retail security — Page 18

Employee Theft And Tips To Prevent it

March 19, 2014 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

According to a post by Hirepowerassociates.com, the U. S Chamber of Commerce estimates that 75% of all employees steal at least once, and half of those employees continue to steal repeatedly. The amount each employee steals varies and the reasons they give for stealing are as varied as they come, but the truth is billions of dollars are lost annually due to employee theft and the repercussions they carry do not stop at the business from where they steal, the local economy is hurt, employees and consumers loose income and benefits the business cannot afford to give because of the loss they are experiencing. To read more about this topic follow the links below.

5 Ways To Keep Employees Happy And Engaged In Tough Times

You can’t fool your employees–they know when times are tough. But if you show you care, they’ll stay happier longer.

With the economy at a low point, many people feel trapped in their jobs, seeing dim prospects for better opportunities outside their present situation. On the surface, this may seem like an ideal situation for companies, bringing down turnover costs. But there’s a hidden underside that’s not so positive.

When the economy is in high gear, unhappy employees can easily move on. Now they stay in their jobs, bringing down the productivity level and morale of the organization. To counter this and generate more buy-in from your staff, here are five things you can do.
1. Be consistent and open in your communication
If people are kept in the dark about what’s going on, they will make up their own version and it won’t be a positive one. Instead of avoiding, minimizing or trying to hide a negative situation, tell it like it is. Trust that staff will understand and appreciate being informed. Not disclosing will only breed mistrust, suspicion, and fear.

Candles, heroin and theft a bad combination: Mayfield Heights Police Blotter

MAYFIELD HEIGHTS

Theft, SOM Center Road:

Officers responded to CVS March 2 after an employee said a woman had just left the store after stealing merchandise. The suspect was located in front of Hillcrest Hospital carrying a bag of items from CVS and arrested on suspicion of the theft, valued at $72.46. An officer, working off-duty at the hospital, said the Cleveland Heights woman, 37, had just been discharged after she had been taken to the hospital by the South Euclid fire department after she was arrested for shoplifting at Giant Eagle in that city. While at the station, the woman told an officer she had stolen candles from the store because she needed them to thwart off evil spirits. She also said she had ingested heroin while at the hospital and had a used syringe stuffed up her rectum. She was subsequently returned to the hospital for a psychological evaluation.

Burglary, Mayfair Boulevard:

A boy, 17, said Feb. 27 when he returned home after school he found two back doors to his and his father’s apartment kicked in but nothing was missing from inside the home. He said drawers in his bedroom were open and it appeared someone had gone through them.

Shoplifting suspicions lead to child porn charges in Hallandale Beach

A routine shoplifting arrest evolved into a child pornography case, with the suspect in jail on a whopping $610,000 bond, Broward jail records show.

Nicholas Coffey told police he downloaded the porn using public Wi-Fi at a fast-food restaurant, according to Hallandale Beach Police.

Detectives discovered the images Saturday after Coffey, 24, was stopped as he walked out of Wal-Mart, 2551 E. Hallandale Beach Blvd., with a backpack full of belongings and stolen items, according to the arrest report.

The store’s loss prevention officer watched Coffey push a shopping cart full of merchandise into the Home Goods department, where he loaded the items into a backpack he had gotten from the Sporting Goods department, the report stated.

When Coffey walked past the checkout and out the door, he was taken into custody and held in the security office until police arrived. Officers found an estimated $9,820 worth of electronics in the backpack, including a Garmin GPS, a Samsung Galaxy tablet and an iPod, investigators said.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: anti-thefts devices, Employee Theft, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Training, Loss Prevention Workshop, retail security, retail security and monitoring

Anti-Shoplifting Devices

February 28, 2014 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Shoplifting affects everyone. Shoplifters affect the retail store or small business store they enter, the individual consumer and employee of the store. Increase in prices is something stores do to outset the revenue they are losing due to shoplifting. Stores around the world invest heavily in security systems, security personnel and anti-theft devices to deter shoplifters from entering their stores and costing them revenue losses that ultimately affect everyone.

How Anti-shoplifting Devices Work

Let’s imagine for the moment that you own a large department store, and you are having a big problem with shoplifting. (You’re not alone — retail stores lost $26 billion last year to shoplifting!) What are you going to do? You cannot let it continue, because every month your accounting system tells you that you are losing thousands of dollars to theft. It forces you to raise your prices, and that means you have to charge more than the store next door. That can make it very hard to compete, especially if the store next door is successfully discouraging shoplifting.

As a retailer focusing on the problem of what’s known in the industry as loss prevention, you basically have three methods at your disposal to slow the shoplifters down: (1) You can watch everyone in the store like a hawk and make sure they don’t steal anything. You can do that using security guards and/or video surveillance systems; (2) You can make things hard to remove from the store by bolting them down, attaching cables, putting things in display cases and behind the counter; (3) You can use a system that attaches special tags onto everything so that an alarm goes off whenever a shoplifter tries to walk out with an item. In this article, we’ll look at each of these options in more detail.

Virginia’s Quik-E Foods Cuts Losses with March Networks Retail Video Surveillance Solution

a global provider of intelligent IP video solutions, today announced that customer Quik-E Foods of Lynchburg, Virginia is upgrading to its next-generation retail solution for enhanced security and loss prevention. The March Networks solution integrates high-quality video, audio and transaction data to combat point-of-sale (POS) fraud and other threats to the business. The powerful solution has already helped Quik-E Foods improve operations and resolve serious incidents across its chain of 12 convenience stores and five automated car washes.
“We caught a cashier who was pausing transactions and then pocketing the money once customers left the store. The scam was adding up to more than $6,000 in losses,” explained Quik-E Foods Vice President Todd Burgess. “With the deep POS integration and search tools in our March Networks solution, those transactions showed up as voids, and we also had the video evidence to verify what was happening. There wasn’t a need to search for hours and hours. It was instant.”

Milestone Systems Expands Device Support with More than 3,000 Supported Devices

Milestone Systems, the open platform company in IP video management software (VMS), has released Device Pack 7.2 for partners and customers using Milestone XProtect® security solutions. Device Pack 7.2 has deep driver support for more than 3,000 devices, which means that Milestone has added more than 2,000 supported devices since 2011. This speedy development has only been possible due to Milestone’s dedicated efforts to drive the uptake of open platform technology in the physical security industry.

The Milestone Device Packs include optimized drivers that enable all the relevant capabilities of a camera or other hardware device to be managed fully by the XProtect software. Milestone works closely with the device manufacturers in the Manufacturer Alliance Program (MAP) to achieve the optimal interaction between their devices and the XProtect VMS . This ensures the highest quality for a video surveillance solution – very important for total system operability, efficiency and stability.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: anti-thefts devices, retail security, retail security and monitoring, security devices, shoplifting, Shoplifting Prevention, surveillance

Why Do People Shoplift? The High Price of Shoplifting for Retailers

January 22, 2014 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Shoplifting is a serious issue that affects more than just the retailers being stolen from. This hurts an economy that is struggling to recover from the recent recession because shoplifters are stealing approximately 25 million dollars worth of merchandise every single day.
There are several different reasons that people shoplift. A professional shoplifter is looking for a profit from reselling what he or she has stolen, but the majority of shoplifters is not professional and shoplifts for very different reasons. One reason non professional shoplifters steal is the emotional high or thrill they get from the theft.

Another reason is often the lack of funds to buy what the shoplifter wants. The shoplifter may also feel that they are entitled to take what they want if they can get away with it, or if they feel it is over-priced.

Not all shoplifters lack the funds to buy items, but feel pressured to steal by their peers. Emotional issues or kleptomania is a cause for some shoplifters. Whatever the reasons may be, the effect of shoplifting is hurting the economy. The attitude that many Americans have toward shoplifting is part of the problem. Shoplifting is often called the nations “silent crime” because it happens so often with so little consequence to the shoplifter. On average a shoplifter only gets caught one out of every fifty times he or she shoplifts.

Retailers are primarily the ones left with trying to stop shoplifting. Fortunately there are options available to help retailers curb shoplifting in their stores. An electronic surveillance system is a great tool in spotting shoplifters, and when it is used in connection with security tags on merchandise, the two become an outstanding line of defense for the store.

When potential shoplifters see a security tag detection systems at the front of a store, find security tags on the merchandise, a visible electronic surveillance system, and alert store associates, it might make shoplifters think twice about trying to get a five-finger discount from that retailer. For retailers, a good security system is a small price to pay in the struggling economy.

Filed Under: Security News Tagged With: mobile POS loss prevention, retail security, retail security and monitoring, shoplifting, surveillance

Loss Prevention Strategies

January 7, 2014 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Preventing shoplifting can be a daunting experience for any retail shop. What can you do to deterred people from causing losses to the bottom line of your business? Although the holidays are over, the New Year can present you with new ways to improve security and how to avoid shoplifters from entering your business. Read the articles below for more information about this topic.

4 Ways to Maximize Your Loss Prevention Strategies

Most merchants take basic precautions to reduce theft in their stores: they train employees and install surveillance systems. But even with these steps, the National Retail Federation survey found that 96 percent of retailers have been a victim of organized retail crime.

That said, there’s always more you can and should do to make your store less attractive to thieves. Our experts suggest four, all maximizing the loss prevention technology and techniques you’re likely already using.

1. Have video surveillance footage you can use. Many merchants review video footage after a break-in or employee theft only to find that the camera has been turned off or the equipment is not in working order. “Put the main recording device in a locked cabinet and make sure all cords going to the recorder are secure as well,” says Steve White, corporate vice president, business development at Vector Security. He also suggests you change all default passwords for the video system so that footage cannot be erased.

LP Magazine Special Report: Holiday Robberies

A recent news story highlighted an alarming number of robberies and burglaries which occurred over the Holiday season, with the report detailing 108 incidents that occurred over a ten day period between December 23rd and January 1st. 93 of the incidents were robberies. Several of the incidents involved the assault of employees, with one incident tragically ending with the shooting death of a convenience store owner in the Detroit area.

What is much more telling, however, is that these numbers only touch the surface. While the holidays are a time of high stress and heightened exposure, robberies can occur at any time, and with astonishing frequency. Let’s take a deeper look:

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Report (UCR), we average better than 971 robbery incidents per day nationwide. These incidents accounted for an estimated $414 million in losses in 2012. 652 victims died during robbery incidents. While not all of these crimes are retail-related incidents, approximately 21 percent occurred in commercial/retail establishments.

Providing a list of the incidents that occurred is valuable, and helps to heighten awareness. It’s important that we remind ourselves of the possibilities, and respectfully address the issue. But rather than simply spewing statistics, our greatest concern is always the safety of those involved in these and similar incidents. Such events should serve as a reminder to all of us in the retail community that appropriate protocols intended to prevent robberies from happening is clearly important. Additionally, providing guidance and direction regarding how employees should handle these incidents must be a priority. Training and awareness are essential to safe outcomes.

Lawsuits against Retailers: The Expert’s Role

Contemporary loss prevention policies and procedures is a direct consequence of the so-called “litigation explosion” that dates back to the early to mid-1980s. Time was when a head-long pursuit through the parking lot and across heavily-trafficked public roadways was a way of life. To many it was exhilarating and the resultant capture of a shoplifter was rewarding.

However, I recall with clarity the case of two teenage brothers who were pursued by supermarket employees for the theft of a couple of candy bars and a 16 oz. can of beer. The two were struck and killed by an auto in the middle lanes of a nearby freeway. The subsequent lawsuit was punishing. It’s fair to identify that very case as the beginning of the end of hot pursuits in the retail industry.

Subsequently, other practices, heretofore invoking mild reprimands, became socially and legally unacceptable and everyday practices, such as wrestling a suspect to the ground and gaining control with an arm-lock, became suspect, again, magnified by lawsuits. Shoplifters died, invariably followed by a lawsuit resulting in the awarding of damages. Awards sent corporate policymakers, guided by their own legal counsel, back to the drawing boards.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: retail security, security, shoplifting, Shoplifting Prevention, surveillance

When size matters- Anti-Theft Devices

July 27, 2013 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

There are few things more frustrating than trying to accomplish a task, and to be thwarted by a seemingly miniscule detail like the size just doesn’t match up. I have tried to help friends move couches that are two inches too big for the doorway. How about trying to use a ladder that is a foot too short to reach what you need. It is nothing more than pure frustration.

So how about trying to use anti-theft devices to prevent retail theft when part of the tag is hanging off of the product. That doesn’t work very well for anyone in involved in retail security except the shoplifters.

The Checkpoint labels come in a variety of sizes to suit your anti shoplifting needs. Each one comes in plain, which can be run through a thermal printer, or pre printed with a bar code.

When size does make a difference, it is nice to know that you have options. You can pick the smaller size 31 label or the larger size 33 labels.

Visit RBC Security Solutions for Checkpoint Compatible Anti-Shoplifting or Anti- theft Devices that can help you with your Retail Security needs like Cheap Labels and Cheap Tags. Our Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS Labels and Tags are not cheap they are inexpensive and made in the U.S.

For more information on how you can use Anti- theft Devices in conjunction with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system to help you prevent retail theft in your business with products like Cheap Labels and Cheap Tags contact us.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Anti-Shoplifting, anti-theft devices, Cheap Labels, Cheap Tags, retail security

Free to a Good Home – Anti-theft Devices

April 27, 2013 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

There are few things more frustrating than trying to accomplish a task, at home or under the guise of retail security, where some small overlooked detail throws a wrench into the process.

I have tried to help friends move couches that are two inches too big for the doorway. After several hours of flipping the couch around to try every imaginable angle, it is left out on the curb – free to a good home.

How about trying to use a ladder that is a foot too short to reach what you need. It is a headache to have to drag the ladder back and to find a new one.

So how about trying to use anti-shoplifing devices when part of the tag is hanging off of the product? That doesn’t work very well for anyone involved except the shoplifters. It is all too easy to be torn off and invalidate having a cheap tag or cheap label on it in the first place.

Having the right size anti-theft devices makes all the difference in the world.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Anti-Shoplifting, anti-theft devices, Cheap Labels, Cheap Tags, retail security

Employee theft Cases are like Onions…

January 28, 2013 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

I worked with a corporate investigator that used to say employee theft cases are always like peeling an onion. The further down you get, the more it starts to stink and the more layers start to unfold.

In my experience, he was right. Employee theft cases keep retail security personnel on their toes. Just one employee out of control can equate to thousands, sometimes even tens of thousands of dollars in losses and the cases always seem to dig deeper and deeper.

There is a way to help diminish employee theft. Use retail anti-shoplifting tools on your merchandise.

Retail anti-shoplifting tools like retail anti-theft devices, are better known as EAS labels and tags. They are designed to provide a multi layer of defense against losses.

These labels and tags are primarily designed to help eliminate and deter shoplifters, but also work well in deterring employees from stealing.

If an employee were to steal an item that causes an alarm to go off, every one around them will know. The employee has to come back and face the rest of the store, filled with people who know them.

A shoplifter’s greatest asset is anonymity. An employee who does not have the same tool is even more likely to get caught.

Visit RBC Security Solutions for Checkpoint Compatible retail Anti-Shoplifting or retail Anti- theft Devices that can help you with your Retail Security needs like Cheap Tags and Cheap Labels. Our Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS Labels and Tags are not cheap they are inexpensive and made in the U.S.

For more information on how you can use retail anti- theft Devices in conjunction with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system to help you prevent retail theft in your business with products like Cheap Tags and Cheap Labels contact us.

Click here for your Free Sample of these new Checkpoint Compatible Cheap Tags and Cheap Labels for your Retail Security and retail Anti-Shoplifting needs!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Anti-Shoplifting, anti-theft devices, Cheap Labels, Cheap Tags, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security

Scare off your shoplifters with cheap tags and cheap labels.

January 21, 2013 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Store owners and managers must have a retail anti-shoplifting mindset, especially these days with the economy and the way it is. As a loss prevention officer I have seen a spike in shoplifting, employee dishonesty, and organized retail crimes. Making sure your stores retail security is up to par is essential in combatting the shoplifters that wander into your place of business. Not protecting your merchandise is just inviting thieves to line up and steal from your store.

Retail anti-theft devices are very inexpensive and have a huge return on investment. Cheap labels can be purchased and placed on clothing without any risk of damaging the product. Cheap tags can be purchased as well in order to compliment the labels by adding further visual deterrence. Wouldn’t it be great to scare off some would-be shoplifters from your store so that they go steal from a major competitor?

The goal is to make your store a retail anti-shoplifting establishment in order to maximize profit and minimize loss. Retail anti-theft devices serve many useful functions. However, the most useful function that I’ve noticed throughout my career is that store management get a better night’s sleep the night before inventory day.

Click here for your Free Sample of these new Checkpoint Compatible Cheap Tags and Cheap Labels for your Retail Security and retail Anti-Shoplifting needs!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Anti-Shoplifting, anti-theft devices, Cheap Labels, Cheap Tags, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security

Don’t let the hard times deter you from protecting your bottom line!

January 18, 2013 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Small business owners are having a tough time in this economy but this is no time to forget about protecting the bottom line. In fact, retail security is more important than ever because when times are tough people will do what ever tey need to get by, including shoplifting.

When I am hired to do lp consulting for small business owners I have an uphill battle to help them spend money to save money. Most of these businesses are retailers selling a variety of products. My first pitch is an EAS system. Unfortunately many of the EAS systems are expensive and fall outside the price range these small businesses can afford. As the economy started to recede and the trend of small businesses to spend less on retail security increased I realized I needed to conduct additional research to see if there were any other companies out there who were making affordable retail anti-theft devices.

I found a company called RBC Security Solutions and realized that for every bump in the road in the economy there are very intelligent people who are constantly looking for innovative ways to manufacture quality products in more efficient ways to be able to offer them at a more inexpensive price. I could not believe the variety of retail anti-theft devices RBC offered such as cheap labels and cheap tags. Retail Security is a tricky business that is never cookie cutter or one size fits all. A business has to be fully evaluated from its administrative practices to its employees to its sales performance to its demographics and finally its physical location. Once that evaluation is complete a shrink busting strategy including anti-shoplifting tools can be implemented. RBC had a full compliment of inexpensive retail security devices that fit nicely into the owners strategy to control shrink in his store.

RBC has become a much needed ally to the retail world and to loss prevention professionals who are trying to find new inexpensive ways to protect their company’s assets. One thing I learned from RBC Security Solutions that has become a mantra of mine is “Inexpensive does not mean cheap!”. Even though this company boast cheap tags and cheap labels, once you see the quality of the product that RBC security solution sells you will realize there is nothing cheap about the quality.

Click here for your Free Sample of these new Checkpoint Compatible Cheap Tags and Cheap Labels for your Retail Security and retail Anti-Shoplifting needs!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Anti-Shoplifting, anti-theft devices, Cheap Labels, Cheap Tags, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security

Keeping your Equipment Up to Date can Actually Save you Money!

January 14, 2013 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

It is a sad fact that in today’s job market and national economy a lot of us in the Retail Security or Operations field end up having to move about quite a bit. More often than not the reason is that the company you were working for didn’t have the budget to keep you (or even your whole department) on the payroll. I understand fully the need for corporations to ‘trim the fat’ in order to survive but the area they certainly shouldn’t be skimping on is Retail Security or a fairly current suite of retail anti-Theft Devices.

A few months back I fell victim to the budget cut goblins at a certain retail firm but was quickly picked up by another company looking to completely rebuild their Loss Prevention department from the ground up. They had a lot of great ideas as they pertained to retail Anti-Shoplifting setups and deterrence over apprehension but there was one major problem; not a single piece of their retail Anti-Theft Device inventory was younger than twenty years old. In fact most of it was much older. The problem with this arises when you get a shoplifter that knows how to defeat out of date equipment. There is a reason that Anti-Shoplifting devices have evolved over time and it is important that retailers understand this when considering their anti-shoplifting methods.

If you have a store that is trying to cut back on spending but not on Loss Prevention make sure they consider all the retail Anti-Shoplifting alternatives so you don’t feel like you are fighting high-tech, computer savvy thieves with old-fashioned, pre-calculator equipment.

Click here for your Free Sample of these new Checkpoint Compatible Cheap Tags and Cheap Labels for your Retail Security and retail Anti-Shoplifting needs!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Anti-Shoplifting, anti-theft devices, Cheap Labels, Cheap Tags, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security