Don’t Let Food Theft Get You Down In The Dumps, Protect Yourself With Checkpoint Labels

A couple of weeks ago we were out with some friends for a birthday party. We were at a local bowling alley and sat down to get some food. The waitress had yet to grab the last customer’s check, which had cash in it. We started to discuss how easily someone could take that money without anyone noticing. Not that we would ever do that, but this resulted in a subsequent discussion about theft in general. We all agreed on the prevalence of shoplifting and theft in general. Most of my friends are in law enforcement and we tend to all run in similar circles, so we all have various experience on the subject. One of the guys there, who isn’t in law enforcement, said that his brother is a habitual shoplifter. He said that his brother has, on multiple occasions, walked into a grocery store, filled a cart completely full with food, and just walked out the door with it. Of course he didn’t condone the activity and was not present when it happened, but apparently his brother is pretty proud of the behavior, gloating about it often. His brother stated that he has only been stopped by a store employee once because the items were not bagged. His brother said he just shrugged it off and left the cart and walked away  Nobody tried to stop him, nor was he ever prosecuted for the attempted theft. I have actually been called to these types of calls, when I worked in law enforcement, and I am sure they happen rather frequently. As a business owner it is important to protect your property and take appropriate action to stop shoplifting. The best way to do that is by using Checkpoint labels on your merchandise.  

Checkpoint labels are an effective way of securing your property and alerting associates of potential theft. These labels are equipped with Electronic Article Surveillance technology, which sound an audible alarm, when someone attempts to remove the product from the store. Food production, shipping and weather conditions continue to affect grocery costs in the United States. Food has become an inherent part of the holiday season and higher food prices result in increased theft. EAS labels can be used on any product, to include food. Checkpoint labels, for food items, are specifically designed so there is no risk of contamination if direct contact is made. They are also microwave safe so they won’t damage your customer’s property and won’t degrade causing issues with the food integrity. Not all labels meet those stringent food safety standards. These EAS labels are a high quality product at a reasonable price, which ensures they activate and deactivate effectively, to minimize errors and loss. Using these labels on all of your high line food products, such as prime cuts of meat, coffee, alcohol and other items can help reduce your loss and increase profits.  

Checkpoint labels can provide the added security you need to protect your valuable commodities. I think about my friend’s brother, and how easy it was for him to just walk out the door with hundreds of dollars in food, without any detection. Obviously those stores were not equipped with EAS labels or a retail anti-theft system in general. It is unfortunate that retailers and grocers think they are immune to theft, when in fact they are extremely vulnerable. We can’t rely solely on our associates to recognize and intervene in these types of incidents. We as an industry must look towards a multi-faceted approach to loss prevention, and EAS labels can help you reduce overhead and reduce theft.

Checkpoint labels are important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.