When you think of Checkpoint systems, what comes to mind first? Anti-shoplifting equipment? Retail theft prevention? You would be correct in your choices, but there are other benefits of having a Checkpoint security system that might not come immediately to mind. A large portion of merchandise shortage does result from criminal activity and it is important to stop shoplifting and employee theft. However, it is important to know that shortage can be caused by operational issues. Think of a time when you had a shopping cart full of merchandise, you checked out and pushed your cart to the parking lot. After you put your bags in the trunk you realize there was an item on the bottom of the buggy, perhaps a bag of dog food, or even a small item such as a pen or cosmetic item that was not scanned. Most of us would be honest and take the merchandise back to the store and pay for it, or leave it with the customer service counter and decide it isn’t worth the time to go back through the checkout. This isn’t always the case. There are people that overlook items and once outside decide to take it and blame the cashier for not catching it. Other people see it left in a shopping cart in the parking lot and just walk off with the merchandise. Regardless of how the merchandise was missed it was still not paid for and amounts to shrinkage. A Checkpoint security system can prevent operational losses and stop shoplifting at the same time.
Checkpoint systems use radio frequency waves transmitted from Checkpoint tags and received by Checkpoint electronic article surveillance antennas to create a protective screen for stores. As merchandise is paid for at a point of sale, hard tags are removed from merchandise using a Checkpoint detachment tool and the tags are ready for reuse. Deactivation units at the point of sale deactivate Checkpoint labels so they are unable to cause antenna alarms. Protected merchandise that does not pass through a point of sale causes an antenna alarm to activate. Staff members respond to those alarms and conduct receipt checks to locate the merchandise that has not been paid for and can offer to ring it up or return it to the store if the customer chooses not to purchase it. Either way, merchandise is recovered or sold thereby accounting for it and preventing a loss.
Just how big a deal are non-crime associated losses to stores? According to the 2014-2015 Global Retail Theft Barometer Report, administrative and non-crime related losses accounted for 13% of shrinkage in North America, translating to approximately 4.78 BILLION dollars (pg. 53)! The report does not break down these losses any further, and we know that some of this loss is paperwork and accounting related. On the other hand we also know that some of this loss is due to unpaid merchandise unintentionally being removed from the store. If all merchandise in a store was protected with Checkpoint tags or Checkpoint labels, that merchandise would be detected by a Checkpoint security system antenna before it could get out of the door.
The primary reason to invest in Checkpoint systems should be to stop shoplifting. Checkpoint tags and Checkpoint labels deter thieves when they see merchandise is protected. They cause EAS antenna alarms when people attempt to steal merchandise and result in recovered merchandise from items abandoned by thieves or through receipt checks. Whether it is intentional or not, it is important to remember that any merchandise recovered adds to the profit line. THAT is the benefit of investing in a Checkpoint security system!
Get more information on a Checkpoint security system. Contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
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