Employee Background Checks Program

March 9, 2012 by

Background checks are important, but they should never be the only tool you use to determine if a candidate is a good fit for your business. Comprehensive pre employment screening should include many aspects beyond just sending their information into a background check company. Criminal background checks, drug testing, reference checks, and an extensive interview process should all play a part in your pre employment screening. When you use a vast array of screening tools you will be able to find the best candidates to fit your needs that will be loyal and work hard for your company.

Criminal background checks will allow you to identify potential employees that have been convicted of a crime. From those results you can decide if the candidate is someone you wish to pursue or if you will decide to look elsewhere. This should not be where the screening stops. Where background checks won’t help you is if the person is committing crimes and not getting caught. This is when the other steps come into play. Drug testing can help you to identify if the possible employee is involved in any illegal drug activity. Reference employee background checks will allow you to discover if the person is lying about their previous experience and will hopefully help you to get a good idea of the person’s character. The key here is asking the right questions of the right people. If the reference person that the potential employee gave you seems to be giving staged or fake answers, call back and ask to speak to another manager.

Lastly, the thing you can always count on is the interview process. Make this meeting count. Be sure to research the right questions to ask and how to effectively interview. Open ended questions can be your best friend; you would be surprised how much someone will open up with just a little probing. Using a background check company can tell you a lot about a potential employee, but it takes a lot more to make sure you are hiring the right people.

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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Why bother with Bottle Locks?

March 9, 2012 by

Liquor bottle security is an odd thing.  It’s not exactly a common practice, or at least not as commonly observed a practice beyond high-end liquor being held behind a cashier’s counter or locked away in a fiberglass cabinet.  But, as with most sad facts of this world, the pilferage of liquor retailers has become something of an epidemic.  The variety of the crimes range from the classic ‘snatch and grab’ to employees taking shots of vodka in the back room.  Truth of the matter is there are only a few ways to really put a stop to, or at least manage, such theft.

Bottle locks, such as the ones made by Alpha Security, serve the same purpose as EAS tags and Spider Wraps; bottle security presents a visible deterrent to shoplifting to anyone even thinking of stealing product from your business.  Since a bottle lock can take many forms you need to consider which style would best suit your needs.  One of the more common variants is the EASy Bottle lock which looks as innocuous as a plastic cup sitting atop a liquid medicine.  It’s simple enough that anyone can apply it and on that same note would give any shoplifter reason to think it would nothing to stop them.  In truth it may not be enough to stop a true pro or a determined employee but it would require them to waste time to remove it or circumvent it.  As for the average, ‘casual’ shoplifter, they more than likely would take a pass than tangle with a bottle lock.  You’d be surprised how much money in inventory such simple bottle security would save you in the end.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase bottle security EASy Bottle bottle locks by Alpha Security.

For more information on Alpha Security, Bottle Lock, Bottle locks, Bottle Security, liquor bottle security or EASy Bottle contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 Including Washington State

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We can’t always be perfect…

March 9, 2012 by

Although we wish our LP careers were perfect we all have moments when we just get beat. Today was one of those days for me.

I was alone in my office and dealing with half a dozen other problems when it happened.  While listening to the droning monotone of a liability investigator on the other end of the office phone I kept myself busy by scanning through cameras on the call-up monitor closest to me.  At the fifteen minute mark of my conversation I noticed a man who looked completely out of place in the store’s children’s clothing department.  Given his appearance and his unnaturally stuffed shopping bag through which I could see security tags on clothes, my attention shifted from dealing with the accident aftermath to observing the man much more closely.

Less than sixty seconds later I hung up on the liability investigator. The man had selected three pairs of children’s jeans and a child’s printed sweatshirt and rapidly moved away from the department towards the nearby housewares area.  As soon as I paged for a store manager to dial my office extension the man took off down to the first floor in a jog.  I radioed mall security with his description and called local law enforcement as I ran out my office and could hear the Checkpoint tags set off the clothing alarm as the man crossed the threshold into the mall and went into a full sprint.  Other LP units in the mall had eyes on him even as he started ripping clothing security tags off the stolen merchandise as he ran, but somehow he not only made it to his vehicle, he also managed to elude police and avoid being identified. Even with obvious clothing security in place, it only took a two minute grab and dash job to undo it all.

We can’t always be perfect.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase a clothing alarm, Checkpoint tags, security tags on clothes or clothing security tags for your clothing security system.

For more information on Checkpoint tags, clothing security, clothing alarm, or clothing security tags contact us at security tags on clothes or call 1.770.426.0547

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Jewel Lok is a must for spring season.

March 9, 2012 by Leave a Comment

We are at that time of year that I usually find an increase in jewelry shopping at my store.  All the new spring dresses and outfits require the matching accessories.  In addition, the warm weather change is more inviting to jewelry as short sleeves and open cut tops are better for showing off bracelets, necklaces, etc.  With that said, it is also a hard time to control the inventory.  We all know that quality accessories are expensive.  Many consumers want the product, but don’t want to pay the price.  I have found the Jewel Lok by Alpha to be a great help in my efforts to prevent shoplifting.

Alpha security makes a revolutionary line of retail anti theft devices.  Alpha offers many different retail anti theft devices that are made for specific products.  Finally a company that does not employee a one size fits all approach to prevent shoplifting.  The Jewel Lok comes in several different options.  You can get Jewel Lok devices that will fit on stud earrings, loop earrings and other loose jewelry (such as bracelets, necklaces, watches, etc.).  There are two main benefits to these retail anti theft devices.  The first is that these locks physically attach to the product and cannot be easily removed like a soft EAS label.  There is much more security here.  The second benefit is they still provide open showing.  We lose a lot of sales when we lock product inside cases.  Many customers don’t like waiting on an employee just to see a product.  You can still openly display these products, but rest easy knowing they are protected.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store for retail anti theft devices that can help you prevent shoplifting in your business.

For more information on how you can use retail anti theft devices to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 

 

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Stacking the Odds in Your Favor

March 9, 2012 by Leave a Comment

When it comes to trying to stop shoplifting in your stores, every little bit helps. When you look at items like Checkpoint labels, it’s easy to maximize your investment potential. Checkpoint labels come in a multitude of options. Each RF security label is geared toward maximum protection for very individual scenarios.

One of the universally nice things about RF security labels, are the ability to be used discreetly as a prevention tactic to stop shoplifting. Unlike Checkpoint security tags, RF security labels can be, and are often meant to be hidden.

Take, for example, expensive combo packages of printer ink. Each cardboard box can contain three to four separate ink cartridges. Most shoplifters who target this item may suspect that there is some sort of RF label on the packaging. They may try to take the cartridges out, and discard the empty package somewhere in the store.

If you only have one RF Label on the package, you may be defeated at this point. If you take a more proactive approach and put a separate RF label on each ink cartridge inside of the package, you can potentially change the out come.

If a shoplifter now has four or five different RF labels to discard, they run an even bigger risk of being detected prior to escaping with their loot. No shoplifter wants to be caught, and will more than likely give up instead of stealing that safely guarded item.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase Checkpoint labels, Checkpoint security tags, and other RF labels that can help you stop shoplifting in your business.

For more information on Checkpoint labels, Checkpoint security tags, RF labels, RF security labels, RF security tags and how to stop shoplifting contact us at RF label or call 1.770.426.0547 

 

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Basics of identifying employee theft

March 9, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Internal theft is one of the greatest challenges to any business.  When a business hires someone to join their ranks they are showing faith in that person’s skills, experience, and trustworthiness.  Unfortunately, despite lengthy interview processes and extensive background checks there are still individuals who choose to exploit their positions within your business to ‘earn a little extra’.

Methods of employee theft investigation vary in size, scope, and style.  It can be as small as a cashier skimming a few dollars from the register every so often to a team of warehouse workers ensuring a few flat-screen TVs go ‘missing from inventory’ only to be found later in their living rooms.  As far as catching such dishonest employees is concerned it takes patience, skill, and a little bit of luck.

Conducting an employee theft investigation starts with knowing where to look to look for employee theft.  You may need to comb through register deposit records (over and short reports) or perform regular inventory counts (such as perpetual counts on important items).  Your lead into a potential internal theft case could literally fall into your lap without you even needing to go looking for it.

Whatever the starting point of your investigation is you cannot expect immediate returns on your work like you would with a shoplifter.  Employee theft investigations require an investment of time, be it from a single Loss Prevention Detective or a whole team.  Even when an employee has been caught with their hand in the proverbial cookie jar it doesn’t mean it is case closed.  There is the follow-up, the interrogation, which may lead to the admission of a larger theft or even the implication of others within the workforce.

One other thing to consider when it comes to employee theft investigations; don’t keep anyone in your workforce from being scrutinized.  More often than not it’s the ones whom you trust the most that are the biggest internal threats.

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

 

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Anti-Shoplifting Strategy: Come On Horse Drink!!

March 7, 2012 by Leave a Comment

You can lead a horse to water, you can coax it all you want, heck, you can even push it in the lake but you can NOT force it to drink. This is something I learned as a loss prevention professional over the years. When it came to spending money to save money via retail theft prevention devices there was a constant battle amongst the powers that be. As I gradually moved up the chain I was privy to more and more of the details of the ongoing argument regarding anti shoplifting strategies. What I came to realize was in order for any company executive to spend one penny of the budget they had to prove how an item would preferably generate sales or at the very least reduce shrink. There in lies the problem, one side of the argument felt that if the company solely focused on raising sales the company could ignore shrink, the other side focused its attention solely on retail theft prevention.

One of the best and most controversial anti shoplifting tools is the checkpoint security system. The checkpoint systems employ entrance/exit protection of product with RF pedestals that sound alarms whenever checkpoint security tags which are affixed to product are removed from the store. The Checkpoint security system was quite impressive, utilizing checkpoint security tags that are labels and hard tags. The third party arbitrator for peace was the checkpoint systems vendor. He was able to address both the sales and loss prevention concerns regarding sales and retail theft prevention. It was quite interesting to hear him talk about the fact that the checkpoint systems could actually increase sales by ensuring the product is protected and available on the sales floor for purchase. Many times high dollar items were placed one at a time on the sales floor and if stolen and not reported that product could go days or weeks without being represented on the floor thus reducing sales potential.

Utilizing the checkpoint security tags on all items allowed the sales team to place more items on the sales floor thus ensuring all products were represented at all times. The Checkpoint security tags also served its purpose as an anti shoplifting tool. Once in place the checkpoint system was an incredible asset to the company serving the duel purpose of increasing sales and deterring theft. The system demands interaction via consistent tagging, tag audits, proper deactivation/detachment at register and proper reaction to alarms. Our executives were able to come to a smart conclusion that allowed both departments to work together for proper system installation and implementation. We have never looked back and always look for ways to make the system even more beneficial.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase retail anti theft devices from Checkpoint Systems.

For more information on Anti Shoplifting , Checkpoint Security System or Checkpoint Security Tags contact us at Retail theft prevention or call 1.770.426.0547

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Background Checks: Good Intentions Or Good Strategy?

March 7, 2012 by
Ensuring your company is conducting background checks is a good first step, however, it is important that your company conducts the correct level of criminal background checks and employee background checks. This is all a part of having a successful pre employment screening process. The background check experts all agree that one of the best ways to deter a potential thief from working with a company is a rigorous pre employment screening process that includes multiple interviews and pointed questions regarding employment and education history.
Unfortunately even companies with good intentions about having a successful pre employment screening strategy fall short due to not hiring a qualified background check company. They muddle about and conduct random criminal background checks which when not guided by background check experts usually does not encompass the correct areas where crimes may have been committed. Ultimately this leads to a false sense of security that can have devastating results. Another thing companies overlook is the employee background check, they figure a couple phone calls to companies written on a job application will suffice. This again will be a potentially costly mistake. Background check experts know exactly how to conduct an in depth employee background check which requires a significant amount of research. A good background check company will also be able to verify an employee’s education history as well as job and personal references.
Companies that do utilize a reputable background check company have access to background check experts that have worked in and around every type of business under the sun. The right background check expert is matched to a company and a pre employment screening strategy is custom made to fit the business like a glove. This process usually involves the human resource, loss prevention and legal departments. Once the company’s policy and procedures have been reviewed in detail then the strategy can be implemented. A potential employee will fill out a very detailed job application, a release form for background checks and provide a complete resume. The potential employee will then go through a multi level interview process conducted by different executives at each level. Then the employee will answer any and all questions that have arisen as a result of the completed background checks. Any hits at this point from a criminal background check that had not been addressed in the initial job application will effectively disqualify the applicant from procuring a position at the company in question.
It takes an investment of time to find the right background check company and formulate an all encompassing hiring process that protects your company, however but in the end it will guard your company from losses caused by bad employees. A company has the right to protect its employees and its profits and it starts with screening potential employees.
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

Ensuring your company is conducting background checks is a good first step, however, it is important that your company conducts the correct level of criminal background checks and employee background checks. This is all a part of having a successful pre employment screening process. The background check experts all agree that one of the best ways to deter a potential thief from working with a company is a rigorous pre employment screening process that includes multiple interviews and pointed questions regarding employment and education history.Unfortunately even companies with good intentions about having a successful pre employment screening strategy fall short due to not hiring a qualified background check company. They muddle about and conduct random criminal background checks which when not guided by background check experts usually does not encompass the correct areas where crimes may have been committed. Ultimately this leads to a false sense of security that can have devastating results. Another thing companies overlook is the employee background check, they figure a couple phone calls to companies written on a job application will suffice. This again will be a potentially costly mistake. Background check experts know exactly how to conduct an in depth employee background check which requires a significant amount of research. A good background check company will also be able to verify an employee’s education history as well as job and personal references.

Companies that do utilize a reputable background check company have access to background check experts that have worked in and around every type of business under the sun. The right background check expert is matched to a company and a pre employment screening strategy is custom made to fit the business like a glove. This process usually involves the human resource, loss prevention and legal departments. Once the company’s policy and procedures have been reviewed in detail then the strategy can be implemented. A potential employee will fill out a very detailed job application, a release form for background checks and provide a complete resume. The potential employee will then go through a multi level interview process conducted by different executives at each level. Then the employee will answer any and all questions that have arisen as a result of the completed background checks. Any hits at this point from a criminal background check that had not been addressed in the initial job application will effectively disqualify the applicant from procuring a position at the company in question.

It takes an investment of time to find the right background check company and formulate an all encompassing hiring process that protects your company, however but in the end it will guard your company from losses caused by bad employees.A company has the right to protect its employees and its profits and it starts with screening potential employees.

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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Before Bottle Locks

March 7, 2012 by

When I first started working in Loss Prevention it was before the days that a bottle lock could be affordable and easy to use. We didn’t even give bottle locks a second thought. Our bottle security was simply catching shoplifters. Now, I can’t imagine not using bottle locks as our liquor bottle security. Without it we were extremely vulnerable to theft. We caught a lot of shoplifters in those days. We had a window on the second floor that overlooked the liquor aisle; all I needed to do was sit up in my perch and watch. I would be guaranteed at least one shoplifter a day with this method. It was great, I was being very productive. But if you think about it, if it was that easy to catch a shoplifter, how many bottles were going out the door when I wasn’t there.

Deep down I think we knew that even though we were catching a lot of shoplifters, we were not really having as big of an effect on our shortage as we should have been. I wish we had decided to become an early adopter of the bottle lock. It would have saved us a lot of time and money. Once we started using Alpha Security bottle locks we really started to see a dent in our shortage numbers. Liquor bottle security was the best thing we could have done to hold on to our inventory.

One of the best things about EASy bottle bottle security is that your inventory is safe even when you aren’t watching. We still catch a lot of shoplifters, but now we have more time to focus on other areas where losses were previously being missed.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase EASy Bottle bottle locks by Alpha Security.

For more information on Alpha Security , Bottle Lock , Bottle locks , Bottle Security , liquor bottle security or EASy Bottle contact us or call 1.770.426.0547

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Organized Retail Crime and clothing security tags

March 7, 2012 by

Today my store was the victim of the perfidious workings of an organized retail crime group.  They bypassed everything from the clothing alarm to the Checkpoint tags as though they weren’t even in place.  In spite of their ability to surpass our clothing security measures, they failed in the end due a foolish oversight on their part (and perhaps a small amount of carelessness/arrogance).

Less than ten minutes after the first group of women had escaped to their vehicle and fled the mall’s property (without anyone able to spot a license plate unfortunately) our office received a phone call about a man attempting to return almost three hundred dollars of clothing product on the second floor, without a receipt.

Some of the pieces still had clothing security tags on them.  Under our advisement, and a second from management, the return was denied and the man left in a hurry through the third floor where I was waiting to follow on foot.  Sure enough, after tailing him along the outside of the mall for almost three minutes, I found him getting into a car that contained the three women who had stolen the clothing only moments prior.  I managed a walk-by that allowed me to call in the license plate number and a full description of the car to the local police.

Clothing security isn’t always such a task, with the foot pursuits and police intervention, but it seems to be becoming more and more common an occurrence these days. Despite the fact that the Checkpoint tags and clothing alarms were defeated so effortlessly by them, the tools did provide us with the time and means to identify a rather experienced organized crime group.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase a clothing alarm or clothing security tags.

For more information on Checkpoint tags, clothing security, clothing alarm, or clothing security tags contact us at security tags on clothes or call 1.770.426.0547

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