Prevent Shoplifting

Fashion Forward

March 5, 2012 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

When you work in clothing sales you have to be acutely aware of current trends. When you work loss prevention for a clothing retailer, you have to be equally aware of the trends, and not just the obvious ones.

The fashion industry is constantly changing, and the “IT” item this week may not be the same one two weeks from now. Knowing what is the hot item will help you know what should be placed up front and on display. It should also let you know what you need to be aware of from a shrink perspective. Not everyone who is fashion forward will pay the legitimate price.

To prevent shoplifting of those items, you have to first be aware of what they are. I remember a holiday broach that we left out on a display table one year. My Store Manager told me to watch to make sure none were stolen. Three weeks later they were all still there- not only had they not been stolen, but they also had not sold. I joked with my manger that I guessed they were too ugly to even be stolen.

Conversely, the cashmere scarves by a popular designer were flying off the shelves. The sales rate was extremely high, as were the attempts by shoplifters. We spent a lot of time making sure that item had retail anti theft devices like hard tags on them. We even put a Shark Tag in the middle to prevent someone from trying to wear it out the door.

Without knowing the popular fashion trend, we would have suffered some serious merchandise losses. We also would have lost out on sales by not having the right product in place at the right time.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store for retail anti theft devices that can help you prevent shoplifting in your business.

For more information on how you can use retail anti theft devices to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Prevent Shoplifting, Retail Anti Theft Devices, Shark Tag

Is It Worth the Risk?

March 2, 2012 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Many LP professionals have had a known theft suspect they couldn’t wait to arrest. They were aware of the subject, but for whatever reason, this person had evaded detainment and continued to steal from their store. While working for one company, I had a woman who came in multiple times per month and treated our store like a swap meet, leaving her old earrings on the cards and taking ours. Whenever she entered the store, we would initiate surveillance and intend to make a detainment, but she would either dump the merchandise or we’d be uncertain which items she took.

In my experience, jewelry is one of the toughest items to protect against loss. It’s challenging to maintain observation of such a small item when it’s being carried by a moving person or being palmed in their hand. Jewelry can be easily concealed and just as easily dumped, increasing the likelihood of an unproductive stop. Many companies place additional apprehension requirements for jewelry items as a result of the risk they create for retailers. I’ve made the difficult decision many times to let a shoplifter go because I wasn’t willing to gamble my job or jeopardize my employer on an item that may have been either stolen or dumped. Obviously, detainment isn’t going to be the answer to retailers’ jewelry theft problem.

Because so many challenges faced retailers trying to protect their jewelry from five finger discounts, the creation of the Jewel Lok felt like a miracle. Introduced in 2011, this innovative retail anti-theft device resolved the aesthetic display dilemma others before it couldn’t. My favorite feature of this solution is that a shoplifter attempting to defeat it will break the jewelry before they can remove it. If my store had the Jewel Lok, we wouldn’t have a collection of that subject’s earrings we’re going to return to her when we finally get her someday.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store for retail anti theft devices like the jewel lok that can help you prevent shoplifting in your business.

For more information on how you can use retail anti theft devices to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Jewel Lok, Prevent Shoplifting, Retail Anti Theft Devices

Nano Gate … A great new way to prevent shoplifting!!!

February 29, 2012 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

There are many retail anti theft devices on the market today that are aimed at helping retailers prevent shoplifting. Many of these retail anti theft devices and systems have been around for years and some are much newer. A relatively new system that I have found to be very useful is the Nano Gate (and 3 Alarm tags) by Alpha Security.

By this time I think we are all pretty familiar with standard EAS systems. You put sensor tags on merchandise and if it passes the door pedestals then an alarm sounds. We all hope we can prevent shoplifting by bringing attention to those who are setting off the system. Two problems have developed with this system. One, in many stores no one pays attention to this alarm anymore and it sounds all day with no response from employees or customers. When that happens the deterrent effect is lost. A second issue is that even if you do respond as an employee, you are limited in what you can search and what you can do to recover your product.

The Nano Gate and Alpha’s 3 Alarm tags address these problems. The first piece of the solution is the 3 Alarm tags. These retail anti theft devices are like standard hard sensor tags with the exception that they have an alarm built into the tag. If a would-be shoplifter tampers with the tag then the alarm will sound on the tag itself. This is great at deterring seasoned shoplifters who can quickly defeat standard EAS tags. The second part of the system is the Nano Gate. Unlike standard pedestals that just alarm, when the 3 Alarm tag passes by the Nano Gate the built in senor alarm sounds. When an employee responds it will be hard for a shoplifter to explain the alarm coming from their bag (or other places) as anything but theft.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store for retail anti theft devices that can help you prevent shoplifting in your business.

For more information on how you can use retail anti theft devices to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: 3 Alarm, Nano Gate, Prevent Shoplifting, Retail Anti Theft Devices

Spider Wraps help defend a web of deceit.

February 27, 2012 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Have you ever noticed empty holes on your shelf, but your inventory system says you should have the product? Have you ever found empty boxes in back corners of the store? Theft and loss is a major part of the retail industry. We all face theft and we all work hard to prevent shoplifting. In most cases we use some type of retail anti theft devices to help prevent shoplifting. Guess what … it still happens. So what do you do when traditional methods to prevent shoplifting stop working???

One suggestion is to check out products from Alpha Security. One top product that has paid huge dividends in my company is the Spider Wrap. Unlike traditional retail anti theft devices the Spider Wrap completely encompasses the product. I can’t tell you how many times I have had shoplifters peel EAS labels off of my boxed products and then steal them anyway. The Spider Wrap eliminates this by using a wire to cross all 4 sides of the box and hold a hard tag in place. This cannot be simply removed.

Another great function of the Spider Wrap is the built in alarm. If a would-be shoplifter tries to cut the wire then the alarm sounds and draws immediate attention to that person and associates can react while he/she is still in the store versus waiting until they are running out the door and it’s too late. Additionally, if you add the Nano Gate to your system then if a shoplifter tries to walk out with protected items then the Nano Gate will set off the sensor alarm on the product. It is easy to explain why a door alarm is going off; it is much harder to explain why your pants or bag are alarming. The Nano Gate and Spider Wrap are a great solution to prevent shoplifting when traditional methods fail.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store for retail anti theft devices that can help you prevent shoplifting in your business.

For more information on how you can use retail anti theft devices to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Nano Gate, Prevent Shoplifting, Retail Anti Theft Devices, Spider Wrap

Not Just for Wardrobing

February 24, 2012 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Anytime you work with clothes as a retailer you will inevitably come across a few incidences of wardrobing. Wardrobing is where someone buys an item of clothing, say a new dress or a pair of shoes. They wear the item, usually just once for a special occasion, and then return the item.

It is frustrating to the retailer because you potentially loose sales by not having that item in stock for a true customer, but most people don’t want to buy items that look used or retagged (if price tags had been torn off).

Hey, I even saw a lady open a bag of socks to see if she liked them, and then put them back on the shelf and grab a new unopened bag! She was the one that opened it in the first place and still didn’t want it.

Any way, there is a product out by Checkpoint called the Shark Tag. It pins onto the front of a garment and can only be removed by scissors. Even though it is designed to prevent wardrobing, it can also be a great retail anti theft device to prevent shoplifting.

Attaching the Shark Tag onto items like lingerie or swimsuits may prevent an item from being concealed under clothes. You can’t very well wear a bra with a big pin sticking through your shirt with out someone noticing.

Shark Tags are also a visible cue. Not every shoplifter knows what has an RF tag and what doesn’t. If an item looks like it has even the slightest chance of being tagged, they potentially will avoid it altogether.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store for retail anti theft devices that can help you prevent shoplifting in your business.

For more information on how you can use retail anti theft devices to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Prevent Shoplifting, Retail Anti Theft Devices, Shark Tag

If the Shoe Fits

February 22, 2012 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

I have a friend who loves shoes. Anytime we go out, she spends more time checking out the shoes going by than anything else. Heaven forbid that we go past a shoe store without stopping. She is a die-hard shoe fanatic! She often jokes about how a pair of shoes would be great to have, but she would only wear them once. Maybe she should just get them and return them.

Now, my friend has always put the shoes back on the shelf. She works in retail also and would have a serious moral breakdown if she ever even came close to wardrobing. Unfortunately, we both know that there are plenty of people out there who would not have such a moral dilemma and would buy the shoes for a one-time event, and then return the shoes.

Checkpoint isn’t just about how to prevent shoplifting. They have retail anti theft devices that also apply to these sorts of situations. The Shark Tag is a clip that attaches with a pin to a garment. It is designed to be removed at home. The Shark Tag may not fit on every pair of shoes, but could be attached onto thin straps of dressy shoes.

While there is no EAS on the Shark Tag (like a hard or soft RF tag), it s still a visual deterrent that unless you are planning on paying (and keeping) this product, you should just keep on walking.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store for retail anti theft devices that can help you prevent shoplifting in your business.

For more information on how you can use retail anti theft devices to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Prevent Shoplifting, Retail Anti Theft Devices, Shark Tag

Spider Wrapping to stall shoplifters

February 20, 2012 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

It’s odd looking, a little cumbersome, and makes funny loud noises if mishandled. I speak, of course, of Spider Wraps. They are retail anti theft devices specifically designed to prevent shoplifting of larger, bulk items. In my store Spider Wraps can be found protecting things such things as televisions, power tools, and vacuum cleaners. It takes a bit of effort ensuring the floor staff properly applies them where they are required but it is simply part of the job facilitating such loss prevention policy. What good are retail anti theft devices if they aren’t being used in a great enough quantity?

A Nano Gate is also needed at the entry point of your store to provide your Spider Wraps with a secondary alarm system. While the units do possess self-contained alarms which sound when they are tampered with (like when someone cuts one of the cords without disabling the alarm) they won’t do anything if someone walks out of the store with a Spider Wrapped product but no Nano Gate to trigger the secondary alarm. Of course, those in the know have their methods of disabling or removing the units, but such methods are messy and time consuming, not to mention time consuming. That is how they prevent shoplifting usually. Most thieves will bypass a bulky product that is Spider Wrapped because they know how noticeable such an action would be. While other retail anti theft devices are a little less conspicuous (like the 2 Alarm or 3 Alarm systems or Shark Tags and Jewel Locks) they are mostly meant for different applications. That doesn’t mean they don’t have their uses or aren’t as effective, but they wouldn’t make quite the same impact for protecting large items.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store for retail anti theft devices that can help you prevent shoplifting in your business.

For more information on how you can use retail anti theft devices to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: 2 Alarm, 3 Alarm, Nano Gate, Prevent Shoplifting, Retail Anti Theft Devices, Shark Tag, Spider Wrap

Cops and Robbers 2.0

February 17, 2012 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Growing up, my favorite game to play with my neighborhood friends was cops and robbers, and I always chose the role of the “good guys.” And whatever scenario we were acting out that day, I never let my robber playmates get away without sending them to jail in my playhouse. Throughout my Loss Prevention career, I have taken on the same “us vs. them” mentality towards preventing theft because my objective is in direct conflict with a shoplifter’s. As a result, I am always looking for ways to reduce my store’s vulnerability to the inevitable pilferage that all retailers are subjected to.

One way I do this is by effectively utilizing merchandise protection strategies provided by my employer. While working for a big box retailer, my favorite retail anti-theft device was the spider wrap. I favored this solution because with proper application and the absence of loose cables, this is one of the most difficult products to defeat. Wraps enabled with 2 Alarm technology sound off if tampered with or the wires are cut and they signal the EAS to alarm. Even better, 3 Alarm wraps have the additional feature of self-alarming when taken from the store.

As I mentioned above, spider wraps are difficult to defeat. Personal experience and frequenting websites and blogs designed to help shoplifters have taught me this. When questions are posted on how to remove wraps from products, a simple answer is never provided. Aside from buying an S3 key online or holding the product with the wrap under water in the toilet to short out the alarm, it’s not easy. As most of us in Loss Prevention know, any anti-theft device can be defeated if a person has time and tools (and privacy). The success of these products increases when a store has an effective sales team. That way, the shoplifter will never be able to get the merchandise to the bathroom.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store for retail anti theft devices like the spider wrap that can help you prevent shoplifting in your business.

For more information on how you can use retail anti theft devices to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: 2 Alarm, 3 Alarm, Prevent Shoplifting, Retail Anti Theft Devices, Spider Wrap

Retail anti theft devices for hardline product stores

February 15, 2012 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

If you have a retail store, no matter what its primary product line is, you have shoplifters. Just as sheep herders have to worry about wolves and fish in the ocean have to worry about sharks, store owners have to worry about thieves. It is sad that it is such a hard fact of life but despite the consequences that thieves face they still seek to prey on people trying to make an honest living. Therefore, to ensure you can keep the wolves at bay and try and keep your inventory secure there are dozens of viable options at your disposal to prevent shoplifting.

When it comes to protecting hardline items, things such as tool sets and televisions, there aren’t as many options out there as there are for clothing or fabric items. Chief among the hardline retail anti theft devices are Spider Wraps, 2 Alarm tags, and 3 Alarm tags, of course partnered with Nano Gates at the door.

Spider Wraps are best utilized on items with rectangular or boxy shapes like televisions, tool sets, power tools, vacuums, et cetera. Once the wrap has been tightened to form the only way to remove it is with the appropriate key, or to cut one of the cables securing it, which of course sets of a rather loud and irritating alarm. The 2 Alarm and 3 Alarm tags are actually just that; tags. They are fitted to the protected product using a braided metal cable which, like the Spider Wrap, if it is cut sounds an alarm. On top of that, all units are hardened which protects them from thieves trying to pry them open or worse, chew them apart.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store for retail anti theft devices that can help you prevent shoplifting in your business.

For more information on how you can use retail anti theft devices to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: 2 Alarm, 3 Alarm, Nano Gate, Prevent Shoplifting, Retail Anti Theft Devices, Spider Wrap

Caveat Venditor – Let the Seller Beware

February 13, 2012 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

When you work in either high-end retail or in a specialty store, presentation is one of the most important things. More conversations, meetings and conference calls take place centered on merchandising and visual standards than any other topic imaginable. It was always a caveat of any programs I was implementing that above all else, it MUST not impede the presentation.

So there go big bulky tags, locked boxes, and tangled cords. So how do I sell my loss prevention strategies to prevent shoplifting? By getting the smallest most discreet retail anti theft devices possible. After some research, I found the Nano Gate.

The Nano Gate is at the height of technological innovation. Not only does it do what the regular EAS pedestals do, but also it is nice to look at. A slim line, it can be put at the doors without the feeling of walking into Ft. Knox. It can also be used in smaller pads of the store. That expensive designer handbag wall? It can be placed near it to detect if someone wanders a bit to far away with a bag.

The Nano Gate is perfect for stores with a small footprint. The compact design allows for versatility in placement. You can position it just about anywhere you want. It is a great way to get your upscale stores to realize that ways to prevent shoplifting don’t have to be ways to prevent sales.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store for retail anti theft devices that can help you prevent shoplifting in your business.

For more information on how you can use retail anti theft devices to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Nano Gate, Prevent Shoplifting, Retail Anti Theft Devices