Staff Editor — Page 38

Increase Your Margins Without Spending Anything

June 7, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Do you REALLY know how to stop shoplifters? I mean, really know? Your Checkpoint System is only half of the strategy. You spent the money, put the labor/time into using labels and tags but after the newness wears off, are you still having more losses than you want?

As a customer of Loss Prevention Systems you have more. Because you bought your system from us and purchase tags/labels from us, we will train you and your staff in any or all of our awesome FREE, LIVE webinars:

Yes, we will conduct these webinars privately for you. As reasonably often as you need. Change in staff, new hires, new supervisor, new manager, refresher training, one person or fifty…. Just call and schedule it.

You see, I believe that the Checkpoint System and Alpha High Theft Solutions equipment is as good as the staff that is handling it. So these webinars are not about how to use the equipment but about how to deter the shoplifters in the first place and what to do when you do catch one. I cover your stores policy (or help you design one), how to approach a suspected shoplifter and deter them, how to handle an alarm from the Checkpoint System, your State’s laws and much more.

My 30 years as an LP professional starting as a Police Officer, Store Investigator, District LP Manager, Regional LP Manager and the Director of LP for two major retailers, give me a vast amount of experience to draw on to help you solve your problems. Think of Loss Prevention Systems as your LP Department. All of that because you are our good customer!

My goal is to reduce YOUR losses. If LPSI can do that, then we are all happy.

So call or email us, get one scheduled before you lose any more merchandise to thieves.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, EAS Devices, employee background checks, Employee Theft, loss prevention, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Seminars, Periodic inventory, Prevent Shoplifting, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security and monitoring, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, surveillance

DID CALIFORNIA JUST DECLARE OPEN SEASON FOR SHOPLIFTERS?

June 7, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

There’s been some news swirling around the LP world for a few weeks now about California and some new laws that the state has passed. Basically, the state raised the threshold for a felony theft to $950. The article hinted that shoplifting has increased in the major retail stores and calls for shoplifting cases have increased by 25% to the LAPD. The article blamed the new legislation for this. Here’s a link to that article if you’d like to read it. (http://losspreventionmedia.com/insider/shoplifting-organized-retail-crime/welcome-to-california-a-shoplifters-paradise/?mqsc=E3836406).

I know I’ll catch some flak from my colleagues, but I’m going to openly disagree. Honestly, I don’t think your average shoplifter is paying much attention to the state laws governing shoplifting. In my home state of Louisiana, felony theft, when I started my LP career was $350. Over time, the state legislators have increased that to $500, and more recently to $750. So where that shoplifter was being charged with a felony 10 years ago, they are now being charged with a misdemeanor. In most cases, they are still booked into parish jail and have to bond out. Very rarely do officers issue a citation. Our jails are just as over-crowded as California and our budget situation is arguably worse. If California is seeing an increase in shoplifting, let’s also consider that the state has no laws regarding organized retail crime.

In Louisiana, there are organized retail crime laws on the books. In addition, shoplifting has a habitual offender clause. These two pieces of legislation are what makes an impact, not the dollar threshold for a felony. Your organized criminal enterprises are what’s causing you problems. These are the boosters who target stores up and down the interstate. The groups that make a living conducing refund fraud and those individuals who just will continue to steal because they see it as “victim-less”. These are the people that impact retailers and these are the ones that deserve the harsher penalties. I don’t believe a high school kid, or college freshman should be subject to a felony if their first offense is stealing a $300 pair of headphones. They need consequences, but a felony record is not one of them.

Why organized crime laws work for the state

If you are stealing for the sole purpose of re-selling for profit, you are a problem. Chances are, if you’re involved with a group like this, you’re also involved in other, more serious crimes. Just this past year, I was able to help local detectives make a case against a ring of car thieves. While detectives didn’t have enough evidence at the time to book anyone on the car thefts, the same people were involved in organized retail crimes. They were stealing large quantities of ammunition and then selling the merchandise at local flea markets and gun shows to fund their car theft operation. Police were able to use the organized crime laws to bring felony charges against them, which led them to the evidence they needed to bust the car theft case wide open. Had it not been for those laws being on the books, these violent criminals may still be out on the streets.

Additionally, Louisiana has a habitual offender clause in the shoplifting law. Anyone convicted of shoplifting 3 times shall be charged with a felony on each subsequent arrest. Basically, if you are convicted 3 times of shoplifting, whether those convictions are misdemeanors or felonies, any subsequent arrest is upgraded to felony charges from the DA’s office. I’ve seen this work in action a dozen or so times throughout my time here. Just last year, we busted a guy for stealing about $200 worth of apparel. He was out on parole for aggravated battery. He had 4 other shoplifting convictions. The DA prosecuted him as a habitual offender, which revoked his parole and he went back to prison to serve the remainder of his 5 year sentence. That’s what has an impact. If a person knows that they can face actual time, you have a deterrence to shoplifting.

So maybe, retail leaders in California should shift their focus from complaining about the felony threshold, to lobbying their elected leaders to pass meaningful legislation that will actually have an impact on shoplifting. While some professional criminals will take advantage of this new law, the retail community and lawmakers should work together to pass laws that target those that are the true problem. That starts with an organized retail crime law, California.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-thefts devices, EAS Devices, employee background checks, Employee Theft, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Seminars, Loss Prevention Training, Loss Prevention Workshop, Periodic inventory, Perpetual Inventory, Prevent Shoplifting, Shoplifting Prevention

EMPLOYEE THEFT – A LESSON IN HUMAN NATURE

June 7, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

It’s no big secret that I can’t stand a thief; I did make a career out of catching them. Shoplifters really get under my skin, but employee theft really fires me up. You put people to work, give them opportunity to grow and instead of putting in the long hours, hard work and dedication needed to move forward, they steal from you. They betray your trust, slap you in the face and take money out of your pocket and food off your family’s table. Will you ever stop employee theft completely? Probably not. You can, however, minimize the risk.

If you employ people, there’s a good chance one of them will eventually steal from you. Through my Loss Prevention career, the excuse I’ve heard the most from dishonest employees was that they did it because it was “easy”. So why are we, business owners and managers making it so easy for our employees to steal from us? The first problem I see constantly is that, over time, complacency sets in. The next is a failure to follow established controls and finally, my personal favorite, is a lack of oversight.

A key to being a good manager is to not be over-bearing. I’ve learned a long time ago to “trust, but verify”. What that means is that you trust that your employees are doing what they are supposed to do when you’re not around, but you verify, and not simply assume they are. For example, you tell your warehouse team that the back door should never be open without a manager present. This is a basic control measure to prevent product from walking out of the back door. You obviously can’t be in your warehouse all hours of the day and night, so you have to verify. CCTV makes this easy. Managers often fall victim to complacency. If the warehouse crew knows that that the manager never checks to see if the doors are open, or that manager never addresses the violation, an environment for a dishonest associate to thrive is created.

Failing to adhere to established controls is yet another way we, as managers, often let our employees steal from us. (It also goes hand-in-hand with complacency.) I’ll give you a great example. I worked for a company that had a carry-out policy with respect to large, bulk items. If an employee was assisting a customer with a large item, the employee had to have the door greeter sign off on the receipt before it was carried outside. This was of course to discourage employee theft. I remember walking near the front doors as an employee rolled out a TV set. The door greeter asked to sign the receipt, and the employee said, “I’ll sign it outside”. There was a manager at the door as well. Both the greeter and the manager did not react to this. I immediately went back to the cameras and discovered this employee had just stolen this TV. A subsequent investigation showed he had rolled out thousands of dollars in this same manner. If the store would’ve followed their established controls and not fell into complacency, this employee would never had the opportunity to steal.

Manager. The word manage is actually in the name! The working world needs managers because most people need oversight. Some may need more than others, and you’ll find that some people need very little. You have to adapt your style of management to suit each of your employees. Managers that sit in the office all day long and are never give a sales floor presence are more likely to be the manager that employees feel comfortable stealing around. This isn’t to say that the manager is “in on it,” but the dishonest employee knows their chance of being caught is greatly reduced when “that manager” is working. Presence on the floor and constant follow up are traits of a good retail manager. Knowing that at any moment you can round the corner to see what the team is working on will keep those dishonest employees on their toes. Chances are, they won’t risk being caught, or better yet, they won’t ever see an opportunity to steal from you!

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, Background checks, EAS Devices, employee background checks, Employee Theft, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting systems, loss prevention, Loss Prevention Workshop, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security, retail security and monitoring, security, security devices, shoplifting, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, surveillance

WHAT’S THE VALUE IN LOSS PREVENTION AWARENESS TRAINING?

June 7, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Whether you’re a small one store business, or a large chain store, loss prevention awareness training for your teams cannot only protect against criminal acts, but also make a direct and positive impact on your bottom line. There is an inherent value in awareness training that lots of managers just don’t take advantage of. The core of any successful loss prevention program is not how many shoplifters are caught, nor is it how many employees were arrested; it’s training and awareness of your store teams. We are called loss “prevention,” not loss “reaction,” right? So how do you persuade your managers to see the value?

In my experience, in order for a manager to really do something, and to buy in to anything, you have to appeal to the “what’s in it for me” mentality. (Because a job and steady paycheck just aren’t enough.) What’s the biggest complaint from your managers? What I hear most is “payroll”. They need more people and more allotted hours to get the job done right. You surely just can’t dole out payroll hours, as this is the biggest controllable expense you have. So you have to work with what you’re given; but what if what you’re given is slowly being eaten away by shrink?

Shrink has a direct impact on payroll. Take for instance, if your store lost $12,000 last month to shrink and we assume that you have an average hourly rate of about $10/Hr. That $12k you lost could’ve been sales, had you had the product in stock for the customer. That equates to about 70 payroll hours you’ve lost. That’s 3 part time workers, or 1 full time and 1 part time worker. So how do you recoup some of those hours? Awareness training.

Well, who do you train? I always start with the cashiers. This group is your last line of defense against fraudsters. So much can happen at the point of sale. You can have price-switchers, quick-change artists, box stuffers, counterfeiters, etc. A well trained cashier can quickly spot these thieves and save you thousands. Take for example, ice chests/coolers. A poorly trained cashier may never think about opening these up as they come through the line. This is a gold mine for organized criminals. How much product can you hide in a 160qt ice chest? This would be a good starting point for any training program. Every cashier should be expected to open the contents and check for any hidden product. You’d be surprised at what you’ll find.

Monitor your success. Let’s assume you start with this simple step. Each time your cashier finds hidden merchandise, you record the dollar value of the save. Maybe you even spark a little competition amongst your cashiers. At the end of the month, you (and the manager) have a solid number to show the value in that small investment you made in training. Now you can expand.

What makes a successful training program work is having fun. I had a store manager years ago that really inspired her team. She went around the store and hid little notes inside backpacks, coolers and anything else that she wanted her teams to open and look inside. Those notes said, “When found, bring to a manager”. Those cashiers were then rewarded in some way. From this program, this manager was able to make a positive financial impact of over $10,000 in what otherwise would have been stolen product.

That’s an extreme example. I have other stores that have an “item of the week”. The cashier supervisors’ partner with the department supervisors and each week, they showcase a high ticket item. One week it may be an expensive tent, and the next week a high end toothbrush. During the week, all the cashiers have an opportunity to touch the product, learn about it and understand that it’s an expensive item. This not only gives them the ability to speak to the product to our customers, but to also identify any potential price switch scenario they may encounter.

It’s hard to argue with the value a good LP training program can bring to your store. Not only can you increase your sales, but you can also positively impact your shrink and wage metrics. You also limit the exposure your store has to criminal activity, so your employees and customers can shop and work in a safer environment. If you’re not using your entire team to prevent shrink, it’s time to do so; your bottom line is depending on it.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, Background checks, EAS Devices, Georgia Alarms systems, Loss Prevention Seminars, Loss Prevention Workshop, Periodic inventory, Prevent Shoplifting, racial profiling, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security and monitoring, security devices, shoplifting, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, shoplifting violence, surveillance

CHECKPOINT SYSTEMS, AN INVESTMENT WORTH MAKING

June 7, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

CHECKPOINT SYSTEMS, AN INVESTMENT WORTH MAKING

Each day you open your doors, you’re faced with a myriad of choices and decisions that need to be made. What items need to be re-ordered, what sizes need to be discontinued, what do you need more of, what’s driving sales and what’s pulling them down. The last thing you need to be worried about is shoplifters walking out with your merchandise. The sad reality here is that’s it’s a fact of life in a retail environment. A sound operation is not only customer-centric, but to be profitable you have to factor in ways to stop shoplifting.

Imagine that you’re a shoplifter for a minute. Your 8-5 is to go out every day and steal as much as possible without getting caught. You have choices, just as any normal shopper. You can go to that big box retail store that has a robust CCTV system, a really good Checkpoint security system and in store Loss Prevention agents, or you can go to the smaller store down the road that may not have those strategies deployed. Shoplifters are like water; they follow the path of least resistance. Chances are, if you’re not securing your merchandise, your store will be very inviting to thieves. So how do you stop shoplifting without breaking the bank?

There are a few basics that retailers of all sizes and shapes should follow. First, whether you’re 10,000 square feet, or 200,000, a few cameras and a public view monitor and the front door is the best deterrent. While a camera system will not stop shoplifting outright, it will be a major deterrent. It will also allow you to go back and review any past criminal activity that may have taken place when you were not around, such as employee theft, or even after-hour burglaries.

Now, often overlooked by smaller retailers (and in my opinion, much more important that CCTV) is a Checkpoint security system. Having a strong EAS program in your store can reduce shoplifting almost overnight. By securing high theft/high risk items with an EAS device, a shoplifter is not as likely to try to steal the item. Again, think path of least resistance. Why would they take the chance of being caught going out the door?

The majority of small retail stores think that installing a Checkpoint security system is a multi-thousand dollar investment, but in reality, it’s not. There’s a wide range of solutions out there that can fit any store design and accommodate just about any budget. So the next time you find those empty packages, or ripped barcodes in your store, think of Checkpoint security systems and how they can help you stop shoplifting in your store!

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

Filed Under: antishoplifting Tagged With: checkpoint security system, checkpoint systems, stop shoplifting

Identifying The Problems To Prevent Shoplifting

June 2, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

To fix a problem, you first need to know what is wrong with it. Shoplifting and employee theft are two of the main causes of billions of dollars lost in the retail industry every year. Employers and management personnel do not know how to fix those problems, and sometimes are not aware there is a problem till much later. If employees are caught stealing, the problems then are the financial costs associated with prosecuting such individuals. Is firing them enough punishment? Should the employer pay thousands of dollars in legal fees to bring such individuals to court? There are many issues associated with shoplifting, do you know what to do about them?

To read more about this topic, follow the links below.

Managing Retail Shrink Begins with Problem Identification

The retail shrink action plan should begin with problem identification.

One question I have been asked frequently is, “How did you know how to battle retail shrink in the grocery business, especially considering your background is predominantly in discount retail?” My response to that question is almost always the same, which is: “I follow the loss prevention road map.” Often I get blank stares, but after explaining, most understand and realize they have probably been following their own road map for years without realizing it.

I have always described the road map as a six-step process; one that takes years to perfect, but when executed properly can yield amazing results in not only retail shrinkage reduction, but any expense a company is attempting to minimize.

The process includes the following six steps:

• Step 1—Problem identification
• Step 2—Program development
• Step 3—Program execution, or what I like to call countermeasures
• Step 4—Comprehensive awareness programs
• Step 5—Auditing for compliance
• Step 6—Measurement

Shoplifting prevention tips for businesses

JOHANNESBURG – Preventing petty theft such as shoplifting is not an exact science, however, here are a few tips to help business owners and shopkeepers.

Danny Maduray, owner of Ria Sebetsa Security, warned businesses of shoplifters.

“If you suspect someone may be shoplifting, never accuse him but rather ask if you can help him,” said Maduray.

“Keep the person in your sight and contact security or a manager immediately. Never try to stop the shoplifter. Rather provide security with a detailed description of the person, including his vehicle, if possible.”

Maduray also listed a few tips for businesses to prevent shoplifting:

Greet customers as soon as they come into the store. Addressing customers removes their anonymity. Shoplifters are known to avoid stores with attentive salespeople.

Face to Face

With facial recognition tools, do benefits outweigh privacy concerns?

Facial recognition technology has progressed through several generations, been tested in the workplace and is employed on a daily basis by transportation venues, casinos and law enforcement.

So why aren’t retailers making wider use of it, either to identify known shoplifters or to personalize visits of loyal customers when they walk into the store?

The technology may be in wider use than most people suspect, but some merchants are hesitant to publicize their efforts and risk having them be misinterpreted by privacy advocates. As with video surveillance, facial recognition raises fears of privacy invasion, but these can be overcome, says Colin Peacock, visiting fellow at the University of Leicester in England and strategic coordinator for Efficient Consumer Response Europe’s Shrinkage and On-Shelf Availability Group.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Nano Gate, EAS Devices, Employee Theft, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, loss prevention, Loss Prevention Training, 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

What Are You Doing To Prevent Shoplifting In Your Business?

June 1, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

The United Kingdom police arrested people involved in a shoplifting ring this past week, The New York police in the United States arrested 3 people involved in a shoplifting ring, and 3 more people are arrested in Delaware for the same crime last week. Shoplifting is a crime that in Europe, The United States, and other developed countries is so widespread that is costing businesses billions of dollars a year, and authorities are trying to find a solution to a problem that so far has no end in sight.

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

Can Science Stop Stealing? UF Researcher Aims to Find Out

University of Florida Research Scientist Dr. Read Hayes is gathering data to better understand shoplifters’ habits.

By Stephen Sellner · May 20, 2016

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Theft plagues all kinds of retail stores across the country, and one University of Florida researcher thinks he can prevent stealing through science.

Dr. Read Hayes started the Loss Prevention Research Council 30 years ago. There, he studies video surveillance supplied by retailers to study shoplifting tendencies and better understand what deters them from stealing. Part of Hayes’ research involves interviewing shoplifters who are caught in the act to learn more about how they operate and what entices them to steal certain items. In exchange for talking, Hayes gives them a gift card to the store.

“We’re trying to really understand the thought process,” Hayes told Fox 13 News. “We’ve got to understand the psychology here in order for us to help influence their decisions.”

Below is a video that goes into more detail on Hayes’ work that has retailers very interested.

Delaware troopers arrest 3 in organized shoplifting

Delaware State Police troopers have arrested three people in connection with an organized retail theft operation.

Around 8:40 p.m. Saturday, May 28, troopers were dispatched to the Marshall’s store at 4575 Coastal Highway for a report of a shoplifting in progress, police said. When the troopers got there they saw a loss prevention employee chasing after three people running from the store, police said, and the troopers were able to detain the three suspects without further incident.

Police said the investigation revealed the three were removing security devices from clothing in the store and then concealing them in a backpack which they also took from the store’s sales rack. When the loss prevention employee confronted the three and identified himself, they dropped the merchandise and fled, police said.

Sue vows to fight teenage crime using free toiletries and underwear with launch of ‘Sue’s Essentials’

East Cambridgeshire Police’s crime reduction officer has launched her ‘Sue’s Essentials’ project by handing out boxes of toiletries and sanitary items to colleges across the region.

The case of a 12-year-old girl caught shoplifting toiletries in Ely inspired Sue Loaker to kick-start ‘Sue’s Essentials’ – an initiative that aims to reduce crime – theft in particular – through the distribution of free toiletries, sanitary items and underwear.

Toothbrushes, sanitary towels, hairbrushes and bras are just a selection of goods on offer to teenagers who may be unable to buy the items themselves or may not be receiving them at home.

Ms Loaker believes that offering the items to the region’s young people for free can help reduce the number of teenage shoplifters, and hopes it will also aid in the prevention of bullying in schools.

She said: “Ultimately, it’s a self esteem issue, and not having these items can lead to bullying and crime.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, Employee Theft, Georgia shoplifting systems, Loss Prevention Workshop, Prevent Shoplifting, prevent shrinkage, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security and monitoring, security devices

Petty Theft Is A Pretty Big Problem – Clothing Security Can Prevent Loss and Improve Profit

June 1, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

How much clothing do you think a shoplifter can steal from your store in one incident? A purse filled with items? Perhaps a shoplifter could get away with a large shopping bag full of merchandise? The reason I ask the questions is that if a store owner or manager isn’t thinking about it, the inclination can be to think of a shoplifter as a person stealing a couple of items and getting away with it. If people are only stealing a couple of items, addressing clothing security may not seem to be a significant problem. Sure, no one wants people stealing from them, but the solution seems to be more of a hassle than just letting a few items get out the store, right? Wrong, theft impacts a store a lot more than just the loss of a few items at a time. It’s also easier than you might think to prevent clothing theft by using clothing security tags.

Clothing security tags prevent theft through visual deterrence when they are placed in a location on an item that makes it visible. For example, Checkpoint tags hanging from the cuffs of shirt sleeves will be seen by the customer who walks up to the garment while it is on the rack. A tag hanging on the waistband of a pair of dress slacks will draw someone’s eyes to the security tag and they will recognize what it is. Checkpoint tags also activate electronic article surveillance alarm antennas if someone attempts to walk out of a store with a piece of merchandise which has the tag attached. This makes tags a physical deterrence to theft as well as a visual one. A shoplifter may try to roll up an item, place it in a purse or bag and walk out through the doors, but hidden or not the sensor can still read the tags.

Another aspect of using clothing security tags that make them an easy theft prevention tool is that they are not difficult to use. The two piece design means they are quick to attach to garments and fasten. There are also options available for clothing to be source tagged by the vendor, saving your store time and payroll by not having to use store personnel to do the tagging process. From a merchandise branding point of view, source tagging also ensures uniform placement of tags, making it easier for cashiers to not hunt for tags at the point of sale. Tags are also re-useable so you are not constantly purchasing new ones on a regular basis.

I mentioned previously that many store managers and owners only think about the shoplifter as a petty thief and therefore, while a pain in the neck, their impact to the bottom line is negligible. I would like to share one of my experiences from my years as a Loss Prevention Manager. I had two young ladies in our store pushing around shopping carts, one containing a baby stroller box, the other a diaper disposal box. They were shopping in children’s clothing and then the young misses department. I noticed that they were stopping every so often and then some of the clothes would be gone. Their activity continued so I turned my full attention to them and as I watched, I began to see they were filling the boxes with the clothes. It turned out they had removed the contents of the boxes and left them somewhere else in the store and were box stuffing. How much did my petty shoplifters have stuffed in their boxes? The two had filled over $500 in clothing in one box and $300 in the second box. Some of the merchandise was tagged, but most was not since we did not use Checkpoint tags on clothes as much as I would have liked. The system did work and the alarm did activate, however we already were watching so the two were apprehended. Smaller stores probably cannot afford store security so clothing security may be the only way to have an opportunity to recover merchandise from thieves.

Shoplifting is no joke and it frequently involves more that an item or two in a bag or worn under clothing. Clothing security should be taken seriously and investing in Checkpoint tags can help make a significant improvement to store profitability.

Clothing security is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Checkpoint tags, Clothing Security, clothing security tags

ALPHA SPIDER WRAPS ARE SHOCKINGLY EFFECTIVE AGAINST THEFT

May 31, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

ALPHA SPIDER WRAPS ARE SHOCKINGLY EFFECTIVE AGAINST THEFT

Early last year, my company began carrying a line of electric dog training collars. Being a pet specialty store, it was important for us to have a very open merchandising concept for our customers. We needed our customers to be able to have as much access to the products as possible, in order to maximize sales all while maintaining very tight payroll budgets. The problem? No one listened when I screamed about a product protection plan. Now, we’re playing loss reaction as we scramble to get Alpha Spider Wraps out to all of our stores.

When our buyers first set out to purchase the new line, which included price points from $99 as the lowest, up to $699 for the top of the line model, no one (but LP) thought there would be a theft problem, so all conversations discussing how to prevent shoplifting were met with an all too common phrase by company management that went something like, “we don’t foresee this being a shrink producer.” Then why on Earth did you invite me to this meeting and ask for my opinion?!

I tried over and over again to make my case; scouring data from any place I could pull it. I even had a spreadsheet that listed all stores that our vendor was supplying and then a cross reference with online retail sites that somehow were getting their hands on the product. Still, I got very little buy in on methods to deploy in order to prevent shoplifting in this category. So, I did what I’ve done more times that I care to say with the corporate guys. I sat back and I waited; waited for them to see what a disastrous idea it would be by failing to protect these items.

It obviously didn’t take long for my stores to start reporting issues with theft. By mid-year, the buyers and merchants were in a literally tizzy. They weren’t profitable. They were (imagine that) losing more of these items than they were selling. Guess who they came running to? Oh, it wasn’t a cordial, “can you please help us”, it was more like, “Why is LP allowing so much theft to happen? Aren’t you guys supposed to prevent shoplifting?” It was about this time that I compiled every email, every note and every meeting agenda I could find from the past 6 months and showed where I had tried (valiantly I may add) to offer suggestions for protection before these units ever had hit the floor. Of course there was the inevitable meeting to “discuss shrink”. I showed up with nothing more than an Alpha Spider Wrap.

Moral of the story; listen to the people that you employ to protect your store’s inventory. We all understand the importance of open concept merchandising and the ability for the customer to touch and feel an item. YOU have to understand that for us, it’s just as important to keep that same product in the store and available only for our paying customers. So when your LP team tells you to use an Alpha Spider Wrap, go ahead and listen to them, they usually know what they’re talking about.

For more information about Alpha Technology, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Alpha Spider Wrap, Prevent Shoplifting, Spider Wrap

Pretty And Protected; Bottle Locks Don’t Need To Limit Bottle Label Appeal

May 25, 2016 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Bottle Locks-4 WC blog 106

Liquor bottle security-3

Alpha Security -4

Bottle Security-3

Pretty And Protected; Bottle Locks Don’t Need To Limit Bottle Label Appeal

Have you ever noticed the different bottles that beverage makers use to sell their products, especially the wine and alcohol manufacturers? Bottle shapes, sizes, and styles along with the labels and packaging are meant to provide a distinction from competitors to make their brand stand out. Sometimes, as with boxed wines, the idea is to promote the packaging as more environmentally friendly that those in glass bottles. Use a gold foil around the top of the champagne bottle and the message you may be sending your customers is that this is a brand the sophisticated and wealthy consumer is drinking. The messaging being sent by the manufacturer of a product is usually the result of testing to marketing groups. So when I begin to think about writing about the value of bottle locks to prevent theft, I have to take into consideration, what impact if any, the device might have on the selling features of the beverages.

My first priority when writing is to help retailers find the best liquor bottle security device on the market to help them prevent shortage due to theft and in some cases, even unintentional walk outs. Using bottle locks is the optimum solution for prevention of theft because they operate with electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems. Install an EAS system and when a bottle with a bottle lock is carried within the range of an EAS antenna, the antenna sounds a loud alarm and built in lights flash, alerting store personnel to a situation that needs attention. Using bottle security also deters theft since shoplifters don’t want to hassle with trying to force off a security device or risk setting off an alarm when they walk out a door. If a cashier forgets to check the bottom of a shopping cart and a bottle has been overlooked, the alarm will sound and the patron can return and pay for it.

Obviously then, bottle security is a great solution to preventing shortage, but you may still be concerned that you don’t want to cover up the labeling information or detract from the packaging of your bottles. Alpha Security has produced a Crystal Guard security device that covers the bottle cap and part of the neck of the bottle. It has a clear front that provides the customer the ability to view the label and wrapping around the top of the bottle. The device still covers up plenty of the bottle cap, making it nearly impossible to tamper with the cap or the device itself. The features of the bottle labeling are not interfered with and thus keep the allure of that particular selling point.

If, on the other hand, you are strictly concerned with liquor bottle security and preventing theft and the package labeling is secondary you may be interested in the Alpha Security S3 Bottle Cap. This liquor bottle security lock is, in my opinion, simply no-nonsense in appearance. It doesn’t look like it’s supposed to be pretty or classy; for a security device if it could talk it would say, “Don’t mess with me”. Just the visual impact of these bottle locks would send the message to shoplifters to go away. This Alpha Security device covers the entire lid and top portion of a bottle and is extremely difficult to tamper with. As a matter of fact tampering with this or any of the bottle locks could result in a broken bottle. There is no clear or see through functionality on this lock so bottle neck labels or foils will not be seen, but that may not be a concern if it keeps the merchandise in the store.

Trying to balance maintaining the selling features of a product with the need to prevent theft and shortage can be tricky. Alpha Security has a broad selection of bottle locks that can meet your needs for bottle security and showing off the eye catching features of your merchandise.

Need information on bottle locks? Contact us or give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.

Trying to maintain the balance of selling features with the need to prevent theft and shortage can be tricky. Alpha Security has a broad selection of bottle locks that can meet your needs for bottle security and showing off the eye catching features of your merchandise.

Need information on bottle locks? Contact us or give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.

Filed Under: Security Tagged With: Alpha Security, bottle lock, bottle locks, bottle security, liquor bottle security