This is an extremely busy time for home improvement and hardware stores. With the beautiful weather, people are anxious to get their spring-cleaning and spring to do lists underway.

 There is nothing better, especially as a home owner, than to be able to throw open all the windows, open a can of paint and redo the hideous looking walls that have been staring at you all winter long.

 It’s also nice to be able to head outside and start work on the garden, the lawn and out in the makeshift –garage- wood- working shops to work on whatever project takes hold of your creativity.

 The down side to all of this hard work and renewal is that tools are a hugely popular theft item.

 Spider wraps seem to be a reliable deterrent, which is a good thing. Before I worked in loss prevention for a hardware store, I had no idea the scope of a stolen tool. Believe me, its actually pretty lucrative.

 Tools end up in pawnshops and e-bay being sold as new in box sales. They are also big on being sold at construction sites. Did you know that most contractors/ construction workers have to supply their own tools? There are plenty out there that are willing to pay less than retail with no questions asked.

 As a result, retail anti theft devices have to go beyond just a soft tag. Spider Wraps seem to fit the bill. A little more complex, they are harder to defeat. I have seen just how effective a Spider Wrap on a tool is in preventing shoplifting.

 Visit the Loss Prevention Store for retail anti theft devices in conjunction with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system that can help you prevent shoplifting in your business.

 For more information on how you can use retail anti theft devices and your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547

 

Recently I have been seeing a rash of box stuffers in my stores. They have been a little hard to apprehend because they are working in groups of several people.

 Basically one or two of them walk into the store and head straight to our outdoor department. We sell a big cardboard box of merchandise for about $30 dollars retail. They take it across the store to where we sell some electronics. They leave the box there and then leave the store.

 We then see a completely different person (or two) come in and take the product out of the box. One stands guard, while the other fills the box with electronics. After taping the box back up, they leave it back in the outdoor department.

 A third person/ group comes in, picks up the box, and then tries to pay the $30 dollars for the hundreds of dollars worth of electronics hidden inside.

 When you are trying to prevent shoplifting, that’s a hard scenario to beat. Because no one person follows through on all of the typical steps needed to make an apprehension, it has been tough trying to put them out of commission.

 There is no retail anti theft devices on the box, but we have started to use the Spider Wraps to help compensate. Because we know what electronics they are taking, we have been Spider Wrapping those items.

 So far the Spider Wrap seems to be a pretty good deterrent, as we are starting to see a reduction in the groups activity in our stores.

 Visit the Loss Prevention Store for retail anti theft devices in conjunction with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system that can help you prevent shoplifting in your business.

 For more information on how you can use retail anti theft devices and your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 

 

When someone wants to purchase an item, they want to see it. They want to put their hands on it and test it out. While that is a good thing for a consumer to want, not every customer is respectful in how they inspect their potential purchase.

 I see slews of open packaging around my stores from customers who insist on opening up a box to look at an item they potentially want to purchase. Even when a display is available, they have a real need to open the box.

 Most of them do it out of curiosity to really “see” their item. They are also worried that they need to inspect an item for damages. Not realizing how big of a mess they will make when they start to undo tape and cardboard and Styrofoam, and user manuals. The list goes on.

 Depending on how well it is packed, some customers give it up as a bad job long before they even get to the merchandise inside. All to often, the irony hits as they look for damages, they end up breaking or dropping the items trying to get it unpacked.

 When you use a spider wrap you are doing more for your inventory than just preventing shoplifting. You are helping to facilitate damage reduction through proper customer service.

 This retail anti theft device forces a customer to an associate for help. The Spider Wrap can be undone at any register, so you associates can carefully open boxes to look for damages without causing more of them.

 Go ahead and put your products on display. Spider Wraps will keep your displays usable and your boxes damage free.

 Visit the Loss Prevention Store for retail anti theft devices in conjunction with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system that can help you prevent shoplifting in your business.

For more information on how you can use retail anti theft devices and your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 

 

As spring is well under way, so are many home improvement projects for homeowners. In the home improvement industry, the time from beginning of April through the fourth of July is the busiest time. Memorial day weekend is often compared to black Friday or Christmas. If most stores don’t make their sales during this time, their entire year’s projections can be shot.

 I have spent many years trying to prevent shoplifting from happening in the home improvement stores that I have managed loss prevention for. I know that as this busy season increases sales, it also increases shoplifters and shoplifting attempts.

 One of the best retail anti theft devices I have seen used is the Spider Wrap. I wish all stores were using the spider wraps. They are criss- crossed wires with a center disc joining them as they wrap around a box. The Spider Wrap keeps the boxes contents inside. If anyone attempts to tamper with the box, the Spider Wrap will alarm.

 Shoplifters are not always well prepared. When they come across a Spider Wrap, there is no easy way to deactivate the alarm without it going off. The last thing a shoplifter wants is to draw attention to them, so it is a pretty good deterrent, I’d say. Keep it under wraps, and keep your shoplifters at bay.

 Visit the Loss Prevention Store for retail anti theft devices in conjunction with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system that can help you prevent shoplifting in your business.

 For more information on how you can use retail anti theft devices and your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547