It’s been a while since I went on a rant about the mechanisms retailers put in place to stop shoplifting that drive me up the wall. After my shopping trip to a store to purchase a computer monitor because mine went kaput I got annoyed. This store puts security wraps around $80 routers and even some landline telephone systems but on an open shelf they had a computer monitor that was on sale normally priced around $119. There were no Sensormatic tags or other protection on it to prevent someone from picking it up and walking out the doors with it. Are You KIDDING ME? This same company has jump drives in security boxes. Good Grief! With the price points of some of the items that are protected with anti-theft devices to stop shoplifting it makes no sense to me that a computer monitor that WOULD be a target for shoplifters would be left unprotected.
This isn’t my only rant on merchandise protection in stores. It wasn’t long ago that I was in another retail store that carries infant formula. This store was securing the baby formula cans in a type of security box device that appeared designed specifically for the formula cans in much the same way as Sesnormatic Magnetic Infant Formula Tags are designed to protect baby formula and similarly shaped cans. The protection of the cans is a great idea but what I found silly was the baby formula was then placed behind a security display that restricts the cans to being removed one at a time. I know why they are doing this. Baby formula is a high theft item for Organized Retail Crime groups. These are groups of professional shoplifting rings that are adept at stealing large quantities of merchandise and reselling them to mom and pop shops and through the internet. The thing that drives me crazy is the electronic article surveillance devices are supposed to be the deterrent to theft while making merchandise more accessible to the shoppers. Trust the tags, they work.
Even Bill Bregar the CEO of Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. a former National Director of Loss Prevention recognizes that Sensormatic Tags and other retail anti-theft devices provide protection AND improve sales for stores. Use of electronic article surveillance systems gives retailers the ability to make merchandise more available to customers. Customers are more apt to purchase something they can pick up and carry rather than having to wait for assistance at a showcase. They also don’t like to feel restricted when they want more than one item from a shelf. Trusting in the Sensormatic system to do what it is intended to do improves sales and decreases shortage. Doubling security in my opinion only negates the purpose of using anti-shoplifting devices by impeding sales not enhancing them.
Another rant I have involves security display cases and this directly impacts me because I work in a store that uses these monstrosities. Our store uses a new style of lock-up case that requires an electronic key to open. Now I already hate display cases because of how they are NOT customer friendly. The type our store uses are not employee or customer friendly. The key is held next to a place on the door and when the button on the key is held down a metal door pin is retracted and the door can be opened. The problem is the key has to be “recharged” or it does not retract the pin or the key works but the pin simply doesn’t respond. I have had to make customers wait for up to 10 minutes to get a key recharged (that is uncomfortable). Also when I went to look for my computer monitor another employee stopped me and asked if I knew how to make the key work because the managers were all busy and no one else was available to assist her. I showed her how to open the case and then I went shopping. If we just relied on Sensormatic tags and had enough employees on the floor we would avoid this issue.
Electronic Article Surveillance can stop shoplifting and increase sales if it is managed properly. Not trusting a system once it is in place is counterproductive and results in lost sales as customers get annoyed at waiting. Invest in a Sensormatic security system and trust it to work in your favor. You will be happy with the results and you will stay off of my rant list.
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