Alpha Spider Wrap

Tips To Counter Website Advice For Potential Shoplifters

June 2, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

There seems to be an advice website or YouTube video for nearly everything these days. Want to know who to call for home repairs? Need information about a car before you buy it? Looking for someone to date? Yes, it’s all on the internet, I’ve even completed some plumbing repairs and small vehicle repairs with the aid of online videos. Unfortunately, while there is a lot of help and good information on the world wide web, there are also sites that purport to be “informational” only but the information they provide supposedly tells people how to shoplift. What I find even more irritating is that some of these theft websites allegedly are written by former Loss Prevention personnel. The information they give is sometimes too accurate and could cause problems for a retailer who isn’t informed themselves on how to prevent thieves from stealing from them.

Here is some ‘information’ that is published on the web and our advice can help you fight back against these shoplifter websites.

Website: Carry money with you, no money makes it hard to say it was spontaneous.
Loss Prevention Systems Inc. (LPSI) Advice: It makes no difference if the shoplifter has or does not have money. Treat all shoplifters the same and be consistent in prosecuting within whatever your policies say.
Website: Carry a bag but don’t place anything in it. It may get you off the hook if they can’t find anything in it.
LPSI Advice: Store Loss Prevention or Managers should never be stopping a suspect if they don’t know where the concealment took place and what was concealed. If you don’t know and didn’t see it, smother them with extensive customer service.
Website: Security does not go looking for poorly dressed people. They may pick on you out of boredom but they anticipate professional shoplifters will dress up a bit. Wear whatever you want.
LPSI Advice: Loss Prevention professionals who do the job right look for signals that may indicate someone is going to shoplift and the types of clothes worn. Are the clothes unseasonable? Is the person wearing a bulky coat when it’s warm outside? Is the person in a known high theft area? Does the person avoid customer service from employees?
Website: If you get caught don’t act tough or be a smart “arse” (sic), cry, bawl, beg them not to call the cops, that your kids will be taken by CSV (child services).
LPSI Advice: Always be consistent. Don’t play favorites and don’t do “favors”. Not applying the rules equally to everyone can actually get you into legal hot water. If there are children with the shoplifter there is nothing wrong with allowing them to call a family member or close, trusted friend to pick up the children. Often shoplifters who have no record of shoplifting have been caught before they were just released and not prosecuted. See how that works?
Website: Look for younger, or less ‘affluent’ associates who may turn a blind eye if they see you shoplifting.
LPSI Advice: Train ALL of your associates on the importance of customer service and the necessity to report all suspicious activity. Perhaps initiate a reward program for employees who can demonstrate they have prevented a theft. This may be done if they can show clothes with torn off tags or an anti-theft device that was being tampered with and the associate walked up and disrupted the thief. Maybe it’s a fitting room attendant who finds merchandise hidden that a shoplifter was going to try to take into the fitting room. Age of an employee should never be a factor.
Website: Most employees at places with EAS (electronic article surveillance) door alarms (towers) view them as an annoyance instead of as an asset. If someone does respond to an alarm they are usually only allowed to ask you if you “forgot to pay for something”. They cannot threaten to call the police. There was no evidence.
LPSI Advice: Ensure all associates are trained on appropriate EAS alarm response. Waving goodbye or saying, “It’s okay” is not appropriate. Employees should be asking politely for receipts and then looking for dates, time stamps, and verifying the items on the receipt are the items being carried out. If a discrepancy is found a manager should be called over. If nothing is found in bags or in the shopping cart, there are additional steps to take in order to determine the cause of an alarm.

Loss Prevention Systems provides training for managers and staff on preventing shoplifting. You can contact LPSI for information on how to approach an EAS/Checkpoint system alarm. These are simply a few tips on how to overcome the tips from these “informational” websites. Don’t be a victim to shoplifters. You can prevent theft, reduce your shortage and increase profits. Proper training for you and your managers can pay big dividends regardless of what criminals may read on the world wide web.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, EAS Devices, Employee Theft, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, Loss Prevention Seminars, Loss Prevention Training, Loss Prevention Workshop, Periodic inventory, Prevent Shoplifting, racial profiling, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security, retail security and monitoring, security devices, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, surveillance

Too Small A Store For A Loss Prevention Department? Loss Prevention Systems Inc. Is The Solution To Your Dilemma

June 2, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Shortage control and theft prevention for small retailers which have no Loss Prevention Associates in the store was the topic of a recent article in an online loss prevention magazine. The points were well made and much of it was directed at stores that may have district or regional Loss Prevention Managers. But the truth is there are many small, independent retailers with no affiliation to a larger company. How do these stores cope with reducing shrink and preventing theft? It could be a tough problem but Loss Prevention Systems Inc. (LPSI)has the solutions that can keep small stores keep shortage down and profits up.

So what are the solutions for those smaller retailers and how can LPSI help?

LPSI offers business owners advice through the blog posts on its website. The blogs are written by professionals who have years of experience in retail management and retail Loss Prevention. They give helpful insights from their personal experiences and knowledge of how shortage occurs. These insights can often be applied to any retail environment from a local “Mom and Pop” shop to a big box retail store.
LPSI posts videos on YouTube. Bill Bregar, owner and President of LPSI regularly posts videos to the web site, sharing stories from his extensive Loss Prevention experiences and tying them in with tips and strategies business owners and managers can employ in their own buildings. The videos are short yet informative and interesting as Bill includes anecdotes from his time in the field.
LPSI’s Facebook account provides additional videos and information on merchandise protection tools like Checkpoint and Alpha security tags and electronic article surveillance towers.
Small business owners may not have all of the information they need on how to prevent theft from employees or from shoplifters. While they are knowledgeable on the aspects of ordering products, replenishing the stores, running point of sale terminals they may not be equipped or even aware of all the various methods that can impact shortage. LPSI offers training seminars for business owners and managers that will give them the knowledge and information they need to prevent shoplifting, dishonest employee activity, and fraud. A store may not be able to afford its own Loss Prevention department but this does not prevent them from proactively deterring or stopping thieves. LPSI has provided training both nationally and internationally to give business owners the tools that will allow them to defeat thieves even without a Loss Prevention Department.
Were you aware that hiring the wrong people to work for you can lead to internal theft and fraud, poor employee morale or worse, they could be a legal liability? LPSI offers professional background check services. They can look at an applicant’s criminal history, driving record, verify academic records, check on prior addresses, and verify employment history. Will the employee be working around children or other employees? The background check services offered by LPSI can check on sex offender registries to make sure your other employees and customers are safe and secure. Our company can make sure your hiring practices are optimizing your investment in staffing your store(s).
Consider that retail anti-theft devices and EAS pedestals can significantly deter shoplifting crime and even internal theft. You might be thinking about investing in it but you’re not sure how much you should invest or what the impact of your investment will be? LPSI offers a Free ROI Calculator on its website. There is no obligation to use it but simply entering the amount of money you are thinking about investing in Checkpoint equipment and how much your annual sales are, you can get a quick estimate of what your savings from shortage reduction would be.

Shortage reduction and theft prevention does not necessarily require a Loss Prevention Department.

By using all of the resources available through Loss Prevention Systems Inc. you can effectively reduce merchandise shortage. We can also assist you in making the right investments in merchandise protection that will best suit your store size and the type of merchandise you carry. Spend some time reviewing the LPSI website and social media posts and see if WE can be meet your Loss Prevention needs.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, Background checks, CCTV cameras, EAS Devices, employee background checks, Employee Theft, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Training, Loss Prevention Workshop, racial profiling, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security, retail security and monitoring, security devices, shoplifting, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, surveillance

What Are You Doing To Prevent Shoplifting In Your Store?

June 1, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

In some regions, police departments warn retail stores and home owners of an increase in shoplifting and burglaries during the summer months. Many of the burglaries and shoplifting accidents committed during these months are from young adults that are out of school with nothing better to do.

The problem-although serious- is nothing compared to the thousands of dollars that are stolen by organized retail crime rings in some cities.

People in an organized retail crime ring can enter a store and leave it within minutes with thousands of dollars in stolen merchandise. They are professionals and their goals is simple: Steal as much as you can in the least amount of time.

Training to prevent this kind of shoplifting is paramount to the well being of your store.

For more about this and other topics, follow the links below.

Shoplifting plagues Portland retailers

SHOPLIFTING IS A CONSTANT PROBLEM FOR PORTLAND RETAILERS, BUT POLICE DON’T HAVE THE RESOURCES TO CRACK DOWN ON MANY OF THE THEFTS.

Rise in organized retail theft is costing you

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – They’re fast, they’re sneaky – and their crimes are impacting your wallet.

Organized retail thieves are costing retailers billions of dollars each year, which inevitably ends up costing you.

But it’s more than just shoplifting. Organized retail theft includes:

Receiving goods that are believed to be stolen, even if they’re not
Shoplifting goods ($200+ value) through an emergency exit door
Theft of infant formula more than $100
Credit card/gift card fraud

International Super-Heist Cost Retailers Billions Last Year

One woman in El Segundo stole $10,000 of clothes from a shop in about 20 minutes during the course of three visits.

Retailers ready to launch their new fashion lines can bet some of that apparel will be stolen the minute it hits their shelves, according to private investigators.

The products are being shoplifted, in some cases, thousands of dollars at a time, by thieves committing organized retail crime.

A private investigator, speaking to NBC4 on the condition of anonymity, helped detectives with the El Segundo police department, tie two Colombian nationals to an international theft ring.

The two were arrested after police discovered $67,000 worth of stolen merchandise in their Hawthorne apartment.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, Background checks, EAS Devices, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, Loss Prevention Seminar, Prevent Shoplifting, retail security and monitoring, shoplifting, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, surveillance

How To Prevent Shrinkage With Technology

May 10, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

It is true the retail industry losses are staggering. Losses due to shoplifting and employee theft are a problem that seems to have no solution. Small mom and pop stores close their stores for good because of the losses they encounter and cannot recover from. Big national retail stores have the capability to withstand losses from shoplifting and employee theft that other smaller stores cannot.

New technologies have been a help for many of these giants in the prevention of shoplifting and employee theft. The new technology has helped these retail stores prevent the crime before it happens or when they are happening. Two of these technologies are: Video analytics along with video cameras and Face recognition software. They have played an important role in shoplifting prevention in the retail industry.

For more about preventing shoplifting and employee theft

Here are a 20 ways to make more money and boost your profit margins by minimizing loss in your business: – Modest Money (press release) (blog)

There’s an old saying that “you have to spend money to make money,” but it’s also true that one of the best ways to make money is to avoid spending money in the wrong places. If your business is spending too much money on unnecessary business expenses – or worse, if your business is losing money due to theft by customers or employee fraud – you are letting good money go out the door. And this makes it harder for your business to be profitable because you have to work that much harder.

Here are a 20 ways to make more money and boost your profit margins by minimizing loss in your business:

Reduce Administrative Errors: Many businesses make seemingly simple mistakes in their pricing, paperwork or bookkeeping that lead to big losses over time.
Prevent Employee Theft: Employees stealing from their own companies is a major cause of “shrinkage” or business profit loss. According to RetailNext, employee theft makes up almost half of the $42 billion in retail shrinkage each year.

How to tackle employee theft with real-time inventory

Minna Nurmisalo, project & marketing manager at MariElla Labels, takes a look at how real-time inventory can help deter employee theft.

No retail business wants to believe that they might be subject to theft from their own employees. Unfortunately, it is a very real problem. It might be stealing items on their person, or exploiting employee discount privileges to significantly reduce the price – either way, employee theft can account for as much as 28% of unexplained inventory loss globally, according to the recent Global Theft Barometer Report.

In order to prevent it, it is first important for employers to be aware why employees might feel the temptation to steal – from financial pressures in their personal lives, to general disgruntlement with their employers.

But irrespective of the emotional reason that causes employees to consider stealing, it all boils down to something very simple: they think they can get away with it.

Beat The Shrink: How Inventory Management Can Help Reduce Shrinkage

Retailers ate losses of more than $45 billion thanks to shrinkage in 2015, a $1 billion jump from the 2014 total. If this trend continues, the 2016 figure could exceed $47 billion!

How can so much inventory just walk out the door? According to the National Retail Federation, there are five main ways for your supply to disappear.

Sometimes it doesn’t even make it to the store. Roughly seven percent of shrink comes from the vendors in the form of overcharges or undersupply. Small businesses can be especially vulnerable to this if they operate on more informal bases with their supply companies. Check your contracts and make sure expectations are clear.

Human errors count for another 16 percent. Maybe someone ordered too much product to move in a realistic timeframe. A stocker accidentally slapped the wrong price on an item and led to an impromptu sales event. It could be something as simple as poorly-inventoried stockrooms that harried employees tally by physical count and tally marks.

Other times, though, goods may get a helping hand out the door.

Shoplifting counts for 38 percent of loss. People may steal for personal use. They might need to make fast money from a resale. It could be nothing more than they steal because they can, but the end result remains the same: Lost revenue and unbalanced books.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, Background checks, EAS Devices, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Training, retail security and monitoring, security, security devices, shoplifting, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, surveillance

The Habit of Shoplifting

May 2, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

The National Association for Shoplifting Prevention studies have shown that there is not a profile for a typical shoplifter. Women and men shoplift as frequently, and the majority of the shoplifting is done by adults. And although, shoplifting has been shown to start early in a person’s teenage years, as teenagers become adults, the tendency to shoplift stays with them. Drugs, poverty, and mental illness have been factors for people who shoplift. In other cases, the reasons are still unclear. People from all walks of life shoplift.

Studies in the United Kingdom have shown that people who shoplift will do so again within the year. That is the case in most developed countries. Shoplifting can be a way of life for many of these people, and if retail stores across the globe do not find measures to mitigate the damage these shoplifters do, the profits these retail stores can count on at the end of their fiscal year diminish tremendously.

To learn more about this topic, follow the links below.

One in four criminals re-offend within a year

More than a quarter of offenders are re-convicted within a year, according to official statistics.

Figures from the Scottish Government show that in 2014-15, 28.2 per cent of the 43,634 people released from prison or given a non-custodial sentence such as a community payback order or fine had a further conviction within a year.

The overall re-conviction rate has fallen 0.3 per cent from 2013/14, continuing an 18-year downward trend.

But of those given a custodial sentence of six months or less, 57 per cent were re-convicted within a year and 39 per cent were back in prison 12 months later.

Offenders released from jail in 2014/15 had a higher re-conviction rate at 43.9 per cent than for any other type of sentence except drug treatment and testing orders.

Statisticians highlighted that offenders who receive short sentences typically commit “low level” crimes such as shoplifting, but often in higher volumes and are more likely to be re-convicted.

Sex offenders had the lowest re-conviction rate at 12.1 per cent, while people committing crimes of dishonesty such as theft or shoplifting had the highest out of the crime classifications at 42.5 per cent.

Justice Secretary Michael Matheson said the figures showed that community sentences, including community payback orders (CPOs) brought in to replace community service, were more effective at cutting re-offending than short jail terms.

Former State Rep. Hurley pleads guilty to three shoplifting incidents

ROGERSVILLE – Local businessman and former State Representative Bruce W. Hurley, 83, entered guilty pleas in Hawkins Co. Criminal Court on Friday, April 28, to three counts of theft of property valued at less than $500.

Court records indicate that Hurley, who pleaded guilty before Criminal Court Judge John F. Dugger, Jr., will serve no jail time as a result of his pleas of guilty to what amounts to three shoplifting charges.

Judge Dugger imposed a sentence of 11 months and 29 days, but ruled that all but 120 days of that sentence is to be served on probation. The remaining 120 days is to be served on community corrections (house arrest), court records indicate.

In addition to a $50 fine on each count, Hurley was ordered to pay $4.02 in restitution to Walmart, one of his two theft victims. The other theft victim was the Rogersville Food City supermarket. All three charges were brought against Hurley by the victims, according to a Rogersville Police Department spokesman.

Court records indicate that the thefts took place on Aug. 25, 2016; Sept. 29, 2016; and Nov. 16, 2016.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, EAS Devices, Employee shoplifting training, Employee Theft, Former State Representative shoplifting, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, Loss Prevention Training, National Association for Shoplifting Prevention, Prevent Shoplifting, racial profiling, Retail Anti Theft Devices, security devices, shoplifting, Shoplifting Prevention, Shoplifting prosecution, Shoplifting Sentencing, shoplifting statistics, Shoplifting Training Seminars, shoplifting violence, surveillance, Walmart shoplifting

Credit Card Fraud, Bad Checks And Counterfeit Money: Tips To Combat All Three

April 30, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

I live in a resort area so we get all types of fraud activity. Stolen credit cards, stolen and counterfeit checks and counterfeit cash, in addition to the day to day shoplifting and employee theft cases keep us busy. For L.P. departments in our area this can become overwhelming from an investigation standpoint. Employee training and awareness is crucial to effectively combat this activity, L.P. Managers can’t be in a store 7 days a week and even if we could be we can’t see everything. Store associates and managers are the first line of defense in preventing fraud at the point of sale. Here are some tips to identify and deter financial transaction fraud.

Let’s start with credit card fraud. I used to harp on cashiers to look for signatures on the back of cards and if a card wasn’t signed or had “See I.D.” written on it, they were expected to ask for ID. When proper ID was not produced a transaction was declined, no exceptions. With today’s technology, people swipe their cards or hold smartphones up to the card reader and the information is transferred to the Point of Sale (POS). Chip cards are also considered a more secure means of payment than the older self-swipe. With chip technology every transaction has a unique code attached to it, whereas the old mag stripe cards had unchanging data that could be replicated and transferred to another card (source creditcard.com). Because chip enabled cards still have mag stripes and not all companies have changed to chip reader technology, fraud is still an opportunity. To minimize risk, if a small transaction for a few dollars is followed by a large dollar transaction be cautious, there is a strong possibility a stolen card is being used. The small transaction acts as a test to be sure the card is going to work. Second, if you have chip readers, don’t bypass them. Ask for a different form of payment if necessary but let the system work for you. You are always free to ask for an ID to compare to the card, and turn down a sale if the customer doesn’t have one.

Check fraud is becoming less common. The advent of Apple Pay, Pay Pal, and pay apps for various companies, has resulted in fewer checks being written. Still, business checks are pretty common and a personal check is tendered from time to time. Check creation kits are easy to purchase and with a routing and account number it is a piece of cake to create a fraudulent check with any name, address or phone number you want on it. The good thieves will also have fake ID’s to match the information on the check. A few actions you can take to reduce the chance of check fraud in your store include, requiring a government issued ID for check transactions and recording the ID number on the check. If your POS system can electronically process a check let it. Don’t override the system if a check is declined. Look for high dollar checks being written in the later evening hours and on weekends when banks tend to be closed. The bad guys are counting on you not being able to verify account information.

Counterfeit money is a problem and with high quality printers available on today’s market it is easier for criminals to create currency that at first glance appears very convincing. Without going into specifics, counterfeiters have found ways to get paper that can pass muster with regular people like you and me, though trained bankers would notice the difference in quality. They spread their money around a town for a few days and then leave before authorities can start following a trail. The only thing I can suggest to combat these thieves is to watch for the small purchases, such as a pack of gum or soft drink being purchased with a $50 or $100 bill. The criminals are getting real money in change at the cost of no more than a couple of bucks. Along the same lines, watch for the $1 bills that have been altered by pasting higher denominations on two of the corners, usually $50’s and $100’s although sometimes $20’s are used. These bills will be mixed in with several other bills with the dollar corners concealed in the stack.

One last word of caution, if you use the words “In Training” on your name badges, stop! Criminals look for people they think are new and easier to con. Identifying your new people is an invitation for trouble. Financial transaction fraud can be expensive and cost you a lot of money. Properly training cashiers and monitoring transactions can help you deter the crime from happening in the first place.

Alpha Security Devices Prevent Most Shoplifting But Be Careful Of Thieves Who Are Not Deterred By Them

April 27, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Alpha Spider Wrap-4 WC blog 285

Alpha Security-4

Prevent Shoplifting-4

Retail Anti-Theft Devices-5

Alpha Security Devices Prevent Most Shoplifting But Be Careful Of Thieves Who Are Not Deterred By Them

My daughter recently told me about trying to prevent shoplifting during an incident at the store she works at. She was at the customer service counter located near the front door. She noticed a man wearing a ball cap with the tag hanging down and several items in his hand. She told me she sees customers wearing their hats a lot but usually they take them off when they get to the register and pay for it along with the other merchandise they may have. This customer was making no attempt to walk towards the register and as he got closer to the front door my daughter said she saw he was carrying a piece of merchandise with an Alpha Spider Wrap on it. The suspect got closer to the door, the retail anti-theft devices activated the electronic article surveillance (EAS) alarm and my daughter went to the door to conduct a receipt check and called to the suspect but he ignored her and ran to his car. My daughter called the Manager On Duty to report the theft but told me she was mad the shoplifter had stolen from them and wanted to chase after him (though she did not and followed company policy).

If you are a retail business owner and do not use retail anti-theft devices from Alpha Security products like the Alpha Spider Wrap, you are probably experiencing more theft than you know. Alpha Spider Wrap is a protective device that has a radio frequency (rf) tag built into it that causes an EAS antenna radio frequency receiver to sound an alarm when it is carried too close to the antenna. Alpha 3 Alarm retail anti-theft devices also have a built in alarm that sounds IF someone gets out the door with protected merchandise. Spider wraps have four strand of wire connected to a main housing unit. The wires are wrapped around a boxed piece of merchandise and then tightened with a ratchet like handle. When properly applied, the wraps cannot be removed without an Alpha Security detachment key, normally kept secured at the cash register. By the way, Spider Wrap is also tamper proof and will self- alarm if a shoplifter attempts to cut one of the wires.

You are probably thinking that in my daughter’s situation protective devices didn’t prevent shoplifting so why use them? First, it has been proven that retail anti-theft devices DO deter thieves and prevent shoplifting. If you look at the 2014-2015 Global Retail Theft Barometer report, you can see in the Regional Report for North America (pgs. 50-60) that for most retailers that reduced their spending on Loss Prevention their merchandise shrinkage increased from the prior year. Second, by using the Alpha Security devices an alarm did activate and my daughter was able to attempt to approach the customer and she did see what he looked like, and customers who were nearby reported what type of vehicle the suspect got away in. This is someone who will be recognized if he returns. If your store isn’t protecting merchandise you have no way to know when something is stolen let alone who may be taking it. You also have no deterrence to keep shoplifters from trying to steal from you. As someone who has been involved in Retail Loss Prevention for nearly 20 years, I have first-hand experience in watching would-be criminals try to remove Alpha Security devices and then stop out of frustration. I have also seen them drop merchandise when EAS antenna alarms sounded and I have recovered merchandise during a receipt check due to alarm activations.

I also want to touch on the topic of employee safety and dealing with shoplifters. I mentioned that my daughter said she was mad that someone would steal and she wished she could have chased after the suspect. Drawing from my years of Loss Prevention experience, I reminded her that she did the right thing by staying in the store and I am sharing this advice with you. Too often shoplifters who disregard alarms and run out the door are armed, on some type of illegal drugs or have criminal records that would put them in jail if they are caught. I have seen shoplifters speed out of a parking lot nearly hitting other cars and pedestrians in an effort to escape. I have been injured and had LP co-workers injured trying to apprehend shoplifters. Responding to an alarm caused by a retail anti-theft device is appropriate but chasing someone who has shoplifted is dangerous. Report suspected thefts to your local police department. Merchandise can be replaced, people can’t be. In the meantime do what you can to prevent shoplifting by using Alpha Spider Wrap and watch your shortage results shrink.

Need information on Alpha Security? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.

If you are a retail business owner and do not use retail anti-theft devices from Alpha Security products like the Alpha Spider Wrap, you are probably experiencing more theft than you know. Alpha Spider Wrap is a protective device that causes an EAS antenna to sound an alarm when it is carried too close. Alpha 3 Alarm retail anti-theft devices also have a built in alarm that sounds IF someone gets out the door with protected merchandise. Spider wraps have four strand of wire connected to a main housing unit. The wires are wrapped around a boxed piece of merchandise and then tightened with a ratchet like handle. When properly applied, the wraps cannot be removed without an Alpha Security detachment key, normally kept secured at the cash register. By the way, Spider Wrap is also tamper proof and will self- alarm if a shoplifter attempts to cut one of the wires.

I also want to touch on the topic of employee safety and dealing with shoplifters. I mentioned that my daughter said she was mad that someone would steal and she wished she could have chased after the suspect. Drawing from my years of Loss Prevention experience, I reminded her that she did the right thing by staying in the store and I am sharing this advice with you. Too often shoplifters who disregard alarms and run out the door are armed, on some type of illegal drugs or have criminal records that would put them in jail if they are caught. I have seen shoplifters speed out of a parking lot nearly hitting other cars and pedestrians in an effort to escape. I have been injured and had LP co-workers injured trying to apprehend shoplifters. Responding to an alarm caused by a retail anti-theft device is appropriate. Chasing someone who has shoplifted is dangerous. Report suspected thefts to your local police department. Merchandise can be replaced, people can’t be. In the meantime do what you can to prevent shoplifting by using Alpha Spider Wrap and watch your shortage results shrink.

Need information on Alpha Security? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: 3 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha Spider Wrap, Prevent Shoplifting, Spider Wrap

Fighting Shoplifting Locally

April 4, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Across the United States, local governments are passing legislature to combat and punish shoplifting and employee theft. The harsher sentences are supposed to deter the shoplifter while sending the message of severe persecution if caught shoplifting. Now, small business owners are taking a new initiative. They are uniting to fight retail theft, and being able to provide information about shoplifters and shoplifting among retailers in the area.In some areas, the increase of shoplifting is hitting businesses hard and according to them “We are fed up.”

For more about this and other topics, follow the links below.

East Coast supermarket chain finds talent in former drug dealers

PHILADELPHIA

When Jeffrey Brown looks to promote employees within his 13-store supermarket chain, he looks for people with hustle, ability, commitment, all that.

There’s another unlikely attribute that has turned out to be a predictor of success at Brown’s ShopRite and Fresh Grocer stores.

“What we realized is that a lot of the people we hired were in the drug trade,” said Brown, founder and chief executive of Brown’s Super Stores Inc. “We were surprised that some of the people we hired have fairly good business skills. The drug trade is a business. It’s an illegal business. You are buying. You are selling. You have inventory. You have some of the common problems that any retailer has. A lot of them are accelerating into management.”

That’s the kind of human capital insight that Brown would never have imagined in 2008, when, at the urging of an outspoken customer, he decided to make it his company’s mission to hire people coming out of prison.

Research Findings from Employee Theft Articles

Peer-reviewed employee theft articles can stimulate discussion and reassessment of policies among LP professionals.

As many of you know, I have been researching employee theft, occupational crime, employee dishonesty, and workplace deviance for more than 30 years. I peruse scholarly journals and academic publications regularly for relevant research studies that can help us all better understand this phenomenon. This column features a couple of employee theft articles that may shed some light on this continuing problem. I have included the full citations so you can find these publications online or in your local library to read and share with your staff. If you do not have direct access to a major research library, try using Google Scholar.

“Workplace Theft: An Analysis of Student-Employee Offenders and Job Attributes”

The first of the two employee theft articles is authored by Elizabeth Ehrhardt Mustaine (University of Central Florida) and Richard Tewksbury (University of Louisville) and published in the American Journal of Criminal Justice 27:1 (pages 111 – 127, 2002). This employee theft study surveyed a large population of college students attending a number of major universities. Since existing research suggests that many dishonest employees are younger, part-time, untenured, and dissatisfied, these two researchers concluded that college students would make an ideal sample of employees to survey about their occupational criminal behavior.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, Businesses and shoplifting, dishonest employees, employee background checks, Employee Theft, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, Illinois shoplifting laws, juvenile shoplifters, Local business fighting shoplifting, Loss Prevention Workshop, Management and shoplifting prevention, Prevent Shoplifting, prevent shrinkage, preventing shoplifting in your store, racial profiling, Retail Anti Theft Devices, Retailers and shoplifting, security devices, Shoplifting Education Programs, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting training, shoplifting violence, surveillance, workplace theft

Defective Hiring

March 31, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Would you knowingly buy a car with a defective engine? Of course not! So why would you hire a “defective employee”?

My definition of a defective employee is one with a criminal history, horrible credit history, has lied on their application and more.

Getting this kind of problem child in your business is asking for trouble you don’t need or have time for. On top of that, do you really want someone who has stolen, committed violent acts or worse in the environment you are trying to build? That person then wastes your hard earned resources including payroll, training and time by causing the same aggravation they have for others. But this time you have to deal with them.

Do you know what the most lied about item is on an application? It is not pay, experience or even that they really do not have a sunny disposition. It is the dates of employment from their previous jobs. Let’s say they have had three previous jobs. They got fired from number two so they stretch the dates of number one and three and whoosh job number two never existed. As employers we want to have it all including the good, bad and especially the ugly. This allows us to make better hiring decisions.

We can find this out for you. The criminal acts, thefts, assaults, DUI’s, rapes, illegal drug convictions and more. Oh yes, we can even find those jobs they are not telling you about and get the dates of employment.

You do not want a car that breaks down as soon as you drive it off the lot. Why would you want the same thing in an employee? Contact us today; we can start pre-employment background checks for you right away. In most cases we have same or next day results.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, Background checks, employee background checks, employee hiring, Employee Theft, employment training, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, Loss Prevention Workshop, pre-employment background check, Prevent Shoplifting, prevent shrinkage, racial profiling, retail security and monitoring

Tuning Up Your CCTV To Maximize Safety And Security

March 31, 2017 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

When do closed circuit television malfunctions occur? I’m sure you can guess, it is always at the point when you need it most. I can’t recall the number of instances when I had a cash shortage I needed to look for and when I attempted to pull video through the DVR the video was already dropped or the camera wasn’t functioning. I remember having to look for an image of a suspect in a shoplifting incident and the picture was too grainy to be of any use due to a dirty camera lens or dome. One slightly embarrassing situation that stands out in my mind involved robberies that were taking place behind our store. I had developed a great working relationship with our local police department and they knew the quality of our camera system. Investigators came to me seeking assistance with outdoor camera footage to try to identify the criminals conducting the robberies. I pulled up video of the date and time in question and much to my chagrin the camera had a great shot of the ground directly underneath it. A power surge had impacted the programming of the pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ) camera and placed it in a default position. I had not noticed the problem in a timely fashion and could not recall how long it was before I did catch the issue. The good news was I was able to re-program the camera and eventually we did provide footage of an incident a little later that led to an arrest.

It is important to do a spring cleaning of your Loss Prevention tools, and especially a tune up of your closed circuit television (cctv) equipment. As a Loss Prevention Manager for a big box retailer, each spring we would have what we referred to as a bounce back checklist. The checklist covered a number of housekeeping items, including cleaning and checking CCTV components. Doing so helped to ensure we were getting maximum video retention, quality camera pictures, clear public view monitor images and we would identify equipment needing repairs.

I used to train my team to look at CCTV equipment from the eye of a shoplifter. If there is a public view monitor it is supposed to be a deterrent to crime. When the bad guys see their picture on a monitor the idea is that they will be less inclined to do what they intended whether it is shoplifting, stealing purses or robbing the business. I would emphasize that a filthy monitor or poor quality picture indicated to the bad guys that the store didn’t take Loss Prevention seriously and diminished the deterrence value.

CCTV equipment maintenance is not just for stores with a Loss Prevention Department. Many stores do not have a security department but there is equipment that is a precaution against crime. Often a camera system with a digital video recorder, computer and or multiplexer is housed in a small office recording activity. It can be easy to forget about it if there is not someone assigned to check on it daily. Sometimes it is neglected until a robbery takes place or money is missing from a register and then a manager goes to review footage and finds the system is not functioning. Using a spring checklist helps managers ensure equipment will be functioning when it is needed.

So what should be included in a cctv tune-up checklist?

Dust digital video recorders, keyboards, computers and multiplexers with canned air and good quality dusters
Check all connections and ensure nothing has come loose and no wires are frayed
If equipment is maintained in a small office, ensure the room is properly cooled
Review each camera and picture, is it positioned to see what you need it to see?
Clean every camera lens
Wipe down all camera domes (even dummy domes)
Clean Public View Monitors. If a monitor has a burned picture, replace it. Look at it during different hours of the day is there a time when too much glare hits it? If so, you may want to try repositioning it.
Check your video retention. If you aren’t getting at least 30 days follow up with your vendor to see about clearing space or optimizing recording. You may be able to set recording zones or sensors that will only record when movement in an area happens.

No one wants to think about a robbery, employee theft or shoplifting taking place in their store but it is something you have to be prepared for. Take care of your cctv by tuning it up so that IF the time comes when you need it you will have the video necessary to help police in their investigation to put the criminals away.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, Background checks, CCTV, CCTV cameras, CCTV equipment, CCTV monitors, EAS Devices, employee background checks, Employee Theft, Georgia shoplifting systems, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Training, Retail Anti Theft Devices, Robbery, shoplifting violence, surveillance