Tis The Season..TO STOP SHOPLIFTING!

I have worked for both big and small box retailers in my career. Holiday philosophies regarding loss prevention are too numerous to count. Believe it or not there are businesses that encourage their loss prevention teams to go on vacation during the holiday season. Businesses become so focused on sales that the concern to stop shoplifting falls to a low priority. This is especially dangerous for those companies that do not use checkpoint security tags.

A focus on sales should be a concern but you should never ignore the bottom line as a whole. Having an EAS (electronic article surveillance) system is like having and extra player in the line up. Running loose and ragged concerning yourself with merely ensuring product is processed and put out on the shelves ignores the potential for shoplifters to pray upon your business. Even companies that do use checkpoint security tags tend to draw back on the amount of categories that they tag with RF security tags and rf security labels. There is also a draw back on the auditing of rf security tag compliance.

The holidays are a time where you need to utilize every security tool that you can employ. When there is a larger presence of customers in your store there is more of a chance that product loss can and will occur. One clothing company I worked for always went against the grain and ramped up using rf labels and rf tags. Loss prevention as a department felt that sense of urgency due to the top down direction of the company to protect its assets. RF labels and rf tags create an obstacle to potential shoplifters. Thieves have to make the decision to not only steal the product but to also try to defeat the checkpoint security tags. Though usage of the EAS system will not stop shoplifting 100% it will deter the impulse shoplifter. Every employee became a part of the team to process shipment, attach either rf labels or rf tags to the product and then merchandise as much of the product on the sales floor as possible. By ensuring the checkpoint labels and tags were aggressively used the company was able to continuously move product out on the sales floor to maximize sales potential as well as product protection. Loss Prevention helped with shipment and tagging, in return sales personnel aided in rf label and rf tag auditing and floor watch awareness. The team rallied around the EAS system which positively affected the inventory shrink number. The EAS system is only a tool to be used to try to stop shoplifting, the system will only be successful if the store staff works together.

Checkpoint labels are excellent for small box items where rf security tags can not be attached. We actually used Checkpoint labels inside shoes as well. During the holidays if time became constricted and use of rf tags with or without lanyards was too time consuming the quick fix was to apply a rf label in its place. Once the Holidays were finished then there would be a beginning of the year audit to ensure all categories were tagged correctly. Ensuring when and where possible rf security tags were applied and rf security labels attached. This was also the time to retrain the store staffs as to the correct usage of the EAS system. Where to place a rf label was critical to both deterring shoplifting as well as the EAS pedestals picking up the rf security labels signal if the product was being removed from the store without being deactivated. Tag placement was also critical for the same reasons as well as to ensure no damage was done to the product being protected. Tis the season to stop shoplifting!

Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase Checkpoint labels, Checkpoint security tags, and other RF labels that can help you stop shoplifting in your business.

For more information on Checkpoint labels, Checkpoint security tags, RF labels, RF security labels, RF security tags and how to stop shoplifting contact us at RF label or call 1.770.426.0547