I had a shoplifting apprehension the other day. We thought it was a pretty routine case. A male walked into the men’s wear department and picked up a shirt. He headed into the fitting room, so we sent an employee in to see if he needed any help.

After a few min, the male came back out of the fitting room with the shirt. He then walked into a far corner of the store. We watched as he took the shirt off the hanger, rolled it up tightly, and stuck it under his arm so no one would see it.

As he was leaving the store, the clothing alarm went off. At the time I didn’t think anything of it. We knew he hadn’t paid for the shirt at a register, so there was bound to be a clothing security tag left on it.

After we got him back into our office for processing, I picked up the shirt to catalogue the item number and description. I looked for the price tag to get the information, and as I turned the shirt around in my hand, it struck me that the shirt didn’t have a Checkpoint tag on it.

I then turned my attention to the suspect who was adamant about going to the bathroom. As it turned out, he had stuffed a pair of jeans into his jacket. They had a checkpoint tag which set the clothing alarm off.

Without the tag, we never would have known about the jeans he had stolen.

 Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase a clothing alarm or clothing security tags 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

One often-overlooked piece of clothing that can cause a significant amount of shrink is men’s ties. Right now millions of teenage and adult men are looking for ties. They need them for proms, and commencement ceremonies, job interviews, and don’t forget Father’s day is just around the corner. What Dad hasn’t received the ubiquitous tie as a present there?

Clothing security tags aren’t just for the rest of a man’s wardrobe. Ties need their own clothing security as well. Ties pose a specific risk because they can be easily concealed. Ties can be rolled up and shoved into a pocket, or they can be stretched flat against a shoplifter’s body. Ties can even be tied on and worn out the door.

Because ties can easily range from $30 to well over $100 or even two hundred dollars a shot, any losses can add up quickly.

Clothing security in the way of soft labels is the easiest way to go. While you can use a hard tag, I would caution as to where you attach it. Since most ties are a silk, or silk blend, the EAS tag’s pins can easily catch, creating a run and ruining the tie.

Don’t get caught off guard because you were too busy trying to protect your other merchandise. Don’t forget to tie one on.

 Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase a clothing alarm or clothing security tags 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

I say, “whenever you are ready” to my toddler, a lot. It is probably more sarcastic than it should be, but sometimes it helps me put things back into perspective. It helps me to remember that when I am dealing with her, I am on her time frame, not mine. It is one of the few times that I feel challenged to slow down, not to speed up.

In my professional life, “whenever you are ready” is more like “it should have been done 10 minutes ago”. I put this same urgency into clothing security. Clothing security tags can’t just be put on whenever someone feels like getting around to it. Those are the times that someone will come in and rob you blind.

Shoplifters, especially the professional ones, go out of their way to look for and exploit those situations. All it takes is one unlocked door, one stack of jeans without clothing security tags, and one moment of lethargy to add up to a very costly situation.

Clothing security is all about consistency and timeliness in execution. Even if you have the best clothing security like Checkpoint tags in place, they do no good if they are still sitting in a basket somewhere, instead of on your merchandise.

Make sure that “whenever you are ready” means “do it right, and do it right now”.

 Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase a clothing alarm or clothing security tags 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

If you own a business that sells clothing, chances are that you own a business that loses clothing too. If you do not have the luxury of having Loss Prevention in your store you must rely on two things to reduce your shrink/loss: Customer Service, and Deterrence. Clothing security encompasses a couple of tactics.

First, having security tags on clothes is vital as a visual deterrent. Shoplifters are less likely to steal merchandise if they notice clothing security tags on it such as checkpoint tags. Checkpoint tags are tags that clip onto clothing and sound an alarm once they pass a certain checkpoint (the door alarms). These tags go hand in hand with a clothing alarm. This brings me to my second method of clothing security.

A clothing alarm is a device set up by the exit doors that look like metal detectors. They activate and let off a loud noise when it senses merchandise with checkpoint tags still attached. Throughout my experience as a Loss Prevention Officer, I can tell you that the one thing a shoplifter hates is being noticed. And he or she will be noticed standing at a door with alarms going off.

Deterrence is extremely important in order to minimize loss and maximize profit. Investing in clothing security tags such as checkpoint tags, making sure proper placement of security tags on clothes, and having a clothing alarm to compliment the security devices are essential parts of maintaining clothing security.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase a clothing alarm or clothing security tags 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

I just came back from a great weekend with my family. We took a road trip up north to see one of the national museums that we had been dying to go see. It was well worth the trip, I might add. Even my toddler loved it.

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

I thought that was pretty strange for a tourist attraction to not have any visible clothing security. After I took a closer look, I could tell that they didn’t use any clothing security tags. They did have clothing security in the form of soft labels.

These labels were imbedded into the price tags of the clothes. It was a pretty smart move, I thought. There was still a form of protection in place, but it wasn’t overtly publicized.

No doubt they have had their share of shoplifters, but the amount of false activations from their clothing alarm was greatly reduced. No one ever forgot to remove a hard tag. The soft tags were disarmed as soon as they were placed on the counters at the wrap stand.

In a museum, the last thing you want is to have a clothing alarm going off every few minutes. This individual take on clothing security was very well thought out to suit their needs.

 Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase a clothing alarm or clothing security tags 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

I was looking through the pockets of a pair of jeans the other day as I was trying to get some laundry done. I am forever leaving random receipts or chap stick in my pants, so I make a habit of always checking before any thing goes into the washer.

Sure enough, I felt something as I was searching the pockets. Strange, I thought. I can’t get anything out. As I took another look, I realized whatever I found was actually on the inside of my jeans, not in the pocket.

As it turns out, there was a little pouch inside my jeans that was holding a clothing security tag. Now, since I haven’t set any clothing alarms off at any store I have been in while wearing the jeans, I can safely assume that the tag was properly deactivated at the register when I bought them.

I can also assume that the tag in question was more than likely a Checkpoint tag. Some of the cheap import knock off labels have a habit of reactivating themselves if they are not properly cut out and discarded, like my little pouch instructed me to do.

A true Checkpoint tag is designed to not reactivate, as the tags can potentially cause customer service issues if it does reactivate.

 Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase a clothing alarm or clothing security tags 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

The need to have clothing security is not just about protecting your stores from shoplifters. It’s also about the need to dissuade your employees from taking advantage of you and your merchandise.

One instance that comes to mind surrounds 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 there were the appropriate type and quantity of security tags on clothes.

The problem wasn’t with the Checkpoint tags. The issue was with our detachers. We used hand held detachers in the store for several very legitimate reasons. We catered to several off site situations like clothing reviews or fashion columns in the local paper. It was very common to have our detachers running around the store in just about anyone’s hands.

We never really thought to control the access of the detachers until we started seeing one of our managers wearing several new items. He habitually complained about how little money he had, so to see him waltzing around the store in expensive new duds, more than one eyebrow was raised.

With his access to a detacher and no check and balance in pace, he was able to remove any of the clothing security tags he wanted. He then changed clothes at the store; either by layering the clothing under his own, or by outright changing clothes when he thought the shifts had changed.

Security tags on clothes were not effective because we failed to eliminate his liberty with a detacher. A simple check and balance of another set of eyes would have all but eliminated the opportunity for him to steal.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase a clothing alarm or clothing security tags 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

When you start out as a rookie Loss Prevention agent the world is filled with shoplifters. Every person that walks through the door is a thief. You are so ready to catch your first crook that any and every little flinch is a signal that they are about to steal. Unfortunately, the subtleties of distinction cannot be taught in a manual or computer training lesson. To really evaluate the red flags, you must first know what is normal human shopping behavior.

I always start my new trainees out by countless hours of surveillance. It gives them a chance to hone their skills.  It gives them a chance to really observe how we, as a society, shop for our clothes.

Some cultures try on clothing right in the middle of the selling floor, instead of in a fitting room. Others may use their forearms to measure a pair of jeans instead of trying them on at all.

Often my rookies will mistake that for a customer looking for the security tags on clothes. They are convinced that the clothing security tags will be torn off n a matter of seconds. I usually tell them to keep watching and let me know what happens.

Sometimes they will miss the security tags on clothes deterring a shoplifter because they see a customer put merchandise back down. They missed some of the other warning signs, and potentially would have given up completely on that case.

Training is important to be able to understand what to look for. Practical experience helps refine these observations to make accurate and effective shoplifting cases.

 Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase a clothing alarm or clothing security tags 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

I was alone at my first LP job when I started watching a woman on camera that entered with a crumpled, empty shopping bag. The previous day I finished training and was released to detain shoplifters. I hadn’t made a solo arrest yet; I was incredibly nervous and secretly hoped this was nothing. I wanted my first stop to be with another agent to assist with surveillance and back me up during the apprehension. Although I could feel myself shaking, I went to the sales floor to perform live observation; after all, it was my responsibility to maintain the store’s clothing security.

After locating the customer, I watched her check merchandise for Checkpoint tags and select a handful of tops without clothing alarms. She placed them on a rounder, held the shopping bag under the merchandise, and slipped each item off its hanger so it fell in. With this, I realized I must stop her when she exited. As she headed to the door, my nerves took over and I was hit with a wave of nausea. I was going to be sick and made a beeline for the restroom. I went to find the subject when my queasiness had passed, but of course she was gone. This wasn’t my proudest moment and while my boss was kind about it, I felt I had failed to preserve my store’s clothing security. Although I was trained and had good intentions, I’m still a human who is limited in my capacity to keep all merchandise from theft.

Employees can make mistakes; they call in sick, they take breaks, and no one can afford hiring enough people to watch all merchandise. Retailers that understand this utilize clothing security tags to fill in the gaps that naturally occur if a mission as significant as clothing security is left only to people. Clothing alarms are most effective when used uniformly and on merchandise that would hurt the store the most to lose. That way, if a rookie investigator has anxiety, it won’t break the business.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase a clothing alarm or clothing security tags 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