Building Blogs of an EAS Clothing Security Tags

Almost everyone has seen an EAS tag, but not everyone understands what they do or how they work. Clothing security tags, and Checkpoint tags specifically, consist of two pieces of hard plastic. One side has a steel pin attached. The other side has a tiny hole to receive the pin as it pierces through the material of a garment.

The checkpoint tags are virtually indestructible once clamped together. They require the use of a detacher to remove them. I have observed shoplifters attempting to pry them off, cut them off, and even burn the plastic off.  Few succeed and if they do manage to succeed, success is bittersweet.  Either the clothing is destroyed or the ink inside is busted in the process rendering the item useless.

The clothing security tags referred to as ink tags are hard EAS tags that contain two ampoules of dye in one of the sides. There is generally a blue dye and a glow in the dark dye that will stain whatever the inks contact.

EAS refers to electronic article surveillance. In basic terms, security tags on clothes contain an RF transmitter.  When this transmitter intersects the path of the clothing alarm – those big towers flanking the doors of a retailer – an extremely audible alarm sounds.

Security tags on clothes – also referred to as EAS tags – are used in the majority of large chain stores. It is equally advantageous for small boutiques and small box stores to utilize the EAS tags for clothing security.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase clothing alarm, clothing security tags, as well as Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system.

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

Road Trip – Never without Clothing Security

I just came back from a great weekend with my family. We took a road trip to visit one of the national museums that we had wanted to tour for some time. It was well worth the trip, even my toddler loved it.

We decided to take a quick swing through the gift shop on our way out after we had walked all seven floors of the museum. We observed that they had a large quantity of clothing for sale, but none of it seemed to have any clothing security tags.

It seemed quite unusual for a tourist attraction not to have any visible clothing security.  Upon closer examination, I observed clothing security in the form of soft labels imbedded into the price tags of the clothes.  Although they didn’t use clothing security tags, there was still a form of protection in place, but it wasn’t overtly obvious. I thought it was a pretty smart move.

No doubt this store has its share of shoplifters, but the number of false activations from their clothing alarm are greatly reduced because someone forgot to remove a hard tag. The soft tags are disarmed as soon as they are placed on the counters at the wrap stand.

The last thing one wants in a museum is to have a clothing alarm going off every few minutes. This individualized program for clothing security was very well designed to suit the unique needs of a specialty store.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase a clothing alarm or clothing security tags and an Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system and to get a system personalized to the needs of YOUR store.

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

Abusive Employees – Security Tags on Clothes

Protecting your stores from shoplifters is not the only reason for clothing security. Procedures must also be in place to dissuade employees from taking advantage of the system and stealing your merchandise.

One instance that comes to mind involved a very well-liked manager. Now perhaps I should begin by saying that we used Checkpoint tags for our clothing security. We were very good at making sure the appropriate type and quantity of security tags on clothes were in place. The problem wasn’t with the Checkpoint tags.

The problem was the indiscriminate use of our detachers. We used hand held detachers in the store for several very legitimate reasons, but we had become careless. It was not uncommon to have our detachers anywhere in the store with almost unlimited access.

We didn’t give much thought to controlling the access of the detachers until we started noticing one of our managers frequently wearing some of our newer clothing lines. More than one eyebrow was raised upon seeing him parading around the store in expensive new duds in light of the fact that he habitually complained about how little money he had.

He was able to remove any of the clothing security tags he wanted with his unlimited access to a detacher and no system of checks and balances in place. He simply changed clothes in the dressing room; either by layering the clothing under his own, or by entirely changing clothes when the shifts changed.

Because we failed to manage his freedom with a detacher, the security tags on clothes were ineffective. A system of checks and balances would have eliminated the opportunity for him to steal.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase the clothing alarm, clothing security tags or Electronic Article Surveillance (or EAS system).

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

Problematic Fitting Rooms – Clothing Security

One of the most problematic areas of clothing security is the fitting rooms. Fitting rooms attract different types of theft. There are the opportunists who don’t plan to steal, but find it irresistible to leave without taking an extra item or two which they have not paid for when tempted with a cluttered fitting room and no watchful eyes to do a piece count.

There are the amateurs who have already decided to steal a piece of clothing, but are too nervous to do it on the sales floor. They will wait for hours in a fitting room until they are the only ones left. They will also take a chance with clothing security tags. Some have even brought a pair of wire cutters into the dressing room to attempt hacking off the pin of a clothing security tag.

I have spent countless hours brainstorming security measures specifically for that area of the store. The challenge of monitoring a fitting room while protecting the privacy of a customer creates an extremely difficult task at best. Security tags on clothes can make a huge difference when the shoplifter is presented with the temptations inherent in the fitting room.

The best method to protect a fitting room from theft is to keep the fitting rooms monitored. Installing locks is a great suggestion; however, the retailer can possibly lose a sale with the potential service issues involved if a customer can’t quickly locate an employee to unlock the door.

A better option is using checkpoint tags whenever possible. Shoplifters usually bypass stealing when faced with the prospect of having to remove the security tags on clothes. Most shoplifters do not want to run the risk of setting off the clothing alarm when a Checkpoint tag is still attached.

To purchase the clothing alarm, clothing security tags and/or the Electronic Article Surveillance (or Loss Prevention Store. Your fitting rooms will stand a better chance of being theft-free with these simple additions to your clothing security.

For more information about EAS system) contact us at security tags on clothes or call 1.770.426.0547

Options in Anti-Shoplifting Devices

If you work Loss Prevention in a large store you are more than well aware of how many thousands of different items your place of business can be filled with.  With so many products or so many different types of products (clothing, electronics, furniture, tools, etc) you may feel overwhelmed by the needs to protect every single piece of inventory.  But it is rare for even the most stringent loss prevention policy to dictate that even the two dollar items at the impulse rack need Checkpoint Tags put on them.

Most places have a guideline of price points for each category of inventory sold in the store.  But not every piece of inventory can necessarily use the same anti-shoplifting device as its store-front neighbors.  Your winter jackets can use Checkpoint tags, but have little use for Checkpoint labels.  Likewise, those DVDs you sell can only ever make use of Checkpoint Labels as there is no way to attach anything else to them.  That is why there are options in the world of retail theft prevention; it is a known fact that not every product is the same and therefore the measures used to protect them have to be different.

If you want to be sure your store is making the most of that Checkpoint Security System you have installed make sure that you have enough variety in your retail anti-shoplifting equipment suite to cover all the items you need to protect.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase retail Anti-Shoplifting devices and your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system from Checkpoint Systems to stop shoplifting in your store.

For more information on retail Anti-Shoplifting devices, Checkpoint Labels, a Checkpoint Security System, Checkpoint Security Tags, Checkpoint Systems, or Checkpoint Tags and how they can work with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system contact us at Retail theft prevention to Stop Shoplifting in your store or call 1.770.426.0547

Clever Uses for Checkpoint Labels

Checkpoint labels are a common sight in retail theft prevention, those little white strips usually glued to the back of a fragrance or a plastic packaging for headphones, or even found tucked inside a DVD case. They are among the most versatile retail anti-shoplifting tools available to those who wish to stop shoplifting within their store.  The problem is that they are so common a sight that anyone who has ever walked into any retail establishment knows of their existence and those who are looking to steal from you know how to identify and sometimes defeat them.  The challenge is to find clever ways to hide the Checkpoint Labels so that it seems as though they are not present at all.

It is a theme present in one of the more fundamental concepts of retail theft prevention; creating the illusion that there is little or no security on hand to stop a theft from taking place.  Making use of the small size of the Checkpoint Labels, you can hide them almost anywhere; the pockets of a pair of jeans, the seam of a jacket, the brim of a hat, the possibilities are only limited by your vision.  By hiding these diminutive anti-shoplifting devices well enough you can create the illusion for shoplifters that they don’t need to use any tools or measures to defeat your labels which will prove otherwise when they pass through the gate of your Checkpoint security system.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase Anti-Shoplifting devices and your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system from Checkpoint Systems to stop shoplifting in your store.

For more information on Anti-Shoplifting, Checkpoint tags, Checkpoint Security tags, a Checkpoint Security system, Checkpoint Systems, or Checkpoint labels and how they can work with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system contact us at Retail theft prevention to Stop Shoplifting in your store or call 1.770.426.0547

There doesn’t need to be a battle between Customer Service and Loss Prevention.

Throughout my time working in Loss Prevention, I have observed a constant struggle between stopping theft and giving customers the best shopping experience. As a person representing the anti-shoplifting side of retail, if it were up to me, everything in a store would be nailed down, in a case, or behind bars. This is why I don’t own a store and haven’t crossed over to a Customer Service department. Shoppers don’t want to be treated like criminals and they want to have an open merchandise experience where they can try on shoes, pick up purses, and test cosmetics. So how can retailers obtain a healthy balance between these two conflicting missions?

Enter Checkpoint Security Systems, a leader in retail anti-shoplifting solutions. All of the companies that I have worked for except one have used Checkpoint security tags to combat theft of live merchandise. While interviewing shoplifters at the retailer that didn’t utilize solutions from Checkpoint systems, all of them admitted that they chose our store over other retailers because we didn’t have any merchandise protection they would have to worry about defeating. While many professional shoplifters have tools to remove security tags, they still seek out stores that will make their job easier because their tools often don’t work on Checkpoint Security Tags.

Checkpoint security tags also allow stores to offer their customers a live merchandise experience without the suspicion and worry that I constantly live with. With both hard and soft tags offered, shoppers can freely test and try on merchandise without bulky sensors getting in the way or tangled cables preventing them from removing the item from a rack. Retailers and shoppers each have more positive interactions with each other, and guests leave the store happier. The battle between Loss Prevention and customer service is over, with both sides coming out a winner.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase Anti-Shoplifting devices and your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system from Checkpoint Systems to stop shoplifting in your store.

For more information on Anti-Shoplifting, Checkpoint Labels, a Checkpoint Security System, Checkpoint Security Tags, Checkpoint Systems, or Checkpoint Tags and how they can work with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system contact us at Retail theft prevention to Stop Shoplifting in your store or call 1.770.426.0547

Securing Handbags is easy with Clothing Security!

I worked a case regarding a theft ring that was into designer handbags. I partnered up with one of the other retailers in the mall where we were anchor stores. They had suffered big losses in this department, and were sure that we would be next on the list.

Immediately we got to work on our clothing security. The checkpoint tags were already in the store for a different product group so the most obvious solution was to push clothing security into the handbag department.

In addition to the checkpoint tags, we talked to our handbag department, telling them to be extra vigilant. If they saw even the slightest thing that made them suspicious, they were to call us. We made extra visits to the department during our store walk-thrus and made sure our CCTV covered the area completely. We were sure we were set.

Sure enough, a week later, the ring came into our store. It was right at closing time when the associates were finishing up for the day. There were five of them. They came in, each grabbed as many bags as they could and ran out the door. I heard the clothing alarm, raced to the door, and saw as the last one exited. They had a car waiting for them.

Not wanting to face a five to one showdown, I contacted the local PD and gave them the license plate number from their vehicle. I knew exactly what had been taken and had the video to back it up. Because of the checkpoint tags setting the clothing alarm off, we had an immediate reaction to the theft.

The PD was able to recover all but two of the bags because of this timely information.

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

Does it feel like you’re fighting a losing battle?

Over the years I have worked for a long list of retailers as a loss prevention investigator.  I have spent hours conducting investigations to apprehend shoplifters and dishonest employees for a wide variety of theft related crimes.  The main lesson I learned during this period was that anti-shoplifting initiatives only work if you focus on retail theft prevention.

Shoplifting is going to happen… it is an unfortunate part of being in the retail business.  Our company spent thousands of dollars hiring and training people to watch the cameras and physically detain shoplifters; however, in the end I’m absolutely certain that the key to retail theft prevention is deterrence through the use of anti-shoplifting devices.

I worked for a small company that did not have a checkpoint security system in place and it was overrun with shoplifters daily. It felt like we were constantly at war trying to keep merchandise in the store.

When the yearend shortage numbers rolled out we were appalled by the losses that we incurred despite our efforts.  It was decided that we needed to implement a checkpoint security system to help mitigate our losses.

The Checkpoint Security System sent a clear message to the shoplifters that retail theft prevention was taken seriously. Checkpoint security tags were placed on all of our merchandise and checkpoint systems were installed on the doors.  Once the checkpoint security tags were in place we started to see an increase in the number of items left in our fitting rooms because the shoplifters couldn’t remove the anti-shoplifting devices.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase Anti-Shoplifting devices and your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system from Checkpoint Systems to stop shoplifting in your store.

For more information on Anti-Shoplifting, Checkpoint Labels, a Checkpoint Security System, Checkpoint Security Tags, Checkpoint Systems, or Checkpoint Tags and how they can work with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system contact us at Retail theft prevention to Stop Shoplifting in your store or call 1.770.426.0547

Even Children’s clothing can go missing

When you work in soft line retail shrink used to not be a huge concern in children’s clothing. The main focus was on products like jewelry or leather coats, jeans and athletic shoes. Children’s clothes were never on any big watch list, until now.

I don’t know if it is because more people are out of work, or because kids clothes are getting more expensive, but it seems like our children’s department is suffering more and more every day. If you haven’t already, I would suggest starting to use clothing security tags on children’s clothes.

For the baby and toddler clothes, it would be easy to use checkpoint tags for clothing security. Since these items typically are not tried on in the store (like adult’s clothing) a hard tag would not impede the shopping experience in any way.

For bigger kid’s clothes, clothing security would be easy with a soft tag. The non-adhesive tags could be slid into a pocket. Soft tags can also be attached as a price tag or barcode along with a hard tag for extra protection.

There are multiple Checkpoint tags to choose from to facilitate proper tagging based on the type of clothing.

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