How do you say Anti Shoplifting– Physical Security!!

December 11, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Over the years of working in both large and small retailers it was always interesting to me to break down the actual shrink losses past just the dollars and overall percentages. Frequently retailers spend so much time attending to internal theft that they forget that retail theft prevention should be applied to all forms of loss. Smaller business locations seem to be the victims of this tendency. External theft, shoplifting, can be perpetrated a variety of different ways. Regardless of the shoplifting method a business with a Checkpoint security system always has a deterrence effect upon potential shoplifters.

From various post theft interviews I have conducted over the years with shoplifters I have learned that the vast majority of thieves look for the easiest target. They avoid stores with Checkpoint systems. When the potential thief sees the pedestals at the front of the store and the checkpoint security tags attached securely to product they avoid the location like a car thief avoids a car with an alarm and or the “club”. As one suspect stated “Why waste the time when I can go down the street and steal the same product from a company without any means of retail theft prevention?”. I have to admit in all of the companies that I worked for who properly utilized the Checkpoint systems; their shrink percentage breakdown of product categories that were tagged consistently and properly with Checkpoint security tags were always lower than other companies who sold the same product and did not use any anti shoplifting tools.

Small businesses tend to believe that they either can’t afford the Checkpoint security system or that the Checkpoint system will not be cost effective. Many believe that they can handle retail theft prevention “in house” stating that their business is just to small to be on the radar of thieves. This tends to be a costly mistake. Once an inventory count has been conducted; a business owner is left with shrink loss that is compounded by the loss of the sale of the stolen product. By no means is any anti shoplifting tool guaranteed to eliminate external theft. When you buy and employ a Checkpoint system it is important that everyone on the sales team from part timers to management are trained to properly use the checkpoint security tags on specified product, audit all product categories that have been tagged, report and investigate any defeated tags and react correctly when the Checkpoint system alarm has been activated.  Physical security using an anti shoplifting tool such as the Checkpoint security system is a must if a business is to prevent external losses via shoplifting.

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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Pre employment screenings for Holiday help.

December 11, 2011 by

If you have not already begun, you will shortly start adding hours and employees to handle the holiday rush.  It is important that you consider using a pre employment screening and criminal background checks before making your seasonal hiring decisions final.

All employees are a risk.  Even with a good interview you never really know what you are going to end up with until the employee starts working.  That is why I always recommend using a quality background check company to perform criminal background checks to help ensure you are getting a trustworthy candidate.  This is even more important when adding seasonal help.  Seasonal employees don’t have long term goals with your organization and are there for one reason; get extra money.  While your goal is that the “extra money” be in the form of a pay check, many aren’t that picky.  As a seasoned Loss Prevention Professional I can say that this group accounts for a large majority of my internal theft cases on a yearly basis.  To this end anything the store can do to weed out potential bad apples is a great benefit to the company.

Background check experts can also conduct non-criminal employee background checks.  They can do background checks into finances, employment history, educational history, sex offender registry, etc.  All of these background checks will help you as the employer get a better feel for your candidate and help you make the best hiring decision possible.

Background check experts should be trained investigators.  When you use a reputable background check company to conduct your employee background checks you also can limit liability in cases where an employee causes harm or damage to others.  You might have to pay for the damage, but the damages due to negligent hiring will be much less significant.

 For more information on background checks background, check experts, 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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Use bottle security to protect your holiday inventory

December 11, 2011 by

Any time of year is a great time to use bottle security to protect your alcoholic products.  This becomes even more relevant during the holidays.  Holidays seem to not always bring out the best in people.  While we like to think about this time of year as a time of giving, many consider this a great time for taking as well.  Shoplifting and employee theft always rise during the holidays.  There are more shoppers so it is harder for store staff to catch the thieves.  Additionally, with a tight economy it is hard to afford buying a present for everyone on your Christmas list so many resort to stealing rather than show up to the holiday celebration empty handed.

Here is where Alpha security becomes a great business partner.  Alpha security makes a variety of bottle security locks to help keep your high dollar product safe and still openly displayed for easy customer purchase.  Probably the most popular bottle lock is the “EASy bottle” bottle lock.  This bottle lock goes over the mouth of the bottle to keep the contents safe.  The “EASy bottle” bottle locks also have a built in EAS tag that will work with your existing RF and AM EAS systems to alert you to potential theft.  These are perhaps the best for your liquor bottle security.

There are other bottle locks available for those who have bottles (such as wines and champagnes) where the mouth of the bottle is too large for the “EASy bottle” liquor bottle security.  One of these bottle locks goes around the neck of the bottle and has an EAS tag inside.  These will fit on any size bottle and still give you the protection of being alerted of theft when it is happening.

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

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

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Security Tagging Your Clothes: Is really not an option

December 11, 2011 by

Retailers have lost billions of dollars over the years as a result of retail theft.  Clothing retailers have been hit especially hard.  There is currently no reason to believe that trend is changing.  Every year retailers stand to lose needed profit from a preventable problem.  Clothing retailers have found a remedy to aid in their fight against retail theft within their stores.  Clothing retailers are utilizing Checkpoint tags.  Checkpoint tags are some of the highest quality clothing security tags on the market.  Clothing retailers know that clothing security has to be a priority.

Clothing security starts when the retailer places security tags on clothes.  The clothing security tags in conjunction with a clothing alarm will alert a retailer of any customer that is attempting to steal their clothing.  A clothing alarm will give an audible alert that will inform any sales associate and customer in the area that something is not right.  When a clothing alarm is triggered it creates an embarrassing situation for a shoplifter and usually leads to them exiting the store.

Checkpoint tags have long been the standard in clothing security tags.  Retailers are aware that placing security tags on clothes should be done.  Retailers know that the ramifications for not placing security tags on clothes can be extensive.  A loss of valuable inventory due to theft can mean thousands in lost revenue.  The inability to keep your shelves stocked with the latest fashion because shoplifters are taking them as fast as you place them on the sales rack can lead to lost customers.  Customer loyalty can be pushed to the limit when they are simply unable to find what they want at your store.  These are some of the ramifications of not placing security tags on clothes. The benefits of increasing clothing security far outweigh the modest investment in clothing security tags.

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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Prevent Shoplifting during the Holidays

December 11, 2011 by Leave a Comment

While there is a multitude of ways to steal, one method is gaining an increase in popularity. Box stuffing is just like it sounds. Shoplifters take a large box, generally from a fairly low dollar item, and stuff it full of high dollar items. Because the box is rang trough the POS, it often does not call attention to the theft.

 The use of retail anti theft devices like hard and soft tags can be an effective tool to prevent shoplifting incidents, like box stuffing. By not only having RF tags on the high dollar products like electronics or jewelry, using a soft tag on the inside of large boxes assists in the detection of box stuffers. The additional retail anti theft devices provide a two fold attack to prevent shoplifting.

 The first, is that the more tags there are to deactivate, the harder it is for the shoplifter to attempt to remove. They are counting on being able to quickly stuff the box and go. Too many tags, make for too many obstacles, thus slowing them down.

 The second part is at the POS. With more tags on your product, there is more opportunity for one to set off an alarm going out the door.

 The associates will have the extra advantage to prevent shoplifting because of the obstacle RF tags place. Box stuffers beware, retail anti shoplifting devices will    make stealing not worth your time. Move on!

 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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Holidays….less time, more people, more theft!

December 11, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The holidays are most retailers busiest time of the year where financial goals tend to be made or lost based on a narrow scope of time. This obviously causes a huge amount of stress for both the sales operations department and the Loss Prevention department.

I worked for a small box retailer who made 60 percent of their business in a two month holiday period. This retailer bought and implemented the Checkpoint security tag system as a means to attempt to stop shoplifting. This system was very helpful since the store personnel were overwhelmed with sales and customer service issues at this time of year.

The store locations that utilized the checkpoint system the best devised a daily system to ensure all floor product was tagged with rf security labels both in the morning and at night. By no means will any physical security system stop shoplifting 100% but a properly implemented EAS system using checkpoint security tags as well as rf labels will take a huge bite out of shrink.

I remember how store locations from the same company could differ greatly in every aspect of the business thus requiring district and regional level store visits to ensure overall compliance to company policies. The same differences could be found in store locations both using the rf label system.

Part of my store visits were to first watch the location for a while to get a feel for the store’s overall compliance to sales and loss prevention protocol. It became plainly obvious that for the Checkpoint security label system to work in a store the system had to be supported by both the District Manager and the Store Manager. Failure to support the system from top management was easily pinpointed when auditing the checkpoint security tag compliance in high shrink categories as well as how the store staffs reacted to the EAS alarm system when product with rf labels were removed from the store.

If a customer walked out of the store with merchandise that had a rf label or rf security tag on it that either had not been properly deactivated or removed and the staff merely let the customer leave without batting an eye then it was usually a telltale sign that the checkpoint system was not being supported. The indifference to the system was something that had to be rectified immediately from the top down since ignoring the checkpoint label system cost the company money in both merchandise loss as well as the cost of the rf labels and rf security tags. It was imperative to have a meeting with the District Manager first and then the store manager. I would bring a breakdown of the store’s highest shrink categories and a detailed comparison to similar stores who were supporting the checkpoint system.

I would ensure the stores were evenly matched for sales volume, demographic and payroll allotment so that the comparison was fair. At this point District Managers usually understood the value of the rf security label system as well as the necessity to fully support and utilize the program. This is when as loss prevention profession I would step in to train the store manager and the staff as to proper tagging of merchandise using the rf security labels and rf security tags. I also had to train the staffs as to the importance of auditing the tagged product for consistency and compliance. Another piece to the training is to ensure every team member knows how to deactivate and remove checkpoint security tags and checkpoint security labels. The final step in training was to instruct all staff members the correct way to approach a customer when the EAS pedestal alarms sound when someone is removing product either knowingly or unknowingly still tagged with RF security labels or rf security tags.

Though the Checkpoint system can not promise to altogether stop shoplifting it was plainly evident when inventory results were reviewed that locations which embraced the checkpoint product wholly had much better overall shrink.

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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Employee Theft: Scanning and Scamming – Atlanta Georgia

December 11, 2011 by Leave a Comment

While working as a loss prevention manger, I witness acts of employee theft almost on a monthly basis and in some months more often.  I recall one case of employee theft that had me baffled.  After observing a pattern of the same customers purchasing large amounts of merchandise at one specific associate’s register.  When this associate would be working without fail a group of individuals would come in and go through the associate register to be checked out.  My years of experience in retail said that something was not right and that this might be a case of employee theft.  This instinct, lead me to begin an employee theft investigation.

During the employee theft investigation, I watched the subject process the transaction of the group that had been seen only using her her register to checkout. The transaction looked normal, the associate appeared to pass all the merchandise across the scanner and the customers appeared to tender their payment.  In an effort to fully analyze the transaction and conduct a thorough employee theft investigation, I reviewed the electronic journal for that register transaction.  What I saw was that none of the merchandise observed on camera being scanned by the associate matched the merchandise shown on the receipt.

When I concluded the employee theft investigation, I interviewed the associate about why the merchandise being scanned did not match the merchandise going out the door. I ask the associate were they aware of our internal theft policies and had they committed internal theft while working at the store.  The associate admitted to committing internal theft while being employed and said that they used the price labels from less expensive products to scan the more expensive items. The associate admitted to taking about $3500.00 in merchandise from the store.  After identifying the associate accomplices in the surveillance video, the police were able to recover some of the stolen items.

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

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Checkpoint: A Partner In Retail Theft Prevention

December 8, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Every year around this time millions of customers head to the stores with their gift lists.  Unfortunately, everyone going into the stores is not planning on buying their gifts.  Retailers are aware of this issue and have done their best to put anti shoplifting practices into place.  These anti shoplifting measures make up an integral part of retailer’s overall retail theft prevention programs.  These anti shoplifting measures include using Checkpoint security tags on their merchandise.  Checkpoint security tags are used in conjunction with a Checkpoint security system.

Checkpoint systems have been a staple and the centerpiece of many retail theft prevention programs.  This is the time of year where retailers are focused on customer service however, they are aware of the potential for theft.  Retailers choose to have a reliable partner in the fight against shoplifting.  Checkpoint systems have proven to be that reliable partner.  A Checkpoint security system saves the retailer thousands in potential losses.

Retailers that utilize the Checkpoint security system along with the Checkpoint security tags know that they have one of the premier products in retail theft prevention.   Checkpoint security tags provide dependable merchandise protection.  Retailers know that by placing the Checkpoint security tags on their merchandise that they are sending a clear message to anyone contemplating shoplifting from their store.

In my ten plus years in retail loss prevention I have learned that it pays to be proactive in preventing shoplifting.  The value of having a reliable partner with the devices and technology needed to maintain an effective retail theft prevention program is immeasurable.  Retailers must protect their assets and must do so in a cost effective manner. Checkpoint systems allow retailers and opportunity to manage their cost and protect their assets.  It is inconceivable to think of a retailer trying to protect their merchandise by themselves.

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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Don’t Get Buried in a Mountain of Useless Applications -Atlanta, GA

December 8, 2011 by

Pre employment screening is a useful tool in today’s economy. There are so many applicants vying for each position. How do you determine just by looking on paper who you want to spend your time hiring? Background check experts can help.

A reliable Background Check Company can ease the stress associated with finding the right candidate for a position. Running a background check will give insight into information that is often not found on the generic application often used for an open position. It can include a criminal background check and a credit check.

Wouldn’t it be nice to know if that felony was for theft, or assault instead of a DUI or a traffic violation? How about the applicant who doesn’t have any bankruptcies or foreclosures, but still has a mountain of debt they can’t realistically repay on the salary you are providing? These are just two of the more common types of background checks that a Background Check company can run.

While employee background checks are not a replacement for an actual question and answer interview, they do provide a “heads up” to potential questions that should be asked. Pre employment screening will help weed out the applicants that you probably don’t even want to waste your valuable time with.

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 – Atlanta, GA 

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MAXIMIZE BOTTLE SECURITY TO MINIMIZE WINE AND LIQUOR THEFT

December 8, 2011 by

Liquor bottle security is a topic all businesses engaged in liquor and wine sales can take for granted.  Bottle theft is very common in the food and beverage industry because a server, cook or dish washer can quickly remove inventory from a stock room while everyone is busy on the sales floor.

Locking inventory in a closet to control access is a great first step but we all know the stockroom will be unlocked at times.  EASy Bottle bottle locks by Alpha Security are a great tool for reducing theft through deterrence.

A hotel restaurant I once worked for didn’t have liquor bottle security in place during the busy holiday season.  They hired about 10-15 seasonal support staff members during this time so it was tough to make money because tips were split between so many people.

Dinner was the busiest shift and we started noticing high-end vodka disappearing in the evening.  Everything was locked in a stock room but it was hard to keep the door secured because so many people needed ready access.  Servers didn’t have time to wait for a key holder because customers’ meal orders were already delayed because of the evening rush.

A bottle lock was placed on each high-theft item before they were placed in the stockroom.  When the vodka stopped walking out the back door the red wine started disappearing.  The restaurant manager decided to place an EASy bottle bottle lock by Alpha Security on each bottle before it was placed in the stockroom.

The access key to the bottle locks was kept at the server station for ready access.  Implementing bottle security stopped out inventory from walking out the back door.  It was learned that one of our seasonal cooks was stealing from the stock room while servers were on the sales floor and liquor bottle security helped management identify the thief.

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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