Retail Theft Prevention-4 WC Blog 657
Sensormatic security systems-4
Retail Theft Prevention Is Not An Impossible Mission
I know that an article about retail theft prevention may seem an odd place to find a commentary on a movie but I just saw the movie, “Mission Impossible Fallout” and I thought it was fantastic. From start to finish it kept me on the edge of my seat and I left the cinema feeling like I got every bit of my money’s worth out of it. No, I won’t give any spoilers if you haven’t seen it, I’m not THAT guy. What I will say is from a return on investment perspective I was not disappointed in the least. That is my tie-in with this article. Have you ever been disappointed with a product that was supposed to enhance the security of your store and felt like it didn’t meet expectations? Maybe you have an alarm system that never seems to work properly and you get calls from the alarm company in the middle of the night due to malfunctions. It could be you have a credit card service that is not available to resolve issues for your point of sale after 5pm or on weekends, you know, the times a retail business is open. It could be you wanted to reduce theft and someone sold you an electronic article surveillance system at a bargain price and now you can’t get the support you need. Could you be getting defective tags and labels that never seem to activate your system when they should or maybe the deactivation pads don’t deactivate? All of these things can hinder your ability to provide the service your customers want from your store or won’t prevent the shortage YOU expect it to. Sensormatic security systems has been around for a long time and that doesn’t happen when a business doesn’t deliver on promises.
One way I decide I am going to view a movie is I look at the plot, the actors and occasionally the reviews. Having been a fan of the Mission Impossible series since the television days (and I even met Peter Graves for about 1 minute), and having watched the other movies in the series I can look at the proven track record and feel confident that the next movie will be great too. With an eye to retail theft prevention I can look at the track record of a company as a benchmark for their product. Sensormatic security systems is celebrating 50 years in retail electronic surveillance. According to their website they installed systems on a trial basis in stores. “A Los Angeles retailer using the system reported a decline in shrink from 5% to almost zero.” A lot has changed both in how thieves steal and in technology but this company continues to be a leader in the industry.
As a Loss Prevention Professional I used Sensormatic security systems tags and towers. I have witnessed the deterrence ability of tags when shoplifters could not remove them and I have seen the consistency of the tags alarming at the pedestals near the doors of a store. The Sensormatic brand is so reliable in retail theft prevention that Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. also a leader in retail theft reduction consulting services recommends the systems to clients. Reliability and dependability are two key factors in finding a system that will effectively reduce shortage.
Retail theft prevention is not an impossible mission for retailers. By installing a Sensormatic security system and consulting with Retail Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. you can get a superb return on your investment. Spoiler alert! Invest in a system and you will drive criminals out and put profits back in to your store.
Need information on Sensormatic security systems? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
I know that an article about retail theft prevention may seem an odd place to find a commentary on a movie but I just saw the movie, “Mission Impossible Fallout” and I thought it was fantastic. From start to finish it kept me on the edge of my seat and I left the cinema feeling like I got every bit of my money’s worth out of it. No, I won’t give any spoilers if you haven’t seen it, I’m not THAT guy. What I will say is from a return on investment perspective I was not disappointed in the least. That is my tie-in with this article. Have you ever been disappointed with a product that was supposed to enhance the security of your store and felt like it didn’t meet expectations? Maybe you have an alarm system that never seems to work properly and you get calls from the alarm company in the middle of the night due to malfunctions. It could be you have a credit card service that is not available to resolve issues for your point of sale after 5pm or on weekends, you know, the times a retail business is open. It could be you wanted to reduce theft and someone sold you an electronic article surveillance system at a bargain price and now you can’t get the support you need. Could you be getting defective tags and labels that never seem to activate your system when they should or maybe the deactivation pads don’t deactivate? All of these things can hinder your ability to provide the service your customers want from your store or won’t prevent the shortage YOU expect it to. Sensormatic security systems has been around for a long time and that doesn’t happen when a business doesn’t deliver on promises.
One way I decide I am going to view a movie is I look at the plot, the actors and occasionally the reviews. Having been a fan of the Mission Impossible series since the television days (and I even met Peter Graves for about 1 minute), and having watched the other movies in the series I can look at the proven track record and feel confident that the next movie will be great too. With an eye to retail theft prevention I can look at the track record of a company as a benchmark for their product. Sensormatic security systems is celebrating 50 years in retail electronic surveillance. According to their website they installed systems on a trial basis in stores. “A Los Angeles retailer using the system reported a decline in shrink from 5% to almost zero.” A lot has changed both in how thieves steal and in technology but this company continues to be a leader in the industry.
As a Loss Prevention Professional I used Sensormatic security systems tags and towers. I have witnessed the deterrence ability of tags when shoplifters could not remove them and I have seen the consistency of the tags alarming at the pedestals near the doors of a store. The Sensormatic brand is so reliable in retail theft prevention that Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. also a leader in retail theft reduction consulting services recommends the systems to clients. Reliability and dependability are two key factors in finding a system that will effectively reduce shortage.
Retail theft prevention is not an impossible mission for retailers. By installing a Sensormatic security system and consulting with Retail Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. you can get a superb return on your investment. Spoiler alert! Invest in a system and you will drive criminals out and put profits back in to your store.
Need information on Sensormatic security systems? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Checkpoint Labels-5 WC Blog 501
Electronic Article Surveillance-4
Properly Respond To Electronic Article Surveillance Alarms
I write a lot about the benefits of using Checkpoint labels to protect merchandise from theft but I realized I do not necessarily do an adequate job of providing guidance on how to respond to electronic article surveillance alarms. I am going to spend some time in the article talking to you about the do’s and don’ts of alarm activations. It may sound like it is easy to do but issues can arise if an employee does it incorrectly.
You may be new to the world of electronic article surveillance and how it works so before I go too far into my article I am going to delve into it a bit here. Electronic article surveillance is used to protect merchandise through radio wave transmissions. Checkpoint labels come in several versions but are basically peel off labels with circuitry built into them. The circuitry sends out a radio wave on a specific frequency and this radio wave can be picked up by Checkpoint pedestals which are receivers. The pedestals are located near store entrances/exits or areas where merchandise is not to be taken into. When a tag has not been de-sensitized at a point of sale and the merchandise it is attached to is carried too close to a pedestal an alarm sounds. It is this alarm that requires a response and if a store is doing everything properly alarms will result in merchandise recoveries. In this way Checkpoint labels prevent shoplifters from stealing merchandise in stores where training is a focus.
I am sure there are some of you out there who are wondering how anyone could mess up a response to an alarm pedestal. There are a several ways to do this and I think I can safely say that over my 27 years in retail and Retail Loss Prevention I have probably seen most of them. To respond to an alarm activation properly store employees must:
• Be trained – I have watched employees just walk up and look into a customer’s bag and start rifling through it looking for the piece of merchandise the caused a problem. You have to be sure that employees responding to Checkpoint label alarms understand they have to respect the rights of the customer. The customer has the right to refuse to allow someone to look through their personal belongings. A store may reserve the right to look through a store shopping bag but it better be clearly posted in plain view. The approach to getting someone to give permission is key to having a successful deterrent program.
• This leads to my next point an employee must be personable and friendly when approaching someone who has activated an alarm. One thing that happens is that an employee may approach someone who is standing at a door waiting for a responder following an alarm. The customer waiting may not have been the one to activate the alarm. If multiple people are leaving about the same time, one person may set off the alarm carrying merchandise with active Checkpoint labels on them. The person who set off the alarm continued to walk out while an innocent person may just be trying to make sure they did not cause the alarm. Walking up to that person and treating them like a shoplifter can lead to all sorts of problems. Politeness and tact are going to resolve alarms and in the majority of cases result in the recovery of merchandise.
• An employee responding to alarm activations has to be able to give excuses to a potential shoplifter. What I mean is this, when responding to a pedestal alarm if someone IS trying to steal there is a better chance of getting merchandise back if the responder can say words like, “Is there something in your bag the cashier may have overlooked?” or, “Sometimes people get their hands full and accidently put things in their pockets or purses intending to take it out and forget they had it until they get to the door.” Being smart and diplomatic can pay off in a big way.
• A responder must also be able to deal with angry and upset patrons. Someone attempting to steal may try to display an attitude and act indignant in order to embarrass or intimidate the employee and get them to just send them out the door. Training should include how to de-escalate a tense situation without giving in to the temptation to just get the person out the door. An employee who gets tense or angry can make a situation explosive.
How your team responds to alarms can be the difference between antagonizing people and making substantial recoveries. Follow these suggestions and you can be sure you are optimizing your electronic article surveillance pedestals and tags and staying profitable.
Need information on electronic article surveillance? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
I write a lot about the benefits of using labels to protect merchandise from theft but I realized I do not necessarily do an adequate job of providing guidance on how to respond to electronic article surveillance alarms. I am going to spend some time in the article talking to you about the do’s and don’ts of alarm activations. It may sound like it is easy to do but issues can arise if an employee does it incorrectly.
You may be new to the world of electronic article surveillance (EAS) and how it works so before I go too far into my article I am going to delve into it a bit here. Electronic article surveillance is used to protect merchandise through radio wave transmissions. EAS labels come in several versions but are basically peel off labels with circuitry built into them. The circuitry sends out a radio wave on a specific frequency and this radio wave can be picked up by EAS pedestals which are receivers. The pedestals are located near store entrances/exits or areas where merchandise is not to be taken into. When a tag has not been de-sensitized at a point of sale and the merchandise it is attached to is carried too close to a pedestal an alarm sounds. It is this alarm that requires a response and if a store is doing everything properly alarms will result in merchandise recoveries. In this way EAS labels prevent shoplifters from stealing merchandise in stores where training is a focus.
I am sure there are some of you out there who are wondering how anyone could mess up a response to an alarm pedestal. There are a several ways to do this and I think I can safely say that over my 27 years in retail and Retail Loss Prevention I have probably seen most of them. To respond to an alarm activation properly store employees must:
• Be trained – I have watched employees just walk up and look into a customer’s bag and start rifling through it looking for the piece of merchandise the caused a problem. You have to be sure that employees responding to EAS label alarms understand they have to respect the rights of the customer. The customer has the right to refuse to allow someone to look through their personal belongings. A store may reserve the right to look through a store shopping bag but it better be clearly posted in plain view. The approach to getting someone to give permission is key to having a successful deterrent program.
• This leads to my next point an employee must be personable and friendly when approaching someone who has activated an alarm. One thing that happens is that an employee may approach someone who is standing at a door waiting for a responder following an alarm. The customer waiting may not have been the one to activate the alarm. If multiple people are leaving about the same time, one person may set off the alarm carrying merchandise with active EAS labels on them. The person who set off the alarm continued to walk out while an innocent person may just be trying to make sure they did not cause the alarm. Walking up to that person and treating them like a shoplifter can lead to all sorts of problems. Politeness and tact are going to resolve alarms and in the majority of cases result in the recovery of merchandise.
• An employee responding to alarm activations has to be able to give excuses to a potential shoplifter. What I mean is this, when responding to a pedestal alarm if someone IS trying to steal there is a better chance of getting merchandise back if the responder can say words like, “Is there something in your bag the cashier may have overlooked?” or, “Sometimes people get their hands full and accidently put things in their pockets or purses intending to take it out and forget they had it until they get to the door.” Being smart and diplomatic can pay off in a big way.
• A responder must also be able to deal with angry and upset patrons. Someone attempting to steal may try to display an attitude and act indignant in order to embarrass or intimidate the employee and get them to just send them out the door. Training should include how to de-escalate a tense situation without giving in to the temptation to just get the person out the door. An employee who gets tense or angry can make a situation explosive.
How your team responds to alarms can be the difference between antagonizing people and making substantial recoveries. Follow these suggestions and you can be sure you are optimizing your electronic article surveillance pedestals and tags and staying profitable.
Need information on electronic article surveillance? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Employment drug screening-4 WC Blog 533
Drug Testing-5
Employment Drug Screening Saves Money And Productivity
If using employment drug screening is not part of your hiring process you may want to reconsider that choice. Look at these statistics according to the DWI Resource Center (dwiresourcecenter.org):
• Workers who are heavy drinkers or illicit drug users are twice as likely as non-users to have been fired by an employer in the last year.
• Missed two or three days of work in the past month.
• Up to 40 percent of industrial fatalities can be linked to alcohol abuse and alcoholism
• Drug-abusing employees are 3.6 times more likely to be involved in workplace accidents and five times more likely to file a worker’s comp. claim
• Substance abusers are three time more likely to use medical benefits than other employees
• 80 percent of drug abusers steal from their workplaces to support their drug habits.
• Substance abuse is the third leading cause of workplace violence.
With those kinds of numbers it only makes sense to minimize the chance you are bringing a drug or alcohol abuser into your workplace as a team member. Bill Bregar, Founder and CEO of Loss Prevention Systems Inc. has introduced employment drug screening as part of the company’s efforts to make retail businesses more profitable. Those of us who have worked as Retail Loss Prevention Managers understand the baggage drug users bring with them to a job.
Not everyone is aware of what employment drug screening is or what it involves. It can be two or three types that help employers keep their stores and businesses free of risks associated with drug and alcohol users. The first is drug testing prior to hiring a job candidate. A manager decides on a person they want to hire for a position but prior to making a formal offer the candidate is sent to a lab for a sample to be collected. In most cases this is a urine or blood sample but there are some labs that will conduct hair testing. The lab tests for illegal drugs in the sample and the results of the tests are submitted to the employer. If a candidate fails the employer may decline to formally offer the job. The other drug testing takes place when an employee who is already working for a business has an accident on the job. In this case the employer requires the worker to go to a lab or a medical facility to be tested for drugs or alcohol that may be in their system. Being able to demonstrate that an accident was due to the employee being under the influence may reduce the employer’s responsibility and provide cause for firing that worker. The third drug testing is called a random drug screening and is not as prevalent as the other two. It is often used in sports, the military and law enforcement but there is nothing that would prevent a private employer from using it. The key is to have the employee sign an agreement of understanding when hired that they know they could be asked to submit to a test at random. As a side note all of this documentation and testing is easy to track and follow simply by using Loss Prevention System’s Job Applicant Management System.
I know first-hand that employment drug screening works. I had a gentleman I wanted to hire onto my Loss Prevention team. He was a veteran and he had been injured while in the service. He interviewed well and we forwarded his information for a background check and sent him for drug testing. The result came back with a request from the lab asking the applicant for clarifying information. It turned out he was using a “prescription” drug from another state that permitted marijuana to be used in pain killers. Because the drug is not recognized nationally due to the inclusion of marijuana I could not (nor would I have chosen to) hire this applicant.
I have also been involved with an investigation in the workplace of an employee who was injured while working. He was fine when he came to work but we suspected he had been drinking on the job. When the accident took place we had the Human Resources Manager call for a cab to take the employee to the testing lab. The employee refused to go. He was fired for refusing to get a drug testing completed.
Don’t allow an employee’s use of drugs or alcohol impact your business. Whether it is time away from work, injuries or inappropriate behavior impaired workers can hurt your store. Use employment drug screening and prevent problems from starting in the first place.
Employment Drug Screening is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
If using employment drug screening is not part of your hiring process you may want to reconsider that choice. Look at these statistics according to the DWI Resource Center (dwiresourcecenter.org):
• Workers who are heavy drinkers or illicit drug users are twice as likely as non-users to have been fired by an employer in the last year.
• Missed two or three days of work in the past month.
• Up to 40 percent of industrial fatalities can be linked to alcohol abuse and alcoholism
• Drug-abusing employees are 3.6 times more likely to be involved in workplace accidents and five times more likely to file a worker’s comp. claim
• Substance abusers are three time more likely to use medical benefits than other employees
• 80 percent of drug abusers steal from their workplaces to support their drug habits.
• Substance abuse is the third leading cause of workplace violence.With those kinds of numbers it only makes sense to minimize the chance you are bringing a drug or alcohol abuser into your workplace as a team member. Bill Bregar, Founder and CEO of Loss Prevention Systems Inc. has introduced employment drug screening as part of the company’s efforts to make retail businesses more profitable. Those of us who have worked as Retail Loss Prevention Managers understand the baggage drug users bring with them to a job.
Not everyone is aware of what employment drug screening is or what it involves. It can be two or three types that help employers keep their stores and businesses free of risks associated with drug and alcohol users. The first is drug testing prior to hiring a job candidate. A manager decides on a person they want to hire for a position but prior to making a formal offer the candidate is sent to a lab for a sample to be collected. In most cases this is a urine or blood sample but there are some labs that will conduct hair testing. The lab tests for illegal drugs in the sample and the results of the tests are submitted to the employer. If a candidate fails the employer may decline to formally offer the job. The other drug testing takes place when an employee who is already working for a business has an accident on the job. In this case the employer requires the worker to go to a lab or a medical facility to be tested for drugs or alcohol that may be in their system. Being able to demonstrate that an accident was due to the employee being under the influence may reduce the employer’s responsibility and provide cause for firing that worker. The third drug testing is called a random drug screening and is not as prevalent as the other two. It is often used in sports, the military and law enforcement but there is nothing that would prevent a private employer from using it. The key is to have the employee sign an agreement of understanding when hired that they know they could be asked to submit to a test at random. As a side note all of this documentation and testing is easy to track and follow simply by using Loss Prevention System’s Job Applicant Management System.
I know first-hand that employment drug screening works. I had a gentleman I wanted to hire onto my Loss Prevention team. He was a veteran and he had been injured while in the service. He interviewed well and we forwarded his information for a background check and sent him for drug testing. The result came back with a request from the lab asking the applicant for clarifying information. It turned out he was using a “prescription” drug from another state that permitted marijuana to be used in pain killers. Because the drug is not recognized nationally due to the inclusion of marijuana I could not (nor would I have chosen to) hire this applicant.
I have also been involved with an investigation in the workplace of an employee who was injured while working. He was fine when he came to work but we suspected he had been drinking on the job. When the accident took place we had the Human Resources Manager call for a cab to take the employee to the testing lab. The employee refused to go. He was fired for refusing to get a drug testing completed.
Don’t allow an employee’s use of drugs or alcohol impact your business. Whether it is time away from work, injuries or inappropriate behavior impaired workers can hurt your store. Use employment drug screening and prevent problems from starting in the first place.
Employment Drug Screening is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Stop Shoplifting – 4 WC Blog 634
Employee theft reduction training-3
With The Increase In Aggression Should Retailers Try To Stop Shoplifting?
With all of the recent stories on aggressive shoplifters, it is fair to ask if it makes sense to try to stop shoplifting. Preventing theft has to be a focus of store owners and managers. When store shortage on average is 1.33% and approximately 35.7% of that shrinkage is due to shoplifting, it only makes sense to try to stop it. According to the 2018 National Retail Security Survey, page 5, “Shoplifting has again surpassed employee theft as the leading cause of shrink for the fourth year in a row.” Think about what this means, more than one third of all of the losses your store is experiencing is caused by criminals walking in and taking your merchandise without paying for it. This leaves store owners with the following alternatives; allow theft to continue unabated, raise prices on merchandise to make up for the losses or teach staff how to prevent shoplifting through employee theft reduction training. The only solution that makes any real sense is to train employees and here are my reasons for it.
• If you allow theft to continue and make no effort to combat it, thieves will take advantage of your store. When an easy target is identified crooks will return to it because the rewards far outweigh the risks to them personally.
• Doing nothing to deter or stop shoplifting is an invitation to other more serious crime. Don’t think that word doesn’t spread in the criminal community about locations that are easy pickings. It may begin with shoplifting but it is not unheard of that car break-ins, robberies, purse snatchings and assaults creep in these places over time.
• When criminal activity grows around a store or a mall customers will stop shopping there. This in turn leads to reduced sales and at some point if sales go too low shops close up their doors…permanently.
• Increasing prices to make up for shortage rather than addressing root causes hurts customers not the thieves. Clients may be willing to spend a bit more cash for merchandise in a store with great customer service or a pleasant shopping atmosphere. Increasing prices too much and regardless of how wonderful service is, shoppers will eventually revolt and take their money elsewhere.
Ignoring shoplifting is not going to make it go away and worse, it may discourage customers from shopping in your store(s).
The concern that is then placed in front of store owners is how to address shoplifting if doing so is a potentially dangerous prospect due to violent offenders. The first thing that responsible business owners MUST do is provide employee theft reduction training to their workers. Employees are the first line of defense against criminal activity. That greeting and eye contact go a lot further than you may think in stopping a crook from snatching your merchandise. Additionally small things such as how to talk to a customer and how NOT to talk to them can make a difference in theft prevention. Is it the job of an employee to “identify” who may or may not be a criminal? To keep staff members safe while improving sales and driving out theft related shortage stores need to invest in training by a company that “has been there and done that.” Loss Prevention Systems Inc. CEO, Bill Bregar has put together that training program. As a Director of Loss Prevention for national retail companies Bill used his experience to design a program that is guaranteed to bring results and keep employees safe. As a Loss Prevention professional with years of experience training employees and teaching them how to stay safe, I have seen the training offered and I am totally impressed.
Installation of closed circuit television cameras, public view monitors, and retail anti-theft devices are all pieces of a shortage prevention strategy that owners should consider to stop shoplifting. Unfortunately none of these pieces guarantees the safety of store workers. Employee theft reduction training is the one thing that owners can do to add safety as well as security to their stores. Remember, when employees feel they have the tools to stay safe and still deter theft they are going to be willing to offer customer service that will also enhance sales. That is a winning combination for you and your team.
For more information on employee theft reduction training contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
With all of the recent stories on aggressive shoplifters, it is fair to ask if it makes sense to try to stop shoplifting. Preventing theft has to be a focus of store owners and managers. When store shortage on average is 1.33% and approximately 35.7% of that shrinkage is due to shoplifting, it only makes sense to try to stop it. According to the 2018 National Retail Security Survey, page 5, “Shoplifting has again surpassed employee theft as the leading cause of shrink for the fourth year in a row.” Think about what this means, more than one third of all of the losses your store is experiencing is caused by criminals walking in and taking your merchandise without paying for it. This leaves store owners with the following alternatives; allow theft to continue unabated, raise prices on merchandise to make up for the losses or teach staff how to prevent shoplifting through employee theft reduction training. The only solution that makes any real sense is to train employees and here are my reasons for it.
• If you allow theft to continue and make no effort to combat it, thieves will take advantage of your store. When an easy target is identified crooks will return to it because the rewards far outweigh the risks to them personally.
• Doing nothing to deter or stop shoplifting is an invitation to other more serious crime. Don’t think that word doesn’t spread in the criminal community about locations that are easy pickings. It may begin with shoplifting but it is not unheard of that car break-ins, robberies, purse snatchings and assaults creep in these places over time.
• When criminal activity grows around a store or a mall customers will stop shopping there. This in turn leads to reduced sales and at some point if sales go too low shops close up their doors…permanently.
• Increasing prices to make up for shortage rather than addressing root causes hurts customers not the thieves. Clients may be willing to spend a bit more cash for merchandise in a store with great customer service or a pleasant shopping atmosphere. Increasing prices too much and regardless of how wonderful service is, shoppers will eventually revolt and take their money elsewhere.Ignoring shoplifting is not going to make it go away and worse, it may discourage customers from shopping in your store(s).
The concern that is then placed in front of store owners is how to address shoplifting if doing so is a potentially dangerous prospect due to violent offenders. The first thing that responsible business owners MUST do is provide employee theft reduction training to their workers. Employees are the first line of defense against criminal activity. That greeting and eye contact go a lot further than you may think in stopping a crook from snatching your merchandise. Additionally small things such as how to talk to a customer and how NOT to talk to them can make a difference in theft prevention. Is it the job of an employee to “identify” who may or may not be a criminal? To keep staff members safe while improving sales and driving out theft related shortage stores need to invest in training by a company that “has been there and done that.” Loss Prevention Systems Inc. CEO, Bill Bregar has put together that training program. As a Director of Loss Prevention for national retail companies Bill used his experience to design a program that is guaranteed to bring results and keep employees safe. As a Loss Prevention professional with years of experience training employees and teaching them how to stay safe, I have seen the training offered and I am totally impressed.
Installation of closed circuit television cameras, public view monitors, and retail anti-theft devices are all pieces of a shortage prevention strategy that owners should consider to stop shoplifting. Unfortunately none of these pieces guarantees the safety of store workers. Employee theft reduction training is the one thing that owners can do to add safety as well as security to their stores. Remember, when employees feel they have the tools to stay safe and still deter theft they are going to be willing to offer customer service that will also enhance sales. That is a winning combination for you and your team.
For more information on employee theft reduction training, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
Stop shoplifting-3 WC Blog 656
Electronic Article Surveillance-4
Sensormatic Labels-3
Group Theft Can Be Prevented With The Help Of Sensormatic Labels
I remember the days when I was a Loss Prevention Officer and had to make choices on how to stop shoplifting by a group that was working together. The decisions were never easy. I had to consider if I had a partner working with me or was I alone that shift. If I was alone, did I have a manager working on whom I could depend to at least call the police for me or did I have a less than reliable manager on duty? If I was working alone I had to decide how I was going to approach the group when I was ready to stop them. These may not seem like hard choices but there were all kinds of consequences and unforeseen outcomes that could occur if I was not careful. In fact when watching a group I even had to decide who the main actor was and determine if THAT was going to be the one to maintain surveillance on. Once concealment began I had to stick with one person to watch especially if the group split up. When it comes to Retail Loss Prevention store owners have choices to make also and they aren’t always easy.
Do you, the store owner have a Loss Prevention program in place? Is it effective and what does it consist of in terms of people, equipment, theft deterrence, etc.? Who in your store knows your plan or what their role if any is to stop shoplifting? Allow me to pause for a moment and say this if you don’t have an electronic article surveillance system as part of your anti-theft strategy you need one (another choice to make, right?). Most people are familiar with these systems so I won’t belabor that point. What I will comment on is there are a number of systems on the market and finding one that is effective and has a variety of tags and labels available is important. Sensormatic labels and tags along with their electronic article surveillance towers fits that bill. They offer both radio frequency labels and acoustic magnetic tags that protect a wide range of merchandise and packaging materials. As someone who has tagged more items than he cares to remember I can vouch for the fact that having multiple tags and styles is vital for an effective security plan. Different products have different security needs and one size does not fit all. I’m going to tag a package of gum with a different device than a pair of shoes.
More likely than not, there is a store manager reading this who is thinking that they don’t need an electronic article surveillance system. They feel that their employees offer customer service and that is enough to prevent theft. As someone who has been in Loss Prevention for many years I am going to say that train of thought is flawed. The groups I was dealing with were astute in how they would commit their crimes. If they noticed that employees were providing customer service they would split up. Divide the store team and someone is going to get free to conceal merchandise. It was hard in a big box store to cover everyone, for a small or medium size retailer you will probably not have the personnel to match up one for one. Once your team is divided your store becomes free game. A force multiplier for YOU is to use Sensormatic labels to protect your merchandise and the towers at the front doors to alarm if a criminal tries to sneak goods out of the store.
In the department store I worked for as a Loss Prevention Officer we had multiple exits, I could never cover them all on my own or with a partner. BUT in the big box stores I worked for we had one entry/exit point and a single employee could respond to an electronic article surveillance alarm quickly and effectively. In a store with this equipment set up your team can offer the best customer service possible to deter shoplifters. But tagging merchandise and having one person near the front doors able to answer alarms means you don’t have to be concerned if you can’t keep up with every member of a suspicious party of customers.
You have decisions to make on how to stop shoplifting in your store(s) to stay profitable. With so many day to day managerial responsibilities to attend to this doesn’t need to be a difficult one to make. Tag merchandise with Sensormatic labels and add Sensormatic towers at your entrances and exits and you will see an immediate impact on theft reduction in your store. Multiply the impact of your customer service with Sensormatic.
Sensormatic labels are important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
I remember the days when I was a Loss Prevention Officer and had to make choices on how to stop shoplifting by a group that was working together. The decisions were never easy. I had to consider if I had a partner working with me or was I alone that shift. If I was alone, did I have a manager working on whom I could depend to at least call the police for me or did I have a less than reliable manager on duty? If I was working alone I had to decide how I was going to approach the group when I was ready to stop them. These may not seem like hard choices but there were all kinds of consequences and unforeseen outcomes that could occur if I was not careful. In fact when watching a group I even had to decide who the main actor was and determine if THAT was going to be the one to maintain surveillance on. Once concealment began I had to stick with one person to watch especially if the group split up. When it comes to Retail Loss Prevention store owners have choices to make also and they aren’t always easy.
Do you, the store owner have a Loss Prevention program in place? Is it effective and what does it consist of in terms of people, equipment, theft deterrence, etc.? Who in your store knows your plan or what their role if any is to stop shoplifting? Allow me to pause for a moment and say this if you don’t have an electronic article surveillance system as part of your anti-theft strategy you need one (another choice to make, right?). Most people are familiar with these systems so I won’t belabor that point. What I will comment on is there are a number of systems on the market and finding one that is effective and has a variety of tags and labels available is important. Sensormatic labels and tags along with their electronic article surveillance towers fits that bill. They offer both radio frequency labels and acoustic magnetic tags that protect a wide range of merchandise and packaging materials. As someone who has tagged more items than he cares to remember I can vouch for the fact that having multiple tags and styles is vital for an effective security plan. Different products have different security needs and one size does not fit all. I’m going to tag a package of gum with a different device than a pair of shoes.
More likely than not, there is a store manager reading this who is thinking that they don’t need an electronic article surveillance system. They feel that their employees offer customer service and that is enough to prevent theft. As someone who has been in Loss Prevention for many years I am going to say that train of thought is flawed. The groups I was dealing with were astute in how they would commit their crimes. If they noticed that employees were providing customer service they would split up. Divide the store team and someone is going to get free to conceal merchandise. It was hard in a big box store to cover everyone, for a small or medium size retailer you will probably not have the personnel to match up one for one. Once your team is divided your store becomes free game. A force multiplier for YOU is to use Sensormatic labels to protect your merchandise and the towers at the front doors to alarm if a criminal tries to sneak goods out of the store.
In the department store I worked for as a Loss Prevention Officer we had multiple exits, I could never cover them all on my own or with a partner. BUT in the big box stores I worked for we had one entry/exit point and a single employee could respond to an electronic article surveillance alarm quickly and effectively. In a store with this equipment set up your team can offer the best customer service possible to deter shoplifters. But tagging merchandise and having one person near the front doors able to answer alarms means you don’t have to be concerned if you can’t keep up with every member of a suspicious party of customers.
You have decisions to make on how to stop shoplifting in your store(s) to stay profitable. With so many day to day managerial responsibilities to attend to this doesn’t need to be a difficult one to make. Tag merchandise with Sensormatic labels and add Sensormatic towers at your entrances and exits and you will see an immediate impact on theft reduction in your store. Multiply the impact of your customer service with Sensormatic.
Sensormatic labels are important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
People Counting Systems-4 WC Blog 537
Customer Counting Device-5
People Counting Systems Can Help Safety Results
People counting systems assist stores in delivering improved sales results but there is another application that may be overlooked and can improve store safety and impact profitability. There can be areas in a store that may not receive as much foot traffic as other areas of a building. I harken back to my days as a Manager On Duty. I would walk the store checking on endcaps, merchandise presentation, full shelves, etc. My walks would include the entire store but it was evident from the presentation of merchandise in a few sections that not many customers walked by these areas. This would also indicate to me that there probably were not too many managers walking through those areas either. If an area is out of sight it is out of mind and so if there happen to be any safety issues in that department they could easily be overlooked by employees. A customer counting device can be set up in areas that seem to be off the beaten path in order to determine what the actual traffic counts are for that area of the store.
It is appropriate at this point to talk about what people counting systems are and how they work. Counting systems measure the number of people who pass by a device. Often the devices are attached to an entrance door. The data from a Checkpoint Visiplus System includes day and hourly information that owners and supervisors can use to help manage the business. Visiplus can also be attached to a Checkpoint tower and benefit stores in evaluating electronic article system alarms and responses. In these stores the customer counting device is helping to measure data that is useful in increasing sales as well as data that can help reduce shortage. If there is a need for it a device can be set up in a location within a store to track customer traffic. This is where a unit may be helpful in locating potential points where safety could be a concern for owners and managers.
When I was a Loss Prevention Manager I had several incidents of purse snatchings take place in my store. The customer left a purse or tote bag in a shopping cart and walked several feet away. The perpetrator would see the exposed bag and walk by, pick up the purse and walk away. Often the incidents took place in areas of the store where there was less patron activity. This meant there was minimal risk that a witness would be in the area who would see the crime take place. Knowing where these low activity areas were by analyzing the information from a customer counting device might have been useful. We could have alerted our other managers that this was an area they should frequent during the shift. An alternative would have been to send employees to walk through known low traffic areas as a deterrent to potential crime.
Another way the customer counting device can improve safety is that by identifying those low traffic areas your team may do more walk-throughs and find a safety concern that could be overlooked. The safety issues I am thinking of are spills that are not cleaned up leading to slip and fall accidents. They are broken floor tile or carpet that is in poor condition that could pose trip hazards. All it takes is for one customer to have an accident because something is not done to correct a safety problem and you are shelling out big money for a claim.
You should also note that if you can identify low traffic areas by using people counting systems you can try to find ways to direct more customer flow in that direction. It could be the use of signing to direct shoppers to a new display in those areas. Maybe moving popular categories of merchandise to those locations is a means to entice customers in that direction. Knowing what the actual patron foot print is in those areas means you can proactively address the issue of slow turnover merchandise.
Loss Prevention Systems Inc. recognizes the importance of store safety to the bottom line of retail businesses. They can help reduce risk in your establishment and improve sales with the purchase of a customer counting device. Install people counting systems and plan for decreased safety issues and increased profits.
For more information about people counting systems contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
People counting systems assist stores in delivering improved sales results but there is another application that may be overlooked and can improve store safety and impact profitability. There can be areas in a store that may not receive as much foot traffic as other areas of a building. I harken back to my days as a Manager On Duty. I would walk the store checking on endcaps, merchandise presentation, full shelves, etc. My walks would include the entire store but it was evident from the presentation of merchandise in a few sections that not many customers walked by these areas. This would also indicate to me that there probably were not too many managers walking through those areas either. If an area is out of sight it is out of mind and so if there happen to be any safety issues in that department they could easily be overlooked by employees. A customer counting device can be set up in areas that seem to be off the beaten path in order to determine what the actual traffic counts are for that area of the store.
It is appropriate at this point to talk about what people counting systems are and how they work. Counting systems measure the number of people who pass by a device. Often the devices are attached to an entrance door. The data from a people counter includes day and hourly information that owners and supervisors can use to help manage the business. Visiplus can also be attached to an EAS tower and benefit stores in evaluating electronic article system alarms and responses. In these stores the customer counting device is helping to measure data that is useful in increasing sales as well as data that can help reduce shortage. If there is a need for it a device can be set up in a location within a store to track customer traffic. This is where a unit may be helpful in locating potential points where safety could be a concern for owners and managers.
When I was a Loss Prevention Manager I had several incidents of purse snatchings take place in my store. The customer left a purse or tote bag in a shopping cart and walked several feet away. The perpetrator would see the exposed bag and walk by, pick up the purse and walk away. Often the incidents took place in areas of the store where there was less patron activity. This meant there was minimal risk that a witness would be in the area who would see the crime take place. Knowing where these low activity areas were by analyzing the information from a customer counting device might have been useful. We could have alerted our other managers that this was an area they should frequent during the shift. An alternative would have been to send employees to walk through known low traffic areas as a deterrent to potential crime.
Another way the customer counting device can improve safety is that by identifying those low traffic areas your team may do more walk-throughs and find a safety concern that could be overlooked. The safety issues I am thinking of are spills that are not cleaned up leading to slip and fall accidents. They are broken floor tile or carpet that is in poor condition that could pose trip hazards. All it takes is for one customer to have an accident because something is not done to correct a safety problem and you are shelling out big money for a claim.
You should also note that if you can identify low traffic areas by using people counting systems you can try to find ways to direct more customer flow in that direction. It could be the use of signing to direct shoppers to a new display in those areas. Maybe moving popular categories of merchandise to those locations is a means to entice customers in that direction. Knowing what the actual patron foot print is in those areas means you can proactively address the issue of slow turnover merchandise.
Loss Prevention Systems Inc. recognizes the importance of store safety to the bottom line of retail businesses. They can help reduce risk in your establishment and improve sales with the purchase of a customer counting device. Install people counting systems and plan for decreased safety issues and increased profits
.For more information about people counting systems, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
