What are some of the ways shoplifters steal clothes from your store(s)? It may sound like a silly question, but clothing security is an important matter. In the United States merchandise shrinkage totaled $36.79 BILLION dollars (2014-2015 Global Retail Theft Barometer pg. 20).  Globally, apparel specialist retailers experienced a 1.8% shortage rate among all respondents to the survey (2014-2015 GRTB pg. 23). The only retail category to experience higher shrinkage was the pharmacies/drugstores at 1.99%. Knowing how criminals are stealing from your store(s) and how to protect your products from theft will keep your business profitable. 

Before I discuss how shoplifters are stealing, I would like to talk about how to protect clothing with Checkpoint tags. Based on my years of experience as a Loss Prevention Associate and a Loss Prevention Manager, I have seen the best and worst merchandise protection strategies. Doing nothing and wishing a problem away is obviously the worst option and yes, I have seen it happen. The best protection is to use clothing security for merchandise.  The Gen 2 and Gen 3 Checkpoint tags for clothes are outstanding choices for preventing theft. They are anti-theft devices with electronic article surveillance (EAS) capability. Built with radio frequency (rf) technology, they are designed to cause an EAS antenna to activate alarms when a tag is carried into the sensor field of the antenna. Employees responding to alarms conduct receipt checks and recover merchandise that has not been paid for or the alarm causes a shoplifter to drop the clothes they were trying to steal.  Clothing security tags also have deterrence value by simply being attached to garments. Shoplifters tend to leave merchandise alone when they see a tag knowing that the tags are difficult to remove without a Checkpoint detachment key. Attempts to force a tag off will likely damage product and shoplifters know this as well. Clothing security tags deter theft and actively detect attempts at theft making them the best means of shrinkage control.

That brings me to my point about how thieves are stealing clothes from stores. The methods most people are familiar with are when thieves take clothes to a fitting room, and wear them under their own clothes. Another way the shoplifter steals is as simple as hiding it in a handbag, or backpack and walking out with the merchandise concealed from employees. There are other means of stealing garments that store owners should be training employees to look for and these are not as common as the methods I have mentioned.

• Box Stuffing – Shoplifters will look for large boxed merchandise, remove the product and fill the box with clothes. They reseal the box and take the box to the register where they may try to be “helpful” and hold the box or tip it so the cashier can scan a UPC barcode. I have seen this done with infant strollers, shop vacs, and diaper disposal units. Employees should be alert for unboxed merchandise sitting out and cashiers should be handling all merchandise. If a box feels too heavy, it should be opened. 
• Comforter Stuffing – This is similar to box stuffing, but clothes are stuffed into the folds of a comforter so they can’t be seen. Checkpoint tags may be used to pin the two zippers of a case together or if there is only a single zipper, pinning the zipper to the comforter case itself.  If the zippers are tampered with when the comforter gets to the register, it is a good sign there may be merchandise inside.
• Hiding clothing in a baby stroller. As distasteful as it may seem, that cooing baby held by mom as she shops may be in her arms so she or a partner can fill the stroller with clothes and cover them with a blanket in the carriage. I have even seen clothes hidden UNDER the baby and covered by a blanket. 
• Piecing together items on a hanger. Some items are sold as sets, a suit jack, vest and slacks, or shirt and tie. Shoplifters will try to be clever and bring an item to the register and it appears to be a set, when in reality they have put the ensemble together themselves.   Using clothing security tags on all pieces of individual items will prevent shoplifters from being able to use this tactic. Cahiers will know that if brought a “set” and Checkpoint tags are on each piece, the customer has manipulated the clothing to try to steal a piece. 

By using clothing security tags, even if merchandise is concealed, the tags will activate EAS antennas. 

Clothing security is necessary to protect profits and doing nothing only invites more theft. Use clothing security tags to deter criminals and keep shrinkage low. 

Get more information on Checkpoint Tags. Contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.

I love my job and the industry that I work in. It provides me not only a good living, but my days are never the same; I’m constantly challenged and always looking for ways to improve store processes to reduce losses. What really ticks me off is when stores can’t or won’t follow simple steps that can save them untold thousands of dollars in shrink. My biggest pain in the side is when my stores fail to properly utilize their clothing security tags.

Take for example a few weeks ago. I get to one of my stores and the manager just starts lambasting a new line of active wear that she received. She’s going on about how the margins are too low and that they’ll end up being a magnet for shoplifters. Well, (LP) had already considered that prior to the product launch and shipped all stores a case of Checkpoint Tags, as well as sending the stores an email regarding placement of those tags. I went ahead and just assumed that this manager didn’t read that email.

I politely asked her if she had received that case of Checkpoint Tags, to which I was met with a resounding, “OF COURSE I HAVEN’T!” Lucky for us, I could very easily track the shipment and wouldn’t you know it… that very same store manager did in fact sign for the delivery days prior. A quick search of her office revealed the hidden loot. I get it, folks. We’re all very busy people. We’re also human, so it’s completely plausible that things can get overlooked in our hectic day. No problem. I uncovered the box and I even helped install those clothing security devices on all the new items she had. Problem solved… or so I thought.

The great thing about the Checkpoint Tags is that they are durable, which means the store can use them over, and over, and over, and over again. Which is what you should do if you don’t want thieves stealing your clothing. It’s quite a simple process; apply tag, sell garment, remove tag, get new garment in, re-apply tag. Rinse, lather repeat. With any good clothing security program, the name of the game is consistency. You have to make sure your initial stock is secured, and then make sure you have a solid process at the register to recycle the tags and get them re-applied to new arrivals. What do you think I found when I went back to that same store 2 weeks later for a follow up visit? You got, it… No tags!

That’s right. Even after what I discussed with her. Even after the corporate email with very clear instructions, the manager discarded the Checkpoint tags after one once. People, they’re not disposable! So just for kicks, I asked the store manager where all those nice clothing security tags were and she tells me that she sent them back, just like I told her!!

Guys and girls out there reading this please don’t be like this manager. Take some ownership of your store and at the very least, follow the established control measures that are already in place. If your office, or your owner want product “x” secured with an EAS device, then make sure product “x” is locked down like Fort Knox. You can’t very well complain about high losses if you don’t do all that’s in your power to control what you can inside your four walls.

For more information about Clothing Security contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.

How much clothing do you think a shoplifter can steal from your store in one incident? A purse filled with items? Perhaps a shoplifter could get away with a large shopping bag full of merchandise? The reason I ask the questions is that if a store owner or manager isn’t thinking about it, the inclination can be to think of a shoplifter as a person stealing a couple of items and getting away with it. If people are only stealing a couple of items, addressing clothing security may not seem to be a significant problem. Sure, no one wants people stealing from them, but the solution seems to be more of a hassle than just letting a few items get out the store, right? Wrong, theft impacts a store a lot more than just the loss of a few items at a time. It’s also easier than you might think to prevent clothing theft by using clothing security tags.

Clothing security tags prevent theft through visual deterrence when they are placed in a location on an item that makes it visible. For example, Checkpoint tags hanging from the cuffs of shirt sleeves will be seen by the customer who walks up to the garment while it is on the rack. A tag hanging on the waistband of a pair of dress slacks will draw someone’s eyes to the security tag and they will recognize what it is. Checkpoint tags also activate electronic article surveillance alarm antennas if someone attempts to walk out of a store with a piece of merchandise which has the tag attached. This makes tags a physical deterrence to theft as well as a visual one. A shoplifter may try to roll up an item, place it in a purse or bag and walk out through the doors, but hidden or not the sensor can still read the tags. 

Another aspect of using clothing security tags that make them an easy theft prevention tool is that they are not difficult to use. The two piece design means they are quick to attach to garments and fasten. There are also options available for clothing to be source tagged by the vendor, saving your store time and payroll by not having to use store personnel to do the tagging process.  From a merchandise branding point of view, source tagging also ensures uniform placement of tags, making it easier for cashiers to not hunt for tags at the point of sale. Tags are also re-useable so you are not constantly purchasing new ones on a regular basis.

I mentioned previously that many store managers and owners only think about the shoplifter as a petty thief and therefore, while a pain in the neck, their impact to the bottom line is negligible. I would like to share one of my experiences from my years as a Loss Prevention Manager. I had two young ladies in our store pushing around shopping carts, one containing a baby stroller box, the other a diaper disposal box. They were shopping in children’s clothing and then the young misses department. I noticed that they were stopping every so often and then some of the clothes would be gone. Their activity continued so I turned my full attention to them and as I watched, I began to see they were filling the boxes with the clothes. It turned out they had removed the contents of the boxes and left them somewhere else in the store and were box stuffing. How much did my petty shoplifters have stuffed in their boxes? The two had filled over $500 in clothing in one box and $300 in the second box. Some of the merchandise was tagged, but most was not since we did not use Checkpoint tags on clothes as much as I would have liked. The system did work and the alarm did activate, however we already were watching so the two were apprehended. Smaller stores probably cannot afford store security so clothing security may be the only way to have an opportunity to recover merchandise from thieves.

Shoplifting is no joke and it frequently involves more that an item or two in a bag or worn under clothing. Clothing security should be taken seriously and investing in Checkpoint tags can help make a significant improvement to store profitability.

Clothing security is important and we can help you with it.  Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.

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.

Have you ever had a problem with clothing theft and found yourself frustrated by empty clothes hangers on the sales floor rack or lying in a fitting room? Maybe you found price tags and manufacturer labels lying on the floor and you are at your wits end trying to combat the shoplifting you know is taking place but can’t seem to prevent. I remember the frustration of finding multiple hangers in the fitting room of one department store I worked for and wishing there was a solution that would deter more of the theft activity. I liked the satisfaction of catching shoplifters, but I was also aware we were only able to scratch the surface of the theft that was taking place.  When we did use security tags on clothing, it was limited to placing hard tags on high end coats and jackets we carried.

Several years later I worked for a big box retailer and we did use a combination of clothing security tags. In some instances we placed soft Checkpoint tags on clothing hang tags and went as far as to hide the tags in the pockets of items to try to keep the tags from being found and removed. In other situations when we had a higher priced item, or when we saw a theft trend on merchandise such as denim jeans, we began enhancing clothing security with hard tags. The hard tags were extremely difficult for shoplifters to defeat, requiring them to damage the merchandise the majority of the time in their efforts to remove the tags. Both styles of tags were compatible with the store Electronic Article Surveillance system. Any attempt to exit the store with security tags on clothing that had not been deactivated or removed would activate the alarm.    

Over the years I have seen changes in the industry as electronic article surveillance tags have been embedded in manufacturer hang tags and UPC codes have been printed on the EAS tags themselves. Shoplifters were becoming adept at identifying the soft clothing security tags and were removing them more frequently. Others who were in a position to make changes were seeing the same problem we faced in the field. They figured out that if we could identify clothing security tags, so could the shoplifters and they were determined to find new ways to disguise tags. Steps were taken in the clothing security business to stay one step ahead of the bad guys. The results are seen in the current styles of soft tags and hard tags on the market today.

Another major advancement in checkpoint tags is the development of the “Gen 3” Hard Tag. This tag is round and is more pleasing to the eye than the “Gen 2” Hard Tag, and yet has the same capabilities as the “Gen 2” model. The previous version is effective and provides a strong visual deterrent effect but the “Gen 3” has a look that is more upscale and sleek in my opinion. Security tags on clothing can also be source tagged so that a store owner does not need to have staff take the time to do the work. Payroll is used to run the store so staff can focus on customer service and other tasks. These advancements in clothing security should be reason enough to encourage businesses to invest in these security devices.  

Checkpoint tags have become versatile enough that they are no longer easy to identify on merchandise. With soft tags embedded in hang tags or having printed information on them, shoplifters fail to realize a tag is a security tag, and are more prone to leaving tags on when they attempt to steal. Hard tags make both a visual deterrent and strong defense against shoplifting. Using security tags on clothing will go a long way in preventing those empty hangers and torn tags from cluttering your floors.        

For more information on clothing security tags contact us or call 1.770.426.0547                

Keeping your clothing secure may seem like a challenging endeavor for stores with limited staff and financial resources, but it doesn’t have to be anymore.  There are affordable solutions to help you prevent shoplifting in your store, like Checkpoint tags.  One of the stores I previously worked for at the time only carried leather jackets and other coats seasonally, so as soon as they arrived at the store, we got to work making sure they were all protected with clothing security tags. We knew that when the weather started to get cold, the jacket thieves weren’t going to be far behind.  The previous year, we lost several jackets, so we were going to do everything in our power to stop the same thing from happening this time.  This meant we had to keep a close eye on the merchandise.  

We started by facing a camera directly on the clothing racks and counting the coats every couple hours.  We did this so if we lost any of them, it wouldn’t be too difficult to narrow down who had stolen them when we looked at the video. We put a big obvious hard tag on the jacket where you could see it, but we also dropped some soft Checkpoint Tags into the inside pocket of the jacket.  We did this so if the thieves were able to somehow remove the larger obvious tag, they probably wouldn’t expect there to be an extra soft tag hidden on the inside of the jacket, and the alarm would go off at the door when they exited with the merchandise.  For some reason, these particular thieves would leave the empty hangers on the rack, so we would always know when they had stolen a jacket.  I don’t know why they would leave it on the rack and not put it down somewhere else, but I don’t know why shoplifters do half the things they do.  

After we reviewed video of the area, we figured out who was stealing the clothing, which was two different people that were working together. A man and woman would come into the store and try on the jackets separately.  One tried on the clothing while the other would keep a look out for anyone in the area.  They would then casually walk around the store without a care in the world, and walk right out the door wearing the jacket.  It didn’t look suspicious at the time because it was cold outside, and the thieves tucked the clothing security tags that were on the end of the sleeve in the pocket of the jacket.  These shoplifters didn’t care that the EAS (Electronic Article Surveillance) alarm went off as they exited the door, because as soon as they exited, there was a car waiting for them right off the sidewalk, and they were gone quickly.  

Their luck finally ran out the day we caught them with help from local law enforcement, who were able to apprehend them after fleeing following a theft at our store.  When the police stopped the shoplifters, the clothing security tags were still attached to the jackets.  Also, the video we had saved of the same thieves setting off the flashing door alarms on the other occasions helped make it easy to seek charges on the shoplifters for previous jacket thefts.  

For more information contact us: clothingsecurity.net or call 1.770.426.0547