Using Checkpoint hard tags for Physical Security

I use Checkpoint hard tags for more than just merchandise. They can be a total physical security solution. Since we already the tags and pedestals in place, we thought about what else we could use the tags for and came up with several great areas where the hard tags can help.  

The most natural transition was for key control. Losing register keys, Electronics cage keys, dock door keys, and cash office keys becomes very expensive since not only do you need to replace the missing keys, you need to have those locks re-keyed. That’s not a cheap fix. We attached every key ring in the building to a lanyard with a hard tag attached. That way, whenever someone left with the keys the pedestals would alarm, reminding them that they have the key set. When combined with a simple sign in/sign out log and daily key inventory, the loss of keys has been eliminated, helping us save a lot of money on the physical security budget. Another benefit was time savings in two different ways. First, we reduced the time spent looking for missing keys. Second was the unexpected side benefit of faster key sign outs because the tags enabled us to label the keys better. For example, there is enough room on the tag to write what area the keys go to right on the tag itself. Keys bearing a Checkpoint hard tag are also less attractive to external parties who may be considering stealing a set of keys.

We decided then to look into other, non-traditional uses for the Checkpoint hard tags. Our next use was to secure register cash bags used to transport cash from the register to the cash office. We put the pin of the hard tag through the outside of the bag itself, not on the zipper pull. We decided against the zipper pull because it is easily pulled off by a dishonest employee. Putting it right through the bag eliminates the ability to defeat it. We also tagged the bag used for cash pickups and the one used for change runs. Since we have registers throughout the store and not just in the front end, this made sense. The use of Checkpoint hard tags to secure the cash bags makes prefect sense whether you have perimeter registers or a front end set up. Placing the tags made internal theft of a cash bag a little more risky, and it does the same for snatch and run type robbery exposure.

The final area we deployed the Checkpoint hard tags in was fixed asset control. We placed tags and lanyards on our remote data handheld units throughout the store and implemented the same sign in/sign out protocol. This eliminated the loss of these expensive items. Hard tags were also put on ticketing guns, label printers, and mobile devices (tablets) intended for use in-store by our sales team to place online orders. These fixed assets that were subject to both internal and external theft were much better protected and less attractive to thieves. One of the concerns was that the tags would get in the way, but we used a few different sizes and there have been no problems at all.  

A lot of loss can be prevented by using Checkpoint hard tags for more than just merchandise.

For more information about Checkpoint hard tags contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.