mobile POS loss prevention

Memorial Day Sales With A Different Twist

April 30, 2018 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Holiday sales events and promotions are intended to boost retail sales. The obvious big event is the Christmas holiday season which seems to begin in October for many retailers. The event carries into January when merchandise goes clearance as retailers prepare for the next holiday event and the beginning of the Spring sales lines. During the remainder of the year, retailers also take advantage of other holidays by appealing to customers. These events just are not as extravagant in terms of time or advertising. Clothing stores conduct promotions at Easter to sell dresses, suits and related accessories. Grocery stores and discount retailers run special deals on candy, eggs, toys, and baskets. The 4^th of July sales may be geared towards parties, cookouts, and summer themed goods like bathing suits. The sales don’t necessarily have anything to do with the holiday being celebrated they simply entice customers to come in for the low prices. Below are a few ads I found online for previous Memorial Day sales to illustrate my point:

A furniture store: $1 Down and 60 months no interest
A Home Improvement store: 10% – 30% Off Major Appliances $396 or more
A Car Dealership: Memorial Day 100 Sale – Payments as low as $100/month
A Grocery Store: Big Three Day Sale

Many of the ads feature red, white and blueprint as well as stars and stripes in attempts to appeal to the patriotism of potential shoppers. I understand the need for merchants to do everything they can to increase sales. Retail is competitive and in order to stay in business owners must take advantage of opportunities as they arise.

What I would like to suggest is that retailers look more closely at the holiday they are running promotional campaigns for. Try to see if there is some way to honor the holiday, specifically Memorial Day. I am suggesting that if a retailer is holding a Memorial Day sale they take the opportunity to honor the fallen soldiers for whom the day is remembering. This is no easy undertaking. I have seen restaurants that have attempted to recognize the sacrifices of the fallen with discounts and free meals for military veterans. Despite the good intentions, they get grief from some people (I assume they are veterans) who chastise them for not recognizing the difference between Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day. As a veteran, I appreciate the effort shown and think that the griping is misplaced. There are few ways they can recognize fallen heroes but a meal or discount is the form of appreciation they can offer.

What can a retailer do then to promote sales and keep to the spirit of the Memorial Day holiday? I would like to offer the following ideas:

Offer a portion of each transaction to a non-profit agency that provides assistance to the widows and children of veterans who have fallen in combat. Just a few of the groups that help such families include:

Fallen Patriot Fund
www.fallenpatriotfund.org

Faces of Valor USA

http://www.facesofvalorusa.org/

Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund

http://www.cfsrf.org/

These are just three organizations that provide such assistance and there are many more out there.

While it has been the source of some contention you could consider offering a discount of 10% or greater to service members or veterans who can show a military ID or a copy of a DD 214 form (a document that shows a veteran has served).
Consider setting up a display for Memorial Day, often called a Fallen Soldier Table, a White Table or a Missing Man Table. The effort will not go unnoticed by those who have served or the family members of fallen soldiers. The displays are not difficult to prepare https://www.veteranscaucus.org/index.php/events/memorial-day/america-s-white-table
If taking a portion of a day’s sales is not in your budget, a donation can or collection jar with a designated charitable organization listed is an appropriate alternative.
Finally, invite a veteran’s group such as the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) to hand out poppies for a donation at your store. https://www.vfw.org/community/community-initiatives/buddy-poppy

The VFW uses the money collected to provide financial assistance in maintaining state and national veteran’s rehabilitation and service programs and partially supports the VFW National Home for Children.

The ideas are certainly not all-inclusive and you may find some other source of recognition of the sacrifices made by our fallen heroes. The point is that you honor the day and what it represents as you still run your sales and specials. Remember those who have made it possible for you to operate your business in a free country.

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MAYDAY! What are the steps you take in response to a crisis?

April 30, 2018 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

What do you do when a crisis occurs? Many people would say they take steps to address the crisis. Initially, that may sound like a good response unless you never planned on how you would react if that crisis were to take place. Think about it for a moment. If your business was on fire would you want firemen pulling up in their cars without the right gear or a plan of action of how they will take care of the fire? Sure it’s good to have the firemen there but if they don’t have the resources they need or a strategy on how to put out a house fire then the response is pointless. Police officers train on how to respond to a bank robbery in progress but the reality is many officers will never face that situation. According to a Cleveland Clinic Survey, 54% of Americans say they know CPR but the vast majority of us will never be called upon to use that training. So why do we do it? Why do we train for circumstances that are unlikely to ever confront us? We do it so we will be prepared for that one-in-a-million chance that we might have to apply that knowledge. President John F. Kennedy once said, “The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.” Attempting to play it by ear should an emergency happen is not a plan and may even make a problem worse.

There are those who would choose to argue that it is not feasible to plan for every contingency or crisis. There is a hint of truth in that statement. I may not be able to plan for something I have no knowledge of. I could not plan for what to do for a patient losing blood pressure during a surgery. That is an extraordinary event that I would have no idea how to address. It is beyond the basic first aid training I had as a Boy Scout and refresher training I have had in my job. I think I can stop bleeding. I believe I can apply a tourniquet if it were absolutely necessary. Much more than that and I am way beyond my capabilities and the training I have received. You as a store manager would never be expected to stop a robber as he holds your business up at gunpoint. You CAN plan beforehand how your team should react and the steps they should take during and after the robbery. Pretending you and your staff will just deal with it should the situation arise is foolhardy. Plans that have been made and are reviewed on a regular basis help people stay calm if and when the crisis happens.

When pilots call a Mayday, they may be nervous or even scared but it is a controlled fear. Fear is not controlling their behaviors and actions. Training takes over and they use their training to solve the problems. Sometimes the scenario has been practiced and other times it takes reasoning to sort out the situation. Emergencies rarely proceed in a textbook manner so they don’t lend themselves exactly to the plans that were made. Planning for contingencies makes a team ready for the eventuality a crisis does arise.

So what is a manager to plan for? There are so many bad things that can happen it seems inconceivable to cover all of your bases, right? Wrong. Start with the basics looking at the most likely eventualities. Injuries will require first aid. Do you have a first aid kit? Who is trained to use it? Is there an emergency contact list? Can you arrange for certified first aid training for some or all of your employees or managers? Robberies could happen. What steps are you taking to minimize the chances of a robbery? Are employees trained to give a robber what they demand? Do they know not to touch anything and not to follow a robber out of the store? Do your managers know how to respond to weather emergencies? Does your store have a safe location in the event of a tornado? Do all of your employees know where that is?

Plan for emergencies and review those plans with managers and employees. Be open to improving on plans. Don’t allow them to sit on a shelf and gather dust. Review emergency procedures on a regular basis and when you do have to make your own Mayday call you can be like that pilot who stays cool and calm and ensures the safety of all souls on board. The plan may be useless but the planning will be indispensable.

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Employee Training

April 17, 2018 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

The scary shoplifting cases we hear and see on TV, or on newspapers in the United States, are becoming too commonplace to rendered us shocked.

Shoplifting has always been a problem for stores across the globe, but now, people are losing their lives because we put more value on a bag of cookies than a human’s life. The incidents that are happening now concerning shoplifting should make us ponder whether the reactions, lives lost and the way our employees conduct themselves during a shoplifting incident merits those responses.

We should not forget that Shoplifting is a crime and that as an owner of a retail store your livelihood depends on the profits that you can gain by being a responsible owner. But, we cannot forget that we are dealing with human lives as well.

If the price of a bag of cookies has the same value to you as a shop owner than a human life, then deterrents to prevent shoplifting are probably of no interest to you. But, if you believe that prevention to these crimes is the beginning of solving a major social issue in this country, then maybe prevention methods and other solutions are likely to be of interest to you as an owner.

Training — We have read more than once about the death of an accused shoplifter in a store. Authorities are called to the business when the shoplifting incident has gone out of hands and the resulting confrontation has led to the death of the accused shoplifter. Now, what? Lawyers, police departments and customers are involved, and the incident has become a national news piece. Providing training to your employees to respond appropriately to a shoplifting incident has proven to be an investment that you will not regret and lives that will not be lost.
CCTV cameras, prevention systems, and facial recognition software are some of the preventable shoplifting measures you can use to prevent, deter and fight shoplifting in your stores. These are some of the investments that apart from your employees will become invaluable to you and pay for themselves in the short run.
Inventory — If you know what you are selling, what is being stolen, and what are some of the items that are more enticing for shoplifters-because of the resale value or ease of trading — you may be able to use more of your resources to protect those aisles or move them to a safer place. Being aware of what is happening in your store is instrumental in the prevention of shoplifting.
Employees that care what is happening in your store is an issue that is too important to ignore. Studies have shown that happy employees make great employees and can boost the morale of the people that work with them. Your responsibility as an owner begins by rewarding your employees – By increasing their salary, offering incentives, and/or offering praise-your business can gain the caring you need to protect your store.
Hiring the right people for your store begins by using the tools at your disposal that can make a difference in your hiring. Background checks are the first step in ensuring you have the right people in place.

The rewards of paying for your employees’ training can be seen almost immediately. There is no reason why the investment should be put elsewhere when employee ’s training has been shown to be a great and continues asset for the business owner.

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, CCTV cameras, EAS Devices, employee background checks, Employee Theft, Georgia Alarms systems, Loss Prevention Seminars, Loss Prevention Training, Loss Prevention Workshop, mobile POS loss prevention, Perpetual Inventory, Prevent Shoplifting, racial profiling, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security, security, shoplifting, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, surveillance

Things Not To Overlook For Inventory: Tips For L.P. Managers

March 30, 2018 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Sometime this year you will most likely be conducting an inventory. Some stores even conduct multiple inventories when they have high stock shortage results. While it does not necessarily translate to poor results, a lack of adequate preparation can have an impact on the final shortage numbers. Occasionally, it is easy to overlook things that can cause an unnecessary stock shortage. Here are some things to look at as you prepare for your next store inventory that may prove helpful in obtaining the best possible results:

If you have shoplifting or employee theft cases you are prosecuting you need to account for the merchandise. A Loss Prevention Department should have an evidence locker with recovered merchandise in it if a case has not come to trial yet. Some police departments retain the evidence and supply a chain of custody form that lists the merchandise they are holding. Ensure the evidence, in either case, is included in your inventory. It may not seem like a lot but if you are the owner of a small or medium retail business a few hundred dollars here and there can be a big deal.
Look underneath and behind fixtures or cases that may have gaps where merchandise can drop. It does not always occur to people to look under register scan belts but small pieces of merchandise can be pulled in as the belt rolls. Items such as greeting cards and jewelry can find their way underneath and will be missed during a count.
Check-in desk drawers and in offices for merchandise being used for store purposes. There are at times a need to “store use” merchandise such as pens, trash bags, tape, etc. These should be marked with some type of marker or tag to show that they have been accounted for at some point. If an item is not marked out for store use and is not counted during the inventory process it becomes a shortage.
Take a look at the sales floor and if your store uses gondolas and shelving for displaying merchandise, lift up baseplates of the gondolas and look for stray merchandise. If you look closely there is a gap between the base of the gondola and the pegboard wall. Small items can find the way down these nooks and crannies. It should also be noted that shoplifters and dishonest employees will hide merchandise under here on occasion.
If your store sells purses, luggage, diaper bags, etc. unzip them and look inside for merchandise that has been concealed. It is not unusual for a shoplifter to hide merchandise inside and get scared away leaving the hidden items behind.
If your store sells live units used as displays, be sure they are tagged and ready to be counted. On the flip side of that be sure inactive or non-functional displays are tagged as DNI (Do Not Inventory). These types of displays are often in housewares and may include microwave ovens, blenders, coffee makers, etc. In electronics, it could be a printer, computer, phone and so on.
Ensure furniture units that may be sold as two separate pieces are counted properly. For example, a desk may have a hutch attached to it on display but the hutch and desk are two unique sku’s.
Check that all case packs are separated appropriately for sale and counting. For example, I work in a store that sells individual binders and 12 pack cases of binders (each of the binders in the case has a barcode but are intended for sale as part of the case). Be sure your merchandise is counted in the appropriate quantity it is to be sold in.
Minimize your pre-counts. Some stores will spend an excessive amount of time counting merchandise that they are paying an inventory service to count. These companies are very good at what they do. Have a pre-inventory visit with the representative of the inventory crew and discuss areas that might best be pre-counted but get their input. If they are confident they can count everything allow them to do so. You should be auditing the work on inventory night and catching significant mis-counts.

Hopefully, you have been using Checkpoint equipment to minimize losses due to theft. It is also going to be beneficial to your stock shortage dollars and percent if you have had sound operational plans in place including vendor controls. The last piece to the shortage puzzle is the inventory itself. Follow these suggestions and you can rest easy knowing you have done all you can to improve your chances for a great inventory number for the year.

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Preventing Shoplifting and Retail Shrink

March 9, 2018 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Many small and big chain businesses across the country are fed up with the amount they lose due to shoplifting and employee theft. The solutions are seemingly unavailable for these businesses and they are teaming up with local police departments to address this issue.

The Chico Police Department, The Chico Chamber of commerce and the Chico Business Association are teaming up in an effort to prevent shoplifting in their community. This is not the only joint effort, many other states’ police departments and communities are getting together to form a coalition to find a solution to shoplifting.

Shoplifting puts an additional strain on these businesses that in some cases are already having difficulty staying afloat and the losses incurred due to this crime make it an impossible business to sustain.

One the many ways they lose to shoplifting is to organized retail theft that involves many individuals and can cost a store thousands of dollars in a single day. Home Improvements stores targeted by individuals can damage the bottom line of these stores even though they are big retail chains that can offset the cost due to shoplifting better than the small business owner.

In some states, theft legislation has put many business owners scratching their heads. The losses they incurred due to shoplifting, they see as a direct consequence to the legislation government officials passed in their states. Preventive measures are not enough, youth programs to prevent shoplifting and violent crimes are not enough for these businesses because they do not see it happening soon enough for the well being of their stores.

What are some other alternatives to prevent shoplifting?

Training – Trained personnel can make a big difference in your store. Recent reports in the UK have shown a dramatic increase in violent incidents from the previous year due to shoplifting. The difference between a trained employee and one that is not can be the difference between life and death
Shoplifting prevention systems – If you do not have one and rely solely on your employees, the losses your store is suffering may be staggering. A shoplifting prevention system is a necessity for a retail business, and the amount invested in such system may be the best investment you can make for the success of your store.
Software that works together with the loss prevention system and the trained personnel in your store are pivotal to the success of your retail business. It is a process that needs all the parts to work together to be successful and to achieve its purpose.

Shoplifting is a crime that affects society in general, and the prevention of such crime seems to be the only alternative retail businesses have. Prevention includes training your personnel, investing in a loss prevention system and software that can help you mitigate the losses due to this crime. Those three preventive measures cannot work if your employees are not engaged and are not willing to work with you in the prevention of this crime. Happiness in the workplace is important but if you are dealing with disgruntled employees, preventing shoplifting may be very hard to achieve. Talk to your employees and find out if you need to address that issue first and foremost.

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, CCTV cameras, EAS Devices, Employee Theft, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Seminars, Loss Prevention Training, mobile POS loss prevention, Periodic inventory, racial profiling, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security and monitoring, security, shoplifting, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, surveillance

Why Should I Care If An Employee Uses Illegal Drugs On Their Own Time?

February 27, 2018 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Because like alcohol abuse, both legal and illegal drug use, affects your bottom line. This issue never has a happy ending and it will never go away unless you meet it head-on.

Drug abuse affects your bottom line through poor performance, high numbers of no call/no shows, risk to customer and employee safety, high workers comp claims, bad elements frequenting your business, customers shying away from your business and much, much more.

If you operate in a State that has essentially de-criminalized marijuana use, you have an even bigger exposure. Employees that feel empowered to get high on a frequent basis and come to work in that condition, are a threat to your livelihood. State law does not relieve you of liability. Marijuana use and possession are still illegal under Federal law. Even if the Federal law was to change, you would still be liable for your employee’s actions while they are at work. It is just the same as an employee that is under the influence of alcohol while at work.

But you probably suspected or knew this already. What you cannot do is look the other way. Your plan should start with hiring, as competently as you can. I teach pre-employment interviewing live, via webinar to LPSI customers free of charge. A candidate will likely tell you if they abuse drugs, you simply need to know how to ask the question. These techniques also apply to employee theft from their previous employers. You just need to know how to ask.

A solid Applicant Management Center (AMC) will allow you to keep track of the application and their information. We have an excellent AMC that is also so inexpensive that it is a no-brainer. No more paper applications to keep up with.

Next, you must conduct a background investigation (okay, we do that too). A search of the candidate’s criminal record, credit (if necessary), education and a drug screen will give you a much better idea of who you are hiring.

Drug testing is simple and inexpensive. Our customers approve the candidate for the drug test and our online system allows the candidate to locate and schedule the test at a lab near them. Our nationwide system then tracks the progress. Results are given to you automatically. We can advise you on what substances you should include in your testing. Tests that come back positive are automatically reviewed by an M.D.

So now that this is out of the way, we need to return to the reason why you should require drug testing. Imagine this: one of your employees in the process of doing their job, is under the influence of a substance, and they injure one of your customers, accidentally. In today’s climate that incident will be known far and wide. None of us want to be on the five o’clock news with the headline “Customer injured at insert your company’s name here by an employee that was high”.

Need more? People who use illegal drugs attract other people who use illegal drugs. The whole birds of a feather, flock together scenario. And in my 40+ years of Loss Prevention and Law Enforcement experience, I can tell you that the financial pressure that illegal drugs puts on a person will make them likely to steal to support their needs. Illegal drugs WILL lead to employee theft regardless of how well you think your employees like you and company.

Fix the issue before it becomes a financial drain and a liability to YOUR business and livelihood. Contact us today for more information.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: alcohol in the workplace, Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, AMC, anti-theft devices, anti-thefts devices, Background checks, CCTV cameras, drug use in the workplace, drugs and alcohol in the workplace, EAS Devices, Employee and drug abuse, employee background checks, Employee Theft, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, loss prevention, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Seminars, mobile POS loss prevention, Retail Anti Theft Devices, security devices, shoplifting, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, surveillance, workers compensation

Assuming Employees Know What You Want Is A Poor Assumption

February 27, 2018 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

As managers and supervisors, we are all guilty at some point of assuming our employees will know what we are wanting from them when we make a request or assign a project. It may be something as simple as asking someone to empty a trash canister or as complicated as resetting a plan-o-gram. In our minds, the requested task may only require common sense but to the employee, it may be something totally different. Take the trash can example, you may ask an employee to empty it and assumed they would empty it into a compactor and place a new trash can liner inside. The employee may only hear that you want them to take the bag out and place the trash beside the compactor. They don’t hear you tell them to put a new liner inside the canister when they are done because you never said it. It seems like it should only be common sense but it isn’t necessarily the case. The same problem exists for every aspect of a job. Sometimes those of us in management positions make unfair assumptions and then get angry when our team members don’t do what we expected them to do.

If you were to ask someone to clean a public restroom in your store you would expect specific tasks to be done, fill the paper towels, mop the floors, clean the bowls, etc. The military is one of the places we can take a lesson from. It is never assumed a person knows anything. In military basic training, a person is treated as though they are devoid of all knowledge. A Drill Sergeant tells you exactly how that restroom will look and every detail that needs to be accomplished from mopping floors to polishing sink fixtures. Failing to meet his/her expectations results in the full fury of their wrath being heaped upon your pitiful soul (yes, the writer knows this from personal experience). As far as the Drill Instructor is concerned a recruit knows nothing and they remind you of that fact in a very loud voice. Don’t even suggest that your mother taught you how to do something because your mom apparently doesn’t know anything either. Managers should take a similar approach to training their employees. This is not a recommendation to begin treating new hires as boot camp recruits simply assume they don’t know anything and show them what you expect.

This raises the question, “Can’t I assume someone I hired with a retail background should be able to run a cash register or merchandise a clothing fixture?” The answer is no. You can’t forget that points of sale vary and procedures are also different amongst retailers. While the learning curve may be smaller the fact of the matter is every employee still needs to learn the ropes of a new job. One store may organize clothing racks by colors while another is only concerned with styles and sizing. A new hire with prior experience will pick up on the new way to do things quickly but there is an adjustment that they will have to make.

Business owners and store managers must also be sure to review all shortage and theft-related do’s and don’ts with new hires. If a store policy is that a cashier cannot ring a transaction for a relative then that needs to be explained to the employee. It is acceptable to have a list of what is not permitted and have them sign the form indicating they have read it and understand it. For example, a list may look something like this:

No ringing transactions for friends or relatives
Purses and jackets must be kept in lockers and are not permitted at a register
Changing a price for an item requires a manager approval
No drinking or eating merchandise that has not been paid for
No taking cash from a register
Do not keep or use lost gift cards, credit cards, checks, etc.
All employee purchases must be accompanied by a receipt

This is not an exhaustive list but it does give a good starting point. Should an employee violate a policy they have acknowledged they understand it becomes extremely difficult for them to wiggle out when caught.

We owe it to employees to teach them what we expect and the reasons why we have them do something. When team members understand why they are doing something they are more inclined to do it to the best of their ability. This translates into more productive and happier employees and a happier you as your employees understand what it is you expect from them. Ultimately this leads to a more profitable store and that should be every owner’s goal.

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-thefts devices, CCTV cameras, EAS Devices, employee background checks, Employee Theft, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, Loss Prevention Workshop, mobile POS loss prevention, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security and monitoring, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, surveillance

Preventing Shoplifting In Your Store

February 8, 2018 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

A Target or Walmart store can and are able to fight shoplifting in their stores every day of the year. The expense associated with shoplifting has for many years been known to be passed down to the consumer, and the increase in prices has been an expense that gradually has affected consumers around the globe.

In the United States retail shrink which includes shoplifting, employee theft, administrative errors and vendor fraud cost the US retailers close to $50 billion in 2016 alone. More than 36% of shrink was due to shoplifting, and 30% was due to employee theft.

Many local businesses across the United States have taken different approaches to prevent shoplifting. From investing in Facial recognition software to shoplifting prevention training, many businesses have taken different approaches to the prevention of this crime. But, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF) even as the average inventory shrink rate has increased by close to 1.5% the budgets for loss prevention personnel has decreased or remained flat.

What are some of the steps local businesses have taken to prevent shoplifting?

Signage – A Spokane Washington local business has signage that lets you know from the time you enter their store that they have Video surveillance in use and they will prosecute you in case of shoplifting, and they also have a policy of taking your name when you enter their fitting rooms. If you shoplift, they already have your name.

Customer Service -has been proven to be one of the major loss prevention strategies businesses have adopted that can also benefit them in the long run. Be aware of the difference between offering great customer service and stalking a customer.

Training – Trained personnel cannot only help you prevent shoplifting but can prevent incidents from getting out of hand. Knowing the laws, regulation, and the process when a shoplifting incident occurs can save lives and prevent lawsuits.

Facial recognition software – If you are using facial recognition software in your stores, caution has to be taken into consideration. Using facial recognition improperly can lead to too many problems and too few rewards. Properly trained personnel are one important aspect of using this kind of security measure.

There is probably a fine line between great customer service and making your customer feel like a criminal. Losing customers because your employees follow them and are constantly asking them if they need help or making them uncomfortable is not a good solution. If you are also targeting people for no apparent reason, the probability that the bad experience will find an outlet that will carry bad publicity for your business is very likely.

Let us know if some of the above methods you are using seem to be working for you.

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Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll

January 29, 2018 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

I actually like and believe in all three of these things. When it comes to drugs they have to be the legal kind. All of us have seen the destruction that illegally used drugs cause. In a business environment, illegal drug use by an employee not only has an impact on their work performance but creates serious customer and legal issues for employers. An employee that is under the influence of any substance that influences their ability to do their job correctly or safely, will cause customers to question who they are doing business with.

If this employee drives for their employer and is involved in an accident, even if it is not their fault, then liability could come back to the company. That one is easy to understand. But what about the recent changes in the law regarding marijuana? Some States have relaxed or legalized its use. However, it is still against Federal Law… EVERYWHERE. I do not agree with these changes. Not because I am a former Law Enforcement Officer that has seen firsthand the impact on society but because it is simply wrong.

The biggest argument I hear is “well alcohol is legal. Marijuana is no different”. Sorry to say yes it is. The active ingredient in marijuana is THC. THC stays in the bloodstream for up to two weeks after it has been ingested. Alcohol leaves the bloodstream within hours of consumption. The person may not be high but the “drug” is still there.

Now that same person comes to work. They have not ingested any marijuana for let’s say a week. Now they are involved in a customer accident. This could be dropping something on a customer from a shelf, hurting a customer with the use of a forklift, pallet jack or motor vehicle, or any other poor judgment that results in injury. If it is discovered as a result of testimony, blood test…. that the employee had THC in their bloodstream….. Surprise, you as the business owner could now be liable.

As a Loss Prevention Manager, I was involved in an accidental death case in one of my stores. Picture a building materials type store. Lumber, hardware, carpet, nuts, bolts…. A forklift operator was moving two full bundles of lumber and had them up on the lift about ten feet off the ground. At that moment a man and his very young son walked underneath the load. One of the forks on the lift gave way and an entire load of lumber landed on them. It killed them both instantly. There was not a piece left of either of those human beings thicker than three inches.

When OSHA, Fire/Rescue, Law Enforcement and a whole bunch of other government folks arrived on the scene, it was quickly determined that there was a defect in the fork that broke. This defect occurred during the manufacturing process. That defect was not caught as it should have been. So liability rested squarely on the forklift manufacturer. However, as required by law, our employee was drug tested immediately. His test came back positive for THC/marijuana. This caused the liability to shift to my company. All because this employee had smoked marijuana the weekend before.

So you may be thinking this can’t happen to me. I own a small boutique, grocery store, clothing store….. Yes, it can and could happen at any time. Why risk it? The commonly accepted practice is an employment drug test. Screen out potential liability and poor performers. A drug test should be required as a part of the pre-employment process, no exceptions. It is a simple and painless process. Contact us today, we can set your drug screening program up, make it very cost effective and make it simple for you and your candidate. You can reach us toll-free at 1-770-426-0547.

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, Background checks, CCTV cameras, employee background checks, Employee retention, Employee shoplifting training, employee training, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, Loss Prevention Seminars, mobile POS loss prevention, Prevent Shoplifting, quality employees, racial profiling, Retail Anti Theft Devices, Seasonal employees, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, surveillance

Don’t Let The Dark Days Of Winter Catch You Unsecure

January 2, 2018 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

With darker daylight hours comes the need for more coffee, the use of lights earlier and a plan to keep crime away from your store or business. Have you considered that one of the following types of crime could affect you?

Burglary – This is where a bad guy, low life scum type, breaks into your property when you and your staff are gone for the day. First and foremost you must have an alarm system. Not just the $99 special either. Invest enough that you have ALL exterior doors contacted. Yes, this also should apply to doors that are not used frequently or at all. Add glass break detectors on all exterior glass that can be easily reached. Enough motion detectors to create a trap effect. In other words so that no one can move around very far without a motion detector seeing them. Bad guys do not like light and sound, so add several sirens and strobe lights with at least one strobe on the front exterior and the back exterior. This will help to draw attention to your property by other citizens and the Police. You should always have an alarm control that uses cellular to communicate instead of phone or internet lines which can be cut or compromised.

Leave select lights on in the store to make it easy for the Police to see movement. The bad guys would prefer it to be dark. Are your doors and windows secure, I mean REALLY secure? Check the locks and make sure they operate correctly and are not simply cheap hardware that will give with a push or kick.

Robbery – This is the nightmare situation where someone presents you with a gun. Not as a present either. I have been involved in many shooting situations and have looked down the barrel of a few from the wrong side. It’s kind of funny how a barrel of a 9mm pistol looks like the opening of a 55 gallon barrel.

The key here is being prepared. Deterrents include well-lit stores and alert employees. Keep the cash drawers drained. Only keep the minimum amount of money in the till, the rest needs to go into a drop safe below the register or to the safe in the office. The lower form of life that commits robberies in many cases will make small purchases even a day or two ahead to see how much money is in the drawer. And yes, they know all about larger, excess bills being kept under the till tray in the drawer.

This is where a CCTV system that is adequately covering your point of sale comes in. The DVR should never be in plain sight at the point of sale; preferably in the office. Cameras should look at the point of sale from several different angles. Invest a couple of hundred dollars in a camera that mounts on the door frame at eye level. This will get a great face shot of anyone leaving.

All cameras should record 24/7 since hard drive space is cheap. You should easily get 30 to 60 days of recording. Another awesome deterrent is a Public View Monitor (PVM). A PVM is a monitor that is placed so that everyone entering the store sees themselves as they come in. It lets everyone know the system is active. A larger monitor in the 27+” range is preferred.

Employee Theft – I do not think employee theft picks up any more than other times of the year but it should get an honorable mention. Make sure you have adequate key and door control. Trash should be inspected by a manager before it goes out. Employees that steal will use the trash to get merchandise out picking it up later or have a friend get it. Employee bags should be inspected when they leave. I can send you a policy draft if needed.

Shoplifting – Shoplifters thrive and seek out concealment. Darkness adds to their psychological comfort. This is another reason for a well-lit store. Replace any burned out bulbs. Walk your store when it is dark outside to help discover any areas such as back corners that will provide aid and comfort to the shoplifting enemy. Make sure your Checkpoint system is operating correctly. If not call us for a service call. Ensure that your staff knows how to approach potential shoplifters with customer service techniques. I teach a live seminar on this for our customers, free of charge, whenever they need it.

Existing customers can call us at 770-426-7593 x103 to schedule a seminar. I also suggest that you pick up a copy of my new book: “Protect Your Store! The shoplifting prevention guide for small to medium retailers”. It is available online at Amazon and Kindle. The book has tools to shut off shoplifters right away.

Of course, these tips are good practice year round. However, take a hard, objective look at your store as it is better to prevent than recover from an incident. If we can help you, please reach out to us since we are only a call or email away.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, EAS Devices, employee background checks, Georgia Alarms systems, internal Audit, Loss Prevention Seminars, Loss Prevention Training, Loss Prevention Workshop, mobile POS loss prevention, Periodic inventory, Prevent Shoplifting, prevent shrinkage, preventing shoplifting in your store, racial profiling, Retail Anti Theft Devices, security devices, shoplifting, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, surveillance