Clothing Security- 3 WC Blog 726
Sensormatic Tags-4
Eco-Friendly Bags Or Booster Bags? Clothing Security Depends On A Sensormatic System
I know recycled bags are an “in” thing now but I have to ask retailers, how do you address clothing security when customers are using these bags in your store? I can direct my question to any retailer but I ask about clothing retailers because of a suspicious person I saw the other night. As I was shopping with my wife yesterday I would have bet my bottom dollar I was going to see another shoplifter in action. We had just entered this store and I saw a woman with a very oversized tote bag and I told my wife that the woman was going to steal because she had a “shoplifter purse”. My wife glared at me and told me that we had to pick up some things and get home. She was not going to let me play store security that night. We picked up what we needed in health and beauty and went past the clothing department and I spotted the woman in the women’s clothing section and her bag looked a bit bigger. As far as I know this store does not use Sensormatic tags or any other anti-theft tag on clothing merchandise. They may use concealed electronic article surveillance (EAS) labels but not the hard tags. We continued our shopping in the grocery department and a few minutes later the woman walked by us with her and she had some merchandise in her hands. I pointed out to my wife that the bag looked even fuller than it had when I spotted her in the clothing department. I thought to myself that if she was filling that bag with clothes it wasn’t going to set off any electronic article surveillance towers. I watched as the woman placed the items that she was carrying into the bag, I just KNEW she was stealing now! The items went in and one of them stuck out the top of the bag and she made no attempt to zip the bag. Maybe I was wrong after all. It could be that this was one of these new recycled shopping bags to keep the environment cleaner.
In most instances had the woman in this story been stealing and concealing clothing in a recyclable bag or purse and clothing security tags were being used an EAS tower would detect the tagged goods. The promotion of recycled bags to reduce the need for shopping carts and single-use shopping bags would make sense in that case. The electronic article surveillance device protects the product against theft. On the other hand if a store is not utilizing anti-theft devices and is permitting the use of these types of bags that store is inviting shoplifting to take place. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. founder Bill Bregar knows how criminals think and how to thwart their activity. That is why he recommends that his clients use Sensormatic tags and surveillance towers to prevent clothing theft. It stops thieves from taking your product while allowing stores the choice of how they want their customers to be able to shop.
I have no idea whether the woman in this case stole anything. I stopped watching when she left the merchandise in the bag exposed for anyone to see. What I do know is that there are more and more people bringing “shopping bags” bags into stores and putting merchandise in them. There are professional shoplifters who use foil lined bags to try to defeat retailers who put Sensormatic tags on clothing and set up EAS pedestals. Now these thieves can blend in more easily with regular shoppers. That is why it is more important than ever to put a Sensormatic system in your store. Sensormatic offers an AMS9060 controller for some of their compatible towers and this controller can be upgraded with a “Metal-Foil Detection plug- in card”. The card enables towers to detect foil lined bags if they are brought into a store. You can be confident that the shoppers with bags are real shoppers and not professional criminals.
Going green by allowing reusable shopping bags in stores is making clothing security and merchandise protection more difficult. It can lead to an increase in theft and shortage and that drains store profits. Find that perfect balance between being eco-friendly and remaining financially solvent. Use a Sensormatic security system and keep everyone happy. Oh and one final point, Sensormatic tags are reusable many times over and THAT is good for the environment!
Clothing Security is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
I know recycled bags are an “in” thing now but I have to ask retailers, how do you address clothing security when customers are using these bags in your store? I can direct my question to any retailer but I ask about clothing retailers because of a suspicious person I saw the other night. As I was shopping with my wife yesterday I would have bet my bottom dollar I was going to see another shoplifter in action. We had just entered this store and I saw a woman with a very oversized tote bag and I told my wife that the woman was going to steal because she had a “shoplifter purse”. My wife glared at me and told me that we had to pick up some things and get home. She was not going to let me play store security that night. We picked up what we needed in health and beauty and went past the clothing department and I spotted the woman in the women’s clothing section and her bag looked a bit bigger. As far as I know this store does not use Sensormatic tags or any other anti-theft tag on clothing merchandise. They may use concealed electronic article surveillance (EAS) labels but not the hard tags. We continued our shopping in the grocery department and a few minutes later the woman walked by us with her and she had some merchandise in her hands. I pointed out to my wife that the bag looked even fuller than it had when I spotted her in the clothing department. I thought to myself that if she was filling that bag with clothes it wasn’t going to set off any electronic article surveillance towers. I watched as the woman placed the items that she was carrying into the bag, I just KNEW she was stealing now! The items went in and one of them stuck out the top of the bag and she made no attempt to zip the bag. Maybe I was wrong after all. It could be that this was one of these new recycled shopping bags to keep the environment cleaner.
In most instances had the woman in this story been stealing and concealing clothing in a recyclable bag or purse and clothing security tags were being used an EAS tower would detect the tagged goods. The promotion of recycled bags to reduce the need for shopping carts and single-use shopping bags would make sense in that case. The electronic article surveillance device protects the product against theft. On the other hand if a store is not utilizing anti-theft devices and is permitting the use of these types of bags that store is inviting shoplifting to take place. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. founder Bill Bregar knows how criminals think and how to thwart their activity. That is why he recommends that his clients use Sensormatic tags and surveillance towers to prevent clothing theft. It stops thieves from taking your product while allowing stores the choice of how they want their customers to be able to shop.
I have no idea whether the woman in this case stole anything. I stopped watching when she left the merchandise in the bag exposed for anyone to see. What I do know is that there are more and more people bringing “shopping bags” bags into stores and putting merchandise in them. There are professional shoplifters who use foil lined bags to try to defeat retailers who put Sensormatic tags on clothing and set up EAS pedestals. Now these thieves can blend in more easily with regular shoppers. That is why it is more important than ever to put a Sensormatic system in your store. Sensormatic offers an AMS9060 controller for some of their compatible towers and this controller can be upgraded with a “Metal-Foil Detection plug- in card”. The card enables towers to detect foil lined bags if they are brought into a store. You can be confident that the shoppers with bags are real shoppers and not professional criminals.
Going green by allowing reusable shopping bags in stores is making clothing security and merchandise protection more difficult. It can lead to an increase in theft and shortage and that drains store profits. Find that perfect balance between being eco-friendly and remaining financially solvent. Use a Sensormatic security system and keep everyone happy. Oh and one final point, Sensormatic tags are reusable many times over and THAT is good for the environment!
Clothing Security is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Retail traffic counting – 3 WC Blog 719
Door Counting Sensor -4
Score Big When You Use A Customer Counting Device – Part 2
Since you are here I am hopeful that you are interested in more information on how retail traffic counting can help build your sales as we started to explore in Part 1 of this series. For those who have missed Part 1, please continue reading because you can benefit too (and you can go back later and read part 1). In Part 1 we talked about how Bill Bregar the founder of Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. sees a missed opportunity for sales when store owners and managers focus attention on transaction totals. There are customers who are invisible to them, the people who walked in but never bought anything so they don’t show up on the receipt tapes. Invisible customers equate to lost sales but Bill found the solution to the problem. Install a Sensormatic door counting sensor. Stores already equipped with a Sensormatic electronic article surveillance system may be able to have an existing system fitted with a sensor. When managers start to see that there are people in the store not making purchases they can begin to look for methods to capture those missed opportunities.
Before we turn to methods for capturing missed sales and using the data retrieved from a retail traffic counting system I want to talk about why the electronic article surveillance piece of this equation is so important. You do have people entering the store not being accounted for on a point of sale receipt tape but they are also not leaving empty-handed. These are shoplifters and employees who are stealing merchandise and causing you shortage. In fact if left unchecked they could be costing you 2% or even more in lost merchandise. An electronic article surveillance system can cut that shrinkage by half and can produce results almost immediately once installed. Purchase an electronic article surveillance system with a door counting sensor installed in it and you can kill two birds with one stone. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. can help you with a Sensormatic system and if cost is a concern they can help with financing. You can also try their Free ROI Calculator to see how fast a system can pay for itself over time. I mention this because I don’t want people to focus on a system purchase and overlook all of the advantages a system can provide your business because of a misconception they cannot afford a Sensormatic system.
As mentioned the missed opportunities for sales can be corrected with the installation of a door counting sensor let’s examine how that can be accomplished.
• A sensor can provide data that includes the time of the day when shoppers are entering a store. Managers can begin to see trends based on the day of the week and the hours customers are coming in. Scheduling of employees can be focused on those particular hours to put more workers on the sales floor. More employees focused on helping customers translate to more sales.
• Just as you can focus scheduling based on foot traffic to add sales floor coverage, the same information can help to improve cashier scheduling as well. It is not uncommon for shoppers to leave without making a purchase if they perceive a wait time in line will be too long (I’ve done it myself). Having enough cashiers to improve checkout wait times will increase your overall sales.
• Effective ad campaigns are those that draw in more customers. How do you know if you are spending money on the right advertising platforms? I would argue that knowing how many people are already visiting your establishment and then monitoring the numbers after the initiation of the campaign would be the best way to do so. Rather than basing your determination on point of sale information which can fluctuate traffic counters give hard numbers. If you find you are not seeing increases in customer traffic after a reasonable time you can change your strategy and spend your money on another format.
• Finally, though it may not seem like it is related to increasing sales it does help in the long term. Adding a retail traffic counting sensor and staffing the salesfloor as I mentioned will deter shoplifting. The improved customer service (along with the Sensormatic towers and tags) will prevent theft which improves your merchandise in-stocks. In turn merchandise is now available to the paying customers.
Missed sales opportunities are often unseen. Install a door counting sensor and you can begin to see a whole group of customers you did not know existed. Meet THEIR needs and watch your sales truly take off.
Retail traffic counting is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Since you are here I am hopeful that you are interested in more information on how retail traffic counting can help build your sales as we started to explore in Part 1 of this series. For those who have missed Part 1, please continue reading because you can benefit too (and you can go back later and read part 1). In Part 1 we talked about how Bill Bregar the founder of Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. sees a missed opportunity for sales when store owners and managers focus attention on transaction totals. There are customers who are invisible to them, the people who walked in but never bought anything so they don’t show up on the receipt tapes. Invisible customers equate to lost sales but Bill found the solution to the problem. Install a Sensormatic door counting sensor. Stores already equipped with a Sensormatic electronic article surveillance system may be able to have an existing system fitted with a sensor. When managers start to see that there are people in the store not making purchases they can begin to look for methods to capture those missed opportunities.
Before we turn to methods for capturing missed sales and using the data retrieved from a retail traffic counting system I want to talk about why the electronic article surveillance piece of this equation is so important. You do have people entering the store not being accounted for on a point of sale receipt tape but they are also not leaving empty-handed. These are shoplifters and employees who are stealing merchandise and causing you shortage. In fact if left unchecked they could be costing you 2% or even more in lost merchandise. An electronic article surveillance system can cut that shrinkage by half and can produce results almost immediately once installed. Purchase an electronic article surveillance system with a door counting sensor installed in it and you can kill two birds with one stone. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. can help you with a Sensormatic system and if cost is a concern they can help with financing. You can also try their Free ROI Calculator to see how fast a system can pay for itself over time. I mention this because I don’t want people to focus on a system purchase and overlook all of the advantages a system can provide your business because of a misconception they cannot afford a Sensormatic system.
As mentioned the missed opportunities for sales can be corrected with the installation of a door counting sensor let’s examine how that can be accomplished.
• A sensor can provide data that includes the time of the day when shoppers are entering a store. Managers can begin to see trends based on the day of the week and the hours customers are coming in. Scheduling of employees can be focused on those particular hours to put more workers on the sales floor. More employees focused on helping customers translate to more sales.
• Just as you can focus scheduling based on foot traffic to add sales floor coverage, the same information can help to improve cashier scheduling as well. It is not uncommon for shoppers to leave without making a purchase if they perceive a wait time in line will be too long (I’ve done it myself). Having enough cashiers to improve checkout wait times will increase your overall sales.
• Effective ad campaigns are those that draw in more customers. How do you know if you are spending money on the right advertising platforms? I would argue that knowing how many people are already visiting your establishment and then monitoring the numbers after the initiation of the campaign would be the best way to do so. Rather than basing your determination on point of sale information which can fluctuate traffic counters give hard numbers. If you find you are not seeing increases in customer traffic after a reasonable time you can change your strategy and spend your money on another format.
• Finally, though it may not seem like it is related to increasing sales it does help in the long term. Adding a retail traffic counting sensor and staffing the salesfloor as I mentioned will deter shoplifting. The improved customer service (along with the Sensormatic towers and tags) will prevent theft which improves your merchandise in-stocks. In turn merchandise is now available to the paying customers.
Missed sales opportunities are often unseen. Install a door counting sensor and you can begin to see a whole group of customers you did not know existed. Meet THEIR needs and watch your sales truly take off.
Retail traffic counting is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Retail Theft Prevention – 3 WC Blog 710
Stop Shoplifting-3
Sensormatic Security System – 3
Retail Theft Prevention – Lessons For Those Considering A Career In Loss Prevention Part 1
How does retail theft prevention relate to store sales? What impact does a Sensormatic security system really have on stock shortage? What is stock shortage? How do I manage time, people, investigations, training and community outreach as a Loss Prevention Manager? How should I really look at my job as a Loss Prevention Associate, am I a security guard, a police officer or some type of a hybrid? When I DO stop shoplifting how should I interact with the offender? There are so many questions I wish I had asked or known to ask that could have helped me out earlier in my career in Loss Prevention and retail in general. Of course we often don’t know what questions to ask when we embark on something, especially when it comes to career options. My son was telling me how I ought to write about what I wished someone had told me before or shortly after entering my Loss Prevention position.
There were a lot of lessons I had to learn through trial and error. I had good mentors over the years but it did not all come together in one nice neat package. In some ways I had to piece things together taking a little from this manager and a bit from another manager to be the Loss Prevention professional I wanted to be. One manager taught me how to stop shoplifting when we had few policies governing our department. Another manager helped me learn that there is more to retail theft prevention than just catching a shoplifter. He showed me that dishonest employees can create more shortage than shoplifters. I even had peers when I became a Loss Prevention Manager who I admired and tried to emulate some of what they did. I even learned to take examples from a couple of supervisors and store managers and determine that they were who I did NOT want to mirror by example.
So what would I want to share with people who are considering a career in Loss Prevention or may be just starting out? There is a lot I could share but it would never be all-inclusive. Some things do have to come by trial and error. IF I could give some tips here is where I would start. First, if your goal is to be a police officer this is not a bad place to begin. Retail theft prevention is a good place to get your feet wet. Depending on the company you work for you may stop shoplifting by apprehending thieves. You may learn report writing, how to use closed circuit cameras and televisions and how to safely stop and detain someone. You might learn about how a Sensormatic security system works. There are daily tests that should be run on systems to make sure they are operating properly. There are a variety of Sensormatic security tags for different types of merchandise and you should be able to identify the right label or tag to use on a product. This does not make you a police officer and you need to understand your role as it relates to the store not to law enforcement. What I mean is this, depending on what your company allows you to do you may be catching criminals and putting them in jail. You are helping law enforcement through your efforts but you are not doing it for law enforcement. If you put a shoplifter in jail you do it to protect your store from incurring losses and you do so to hopefully prevent future repeat activity by the suspect. You do not carry a weapon even for personal protection and you may or may not even carry handcuffs. Your job is to try to keep theft from taking place. If you are really fortunate you may work for someone who at one time had law enforcement experience and can help give you the tools that will help prepare you for a future career as a law enforcement officer.
In part 2, I will cover more about what it means to stop shoplifting as a Loss Prevention Associate, the benefits of a Sensormatic security system and other tips that can aid you in future career decisions. The field can be rewarding and a step to bigger things but help from someone who has been there can make the road a lot easier to travel.
Get more information on retail theft prevention contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
How does retail theft prevention relate to store sales? What impact does a Sensormatic security system really have on stock shortage? What is stock shortage? How do I manage time, people, investigations, training and community outreach as a Loss Prevention Manager? How should I really look at my job as a Loss Prevention Associate, am I a security guard, a police officer or some type of a hybrid? When I DO stop shoplifting how should I interact with the offender? There are so many questions I wish I had asked or known to ask that could have helped me out earlier in my career in Loss Prevention and retail in general. Of course we often don’t know what questions to ask when we embark on something, especially when it comes to career options. My son was telling me how I ought to write about what I wished someone had told me before or shortly after entering my Loss Prevention position.
There were a lot of lessons I had to learn through trial and error. I had good mentors over the years but it did not all come together in one nice neat package. In some ways I had to piece things together taking a little from this manager and a bit from another manager to be the Loss Prevention professional I wanted to be. One manager taught me how to stop shoplifting when we had few policies governing our department. Another manager helped me learn that there is more to retail theft prevention than just catching a shoplifter. He showed me that dishonest employees can create more shortage than shoplifters. I even had peers when I became a Loss Prevention Manager who I admired and tried to emulate some of what they did. I even learned to take examples from a couple of supervisors and store managers and determine that they were who I did NOT want to mirror by example.
So what would I want to share with people who are considering a career in Loss Prevention or may be just starting out? There is a lot I could share but it would never be all-inclusive. Some things do have to come by trial and error. IF I could give some tips here is where I would start. First, if your goal is to be a police officer this is not a bad place to begin. Retail theft prevention is a good place to get your feet wet. Depending on the company you work for you may stop shoplifting by apprehending thieves. You may learn report writing, how to use closed circuit cameras and televisions and how to safely stop and detain someone. You might learn about how a Sensormatic security system works. There are daily tests that should be run on systems to make sure they are operating properly. There are a variety of Sensormatic security tags for different types of merchandise and you should be able to identify the right label or tag to use on a product. This does not make you a police officer and you need to understand your role as it relates to the store not to law enforcement. What I mean is this, depending on what your company allows you to do you may be catching criminals and putting them in jail. You are helping law enforcement through your efforts but you are not doing it for law enforcement. If you put a shoplifter in jail you do it to protect your store from incurring losses and you do so to hopefully prevent future repeat activity by the suspect. You do not carry a weapon even for personal protection and you may or may not even carry handcuffs. Your job is to try to keep theft from taking place. If you are really fortunate you may work for someone who at one time had law enforcement experience and can help give you the tools that will help prepare you for a future career as a law enforcement officer.
In part 2, I will cover more about what it means to stop shoplifting as a Loss Prevention Associate, the benefits of a Sensormatic security system and other tips that can aid you in future career decisions. The field can be rewarding and a step to bigger things but help from someone who has been there can make the road a lot easier to travel.
Get more information on retail theft prevention contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Loss Prevention Calculator -3 WC Blog 717
Loss Prevention ROI Calculator-3
Loss Prevention Calculator Makes It Clear Why A New EAS System Is A Smart Choice
Where is a Loss Prevention Calculator for making an online purchase of an electronic article surveillance system (EAS)? No, I’m not making an EAS purchase but I was curious and looking at what it would cost if I were in the market for a used one. I found one for a little over 3K and according to the online seller it comes with towers, deactivator, re-activator, control box and a couple of other items. I saw no tags or labels included but I thought what the heck, I can find used tags too right? I can save a lot of money here. After I read through the entire description I found something at the very last line of the page that would concern me if I was a buyer. I would call it the small print but to be fair it was the same size font as everything else. The last line reads, “Please know what you are buying, know how to install & program”. I’m no electrician or computer programmer and I am sure many of you reading this are not either. I have worked around EAS for nearly 28 years and I have replaced a few parts but to install a system or program it, NO THANK YOU! An EAS system can save a retailer a lot of money by reducing shrinkage by almost half (or more in some cases) but you need to know that the supplier is reputable. Use the Loss Prevention ROI Calculator to find out how a NEW system can save you money and even pay for itself over time.
To locate and use the Loss Prevention Calculator just search for the Loss Preventions Systems, Inc. website and find the tab at the top of their page that say ROI Calc. The calculator will ask for your approximate annual sales and how much you are thinking of spending on EAS equipment and the result will show you how much you can reduce shrink by AND how long it will take for your system to pay for itself. There is no sales pitch or registration that is going to solicit a bunch of unwanted emails into your inbasket. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. wants store owners to know how much a new Sensormatic can save your business in theft related shortage each year. You are going to the web site of a company that has been in business since 1983 with the goal of helping small and medium size retailers stop theft and significantly reduce shortage in those stores (by the way, they like to help big retailers too!). That they went out of their way to create a free Loss Prevention ROI Calculator demonstrates their commitment to stopping shoplifters and their activity.
Perhaps you are one of those people who is an electrician and computer programmer and confident in your ability to install and program an EAS system. You may not even need to use a Loss Prevention Calculator because you are that sure of your abilities and can make anything work. What is your time worth? You may be able to get that used system and you may be able to install it but is it worth the investment of your time to do all of the work? If you are running a retail store you have to be focused on it and installing a used system may be more than you bargained for if it doesn’t work. How about a warranty and support? If you get a system like the one I found online there is no support or help for you. On the other hand if you purchase a Sensormatic system through Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. you get a 1 year warranty and you receive installation of your system by a Sensormatic factory technician. But the benefits you receive by purchasing from Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. don’t stop there. You also get free online live shoplifting prevention training from Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. and assistance in setting up a loss prevention program for your store.
I am not saying that there is not an appropriate time and place to purchase used stuff. However when it comes to Loss Prevention and keeping your merchandise secure there is no substitute for getting new equipment and the support offered by Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. So stop reading, go to their website and use the Loss Prevention ROI Calculator to find out how you can start saving money almost immediately with a new Sensormatic system.
Get more information on the Loss Prevention Calculator, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Where is a Loss Prevention Calculator for making an online purchase of an electronic article surveillance system (EAS)? No, I’m not making an EAS purchase but I was curious and looking at what it would cost if I were in the market for a used one. I found one for a little over 3K and according to the online seller it comes with towers, deactivator, re-activator, control box and a couple of other items. I saw no tags or labels included but I thought what the heck, I can find used tags too right? I can save a lot of money here. After I read through the entire description I found something at the very last line of the page that would concern me if I was a buyer. I would call it the small print but to be fair it was the same size font as everything else. The last line reads, “Please know what you are buying, know how to install & program”. I’m no electrician or computer programmer and I am sure many of you reading this are not either. I have worked around EAS for nearly 28 years and I have replaced a few parts but to install a system or program it, NO THANK YOU! An EAS system can save a retailer a lot of money by reducing shrinkage by almost half (or more in some cases) but you need to know that the supplier is reputable. Use the Loss Prevention ROI Calculator to find out how a NEW system can save you money and even pay for itself over time.
To locate and use the Loss Prevention Calculator just search for the Loss Preventions Systems, Inc. website and find the tab at the top of their page that say ROI Calc. The calculator will ask for your approximate annual sales and how much you are thinking of spending on EAS equipment and the result will show you how much you can reduce shrink by AND how long it will take for your system to pay for itself. There is no sales pitch or registration that is going to solicit a bunch of unwanted emails into your inbasket. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. wants store owners to know how much a new Sensormatic system can save your business in theft related shortage each year. You are going to the web site of a company that has been in business since 1983 with the goal of helping small and medium size retailers stop theft and significantly reduce shortage in those stores (by the way, they like to help big retailers too!). That they went out of their way to create a free Loss Prevention ROI Calculator demonstrates their commitment to stopping shoplifters and their activity.
Perhaps you are one of those people who is an electrician and computer programmer and confident in your ability to install and program an EAS system. You may not even need to use a Loss Prevention Calculator because you are that sure of your abilities and can make anything work. What is your time worth? You may be able to get that used system and you may be able to install it but is it worth the investment of your time to do all of the work? If you are running a retail store you have to be focused on it and installing a used system may be more than you bargained for if it doesn’t work. How about a warranty and support? If you get a system like the one I found online there is no support or help for you. On the other hand if you purchase a Sensormatic system through Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. you get a 1 year warranty and you receive installation of your system by a Sensormatic factory technician. But the benefits you receive by purchasing from Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. don’t stop there. You also get free online live shoplifting prevention training from Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. and assistance in setting up a loss prevention program for your store.
I am not saying that there is not an appropriate time and place to purchase used stuff. However when it comes to Loss Prevention and keeping your merchandise secure there is no substitute for getting new equipment and the support offered by Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. So stop reading, go to their website and use the Loss Prevention ROI Calculator to find out how you can start saving money almost immediately with a new Sensormatic system.
Get more information on the Loss Prevention Calculator, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Retail Theft Prevention – 3 WC Blog 725
Sensormatic Tags – 4
Does Retail Theft Prevention Work In A Store With Self-Checkout?
I have often wondered what kind of retail theft prevention measures are taken for stores that set up self-checkout machines in their stores. I have used them myself (and I have gotten rather annoyed with them at times) but as a Loss Prevention professional I have been curious about whether stores see an increase in theft when they are used. I came across an article in d-ddaily.com, “Self Checkout in Retail – Measuring the Loss New Report Reveals the Extent of Losses from Self-Checkout and Identifies Practical Ways to Manage it”. The story validates my concern that self-checkout poses a risk of increased shortage for stores. The report states, “Stores using Scan-and-Go technologies could see an increase of between .7 and 10.4 basis points of additional loss for every one percent of sales processed. In the study the average utilization rate for Scan-and-Go was 2.8% of sales value, suggesting additional stock losses of between .01% and .29% of sales value.” I have been unsuccessful in that I have not been able to find any information that demonstrates self-checkout machines improve sales. Because of this I believe the sole purpose of the self-checkout is to save on payroll. Add four machines at one point of sale and reduce your cashiers by three. It sounds good at first but what happens when that cashier starts getting pulled in all directions? The opportunity for theft increases. You also have the problem of merchandise with Sensormatic tags on them that need to be removed but the customer does not know it. Self-Checkout machines may not be all they have been cracked up to be for a number of reasons.
When a store uses Sensormatic tags to protect their products from theft it requires a detachment tool be maintained at the point of sale. These tools should be secured to the counter to prevent theft and should only be within the grasp of an employee. If customers are permitted access of any sort to a removal device they will eventually be stolen. Shoplifters love to get hold of this equipment because it gives them the ability to enter other stores that use the same retail theft prevention devices and remove their tags with impunity. This means that stores with self-checkout machines have to put up signage directing patrons with hard tagged items to use regular cashier lanes. I don’t know how you feel about being redirected but I don’t like being in a line and then having to move. It is not good customer service to send people from one lane to another because of merchandise cannot be processed at a point of sale.
Aside from the irritating aspect of having not being able to take merchandise with Sensormatic tags through a self-checkout machine there is the theft concern. I have gone through the self-checkout at one big box retailer with one associate managing eight registers. I have observed the one cashier tied up helping one customer for almost five minutes oblivious to the activity at other registers (that’s right the red light at my register was flashing as I was waiting for this cashier to finish). It would have been very easy for any of the other customers to load up shopping bags and stroll out of the store without paying. The bagging area does not require a customer to leave bags on the bagging stand after they are filled. Put them back in the shopping cart and it would be easy to have a partner fill the bags with more merchandise already in the cart.
It is also important to not lose sight of the potential loss of business self-checkouts may cause. According to a Forbes article, Dec. 6, 2016 by Bryan Pearson, “Making Self-Checkout Work: Learning From Albertsons”, the writer points out the potential for customers leaving stores due to these point of sale machines. “Reduced interactions with a store employee could easily result in an eroded sense of personal connection with the retailer or brand. This gets to emotion. Without it, it’s much easier to move one’s business elsewhere.”
Losing sales from a lost personal connection and an increase in shortage because of a self-checkout process doesn’t make sense. Use retail theft prevention measures which include Sensormatic tags AND more customer service assistance on the salesfloor and you will improve sales and reduce theft. As your employees engage shoppers and help them there will be an increase in the dollars per transaction. THAT is how you increase sales and improve profits.
Get more information on retail theft prevention, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
I have often wondered what kind of retail theft prevention measures are taken for stores that set up self-checkout machines in their stores. I have used them myself (and I have gotten rather annoyed with them at times) but as a Loss Prevention professional I have been curious about whether stores see an increase in theft when they are used. I came across an article in d-ddaily.com, “Self Checkout in Retail – Measuring the Loss New Report Reveals the Extent of Losses from Self-Checkout and Identifies Practical Ways to Manage it”. The story validates my concern that self-checkout poses a risk of increased shortage for stores. The report states, “Stores using Scan-and-Go technologies could see an increase of between .7 and 10.4 basis points of additional loss for every one percent of sales processed. In the study the average utilization rate for Scan-and-Go was 2.8% of sales value, suggesting additional stock losses of between .01% and .29% of sales value.” I have been unsuccessful in that I have not been able to find any information that demonstrates self-checkout machines improve sales. Because of this I believe the sole purpose of the self-checkout is to save on payroll. Add four machines at one point of sale and reduce your cashiers by three. It sounds good at first but what happens when that cashier starts getting pulled in all directions? The opportunity for theft increases. You also have the problem of merchandise with Sensormatic tags on them that need to be removed but the customer does not know it. Self-Checkout machines may not be all they have been cracked up to be for a number of reasons.
When a store uses Sensormatic tags to protect their products from theft it requires a detachment tool be maintained at the point of sale. These tools should be secured to the counter to prevent theft and should only be within the grasp of an employee. If customers are permitted access of any sort to a removal device they will eventually be stolen. Shoplifters love to get hold of this equipment because it gives them the ability to enter other stores that use the same retail theft prevention devices and remove their tags with impunity. This means that stores with self-checkout machines have to put up signage directing patrons with hard tagged items to use regular cashier lanes. I don’t know how you feel about being redirected but I don’t like being in a line and then having to move. It is not good customer service to send people from one lane to another because of merchandise cannot be processed at a point of sale.
Aside from the irritating aspect of having not being able to take merchandise with Sensormatic tags through a self-checkout machine there is the theft concern. I have gone through the self-checkout at one big box retailer with one associate managing eight registers. I have observed the one cashier tied up helping one customer for almost five minutes oblivious to the activity at other registers (that’s right the red light at my register was flashing as I was waiting for this cashier to finish). It would have been very easy for any of the other customers to load up shopping bags and stroll out of the store without paying. The bagging area does not require a customer to leave bags on the bagging stand after they are filled. Put them back in the shopping cart and it would be easy to have a partner fill the bags with more merchandise already in the cart.
It is also important to not lose sight of the potential loss of business self-checkouts may cause. According to a Forbes article, Dec. 6, 2016 by Bryan Pearson, “Making Self-Checkout Work: Learning From Albertsons”, the writer points out the potential for customers leaving stores due to these point of sale machines. “Reduced interactions with a store employee could easily result in an eroded sense of personal connection with the retailer or brand. This gets to emotion. Without it, it’s much easier to move one’s business elsewhere.”
Losing sales from a lost personal connection and an increase in shortage because of a self-checkout process doesn’t make sense. Use retail theft prevention measures which include Sensormatic tags AND more customer service assistance on the salesfloor and you will improve sales and reduce theft. As your employees engage shoppers and help them there will be an increase in the dollars per transaction. THAT is how you increase sales and improve profits.
Get more information on retail theft prevention, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
