As per my usual routine I was browsing the internet today to see what criminals are up to these days. My goal was to see if there was something new and hot for thieves. From my own experience as a Loss Prevention Manager I already know that sporting goods are always a popular item for criminals. They are hard to trace, can be easily traded for drugs or sold on the internet. I have had problems with shoplifters swapping out golf clubs in boxed sets, ticket switching baseball gloves, stealing bikes and I knew that baseball bats could be a potential problem but I dealt with one case of it. A shoplifter put one down the front of his pants and tried to walk out of the store (hobble out was more like it). At the time I did not have many options to prevent shoplifting of baseball bats other than lock them up which was not an option at all. Electronic article surveillance soft tags were the only retail anti-theft devices we had to use.  Well apparently there is a lot more bat theft that goes on than I knew after my search of the internet. Here are a few examples:

• From abc30  Feb. 7, 2015 – Clovis police were looking for two grand theft suspects who had stolen about $1400 worth of baseball bats from a sporting goods store.

• From NJ .com, Apr., 6, 2015 – A couple was charged with stealing nearly $3,000 worth of high-end baseball bats from a sporting goods store in Mount Laurel, N.J.

• My Coast Now reported on May 5, 2017 that thieves broke into a Nanaimo, British Columbia store and stole at least 6 rare bats and 3 Louisville Slugger bats in addition to 12 pair of football receiver gloves. http://www.mycoastnow.com/30809/unique-baseball-bats-stolen/ 

• AlbuquerqueJournal reported on April 24, 2015, that a man stole 2 baseball bats worth $300 each from a sporting goods and batting cage store.

While there is more theft than I thought there is also another device to prevent shoplifting and that is the O Tag from Alpha Security.

The O Tag is a superior choice for protecting baseball bats because they are designed specifically to fit around the handle end of the bat shaft. Since it is designed and built by Alpha High Theft Solutions it has built in electronic article surveillance technology that works in conjunction with EAS towers from Checkpoint. The O Tag sends out radio frequency waves that can be detected by the towers when the tagged merchandise is carried to close to the doors where the towers are located. When the detection takes place a 95 decibel alarm sounds and warning lights in the towers flash. This alerts store associates to go to the doors, conduct a receipt check and recover merchandise that has not been paid for yet.

While retail anti-theft devices on the baseball bats does prevent a theft, it is also effective in deterring one since the shoplifters often choose to avoid the risk of walking out with tagged products. Preventing a theft is great but deterring the would-be thief from even considering stealing from your store is better. The knowledge that a store tags ALL of their merchandise sends the shoplifters to other locations. No, we don’t want them to steal, ever, but if other store owners choose not to protect their goods with retail anti-theft devices that becomes their issue. If you are investing in it you will reap ALL of the benefits that result from your foresight.

Use an O Tag on all of your baseball bats and you will improve your instock percentages and that in turn will result in increased sales and profits. Shrinkage, empty fixtures from theft and decreased profits all fit together. The converse is true also, use the O Tag, prevent shoplifting and watch profits rise.

The O Tag is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
      

Being a Loss Prevention Manager doesn’t mean you are always at work when the interesting shopliftings occur. Sometimes it’s your team that has to deal with the difficult situations such as the one that took place one afternoon at the store where I worked. Two of my team members were working this particular day when they began watching a suspect in the shoe department. The suspect in this case began trying on men’s work boots. We had no retail anti-theft devices on our shoes or boots such as an Alpha Ink Tag to deter theft. The subject in this case found a pair of boots, put them on and walked to the front of the store and watched the door. When he felt it was safe, he walked to the exit and as he started to leave, my two Loss Prevention Officers stopped him and brought him back in the store. As they neared the security office the subject turned to run and the officers grabbed him. The suspect then bit one of the officers and tried to throw a punch at him. Fortunately for the suspect the officers showed a bit of restraint and while he ended up with a bump on his head he was no worse for wear, aside from a ripped t-shirt. The officers called for local police and then notified me of the incident. Of course my concern was for my Loss Prevention Officer who had been bitten. I was also curious why the suspect had fought so hard over a pair of boots. It turned out the suspect had an extensive criminal history and was also identifying himself as his brother who was a detective in a nearby state. The point of this story is that retail anti-theft devices can and do deter theft. A store may or may not have Loss Prevention personnel but, the devices along with electronic article surveillance antennas can prevent shoplifting.
     

The Alpha Ink Tag can be applied to nearly all clothing items, as well as comforters, sheet sets, even purses and totes. The tag has one side with dye capsules built in that are designed to break if someone attempts to tamper with the tag and remove it on their own. The only way to take it off without risking damage to the merchandise is with a detachment key controlled by the store, usually secured at the point of sale. The tag is pinned to merchandise and makes a tight seal hindering attempts to pry them off. I have seen the results of ink ruining clothes after a shoplifter attempted to take an Alpha Ink Tag off of a pair of jeans. It leaves a mess that cannot be cleaned off of the garment and unless you are into tie-dye, you wouldn’t want to wear it.
     

It is my firm belief that retail anti-theft devices do deter theft, especially when they are placed in a prominent location on an item. In the situation my Loss Prevention Officers had to contend with, I believe that had our store used an Alpha Ink Tag on shoes the shoplifter would never had attempted to steal the boots in the first place. I can’t say he would not have tried to steal something else if ink tags had been used, but who knows?  In this case had the criminal been deterred by a retail anti-theft device and left the store empty handed the Loss Prevention Officer would not have been bitten.
     

As a side note for those who would argue against Loss Prevention Officers because of rare instances like this, I would point out that in the vast majority of cases where we had two Loss Prevention department members available, we had few fights or injuries. The training program we had made officer and shoplifter safety paramount. There were other benefits the officers brought to the store such as helping find lost purses, cars and children. They built partnerships with police and store managers. While stores in our area and even next to ours were robbed, we never experienced one robbery in the nearly 14 years I worked there.
   

Oh, and what happened to the Security Officer after the bite? He had to go through a series of shots to ensure he did not acquire any blood borne pathogens. He did return to work and fully recovered, but it was not an experience he wanted to go through again.

Need information on retail anti-theft devices? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
       

I have a bad habit of going through sunglasses far too quickly. I misplace them, I lose them, and I sit on them when I put them on the seat of my car. I have bought a pair for each of my cars just to avoid moving them between vehicles and guess what…I still lose them. For this reason I have stopped purchasing expensive sunglasses and I have made stores that specialize in dollar merchandise my go to sunglass provider. For most people sunglasses are an important part of their style and they spend money to make sure they get a pair that expresses who they are while protecting their eyes from the brightness and glare of the sun, especially when driving. Some buy them for the outdoor sports they love or for the job they do. Whatever the reason, people will spend a lot of money on a quality pair of glasses, just not me because I can’t take care of them. For the stores that carry a better quality of sunglasses, theft is always a concern and trying to prevent shoplifting is a challenge. In spite of this challenge there are retail anti-theft devices from Alpha Security that can deter criminals who would clean out your inventory if given half a chance.
     

The Alpha Security Eyewear Tag gives store owners the advantage of electronic article surveillance protection (EAS) while allowing shoppers the ability to try on glasses without affecting the way they fit. The tags are reusable so there is no need for constant replenishment of these retail anti-theft devices. When the customer is ready to make a purchase the glasses are taken to the point of sale where a special Alpha Security detachment tool is used by the cashier to remove the tag. Tags are then stored in a bin until ready for application on new products received by the store. Stores that invest in EAS pedestals, like those sold by Checkpoint Systems, have the advantage of alarm protection should a thief attempt to walk out with a protected pair of glasses. The pedestals sound a loud, beeping alert and flash colorful LED lights to alert employees that a tagged item is carried too close to the doors. Often this is enough to deter a theft since shoplifters don’t want to chance being caught. For store owners that have chosen not to invest in EAS pedestals the Eyewear Tag still provides ample deterrence value. In order to try to remove a tag a thief would have to try to force a tag off of the arm of the sunglasses and we all know how fragile those arms can be (especially me)! 
     

How effective is this retail anti-theft device in protecting product? On the Alpha Security website they have a “Hard Tag Infographic” and in it they have posted, “A leading sunglasses chain began using the Eyewear Tag. Shrink went from more than 20% to ZERO! Even with no EAS!” Having worked in Retail Loss Prevention for nearly 20 years, being a L.P. Manager for 13 of those years, I can tell you I have NEVER seen any other shortage reduction strategy that has been THAT effective! Think about that if you own a small eyewear store(s) and have annual sales of $100,000 a year, 20% shrink is $20,000! What could you do with a windfall of $20,000 added back to your profit line?  Could you use that money to add another part-time employee to your staff thereby increasing customer service and increasing sales even more? Could you use it for pay raises and thereby increase employee morale and their desire to improve their own sales performance? You may choose to expand your business or simply enjoy the fruits of your labor and investment. 
     

Retail anti-theft devices are proven to be effective at shortage reduction through deterrence and tag detection adding to store profitability. For sunglass and eyeglass stores, Eyewear Tags may be the ultimate solution for eliminating theft in your business and driving theft-related shortage to zero.

Eyewear Tags are important and we can help you with them. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.