Prevent shoplifting from professional thieves – Atlanta Georgia

January 24, 2011 by Leave a Comment

My employees recently experienced something that we do not experience very often in our business.  They identified some suspicious people and started observing them, as they are trained to do.  They noticed that a male in the group started visiting with an employee, while the female then went to a nearby aisle and started putting merchandise in her purse.  She also put some clothing on under her jacket.  My employees were in a good position to observe this activity, but then the female received a phone call.  She discarded everything she planned to steal and the two left the store, after meeting up with a third person my employees had not seen prior.

While my employees were able to prevent shoplifting in this case, they were frustrated that these individuals were unidentified and may try to “hit” our store again.  I used this situation as a learning tool.  I explained that the third person they did not see until she was exiting was probably a perimeter lookout.  The male’s job was to distract the employee while the other female loaded up on our merchandise.  The perimeter lookout did her job and alerted the concealer that she was being watched, who then discarded the merchandise.  Our business did not suffer a loss and we were able to prevent shoplifting .

In your business, teach your employees to watch out for groups like this.  Employees need to provide good customer service but also be aware that a customer’s intent may be to distract their attention from the job that they are supposed to be doing.  Joint efforts from all employees in your business can go far to prevent shoplifting .

Prevent shoplifting without sacrificing customer service, and you can see your losses decrease.

For more information contact us at  prevent shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547.

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Proper Use of Clothing Security Tags

January 24, 2011 by

So your company has just gone out and made an investment, purchasing a great number of clothing security tags. All of your shoplifting problems are solved, right? Eh, not so much. See, security is like anything else in business, you have to be vigilant and steadfast in your approach to it if you intend to succeed. Simply purchasing the right widget won’t guarantee success. Maximizing the potential of that widget will, however, greatly improve your chances.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked into a clothing retailer and noticed that they use clothing security tags . As I browse through the racks searching for the right size and color of a particular garment I notice that only about 50-70% of the merchandise is tagged. If I was a thief I’d simply pick one of the pieces that weren’t tagged. So at this point the whole process is an exercise in futility. How does this happen? Easier than you might imagine. Let’s say Jimmy runs your receiving department. It’s his team’s job to ensure all appropriate merchandise is tagged before it goes to the sales floor. Unfortunately, Jimmy is sick with the flu, or maybe he just took a couple of days off. Now while the cat’s away the mice will play.

The wrong merchandise gets tagged or maybe Jimmy’s team just completely ignores this step in the receiving process. Either way you now have merchandise on your sales floor that’s ripe for the taking. There needs to be a check and balance system and periodic audits in place to ensure 2 things. First of all, whether Jimmy is there or not, that no garment sees the sales floor before it is checked to ensure it is either tagged or that tagging isn’t necessary. Second, someone needs to be tasked with going through the sales floor and ensuring that the first process is being followed. A chain is only as strong as its’ weakest link and clothing security tags are only as useful as you’re determined to make them.

For more information about clothing alarm or clothing security or security tags on clothes or security tags on clothes visit our web store or call 1.770.426.0547

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Criminal Background Check – A Comparison

January 24, 2011 by

Criminal Background Check – A Comparison

When is a criminal background check not a criminal background check?  When it doesn’t deliver accurate results in a timely manner.  The search for criminal records always begins at the local courthouse level in the county where the applicant resides, or has lived, gone to school, or been employed.  The public records contained here follow a criminal action from arrest to conviction or acquittal, and all the steps in between.  Records that come from the county level are generally obtained from retrievers, individuals whose job it is to go to the local courthouse and look up and report records to interested parties, maybe a background check company or an attorney or insurance company.

A step broader that the county search is the statewide repository.  These are provided by state law enforcement entities that maintain them and are made available to the public from some, but not all states.  The states receive the information from law enforcement and court agencies in that state.  The problem with state repositories is that not all agencies consistently report activity to them.  Another is that they are frequently expensive, slow to obtain, and the information is more likely to be restricted than a criminal background check that comes from the county courthouse.  The advantage is that is covers a much broader area than a county search.  Your background company will advise you which states are dependable and economical and which ones aren’t.

A step above the statewide search is the National Crime Information Center, which maintains information gathered from jurisdictions all over the country.  Access to this information is severely restricted and unavailable to the public for employment purposes, and the reporting error and missing record rate is high.

Frequently represented as a National Criminal Background Check are records that are offered by a background check company that (there are several of them) maintains its own commercial database, containing millions of records.  These records are purchased from jurisdictions that make them available electronically in bulk.  They are periodically uploaded to the computer equipment of the background check company and resold to companies as National Background Checks.  These are not usually current and can’t be considered comprehensive in any way, as so many jurisdictions are not included.  An employer should never depend on a commercial database to make a hiring decision, as most background check experts do not consider them compliant with current federal laws regulating the background check industry.

Finally, there is the Federal Court System, which houses the records of those that have violated federal statutes, everything from littering a national park to the RICOH Act.  These records are generally obtained by a retriever.

Need help with your criminal background check?  Call background check experts at 770-426-0547 or click Background Checks.

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Prevent Shoplifting – Crazy Reasons Given By Shoplifters – Atlanta Georgia

January 22, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Over the years I have run into some pretty weird situations with shoplifters. In a companies effort to prevent shoplifting we must apprehend the thieves that are stealing. In one situation I apprehended a guy who had stolen a framed picture of Christ. He did not fight me, resist, run or any thing else that we are always prepared to deal with. But when the Police arrived at the store and we were switching handcuffs on the shoplifter he turned to me and said, “This is not a very Christian thing you are doing to me”. This guy STEALS and I am the sinner!

Another time I stopped and detained a middle aged woman for stealing about $300 worth of new tennis shoes that I had witnessed her switch tags on to a lower priced shoe. She had a pretty heavy Eastern European accent. Again while police officers were taking her into custody she stated that I was discriminating against her because she was European. The police officers taking her into custody, whom I knew very well started laughing. She looked at them with shock when they told her. “Lady this store is owned by a French company and he (pointing to me) is married to German citizen (I met my clearly better half when I was in the Army stationed in Germany). They then reminded her that she had the right to remain silent and that they would prefer that she exercise that right.

Another all time favorite is the guy who stole a $1.00 fishing lure from a sporting goods store. That was all he took! I stopped him and took him into custody. When I got him back to the Security Office I emptied his pockets (he was handcuffed) and was bagging it up for the police when I discovered a “wad” of cash well over one hundred dollars. I was shocked (still naïve then) and asked him why he stole a minor $1.00 item when he clearly had the cash to pay for it. He said, “I wanted to see if I could get away with it”. I just shook my head and told him that it was good that he had the cash on him, as he would need it for bail.

I have found over the years that you can prevent shoplifting and be entertained at the same time.

For more information on the ongoing war to prevent shoplifting contact us at prevent shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547- Atlanta Georgia

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But I DO a Background Checks!

January 21, 2011 by

But I DO a Background Checks!

And my employee stole from me anyway!  What good are the background checks?

A recently burned employer might well ask this question.  Despite doing everything right, despite pre employment screening that included background checks, would an employee with no previous history of trouble with the law suddenly turn into workplace thief?

Just because a background check is conducted and comes back clean, does not absolutely mean that the applicant has never stolen. The check may not have been broad enough, not checking in every location where the applicant lived, worked, or attended school.  He may have a record that he acquired as a juvenile, which is sealed, or an adult record that has been expunged.

Or he may have been caught stealing and never prosecuted, meaning a public record of his misdeeds was never produced.

So a clean criminal background checks do not necessarily indicate the absence of criminal behavior, only that it wasn’t found or has never been documented.

Does this mean that background checks should not be done?  Absolutely not!  An employer should exercise his right to legally uncover any fact that has the potential to harm his business.  And positive results may exclude a potential thief from your business.

Does revealing a spotty history such as a criminal record mean an employer shouldn’t hire someone?  Not necessarily.  Various factors go into this decision, including age at the time of the offense, length of time since the offense, and applicability to the job to be performed.

But consider this:  Jails and prisons are full of offenders who have had multiple opportunities to “go straight.”  By the time a person is sentenced to serve time in a jail or prison, they have probably been on probation several times and continued their behavior until the court decided that incarceration was the only answer to protect the public.

As a business owner, remember that you have to keep protecting your livelihood by keeping your eyes open to the potential that some of your employees may steal from you, even if they have clear background checks.

Want to know more?  Call the background check expert at 770-426-0547 or click here.

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Internal theft and the value of corporate fraud investigation – Atlanta Georgia

January 21, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Internal theft is the biggest factor when talking about inventory shrinkage. Employees around the globe cause the greatest loss to retailers. Yet, to this day, there are still managers and business owners that don’t believe their employees are stealing from them.

Recently, a window company, which has been in business for 31 years, had been operating in the red. For the last 10 years, they had been experiencing inventory shrinkage and loss. This is a small business run by a husband wife and two close friends. The friend, a bookkeeper, reported the poor sales weekly to the main owner. Worried about his business, he decided to bring in consultants to help with his losses. It was all or nothing. The consultants recommended to the owners the need for a thorough employee theft investigation and review the possibility of internal theft .

Insulted, the manager refused and stopped business with the consultants. Internal theft was not a problem at his company, and there was no need for an employee theft investigation as this was a small company and no one was stealing from him. He believes his losses were because of the downturn in the economy. Weeks passed and the poor performance continued. The managers got together talked about the possibilities of closing the business. As a result of the inventory shrinkage and poor sales performance, the team knew this could be it.

Later, the husband and wife team hired a corporate fraud investigator. The corporate fraud investigator spent a week going thru the inventory results, conducting forensic accounting, speaking with employees. The corporate fraud investigator found the answer, but knew the owners were not going to like it.

The corporate fraud investigator went to the home of the business owners, specifically, the husband and wife. He explained to them what he had done over the last week and his results. It wasn’t good and employee theft was definitely the cause. The bookkeeper of 20 years had been pocketing cash for 10 years, totaling over $1 million.

Do you really want to wait until employee theft gets to this level before you take action?

For more information about employee theft or internal theft or employee theft investigation contact us at corporate fraud investigation or call us at 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

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The Loss Prevention Agent

January 21, 2011 by

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics there were approximately 45,500 people who held the position of a loss prevention agent in 2008. Why? Because according to the FBI there were 978,000 incidents of shoplifting the previous year. However, we all know that some shoplifters are slicker than others and quite a few get away unnoticed. So, as high as that number may seem I would invite you to double it. I think that’s probably closer to the actual number of shoplifting incidents throughout the country. This is why the loss prevention agent is vital.

If you’re the owner of a business, or even just the manager, you are constantly concerned with how to make the business run smoothly, how to get people into your stores, how to increase profits. Price points, revenue, sales, hiring, firing, training, etc. To make a long story short, your plate is full. The last thing you need to add to it is worrying about some group of degenerates who have targeted your establishment and deemed you an easy mark and are subsequently robbing you blind. That’s where the loss prevention agent comes in. It is their job to monitor the store for suspicious activity. They are the ones who apprehend shoplifters, testify in court, build cases against dishonest employees, etc. In short, whatever your shrink reduction needs are the loss prevention agent is there to serve.

As the economy continues its downward spiral and unemployment increases, people will become more and more desperate and the incidents of crime in America, including shoplifting, will inevitably increase. For this reason the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 22% job growth in this career field – substantially higher than most others – between now and 2018. As long as there is retail theft there will be a need for the loss prevention agent.

For more information about loss prevention agent or loss prevention consultants or loss prevention investigator contact us. Visit our on line store or call 1.770.426.0547

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Risk Factors in Retail Shrinkage

January 20, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Retail shrinkage is defined as a reduction or loss in inventory due to shoplifting, employee theft, paperwork errors and supplier fraud. Depending on where you’re located it is very important to gauge the risk factors in apprehending shoplifters. If you’re interested in seeing the dregs of the shoplifting community spend a little time in an establishment that sells alcohol. While most of us enjoy libations, or as my grandmother used to call it “Satan’s bath water”, recreationally there is a growing portion of our society who a tendency to overindulge. This overindulgence leads to bad decisions, a reduction in inhibitions and far too often plain old stupidity.

 I am often employed by a supermarket chain that boasts great sales in its liquor departments. However, on a near daily basis I see someone stagger in off of the street on a busy day – they’ve obviously already had 1 too many. They drift awkwardly down the aisles, select a bottle and slide it down their pants or up a coat sleeve and head for the door. Others simply run in, grab two handfuls off of the closest display and head, full speed, out into the parking lot. You can obviously see how this type of activity can increase the retail shrinkage in this establishment.

As a result we’ve stationed a uniformed security officer at the entrance to the liquor departments to prevent this type of brazen theft. This, however, still hasn’t completely stopped the already intoxicated from trying their luck and attempting to slip past the guard. Furthermore, an already impaired individual tends to have a “Superman complex” and is far more likely to become belligerent or altogether violent when you attempt to apprehend them. For this reason it is important to be extra cautious when working in this type of environment. Retail shrinkage will always be a battle in any retail environment but you must always take appropriate precautions and make intelligent decisions.

For more information about retail loss contact us: Retail Shrinkage or call 1.770.426.0547

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Prevent Shoplifting This Year With A New Approach – Atlanta Georgia

January 20, 2011 by Leave a Comment

How about a fresh approach to prevent shoplifting in your store? Is what you are currently doing appropriate? Is it delivering you the reduction in inventory losses that you want? If it isn’t then you need a fresh approach. It is said that the definition of insanity is to do the same old thing over and over and expect a different outcome.

First look at what individual products are being stolen by the shoplifting public. If you have several items that are hit the most then address your efforts around them. In other words if 10% of your product is responsible for 90% of your losses then attack there first.

There are anti theft solutions that can attack specific product problems. If for example you are a woman’s clothing and accessories retailer and are having problems with shoplifters stealing high-end handbags then there is an Alpha High Theft Solution that will stop this.

If you are a liquor store retailer and there is a problem not only with shoplifting but also bottles being opened and consumed on your property then there is another Alpha High Theft Solution for that.

Are power tools a high theft problem? Another Alpha High Theft Solution product will stop this.

Many of these items will not only protect from shoplifting where the thief tries to leave with the product but will alarm in store if they tamper with the packaging. You do not and should not try to cover every product in the store. Focus on your worst “problem children” products. Once you have fixed them then go on to the next ones and so on until your shoplifting prevention program is delivering the results you want.

The measurement for this is do you have your losses at a budget level you can live with? You do not want to spend $5000 to protect a total of $100 in losses over a one-year period. The return on investment is simply not there. Prevent shoplifting with a fresh, new look!

For more information on shoplifting prevention contact us at prevent shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

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Give shoplifters the attention they deserve with clothing security

January 20, 2011 by

Many shoplifters steal clothing by simply putting it on under their clothes and walking out of your business with it.  They may also put it on over their clothes and wear it out, such as with coats, sweatshirts, hoodies, or other items that will fit over their own clothes.  Shoplifters will also “try on” shoes, then wear the new shoes out of your store, leaving you to find their old ones in the shoe box on the shelf.  And of course there is the tried and true way of stealing clothing by simply putting it into a purse or bag and then leaving without paying for it.

If your business had clothing security tags , these thefts would be more difficult for the thief to complete without getting caught.  Shoplifters do not want to have to fight with clothing security in order to make the steal.  They want to be able to conceal the merchandise as quickly as possible in order to make that fast getaway undetected.

Security tags on clothes are not what the shoplifter wants to find when he or she is browsing through your clothing racks, deciding on what they want to “buy” next.  By seeing that you have clothing security , the potential shoplifter will move on to the next business that does not.

No matter what method the shoplifter may choose to utilize in order to steal from your business, these thefts can be deterred by clothing security .  A visible clothing alarm says to the potential shoplifter, “I’m going to make a LOT of noise if you try to steal me.”  Let your clothing talk to the shoplifters that come into your business by investing in clothing security .  Clothing security tags will speak volumes!

For more information about clothing security tags or clothing security or security tags on clothes visit our online store or call 1.770.426.256

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