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

We’ve all seen them; we’ve all heard their piercing sound, those annoying little devices known as clothing security tags. Security tags on clothes can be especially inconvenient in the fitting room. But if we remove the inconvenient annoyance factor and actually look at the bottom line, make money and prevent loss; these tags will soon become the norm. Clothing security tags or Checkpoint tags were created to prevent loss and help protect a company’s assets.

High dollar items are always the first to be protected. This makes sense considering the dollar amount for this particular inventory. Checkpoint tags are good for items of high dollar. What about items of lesser value? Why not protect all assets of high or low value with checkpoint tags?

What about clothing security tags? Clothing security is not always priority but once considered over a period of time how much loss in clothing adds up; one might see the need for security tags on clothes. Clothing security is important considering consumers will always need clothes. Next to food, clothes are a necessity which means companies will always make money and always lose money from this particular kind of merchandise. The bonus to security tags on clothes is tagging can be very discreet and less annoying if thought through and placed properly on or within the item.

A clothing alarm can be used on items in bulk. Ever tried on a high dollar item and got your arm caught tangled in the cord connected to an alarm?

A clothing alarm helps prevent the consumer or shoplifter from having full access to a particular item(s). The lack of full access a clothing alarm has keeps the employee alert and aware of consumers or shoplifters around these particular items. After all great customer service is the best deterrent to shoplifting.

Keeping clothing security tags and other security tags on and within items keeps an honest man honest and sends a shoplifter somewhere else. If you take away the opportunity and use all preventive measures to protect all assets, profit made will most certainly outweigh loss.

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

For more information on Checkpoint tags, clothing security, clothing alarm, clothing security tags or security tags on clothes contact us or call 1.770.426.4567

While most everyone in the United States has seen an EAS tag, not everyone really knows what they are. Clothing security tags, specifically Checkpoint tags are two hard pieces of 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.

Once clamped together, the checkpoint tags are virtually indestructible. They require the use of a detacher to remove them. I have seen shoplifters try to pry them off, cut them off, and even burn the plastic off. Very little have succeeded. The ones that did ended up destroying the clothing they were trying to steal, or they busted the ink inside.

Clothing security tags that are referred to as ink tags are a hard EAS tag that has two ampoules of dye in one of the sides. There is generally a blue dye and a glow in the dark dye that stain whatever the inks come in contact with.

EAS refers to electronic article surveillance. In basic terms, the security tags on clothes have an RF transmitter inside. When it crosses the path of a clothing alarm (the big towers flanking the doors of a retailer) an audible alarm goes off.

Security tags on clothes, or EAS tags are available and used in the majority of large chain stores. It is equally beneficial for small boutiques and other small box stores to utilize the EAS tags in their 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

Every shoplifter that has ever walked into a store with the intention of stealing has probably had a dry run in their mind of how it’s going to go down. They have systematically thought through what they want to take, from what type of clothing to size quantity and possibly even color. They know about where in the store the items are located. They also know how they are going to get out, and whether they are using the merchandise for personal use or if it will be a resale (pawn, e-bay, etc).

Clothing security should have the same amount of thoughtfulness put into it from your end. If a criminal is going to make an attempt at your store, you should make it as difficult as possible for them to succeed. With the right clothing security in place, you may even prevent the thieves from ever stepping foot in your establishment.

The usage of clothing security tags alongside a clothing alarm has statistically been proven as a reliable form of clothing security. Countless retailers from a variety of sales and geographical demographics have proven their reduction of shrink is directly tied to the installation of a clothing alarm and security tags on clothes.

Don’t let the criminal mind get the best of you. Plan and prepare security tags on clothes to give the criminals a run for their money instead of yours.

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

Once upon a time, I worked for a high-end retailer. It was a very different atmosphere as the entire staff was basically scared to death of their clientele. They were so afraid that they would offend a client and the client would never shop with them again. To a certain extent, I understood. A large majority of the sales associates were commission based and a loss of client could mean a serious cut in their paycheck each month.

What I struggled with was convincing the employees, and sometimes the management, that clothing security was a necessity that if done correctly would not impede their mission of world-class service.

We half-heartedly put security tags on clothes. Fitting room doors were routinely left unlocked because it was easier than having tan associate be available to unlock them. It really was no surprise that we routinely found price tags stuffed into corners of the fitting rooms.

I talked till I was blue in the face about the importance of clothing security. I would walk the store locking doors and putting security tags on clothes.

It wasn’t until one night when a gang of about five guys walked into the store grabbed every designer purse they could carry and ran out the door. They all came crying to me as if I had a magical way to bring all of their product back. I unfortunately had to tell them that they would be without those sales to their customers.

Because they didn’t listen to my initial advice, they had to turn away customers because they were out of merchandise. It was a hard lesson for everyone to learn.

The positive side was that I now had the full attention of the store, and together we created one of the best clothing security programs the store had ever seen.

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