Clothing security. How to avoid the hassle.

August 18, 2011 by

 

If you are like me, you want to keep your products safe without having to deal with a lot of unnecessary hassle.  Checkpoint tags help to do this.  Checkpoint tags are designed to be easy to use and are an effective way add clothing security without killing sales.  The first step is picking the right clothing security tags for the right product. 

 

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to tag everything.  Find a sensible price point or set of brands to start with.  You will find that most shoplifters doing worry with low dollar items or even store brand merchandise.  Focus on the well known name brands and items that are about $30 and higher. 

 

The second part is knowing where to use security tags on clothes.  For most shirts and jeans you will want to put the hard clothing security tags in a seam.  This will mean the pin goes through an existing hole which covers easily upon removal.  It does no good to use the front of the shirt because your customer won’t want a hole in the middle of the shirt and your sales will suffer.  For items like coats I suggest a clothing alarm.  This alarm has a sensor cord that pinches the cuff of the jacket or item.  If tampered with the clothing alarm will sound and alert the employees of a problem.  Hard tags come in different sizes from the mini hard tag primarily for your intimate apparel and accessories the the larger plastic clothing security tags that will still provide security, but will make the products easier to try on for your customer. 

 

The goal with security tags on clothes is still make sales.  You don’t want to lock your products down so that customers are too aggravated to try your products out.  Clothing security should be a benefit and not a hindrance to your business.

 

Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase a clothing alarm or clothing security tags.

 

For more information on Checkpoint tags, clothing alarm, clothing security, or clothing security tags contact us at security tags on clothes or call 1.770.426.0547

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Employee Theft – Prosecute or Not Prosecute

August 16, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Once you’ve uncovered employee theft at your business, you are left with the decision of which action to take with the affected employee.

You of course will terminate the employment of the offender.  No business can thrive if it allows internal theft to go unpunished.

You will want restitution for all merchandise or money or other property that was discovered stolen as a result of the employee theft investigation.  This can be accomplished in a couple of ways: either repayment by the ex-employee, repayment through probation, or civil recovery.

This is where the business owner begins to weigh the alternatives.  The initial reaction of most victims is to throw the offender into jail, but this usually subsides when considering all the facts.

You, as the victim, can contact the local law enforcement agency to transport the offender to jail.  Generally, you will still have to make a formal complaint or sign an arrest warrant for the individual specifying precisely what was stolen and over what period of time.

Prosecution does not guarantee a conviction for internal theft.  There are steps along the way to the judge’s bench that have to be taken first.

The prosecutor has to be convinced by the evidence that he has a winnable case.  Unless the employee theft investigation was correctly done, or the employee was caught in the act of stealing, or there is a properly executed written admission, the prosecutor may consider the case too weak to try.

Sometimes the decision is made for him in a preliminary or evidentiary hearing by a judge who dismisses the case for lack of evidence or on some technicality.

Then at some point in the future, the fun begins with a real trial.  Unless the ex-employee pleads guilty, prepare for delays and postponements and long days in the courtroom waiting for the case to be called.

Some employers avoid prosecution because it takes an investment of time and money to successfully follow through on an action that may not be successful.  Criminal trials can be iffy propositions if not prepared for by a professional investigator as the result of an employee theft investigation.

Other employers prosecute every time they have the opportunity in order to send a message to other employees who might be considering a similar activity.

The final decision regarding prosecution of employee theft weighing a number of variables must be made by the business owner.

For more information on employee theft , employee theft investigation , or internal theft , contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

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Checkpoint security tags … your solution to Organized Retail Crime.

August 16, 2011 by Leave a Comment

One of the most common methods to stop shoplifting is to use some type of RF label.  A RF label is a radio frequency label (or RF security tags as it is more commonly known) and is applied to merchandise in order to help stop shoplifting.  The RF security labels prevent shoplifting is that when the merchandise with the RF label goes through the door without first going through the register then an alarm is generated which will draw your employees attention to the theft in progress. 

 Thieves hate this.  Shoplifters want to do their evil deeds undetected since no one really wants to go to jail.  Checkpoint security tags are some of the best that I have used.  They are durable and hard to remove so groups who steal for profit (i.e. Organized Retail Crime (ORC) rings) don’t want to waste their time trying to remove the tags and they definitely don’t want the recognition they would receive from standing in the door with an alarm going off.  The result … they go bother someone else and leave your merchandise alone.

 A few things to consider when using Checkpoint labels to make them most effective.  1) Use the right RF security tags for the right product.  You will want hard tags for clothes, handbags, shoes, etc.  Make sure you get the lanyards to go with the hard tags for the handbags and shoes as you don’t want to damage the product.  Use soft tags for package items.  2) Pick the right items to place RF labels on.  You don’t want to tag everything as it is too expensive.  Pick the high dollar / high theft items to tag.  There is no exact science to stop shoplifting so adjust as necessary to find the right solution for your location.

 Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase Checkpoint labels, Checkpoint security tags, and other RF labels that can help you stop shoplifting in your business.

 For more information on Checkpoint labels, Checkpoint security tags, RF labels, RF security labels, RF security tags and how to stop shoplifting contact us at RF label or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

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So how do you REALLY prevent shoplifting???

August 16, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The answer to how they can prevent shoplifting is one that all good business owners search for at some point in time.  The reason is simple.  Shoplifting plays a major role in the success of the business’s profitability and has to be factored into the business model.  There are a couple of ways to stop shoplifting that I have found to be quite successful in my career.

 The first step to prevent shoplifting is to educate your employees.  Let them know what shoplifting is, who does it (everyone), how they do it and what to look for.  Then you want to empower them to act.  Now hear me loud and clear, you DO NOT want your employees making apprehensions or accusations. There is too much liability and personal safety in that method.  What you want to encourage is world class customer service.  Shoplifters want to be left alone and have privacy to do their dirty deeds.  If your employees follow the suspected shoplifter around the store and give great service then a good customer will be happy with the service level and the shoplifter will leave and go somewhere else.  This is a win-win if you’re keeping score.

 The second is to utilize retail anti theft devices.  There are several good ones out there.  Most everyone knows about Checkpoint security and their EAS tags. These have great deterrent effect, are cost efficient and work.  Putting EAS tags on high theft / high dollar merchandise is a great way to prevent shoplifting.  Another option, I one I have grown to love, is using retail anti theft devices such as safer cases and spider wraps.  Alpha security is one of the best makers of these products.  Safer cases lock up the merchandise in little boxes that the customer can easily get, but can’t easily steal.  Spider wraps do basically the same thing accept they have an alarm if tampered with.

 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 – Atlanta Georgia

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There’s more than one way to … um … add clothing security to your business!!

August 16, 2011 by

Just like with the well known “cat” argument, there is more than one way to add clothing security to your business.  Clothing security is a necessary “evil” that doesn’t have to be so evil if you have the right information.

 

By now most everyone expects to use security tags on clothes.  In order to prevent theft it has to be done.  But did you know you can make it trendy and visually aesthetic???  With Checkpoint tags you can.  Checkpoint tags are offered in a variety of different sizes, shapes and even types.  You can always use the familiar “hard” security tags on clothes.  It is easily recognizable and helps deter a lot of theft.  Now there are a variety of sizes of clothing security tags.  There are some great small tags that do well on intimate apparel and other small items.  They provide the necessary clothing security without sacrificing the customer’s ability to try the product on (which is a positive for sales).

 

Additionally, you can now get clothing security tags that are built into the product itself.  One of these solutions is the Checkpoint tags that are woven into the product.  This uses a “soft” tag that is woven to the inside of the clothes by the cleaning instructions or size label.  It is hard to remove and most customers don’t even realize it is there.  You still get the visual affect you want without sacrificing clothing security.

 

The clothing alarm is another solution.  You can hook up merchandise to the alarm on the rack.  If tampered with the alarm will sound and the employees can respond in the middle of the store as opposed to at the door when it is too late.  It also keeps from having to put holes in high end clothing. 

 

Just a few options to break the mold of traditional thinking on using security tags on clothes.

 

Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase a clothing alarm or clothing security tags.

 

For more information on Checkpoint tags, clothing security, clothing alarm, or clothing security tags contact us at security tags on clothes or call 1.770.426.0547

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Labels or Tags? You Decide (cont.)

August 13, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The benefits of using RF security labels are that they are easy to use, cost effective and with a plethora of different shapes and sizes, are ideal for many different applications. With the release of Checkpoint’s new EP (enhanced performance) RF label, you are able to receive the same detection capabilities that you would have gotten with a much larger tag in the past. Although the EAS (Electronic Article Surveillance) system is the same, changes in the design of the RF labels have improved the effectiveness of the detection. You can apply these Checkpoint labels to almost any item that you would like to keep from leaving the location without your knowledge. Also, these RF labels will not have to be removed at the time of purchase. When the item is scanned at the point of sale the RF security labels are automatically deactivated, causing a seamless transaction and not adding any time to the routine of your cashier.

 There are a few things to remember when applying Checkpoint labels. They are not as durable as RF security tags because they are in sticker form and are not in a hard case. The RF label is also more prone to being tampered with. Also, for the RF labels to be most effective it needs to be placed on a flat surface. If you place the sticker label on a significantly curved surface it can cause the tag to not be detected properly from the EAS system.

 These are just a few things to keep in mind when deciding which RF label or Checkpoint security tags will work best to help you stop shoplifting.

 Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase Checkpoint labels, Checkpoint security tags, and other RF labels that can help you stop shoplifting in your business.

 For more information on Checkpoint labels, Checkpoint security tags, RF labels, RF security labels, RF security tags and how to stop shoplifting contact us at RF label or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

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Clothing Security – Cause for Alarm?

August 13, 2011 by

Clothing security has always been reason for alarm to an apparel retailer.  People steal clothes.  They steal them because they want to have the latest fashion and either can’t afford it or don’t want to pay the price for it.  It’s usually the most popular items that are vulnerable to both the casual shoplifter and the professional shoplifter.  Professional shoplifter is defined here as one who resells the merchandise that he steals for profit.

 

There are so many ways to steal clothing.  Drop in your shopping bag, conceal it in your own clothes, wear it out, or steal it in the fitting room or the restroom where there is plenty of privacy.  Then there are others who simply pick up the merchandise and walk out with it or snatch the clothing from a cube or round rack and run out the door.

 

Clothing security has always consisted of customer service, greeting every customer as they enter the store or department; specially tasked employees such as security personnel or fitting room attendants; alternating hangers on round racks to discourage snatch and runs; or maybe cameras and other CCTV equipment to deter shoplifters.

 

Without a clothing alarm, all of these methods, although they are excellent prevention techniques, can be defeated.

 

Security tags on clothes are the one thing that apparel shoplifters don’t want to see on their intended targets.  The clothing security tags mean that if the shoplifter wants to avoid detection of his activity, he is going to have to remove or disable the tags that are on the clothes, an almost impossible task.  The clothing security tags are designed so that they are held fast by a metal pin that is pushed through the fabric so that it does no damage.  The tag can’t be removed without damaging the item that it protects.  The tag can only be removed by an employee with a specially manufactured detacher, which separates the pin from the reusable tag.

 

 Clothing security tags on clothes can enhance any retailer’s anti shoplifting program by protecting one of his most valuable lines of merchandise.

 

Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase a clothing alarm or clothing security tags.

 

For more information on clothing security, clothing alarm, or clothing security tags contact us at security tags on clothes or call 1.770.426.0547

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What clothing security tags are you using???

August 11, 2011 by

With all of the clothing security tags out there how do you know what is right to use?  Do placing security tags on clothes really help?  Finding the right solution for clothing security can be quite a daunting task for those who have never tried.  Checkpoint tags make clothing security easy.

 

I have worked in several different retail settings and I have found clothes to be one of the hardest products to protect.  There are so many ways shoplifters and employees can steal them.  I think the easiest and most affordable solution is to put security tags on clothes.  By doing this, I am able to know when unpaid for merchandise is walking out of my door and I am also able to deter a lot of the theft.  One decision is what type of tag to use.  Checkpoint tags offer soft and hard tags as well as lanyards and a clothing alarm.  All of these clothing security devices work together to prevent theft.  The soft tags can be used in items like wallets, purses, shoes, etc.  The hard tags can be used on shirts, pants, coats and things of that nature.  You can use hard tags with lanyards to put on high end handbags, coats, silk items, shoes and others where you don’t really want to leave a hole in the product.  (Little tip, put hard tags in the seams of product to avoid leaving the holes that damage the product).  Finally, I use a clothing alarm for some of my really high end product.  This device actually clamps on the product and creates an audible alarm if tampered with.

 

Clothing security is a hard part of business, but Checkpoint tags make the process much easier.

 

Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase a clothing alarm or clothing security tags.

 

For more information on security tags on clothes, clothing alarm, clothing security, Checkpoint tags, or clothing security tags contact us at or call 1.770.426.0547

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Clothing Security Saves Inventory

August 11, 2011 by

 

When is the use of clothing security appropriate?

 

Anytime an apparel retailer opens the doors to his business to the public, clothing security of some sort is not only appropriate, it is mandatory.  If there were no security of any sort, the shoplifters would soon steal the store.

 

Apparel security has its own unique set of challenges.  The merchandise itself is desirable (necessary actually), expensive in some cases, and it is fairly easy to conceal a large amount of clothing into a small space.

 

Thieves conceal clothing in all kinds of places: bags, boxes, sacks, socks, pockets, inside their underwear, in umbrellas, in rolled up newspapers, even in various places on their bodies.  Baby strollers have become popular vehicles to use in stealing clothes and other items.

 

The retailer has to display merchandise openly so customers can examine it or sales would surely suffer.  Can you imagine having to make an appointment for a one on one visit to a store to buy a pair of jeans?  Jeans, by the way, are a high theft item.

 

The retailers fortunately do have a way to openly merchandise clothing and still have adequate clothing security.  This is provided by security tags on clothes, those items that shoplifters refer to as sensors or probably by many other names that are unprintable here.

 

The clothing security tags are attached by the store to merchandise that they want to protect because of vulnerability, price point, popularity, or any other reason that causes it to be classified as of high risk to shoplifters.  Once the clothing security tags are attached they can only be removed by an employee using a special detaching tool at the point of sale. 

 

If the security tags on clothes are not removed, an alarm will sound as the protected merchandise passes through a detection field located at the exit from the store.  The alarm attracts the attention of the store employees who can then react accordingly.

 

Any time apparel is at risk to shoplifters, the use of clothing security can be a profit saver.

 

Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase a clothing alarm or clothing security tags.

 

For more information on clothing security, clothing alarm, or clothing security tags contact us at security tags on clothes or call 1.770.426.0547

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Employee Theft- Who Pays?

August 11, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Employee theft doesn’t really hurt anyone… Or does it?

How about the employer?  Losses of small items may not seem like much, but multiplied over time and by a number of employees, the losses add up to a lot in a hurry.  The employer must also devote resources to the prevention of theft in the workplace and the cost of an employee theft investigation when it occurs.

And then there are all the employees of the company who are victims of internal theft.  Losses to the company mean less profit, which means less money for payroll and benefits, as well as less money to invest back into the business, which increases workload and reduces productivity.  Employees may also lose trust in each other.

The customers and clients of the company who are forced to pay higher prices for goods and services because the company must recover part of its losses to employee theft in order to stay in business.

The thief is actually hurt the most.  Although the thief may think he or she is getting away with something, eventually he or she is bothered by conscience or fear of detection.  And, because chances are good that the thief will be caught in an employee theft investigation, other repercussions may be: loss of employment; embarrassment; damaged reputation; difficulty in finding employment; or criminal prosecution, which will result in a jail sentence, fines, and /or probation.

The least obvious, but still highly impacted victims of internal theft are all of us who pay taxes.  Public crime prevention programs, police officers, judges, prosecutors, jailers and other jail employees, court personnel, and probation officers, among many others, are paid for by tax revenue.  A portion of this enormous expense is caused by the workplace thief who goes to jail.

So what at first appears to be a harmless act can have huge implications both personally and to others.

Do your part to eliminate employee theft by not becoming a part of it, and acting on any suspicions of internal theft to stop it before it gets out of hand.

For more information on employee theft , employee theft investigation ,  or internal theft , contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

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