If you are losing merchandise and you aren’t quite sure where it is going, perpetual item audits or counts could help you monitor your high risk items. Merchandise audits are one of the best ways to track merchandise quickly identify what, and how much you are losing. These audits can be used for any type of merchandise, but should be a part of your overall bottle security plan for your establishment if you own or manage a bar or liquor store.
Putting bottle locks on liquor bottles is a great way to deter theft, but you also want to take extra measures that allow you to keep track of key items. I have used these audits for years with great success. One tip I can give you is that you should not be doing them from your office. You may laugh, but I have heard of people not taking the audits seriously and doing them from memory or pencil whipping the form, which does you absolutely no good and you might as well not do them at all if that is going to happen. Yes, they can sometimes be tedious if you are counting a lot if items, but it will pay off in the end. You don’t have to monitor everything in the store with this log, just items that you feel need the extra attention. Start off by picking a small list of maybe about ten items that you can keep an eye on and go from there.
The idea is to keep an ongoing inventory of these items at all times. You can set the times that you complete the audit, but make sure it’s completed once a day at very least. I usually count merchandise two to three times a day, because that narrows the time of loss down a little better that only once. Completing the counts at least twice a day will save you hours of video review if you find that you are missing merchandise during the audit. Once you complete the audits on a regular basis, you will know exactly what you are missing at all times. You can then take this information and use it to beef up you bottle security strategy. In fact, this will allow you to see how well the bottle locks you put on the liquor bottles are working.
What I have done when creating an audit log is type all of the information into a spreadsheet on the computer. Then I print it out and take it to the sales floor and start counting. If you must, you can just use a pen and paper to complete the counts. The advantage to putting the information into a spreadsheet is that you can save the form and update the counts in the computer after you complete the log. Some fields you’ll want to have on the log are the date, time, item description, item number or SKU, quantity counted, previous quantity counted, variance, notes, the name of the person who is completing the log, and also include counts that your system keeps if applicable.
Although this may sound like a lot of work, it’s really not that difficult. The more you do it, the faster you will get at completing the form. Just don’t get too fast, or you might wind up miscounting the merchandise.
For more information contact us: (bottle security) or call 1.770.426.0547
If you are losing merchandise and you aren’t quite sure where it is going, perpetual item audits or counts could help you monitor your high risk items. Merchandise audits are one of the best ways to track merchandise quickly identify what, and how much you are losing. These audits can be used for any type of merchandise, but should be a part of your overall bottle security plan for your establishment if you own or manage a bar or liquor store.
Putting Bottle Loks on liquor bottles is a great way to deter theft, but you also want to take extra measures that allow you to keep track of key items. I have used these audits for years with great success. One tip I can give you is that you should not be doing them from your office. You may laugh, but I have heard of people not taking the audits seriously and doing them from memory or pencil whipping the form, which does you absolutely no good and you might as well not do them at all if that is going to happen. Yes, they can sometimes be tedious if you are counting a lot if items, but it will pay off in the end. You don’t have to monitor everything in the store with this log, just items that you feel need the extra attention. Start off by picking a small list of maybe about ten items that you can keep an eye on and go from there.
The idea is to keep an ongoing inventory of these items at all times. You can set the times that you complete the audit, but make sure it’s completed once a day at very least. I usually count merchandise two to three times a day, because that narrows the time of loss down a little better that only once. Completing the counts at least twice a day will save you hours of video review if you find that you are missing merchandise during the audit. Once you complete the audits on a regular basis, you will know exactly what you are missing at all times. You can then take this information and use it to beef up you bottle security strategy. In fact, this will allow you to see how well the Bottle Loks you put on the liquor bottles are working.
What I have done when creating an audit log is type all of the information into a spreadsheet on the computer. Then I print it out and take it to the sales floor and start counting. If you must, you can just use a pen and paper to complete the counts. The advantage to putting the information into a spreadsheet is that you can save the form and update the counts in the computer after you complete the log. Some fields you’ll want to have on the log are the date, time, item description, item number or SKU, quantity counted, previous quantity counted, variance, notes, the name of the person who is completing the log, and also include counts that your system keeps if applicable.
Although this may sound like a lot of work, it’s really not that difficult. The more you do it, the faster you will get at completing the form. Just don’t get too fast, or you might wind up miscounting the merchandise.
For more information contact us: (bottle security) or call 1.770.426.0547
Question:
How does the VisiPlus People Counting system by Checkpoint Systems work?
Solution:
VisiPlus People Counting is a bi-directional system that actively counts customers that enter
and exit your store. This system is only available for Checkpoint Evolve systems. The
hardware consists of the VisiPlus module that is integrated into the Electronic Article
Surveillance (E.A.S.) antennas that are located at the customer entrance and exit of your store.
The VisiPlus People Counting module is connected to the Evolve E.A.S. system board. The
system board is then connected to your local area network connection to access the internet.
Once our technician gets the hardware installed and the connection verified to the internet, the
account is then set up on the Checkpoint system’s servers. Data is sent automatically on a
nightly basis to the Checkpoint servers. The data is then complied and comes back to you,
the retailer, in one of two formats:
1. Complete Report
The complete report typically is formatted to be the finished product of all of the data that is
collected.
2. Raw Data
This raw data is created in a comma-delimited file that can be integrated into other data
that is collected form sales, payroll, and other related information.
These two types of reports are then automatically sent to you on a scheduled basis. Data is
bi-directional and is categorized by hour of the day and day of the week so that an
accurate picture of customer traffic is created. Many retailers do not utilize the customer
exit data; however, it is made available if you have the need to determine which entrances
or exits customers are using.
From a cost standpoint, VisiPlus is extremely cost effective to use. Loss Prevention
Systems charges you a low flat annual fee for each store that has the system. Additionally,
the fee covers the entire store location even if it has multiple entrances and exits.
If you would like to see samples of the VisiPlus reports, contact us for additional
information.
Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. is known as the top national seller inside the U. S. for
Checkpoint Solutions and Alpha High Theft Solutions. We have nationwide customers,
equipment, along with service. Loss Prevention Systems offers more than retail loss
prevention devices. The knowledge of retail industry loss prevention allows LPSI to supply
real world training and strategies. Eliminate theft today with Loss Prevention Systems
(LPSI), Checkpoint, and Alpha Systems solutions!
For additional info on VisiPlus People Counting, go to our website located at www.LossPreventionsystems.com or call (770) 426-0547.
If you are utilizing tools such as Alpha Keepers, and Checkpoint tags on your merchandise, and still seeing shrink in those items, you may need to make some changes to your daily plan. Product protection is key to keeping your assets on the shelf and available for sale, but if you don’t make smart business decisions you could be lessening their effectiveness. If you make the investment into these products, your business doesn’t become Fort Knox. Anti-Shoplifting also includes knowing the tools shoplifters use to defeat your efforts.
My store sells a lot of different items, but I know I have to keep an eye on some particular ones like scissors, box cutters, and even tin foil. A tin foil lined bag will hold a lot of items tagged with Checkpoint labels, and can have the ability to scramble the system so it doesn’t alarm when they exit. Then you have no idea you’ve just been wiped out, at least until you happen to walk by that section. By then it’s too late, and your chances of getting your merchandise back are slim. Don’t make the mistake of blindly filling a shelf of high retail items simply because they are in Alpha Keepers. Limit your shelf quantities, so if you do take a hit, it won’t be so massive.
Don’t get me wrong, tools like Alpha Keepers and Checkpoint labels are priceless when it comes to deterrence. Anti-Shoplifting efforts have the biggest impact on people that are thinking about stealing. You can quickly change their minds because they see these being used, and the fear of being caught is suddenly greater than the desire to take the product. One example I use, for my store in particular, is razor cartridge refills. If someone comes in and sees that these things are a bit pricey, they may decide to just steal them instead. If the package is enclosed in an Alpha Keeper, that idea is easily put aside. My razor cartridge loss has been all but eliminated. The issue with shoplifters comes into play when you have a professional come in and conceal them in something like the foil-lined bag, or even a foil-lined baby stroller, and get away with everything you have on the shelf. You have to identify how the theft happened and be proactive in stopping it from happening again. Don’t fill the shelf to capacity when the product comes back in. You do not want to become a known target. Be on the lookout for people coming in and standing around that area, and especially if they are in possession of a giant shoplifter bag!
Another thing I do to boost my Anti-Shoplifting reputation in the community is by putting the Checkpoint labels on the inside panel of my Alpha Keepers. It may be redundant, but the point is not to add alarm potential for the inventory. I actually do this with the mindset that I will see the theft happen and get it reported before the thieves get too far away. Shoplifters in groups usually steal from multiple locations in one day. If they are caught, you have a better chance of getting back your store’s merchandise if it is identifiable. Believe me, the police appreciate that too.
For more information contact us at Antishoplifting.net or call 1.770.426.0547
If you are utilizing tools such as Alpha Keepers, and Checkpoint Labels on your merchandise, and still seeing shrink in those items, you may need to make some changes to your daily plan. Product protection is key to keeping your assets on the shelf and available for sale, but if you don’t make smart business decisions you could be lessening their effectiveness. If you make the investment into these products, your business doesn’t become Fort Knox. Anti-Shoplifting also includes knowing the tools shoplifters use to defeat your efforts.
My store sells a lot of different items, but I know I have to keep an eye on some particular ones like scissors, box cutters, and even tin foil. A tin foil lined bag will hold a lot of items tagged with Checkpoint Labels, and can have the ability to scramble the system so it doesn’t alarm when they exit. Then you have no idea you’ve just been wiped out, at least until you happen to walk by that section. By then it’s too late, and your chances of getting your merchandise back are slim. Don’t make the mistake of blindly filling a shelf of high retail items simply because they are in Alpha Keepers. Limit your shelf quantities, so if you do take a hit, it won’t be so massive.
Don’t get me wrong, tools like Alpha Keepers and Checkpoint labels are priceless when it comes to deterrence. Anti-Shoplifting efforts have the biggest impact on people that are thinking about stealing. You can quickly change their minds because they see these being used, and the fear of being caught is suddenly greater than the desire to take the product. One example I use, for my store in particular, is razor cartridge refills. If someone comes in and sees that these things are a bit pricey, they may decide to just steal them instead. If the package is enclosed in an Alpha Keeper, that idea is easily put aside. My razor cartridge loss has been all but eliminated. The issue with shoplifters comes into play when you have a professional come in and conceal them in something like the foil-lined bag, or even a foil-lined baby stroller, and get away with everything you have on the shelf. You have to identify how the theft happened and be proactive in stopping it from happening again. Don’t fill the shelf to capacity when the product comes back in. You do not want to become a known target. Be on the lookout for people coming in and standing around that area, and especially if they are in possession of a giant shoplifter bag!
Another thing I do to boost my Anti-Shoplifting reputation in the community is by putting the Checkpoint Labels on the inside panel of my Alpha Keepers. It may be redundant, but the point is not to add alarm potential for the inventory. I actually do this with the mindset that I will see the theft happen and get it reported before the thieves get too far away. Shoplifters in groups usually steal from multiple locations in one day. If they are caught, you have a better chance of getting back your store’s merchandise if it is identifiable. Believe me, the police appreciate that too.
For more information contact us at Antishoplifting.net or call 1.770.426.0547
