Uncategorized — Page 44

The X Factor – Background Checks

December 10, 2013 by Staff Editor

We all know better than to hire or not hire someone based on their age, but it is important to understand the current trend Generation X employees are setting. It needs to become clear why running background checks are so important. There is a lot more that can be uncovered during pre-employment screening that might not be found during an interview.

The Generation X age range is the section of employees that have had ample time to get their college education – this includes Master’s and Ph D levels. They are also the ones that have years of experience in their field, but still might take a job for less money. This makes them a desirable hire for the current workforce.

However…

According to a recent poll about 44% of all jobs are held by a Generation Xer. Of those, 53% are completely disengaged and an additional 19% are so unhappy at their jobs they feel the need to make everyone else around them miserable too.

The flip side is that once hired, these employees tend to become very unhappy. That makes them more likely to perform poorly, or even starts to cross lines into employee theft.

Background checks help you evaluate potential risk. They can uncover high frequencies in job changes and possibly a trend that they might be leaving jobs quickly due to theft or other job related investigations. Background checks have a better potential to determine if there is a habit of theft of performance related issues than simply looking at an application.

To purchase Pre-Employment Screening Services or for more information on background check experts, background checks, criminal background checks, employee background checks or pre employment screening contact us at the background check company or call 1.770.426.0547

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: background check company, background check experts, Background checks, criminal background check, employee background checks, pre employment screening

Keep It Off The Shelves – Clothing Security

December 9, 2013 by Staff Editor

Clothing security goes beyond just putting security tags on clothes in your store. It involves taking a second look at the opportunities your store presents. Can you reduce your shelf quantities and still make a positive impact on your sales? If so, do it. Take those items and back stock them.

By giving your store a different approach to theft prevention than just using Checkpoint tags, you will be better off. Reducing your shelf quantity is just another enhancement to your clothing security.

If you sell multiples of an item and need a large representation of this item, don’t sacrifice your sales through a shelf quantity reduction. However, those situations are generally more of an exception than a rule.

The right way is to look at your current sales and make a determination if you can make the reductions. Clothing security tags are very important to reducing your shrink losses on a permanent basis, but they are not the only way to go. By remembering that there are other enhancements that you can quickly make will only help you be proactive to specific issues as they arise.

If you notice that you are no longer shrinking an item, it is easy to increase the shelf quantities at that time.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase Checkpoint Tags, a Clothing Alarm, Clothing Security or Clothing Security Tags to put Security Tags on Clothes and an Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system.

For more information on Checkpoint tags, clothing security, clothing alarm, or clothing security tags how they can work with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system contact us at security tags on clothes or call 1.770.426.0547

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

Loosy Goosy – Employee Theft Investigation

December 3, 2013 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

I recently concluded an internal theft case that revolved around several employees and an unknown customer. I had been researching an unrelated transaction when I stumbled across a customer that seemed up to no good.

I noticed a customer who had been in and out of the store several times during the day. I thought he might have been a shoplifter at first because I never saw him buy anything. Over and over again, I saw the man coming up to the register. He would speak with the employees, who would give him a few loose cigarettes out of a pack that was mostly hidden by the registers. Sometimes the man would hand over cash or sometimes it was something in a bag that I could not identify.

I then suspected that this was internal theft of our cigarettes. I went out and did a physical count of the cigarettes in question and compared it to what our inventory should have been. We were several cartons short.

As it turned out, the employees were selling loose cigarettes to this man, who in turn, would sell the cigarettes (and other store merchandise) in the parking lot – splitting the cash with the employees. The cigarettes were, of course, stolen from our inventory. The employee theft investigation turned up several thousand dollars worth of losses.

We also figured out that the manager had been covering up the cigarette shortages in her store. While she was not a part of the employee theft, she was terminated for falsification of company documents and poor job performance.

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

Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase CCTV Systems that can help you stop Employee Theft and Internal Theft problems and help with your Employee Theft Investigation.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: employee theft, employee theft investigation, internal theft

Take the Advantage – Background Checks

December 3, 2013 by Staff Editor

For most small businesses, employee background checks are a luxury that they do not have. Small business owners and managers usually have to manually review a multitude of paper applications.

The plus side is that you might end up with a paper resume with the application. I personally feel that you can see into an applicant’s personality better on a paper resume than through an online, standardized application.

Electronic resumes usually are amended to the website’s fonts and formatting. By seeing a paper resume, you know that everything was hand made by the applicant. This gives an insight into your applicant that cannot be tracked through an electronic employee background check.

You get to see more of their personality. Is the resume formal or personable? What type of paper was it printed out on- stationary or plain typing paper? How about a bright neon color paper with a crazy hard to read font? Did they bother to spell check and proof read their writing?

This type of pre-employment screening shows how well they take care of their things- and eventually yours. If an applicant comes in with a folder or binder that is protecting their resume, you can reasonably assume that they understand the difference between being professional and showing up with a crumpled or folded resume. That professionalism is insight into how they function.

No employee background checks can replicate that kind of advantage as a potential employer.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: background check company, background check experts, Background checks, criminal background check, employee background checks, pre employment screening

After Prom – Alpha Shark Tag

December 2, 2013 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

If your local school hasn’t had their Prom yet, they probably will soon. As with every major dress event, it is not uncommon to see an influx of returns of special event clothing that has probably been worn – once. Now is the best time to take a look at the Alpha Security Alpha Shark Tag.

The Alpha Shark Tag is different from most of the traditional retail anti-theft devices that are designed strictly to prevent shoplifting.

This is a retail anti-theft device that is more like an anti-profit loss device.

This is a plastic tag that attaches to the garment. It is in an obvious place on the clothes that makes it unattractive to be worn, especially in a formal setting such as a dance. It is also in a place that would be had to hide or cover up with a wrap or jacket.

When the clothing is purchased, the tag stays on the clothes- again, different than retail anti-theft devices that are removed at the point of purchase. The sales person explains that the item being purchased can be returned as long as the Alpha Shark Tag is left on. If the tag is cut off, you can easily deny the refund- and any potential one-time uses of your merchandise.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store for Alpha 2Alarm, Alpha 3Alarm, Alpha Fashion2, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Shark Tag, Alpha Spider Wrap and other retail anti-theft devices from Alpha Security to use in conjunction with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system that can help you prevent shoplifting in your business.

For more information on how you can use Alpha Security retail anti-theft devices and your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Alpha Fashion2, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Shark Tag, Alpha Spider Wrap, Fashion2, Jewel Lok, Nano Gate, Prevent Shoplifting, Shark Tag, Spider Wrap

Watch and Learn – Security Tags on Clothes

December 2, 2013 by Staff Editor

I was watching a suspected shoplifter over the weekend. She knew what to look for, as far as clothing security tags go. It told me that either she had done this before, or she had someone telling her how to decide which clothes to steal.

She was checking a selection of clothing for Checkpoint Tags. She would go through every pair of jeans, for example, and see if she could find a pair without a tag on them.

She would then remove the clothing item from its rack or table, proceed to a remote corner of the store, and shove it into her backpack. She would then scout out the area to see if anyone was visibly watching her. If no one else was in the area, she would go back to the clothing area and start looking through a new section of merchandise for security tags on clothes.

She repeated this process several times, until her backpack was almost bulging at the seam. When she could fit no more in, she would make her way to the exit. Since we were watching, we were able to make the apprehension. Unfortunately, after reviewing more video from the day, we realized that she had been in the store at least three other times. There’s no way to tell how much we lost in those stuffed bags of merchandise because our clothing security was not 100%.

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

What You Think vs. What You Can Prove – Employee Theft

November 26, 2013 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

It can be quite exhilarating to uncover the occasional employee theft case. It can become so thrilling for some that tunnel vision replaces logic and common sense when pursuing a case of internal theft. Let me give an example…

I had a cash register with more than a hundred dollar shortage back in the day. It was quite uncommon to be short more than five dollars in a day. We didn’t bother keeping a tracking log for less than five dollars for that very reason.

My heart sank when I discovered the shortage; just as quickly, I took a deep breath and decided it could be an error instead of internal theft and with a little research I would find the error.

I was on my way to disprove what appeared to be internal theft. It took very little time to comprehend how flawed I was in my assumption. The first cash transaction clearly indicated employee theft, or at least that’s what I thought at the time.

What actually happened in this scenario was that my employee rang up a low dollar transaction for a customer. The customer then handed her a hundred dollar bill. She tendered the transaction, handed him his change, and the hundred dollar bill.

I was shocked that my manager didn’t want to interview right away when I approached her to conduct the employee theft investigation. I could not understand delaying because the video was crystal clear and we had suffered a huge loss.

I soon learned that I needed to step back and consider that although the transaction had resulted in a loss, this loss did not inevitably mean that the employee was deliberately stealing. If we could not prove intent, we had no employee theft case.

For months I watched her like a hawk and discovered not even a single penny short in all that time. Perhaps she intended to return the hundred dollars; or perhaps she made a bad decision.

Either way, we could never prove it was employee theft and we were left with the situation unresolved because we could not develop a case against her with one solitary situation.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase CCTV Systems that can halt employee theft and internal theft problems and assist with employee theft investigation.

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

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: employee theft, employee theft investigation, internal theft

Run a Solid Trace – Background Check Company

November 26, 2013 by Staff Editor

Having a background check company run social security traces is a good way to have accurate pre-employment screening. Just because someone applies for a job and can provide a social security number does not mean that they own that number and are working in this country legally.

Let me make it clear that there is absolutely nothing wrong with hiring employees who are not natural citizens. Many are here legally and have the proper work visa or other documentation. It is simply a reality that there are some illegal immigrants who steal or borrow social security numbers to gain employment.

A background check company can conduct pre-employment screening that involves a social security number trace. This trace can be beneficial to your hiring process. No matter what an applicant says or shows you for proof, it is still the responsibility of the employer not to hire illegal immigrants.

If the trace shows something that seems suspicious like multiple employments in multiple states, or just simultaneous employments, you might need further research on this applicant. Law enforcement will need to be involved in any identity theft situations, even if the social security number’s owner’s credit or finances were not involved.

A background check company will know the steps to take if such a situation is uncovered through the course of their pre-employment screening. They will have your company’s best interest in mind when it comes to screening applicants.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: background check company, background check experts, Background checks, criminal background check, employee background checks, pre employment screening

It’s a Wrap – Alpha 2 Alarm

November 25, 2013 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Alpha Security created their Alpha 2 Alarm lanyard lock for more than just purses, even though this is one of the best uses for that particular type of EAS alarm.

The Alpha 2 Alarm is a versatile retail anti-theft device. It can prevent shoplifting of a wide variety of accessories. The lanyards are large enough to work with large totes and handbags. They are not so big that they would not work for the smaller wristlets that are in fashion right now. The lanyard can also be used for other suitcases and luggage.

The Alpha 2 Alarm retail anti-theft device is a small block (only a few inches long) that has a wire lanyard permanently attached at one end. The wire is a heavy-duty wire that prevents it from easily being cut. In order to protect your merchandise, the cable wire is covered in a protective coating. This makes sure the wire does not snag on any fabrics or decorative embellishments.

The other end of the wire remains loose until it is attached to the merchandise. Then the loose end is inserted into the block. There is a push button release for easy removal with a detacher at your POS.

For more information on how you can use Alpha Security retail anti-theft devices and your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: 2 Alarm, Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha Fashion2, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Shark Tag, Alpha Spider Wrap, Fashion2, Jewel Lok, Nano Gate, Prevent Shoplifting, Shark Tag, Spider Wrap

Sold or Stolen – Security Tags on Clothes

November 25, 2013 by Staff Editor

I was recently asked to do a consultation with one of the national clothing chain’s Organized Retail Theft Departments. They wanted a fresh set of eyes on how they could increase clothing security and decrease their inventory losses.

Since their inventory relied heavily on special buys doing daily counts on their clothing was impractical. They never received enough of a single item to be able to effectively track it though a single sku for accuracy. These were big purchases of designer clothing that were either a second run or otherwise greatly reduced item.

Once these items sold out, there was no rebuy of the merchandise. Inventory was taken once a year so it was potentially twelve months before a loss was identified. Needless to say tracking their losses was a difficult task.

I suggested that they start by drilling down the sales reports. It is there that they would be able to see what was there but also what was not. If they were not selling in a particular area they might be experiencing theft issues. If you don’t have the product to sell, your sales suffer.

Next is to evaluate the clothing security tags on those items and increase their usage accordingly. Since the company already utilizes Checkpoint tags for their clothing alarms, it is easy to increase security tags on clothes in a specific department that is down in sales. If the sales start to stabilize, the shrink problems should be going away leaving the merchandise to be sold instead of stolen.

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