Alpha Security Devices Prevent Most Shoplifting But Be Careful Of Thieves Who Are Not Deterred By Them

My daughter recently told me about trying to prevent shoplifting during an incident at the store she works at. She was at the customer service counter located near the front door. She noticed a man wearing a ball cap with the tag hanging down and several items in his hand. She told me she sees customers wearing their hats a lot but usually they take them off when they get to the register and pay for it along with the other merchandise they may have. This customer was making no attempt to walk towards the register and as he got closer to the front door my daughter said she saw he was carrying a piece of merchandise with an Alpha Spider Wrap on it. The suspect got closer to the door, the retail anti-theft devices activated the electronic article surveillance (EAS) alarm and my daughter went to the door to conduct a receipt check and called to the suspect but he ignored her and ran to his car. My daughter called the Manager On Duty to report the theft but told me she was mad the shoplifter had stolen from them and wanted to chase after him (though she did not and followed company policy). 

If you are a retail business owner and do not use retail anti-theft devices from Alpha Security products like the Alpha Spider Wrap, you are probably experiencing more theft than you know. Alpha Spider Wrap is a protective device that causes an EAS antenna to sound an alarm when it is carried too close. Alpha 3 Alarm retail anti-theft devices also have a built in alarm that sounds IF someone gets out the door with protected merchandise. Spider wraps have four strand of wire connected to a main housing unit. The wires are wrapped around a boxed piece of merchandise and then tightened with a ratchet like handle. When properly applied, the wraps cannot be removed without an Alpha Security detachment key, normally kept secured at the cash register. By the way, Spider Wrap is also tamper proof and will self- alarm if a shoplifter attempts to cut one of the wires. 

You are probably thinking that in my daughter’s situation protective devices didn’t prevent shoplifting so why use them? First, it has been proven that retail anti-theft devices DO deter thieves and prevent shoplifting. If you look at the 2014-2015 Global Retail Theft Barometer report, you can see in the Regional Report for North America (pgs. 50-60) that for most retailers that reduced their spending on Loss Prevention their merchandise shrinkage increased from the prior year. Second, by using the Alpha Security devices an alarm did activate and my daughter was able to attempt to approach the customer and she did see what he looked like, and customers who were nearby reported what type of vehicle the suspect got away in. This is someone who will be recognized if he returns. If your store isn’t protecting merchandise you have no way to know when something is stolen let alone who may be taking it. You also have no deterrence to keep shoplifters from trying to steal from you. As someone who has been involved in Retail Loss Prevention for nearly 20 years, I have first-hand experience in watching would-be criminals try to remove Alpha Security devices and then stop out of frustration. I have also seen them drop merchandise when EAS antenna alarms sounded and I have recovered merchandise during a receipt check due to alarm activations. 

I also want to touch on the topic of employee safety and dealing with shoplifters. I mentioned that my daughter said she was mad that someone would steal and she wished she could have chased after the suspect. Drawing from my years of Loss Prevention experience, I reminded her that she did the right thing by staying in the store and I am sharing this advice with you. Too often shoplifters who disregard alarms and run out the door are armed, on some type of illegal drugs or have criminal records that would put them in jail if they are caught. I have seen shoplifters speed out of a parking lot nearly hitting other cars and pedestrians in an effort to escape. I have been injured and had LP co-workers injured trying to apprehend shoplifters. Responding to an alarm caused by a retail anti-theft device is appropriate. Chasing someone who has shoplifted is dangerous. Report suspected thefts to your local police department. Merchandise can be replaced, people can’t be. In the meantime do what you can to prevent shoplifting by using Alpha Spider Wrap and watch your shortage results shrink.

Need information on Alpha Security? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.