Retail Anti Theft Devices

STAYING SAFE DURING AN APPREHENSION

February 8, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

What is the most important factor to consider when you make a shoplifting apprehension?

Safety. There is no single factor that is stressed more heavily within my department than personal safety when making a shoplifting detention. Not only do I implore my teams to be vigilant of possible weapons, but to also make sound business decisions before making a detention that could jeopardize their safety, the safety of the employees of the store and the safety of our customers. In the blink of an eye, what seems like another routine apprehension can quickly turn violent.

Play by the rules.

Our industry, over the past decades, has come a long way from the days of chasing down shoplifters by any means necessary. We’ve evolved from brute strength and a show of force, to a more pro-active and analytical approach to shrink, especially the way we approach shoplifting incidents. Enter the 5 steps for an apprehension. Selection, display intent, conceal, maintain visual, exit store. Every LP department, for the most part, has adopted this. In addition to no touch policies, this greatly reduces the chances for an apprehension to become physical in nature.

Cooler heads will always prevail

Hiring someone that cannot control their own temper is a dreaded mistake. Even I am not immune to making this type of mistake. Granted, we ask our agents (and ourselves) to be there to stop someone from stealing from us. Shoplifters come from different backgrounds, and often we are facing career criminals, or those with drug addictions that are not in a stable mindset. More often than not, the shoplifter will immediately escalate a detention from the moment they are approached. How many times have you stopped someone and they immediately began yelling at the top of the lungs every swear words known to man? I experienced this three times this past week for me. This is where a calm, collective LP professional is most needed. What if you started yelling and screaming back? Chances are, things will get ugly. My advice is simple. Act like an airline pilot. It doesn’t matter if the wings are on fire and you’re hurtling towards the earth at 500 mph. That pilot will still speak in the same tone and pace. It’s to keep the masses calm. This technique works great with rowdy shoplifters too.

What if I’m faced with a weapon?

This has happened to me personally on 3 occasions. Once, a heroin addict pulled a knife on me. The second time, a firearm fell from the pants of a shoplifter and the third, my personal favorite, is when I was pepper sprayed by a shoplifter. Even though it was hard to do so (especially my sprayer), I immediately disengaged the apprehension and allowed them to make quick egress of the store. Yeah, I was pretty upset for a day or so that they got away, but the end result is that no one got hurt. That’s the key; there is nothing in your store that is worth sacrificing the safety of anyone for.

There really isn’t another job in the retail industry where personal safety can be compromised in the blink of an eye. I bet that guys in the IT department never have to worry about being pushed to the ground by a maniac as they try to run out of the store with $2,000 worth of cologne. LP is a unique business. We thrive on what others shy away from. While you’re out this week busting thief after thief, please remember your safety, and the safety of those around should take absolute priority above all else. There is nothing in your store that is worth the risk of injury. Be safe and happy hunting.

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Shoplifting And Organized Shoplifting Rings

February 3, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

For a long time now police departments across the United States have been working closely with retailers in their areas to protect their stores, the safety of customers and residents alike. The cost associated with shoplifting goes beyond the loses it causes to the retail store and consumers, and violent crimes associated with shoplifting keeps police departments busy and the crime rate increase is bad for business.

For more about shoplifting follow the links below.

Shoplifting putting the pinch on police, businesses

Shoplifting is a significant problem that costs retailers as well as consumers, and may lead to other crimes, according to Martinsville’s Police Chief.

Shoplifting accounted for a fifth of Martinsville’s total Part I crimes in 2014 – crimes that are the best indicator of the safety of citizens, including violent and property crimes, Police Chief Sean Dunn said. Shoplifting accounted for 92 of the city’s 441 total Part 1 crimes (nearly 21 percent) in 2014.

“This is a significant cost to our local retailers, which certainly translates to a higher cost for all of us. As a result of the large percentage of shoplifting incidents, we decided to tackle this from a department-wide approach and enhance our partnership with the business community,” Dunn said.

The Martinsville Police Department’s initial response included patrol officers making periodic stops at local businesses “to deter unlawful activity and to reinforce with the business community their importance to us,” Dunn said.

Observation skills, quick thinking help prevent shoplifting

About 27 million shoplifters live in the United States today, with offenders spanning generations.

According to the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention (NASP), that means 1 in 11 people have shoplifted. There is no “typical” offender.

“It could be anybody,” said Nathan Hershley, the security supervisor at East Hills Shopping Center. “I’ve personally dealt with (shoplifters) from 14 years old, clear up into their 50s.”

Shoplifters target all types of stores, according to NASP — from drug stores to supermarkets, convenience stores and even thrift shops.

Store employees and customers who shop there play an important role in helping catch anyone suspected of stealing. Staying alert for suspicious behavior and catching the suspect(s) on photo or video can help authorities make an arrest.

Along with holiday thefts, stores see increase in organized shoplifting rings

Experts say organized crime rings are on the rise. A September survey by the National Retail Federation showed 97 percent of retailers contacted believed they were victims of organized retail crime within the last year. Almost half reported a “significant” increase in such crimes.

Jan. 02–Supermarkets across Central Florida were puzzled after more than $50,000 worth of merchandise vanished from shelves.

It wasn’t the result of closeout deals or the green-haired Christmas villain known as the Grinch making off with cartloads of products from Publix and Winn-Dixie stores. Rather, a posse of Central Floridians pilfered pricey grocery stock such as Crest White Strips and Gillette razors from almost 100 stores.

Security camera footage eventually revealed the coordinated thievery, which led to the arrests of five suspects. The organized shoplifting ring busted in August is part of a growing trend that has stores on their toes, especially with the increases of retail theft around the holiday season.

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Using Social Media To Capture a Shoplifter

January 27, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

law-3 Using Facebook, their own websites and other social media outlets, many retailers have for years posted pictures of shoplifters on line in hopes of catching the shoplifter. Posting images and descriptions of suspected shoplifters can be helpful in apprehending them, but it can also be legally harmful to you and to the business if you don’t know the laws in your state regarding shoplifting laws, and you post the wrong images and descriptions of the suspected shoplifter. If your store has an LP program or department, you need to check with them before any pictures are posted on social media. And do you have insurance that will cover you in a potential law suit? Are the shoplifters juveniles? From the time you apprehend a shoplifter till the time you charge them with shoplifting, there are rules you must follow. Check the laws in your state, a lawyer, or the legal department in your store before posting any images on line.

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

Local business uses Facebook to catch shoplifting suspect

A small business in Olive Branch is fighting back against shoplifters by using social media.

If the Pink Coconut Boutique catches you stealing, they will post you picture on Facebook. It’s a tactic they’ve always used, and it seems to be working well.

Store manager Debbie Ham recently posted a picture of an alleged shoplifter on the businesses page. She called for the 1.1 million Facebook followers to help identify the suspect.

And in less than 24 hours, 25-year-old Christian Tatum was identified.

“The fans were very upset (because) we do keep our prices down at the Pink Coconut,” Ham told FOX13.

This is not the first time the store has done it. They use the practice to help keep prices low.

Police would not comment on the matter. They only said it was the Facebook post that led to Tatum being identified.

“We do have 30 cameras in our store that we are very quick (to use). If there is an incident, we take our camera and review our video and burn a CD and we also post it to social media,” Ham said.

With millions of Facebook fans, the post led the Pink Coconut getting swamped with people reporting the accused criminal.

Shoplifting Laws by State

Alabama Shoplifting Laws

Detention and arrest of person suspected of larceny of goods held for sale.

(a) A peace officer, a merchant or a merchant’s employee who has probable cause for believing that goods held for sale by the merchant have been unlawfully taken by a person and that he can recover them by taking the person into custody may, for the purpose of attempting to effect such recovery, take the person into custody and detain him in a reasonable manner for a reasonable length of time. Such taking into custody and detention by a peace officer, merchant or merchant’s employee shall not render such police officer, merchant or merchant’s employee criminally or civilly liable for false arrest, false imprisonment or unlawful detention.

(b) Any peace officer may arrest without warrant any person he has probable cause for believing has committed larceny in retail or wholesale establishments.

Kohl’s shoplifters identified after public’s response to released photos

D’IBERVILLE — A surveillance picture released to the media has helped lead to the identity of two women accused of shoplifting and assaulting a Kohl’s employee, police said.

Police obtained arrest warrants for Michelle Quin and Tykeshia Barnes, both 18, and released their names Monday.

Deputy Police Chief Clay Jones said a third woman who appeared in the surveillance picture was not arrested.

Quin and Barnes each face charges of shoplifting and simple assault.

Police said the store on Promenade Parkway had reported the women stole merchandise Jan. 8 and said two of the them assaulted a loss-prevention officer who tried to get them to return inside the store.

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Let’s Make 2016 a More Profitable Year

January 18, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Let’s make 2016 a more profitable year by stopping losses before they occur. Think of it, as a retailer you run your operation, purchase and then sell the products you offer and try to hold your expenses down. But when you have employees that cause inventory theft, cash theft or any other loss it comes right off your bottom line and out of your pocket. The key is to keep theft from occurring before it happens!

Do you really know who is working for you? It is inexpensive and easy to find out. You should screen EVERY person you hire. Even after 20 years of running pre-employment background checks on people for our clients we are still amazed and what we see. It is not unusual to see drunk driving, theft, assault, shoplifting and even some very violent criminal records. Do you really want people like that working for you? That is like pointing a gun at yourself and hoping it is not loaded. People who are not responsible in life are not going to become magically better because they work for you.

Most states allow a statewide criminal records check. If not then we look in the counties they have lived in.

Another check that should be run is a credit history. This can be done on people that will be handling your cash and other assets. My wife was once the Branch Manager for a large chain of banks. The banks policy was to look at the credit history of the people that they were considering for employment. Their thought process was “If you cannot handle your own money why would we want you to handle the banks or the customers?”

Another check should be to verify that they are not on a sex offender list. Imagine this. You hire someone. They sexually assault a customer or another employee. Even if it is simply alleged and then investigation shows they are on a list. Your liability just skyrocketed.

In the past we could simply say we did not know that they were a sexual predator, criminal, thief…. But that is not the case anymore. The courts have leaned towards the position that it is easy and inexpensive to screen someone so if you do not you may be left in a terrible position both criminally and civilly.

So attack loss in 2016 up front. Get your employees background checked, screen any new employees and then follow up with an annual check. It may just make your year more profitable and one with less headaches.

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CHRISTMAS EVE CHALLENGE

January 18, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

I thought I’d take a lighter note and share some post-holiday humor. It was quite an eventful end of December for me and my team. We definitely had our share of idiot shoplifters. A few stood out that really deserved to be on the highlight reel. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did!

Every year, I make it a point to work extra hard to catch a thief on Christmas Eve. Some people call me cold, but why should I pay for gifts for someone that doesn’t want to work? They are, in fact, robbing me of my bonus! So I found myself working Christmas Eve with my top agent, at our highest shrink store. I was, in fact, stacking the deck. About noon-ish, I notice a guy practically running through the store with a shopping cart. Not too odd, given that most people are picking up last minute gifts. I watched as he loaded three motorized scooters into his cart and dashed over to the shoes. There, he asked an employee where this year’s hottest shoes were. Once shown, he threw 4 pairs in the buggy and headed to the apparel section. I stopped watching at this point and made my way around the store. As luck would have it, we intersected paths and my suspect raced down a secluded aisle. He emerged from the next aisle, as I was standing there. He rushed passed me and I noticed that his shoes were now concealed in shopping bags and he was headed to the doors. I called my agent and by the time he answered, my guy was out the door! I love a good push out.

We catch up to him under the patio and he ditches the basket and breaks out running through the parking lot. We break off and relay his direction of flight to local law enforcement. To my amazement he stops running and ducks into retailer next door. Police arrive and we both enter the store to identify him. It didn’t take long for us to find the guy, standing in the magazine section, pretending to read an upside down edition of the Times, sweating profusely, and practically wheezing. He then tried to run from the police. Seriously, I have no idea where he got the energy… On his second run, he was (un) lucky enough to knock an officer to the ground. That officer was in no mood to run; Hunter was, though. That Belgian Malinois broke out of the patrol car faster than American Pharoah at Belmont Stakes. It was awesome. I’m also 10/10 on throwing a thief in jail on Christmas Eve. In case you were keeping score.

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FISCAL INVENTORIES FROM AN LP POINT OF VIEW

January 18, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

With January the last month fiscal month for plenty of retailers, we can all look forward to *drum roll* INVENTORIES!! Wait, am I the only one excited to count millions of pieces of merchandise in a single night? I’ve always been the odd-ball in my department I guess. Inventory is a great way to start a new fiscal year off. Clean inventory counts, accurate pricing and getting back in stock is the key to making sales in the 1^st quarter. Remember, customer service starts with being in stock!

I am responsible for nearly 30 stores, so it’s practically impossible for me to get out each store’s annual inventory, however I do manage to see a few. I’ve also built up quite a few pointers, from an LP perspective that is aimed at helping managers and making the counting process that much easier. As my Christmas gift to you, I’ll share my top 5 best practices.

Do you have basedecks?

Those are the bottom shelves of your gondolas. They make great hiding spots for employees to stash product. About one week prior to inventory night, it would be a wise idea to assign someone to go aisle by aisle, lifting up every single basedeck in the store. I normally find the equivalent to 5-7 shopping baskets of product hidden underneath. This equates to thousands of dollars that would have otherwise been written off as shrink.

What about warehouses, common areas and offices?

I find these ripe with stashed product and it drives me up the wall. Again, look in all areas that are common “hiding places” to pull all of that product out so it can either be sold… or counted.

You don’t have time to look for SKUs on inventory night!

This one is aimed at soft goods and apparel mainly. I’ve seen stores write off hundreds of apparel items because a sku could not be located 13 hours into the count. Go rack to rack, at least a few days prior and make sure everything is tagged with a scannable bar-code. Trust me, this will save you time, energy and money on inventory night.

Do you have storage containers?

You would not believe how many times I’ve seen stores post losses of $10k+ on inventory night, only to realize 3 days later that they failed to scan an entire storage trailer of product x. Don’t be this store. I find that pre-counting these areas is much more effective than counting on inventory night. Just don’t forget about them!

Don’t let just any associate scan/count!

This is for you retailers out there that scan your own inventory and who don’t rely on an outside agency. I see it year, after year. Managers try to get as many people scheduled to work that night, and now your trusting some of your worst employees with your greatest financial investment (your inventory). Choose quality over quantity. Please, believe me when I say this; 1 person can completely ruin an inventory. One lazy employee who is 1 tardy away from being terminated does not care one bit about your shrink and how it affects the store’s bottom line, or your pockets. I beg you, please only let those that have a vested interest in your store conduct your inventory. I’ve seen cases where one employee had single-handedly scanned an entire stock of baseball bats as one single sku. This mistake wasn’t caught until replenishment on every single bat started hitting the stores. It was a complete disaster. Don’t let this happen to you!

I hope you all had a safe and enjoyable New Years. I hope 2016 is profitable, prosperous and full of (good) surprises. I hope your 2015 inventory is just the same.

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COMBATTING RETURN FRAUD WITH CUSTOMER SERVICE

January 18, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

I’m seeing a huge spike in return fraud, so I’m betting you are too. For my particular stores, it is a huge problem. I will venture to say that it is the biggest and most financially impactful fraud scheme that is affecting my stores; and it’s only getting bigger. I’m fortunate enough to have a small team within our LP department that do nothing but review returns data. When they see something that is indicative of fraud, we actually cancel the store credits unless proof of purchase can be verified. We are poised to break 5 million dollars in suspended store credits this year. Insane.

My company only operates a little over two hundred stores, so that number is quite high. That is 5 million dollars in external theft that we recovered. I have my own theories on why this is a growing problem and a few solutions that any retailer can adopt to help limit your exposure to this madness. Would you believe me if I told you that most return fraud can be prevented with a simple “hello”?

Customer service is the most proven and effective way at deterring criminal activity in your store. A simple greeting, acknowledgment and/or engaged employees can, and will stop most would-be thieves. If your employees are engaging with all of your customers, this will prevent the theft from ever happening. If there is no theft of product, then there can be no refund of stolen goods. See where I’m going with this?

Every store that I visit and audit that I conduct, it seems as if I’m noting some challenges in the customer service department. Do you really think that your product is that great and your prices that low, that the customer absolutely must purchase their item at your store? If you think this, then I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you’re wrong. Customer’s come to your stores for more than just an item; they want to feel as if they are appreciated. It’s your job to make that happen. Likewise, by providing exceptional service, you are not only increasing your sales, you are reducing shrink.

Here’s a case study to help drive home my point:

Susie G is a thief. She’s only hooked on heroin and needs a daily fix. She’s unemployed so she resorts to stealing to fuel her drug addiction. She’s learned from some of her buddies that “Store X” doesn’t have strong controls and it’s super easy to steal from them. Even better, you can come back later and return the stolen merchandise and they’ll give you a gift card. (How nice!) She learns that she can easily sell that gift card for quick cash in the parking lot, or at a local pawn shop. Thus, a small criminal enterprise is born. Susie then tells all of her heroin addicted brethren and before long, groups of 5 and 6 are targeting your store and committing return fraud on a daily basis.

Why did Susie and her friends find it so easy to steal from you and not the store down the road?

I’m not going to put an answer here. I want you, managers and owners to stop for 10 minutes and really think about this question. What can you do to prevent this in your store? Can you up your customer service game? The answers may surprise you.

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Retail Burnout Matters

January 15, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

The holidays are over and all over the country retail personnel are saying, “I can’t do that again. I’ve got to get out of retail.” Some of them are, understandably, experiencing a momentary stress or anxiety reaction. After they’ve had some time to de-stress they’ll bounce back and want to stay in the field.

Others, however, may be experiencing burnout, which is a more serious condition. Instead of being a temporary reaction to a specific situation (the demands the holidays make on retail staffs) burnout is a state of chronic stress. People won’t “just get over it” now that the holiday have passed, because it’s more than “having a couple of bad months”.

Over time constant stress can alter a person’s mental, emotional and physical well being. Some of the symptoms include: a lack of or loss of enthusiasm for the job and personal interests, physical and emotional exhaustion, depersonalization of others, cynicism, detachment from surroundings and people, feelings of ineffectiveness and a low sense of personal accomplishment.

On a professional level this affects their day to day work performance, as well as their relationships with co-workers and customers. By the time people become burnt-out they usually have developed new – and escalated already existing – undesirable attitudes and behaviors.

In many cases their work ethic and moral compass slips. This directly affects the store’s bottom line, as they no longer function effectively. This results in: theft of time, money, product and supplies, sloppy paperwork, inattention to security issues and procedures, indifferent or rude customer service, poor inventory control and no vendor oversight.

In addition to the financial consequences, they often create a problematic work atmosphere. Burned out people are dissatisfied people, and those with limited awareness of their condition will blame other people, places and circumstances for their difficulties. They become the complainers, pot stirrers and nay-sayers.

Their changes in behavior and attitude can be difficult to see at first because burnout “sneaks up”. People don’t all of a sudden wake up one morning and have burnout, nor does it abruptly go away. It’s developed over time and will only get better if it’s acknowledged and dealt with. The sooner co-workers and supervisors confront their actions the better for all concerned.

Nicole Abbott is a professional writer who’s had over 100 articles published. She’s a business consultant and former psycho-therapist with over 20 years of experience in mental health, business and addiction. She’s a coach, lecturer, trainer and facilitator. She has conducted over 200 workshops, trainings, presentations, seminars and college classes.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-thefts devices, EAS Devices, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, POS ROI, Prevent Shoplifting, prevent shrinkage, racial profiling, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security, retail security and monitoring, security, security devices, shoplifting, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, surveillance

Shoplifting Prevention

January 12, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

shoplifting4 The holidays are over and looking at your sales, revenue, expenses, profits and inventory, you are probably realizing you had a good year, or a year where inventory has disappeared and don’t know where it went. If the strategy to prevent shrinkage in your store hasn’t workout, have you looked into the reason why? Is employee theft a problem you have overlooked? Looking at your data carefully, you can analyze and probably pin point a few problem areas that are not being addressed, and then you can probably find a solution to the problem or at the least address the problem before it gets out of hand.

For more about this topic follow these links below.

Are Retailers Selling Shoplifting Tools?

Boosters are savvy in their methodology of offending. They often find creative ways in which to conceal property when shoplifting—in their clothing, via a special “booster bag,” etc. However, occasionally they capitalize on resources provided by the very location they intend to victimize.

While shopping in a nationally known chain drug store, I found an inexpensive, insulated six-can cooler bag, which appeared to have an aluminum lining, sitting on an aisle shelf out of view of the customer service area. When I saw this, I found it to be an aluminum-lined potential booster bag, the use of which is a felony in many states. This sparked my interest; is it possible that retail locations unknowingly stock booster supplies?

I purchased the cooler bag and went to one of my corporate retail colleagues to test the bag with two different types of electronic article surveillance (EAS) tags; the classic hard tags and UPC-style sticker tags. After a series of tests, I noted the following results:

• Effective in disrupting the UPC-style EAS stickers. I would have to hold the bag flush against the tower for the alarm system to activate.

Police holiday operations see some success

INCREASED PATROLS, SPECIAL DETAILS CURB CRIME

Local police efforts to deter holiday crime saw some positive results.

The Lemoore Police Department conducted a number of special details to prevent holiday crimes and educate citizens to defend themselves.

Cmdr. Maggie Ochoa said police set up informational booths where officers and civilian staff answered questions from citizens and distributed educational handouts about drugs and gangs.

Officers also conducted 39 random checks on registered sex offenders in the Lemoore city limits.

Eight of those offenders were found to be out of compliance or in violation of their registration requirements.

Ochoa said plain-clothed police officers also patrolled areas where there had been reports of thefts, suspected drug use and gang activity.

Common shoplifting techniques

Hiding the Merchandise

Favorite Shoplifter Devices

A large open bag is a common shoplifter tool. It is placed at the thief’s feet, and objects are casually dropped into it. Be on the lookout for the “bad bag” — a paper bag that is dirty and wrinkled. Also keep an eye out for shopping bags that are not from local stores. Preventing this is why many stores staple bags shut. Other stores require customers to leave their bags by the front door when they come in.

Women sometimes use purses to hide stolen items. There is little you can do to stop women from carrying purses and handbags. The best prevention in these cases is to watch the customers very carefully.

The baby carriage or stroller is a great tool for shoplifters. There are always blankets, toys, and other things in strollers (including the baby) that merchandise can be hidden under. Some thieves have even built false bottoms in baby carriages.

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Everybody Likes To Get Something For Nothing

January 9, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

(Alpha Hard Tag) Prevent Shoplifting-2,Retail Anti Theft Devices-2, Alpha Jewel Lok-2, Alpha Thunder Tag-1, Alpha Hang Tag-1

Everybody Likes To Get Something For Nothing

Shoplifters, whether they are professionals or just stealing on a whim, cost retailers millions of dollars every year. Many blogging sites and web pages are dedicated to educating others on how to get away with merchandise and avoid loss prevention personnel. They share information they have gathered: which stores utilize retail anti theft devices, where cameras are located, whether or not there are plain-clothes detectives working in the store, and even when shifts change. (When employees are coming in for the day they are busy and distracted, and those that are leaving generally have zero interest in dealing with a shoplifter.) There are even articles on which stores will prosecute and which will just let you go. Sadly, in the age of camera phones and over the top surveillance, many retailers have steered away from the zero tolerance theft policies of the past. I still believe in having someone arrested and letting the officer handcuff them and parade them through the store all the way to the front door. Then I want them stuffed in a patrol car, taken downtown for fingerprinting, and held in a cell for a few hours. In my mind, that’s how you prevent shoplifting from happening again.

Of course, the more important issue is to stop it from happening in the first place and not ever worrying with the repeat offender. That’s where the tools like Alpha Keepers, Alpha Hang Tags, Alpha Thunder Tags, and Alpha Jewel Loks come in. These prevent shoplifting through deterrence, which is paramount to any shrink reduction plan. If a shoplifter comes in the store and approaches the targeted items, they will walk back out the door, shoulders slumped, and empty handed since they know they most likely cannot defeat the tools that are protecting the inventory.

I live in a super small town where nothing really exciting really happens. However, about an hour away is a big city where we just had a very well-known jewel thief hit three different stores. Her plan is the same in every store. She is an older woman, and dresses in designer dresses and carries a very expensive purse. She actually wants the staff to notice her and give her attention. She asks the clerk to show her something with massive diamond first, acts mildly disinterested, and then asks for several other items. She uses bait and switch tactics, and confuses the clerk with all her choices from the cases. At some point she slips on the original ring with the bigger than life diamond, and walks out the door before the staff ever notices. This is a seventy-something year old woman, and she has been stealing jewelry all her life and all over the world. The one thing the three stores had in common was that none of them employ any type of retail anti theft devices, like Alpha Jewel Loks. One of the employees that got duped by this old lady was the manager of the jewelry store. He should have been setting the example and not pulling out another piece until she had given back the first one. Instead, he fell right in her trap and was blinded by her appearance of having an elite status.

Appearances can certainly be deceiving, but the truth is anyone can be a thief. Most of it happens due to greed and not need. They figure your store has fifty of something and you won’t miss that one.

For more information on Alpha Hard Tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Alpha Jewel Lok, Jewel Lok, Prevent Shoplifting, Retail Anti Theft Devices