Don’t Chase Shortage – Use Checkpoint Tags

The use of clothing security tags in department stores and clothing specialty retail stores has expanded significantly since my early days in loss prevention. When I started working as a Loss Prevention officer for a department store we did not use much in the way of clothing security. The store used some tags on high end coats and jackets and a few designer dresses but for the most part clothing security was in the form of closed circuit television surveillance and customer service. Had we used Checkpoint tags on more items they would have made a big difference in our shortage results. On those pieces of clothing to which they were applied, we saw a significant reduction in theft and attempted theft.    

Checkpoint tags prevent shoplifting when attached to clothing.  When pinned on to a piece of merchandise they are extremely difficult to remove without a removal device, and if tampered with can result in damage to the garment. Placing the device in a highly visible location on an item provides a visible deterrent to potential shoplifters. The Checkpoint tags are designed to activate an electronic article surveillance system if someone tries to leave with tagged clothing. When properly trained, store employees can react to alarms and tactfully recover unpaid merchandise and save a store from incurring a loss. Tags may be ordered to work with radio frequency or acoustic magnetic systems, depending on what type of system a store has in place.      

As I mentioned previously, when I worked for a department store as a Loss Prevention officer, we had very few items that we used Checkpoint tags on and as a result we experienced a lot of theft. This also led to some funny shoplifting cases. In those days we had very few rules for catching shoplifters and we were able to chase shoplifters in order to recover merchandise and place the culprit in jail. I would like to mention that most stores today do not permit security personnel to pursue shoplifters for a number of valid reasons. One being the danger posed to the security officer, the shoplifter who is fleeing, and possible by-standers who could be injured in the course of a pursuit. Another reason is the liability incurred by a store should someone be injured during a pursuit, whether it is the security officer or yes, even the shoplifter. That being said, we did pursue shoplifters and we had some doozies! 

One particular incident that stands out in my mind was a young man I was observing on our camera system. It was a warm, sunny day and this “customer” was wearing a nylon wind suit (very popular in the day). The young man selected a number of Levi jeans and entered the fitting room. Knowing exactly how many pair he entered with, I knew when he finally exited the fitting room how many pair he should have had. The customer had no jeans in his possession but he certainly looked a lot bigger when he exited than when he went in. After a quick inspection of the fitting room revealed there was no merchandise inside I knew where the jeans went.  I stopped the shoplifter as he exited the store and he ran. The young man made it a couple of blocks and was stopped at a construction site by a couple of workmen who saw me chasing him. At that point the shoplifter was totally winded and flopped on the ground and simply gave up. Wearing several pair of jeans under a wind suit was not good planning on his part. The merchandise was recovered and the shoplifter went to jail. We did not use clothing security devices on this merchandise and the point of my telling this story is that had we used clothing security tags this incident might not have taken place.

Using clothing security tags will reduce the theft in your store and that in turn will increase your profits. Invest in Checkpoint tags and enjoy the benefits of not ‘chasing’ after shortage.

For more information on Checkpoint Tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.