iPad Theft-4 WC Blog 378
Tablet theft-4
Bug Tag-4
Could Increasing Use Of Mobile Medical Devices Lead To Stolen Patient Information? Not If A Bug Tag Is On A Tablet
We all know that mobile medical devices such as iPads and computer tablets are getting more and more use in hospitals, clinics, doctor’s offices and the medical field in general. We register as new patients on mobile devices at the front desk of a clinic, or we may be asked to complete medical histories on a nurse’s iPad. I was curious to know what the top uses of mobile devices actually is for doctors. According to a Wolters-Kluwer 2013 Physician Outlook Survey, the following were the mobile device uses by physicians (pg. 6):
Access to drug information (dosage calculators, side effects, interactions, etc.):
72% smartphone (e.g. iPhone, Droid) 55% tablets (e.g. iPad, Kindle Fire)
Communication with nurses and other staff:
44% smartphone 20% tablets
Access to medical research:
43% smartphone 63% tablets
Access to evidence based clinical reference tools at the point of care with patients:
42% smartphone 50% tablets
Communication with patients:
33% smartphone 17% tablets
Access to medical records/other patient data:
17% smartphone 43% tablets
Access to information for reimbursement/billing purposes:
12% smartphone 24% tablets
Other:
9% smartphone 13% tablets
Did you notice the “access to medical records/other patient data” and “access to information for reimbursement/billing” categories? Tablets and iPads are used significantly for looking at information specific to patients. What happens in the event of a Tablet theft or iPad theft? What information may be accessible by a thief?
The answer is, you don’t know how much of a patient’s information may be stolen and used for stealing identities, credit information, addresses, prescriptions, etc. Medical tablet theft and Ipad theft are very real problems and put patients and their medical providers at risk. Using a Bug Tag on each device owned by the medical facility can prevent theft and potential HIPPA violations. The tag is an electronic article surveillance (EAS) anti-theft device. It is placed directly on a table or other device and can’t be removed without activating a built in alarm that screeches at 95 decibels, alerting staff to an attempted theft. Facilities also install EAS pedestals at entrances that can detect a Bug Tag. If a criminal tries to walk out with a device that is tagged (or if an employee forgets they have a device with them and they try to leave the building) the tag sets off the EAS pedestal alarm. Again, employees respond and can recover it before a tablet theft or iPad theft can take place. It is also important to know that the Bug Tag does come in a “3 alarm” version that activates a built in alarm in the tag if a person were to continue walking past the pedestals into a parking lot. This alarm prevents a thief from blending into a crowd and getting away unnoticed.
Going back to the 2013 Physician Outlook Survey, consider the information we are looking at, this data is four years old or more. As the popularity of the devices has increased with more apps available to doctors and nurses and the time and paperwork they save is realized, the numbers of devices in use are greater. This means the opportunity for iPad theft and Tablet theft is greater as well, making the security of them even more important today than it was in 2013. I know from my own recent visits to two local hospitals and a clinic in my area that mobile device use has become the norm in the medical profession. A close family member of mine was in an ICU unit and when doctors made their rounds individually and as a group most of the members had iPads or tablets. When I recently was at a local clinic I signed in on an iPad. My wife has signed in at a minute clinic on a mounted iPad. It is clear that the wave of the future is the move from paper to electronic records. Protecting this data is critical.
Improving efficiency in the medical field ultimately improves patient care and can drive down costs. In doing so, it is imperative that patient information is protected in the process by preventing iPad theft through the use of a Bug Tag.
Need information on iPad theft? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
We all know that mobile medical devices such as iPads and computer tablets are getting more and more use in hospitals, clinics, doctor’s offices and the medical field in general. We register as new patients on mobile devices at the front desk of a clinic, or we may be asked to complete medical histories on a nurse’s iPad. I was curious to know what the top uses of mobile devices actually is for doctors. According to a Wolters-Kluwer 2013 Physician Outlook Survey, the following were the mobile device uses by physicians (pg. 6):
Access to drug information (dosage calculators, side effects, interactions, etc.):72% smartphone (e.g. iPhone, Droid) 55% tablets (e.g. iPad, Kindle Fire)
Communication with nurses and other staff:44% smartphone 20% tablets
Access to medical research:43% smartphone 63% tablets
Access to evidence based clinical reference tools at the point of care with patients:42% smartphone 50% tablets
Communication with patients:33% smartphone 17% tabletsAccess to medical records/other patient data:17% smartphone 43% tablets
Access to information for reimbursement/billing purposes:12% smartphone 24% tablets
Other:9% smartphone 13% tablets
Did you notice the “access to medical records/other patient data” and “access to information for reimbursement/billing” categories? Tablets and iPads are used significantly for looking at information specific to patients. What happens in the event of a Tablet theft or iPad theft? What information may be accessible by a thief?
The answer is, you don’t know how much of a patient’s information may be stolen and used for stealing identities, credit information, addresses, prescriptions, etc. Medical tablet theft and Ipad theft are very real problems and put patients and their medical providers at risk. Using a Bug Tag on each device owned by the medical facility can prevent theft and potential HIPPA violations. The tag is an electronic article surveillance (EAS) anti-theft device. It is placed directly on a table or other device and can’t be removed without activating a built in alarm that screeches at 95 decibels, alerting staff to an attempted theft. Facilities also install EAS pedestals at entrances that can detect a Bug Tag. If a criminal tries to walk out with a device that is tagged (or if an employee forgets they have a device with them and they try to leave the building) the tag sets off the EAS pedestal alarm. Again, employees respond and can recover it before a tablet theft or iPad theft can take place. It is also important to know that the Bug Tag does come in a “3 alarm” version that activates a built in alarm in the tag if a person were to continue walking past the pedestals into a parking lot. This alarm prevents a thief from blending into a crowd and getting away unnoticed.
Going back to the 2013 Physician Outlook Survey, consider the information we are looking at, this data is four years old or more. As the popularity of the devices has increased with more apps available to doctors and nurses and the time and paperwork they save is realized, the numbers of devices in use are greater. This means the opportunity for iPad theft and Tablet theft is greater as well, making the security of them even more important today than it was in 2013. I know from my own recent visits to two local hospitals and a clinic in my area that mobile device use has become the norm in the medical profession. A close family member of mine was in an ICU unit and when doctors made their rounds individually and as a group most of the members had iPads or tablets. When I recently was at a local clinic I signed in on an iPad. My wife has signed in at a minute clinic on a mounted iPad. It is clear that the wave of the future is the move from paper to electronic records. Protecting this data is critical.
Improving efficiency in the medical field ultimately improves patient care and can drive down costs. In doing so, it is imperative that patient information is protected in the process by preventing iPad theft through the use of a Bug Tag.
Need information on iPad theft? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Stop Shoplifting – 4 WC Blog 400
Checkpoint Labels –4
Electronic Article Surveillance – 4
Protect YOUR House; Checkpoint Labels Can Protect Your Store From Thieves Who Would Come In And Steal Your Profits
Like many people I enjoy watching sports and especially my two favorites, baseball and football. We have our favorite teams and root for them during their good seasons and their bad. We stick with them and support them buying sports gear, jerseys, hats, stickers for our cars and some even fly their team’s flag outside their home. There is a motto among teams now, picked up from the active wear company Under Armour, “Protect This House”. The motto, according to the website reference .com, “…is a call to all competitors who use their products to stand firm in their resolve to win.” Our teams are challenged to protect their home stadium, don’t allow ANY competitor to come into OUR stadium and think they can beat us. We fans go to the stadium and yell, scream and stomp our feet to motivate our players. When our team isn’t playing we often cheer on the underdog, we love to see the little guy, the not-so-well known team seemingly defeat all odds to take home the championship. I think of the 2016 College World Series when the relatively unknown Coastal Carolina Chanticleers took on the University of Florida, TCU, Texas Tech, and finally the University of Arizona to take home the NCAA Championship. New fans started rooting for the little school who took on all of the traditional powerhouse schools. It was said the vendors couldn’t keep Chanticleer merchandise in stock. If an active wear company recognizes the impact of the statement, “Protect This House”, you should recognize it for your store. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. roots for the little guy too, the small stores fighting to be successful. They recognize that little stores don’t have the resources of the big box retailers to stop shoplifting, like a dedicated Loss Prevention department. They offer the best alternative to a dedicated L.P. department for those who can’t afford one.
From Electronic Article Surveillance towers to Checkpoint labels, LPSI has the tools that are proven to stop shoplifting and improve profits for stores. The tools work in two ways, first when thieves walk into a store and spot electronic article surveillance towers at the front doors they know that merchandise in the store is going to be protected. This tends to make the criminals nervous about trying to steal from the store, especially if they step in and see employees greeting customers and providing excellent customer service. The Checkpoint labels on merchandise deter theft as criminals are looking for tags to see how serious the store is about their anti-theft strategy. They don’t like to risk trying to steal merchandise that may set off the towers at the doors. The second way the electronic article surveillance tools stop shoplifting is when tagged merchandise is carried too close to the towers and the alarms in the tower are set off. Store staff immediately answers the alarm and conduct receipt checks. Is merchandise hidden in a purse? It doesn’t matter, Checkpoint labels can be detected through purses, in bags or even if merchandise is hidden in a pocket or under the clothes a criminal is wearing. Recovered merchandise stays in the store and shortage is prevented. Eventually the professional shoplifters stay away from stores that have towers and labels and superior service. Even the casual shoplifter gets the message after setting off an alarm once and being stopped while trying to steal.
It sounds good but you still aren’t sure you would know how to respond to alarms, place Checkpoint labels on merchandise or even identify who may try to steal? LPSI can provide training to store management teams and owners on how to stop shoplifting, recognize signs someone may be a shoplifter or even a dishonest employee. They can teach about anti-theft tools such as electronic article surveillance towers and how to maximize the effectiveness of them in a store. The folks at LPSI want to help you protect YOUR house by lowering your merchandise shrinkage and improving your bottom line. They are rooting for the underdog and have the knowledge and tools to help your business soar to new heights.
Checkpoint labels are important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Like many people I enjoy watching sports and especially my two favorites, baseball and football. We have our favorite teams and root for them during their good seasons and their bad. We stick with them and support them buying sports gear, jerseys, hats, stickers for our cars and some even fly their team’s flag outside their home. There is a motto among teams now, picked up from the active wear company Under Armour, “Protect This House”. The motto, according to the website reference .com, “…is a call to all competitors who use their products to stand firm in their resolve to win.” Our teams are challenged to protect their home stadium, don’t allow ANY competitor to come into OUR stadium and think they can beat us. We fans go to the stadium and yell, scream and stomp our feet to motivate our players. When our team isn’t playing we often cheer on the underdog, we love to see the little guy, the not-so-well known team seemingly defeat all odds to take home the championship. I think of the 2016 College World Series when the relatively unknown Coastal Carolina Chanticleers took on the University of Florida, TCU, Texas Tech, and finally the University of Arizona to take home the NCAA Championship. New fans started rooting for the little school who took on all of the traditional powerhouse schools. It was said the vendors couldn’t keep Chanticleer merchandise in stock. If an active wear company recognizes the impact of the statement, “Protect This House”, you should recognize it for your store. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. roots for the little guy too, the small stores fighting to be successful. They recognize that little stores don’t have the resources of the big box retailers to stop shoplifting, like a dedicated Loss Prevention department. They offer the best alternative to a dedicated L.P. department for those who can’t afford one.
From Electronic Article Surveillance towers to Checkpoint labels, LPSI has the tools that are proven to stop shoplifting and improve profits for stores. The tools work in two ways, first when thieves walk into a store and spot electronic article surveillance towers at the front doors they know that merchandise in the store is going to be protected. This tends to make the criminals nervous about trying to steal from the store, especially if they step in and see employees greeting customers and providing excellent customer service. The Checkpoint labels on merchandise deter theft as criminals are looking for tags to see how serious the store is about their anti-theft strategy. They don’t like to risk trying to steal merchandise that may set off the towers at the doors. The second way the electronic article surveillance tools stop shoplifting is when tagged merchandise is carried too close to the towers and the alarms in the tower are set off. Store staff immediately answers the alarm and conduct receipt checks. Is merchandise hidden in a purse? It doesn’t matter, Checkpoint labels can be detected through purses, in bags or even if merchandise is hidden in a pocket or under the clothes a criminal is wearing. Recovered merchandise stays in the store and shortage is prevented. Eventually the professional shoplifters stay away from stores that have towers and labels and superior service. Even the casual shoplifter gets the message after setting off an alarm once and being stopped while trying to steal.
It sounds good but you still aren’t sure you would know how to respond to alarms, place Checkpoint labels on merchandise or even identify who may try to steal? LPSI can provide training to store management teams and owners on how to stop shoplifting, recognize signs someone may be a shoplifter or even a dishonest employee. They can teach about anti-theft tools such as electronic article surveillance towers and how to maximize the effectiveness of them in a store. The folks at LPSI want to help you protect YOUR house by lowering your merchandise shrinkage and improving your bottom line. They are rooting for the underdog and have the knowledge and tools to help your business soar to new heights.
Checkpoint labels are important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Alpha Hang Tag-3 WC Blog 422
Retail Anti-Theft Devices-4
Prevent Shoplifting-3
Surprising Results When You Choose To Use Retail Anti-Theft Devices To Prevent Shoplifting
Surprises can be good and they can be not-so-good. Not long ago I received an unexpected Thank You card with a gift card inside of it for a restaurant chain. It was sent by an employer that for whom I work as a token of their appreciation. You can imagine my surprise at such a gift when it was completely out of the blue. To top it off, it came unbeknownst to the people in the office that sent it, on my wife and my 26th wedding anniversary! Several years ago my wife got our church friends to throw me a surprise birthday party. I am not a big fan of parties, especially when they are for me but the thoughtfulness of the get-together was overwhelming. Some surprises are not welcome like one time when I was working an overnight shift and the tire on our van blew out while my wife was driving it. I was not there to be able to assist her and she was not sure what to do. That same kind of surprise, something unexpected happening is part of what enhances the ability of retail anti-theft devices to prevent shoplifting.
Retail anti-theft devices such as the Alpha hang tag work in part because of the surprise a shoplifter gets when the tag activates the electronic article surveillance (EAS) towers at the front doors of a store. The Alpha hang tag is used on the hang tab of peg hook merchandise to make it difficult for a shoplifter to simply conceal the item in a pocket or purse and walk out of a store. For starters the tag prevents a thief from easily cutting merchandise off of a locking peg hook. The tag is a solid plastic material that snaps over the tab. It is designed to be removed at the point of sale only and requires a detachment key to take if off. For merchandise not on a locking peg hook it deters theft because the tags have a lock symbol on them and the words “security protected” printed on the front. If a criminal decides to try to steal product that has the tag on it the EAS towers sound a piercing alarm that gets the attention of store employees. This alarm frequently surprises the crook dumb enough to try to steal the item. The surprise of the alarm noise and flashing lights in the towers can and does prevent shoplifting by causing the bad guy to drop the goods. Dropped merchandise is recovered merchandise.
Thinking back on my Loss Prevention days I can recall a number of times when a shoplifter got near the doors with merchandise protected with retail anti-theft devices and the alarm was activated and a recovery was made due to dropped merchandise. I remember once when a customer had placed a pair of tagged sunglasses in his pocket and began to leave the store. The alarm sounded and he looked shocked, pulled the glasses out and tossed them down on the ground and ran. I had no intention of stopping him for theft since I had not seen the concealment but I was going to have my uniformed security officer stop him and conduct a receipt check. As it turned out it wasn’t necessary to do that. I have seen people walk up the doors, set off the alarm and as a cashier supervisor approached they pulled the item out and say that they forgot that they had placed it wherever it was they had concealed it. The power of an EAS alarm cannot be underestimated when you see it prevent shoplifting.
The element of surprise can work wonders when an Alpha hang tag and other EAS retail anti-theft devices are used to protect merchandise. It can be a nasty surprise for a shoplifter trying to get merchandise past EAS towers and the alarms activate. It can be a pleasant surprise for a retail owner when a tag deters a theft or causes merchandise to be dropped and a recovery is made. The payoff in reduced shortage and improved in-stocks will drive up sales and THAT is a VERY pleasant surprise indeed.
For more information about Alpha Hang Tag contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
Surprises can be good and they can be not-so-good. Not long ago I received an unexpected Thank You card with a gift card inside of it for a restaurant chain. It was sent by an employer that for whom I work as a token of their appreciation. You can imagine my surprise at such a gift when it was completely out of the blue. To top it off, it came unbeknownst to the people in the office that sent it, on my wife and my 26th wedding anniversary! Several years ago my wife got our church friends to throw me a surprise birthday party. I am not a big fan of parties, especially when they are for me but the thoughtfulness of the get-together was overwhelming. Some surprises are not welcome like one time when I was working an overnight shift and the tire on our van blew out while my wife was driving it. I was not there to be able to assist her and she was not sure what to do. That same kind of surprise, something unexpected happening is part of what enhances the ability of retail anti-theft devices to prevent shoplifting.
Retail anti-theft devices such as the Alpha hang tag work in part because of the surprise a shoplifter gets when the tag activates the electronic article surveillance (EAS) towers at the front doors of a store. The Alpha hang tag is used on the hang tab of peg hook merchandise to make it difficult for a shoplifter to simply conceal the item in a pocket or purse and walk out of a store. For starters the tag prevents a thief from easily cutting merchandise off of a locking peg hook. The tag is a solid plastic material that snaps over the tab. It is designed to be removed at the point of sale only and requires a detachment key to take if off. For merchandise not on a locking peg hook it deters theft because the tags have a lock symbol on them and the words “security protected” printed on the front. If a criminal decides to try to steal product that has the tag on it the EAS towers sound a piercing alarm that gets the attention of store employees. This alarm frequently surprises the crook dumb enough to try to steal the item. The surprise of the alarm noise and flashing lights in the towers can and does prevent shoplifting by causing the bad guy to drop the goods. Dropped merchandise is recovered merchandise.
Thinking back on my Loss Prevention days I can recall a number of times when a shoplifter got near the doors with merchandise protected with retail anti-theft devices and the alarm was activated and a recovery was made due to dropped merchandise. I remember once when a customer had placed a pair of tagged sunglasses in his pocket and began to leave the store. The alarm sounded and he looked shocked, pulled the glasses out and tossed them down on the ground and ran. I had no intention of stopping him for theft since I had not seen the concealment but I was going to have my uniformed security officer stop him and conduct a receipt check. As it turned out it wasn’t necessary to do that. I have seen people walk up the doors, set off the alarm and as a cashier supervisor approached they pulled the item out and say that they forgot that they had placed it wherever it was they had concealed it. The power of an EAS alarm cannot be underestimated when you see it prevent shoplifting.
The element of surprise can work wonders when an Alpha hang tag and other EAS retail anti-theft devices are used to protect merchandise. It can be a nasty surprise for a shoplifter trying to get merchandise past EAS towers and the alarms activate. It can be a pleasant surprise for a retail owner when a tag deters a theft or causes merchandise to be dropped and a recovery is made. The payoff in reduced shortage and improved in-stocks will drive up sales and THAT is a VERY pleasant surprise indeed.
For more information about Alpha Hang Tag, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
Pre-employment drug testing -4 WC Blog 508
Retail Theft Prevention – 3
Pre-employment Drug Testing Improves Profitability
Pre-employment drug testing and random drug screening in the workplace has become a controversial issue. On the one hand opponents claim it is an invasion of an individual’s privacy to ask them to submit to a drug test. The concern they have is that what someone does on their own time is their own business as long as they show up for work and do the job they were hired to do. On the other hand business owners have to be concerned on a number of levels. The liabilities they potentially face due to accidents or harm caused by employees to their customers, poor customer service, hindering retail theft prevention efforts and lost productivity are real issues. Consider the following stories:
• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics: “Overdoses from the non-medical use of drugs or alcohol while on the job increased from 165 in 2015 to 217 in 2016, a 32-percent increase.”
• “BMW was forced to shut down an assembly line for 40 minutes on March 3 – reportedly costing the company more than $1 million – after two drugged-out employees got high and collapsed while working, Bild reports.” The Drive, “Stoned Assembly Line Workers Cost BMW $1 Million in One Day, Report Claims”, by Aaron Brown, March 20, 2017.
• From a story in auburnpub.com, Sep 6, 2017, by Megan Barr, “Ex-employee admits stealing from Cayuga County non-profit to support drug habit”. “During his plea, he told Judge Mark Fandrich that he stole two snowblowers from CSCAA on Jan. 9. “I stole from my employer to support my drug habit.”
The potential problems for employers are real and have to be considered before a new employee is hired. How to minimize the chance of hiring someone who may use drugs in the workplace is not an easy question to answer but Loss Prevention Systems Inc. has the solution with pre-employment drug testing.
Drug screening may seem unpleasant but for the sake of the employer it is necessary. Usually it only involves a potential employee rendering a urine sample in a controlled environment where the chance of tampering with the sample is minimized. The sample bottle is sealed by a professional staff member and shipped out for testing or depending on the facility the testing is done on-sight. Results are usually obtained fairly quickly and returned to employer. Results that indicate the candidate has been using illegal or controlled substances are reported to the employer and a decision is made on how to proceed. In the case of controlled substances the candidate should be reporting in advance that they are on a prescription and be able to present a doctor’s note confirming that.
As you can see from the stories I listed in the first part of this article hiring someone who takes drugs can have an adverse effect on your business from retail theft prevention concerns to on-the-job injuries. You have no idea whether this candidate would injure him/herself while on your property. Are you aware that should an employee be injured on the job, according to the OSHA (Occupational Safety and Hazard Administration) “1. Requires employers to inform employees of their right to report work-related injuries and illnesses free from retaliation. 2. Clarifies the existing implicit requirement that an employer’s procedure for reporting work-related illnesses must be reasonable and not deter or discourage employees from reporting” https://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/finalrule/finalrule_faq.html In other words, should an employee be injured on the job they must feel safe to report it without fear of retaliation, this seems to even be if drugs are suspected to be involved. The policy FAQ section goes on to state, “The rule does not prohibit drug testing of employees. It only prohibits employers from using drug testing or the threat of drug testing as a form of retaliation against employees who report illnesses or injuries.” I would suggest that post-accident drug testing is pointless as it would appear that firing an employee who tests positive for drug use could be considered retaliation. Pre-employment drug testing BEFORE you make a final hiring decision on an applicant can save you headaches in the future.
In order to support your retail theft prevention efforts and to keep your store safe you need to conduct pre-employment drug testing. Don’t hire someone who may steal to support a drug habit or possibly have an on the job injury due to being high. Drug testing plays a critical role for employers to keep their stores profitable and safe. Be sure you are bringing the right people on your team that will support your goals of running a profitable business.
Need information on pre-employment drug testing? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk
Pre-employment drug testing and random drug screening in the workplace has become a controversial issue. On the one hand opponents claim it is an invasion of an individual’s privacy to ask them to submit to a drug test. The concern they have is that what someone does on their own time is their own business as long as they show up for work and do the job they were hired to do. On the other hand business owners have to be concerned on a number of levels. The liabilities they potentially face due to accidents or harm caused by employees to their customers, poor customer service, hindering retail theft prevention efforts and lost productivity are real issues. Consider the following stories:
• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics: “Overdoses from the non-medical use of drugs or alcohol while on the job increased from 165 in 2015 to 217 in 2016, a 32-percent increase.”
• “BMW was forced to shut down an assembly line for 40 minutes on March 3 – reportedly costing the company more than $1 million – after two drugged-out employees got high and collapsed while working, Bild reports.” The Drive, “Stoned Assembly Line Workers Cost BMW $1 Million in One Day, Report Claims”, by Aaron Brown, March 20, 2017.
• From a story in auburnpub.com, Sep 6, 2017, by Megan Barr, “Ex-employee admits stealing from Cayuga County non-profit to support drug habit”. “During his plea, he told Judge Mark Fandrich that he stole two snowblowers from CSCAA on Jan. 9. “I stole from my employer to support my drug habit.”
The potential problems for employers are real and have to be considered before a new employee is hired. How to minimize the chance of hiring someone who may use drugs in the workplace is not an easy question to answer but Loss Prevention Systems Inc. has the solution with pre-employment drug testing.
Drug screening may seem unpleasant but for the sake of the employer it is necessary. Usually it only involves a potential employee rendering a urine sample in a controlled environment where the chance of tampering with the sample is minimized. The sample bottle is sealed by a professional staff member and shipped out for testing or depending on the facility the testing is done on-sight. Results are usually obtained fairly quickly and returned to the employer. Results that indicate the candidate has been using illegal or controlled substances are reported to the employer and a decision is made on how to proceed. In the case of controlled substances the candidate should be reporting in advance that they are on a prescription and be able to present a doctor’s note confirming that.
As you can see from the stories I listed in the first part of this article hiring someone who takes drugs can have an adverse effect on your business from retail theft prevention concerns to on-the-job injuries. You have no idea whether this candidate would injure him/herself while on your property. Are you aware that should an employee be injured on the job, according to the OSHA (Occupational Safety and Hazard Administration) “1. Requires employers to inform employees of their right to report work-related injuries and illnesses free from retaliation. 2. Clarifies the existing implicit requirement that an employer’s procedure for reporting work-related illnesses must be reasonable and not deter or discourage employees from reporting” https://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/finalrule/finalrule_faq.html In other words, should an employee be injured on the job they must feel safe to report it without fear of retaliation, this seems to even be if drugs are suspected to be involved. The policy FAQ section goes on to state, “The rule does not prohibit drug testing of employees. It only prohibits employers from using drug testing or the threat of drug testing as a form of retaliation against employees who report illnesses or injuries.” I would suggest that post-accident drug testing is pointless as it would appear that firing an employee who tests positive for drug use could be considered retaliation. Pre-employment drug testing BEFORE you make a final hiring decision on an applicant can save you headaches in the future.
In order to support your retail theft prevention efforts and to keep your store safe you need to conduct pre-employment drug testing. Don’t hire someone who may steal to support a drug habit or possibly have an on the job injury due to being high. Drug testing plays a critical role for employers to keep their stores profitable and safe. Be sure you are bringing the right people on your team that will support your goals of running a profitable business.
Need information on pre-employment drug testing? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk
Customer Counting Systems-3 WC Blog 430
Door Counting Sensor4
A Door Counting Sensor Is A More Sensible Method To Allocate Payroll Than Old Sales Data
I work in a college library as a day shift supervisor. I have recently changed shifts from being an overnight supervisor in the same library for the past six years. The difference in positions is significant. Where I am used to working with only a few students in the building after 1:00am, I now have to adjust to having several hundred in the building at any given time. This means we provide more assistance, have more student workers during a shift and usually will have more staff at one time. We also have more resources on campus to refer a patron to when they have questions regarding their enrollment, classes, fines, etc. There are times when retail owners and managers have varying numbers of customers in their buildings too. Knowing when those differences take place and being able to track them by day of the week, hour of the day or a particular seasonal event enables store managers to adjust workloads around those times and utilize payroll dollars in a manner that makes sense. The question is, how do you track customer counts? Using customer counting systems is the most efficient means of doing this.
Customer counting systems keep track of the number of people entering a store by the hour of day. In our library we send a worker around with an iPad and they count the number of people we have on an hourly basis. A door counting sensor can alleviate this problem and for a store, a waste of payroll if someone is stationed at a door to count heads. They can provide electronic article surveillance (EAS) alarm response time for store managers to assess whether personnel are responding to alarms appropriately. The advantage of having the EAS system is that a store can impact theft and fraud and improve profits through reduced shrink. Add that to the benefits of adjusting payroll to be customer driven and stores can see substantial profit increases.
I know some of you may doubt me right now. It sounds a little incredible that something as simple as a door counting sensor could really make an impact on sales. Consider for a moment that there are people coming into your store and leaving without making any purchases. If you knew how many people are visiting and at what time they are visiting you could adjust your scheduling. I am aware of two methods that are regularly used for retail scheduling by large businesses. One method is when a store is allocated payroll hours by a headquarters and stores use the hours where they deem appropriate. It may be based on merchandise shipments that will be coming in that week or a store manager allotting hours based on prior year sales data.
The other means I have seen used is to have payroll dollars allocated to a store. The headache with this is there has to be tracking of employee pay rates. A store may have to have fewer people on the salesfloor for a shift since Mary Ann earns $10.00 an hour while Jimmy Bob earns $8.00 an hour. When these stores are trending over that dollar amount they have to cut payroll dollars. This poses a conundrum for the store management team they have to decide where those hours will come from. Do you take it from cashiering? Then you have a line of customers that gets angry and abandons shopping carts and leave the store. Oh and don’t forget the snowball effect that has. Now, someone has to get all the merchandise put back and that is on top of the regular tasks that have to be done before the store closes. Is the team going to have to stay later than scheduled in order to get the store back in shape for the next day? A customer counting system allows managers to see when the peak traffic is in the store. Payroll based on dollars or hours using old sales information may give a false picture of the needs for the store.
Get a true picture of how many people are coming into your store. Use a door counting sensor and get reliable information without wasting payroll dollars to do it. When you staff your store to provide adequate service to all of the people walking through your doors you will see your sales improve and that translates to more returning customers and new customers due to word of mouth advertising.
Need information on a door counting sensor? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
I work in a college library as a day shift supervisor. I have recently changed shifts from being an overnight supervisor in the same library for the past six years. The difference in positions is significant. Where I am used to working with only a few students in the building after 1:00am, I now have to adjust to having several hundred in the building at any given time. This means we provide more assistance, have more student workers during a shift and usually will have more staff at one time. We also have more resources on campus to refer a patron to when they have questions regarding their enrollment, classes, fines, etc. There are times when retail owners and managers have varying numbers of customers in their buildings too. Knowing when those differences take place and being able to track them by day of the week, hour of the day or a particular seasonal event enables store managers to adjust workloads around those times and utilize payroll dollars in a manner that makes sense. The question is, how do you track customer counts? Using customer counting systems is the most efficient means of doing this.
Customer counting systems keep track of the number of people entering a store by the hour of day. In our library we send a worker around with an iPad and they count the number of people we have on an hourly basis. A door counting sensor can alleviate this problem and for a store, a waste of payroll if someone is stationed at a door to count heads. They can provide electronic article surveillance (EAS) alarm response time for store managers to assess whether personnel are responding to alarms appropriately. The advantage of having the EAS system is that a store can impact theft and fraud and improve profits through reduced shrink. Add that to the benefits of adjusting payroll to be customer driven and stores can see substantial profit increases.
I know some of you may doubt me right now. It sounds a little incredible that something as simple as a door counting sensor could really make an impact on sales. Consider for a moment that there are people coming into your store and leaving without making any purchases. If you knew how many people are visiting and at what time they are visiting you could adjust your scheduling. I am aware of two methods that are regularly used for retail scheduling by large businesses. One method is when a store is allocated payroll hours by a headquarters and stores use the hours where they deem appropriate. It may be based on merchandise shipments that will be coming in that week or a store manager allotting hours based on prior year sales data.
The other means I have seen used is to have payroll dollars allocated to a store. The headache with this is there has to be tracking of employee pay rates. A store may have to have fewer people on the salesfloor for a shift since Mary Ann earns $10.00 an hour while Jimmy Bob earns $8.00 an hour. When these stores are trending over that dollar amount they have to cut payroll dollars. This poses a conundrum for the store management team they have to decide where those hours will come from. Do you take it from cashiering? Then you have a line of customers that gets angry and abandons shopping carts and leave the store. Oh and don’t forget the snowball effect that has. Now, someone has to get all the merchandise put back and that is on top of the regular tasks that have to be done before the store closes. Is the team going to have to stay later than scheduled in order to get the store back in shape for the next day? A customer counting system allows managers to see when the peak traffic is in the store. Payroll based on dollars or hours using old sales information may give a false picture of the needs for the store.
Get a true picture of how many people are coming into your store. Use a door counting sensor and get reliable information without wasting payroll dollars to do it. When you staff your store to provide adequate service to all of the people walking through your doors you will see your sales improve and that translates to more returning customers and new customers due to word of mouth advertising.
Need information on a door counting sensor? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
CLOTHING SECURITY TAGS WILL ENSURE YOUR HIGH END ITEMS ARE PROTECTED, NOT BOOSTED!
Clothing Security Tags-4 ML Blog 23
Security Tags on Clothes-4
When it comes to shoplifting in my store, I am always looking for the best protection for our high end merchandise. Luckily, there are high quality deterrent devices available that do not break the bank! As retailers, we have to outwit the thieves and make sure we are utilizing what really works. I’ve worked in several retail stores who at first, did not believe in using security tags on clothes. I would watch their high end items walk out of the store every single day, until they realized how big of a theft problem they were having. Shoplifters would leave racks empty, taking a huge toll on sales! Clothing security tags provide the ultimate protection for high theft merchandise, without effecting the customer experience.
As a Senior Loss Prevention Manager, I frequently use our CCTV cameras to analyze where our theft issues occur. I also pull weekly shrink reports to see where we stand each week in known loss. One retail location that I worked at, had trending shrink issues. I started to research to see what departments they were coming from. I noticed they were consistently shrinking out in men’s sportswear, so this was a high focus area for myself to review. I completed a floor walk, to notice none of their items priced at $70.00 and up had security tags on clothes. I was shocked! Why would you leave a shrinking out department without any protection, making a honey hole for thieves? I immediately implemented a plan to have any men’s sportswear clothing tagged with clothing security tags. It took us only 2 hours to get ALL of the items protected. Now that I executed a new plan, we needed to see if it really was working. I was scanning CCTV cameras one evening, and noticed a male and a female acting suspicious in that area. The female was carrying a large, empty purse. They both rapidly selected 10 high dollar items, priced at $79.99-$129.99 each item. After selecting the items, the male walks around the sales floor to lookout for store personnel. The female goes into a corner of the store and bends down to the ground, to load up her empty purse. As she is concealing, she stops and takes a quick look at one of the items. She realizes that the items she selected are protected now by clothing security tags! She pauses in a panic, and calls the male subject over. She shows him the tags, and she pulls the items she already concealed out of her purse. She hands all of the merchandise to the male, and he tries to break the tags off. He realizes that the task was too difficult, and drops the merchandise on the floor. Luckily, the tags are built with technology that provides tamper resistant security! He starts looking for the exit, and hand signals for the female to follow him out. They exit into the parking lot, with no merchandise! They didn’t realize my store now places security tags on clothes. Luckily, if the shoplifters decided to be bold by stealing with the tags on, they would set off the security system as they approach the exit. The security system would alert by making a massive noise and light up at the same time. This would place all eyes on them and allow the associates to react in time. This showed my store team the importance of ensuring that we are utilizing the clothing security tags. These 2 subjects could have absconded close to $800 in only one instance. Think of how many times they have visited this store in the past? Keeping security tags on merchandise works as a deterrent in more ways than retailers can imagine. We keep the shoplifters leaving empty handed, due to our tough merchandise protection standards. I’ve seen several of these same scenarios at retailers, not realizing how important the tags are. After 2 months of utilizing the new plan, we saw a massive decrease in our known theft numbers. For that specific department, we cut our known loss by 70%. I’ve personally seen this plan work at each store I have worked at. Another positive aspect of the tags, are how customer friendly they are. My store manager really likes that they are reusable and easy to remove at the point of sale. This allows customers to still be able to check out at the registers quickly.
Clothing is a high targeted theft item, and extremely easy to conceal for thieves. Decrease your shrink by simply placing security tags on clothes. Why not protect your assets with an easy, cost effective fix? Clothing security tags ensure that your high end clothing is protected, and not boosted.
Get more information on Clothing Security Tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
When it comes to shoplifting in my store, I am always looking for the best protection for our high end merchandise. Luckily, there are high quality deterrent devices available that do not break the bank! As retailers, we have to outwit the thieves and make sure we are utilizing what really works. I’ve worked in several retail stores who at first, did not believe in using security tags on clothes. I would watch their high end items walk out of the store every single day, until they realized how big of a theft problem they were having. Shoplifters would leave racks empty, taking a huge toll on sales! Clothing security tags provide the ultimate protection for high theft merchandise, without affecting the customer experience.
As a Senior Loss Prevention Manager, I frequently use our CCTV cameras to analyze where our theft issues occur. I also pull weekly shrink reports to see where we stand each week in known loss. One retail location that I worked at, had trending shrink issues. I started to research to see what departments they were coming from. I noticed they were consistently shrinking out in men’s sportswear, so this was a high focus area for myself to review. I completed a floor walk, to notice none of their items priced at $70.00 and up had security tags on clothes. I was shocked! Why would you leave a shrinking out department without any protection, making a honey hole for thieves? I immediately implemented a plan to have any men’s sportswear clothing tagged with clothing security tags. It took us only 2 hours to get ALL of the items protected. Now that I executed a new plan, we needed to see if it really was working. I was scanning CCTV cameras one evening, and noticed a male and a female acting suspicious in that area. The female was carrying a large, empty purse. They both rapidly selected 10 high dollar items, priced at $79.99-$129.99 each item. After selecting the items, the male walks around the sales floor to lookout for store personnel. The female goes into a corner of the store and bends down to the ground, to load up her empty purse. As she is concealing, she stops and takes a quick look at one of the items. She realizes that the items she selected are protected now by clothing security tags! She pauses in a panic, and calls the male subject over. She shows him the tags, and she pulls the items she already concealed out of her purse. She hands all of the merchandise to the male, and he tries to break the tags off. He realizes that the task was too difficult, and drops the merchandise on the floor. Luckily, the tags are built with technology that provides tamper resistant security! He starts looking for the exit, and hand signals for the female to follow him out. They exit into the parking lot, with no merchandise! They didn’t realize my store now places security tags on clothes. Luckily, if the shoplifters decided to be bold by stealing with the tags on, they would set off the security system as they approach the exit. The security system would alert by making a massive noise and light up at the same time. This would place all eyes on them and allow the associates to react in time. This showed my store team the importance of ensuring that we are utilizing the clothing security tags. These 2 subjects could have absconded close to $800 in only one instance. Think of how many times they have visited this store in the past? Keeping security tags on merchandise works as a deterrent in more ways than retailers can imagine. We keep the shoplifters leaving empty handed, due to our tough merchandise protection standards. I’ve seen several of these same scenarios at retailers, not realizing how important the tags are. After 2 months of utilizing the new plan, we saw a massive decrease in our known theft numbers. For that specific department, we cut our known loss by 70%. I’ve personally seen this plan work at each store I have worked at. Another positive aspect of the tags, are how customer friendly they are. My store manager really likes that they are reusable and easy to remove at the point of sale. This allows customers to still be able to check out at the registers quickly.
Clothing is a high targeted theft item, and extremely easy to conceal for thieves. Decrease your shrink by simply placing security tags on clothes. Why not protect your assets with an easy, cost effective fix? Clothing security tags ensure that your high end clothing is protected, and not boosted.
Get more information on Clothing Security Tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
