Shoplifting prevention is one element to a successful loss prevention strategy.   Many loss prevention executives and employees have put years of thought into the most effective way to prevent shoplifting.  It is widely believed that a global approach to shortage is the most effective fluid method. 

 A global and encompassing loss prevention strategy should be used to effectively reduce shortage and safety issues from the business environment.  Shoplifting can attribute for over half of all shortage in stores that are poorly setup or have no loss prevention strategy in place.  To prevent shoplifting, a retailer can use a combination of loss prevention policies, employee education, personnel, and retail anti theft devices.   By instituting loss prevention policies, a retailer can attempt to prevent the loss from occurring.  These policies come in the form of cash controls, merchandise limits on the shelves and fitting rooms, and proper placement of sales staff.  Education of sales employees is also a key element component to prevent shoplifting.   By educating employees on how to prevent shoplifting, they can effectively deter most individuals. 

 When the above elements do not work to prevent shoplifting, a retailer can take a more aggressive approach.  Hiring and staffing loss prevention employees has proven to be a very effective approach to shortage reduction.  These employees are trained to identify behaviors that are indicative of shoplifters.  These employees identify and apprehend individuals engaged in shoplifting.  These employees are often assisted by retail anti theft devices.  These retail anti theft devices include:  CCTV systems, door locks, security article tags, and shoplifter databases.  These systems become increasingly important when Organized Retail Crime is an element in the business.

  Visit the Loss Prevention Store for retail anti theft devices that can help you prevent shoplifting in your business.

 For more information on how you can use retail anti theft devices to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 

 

I was in our local home improvement center last week when I started looking at new drills. I know from years of working in the home improvement industry that drills are a huge shrink item. They are easy to pawn or sell off at construction sites. In the metro market I worked at, they could even be traded on the street like currency, for drugs.

 This store, probably had the same problems I did, only they were doing something a little different to prevent shoplifting. They had the Spider Wrap in place.  Almost every one of their drills was now enrobed in this cross band retail anti theft device.

 The Spider Wrap is almost like a ribbon on a birthday present. Looping around both lengths of the box are cords that prevent the box from being opened. On more than one occasion, I have apprehended shoplifters who took the drills out of their cases when they tried to steal them. Having an alarm wrapped tight around the box sure makes a difference.

 The cords on the Spider Wrap connect to an alarm in the center.  If anyone tries to tamper with the alarm, it will sound. It’s a lot harder to come up with ways to steal a heavy, bulky power drill case than it is to hide the drill in a purse or coat. On top of the size issue, one would still risk being noticed when they try to leave a store with the Spider Wrap still intact creating an audible alarm.

 Visit the Loss Prevention Store for retail anti theft devices that can help you prevent shoplifting in your business.

 For more information on how you can use retail anti theft devices to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 

Have you ever seen a shoplifter? Chances are, you probably have, but you may not have known it at the time. One of the first steps to prevent shoplifting in your store is to know what you are looking for.

 Is someone avoiding help from your associates? They may be trying to avoid detection. Are they lingering in back corners or aisles of the store, maybe taking a bit too long in the fitting room? Possibly waiting to work up the courage to conceal the item. How about picking up large quantities of merchandise, but not looking at sizes, or varying the colors? They may be looking to steal them and resell the items. In these cases Customer Service might be the only thing needed to prevent shoplifting from these small time thieves.

 Now, what if you see someone running his or her fingers over a price tag, but not actually looking at the price? What if they are looking more at the legs of a pair of jeans than the style or size? This shoplifter is more than likely looking for some sort of retail anti theft device. They might be informed enough to look for a hard tag on clothing, or a soft label hidden in a price tag.

 If this is the case, it may mean good news for you. Typically, this sort of shoplifter is looking for the retail anti theft device, because it means they have a higher chance of being caught, than if the merchandise does not have any tags. You have prepared yourself to prevent shoplifting by using these tools. The shoplifter will move on to an easier target.

 Visit the Loss Prevention Store for retail anti theft devices that can help you prevent shoplifting in your business.

 For more information on how you can use retail anti theft devices to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 

 

The crime of shoplifting occurs daily and industry analysts believe thieves recover nearly $25 million in stolen merchandise each day.  In order to prevent shoplifting retailers must be armed with the information and equipment to combat the rising shortage numbers.  Retail anti theft devices such as EAS systems, ink tags and lanyards prevent shoplifting through deterrence by creating an unattractive environment for shoplifting to fester and thrive.

 Loss prevention professionals believe good customer service is the best deterrent and will prevent shoplifting by enhancing the shopping experience.  Many of the nation’s leading retailers have the budget to employ small armies of undercover security personnel that will physically detain shoplifters but this approach to controlling shrinkage comes with significant liability considerations.

 A company I once worked for always trained its loss prevention personnel that deterrence is the best policy and to focus more on eliminating opportunities for shoplifters. Customer theft accounts for less than 40% of annual shrink and the rest comes from employee theft or administration lapses.  If you can control your merchandise you can control your shortage number.  Retail anti theft devices are easy to use and do not adversely impact your commitment to outstanding customer service because they can be removed conveniently during the checkout process. 

 Retailers are now learning to adapt to the emerging trends and many large department store chains have been redesigned to accommodate best practices for retail anti theft devices.  Most shoplifters are opportunists so reducing your merchandise’s exposure should be a priority and is a proven method in mitigating annual shortage. 

 Visit the Loss Prevention Store for retail anti theft devices that can help you prevent shoplifting in your business.

 For more information on how you can use retail anti theft devices to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 

 

Retail anti theft devices are getting more advanced in their technology. It’s not just a case of “do you want a hard or soft tag for that item”. The various ways to prevent shoplifting through the use of retail anti theft devices are more sophisticated. There is more consideration on aesthetics and customer impact than ever before. Take the Nano Gate for example:

 The Nano Gate is an alternative to the bulky pedestals at the entrance doors. Those pedestals are a great solution to prevent shoplifting because they do send a clear message. It lets the would be thieves and customers feel like they are walking into a fortress by having to walk through the pedestals flanking every possible doorway. They are not always the most pleasing to the eye, and are more intimidating by design. Effective? Yes. Fashionable? No.

 Smaller retailers and boutique settings could benefit from the Nano Gates’ more compact size and less aggressive looking overall design. They are still highly effective deterrents by working in conjunction with hard and soft tags as well as the newer, sleeker looking retail anti theft devices like the Jewel Lok.

 The Jewel lok is a form of hard tag designed specifically for smaller items like jewelry. The U shaped clasp slips easily onto an item without the need to pierce through the merchandise. It is a visual deterrent to prevent shoplifting. Like its counterpart the Nano Gate, Jewel Loks are much more pleasing to the eye.

 Visit the Loss Prevention Store for retail anti theft devices that can help you prevent shoplifting in your business.

 For more information on how you can use retail anti theft devices to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 

 

In my new hire training classes, I do a segment on how to prevent shoplifting. I start by asking what the trainees know about shoplifters and how to deter them. Most of the time, I get blank stares and they tell me that since they can’t apprehend a shoplifter there is nothing they can do to prevent shoplifting from happening in the store.

 I start by telling them about customer service is a better deterrent than any retail anti theft device could ever be. #1 rule of not getting caught is to avoid detection by everyone around him or her. The simple act of greeting each and every person, works on a multitude of levels. No one feels singled out. The legitimate customer gets the help they need and the shoplifter gets scared out of stealing.

 As a secondary tactic, retail anti theft devices can be called into play. These are generally the hard or soft tags on clothes. More involved retailers use other Checkpoint products to limit access to merchandise, such as the bottle locks on liquor, or the Alpha Security Keeper Box on colognes and razors.

 I walk my new hires through the different retail anti theft devices our store uses, and how to properly deactivate them for the customers. I also show them what happens when an alarm goes off when something is not deactivated. This sort of awareness helps our associates become more involved in the process. It also helps deter any shoplifters who are watching. They know that we are serious about preventing shoplifting and have employed techniques to be successful.

 Visit the Loss Prevention Store for retail anti theft devices that can help you prevent shoplifting in your business.

 For more information on how you can use retail anti theft devices to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 

 

A sure way to increase the profits in your store is to decrease the theft in your store.  One way to do this, is by adding retail anti theft devices to your merchandise.  These devices can be very effective when you are trying to prevent shoplifting in your store.  To prevent shoplifting in your stores, you must be diligent and have a plan.  It is not a good business practice to think that you will be immune to the growing problem of shoplifting.

            Shoplifting is a serious problem now and has been for a long time.  Many retailers have turned to the use of retail anti theft devices as their way to prevent shoplifting.  These devices makes it harder for would be shoplifters to take merchandise from the stores.  Retailers need all the help they can get in this economy.  Retailers are aware that they have to have product in the store to sell, if they want to make a profit.  This can not happen if shoplifters are constantly coming in and taking their products. 

            This is the reason that prevention devices have become so popular among retailers.  Clothing retailers are especially pleased with the results they are seeing from utilizing security tags on their clothes.  Placing these security tags on items that are consistently targeted by shoplifters, like clothing and electronics, is especially important. Retailers are willing to invest in retail anti theft devices because they provide the theft deterrence they need to keep the shoplifters out, so honest customers can come in and buy their merchandise.

            In order to prevent shoplifting retailers must be proactive.  Retailers have to know that this problem will not simply go away.  An investment in retail anti theft devices gives the retailer the theft prevention they need, in order to see the profits they want. 

Visit the Loss Prevention Store for retail anti theft devices that can help you prevent shoplifting in your business.

 For more information on how you can use retail anti theft devices to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 

 

One of the most challenging goals of any loss prevention program is figuring out how to keep the merchandise in the store.  The loss prevention departments in some stores are limited in how much they can see at one time.  This creates the need for a subsequent detection and deterrence method.  Many loss prevention departments choose to utilize retail anti theft devices. 

            These devices include; security tags, clothing alarms and security labels.  These products provide protection for the merchandise that loss prevention is unable to see.  In my many years of working in the loss prevention field I have seen the positive effects of utilizing retail anti theft devices to help prevent shoplifting.

            The best way to prevent shoplifting is to focus on eliminating easy targets.  These easy targets would be the merchandise in the store that does not have a retail anti theft device either attached to it or integrated into the packaging, if the store has an RF security system.  Shoplifters count on being able to be inconspicuous as they steal from you. 

Retailers must remove the shoplifter’s ability to blend among their honest customers.  It is hard for a shoplifter to be inconspicuous when they are trying to improperly remove a security tag from unpaid for merchandise and when they try and exit the store while a clothing alarm is sounding. Getting all the attention is what shoplifters are trying not to do.   The use of anti theft devices forces shoplifters to rethink their plans.

            Keeping unpaid for merchandise in the store is the goal of every retailer.  This goal is made easier by adding retail anti theft devices to your merchandise protection program.  If a retailer is serious about making a profit off the merchandise they sell, they have to prevent shoplifting in their stores.  This is an imperative task that all retailers must take on.

 Visit the Loss Prevention Store for retail anti theft devices that can help you prevent shoplifting in your business.

 For more information on how you can use retail anti theft devices to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 

 

After 10 years of working in the loss prevention field, I have seen it all.  I have seen shoplifters enter the store with nothing and leave out with multiple bags full of merchandise.  This meant that they not only left out the store with stolen merchandise, but they also stole the shopping bags they put the merchandise into.  Time and time again, one thing continues to be true.  I learned that shoplifters always went for the easy stuff. 

            The merchandise that was not protected by a retail anti theft devices was considered the easy stuff.  In my stores I saw that the majority of shoplifters I would detain shoplifted this merchandise more often than any other merchandise in the store. Often times the merchandise that was taken was not the merchandise the shoplifter planned on shoplifting, as they would admit during the interview and processing of the shoplifter that had been detained.  They admitted that they would see the security tag and simply find something else to steal.  They also stated that the retail anti theft devices were impossible to remove without damaging the merchandise or injuring themselves.

            This leads me to believe that I could prevent shoplifting in other areas of the store, by increasing the use of security tags on other merchandise.  I wanted to try and prevent shoplifting in the store and prevent some of the dangerous confrontations I had been having.  Shoplifters are not as cooperative as one might think and often they do not give up without some resistance.  So, in an effort to prevent shoplifting and injury to myself, I began placing retail anti theft devices on more and more merchandise in the store.   The plan worked.  I saw a decrease in the number of shoplifters I was catching and I saw a tremendous decrease in inventory shortages.

 Visit the Loss Prevention Store for retail anti theft devices that can help you prevent shoplifting in your business.

 For more information on how you can use retail anti theft devices to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 

 

When a small business owner starts writing a business plan with the hopes of starting a small retail store chain they tend to forget the importance of Loss Prevention. When looking at overhead they may factor in a couple retail anti theft devices such as a camera system or lockable display cases, but there is no comprehensive plan to prevent shoplifting or internal theft. Developing a shrink strategy to prevent shoplifting is tricky even for loss prevention professionals who work for companies that already do have established shrink programs. The small business owner should sit down with loss prevention professional consultants to work out a multifaceted loss prevention program that will be catered directly to the proposed business employing several retail anti theft devices with the purpose of not not only preventing shoplifting but to address shrink at every level.

             There are many variables to take into account before purchasing any retail anti theft devices. What type of product will be sold? How large is the location? How large is the sales floor vs the stockroom? Where will the point of sale be located on the sales floor? What is the crime index where the business will be opened? Are there other retailers next to you and what type of retail anti theft devices are they employing at their locations? Do other local retailers employ security guards? How close is the stockroom door to the point of sale? How close is the stockroom door to the store’s entrance/exit? How close is the stockroom door to the bathroom area? All of these must be considered when developing an overall shrink strategy so as to accurately account for the cost of a loss prevention program as well as to ensure the proper strategy is in place before the business ever opens its doors.

             One of the biggest challenges is trying to pinpoint the amount of loss that will occur and then budget enough money to purchase the correct loss prevention tools without going overboard. It is a tricky process that has to be tweaked every year based on inventory results and loss prevention incidents. Another very important factor in deterring loss is hiring the right people. Part of the shrink strategy should be to have a comprehensive pre employment screening process that includes criminal and employee background checks. Another piece to the puzzle will be to train all employees on shrink reduction strategies as well as to familiarize themselves with the loss prevention tools such as camera systems, EAS checkpoint systems, tagging  Ensuring the right employees are in place is one of the best methods to prevent shoplifting.

             To the small business owner this could seem to be a daunting task that is why it is recommended that this be a part of the initial business plan to ensure the shrink strategy can be fleshed out completely before the doors open. Buying a few retail anti theft devices after the store is open and hoping to prevent shoplifting is a recipe for failure. Trying to develop a shrink plan on the fly while opening a new business will not allow for proper thought and planning thus leaving a business owner constantly trying to play catch up.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store for retail anti theft devices that can help you prevent shoplifting in your business.

For more information on how you can use retail anti theft devices to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547