If you’re married, or have a significant other, I don’t have to tell you that purses are a big deal. Not only are they functional, but they make a statement. They can also hurt bank statements as well… I was recently in a high end apparel retailer, and saw a display of purses that were literally bolted and cable locked down. Curious, I strolled on over to look at what one of these would set my wife back. A couple of mortgage payments, if you’re interested? Looking at their display, it was clear they were attempting to prevent shoplifting with the stringent security measures. There had to be a better way, but hey, it wasn’t my store, so I continued on my day without much more thought.
A few months later, I got an invitation to sit in on some meetings at work. They were announcing that we were going to start carrying a wider assortment of higher end apparel accessories. Top of the list? Purses. Our buyers wanted some input from the loss prevention department on product security. To my amazement, they had few pictures of competitors set up and it was similar to what I had seen a few weeks back. We didn’t want that. We wanted a clean presentation that was inviting to our customers. After all, we want them to spend their money with us and not feel like a criminal! They asked me to look into some retail anti-theft devices that would fit our vision all while still ensuing that we protected our inventory.
I already had a great idea in mind. I had used mini cable locks in the past on different merchandise, and really saw the potential in using them on the purses. Since it was an alpha 3 alarm, we would get the benefits of triple protection. It would alert the EAS towers if it went though, alert if it was tampered with while on the product, and provide a constant, audible alarm for about 10 minutes after passing through the towers. This was our solution. Once all the details were hammered out, we rolled them out to the stores. It wasn’t long before we began seeing our known shoplifters attempt to steal these purses.
Every week, I’d see reports from the store LP managers on attempted thefts, but surprisingly, no one was able to actually steal them. The stores were seeing boosters clip the cables, but then run off when the cables were triggered. Additionally, there were several occasions where shoplifters would take the merchandise out the front doors, only to be surprised at the 3 alarms cheerful ring! Most cases, they would ditch the product and head for the hills! Granted, we had a few slip through, but overall, the cable locks were doing their jobs. We wanted them to prevent shoplifting, and that’s exactly what they did.
If you’re married, or have a significant other, I don’t have to tell you that purses are a big deal. Not only are they functional, but they make a statement. They can also hurt bank statements as well… I was recently in a high end apparel retailer, and saw a display of purses that were literally bolted and cable locked down. Curious, I strolled on over to look at what one of these would set my wife back. A couple of mortgage payments, if you’re interested? Looking at their display, it was clear they were attempting to prevent shoplifting with the stringent security measures. There had to be a better way, but hey, it wasn’t my store, so I continued on my day without much more thought.
A few months later, I got an invitation to sit in on some meetings at work. They were announcing that we were going to start carrying a wider assortment of higher end apparel accessories. Top of the list? Purses. Our buyers wanted some input from the loss prevention department on product security. To my amazement, they had few pictures of competitors set up and it was similar to what I had seen a few weeks back. We didn’t want that. We wanted a clean presentation that was inviting to our customers. After all, we want them to spend their money with us and not feel like a criminal! They asked me to look into some retail anti-theft devices that would fit our vision all while still ensuing that we protected our inventory.
I already had a great idea in mind. I had used Mini Cable Loks in the past on different merchandise, and really saw the potential in using them on the purses. Since it is an Alpha 3 Alarm, we would get the benefits of triple protection. It would alert the EAS towers if it went though, alert if it was tampered with while on the product, and provide a constant, audible alarm for about 10 minutes after passing through the towers. This was our solution. Once all the details were hammered out, we rolled them out to the stores. It wasn’t long before we began seeing our known shoplifters attempt to steal these purses.
Every week, I’d see reports from the store LP managers on attempted thefts, but surprisingly, no one was able to actually steal them. The stores were seeing boosters clip the cables, but then run off when the cables were triggered. Additionally, there were several occasions where shoplifters would take the merchandise out the front doors, only to be surprised at the Alpha 3 Alarms cheerful ring! Most cases, they would ditch the product and head for the hills! Granted, we had a few slip through, but overall, the Mini Cable Loks were doing their jobs. We wanted them to prevent shoplifting, and that’s exactly what they did.
For more information contact us at losspreventionsystems.com or call 1.770.426.2537
A store I previously worked for had a good clothing security program in place, but there was still a great deal of loss in all of the clothing departments. There was usually an employee attending the changing rooms and ensuring that customers came out with the same amount of items they brought into the room. We also used hard Checkpoint tags on the more expensive items, and items that were considered to be in a higher theft category.
Even with this clothing security strategy in place, we were still finding several clothing price tags in the changing and fitting rooms on a regular basis. Something wasn’t adding up to me, so I decided to have the fitting room attendants check all of the rooms each hour, and log what they found along with the time and what room it was found. The findings were surprising, because they didn’t seem to be consistent with a shoplifter. When I examined the logs they completed, I found that there were consistently clothing tags being found in the rooms when the first log was completed in the morning. In addition, I checked the previous night’s logs, and found that the rooms were found to be clear at the end of the night, so that could only mean that the thefts were occurring after the last log was completed or before the first log was completed.
This meant that the thefts were being committed by someone that was working at the store, so I then opened an employee theft investigation. I had no idea who could have been stealing the clothes at the time, so I decided to go back to the basics and sit and watch the area to see who was going in and out. If you’re having reoccurring theft issues in your store and can’t figure out what, or who is causing the problem, you may want to conduct a random surveillance of different areas in your store. This is a good way to find out what’s really going on in your store, and all you have to do is to sit back and observe…well you also might want to take notes. It’s best to do this by using remote surveillance, or hiding out in an office that has access to the cameras in the store. As long as no one sees you or knows that you are in the building, you should be fine.
In this case though, I had a general idea that an employee was stealing in the fitting room, I just didn’t know who it was or the method of operation they were using, so the surveillance wasn’t random, but rather focused. It was kind of like looking for a shoplifter, but instead of watching customers, I was watching the employees in the store. Sure enough, during my second surveillance of the area, I was watching an early morning stock employee browsing through the clothing. They seemed to be avoiding clothing that had Checkpoint tags attached to them, but were still selecting quite a few items at once. After that they went into the fitting rooms as expected with an armful of clothing, and when they came out, the selected clothes were nowhere in sight. Later the room was searched and of course we found tags on the floor. We eventually interviewed the employee and found that they were putting on the stolen clothes under their own.
For more information contact us: (Clothing Security) or call 1.770.426.0547
A store I previously worked for had a good clothing security program in place, but there was still a great deal of loss in all of the clothing departments. There was usually an employee attending the changing rooms and ensuring that customers came out with the same amount of items they brought into the room. We also used hard Checkpoint Tags on the more expensive items, and items that were considered to be in a higher theft category.
Even with this clothing security strategy in place, we were still finding several clothing price tags in the changing and fitting rooms on a regular basis. Something wasn’t adding up to me, so I decided to have the fitting room attendants check all of the rooms each hour, and log what they found along with the time and what room it was found. The findings were surprising, because they didn’t seem to be consistent with a shoplifter. When I examined the logs they completed, I found that there were consistently clothing tags being found in the rooms when the first log was completed in the morning. In addition, I checked the previous night’s logs, and found that the rooms were found to be clear at the end of the night, so that could only mean that the thefts were occurring after the last log was completed or before the first log was completed.
This meant that the thefts were being committed by someone that was working at the store, so I then opened an employee theft investigation. I had no idea who could have been stealing the clothes at the time, so I decided to go back to the basics and sit and watch the area to see who was going in and out. If you’re having recurring theft issues in your store and can’t figure out what, or who is causing the problem, you may want to conduct a random surveillance of different areas in your store. This is a good way to find out what’s really going on in your store, and all you have to do is to sit back and observe…well you also might want to take notes. It’s best to do this by using remote surveillance, or hiding out in an office that has access to the cameras in the store. As long as no one sees you or knows that you are in the building, you should be fine.
In this case though, I had a general idea that an employee was stealing in the fitting room, I just didn’t know who it was or the method of operation they were using, so the surveillance wasn’t random, but rather focused. It was kind of like looking for a shoplifter, but instead of watching customers, I was watching the employees in the store. Sure enough, during my second surveillance of the area, I was watching an early morning stock employee browsing through the clothing. They seemed to be avoiding clothing that had Checkpoint Tags attached to them, but were still selecting quite a few items at once. After that they went into the fitting rooms as expected with an armful of clothing, and when they came out, the selected clothes were nowhere in sight. Later the room was searched and of course we found tags on the floor. We eventually interviewed the employee and found that they were putting on the stolen clothes under their own.
For more information contact us: Clothing Security or call 1.770.426.0547
Question:
Is there a smaller version of the Alpha hard tag?
Solution:
Alpha High Theft Solutions has developed a mini hard tag that has all the same features as the standard Alpha 2 or 3 alarm hard tag models. The main difference with the Alpha mini hard tag is that it is only available in the 3 alarm system configuration. The design is both sleek and is made to fit on high-end jeans, jackets, pants, suits, and other delicate items.
The Alpha Mini 3 alarm hard tag features a flashing LED light that serves as a deterrent to a shoplifter and that the device is armed. In the occasion that the device is tampered with, the 95 decibel alarm will sound and alert the staff in the store of a possible issue.
The dimensions of the mini hard tag enable it to be used in various items. The Alpha mini hard tag is approximately 2 ½ inches long, a little bit over an inch in width, and just a little bit over an inch in depth. The device also requires a Super XT Clutch key to be removed by store staff. The internal battery in the unit is a long lasting lithium battery.
Loss Prevention Systems (LPSI) is known as the highly regarded nationwide consultant inside the United States for Checkpoint Solutions and Alpha High Theft Solutions. We now have nationwide sales, resources, along with services. LPSI gives you much more than shoplifting prevention devices. The expertise in retail industry theft prevention enables Loss Prevention Systems to deliver real world training and strategies. Prevent theft for good with Loss Prevention Systems (LPSI), Checkpoint, & Alpha Systems.
For more information on Alpha Hard Tags, call 1 (770) 426-0547 today!
