WHAT CAN EAS TAGS DO FOR YOU?

The technology placed in retail anti-theft devices seems to change and evolve every month. Every time I go to an expo, or browse online, I always find new and exciting tools to reduce shrink and protect the financial investment I have in my inventory. Most people assume that EAS devices are there to stop a shoplifter, and while that is absolutely true, they can also be used for training your employees.

In a perfect world, I would hire a cashier and they would be familiar with every item that I sell in my store. They would know the difference between a $20 fishing pole and a $200 one. They would be able to tell the difference between a $250 paintball marker and a box of paintballs. In reality though, they do not. So how do I get my cashiers to think like an LP? It’s easy… I make it dummy proof.

My store carries a good selection of offshore fishing rods that are easily over 6 feet long. Nobody is putting these bad boys down their pants and walking out the store. I still secure them with an EAS device. Same goes for those big expensive coolers. Those aren’t simply walking out of the store, but I’ve got EAS tags on those too. To some, this may be unnecessary and a waste of the resource and tools. To me, though, it’s one more way I make it easy for my cashiers to know what they are scanning.

Just the other day, one of my cashiers called me over for a customer that was trying to purchase one of those big fishing reels. Problem was it was scanning at the register for $14. These retail for $199. How did the cashier identify the fraud? It’s because she was trained to identify the retail anti-theft device placed on the rod. She doesn’t have to know a single thing about offshore fishing, but she sure as heck knows that if it has that security device, it will cost more than $100!

While EAS devices can and will deter a shoplifter, that doesn’t always account of all the other types of theft that criminals will come up with. Price switching is a very common fraud scheme and with inattentive and untrained cashiers, you could be opening yourself up to substantial losses. While it’s highly unlikely that someone will attempt to conceal a tennis racquet, there will be those who will attempt to alter its pricing indicator. Be ready for them next time with this simple, easy and effective way to leverage your EAS assets in a way that you may not have considered before.