Better than before- that is what Alpha Security is saying about their new Alpha 2 Alarm Attack Spider Wrap. It’s a new generation of retail anti theft devices, and the enhancements are making the product easier to use, and better than before.
Alpha Security doesn’t just make random changes to their product lines. If they did, they probably wouldn’t be hailed as an authority in the shrink reduction field. Instead, they make progressive changes based off of advantages provided by other retail anti theft device models. This new Attack Spider Wrap has taken its enhancements from ones found to be successful with the mini spider model.
With faster application and removal, the new Spider Wrap uses less payroll hours, absorbing fewer financial resources, leveraging a greater ROI on the product’s usage. Compared with the previous model, the new Attack Spider Wrap is actually 66% faster. When you add up how many times in a day, a month and in a year Spider Wraps are applied and removed to products, 66% is a significant decrease in devoted labor costs.
This reduction is partly due to some of the new features that have been added to the latest model. The push button cable release is probably the biggest contributing factor to the ease of use. One swift motion is now needed to release the cables. Additionally, the cables are designed specifically not to tangle. That feature saves countless, pointless labor hours from being used to detangle these cables either in a stock room, or at the front counters.
One of the last new features added is a stronger locking mechanism. When it is all said and done, if the Alpha Spider Wrap is easily defeated, there is no point in making the investment in either anti theft devices or in labor hours. In an effort to maintain the highest level of product security, the locking mechanism is tougher to defeat by shoplifters.
The locking mechanism connects the 7X7 strand aircraft grade cables that have a pull test of over 430 pounds. Tougher locks and tougher cables make for a nearly impossible to defeat security wrap to protect high theft boxes. All of this is combined with a smaller overall profile.
Before, when a retailer used Alpha Security Alpha Spider Wraps, shelf space was marginally compromised to accommodate the extra space needed by the anti theft device. With a smaller and narrower locking mechanism, more products can be stored on a shelf location at one time. Maximizing shelf space increases sales, as fewer items need to be kept in a back stockroom or atop high shelving units (top stock).
This is a relief to some retailers who have been historically limiting shelf quantities as a part of their retail theft reduction strategies. By increasing their shelf quantity with less fear of stolen items, stores are no able to go back to putting the customer’s needs first, instead of catering to thwarting the needs of shoplifters.
Visit the Loss Prevention Store for Alpha 2Alarm, Alpha 3Alarm, Alpha Fashion2, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Shark Tag, Alpha Spider Wrap and other retail anti-theft devices from Alpha Security to use in conjunction with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system that can help you prevent shoplifting in your business.
For more information on how you can use Alpha Security retail anti-theft devices and your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
Better than before- that is what Alpha Security is saying about their new Alpha 2 Alarm Attack Spider Wrap. It’s a new generation of retail anti theft devices, and the enhancements are making the product easier to use, and better than before.
Alpha Security doesn’t just make random changes to their product lines. If they did, they probably wouldn’t be hailed as an authority in the shrink reduction field. Instead, they make progressive changes based off of advantages provided by other retail anti theft device models. This new Attack Spider Wrap has taken its enhancements from ones found to be successful with the mini spider model.
With faster application and removal, the new Spider Wrap uses less payroll hours, absorbing fewer financial resources, leveraging a greater ROI on the product’s usage. Compared with the previous model, the new Attack Spider Wrap is actually 66% faster. When you add up how many times in a day, a month and in a year Spider Wraps are applied and removed to products, 66% is a significant decrease in devoted labor costs.
This reduction is partly due to some of the new features that have been added to the latest model. The push button cable release is probably the biggest contributing factor to the ease of use. One swift motion is now needed to release the cables. Additionally, the cables are designed specifically not to tangle. That feature saves countless, pointless labor hours from being used to detangle these cables either in a stock room, or at the front counters.
One of the last new features added is a stronger locking mechanism. When it is all said and done, if the Alpha Spider Wrap is easily defeated, there is no point in making the investment in either anti theft devices or in labor hours. In an effort to maintain the highest level of product security, the locking mechanism is tougher to defeat by shoplifters.
The locking mechanism connects the 7X7 strand aircraft grade cables that have a pull test of over 430 pounds. Tougher locks and tougher cables make for a nearly impossible to defeat security wrap to protect high theft boxes. All of this is combined with a smaller overall profile.
Before, when a retailer used Alpha Security Alpha Spider Wraps, shelf space was marginally compromised to accommodate the extra space needed by the anti theft device. With a smaller and narrower locking mechanism, more products can be stored on a shelf location at one time. Maximizing shelf space increases sales, as fewer items need to be kept in a back stockroom or atop high shelving units (top stock).
This is a relief to some retailers who have been historically limiting shelf quantities as a part of their retail theft reduction strategies. By increasing their shelf quantity with less fear of stolen items, stores are now able to go back to putting the customer’s needs first, instead of catering to thwarting the needs of shoplifters.
Visit the Loss Prevention Store for Alpha 2Alarm, Alpha 3Alarm, Alpha Fashion2, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Shark Tag, Alpha Spider Wrap and other retail anti-theft devices from Alpha Security to use in conjunction with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system that can help you prevent shoplifting in your business.
For more information on how you can use Alpha Security retail anti-theft devices and your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
“Why me?” asked the liquor store owner after he and his employees were held up for two hours at gunpoint. The thieves made off will about $40,000 dollars worth of top shelf liquor- all in cases. “ I never did anything to anyone” said the owner, as he tried to make sense out of the night’s events.
As it turns out, the owner and two of his employees were working well passed the store’s normal closing time; it was almost midnight. Under typical circumstances, the store would have been locked and secured by around ten o clock. Additionally, the store’s bottle security included a CCTV camera and recording system, which was still running and captured the night’s events.
The employees were working late building some new shelving units for the store. The doors were open, presumably for some fresh air. They were several hours into their project when a man walked in and asked if they were still open for business.
When they said no, two more men showed up and all three of them pulled out guns. The employees were tied; duct taped, and told to lie on the floor. The employees complied for fear of what would happen if they did not follow instructions.
The three men on the inside pulled the blinds shut, and started to call more of their friends, taking orders for what kind of liquor they wanted. There were three more men waiting outside, for a total of six robbers.
The three robbers outside would wait for a car to pull up by the curb. When they did, the robbers would load out full cases of liquor, and the cars would leave. Over and over, cars would show up, cases of liquor would go out the door, and the robbers took as much time as they wanted to get the job done.
The robbers left after about two hours of this, when the majority of the top shelf liquor cases had been handed out. The owner and the employees were able to cut themselves free and call the local police. Everything had been caught on the store’s CCTV camera system.
The owner was left wondering what had happened and why. What he didn’t realize through this ordeal was that the majority of this was the store’s fault. They literally left the store wide open for someone to come by and victimize them. By leaving the doors open late at night, it didn’t take long for someone (the robbers) to see that an opportunity had been presented.
More than likely, the robbers had driven or walked by earlier and saw a small staff (three people) working inside, with little disregard to their own personal safety. The doors were propped open, but no one was there to guard them. It was dark, and there wasn’t a lot of traffic going past the store due to the lateness of the hour.
It is an important reminder that even when a store is closed, personal security (as well as bottle security) needs to be enforced and addressed. The employees would have been better off had they not left the door open and worked behind a closed and locked door. Extra fans should have been provided to reduce the heat and any fumes created by the project. Another option would have been to keep an employee by the door to stand watch. Had the robbers seen an employee keeping an eye on the door, they may have decided against a robbery attempt.
Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase EASy Bottle bottle locks by Alpha Security and your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system.
For more information on Alpha Security, Bottle Lock, Bottle locks, Bottle Security, EASy Bottle or Liquor Bottle Security and how they can work with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
“Why me?” asked the liquor store owner after he and his employees were held up for two hours at gunpoint. The thieves made off will about $40,000 dollars worth of top shelf liquor- all in cases. “ I never did anything to anyone” said the owner, as he tried to make sense out of the night’s events.
As it turns out, the owner and two of his employees were working well passed the store’s normal closing time; it was almost midnight. Under typical circumstances, the store would have been locked and secured by around ten o clock. Additionally, the store’s bottle security included a CCTV camera and recording system, which was still running and captured the night’s events.
The employees were working late building some new shelving units for the store. The doors were open, presumably for some fresh air. They were several hours into their project when a man walked in and asked if they were still open for business.
When they said no, two more men showed up and all three of them pulled out guns. The employees were tied; duct taped, and told to lie on the floor. The employees complied for fear of what would happen if they did not follow instructions.
The three men on the inside pulled the blinds shut, and started to call more of their friends, taking orders for what kind of liquor they wanted. There were three more men waiting outside, for a total of six robbers.
The three robbers outside would wait for a car to pull up by the curb. When they did, the robbers would load out full cases of liquor, and the cars would leave. Over and over, cars would show up, cases of liquor would go out the door, and the robbers took as much time as they wanted to get the job done.
The robbers left after about two hours of this, when the majority of the top shelf liquor cases had been handed out. The owner and the employees were able to cut themselves free and call the local police. Everything had been caught on the store’s CCTV camera system.
The owner was left wondering what had happened and why. What he didn’t realize through this ordeal was that the majority of this was the store’s fault. They literally left the store wide open for someone to come by and victimize them. By leaving the doors open late at night, it didn’t take long for someone (the robbers) to see that an opportunity had been presented.
More than likely, the robbers had driven or walked by earlier and saw a small staff (three people) working inside, with little disregard to their own personal safety. The doors were propped open, but no one was there to guard them. It was dark, and there wasn’t a lot of traffic going past the store due to the lateness of the hour.
It is an important reminder that even when a store is closed, personal security (as well as bottle security) needs to be enforced and addressed. The employees would have been better off had they not left the door open and worked behind a closed and locked door. Extra fans should have been provided to reduce the heat and any fumes created by the project. Another option would have been to keep an employee by the door to stand watch. Had the robbers seen an employee keeping an eye on the door, they may have decided against a robbery attempt.
Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase EASy Bottle bottle locks by Alpha Security and your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system.
For more information on Alpha Security, Bottle Lock, Bottle locks, Bottle Security, EASy Bottle or Liquor Bottle Security and how they can work with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
Spotting employee theft during bottle services can be difficult, due to the nature of the service. That does not mean it is impossible. All it takes is a little more knowledge and awareness to be able to pick up on warning signs or red flags that there is something more devious going on with one of your employees.
When you suspect employee theft happening from one of your bartenders, you probably picked up on a few red flags like inconsistent/ over pours of liquor, or maybe too many free drinks being handed over. During a bottle service, however, you cannot look for free shots coming out of a bottle, as a sign of theft.
During a bottle service, the patron has paid for the entire bottle, so pouring a drink or a shot from that bottle will not lead you to theft. What you are looking for is theft of an entire bottle that has not been paid for by the client.
Generally, bottles purchased during a bottle service will run several hundred dollars for the client. If you have a customer that wants to pay cash, it can be very tempting for the waitress to pocket some, or that entire sale. Since bottle services are set up in advance with the nightclubs minimum bottle requirement already accounted for, it is easy for an employee to sell off additional bottles to a client without being noticed.
Bottle services are set up for a group or party, with one person putting the reserve on their credit card. That does not mean that throughout the night another member of the party won’t want to buy a bottle on their own. They may insist on paying cash for the additional bottles.
This is where your employees are tasked with remaining honest. They may see the hundreds of dollars as a perfect opportunity. They can go and get the additional bottle out of your storeroom but not ring it up. They might also skim off the top by charging the customer more for the bottle than what they actually ring up.
There is one of two ways to skim. The employee can ring up the actual bottle sold, but charge the client more than the total. The other way is to charge the client the price of the bottle requested, but might ring up a lower priced bottle in the register. Either way, the employee can end up with several hundred dollars extra without the client, or the nightclub becoming suspicious. That’s assuming that the employee even rings up the bottle, instead of pocketing all of the cash for him or herself.
A few things to watch out for from a management perspective, is to see if you see flips in your inventory. If you are noticing overages in the quantity of lower priced bottles of liquor, but shortages in higher ones, you might have a theft problem.
You can also compare sales totals between your employees. You should have consistent sales per hour average for all of your host or wait staff employees overseeing bottle services. If you have one employee consistently falling short, you need to question why. It could be that they are simply under trained, or need to work on selling/ up selling skills. The other possibility is that they are stealing bottles from you and are keeping the profits for themselves.
For more information on Bottle Caps, Bottle Lock, Bottle Locks, EASy Bottle or Bottle Services in your Nightclub please contact us at Bottle Service or call 1.770.426.0547
All of the most prominent nightclubs, bars and venues in New York, Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, New Orleans, Dallas, Denver, Phoenix, Albuquerque, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Virginia Beach, Washington D.C., and Las Vegas use Bottle Services for their best clientele. Don’t let your nightclub miss out on this VIP experience.
Spotting employee theft during bottle services can be difficult, due to the nature of the service. That does not mean it is impossible. All it takes is a little more knowledge and awareness to be able to pick up on warning signs or red flags that there is something more devious going on with one of your employees.
When you suspect employee theft happening from one of your bartenders, you probably picked up on a few red flags like inconsistent/ over pours of liquor, or maybe too many free drinks being handed over. During a bottle service, however, you cannot look for free shots coming out of a bottle, as a sign of theft.
During a bottle service, the patron has paid for the entire bottle, so pouring a drink or a shot from that bottle will not lead you to theft. What you are looking for is theft of an entire bottle that has not been paid for by the client.
Generally, bottles purchased during a bottle service will run several hundred dollars for the client.If you have a customer that wants to pay cash, it can be very tempting for the waitress to pocket some, or that entire sale. Since bottle services are set up in advance with the nightclubs minimum bottle requirement already accounted for, it is easy for an employee to sell off additional bottles to a client without being noticed.
Bottle services are set up for a group or party, with one person putting the reserve on their credit card. That does not mean that throughout the night another member of the party won’t want to buy a bottle on their own. They may insist on paying cash for the additional bottles.
This is where your employees are tasked with remaining honest. They may see the hundreds of dollars as a perfect opportunity. They can go and get the additional bottle out of your storeroom but not ring it up. They might also skim off the top by charging the customer more for the bottle than what they actually ring up.
There is one of two ways to skim. The employee can ring up the actual bottle sold, but charge the client more than the total. The other way is to charge the client the price of the bottle requested, but might ring up a lower priced bottle in the register. Either way, the employee can end up with several hundred dollars extra without the client, or the nightclub becoming suspicious. That’s assuming that the employee even rings up the bottle, instead of pocketing all of the cash for him or herself.
A few things to watch out for from a management perspective, is to see if you see flips in your inventory. If you are noticing overages in the quantity of lower priced bottles of liquor, but shortages in higher ones, you might have a theft problem.
You can also compare sales totals between your employees. You should have consistent sales per hour average for all of your host or wait staff employees overseeing bottle services. If you have one employee consistently falling short, you need to question why. It could be that they are simply under trained, or need to work on selling/ up selling skills. The other possibility is that they are stealing bottles from you and are keeping the profits for themselves.
For more information on Bottle Caps, Bottle Lock, Bottle Locks, EASy Bottle or Bottle Services in your Nightclub please contact us at Bottle Service or call 1.770.426.0547
All of the most prominent nightclubs, bars and venues in New York, Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, New Orleans, Dallas, Denver, Phoenix, Albuquerque, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Virginia Beach, Washington D.C., and Las Vegas use Bottle Services for their best clientele. Don’t let your nightclub miss out on this VIP experience.
Checkpoint Systems EAS alarm reports are broken down by hour of the day, and by day of the week for each location. The VisiPlus people traffic counter also reports its data by hour of the day, and by day of the week. When compared side by side, you can get a better understanding of theft activity in your stores, and also how to better staff your locations- even if it is just temporarily.
We found during a recent investigation that several of our stores were all starting to experience shortages of a specific item. Since this item was not one we had previously had issues with, we wondered if there was a particular group of shoplifters that were targeting us.
We started by having each store conduct an AM and a PM cycle count of the item. After a few days, we saw that the item had disappeared by the time we did our PM count. What was interesting was that all of our stores experienced the losses on the same day.
We tracked the item for another week, and sure enough, we incurred more losses on the same day of the week as the previous week- in all of our stores.
We decided that we needed to find a way to narrow down the losses to a more specific time of day- in the hopes of catching the shoplifters. We pulled our Checkpoint Systems reports and our VisiPlus people traffic counter reports. By comparing both reports from the day of the week we saw the losses, we noticed an influx in both alarms and in customers during a specific hour of the day.
We also noticed by comparing our other store’s VisiPlus people traffic counter reports and their Checkpoint Systems alarm reports, that we could track the starting point for this particular shoplifting ring. We calculated the drive time to the nearest store, and sure enough, that store had the same traffic and alarm increase during that time frame.
We went from store to store and compared how long it would take to drive to the next store, and matched that time with the times on the reports. We had discovered the shoplifter’s road map and plan of action.
The next week we were ready for them. Each store was staffed at the designated times based on the VisiPlus and Checkpoint Systems reports. Like clockwork, we found the shoplifters by watching who was taking the merchandise in question, and had them arrested as they attempted to steal from each of our stores.
Checkpoint Systems EAS alarm reports are broken down by hour of the day, and by day of the week for each location. The VisiPlus people traffic counter also reports its data by hour of the day, and by day of the week. When compared side by side, you can get a better understanding of theft activity in your stores, and also how to better staff your locations- even if it is just temporarily.
We found during a recent investigation that several of our stores were all starting to experience shortages of a specific item. Since this item was not one we had previously had issues with, we wondered if there was a particular group of shoplifters that were targeting us.
We started by having each store conduct an AM and a PM cycle count of the item. After a few days, we saw that the item had disappeared by the time we did our PM count. What was interesting was that all of our stores experienced the losses on the same day.
We tracked the item for another week, and sure enough, we incurred more losses on the same day of the week as the previous week- in all of our stores.
We decided that we needed to find a way to narrow down the losses to a more specific time of day- in the hopes of catching the shoplifters. We pulled our Checkpoint Systems reports and our VisiPlus people traffic counter reports. By comparing both reports from the day of the week we saw the losses, we noticed an influx in both alarms and in customers during a specific hour of the day.
We also noticed by comparing our other store’s VisiPlus people traffic counter reports and their Checkpoint Systems alarm reports, that we could track the starting point for this particular shoplifting ring. We calculated the drive time to the nearest store, and sure enough, that store had the same traffic and alarm increase during that time frame.
We went from store to store and compared how long it would take to drive to the next store, and matched that time with the times on the reports. We had discovered the shoplifter’s road map and plan of action.
The next week we were ready for them. Each store was staffed at the designated times based on the VisiPlus and Checkpoint Systems reports. Like clockwork, we found the shoplifters by watching who was taking the merchandise in question, and had them arrested as they attempted to steal from each of our stores.
We all know the story of Robin Hood and how he stole from the rich to give to the poor. He made his intentions very clear. He was taking back what rightfully belonged to the impoverished and mistreated people. He would never have stolen from his best mates, his family, or the lovely Maid Marian, as he was stealing back only what was owed to the people. He did not steal out of greed or desire. Robin Hood epitomized the ideal of honor amongst thieves.
Employee theft, from the eyes of the employees, is often regarded as a similar honorable action. Most employees who steal do not do so purely out of greed or desire. Even more employees would be insulted if asked if they would steal from a coworker. There is a certain detachment and justification that an employee mentally has when they steal from their employer.
The most common excuse an employee gives for why they steal is “because they owe me”. It is closely followed by “I am having financial hardship”. In both scenarios, the employee has justified why it is now ok to steal from their employer, when they would not even consider stealing from a co-worker.
The company is a larger entity. It is easier to dehumanize, where a co-worker is a name and a face and a personality. There is a lack of honor in stealing from someone personally. There is a different amount of honor retained if the victim is not a specific person, but rather the “company” or the “store”.
There are some people out there who have no qualms about stealing from their coworkers- especially when it comes to something valuable, or potentially untraceable such as cash. As such, it is important to provide your employees with a secure area to keep their belongings while they are on the clock working for you.
These theft incidents are fewer and less severe than the losses employees create when they steal cash or merchandise from their place of employment. The average admission to employee theft is well over a thousand dollars. When left undetected, it is not uncommon for an employee to be guilty of stealing tens of thousands of dollars over the course of a several year employment.
That is the key right there. Employees who steal typically do not get away with a theft once and then never do it again. Employees will continue to steal. They will refine their methods; they will increase in both frequency and dollar amount taken. Employees typically will only stop stealing from your business if one of two things happen; they quit, or they get noticed. The chance that an employee who is siphoning off several hundred or thousands of dollars in undetected compensation is very unlikely to want to leave the scheme they have set up.
That means it is up to the store to detect what is going on. Since the employee stealing is probably not going to steal from a coworker, you might not get that glaring red flag that something is going on. The employee will do their best to fly under the radar and take only what they feel like they are owed to them- the modern day Robin Hood.
For more information on employee theft, employee theft investigation or internal theft contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia
Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase CCTV Systems that can help you stop Employee Theft and Internal Theft problems and help with your Employee Theft Investigation.
We all know the story of Robin Hood and how he stole from the rich to give to the poor. He made his intentions very clear. He was taking back what rightfully belonged to the impoverished and mistreated people. He would never have stolen from his best mates, his family, or the lovely Maid Marian, as he was stealing back only what was owed to the people. He did not steal out of greed or desire. Robin Hood epitomized the ideal of honor amongst thieves.
Employee theft, from the eyes of the employees, is often regarded as a similar honorable action. Most employees who steal do not do so purely out of greed or desire. Even more employees would be insulted if asked if they would steal from a coworker. There is a certain detachment and justification that an employee mentally has when they steal from their employer.
The most common excuse an employee gives for why they steal is “because they owe me”. It is closely followed by “I am having financial hardship”. In both scenarios, the employee has justified why it is now ok to steal from their employer, when they would not even consider stealing from a co-worker.
The company is a larger entity. It is easier to dehumanize, where a co-worker is a name and a face and a personality. There is a lack of honor in stealing from someone personally. There is a different amount of honor retained if the victim is not a specific person, but rather the “company” or the “store”.
There are some people out there who have no qualms about stealing from their coworkers- especially when it comes to something valuable, or potentially untraceable such as cash. As such, it is important to provide your employees with a secure area to keep their belongings while they are on the clock working for you.
These theft incidents are fewer and less severe than the losses employees create when they steal cash or merchandise from their place of employment. The average admission to employee theft is well over a thousand dollars. When left undetected, it is not uncommon for an employee to be guilty of stealing tens of thousands of dollars over the course of a several year employment.
That is the key right there. Employees who steal typically do not get away with a theft once and then never do it again. Employees will continue to steal. They will refine their methods; they will increase in both frequency and dollar amount taken. Employees typically will only stop stealing from your business if one of two things happen; they quit, or they get noticed. The chance that an employee who is siphoning off several hundred or thousands of dollars in undetected compensation is very unlikely to want to leave the scheme they have set up.
That means it is up to the store to detect what is going on. Since the employee stealing is probably not going to steal from a coworker, you might not get that glaring red flag that something is going on. The employee will do their best to fly under the radar and take only what they feel like they are owed to them- the modern day Robin Hood.
For more information on employee theft, employee theft investigation or internal theft contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia
Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase CCTV Systems that can help you stop Employee Theft and Internal Theft problems and help with your Employee Theft Investigation.
California has legislation that will ban the practice of giving single use, plastic bags to carry purchased products from a store. Instead, grocers an the like will be required to have reusable shopping bags available for customer purchase, or charge a minimal fee per paper bag used to carry purchases. While there are many concerns posed to this new regulation, one of them is whether making customers carry their own bags around the store with them will lead to an increase in shoplifting incidents.
The concept of a reusable shopping bag is not new. Many grocers and retailers have been hopping on the “green” bandwagon for many years now. Some grocers in other states have even given a bag discount to shoppers who use their own bag instead of a paper or plastic one for the store. These stores who have voluntarily been encouraging their shoppers to bring reusable bags with them have not publicly reported an increase to their shrink numbers as a result, but that does not mean that those incidents are not happening.
As more retailers sell reusable bags, customers are bringing those same bags along with them on other shopping trips. Even if your particular store does not sell or encourage reusable bags, you can plan on their usage at some point in your store as their popularity with shoppers increases.
This is a prime example of how retail theft prevention needs to be more than a simple EAS device. It needs to stay on top of current trends to understand how different methods of loss can affect your store so you can be prepared to stop shoplifting.
To tackle the issue of shoplifters utilizing a shopping bag to conceal and steal merchandise, one must understand that this is not a new concept. Shoplifters have been using their own backpacks, purses, and duffels to steal product well before reusable bags became popular. Another trick was for shoplifters to take store plastic bags from cash wrap and then stuff merchandise into those- making it seem like they had actually purchased the items inside.
The flip side is that many legitimate customers come back into a store with a store plastic bag with merchandise to be returned. Sometimes the customer will take the bag and the product through the sales floor to find the merchandise they would like to exchange it with.
Because of this and other customer service issues, simply prohibiting customers from walking around the store with bags is not only a logistical nightmare but is not a practical or efficient was to stop shoplifting. In fact you will probably loose more paying customers by offending them, than you will deter shoplifters.
Actual shoplifters are sneaky, and will only hide their bags until they need to conceal merchandise within them, if all bags are prohibited on the sales floor. A better option is to allow customers to keep their bags with them, but maintain vigilance on how they are used. A warning flag would be if the customers are opening their bags or putting things inside of them. Most typical shoppers will keep all of their bags folded up together (or folded inside one of their bags) until it is time to check out.
Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase Anti-Shoplifting devices and your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system from Checkpoint Systems to stop shoplifting in your store.
For more information on Anti-Shoplifting, Checkpoint Labels, a Checkpoint Security System, Checkpoint Security Tags, Checkpoint Systems, or Checkpoint Tags and how they can work with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system contact us at Retail theft prevention to Stop Shoplifting in your store or call 1.770.426.0547
California has legislation that will ban the practice of giving single use, plastic bags to carry purchased products from a store. Instead, grocers an the like will be required to have reusable shopping bags available for customer purchase, or charge a minimal fee per paper bag used to carry purchases. While there are many concerns posed to this new regulation, one of them is whether making customers carry their own bags around the store with them will lead to an increase in shoplifting incidents.
The concept of a reusable shopping bag is not new. Many grocers and retailers have been hopping on the “green” bandwagon for many years now. Some grocers in other states have even given a bag discount to shoppers who use their own bag instead of a paper or plastic one for the store. These stores who have voluntarily been encouraging their shoppers to bring reusable bags with them have not publicly reported an increase to their shrink numbers as a result, but that does not mean that those incidents are not happening.
As more retailers sell reusable bags, customers are bringing those same bags along with them on other shopping trips. Even if your particular store does not sell or encourage reusable bags, you can plan on their usage at some point in your store as their popularity with shoppers increases.
This is a prime example of how retail theft prevention needs to be more than a simple EAS device. It needs to stay on top of current trends to understand how different methods of loss can affect your store so you can be prepared to stop shoplifting.
To tackle the issue of shoplifters utilizing a shopping bag to conceal and steal merchandise, one must understand that this is not a new concept. Shoplifters have been using their own backpacks, purses, and duffels to steal product well before reusable bags became popular. Another trick was for shoplifters to take store plastic bags from cash wrap and then stuff merchandise into those- making it seem like they had actually purchased the items inside.
The flip side is that many legitimate customers come back into a store with a store plastic bag with merchandise to be returned. Sometimes the customer will take the bag and the product through the sales floor to find the merchandise they would like to exchange it with.
Because of this and other customer service issues, simply prohibiting customers from walking around the store with bags is not only a logistical nightmare but is not a practical or efficient was to stop shoplifting. In fact you will probably loose more paying customers by offending them, than you will deter shoplifters.
Actual shoplifters are sneaky, and will only hide their bags until they need to conceal merchandise within them, if all bags are prohibited on the sales floor. A better option is to allow customers to keep their bags with them, but maintain vigilance on how they are used. A warning flag would be if the customers are opening their bags or putting things inside of them. Most typical shoppers will keep all of their bags folded up together (or folded inside one of their bags) until it is time to check out.
Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase Anti-Shoplifting devices and your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system from Checkpoint Systems to stop shoplifting in your store.
For more information on Anti-Shoplifting, Checkpoint Labels, a Checkpoint Security System, Checkpoint Security Tags, Checkpoint Systems, or Checkpoint Tags and how they can work with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system contact us at Retail theft prevention to Stop Shoplifting in your store or call 1.770.426.0547
