I love a good shoplifting story. So does my wife, family, friends, co-workers… (You get the idea). I love the loss prevention field. There is nothing more exciting than this and I don’t see myself anywhere else. At least not in the foreseeable future. Like I tell my boss, I’m only one lottery ticket away from quitting! There’s always something, somewhere that is just hilarious and it usually involves someone stealing, or trying to steal something. While I wish I could prevent shoplifting altogether, if I did, life wouldn’t be as entertaining.
It wasn’t too long ago that I was investigating the loss of several high end, personal video cameras. You know the ones; tiny, portable and can record underwater, or while you jump out of an airplane. My stores in this one market had been seeing an high number of thefts with this unit, even though they were secured to the display fixture with a cable and lock. After watching several videos of the ring of thieves, it was clear that our small cable was not match for their pliers. We began using Alpha spider wraps to help prevent and deter the thieves. It did, for a while.
After a few weeks, we started to see theft again. I figured that the thieves had figured out a way to defeat the spider wrap. After doing a little digging, I was able to see the same group of thieves. This time, they were back with a vengeance. After snipping off the cable, they simply grabbed a handful of the cameras and walked out. They were using the spider wrap as a handle!! They were targeting my stores during peak hours and it seemed like they operated with impunity as they would stroll out the front door with product in hand. Before anyone could react to the EAS tower, they would disappear into the parking lot.
That’s not the funny part either. It is if you think about it though. Imagine a thief holding several cameras by the security tags as he strolls out the door. It was like it made it even easier for him to carry more than two. The funny part came a few weeks later. I received a phone call from a local detective. He was assigned to the pawn shops in the parish and noticed that one individual was pawning these cameras seemingly once or twice a week. Pawn shops must record and report all pawns in most states, if you didn’t know. He provided me with some serial numbers, and I was able to determine that they had been stolen from my store. He asked if I wanted to come with him to the pawn shop to recover the stolen property.
Normally, a pawn shop has to hold the merchandise for 30 days in order to clear the item through any stolen database. A reputable pawn broker will be able identify stolen goods. The not-so-reputable ones will turn a blind eye and accept the product anyway, regardless of the manner in which it made its way into their store. When I arrived with the detective, I was surprised to see that the cameras were still secured with the spider wraps!! The pawn broker explained that those were his tags, but he couldn’t produce a device to properly remove them. Not only did I get my merchandise back and make an arrest, I got another great story to tell.
For more information, contact us: Prevent Shoplifting, or call 1.770.426.0547
I love a good shoplifting story. So does my wife, family, friends, co-workers… (You get the idea). I love the loss prevention field. There is nothing more exciting than this and I don’t see myself anywhere else. At least not in the foreseeable future. Like I tell my boss, I’m only one lottery ticket away from quitting! There’s always something, somewhere that is just hilarious and it usually involves someone stealing, or trying to steal something. While I wish I could prevent shoplifting altogether, if I did, life wouldn’t be as entertaining.
It wasn’t too long ago that I was investigating the loss of several high end, personal video cameras. You know the ones; tiny, portable and can record underwater, or while you jump out of an airplane. My stores in this one market had been seeing an high number of thefts with this unit, even though they were secured to the display fixture with a cable and lock. After watching several videos of the ring of thieves, it was clear that our small cable was not match for their pliers. We began using Alpha Spider Wraps to help prevent and deter the thieves. It did, for a while.
After a few weeks, we started to see theft again. I figured that the thieves had figured out a way to defeat the Spider Wrap. After doing a little digging, I was able to see the same group of thieves. This time, they were back with a vengeance. After snipping off the cable, they simply grabbed a handful of the cameras and walked out. They were using the Spider Wrap as a handle!! They were targeting my stores during peak hours and it seemed like they operated with impunity as they would stroll out the front door with product in hand. Before anyone could react to the EAS tower, they would disappear into the parking lot.
That’s not the funny part either. It is if you think about it though. Imagine a thief holding several cameras by the security tags as he strolls out the door. It was like it made it even easier for him to carry more than two. The funny part came a few weeks later. I received a phone call from a local detective. He was assigned to the pawn shops in the parish and noticed that one individual was pawning these cameras seemingly once or twice a week. Pawn shops must record and report all pawns in most states, if you didn’t know. He provided me with some serial numbers, and I was able to determine that they had been stolen from my store. He asked if I wanted to come with him to the pawn shop to recover the stolen property.
Normally, a pawn shop has to hold the merchandise for 30 days in order to clear the item through any stolen database. A reputable pawn broker will be able identify stolen goods. The not-so-reputable ones will turn a blind eye and accept the product anyway, regardless of the manner in which it made its way into their store. When I arrived with the detective, I was surprised to see that the cameras were still secured with the Spider Wraps!! The pawn broker explained that those were his tags, but he couldn’t produce a device to properly remove them. Not only did I get my merchandise back and make an arrest, I got another great story to tell.
For more information, contact us: Prevent Shoplifting, or call 1.770.426.0547
I don’t know about you, but I really despise losing merchandise to thefts that could be easily preventable by using clothing security devices. If you want to stop clothing thefts from occurring in your store, you have to spend a little money on protecting your merchandise, but that investment will be returned to you in the form of less theft and more profit for you. In addition to security tags on clothes, you should also look into other methods of safeguarding your merchandise, such as purchasing video cameras and a DVR (digital video recorder). It’s no different than any other area of business you invest in, you put money in to get money out, and these are returns you will actually see happening.
You might think, why invest in this technology when I have employees that are looking out for shoplifters? Having your team trained on theft awareness is a great deterrent for shoplifting, and it could be cost effective depending on the situation. On the other hand, think about how much payroll goes into keeping all areas of the store constantly staffed. Would it be more cost effective to have another employee on the schedule to provide presence in the store for theft deterrence, or to put that payroll money toward Checkpoint tags? Also consider that most of these clothing security tags can be reused over and over again. If you have a store that staffs only one or two workers in the store at a time, what happens when those employees are helping actual paying customers? They aren’t going to be paying much attention to the other areas of the store at that time.
Although investing in these items could get expensive if you get a little overly motivated and buy a ton of different stuff all at once, but you might be surprised at the selection of clothing security devices and components that are very affordable, especially when you look at what you could be saving on keeping merchandise inside the store. I know it’s a cliché to say, but these items will actually pay for themselves in the long run.
Anyone that manages or owns a clothing store should already know this, but for the best results, you should really have an EAS (Electronic Article Surveillance) system with antennas at all entrance and exit doors. The system works with Checkpoint tags and other devices that can be placed directly on the clothing items or other merchandise you have stocked in your store. You need to use both the clothing security tags and EAS system together, because without each other, they would only serve as a deterrent. It would kind of be like having a beware of dog sign, without actually having the dog. Yes, that may scare some potential thieves off, but after a while when they realize there is no dog to bark or bite, word will spread and theft will increase.
Honestly, the best option is to use a combination of all of these measures to protect your clothing or other merchandise. You have to go over the numbers and come up with the best solution for your situation. Everyone’s needs are different, so what works great for one store may not be the best solution for the store next door.
For more information contact us: (clothing security) or call 1.770.426.0547
I don’t know about you, but I really despise losing merchandise to thefts that could be easily preventable by using clothing security devices. If you want to stop clothing thefts from occurring in your store, you have to spend a little money on protecting your merchandise, but that investment will be returned to you in the form of less theft and more profit for you. In addition to security tags on clothes, you should also look into other methods of safeguarding your merchandise, such as purchasing video cameras and a DVR (digital video recorder). It’s no different than any other area of business you invest in, you put money in to get money out, and these are returns you will actually see happening.
You might think, why invest in this technology when I have employees that are looking out for shoplifters? Having your team trained on theft awareness is a great deterrent for shoplifting, and it could be cost effective depending on the situation. On the other hand, think about how much payroll goes into keeping all areas of the store constantly staffed. Would it be more cost effective to have another employee on the schedule to provide presence in the store for theft deterrence, or to put that payroll money toward Checkpoint Tags? Also consider that most of these clothing security tags can be reused over and over again. If you have a store that staffs only one or two workers in the store at a time, what happens when those employees are helping actual paying customers? They aren’t going to be paying much attention to the other areas of the store at that time.
Although investing in these items could get expensive if you get a little overly motivated and buy a ton of different stuff all at once, but you might be surprised at the selection of clothing security devices and components that are very affordable, especially when you look at what you could be saving on keeping merchandise inside the store. I know it’s a cliché to say, but these items will actually pay for themselves in the long run.
Anyone that manages or owns a clothing store should already know this, but for the best results, you should really have an EAS (Electronic Article Surveillance) system with antennas at all entrance and exit doors. The system works with Checkpoint tags and other devices that can be placed directly on the clothing items or other merchandise you have stocked in your store. You need to use both the Clothing Security Tags and EAS system together, because without each other, they would only serve as a deterrent. It would kind of be like having a beware of dog sign, without actually having the dog. Yes, that may scare some potential thieves off, but after a while when they realize there is no dog to bark or bite, word will spread and theft will increase.
Honestly, the best option is to use a combination of all of these measures to protect your clothing or other merchandise. You have to go over the numbers and come up with the best solution for your situation. Everyone’s needs are different, so what works great for one store may not be the best solution for the store next door.
For more information contact us: Clothing Security or call 1.770.426.0547
When you hear the word grazing, you probably think of a large field full of cows munching on grass, but in the context of theft it has a slightly different meaning. Grazing is when a customer or employee uses or consumes part of a product while in the store. So how can you stop this from happening to you in your store that carries bottles of alcohol? If you have found bottles of liquor or wine that have been, let’s say “sampled” in your store, this is probably what you are experiencing, and you will definitely want to explore the option of using bottle locks to secure your products and ensure this doesn’t occur in the future. I call grazing the gateway theft because I have personally witnessed employees and even shoplifters start off by consuming food or drink in the store and then graduate into other types of theft.
I’ve noticed a lot of buzz about this subject in news articles lately revolving around the arrest of those committing these types of theft. Unfortunately, there are some people who don’t even consider it to be theft if they sample a little bit of the product. No matter what it’s called, it is causing you a loss if someone is taking even a small amount of your products without paying for it first. Bottle locks, like those available from Alpha Security allow you to protect your alcohol, but they don’t take away from the appearance of the bottles. There are several different types of the devices, which have a sleek design that fits right on top of the bottles. This will ensure that patrons don’t have access to open the bottles and drink them while in the store, or even open them up and pour them into another container for future consumption.
Although you may place a considerable amount of focus on your bottle security measures as far as shelf placement in relation to the view from the employees behind the register, it’s not always the shoplifters you have to worry about. Even if they employees are highly trained and aware of red flags to look for regarding shoplifters while they are working, there is never a guarantee that they will actually observe the theft at the time it is occurring. This is especially true in smaller stores where they might be the only employee on duty at the time. If several customers are checking out at the same time, it is unlikely that one employee will be able to help everyone and still keep a sharp eye out for possible thefts. It’s not always the shoplifters you have to worry about though, I’ve started many internal theft investigations by finding an empty package of food or drink in the stockroom. It’s a good starting point for an investigation, because you will find that when employees are stealing in this manner, they are most likely taking other merchandise as well.
The bottom line is that bottle locks will allow you to maintain a high level of bottle security for your liquor and wine without locking it in a showcase or someone constantly standing guard. These devices will give your employees the freedom to help the paying customers while having the peace of mind that the merchandise is secured at all times.
For more information contact us: (bottle locks) or call 1.770.426.0547
When you hear the word grazing, you probably think of a large field full of cows munching on grass, but in the context of theft it has a slightly different meaning. Grazing is when a customer or employee uses or consumes part of a product while in the store. So how can you stop this from happening to you in your store that carries bottles of alcohol? If you have found bottles of liquor or wine that have been, let’s say “sampled” in your store, this is probably what you are experiencing, and you will definitely want to explore the option of using Bottle Loks to secure your products and ensure this doesn’t occur in the future. I call it grazing the gateway of theft because I have personally witnessed employees and even shoplifters start off by consuming food or drink in the store and then graduate into other types of theft.
I’ve noticed a lot of buzz about this subject in news articles lately revolving around the arrest of those committing these types of theft. Unfortunately, there are some people who don’t even consider it to be theft if they sample a little bit of the product. No matter what it’s called, it is causing you a loss if someone is taking even a small amount of your products without paying for it first. Bottle Loks, like those available from Alpha Security allow you to protect your alcohol, but they don’t take away from the appearance of the bottles. There are several different types of the devices, which have a sleek design that fits right on top of the bottles. This will ensure that patrons don’t have access to open the bottles and drink them while in the store, or even open them up and pour them into another container for future consumption.
Although you may place a considerable amount of focus on your bottle security measures as far as shelf placement in relation to the view from the employees behind the register, it’s not always the shoplifters you have to worry about. Even if the employees are highly trained and aware of red flags to look for regarding shoplifters while they are working, there is never a guarantee that they will actually observe the theft at the time it is occurring. This is especially true in smaller stores where they might be the only employee on duty at the time. If several customers are checking out at the same time, it is unlikely that one employee will be able to help everyone and still keep a sharp eye out for possible thefts. It’s not always the shoplifters you have to worry about though, I’ve started many internal theft investigations by finding an empty package of food or drink in the stockroom. It’s a good starting point for an investigation, because you will find that when employees are stealing in this manner, they are most likely taking other merchandise as well.
The bottom line is that Bottle Loks will allow you to maintain a high level of bottle security for your liquor and wine without locking it in a showcase or someone constantly standing guard. These devices will give your employees the freedom to help the paying customers while having the peace of mind that the merchandise is secured at all times.
For more information contact us at Bottle Loks or call 1.770.426.0547
