small box retailers find themselves centering their full attention on shoplifting as their main cause of inventory loss. This is a very dangerous thought process that can lead to a business crumbling. Employee theft is the largest cause of inventory loss period. I worked for, at the time, a small retailer which sold video and PC games. The business has grown exponentially since then and I have to believe that their success in part was because of their ability to change the overall thought process of how shrink occurs.

When I first started I was brought into the corporate office as a loss prevention administrator. I was dumbfounded to learn that my boss, the director of loss prevention had not one bit of loss prevention experience. In fact she told me that she was a store manager before being promoted into the Director position. My job duties were limited to reviewing daily store paperwork and pulling credit card slips for chargeback disputes (when a customer disputes a charge the retailer has to show a copy of a signed/imprinted credit card slip to win the dispute). There was no talk of employee theft investigation; in fact it wasn’t until my second week on the job before I heard anyone mention employee theft. That conversation was troubling since my boss was telling district managers on a conference call that internal theft is so minimal in the company that they should instead focus on anti-shoplifting methods to control their losses.

This lead to many district managers scratching their heads but they pushed forward using ideas given by my boss. They “gutted” all of their inventory, placing the games in locked drawers behind the register as well as in the stockroom. This process took the stores about two months to implement. My boss had even suggested to the district managers that once the product was secured they could cut back on their daily inventory counts since the losses would most assuredly stop. District managers who brought up the idea of conducting employee theft investigations were met with indifference. There most definitely was a slight improvement in inventory loss in some locations, however in many locations and areas of the country not only did the losses not stop, they shot through the roof.

Employees were given the access to the product in the stockroom, they had keys to the lockable cases, the product was already gutted and easily concealed, there were no bag checks conducted at the store level. Internal theft ran rampant and my boss was clueless. Fortunately I had made a few friends in the inventory control department as well as sales audit and started some employee theft investigations to nail down some of the larger employee theft cases. I was able to work closely with the district managers sharing loss trends, having them do surveillances and then surprise bag checks which ended up catching a few real time employee theft cases. I was able to successfully phone interview the suspects’ real time and obtain large dollar admissions which translated to prosecution and restitution. After about ten of these cases my boss left her position with no notice. To this day I have no idea where she went but it took at least two years for us to put together a real loss prevention team and to gain the respect of the operations sales team. Once the focus was put on internal theft as a primary cause of loss and district managers were properly trained to aid in employee theft investigations were able to cut the company’s shrink by half, which surpassed anyone’s expectations.

For more information on internal theft, employee theft investigation or employee theft contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase CCTV Systems that can help you stop Employee Theft and Internal Theft problems and help with your Employee Theft Investigation.

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My Best Friend was a Shoplifter…

December 31, 2012 by

Back when I was in grade school, I had a friend that I would go to the mall with. She always wanted to go check out some amazing sale. I never really saw the sales she did. I also never saw her buy anything, but the next day she would show up at school wearing something new.

 I was pretty young and naive at that point. I didn’t figure out until much later that my friend would be shoplifting clothes when we would go into the fitting rooms. Back in those days, there wasn’t much for retail clothing security and anti-theft devices were almost non-existent.

 Much has changed over the years, and it’s for the best. I hate to think about what would have happened if she had been caught while we were out. Would I have been drug into her mess too?

 If there had been anti-theft devices like EAS and cheap tags and cheap labels in use, than maybe she wouldn’t have been as tempted to steal.

 Visit RBC Security Solutions for Checkpoint Compatible Clothing Security retail Anti-theft Devices that can help you protect your clothes and prevent retail theft in your business with products like Cheap Tags and Cheap Labels. Our Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS Labels and Tags are not cheap they are inexpensive and made in the U.S.

 For more information on how you can use Clothing Security retail Anti- theft Devices in conjunction with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system to protect your Clothes and help you prevent retail theft in your business with products like Cheap Tags and Cheap Labels contact us.

 Click here for your Free Sample of these new Checkpoint Compatible Cheap Tags and Cheap Labels for your retail Clothing Security needs!

 

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