It was seven-thirty at night in Albuquerque last week when a small Chevrolet Cavalier pulled up outside of a local establishment of a retail chain. The clouds of exhaust coming from the back were evidence that the dark air was just beginning to chill in the high-desert night. Parking in the fire lane, a large man got out and darted for the door, with a much smaller and more fit man exiting the passenger side to take the wheel, while popping the hatch-back. They certainly were not fire-fighters, and there was no emergency in the store. The large man entered the store and headed straight for the thirty-two-inch televisions on the low shelf by the door. It was definitely a grab and run attempt. Moments later, the man ran out of the store empty-handed and in a fright, stumbling to close the hatchback and get into the car before anyone noticed! What happened? What was done in this case to prevent shoplifting?
Well, what the surveillance footage captured is that the large man reached down, pulled on a television while attempting to run with it, only to have it snatched right out of his hands by Alpha spider wrap that encased the TV, and that was attached to the shelving fixture by an Alpha 3 alarm cable! He then tried it again with another TV next to it, only to have the same thing happen again. Humiliated as a criminal and defeated, he high-tailed back out of the store to the shock and amazement of his driver, I am sure. I take great pleasure and amusement in imagining the conversation that ensued between the two of them shortly afterward.
This is a true and telling story of how simple merchandise security can prevent shoplifting. Especially when it comes to these extremely quick grab and run scenarios, all that stands between the thief and your merchandise is the protection products. Grab-and-runs, as they are called, happen in a matter of seconds to a couple of minutes at most. Shoplifters target items close to quick-getaway doors, usually in large quantities or of high-values (or both). There is no time for store employees to react to this type of theft and, quite honestly, not much they could do even if they noticed the thieves. Runners usually expect to be noticed, rendering customer service approaches relatively useless. This is when it pays to have your items secured with devices like those made by Alpha security.
The days are getting shorter and colder, meaning that more criminals will be using the darkness of night and the vacancy of the streets to perpetrate their crimes. It is the season of fast-paced theft attempts like the one that occurred in Albuquerque last week, and it could happen in any city at any time this winter. Make sure that you prepare your stores for the storm by securing your merchandise. Buying the security tools is only half of the job. It is important to make sure your employees are implementing a consistent merchandise protection strategy. If the security devices aren’t placed consistently and properly, these sophisticated criminal groups will exploit those security flaws, seeking out the unsecured items and taking them for their loot, leaving you with a loss.
For more information contact us: Prevent Shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547
It was seven-thirty at night in Albuquerque last week when a small Chevrolet Cavalier pulled up outside of a local establishment of a retail chain. The clouds of exhaust coming from the back were evidence that the dark air was just beginning to chill in the high-desert night. Parking in the fire lane, a large man got out and darted for the door, with a much smaller and more fit man exiting the passenger side to take the wheel, while popping the hatch-back. They certainly were not fire-fighters, and there was no emergency in the store. The large man entered the store and headed straight for the thirty-two-inch televisions on the low shelf by the door. It was definitely a grab and run attempt. Moments later, the man ran out of the store empty-handed and in a fright, stumbling to close the hatchback and get into the car before anyone noticed! What happened? What was done in this case to prevent shoplifting?
Well, what the surveillance footage captured is that the large man reached down, pulled on a television while attempting to run with it, only to have it snatched right out of his hands by Alpha Spider Wrap that encased the TV, and that was attached to the shelving fixture by an Alpha 3 Alarm Cable! He then tried it again with another TV next to it, only to have the same thing happen again. Humiliated as a criminal and defeated, he high-tailed back out of the store to the shock and amazement of his driver, I am sure. I take great pleasure and amusement in imagining the conversation that ensued between the two of them shortly afterward.
This is a true and telling story of how simple merchandise security can prevent shoplifting. Especially when it comes to these extremely quick grab and run scenarios, all that stands between the thief and your merchandise is the protection products. Grab-and-runs, as they are called, happen in a matter of seconds to a couple of minutes at most. Shoplifters target items close to quick-getaway doors, usually in large quantities or of high-values (or both). There is no time for store employees to react to this type of theft and, quite honestly, not much they could do even if they noticed the thieves. Runners usually expect to be noticed, rendering customer service approaches relatively useless. This is when it pays to have your items secured with devices like those made by Alpha security.
The days are getting shorter and colder, meaning that more criminals will be using the darkness of night and the vacancy of the streets to perpetrate their crimes. It is the season of fast-paced theft attempts like the one that occurred in Albuquerque last week, and it could happen in any city at any time this winter. Make sure that you prepare your stores for the storm by securing your merchandise. Buying the security tools is only half of the job. It is important to make sure your employees are implementing a consistent merchandise protection strategy. If the security devices aren’t placed consistently and properly, these sophisticated criminal groups will exploit those security flaws, seeking out the unsecured items and taking them for their loot, leaving you with a loss.
For more information contact us: Prevent Shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547
Orientations are a great way to introduce your new hires to the company’s mission, policies and procedures. It’s the time to set the standard for what is expected. If you don’t include loss prevention training in your new hire orientations, you are missing out on a great way to ensure all of your employees know the company’s established guidelines.
It could be argued that this is a tactic to scare the idea of stealing out of their new employees. I see it more as letting them know where the company stands on different issues, and how they should conduct themselves. You should cover all procedures with the new employees and have them sign off that they understand the rules. This will provide documentation that may be needed later for coaching purposes. If you have loss prevention personnel, orientations also allow you the chance to give a face to the department, and not just have the team see them as the scary people that are always watching everyone from behind the curtain.
Don’t just make it all about employee theft, or the meeting will be awkward. After all, not all of them are bad guys. You are also introducing yourself to people that turn out to be great workers, and even future management. You want to cover other types of losses as well, such as shoplifting and operational and paperwork errors. Keep in mind, they will be a great resource to you later if they are properly trained.
During the orientation, keep your eyes open to any potential red flags displayed by the attendees. Believe it or not, some people can’t help themselves from asking questions that give away their shady intentions. What I find the most amusing is the people that obviously have experience with the wrong side of the law, and can’t stop themselves from telling you all about it. They know way too much about theft and shoplifting, and try to teach you about what happens after you get arrested, and what you can and can’t do to people that steal.
I remember one orientation in particular that a new employee was acting strange during the entire process. After I talked about some of our investigative resources with the new employees in the meeting room, I brought the group into the loss prevention office, and showed them the cameras and monitors (not all of the cameras). During this orientation, one employee in particular caught my attention. While I was talking about employee theft and how it affects the company, one person in particular put their head down on the desk and was avoiding eye contact with me. Then when we continued the loss prevention training orientation and went into the office to see the cameras, that same person’s attention span suddenly grew immensely. They immediately walked in front of everyone in the group and were studying the cameras like there was going to be a test on their placement.
Not every loss prevention workshop yields this many red flags, but it’s always a good idea to pay attention to your employee’s behaviors. As it turned out, the new employee that was showing all the signs wound up being the subject of my next employee theft investigation.
For more information contact us: (loss prevention training) or call 1.770.426.0547
Orientations are a great way to introduce your new hires to the company’s mission, policies and procedures. It’s the time to set the standard for what is expected. If you don’t include loss prevention training in your new hire orientations, you are missing out on a great way to ensure all of your employees know the company’s established guidelines.
It could be argued that this is a tactic to scare the idea of stealing out of their new employees. I see it more as letting them know where the company stands on different issues, and how they should conduct themselves. You should cover all procedures with the new employees and have them sign off that they understand the rules. This will provide documentation that may be needed later for coaching purposes. If you have loss prevention personnel, orientations also allow you the chance to give a face to the department, and not just have the team see them as the scary people that are always watching everyone from behind the curtain.
Don’t just make it all about employee theft, or the meeting will be awkward. After all, not all of them are bad guys. You are also introducing yourself to people that turn out to be great workers, and even future management. You want to cover other types of losses as well, such as shoplifting and operational and paperwork errors. Keep in mind, they will be a great resource to you later if they are properly trained.
During the orientation, keep your eyes open to any potential red flags displayed by the attendees. Believe it or not, some people can’t help themselves from asking questions that give away their shady intentions. What I find the most amusing is the people that obviously have experience with the wrong side of the law, and can’t stop themselves from telling you all about it. They know way too much about theft and shoplifting, and try to teach you about what happens after you get arrested, and what you can and can’t do to people that steal.
I remember one orientation in particular that a new employee was acting strange during the entire process. After I talked about some of our investigative resources with the new employees in the meeting room, I brought the group into the loss prevention office, and showed them the cameras and monitors (not all of the cameras). During this orientation, one employee in particular caught my attention. While I was talking about employee theft and how it affects the company, one person in particular put their head down on the desk and was avoiding eye contact with me. Then when we continued the loss prevention training orientation and went into the office to see the cameras, that same person’s attention span suddenly grew immensely. They immediately walked in front of everyone in the group and were studying the cameras like there was going to be a test on their placement.
Not every loss prevention workshop yields this many red flags, but it’s always a good idea to pay attention to your employee’s behaviors. As it turned out, the new employee that was showing all the signs wound up being the subject of my next employee theft investigation.
For more information contact us: (loss prevention training) or call 1.770.426.0547
Having worked in retail loss prevention for several years, I have been able to see the many obstacles of being able to prevent shoplifting. The larger your store operations become, the greater proportion of theft prevention issues stems from communication problems. It is relatively easy to come up with an adequate merchandise protection strategy like, using clothing security tags on all items above $20.00. If you have multiple employees with various job functions, all which deal with merchandise protection at some point or another, communication becomes essential to making your merchandise protection plan a successfully implemented strategy. Here are a few steps along the chain of merchandise protection that need to be carefully considered at the store level in order to produce an effective clothing security strategy.
Receiving the merchandise is generally the first step in the chain. In some cases, the vendors may already pre-protect their merchandise to a certain extent. This may be sufficient for you, or not. Typically, you know your store’s theft patterns better than the vendors, and should probably implement your own protection strategy. It is important that your receiving team has accurate, updated information on which items should be secured using clothing security tags like Alpha Shark Tags before the items ever make it onto the sales floor. This is the best first line of defense. A quick side note, this also requires that operations orders the proper amount of necessary protection devices.
Merchandising associates are usually the next to handle the merchandise in the chain. It is important that these associates also know the security strategy for the merchandise so that they can quickly correct any issues that they find while working on the sales floor. Merchandising associates also handle the merchandise more than any other associates, so they will also be likely to have great feedback information concerning the merchandise protection strategy. For example, if they are aware of the strategy, and they notice a theft trend on the sales floor, they can provide that feedback to management and make any potential necessary adjustments to more adequately provide clothing security in the store.
Cashiering is typically the last job-function that sees the merchandise. It is also a point where clear communication of clothing protection standards is paramount. Part of a good protection strategy should include where to place security tags, so that they are placed in a consistent manner. This not only makes auditing the protection status easier, but also makes it easier for cashiers to identify the security devices. If the receiving and merchandising associates before them have not consistently and properly placed the clothing security tags, the cashier may forget to remove it, causing a huge inconvenience for the customers. Also, cashiers will frequently be receiving returned merchandise, meaning it is just as important for them, and the merchandising employees who might be returning the clothing to the sales floor, to know which items need to be secured, and how to properly secure them.
So when it comes to important elements of an adequate strategy to protect clothing and other merchandise, clear and concise communication should top the list. If the wrong items are being secured, then you are more likely to lose clothing to theft, and inconvenience customers who are trying to give you their business. Every store needs a good merchandise protection plan; make sure that yours emphasizes communication.
For more information contact us: Clothing Security or call 1.770.426.0547
Having worked in retail loss prevention for several years, I have been able to see the many obstacles of being able to prevent shoplifting. The larger your store operations become, the greater proportion of theft prevention issues stems from communication problems. It is relatively easy to come up with an adequate merchandise protection strategy like, using clothing security tags on all items above $20.00. If you have multiple employees with various job functions, all which deal with merchandise protection at some point or another, communication becomes essential to making your merchandise protection plan a successfully implemented strategy. Here are a few steps along the chain of merchandise protection that need to be carefully considered at the store level in order to produce an effective clothing security strategy.
Receiving the merchandise is generally the first step in the chain. In some cases, the vendors may already pre-protect their merchandise to a certain extent. This may be sufficient for you, or not. Typically, you know your store’s theft patterns better than the vendors, and should probably implement your own protection strategy. It is important that your receiving team has accurate, updated information on which items should be secured using clothing security tags like Alpha Shark Tags before the items ever make it onto the sales floor. This is the best first line of defense. A quick side note, this also requires that operations orders the proper amount of necessary protection devices.
Merchandising associates are usually the next to handle the merchandise in the chain. It is important that these associates also know the security strategy for the merchandise so that they can quickly correct any issues that they find while working on the sales floor. Merchandising associates also handle the merchandise more than any other associates, so they will also be likely to have great feedback information concerning the merchandise protection strategy. For example, if they are aware of the strategy, and they notice a theft trend on the sales floor, they can provide that feedback to management and make any potential necessary adjustments to more adequately provide clothing security in the store.
Cashiering is typically the last job-function that sees the merchandise. It is also a point where clear communication of clothing protection standards is paramount. Part of a good protection strategy should include where to place security tags, so that they are placed in a consistent manner. This not only makes auditing the protection status easier, but also makes it easier for cashiers to identify the security devices. If the receiving and merchandising associates before them have not consistently and properly placed the clothing security tags, the cashier may forget to remove it, causing a huge inconvenience for the customers. Also, cashiers will frequently be receiving returned merchandise, meaning it is just as important for them, and the merchandising employees who might be returning the clothing to the sales floor, to know which items need to be secured, and how to properly secure them.
So when it comes to important elements of an adequate strategy to protect clothing and other merchandise, clear and concise communication should top the list. If the wrong items are being secured, then you are more likely to lose clothing to theft, and inconvenience customers who are trying to give you their business. Every store needs a good merchandise protection plan; make sure that yours emphasizes communication.
For more information contact us: Clothing Security or call 1.770.426.0547
