CHEERS TO BOTTLE LOCKS

 “I can’t take you anywhere!” Is the normal phrase I get from my girlfriend when we are out shopping and I tell her that I just saw someone steal some merchandise. She can’t understand why I’m so worried about someone else’s store, or why we can never go out without me helping throw someone in jail. It’s just that I feel as though I have a moral obligation when my LP spidey senses start tingling… plus, I’m usually bored to tears shopping with her anyway. (Please don’t tell her I said that). Just last week, I introduced a restaurant manager to bottle locks.

We had just spend the majority of the day applying for our passports when that all too familiar feeling hit. It was 2pm. I was hungry. We went to a little place known in our town for their Greek cuisine. We sat near the bar and I began to enjoy my hummus and pita. I was admiring the display of top shelf liquor when I noticed a woman acting a bit strange near the bar. When the bartender would walk to the kitchen, she would hover, just like a shoplifter does. I told my girlfriend what I suspected and she laughed. I tried to convince her of my point, after all there were no bottle security measures in place. It would be quite easy to simple walk away with some booze.

Some time passes and we get our food. The woman stays at the bar. Sipping on some white wine and eating her salad. The bartender walks into the kitchen again and almost as fast as a bolt of lightning, the woman reaches behind the bar, grabs a bottle of high end tequila and shoves it in her purse. Since there were no bottle security measures in place, it was almost too easy. Of course, I get excited at this point, all while my girlfriend just buries her head under her arms.

I wait until the woman purchases her meal before calling over a manager. I discreetly inform him of what I saw and he exclaims, “Again!” As our boozy bandit attempts to leave her spot at the bar, the manager and a police officer take her outside where the tequila was eventually recovered. When the dust settled, the manager came back and thanked me for speaking up. Apparently, this wasn’t the first time someone had stolen liquor from behind his bar recently. I asked him if he had ever heard of bottle locks.

Well, the next thing you know, I’ve got my phone pulled out and I’m showing him how bottle locks could ultimately stop people from stealing his liquor. He was amazed. He’d worked in the restaurant business his entire life and had never thought that bottle security was an issue until running this particular place. He told me that he’d lost countless thousands in stolen liquor in the past year. Now, he had something that could help curb his losses.

I left that day with a heavily discounted meal and a feeling of pride. Not pride that I helped throw another thief in jail, I was proud that I could help a fellow manager control the losses he was experiencing with a simple tool and a little advice. It’s why I enjoy writing these posts for all of you out there. I know someone, somewhere has this very same issue, and you’re sick and tired of it. Hopefully and it is my goal, that you read this and my little nugget of advice resonates with you and it ultimately makes your business stronger and more profitable. We can all drink to that!

For more information about Bottle Locks contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.