CHECKPOINT SECURITY SYSTEM: A VISUAL AND ACTIVE DETERRENT TO SEND THIEVES RUNNING

There aren’t too many variables when it comes to the overall goal of loss prevention professionals. It’s quite simple to stop loss and reduce shrink. The only way this can get done is with a sound loss prevention plan and one that includes the proper tools to achieve the goal. Retail theft prevention measures are most effective when used in conjunction with all available resources. One such resource is having a first line of defense with a Checkpoint security system.

I recall one time where I was working in a retail store where the management had a lax program in place. It was so bad that after we would apprehend them, thieves would actually make jokes about the measures that were in place. Telling us “Man this place is a joke”. Or, “I lift here more than the gym!” I’ve heard it all. What I also heard was that if management didn’t bother to install some sort of EAS (Electronic Article Surveillance) system soon, that we would never stop shoplifting in that store. The lack of accountability at the door was one of the things that thieves counted on at the store. They knew that if they could conceal it, they could get it out the door.

See an important part of retail theft prevention is being able to thwart the loss that you don’t always see or even know about. There is no way to tell just how much product is leaving your store really but with the use of EAS measures like a Checkpoint security system, you’ll at the very least know about attempted occurrences. The five finger crooks that brazenly lift your store blind will no longer have a free ticket to just waltz right out the front door with your product. It’s this degree of accountability at the very least that makes all of the difference. See, by installing an EAS system in your store, you add an element of utter inconvenience and deterrence to your plan to stop shoplifting.

EAS systems work by using RF (Radio Frequency) technology within your store. Some systems also include the use of AM (Acoustic Magnetic) technology. The differences between the two technologies are in the way the system interacts with your products. In both cases, select items are tagged with small asset tags, labels or stickers that are unobtrusively placed somewhere on the products themselves. Once the tags come within a prescribed proximity of the EAS pedestals installed at the store exits, the system will alarm alerting store staff. 

This form of technology is widely available to you as a retailer and comes with various options and installation configurations. It is important to understand that the use of EAS systems can provide a much needed visual deterrent to ‘would-be’ shoplifters above and beyond totally embarrassing the ones that fail to estimate the full functionality of them. The casual shoplifter may not know how they work to their disadvantage however; they do know that they are there. You can hardly miss the pedestals at the front of the stores and almost all of us have witnessed them being triggered before whether accidentally or intently. Since most people recognize the EAS pedestals as an anti-shoplifting resource, when they see them in your store, they know you aren’t playing around. They know your serious and plan to stop shoplifting in your store.

The presence of the EAS pedestals alone may even be enough to make casual shoplifters think twice about stealing from your store actually. Hypothetically, even if the system was inactive (powered off) the simple visual presence of them alone would still have a strong visual impact on all that notices them. The bottom line though is that if you install these retail theft prevention items in your store, it is absolutely going to stop shoplifting in your store to some extent. In the long term, the system will more than pay for itself monetarily when you consider the shrink you are preventing. Thieves will be less cocky about how easy it is to steal from your store and casual shoplifters will be stopped in their tracks.

For more information about the Checkpoint security system contact us or call 1-770-426-0547.