I was shopping in a department store with my wife and as I am prone to do I noticed the Sensormatic security system towers at the doors. Sensormatic equipment is used by 80% of the top 200 retailers in the world (Sensormatic.com). I walked through this store and saw racks and tables filled with clothing that had not been protected with any Sensormatic labels or tags. This was peculiar to me. Why in the world would you have a system in place that could prevent theft and then not protect merchandise from the very theft you installed the system to defend against?
The purpose of an anti-theft system is to stop shoplifting, keeping merchandise in the store so it can be sold to the shoppers who want to purchase your products. In order for the system to properly work goods have to be tagged with electronic article surveillance tags and/or labels. It may seem like this should be common sense but if it is common sense then why do I find so many instances like the one I found during my shopping trip? Is it a lack of information on how a Sensormatic security system is supposed to work? I doubt it. This business has a Loss Prevention Department, I know because twenty-eight years ago I worked for them as a Loss Prevention Officer. Is there a lack of tagging due to payroll or the cost of the tags? This should not be a reason for neglecting tagging merchandise.Sensormatic hard tags are reusable so when a large quantity of tags are bought (which should be with the purchase of a new system) they aren’t going to quickly run out and require a new set to be bought. The tagging can be done by salesfloor employees as they are working. A newly installed system may require some initial payroll investment in order to get merchandise tagged but once complete it is simply a matter of maintaining the tagging program. In fact, if you were to use the Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. Free ROI Calculator you can include payroll into the amount you are willing to spend on a new system. After the numbers are figured the calculator will show you how long it will take for a new system to pay for itself. So I left the store perplexed at the lack of tagging I noted in my visit.
My wife and I then went into another department store, part of a company struggling financially at this time. Again, I saw theSensormatic security system towers at the front doors. My heart sank a bit as I noted to my wife how empty the store looked, of people AND merchandise. There were very few visible employees and very few customers for that matter. I could not help but wonder if the lack of merchandise was a planned decrease in merchandise levels or if a significant portion of the emptiness was a failure to stop shoplifting or a combination? With very few of the clothing items protected with a Sensormatic security tag I could only imagine that a significant portion of the financial woes faced by this business (and empty fixtures) was due in part to a poor anti-theft strategy. Even if an item was properly tagged and someone were to start to walk out of the store and activated the tower alarm, who was going to respond to that situation? No one was around to respond and the offender would have simply walked out without a proper package or receipt check. Since I was having a difficult time finding something that was tagged in the first place I’m not sure this was a concern anyways.
Having a Sensormatic security system will stop shoplifting but it requires some amount of effort. Proper tagging of merchandise, training of employees and staffing a store so someone is in a position to respond in a timely manner are important factors to consider. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. can help you with theft prevention consultations to help make your store more money. They can even give guidance on how you can keep merchandise tagged and have employees staffed so they can respond to alarm activity. Don’t take my word for it check out their website for more information.
Get more information on a Sensormatic Security System, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Sensormatic Safers – 4 WC Blog 738
Retail Anti-Theft Devices – 4
Don’t Irritate Customers With Poor Merchandise Protection – Use Sensormatic Safers Part 2
Perhaps the title of this article should be, “Don’t irritate ME with Poor Merchandise Protection – Use Sensormatic Safers Part 2”. I started Part 1 of this series discussing several aspects of retail which have recently irritated ME as a customer in some stores. I will say though that I am very certain that what I get perturbed about also perturbs other customers and some of them even more so. In my list of grievances I mentioned several that had to do with the merchandise protection strategies or lack of strategies that need to be improved upon. While most of the issues took place when I was shopping in big box retail stores I know they will not heed my pleas to address the concerns. On the other hand owners of the smaller, independent stores may be open to the wisdom of someone with over 28 years of retail experience and 17 of those in Retail Loss Prevention.
I am frustrated at store management dependence on locking showcases and locking peghooks in lieu of other retail anti-theft devices on the market that are much better alternatives. Lock-up display cases sound like a cure all for theft. Lock it behind a glass door and it can’t be stolen right? Put it on a locking peghook and customers can still look at the item but shoplifters are thwarted in trying to steal the product. Let’s say I agree with you (which I can tell you from personal experience is not necessarily the case, no pun intended) and these are effective at stopping criminals I know of another method of protection that surpasses these methods. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI), a company with over 30 years of experience in theft prevention and shortage improvement, suggests the Sensormatic Safers to their clients as a way to drive sales and prevent shoplifting. A product is placed in a Safer and locked inside of it. Since the protective device works with electronic article surveillance towers a customer or shoplifter who gets too close to Sensormatic pedestals at the front doors will trip the alarm. The merchandise is only removed at the point of sale by the cashier.
I prefer the use of these retail anti-theft devices over the traditional lock-up case or locking peghook and here is why. If I am a customer and I want to just look at something that is locked up I have to seek assistance. It may be through a call button or it could be I have to search for an employee who is able to assist me but regardless of the method I have to get help. I don’t even know that I am going to make a purchase I simply want to look at merchandise. I should also mention that if the employee I do find doesn’t have the keys to the case and has to get someone who does, I am either going to get more frustrated or I am going to walk out. From the store manager perspective I know you are on a tight payroll budget so you may not have anyone immediately assigned to open display cases. You are working hard to balance a schedule out to cover all of your hours and get tasks done. I am going to sidetrack just for a minute. LPSI can help you improve your scheduling effectiveness based on foot traffic and it will also improve your sales. Contact them about the benefits of a door counting sensor for your business. Back to what I was saying, the Safer allows customers to pick up and view items without the necessity of associates unlocking retail anti-theft devices. The customer can choose to carry the item through the store while shopping and the item is removed at the point of sale. The customer AND the store manager benefits from the use of Sensormatic Safers.
I will make one other observation about display cases and locking peghooks from my personal experiences. I have seen thieves break into display cases from the backside, cutting through pegboard. I have also seen them manipulate doors and I have seen them work in teams to confuse an employee and steal merchandise. I have observed merchandise removed from security peghooks when the hang tab was cut through. These are not perfect solutions in terms of retail anti-theft devices.
Sensormatic Safers give security and flexibility to retailers and freedom to the shopper. Sometimes we lose sight of the fact that merchandise protection does not have to be an impediment to driving sales. A Sensormatic security system allows retailers the ability to enjoy the best of both worlds and that makes customers happy and store owners happy.
Sensormatic Safers are important and we can help you with them. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Perhaps the title of this article should be, “Don’t irritate ME with Poor Merchandise Protection – Use Sensormatic Safers Part 2”. I started Part 1 of this series discussing several aspects of retail which have recently irritated ME as a customer in some stores. I will say though that I am very certain that what I get perturbed about also perturbs other customers and some of them even more so. In my list of grievances I mentioned several that had to do with the merchandise protection strategies or lack of strategies that need to be improved upon. While most of the issues took place when I was shopping in big box retail stores I know they will not heed my pleas to address the concerns. On the other hand owners of the smaller, independent stores may be open to the wisdom of someone with over 28 years of retail experience and 17 of those in Retail Loss Prevention.
I am frustrated at store management dependence on locking showcases and locking peghooks in lieu of other retail anti-theft devices on the market that are much better alternatives. Lock-up display cases sound like a cure all for theft. Lock it behind a glass door and it can’t be stolen right? Put it on a locking peghook and customers can still look at the item but shoplifters are thwarted in trying to steal the product. Let’s say I agree with you (which I can tell you from personal experience is not necessarily the case, no pun intended) and these are effective at stopping criminals I know of another method of protection that surpasses these methods. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI), a company with over 30 years of experience in theft prevention and shortage improvement, suggests the Sensormatic Safers to their clients as a way to drive sales and prevent shoplifting. A product is placed in a Safer and locked inside of it. Since the protective device works with electronic article surveillance towers a customer or shoplifter who gets too close to Sensormatic pedestals at the front doors will trip the alarm. The merchandise is only removed at the point of sale by the cashier.
I prefer the use of these retail anti-theft devices over the traditional lock-up case or locking peghook and here is why. If I am a customer and I want to just look at something that is locked up I have to seek assistance. It may be through a call button or it could be I have to search for an employee who is able to assist me but regardless of the method I have to get help. I don’t even know that I am going to make a purchase I simply want to look at merchandise. I should also mention that if the employee I do find doesn’t have the keys to the case and has to get someone who does, I am either going to get more frustrated or I am going to walk out. From the store manager perspective I know you are on a tight payroll budget so you may not have anyone immediately assigned to open display cases. You are working hard to balance a schedule out to cover all of your hours and get tasks done. I am going to sidetrack just for a minute. LPSI can help you improve your scheduling effectiveness based on foot traffic and it will also improve your sales. Contact them about the benefits of a door counting sensor for your business. Back to what I was saying, the Safer allows customers to pick up and view items without the necessity of associates unlocking retail anti-theft devices. The customer can choose to carry the item through the store while shopping and the item is removed at the point of sale. The customer AND the store manager benefits from the use of Sensormatic Safers.
I will make one other observation about display cases and locking peghooks from my personal experiences. I have seen thieves break into display cases from the backside, cutting through pegboard. I have also seen them manipulate doors and I have seen them work in teams to confuse an employee and steal merchandise. I have observed merchandise removed from security peghooks when the hang tab was cut through. These are not perfect solutions in terms of retail anti-theft devices.
Sensormatic Safers give security and flexibility to retailers and freedom to the shopper. Sometimes we lose sight of the fact that merchandise protection does not have to be an impediment to driving sales. A Sensormatic security system allows retailers the ability to enjoy the best of both worlds and that makes customers happy and store owners happy.
Sensormatic Safers are important and we can help you with them. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Clothing Security -4 WC Blog 734
Sensormatic Tags -3
Make Good Decisions And Use Sensormatic Tags To Avoid Bad Stops
If you own a store that sells softlines merchandise clothing security has to be a concern for you. Theft is going to happen and you need to be prepared to address it but how you do so can be a tricky proposition. When I started out in Retail Loss Prevention my first job was in a department store and the majority of the merchandise we carried was softlines products such as men’s and women’s clothing, shoes, handbags and accessories. What you have to be careful of is protecting merchandise from theft and also not making false accusations against customers. I thought about this after watching a “live” police show on television the other night (although it was a previously recorded episode). I also read a news story about a teenager allegedly falsely accused of shoplifting after having been forcibly stopped by a store Loss Prevention Agent. I will tell you more about each incident in a moment but first I want to say that I have made a couple of “bad” stops during my own 17 years in Loss Prevention. It is uncomfortable and embarrassing to the accused and as the officer making the stop it is embarrassing and sticks with you a LONG time (as I attest to writing this more than 17 years after my own first “bad” stop). The other issue is that a bad stop can result in a lawsuit against the business. Sensormatic tags on clothing can greatly reduce the risk of ever having to deal with bad stops and the potential for being sued.
The purpose of clothing security is to prevent theft through deterrence. Plain and simply those who shoplift do so for any number of reasons but they are usually dissuaded when the risk of being caught is too great. Bill Bregar who is the founder and owner of Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. was a National Director of Loss Prevention for several major retailers. He has experience with electronic article system tags working and deterring shoplifting. He recommends his customers invest in Sensormatic systems and tags to reduce shrink. Crooks know that tags are going to set off alarms if they get near the pedestals in an effort to sneak clothes out. Sensormatic tags will also damage clothes if a shoplifter attempts to force them off in order to steal merchandise. Either way, the use of these devices will stop shoplifting. If a store isn’t using electronic article surveillance that business is going to have high shortage rates there is no getting around that fact.
This brings me to the two cases that turned out to be bad stops. In the television show a suspect was stopped by police, handcuffed and told that he was a suspect in a shoplifting incident at a hardware store. The Loss Prevention Officer came out, showed video from her phone of the incident and it was determined the suspect was not the same person. The man was released. Then in an article from wsvn.com on December 13, 2018, by Nicole Linsalata and Andrew Dymburt, they report about a family suing a major retailer after a “security officer” stopped a 13-year old girl for shoplifting. The report says that video of the arrest shows the security officer pushing the girl to the ground. To make matters worse the police found all four of the bathing suits the girl was suspected of taking were still in the fitting room. I don’t know if the stores in question use Sensormatic tags or not but obviously they do have security officers. Large retailers can afford these officers but they can and do make mistakes. Unfortunately these officers sometimes have poor training or can be too aggressive. Sometimes they get so focused on a case they fail to err on the side of caution and when that happens, things can spiral out of control. This can lead to a very costly lawsuit for the store.
Small store owners with no Loss Prevention can avoid worrying about any of this if they use Clothing security tags to protect their merchandise. If tags are used there will be few attempts at shoplifting and those that do happen can often be prevented with great customer service. To help owners with electronic article alarm response and theft prevention, Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. offers free training with the purchase of a Sensormatic system.
Don’t make bad choices or bad stops. Use clothing security tags to stop theft from taking place. Train employees on the proper methods of tagging products and alarm response and you will find you can greatly reduce theft and significantly improve profits.
Get more information on clothing security, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
If you own a store that sells softlines merchandise clothing security has to be a concern for you. Theft is going to happen and you need to be prepared to address it but how you do so can be a tricky proposition. When I started out in Retail Loss Prevention my first job was in a department store and the majority of the merchandise we carried was softlines products such as men’s and women’s clothing, shoes, handbags and accessories. What you have to be careful of is protecting merchandise from theft and also not making false accusations against customers. I thought about this after watching a “live” police show on television the other night (although it was a previously recorded episode). I also read a news story about a teenager allegedly falsely accused of shoplifting after having been forcibly stopped by a store Loss Prevention Agent. I will tell you more about each incident in a moment but first I want to say that I have made a couple of “bad” stops during my own 17 years in Loss Prevention. It is uncomfortable and embarrassing to the accused and as the officer making the stop it is embarrassing and sticks with you a LONG time (as I attest to writing this more than 17 years after my own first “bad” stop). The other issue is that a bad stop can result in a lawsuit against the business. Sensormatic tags on clothing can greatly reduce the risk of ever having to deal with bad stops and the potential for being sued.
The purpose of clothing security is to prevent theft through deterrence. Plain and simply those who shoplift do so for any number of reasons but they are usually dissuaded when the risk of being caught is too great. Bill Bregar who is the founder and owner of Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. was a National Director of Loss Prevention for several major retailers. He has experience with electronic article system tags working and deterring shoplifting. He recommends his customers invest in Sensormatic systems and tags to reduce shrink. Crooks know that tags are going to set off alarms if they get near the pedestals in an effort to sneak clothes out. Sensormatic tags will also damage clothes if a shoplifter attempts to force them off in order to steal merchandise. Either way, the use of these devices will stop shoplifting. If a store isn’t using electronic article surveillance that business is going to have high shortage rates there is no getting around that fact.
This brings me to the two cases that turned out to be bad stops. In the television show a suspect was stopped by police, handcuffed and told that he was a suspect in a shoplifting incident at a hardware store. The Loss Prevention Officer came out, showed video from her phone of the incident and it was determined the suspect was not the same person. The man was released. Then in an article from wsvn.com on December 13, 2018, by Nicole Linsalata and Andrew Dymburt, they report about a family suing a major retailer after a “security officer” stopped a 13-year old girl for shoplifting. The report says that video of the arrest shows the security officer pushing the girl to the ground. To make matters worse the police found all four of the bathing suits the girl was suspected of taking were still in the fitting room. I don’t know if the stores in question use Sensormatic tags or not but obviously they do have security officers. Large retailers can afford these officers but they can and do make mistakes. Unfortunately these officers sometimes have poor training or can be too aggressive. Sometimes they get so focused on a case they fail to err on the side of caution and when that happens, things can spiral out of control. This can lead to a very costly lawsuit for the store.
Small store owners with no Loss Prevention can avoid worrying about any of this if they use Clothing security tags to protect their merchandise. If tags are used there will be few attempts at shoplifting and those that do happen can often be prevented with great customer service. To help owners with electronic article alarm response and theft prevention, Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. offers free training with the purchase of a Sensormatic system.
Don’t make bad choices or bad stops. Use clothing security tags to stop theft from taking place. Train employees on the proper methods of tagging products and alarm response and you will find you can greatly reduce theft and significantly improve profits.
Get more information on clothing security, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Can Loss Prevention Be Free? – 3 WC Blog 722
Loss Prevention Calculator -4
Can Loss Prevention Be Free When You Buy A Dummy EAS System?
Can Loss Prevention be free for a small retail store owner? After a recent search of the internet to see what people are trying to sell in the name of low-budget retail theft prevention I found that there are bargain basement deals out there. For a couple of hundred dollars a business owner can purchase fake electronic article surveillance towers for $199. For about another $30 that same owner can purchase fake electronic article surveillance labels. Maybe it isn’t free but it is almost as close as you will ever get to free isn’t it?
The website that offered the faux tags states that the tags they sell, “Gives the visual illusion you have a working EAS system at your door that will beep if product is removed.” I would like to see the Loss Prevention Calculator that can show me the amount of shortage I will save if I purchase their fake tags. I suppose I could save all kinds of virtual money if I purchased from these people. Maybe these companies will take virtual currency as payment for their fake products. After shoplifters figure out that the tags and the towers you have installed don’t do anything, how much theft do you think your nearly free Loss Prevention system is going to prevent? As a former Loss Prevention Manager, I can tell you that your free/low cost system is not going to prevent much if any theft.
I imagine someone is thinking that maybe this is the only way a business can afford any type of theft prevention. Ask ME the question, “Can Loss Prevention be free?” and I will have a different answer for you and it doesn’t involve a dummy tower or look-alike labels. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. offers store owners the opportunity to own a brand new system within their budgets. They even provide the option of financing a system through Navitas Credit Corp. The fact is a new Sensormatic retail anti-theft system can save a store so much money from theft reduction that it will pay for itself over time. Go to the Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. website and open up the ROI Calculator tab near the top of the page. It goes to their free-to-use Loss prevention Calculator and provides you with a way to enter some basic information and the calculator does the rest. It estimates how much shrink you are losing annually and by the month. It also shows roughly how much you can reduce your shortage with the installation of a Sensormatic system. The final number and this is the big one, the Loss Prevention Calculator will show you approximately how many months it will take for a new system to pay for itself! In other words, EVERY storeowner can afford a system.
Here is another thing for you to consider when it comes to shortage reduction. The electronic article surveillance systems are primarily meant to stop theft. However, these systems can also have an impact on operational shortage for a store. According to the 2015 Global Retail Theft Barometer administrative shortage accounted for almost 16% of shortage. A store with a fully functioning retail anti-theft system is going to be able to prevent missed merchandise from going out the door. An example of this is when a cosmetic item is overlooked in the bottom of a shopping cart. The customer did not intend to overlook it but they did and so did the cashier. The item goes out to the parking lot where it gets picked up by the customer who thinks they paid for it and it rolled out of the bag. It may be missed altogether and another customer finds it in the shopping cart and takes it. The loss was not intentional but it is loss through operational error. If that cosmetic item is protected with an electronic article surveillance label the towers at the doors will detect it before it leaves the building. The customer can choose to pay for it or simply return it and no harm is done. Try THAT with a dummy anti-theft system.
Can Loss Prevention Be Free? Not if you purchase a non-functioning anti-theft system. It can’t be because you won’t be preventing theft for long. Spend the money up front on a NEW system and see real results almost from the time you have it set up. A few months down the road and it is possible your new system will have paid for itself. Try the Loss Prevention Calculator and see for yourself.
Get more information on the Loss Prevention Calculator, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Can Loss Prevention be free for a small retail store owner? After a recent search of the internet to see what people are trying to sell in the name of low-budget retail theft prevention I found that there are bargain basement deals out there. For a couple of hundred dollars a business owner can purchase fake electronic article surveillance towers for $199. For about another $30 that same owner can purchase fake electronic article surveillance labels. Maybe it isn’t free but it is almost as close as you will ever get to free isn’t it?
The website that offered the faux tags states that the tags they sell, “Gives the visual illusion you have a working EAS system at your door that will beep if product is removed.” I would like to see the Loss Prevention Calculator that can show me the amount of shortage I will save if I purchase their fake tags. I suppose I could save all kinds of virtual money if I purchased from these people. Maybe these companies will take virtual currency as payment for their fake products. After shoplifters figure out that the tags and the towers you have installed don’t do anything, how much theft do you think your nearly free Loss Prevention system is going to prevent? As a former Loss Prevention Manager, I can tell you that your free/low cost system is not going to prevent much if any theft.
I imagine someone is thinking that maybe this is the only way a business can afford any type of theft prevention. Ask ME the question, “Can Loss Prevention be free?” and I will have a different answer for you and it doesn’t involve a dummy tower or look-alike labels. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. offers store owners the opportunity to own a brand new system within their budgets. They even provide the option of financing a system through Navitas Credit Corp. The fact is a new Sensormatic retail anti-theft system can save a store so much money from theft reduction that it will pay for itself over time. Go to the Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. website and open up the ROI Calculator tab near the top of the page. It goes to their free-to-use Loss prevention Calculator and provides you with a way to enter some basic information and the calculator does the rest. It estimates how much shrink you are losing annually and by the month. It also shows roughly how much you can reduce your shortage with the installation of a Sensormatic system. The final number and this is the big one, the Loss Prevention Calculator will show you approximately how many months it will take for a new system to pay for itself! In other words, EVERY storeowner can afford a system.
Here is another thing for you to consider when it comes to shortage reduction. The electronic article surveillance systems are primarily meant to stop theft. However, these systems can also have an impact on operational shortage for a store. According to the 2015 Global Retail Theft Barometer administrative shortage accounted for almost 16% of shortage. A store with a fully functioning retail anti-theft system is going to be able to prevent missed merchandise from going out the door. An example of this is when a cosmetic item is overlooked in the bottom of a shopping cart. The customer did not intend to overlook it but they did and so did the cashier. The item goes out to the parking lot where it gets picked up by the customer who thinks they paid for it and it rolled out of the bag. It may be missed altogether and another customer finds it in the shopping cart and takes it. The loss was not intentional but it is loss through operational error. If that cosmetic item is protected with an electronic article surveillance label the towers at the doors will detect it before it leaves the building. The customer can choose to pay for it or simply return it and no harm is done. Try THAT with a dummy anti-theft system.
Can Loss Prevention Be Free? Not if you purchase a non-functioning anti-theft system. It can’t be because you won’t be preventing theft for long. Spend the money up front on a NEW system and see real results almost from the time you have it set up. A few months down the road and it is possible your new system will have paid for itself. Try the Loss Prevention Calculator and see for yourself.
Get more information on the Loss Prevention Calculator, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Sensormatic labels -4 wc blog 741
Stop Shoplifting – 3
Don’t Settle For Stagnant Shortage Results – Use Sensormatic Labels
If I were to ask retail owners if they would like to stop shoplifting from taking place in their stores I feel certain I would receive a 100% response in the affirmative. I would also guarantee a 100% affirmative response if I were to ask retailers if they would like to increase profits. Interestingly to me however is the fact that a recent 2018 National Retail Security Survey, found that there was a 22.2% decrease in the use of “Acousto-magnetic, electronic security tags” from 2017-2018 (pg. 10). This category would include Sensormatic labels of all types, including the HBC labels for health and beauty products and the Ultra strip III rolls. Now before I hit the panic button let me be clear, there were increases in other categories of Retail Loss Prevention Systems. For example the report listed budget increases for “Theft deterrent devices” which would include Sensormatic Safers, wraps, etc. So not all areas of retail theft protection have been neglected but the reporting that a 22.2% decrease in acousto-magnetic tag spending is concerning to me. As a former Loss Prevention Manager I believe this is a poor decision on the part of retailers.
The report indicates that shortage remains about flat to previous years at 1.33% (pg.5). Let me ask you a question, if your store sales remained flat to previous years would you be excited about this? Certainly not! You would take steps to improve profits. Well, shrink reduction is one place to start and it can be done quickly and results will be seen almost immediately. Bringing that 1.33% down by half is not unreasonable. Remember, that percentage is an average percentage for retailers. Your store(s) could very well be experiencing shrink much higher than this. As we break down shortage we find from the report that external theft accounted for 36.5% of store losses in 2017. Internal theft or employee theft resulted in an additional 30% of store losses. Combined, on average this could be 66.5% of your merchandise shortage and does not include an estimated 5.4% attributed to vendor theft or fraud. Bill Bregar, owner of Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. knows how theft takes a significant bite out of store profits. Bill has developed and operated Loss Prevention programs at the National Director level for major retailers. He draws on that experience to help business owners improve their profits through improved sales and reduced shortage. Like me, Bill DOES recommend the use of Sensormatic labels and hard tags to prevent shoplifting and internal theft to his clients.
I mentioned that you could bring shrink down by almost half and it can be done quickly. Bill agrees with me here as well and if you will take a look at the ROI calculator on the Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. website you will see that is the amount his company estimates you would reduce shrink by if you were to install a retail anti-theft system and use Sensormatic labels and tags. Sitting stagnate and accepting 1.33% losses is an unacceptable proposition when that figure can be easily improved upon.
One other aspect of the report that concerned me is that approximately 42% of stores in this survey experienced shrinkage of 1.5% and higher (with 9% of stores experiencing over 3% in shortage) (pg. 5). And what are some of the types of anti-theft measures that are increasingly being used in stores? “Simulated, visible CCTV” and “Observation mirrors” are listed as seeing a 27.0% and 9% increase since 2017 respectively (pg. 10). I have nothing against CCTV or the use of mirrors in stores. I used live CCTV and recorded video to catch shoplifters and dishonest employees. Mirrors can help with seeing corners that may be out of the line of sight of employees. Using simulated CCTV may deter a minimal amount of theft but Sensormatic labels are a much more effective method to stop shoplifting. They act as a deterrent AND they set off alarm towers providing trained employees an opportunity to recover merchandise before it gets out the door. Mirrors are only effective if employees are watching them and going to those corners but do your employees have time to be watching mirrors? Unless you have a Loss Prevention Associate working the benefits are negligible at best.
Investing in a Sensormatic system is the smart choice for store owners. They are proven to stop shoplifting and employee theft. I have first-hand experience recovering merchandise that was going to be stolen had an electronic article surveillance alarm not set off an alarm tower. Don’t waste money on technology that will not provide the same results. Keep merchandise out of the hands of thieves and in the store where it will be bought and see sales soar. Invest in Sensormatic security systems!
Need information on Sensormatic labels? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
If I were to ask retail owners if they would like to stop shoplifting from taking place in their stores I feel certain I would receive a 100% response in the affirmative. I would also guarantee a 100% affirmative response if I were to ask retailers if they would like to increase profits. Interestingly to me however is the fact that a recent 2018 National Retail Security Survey, found that there was a 22.2% decrease in the use of “Acousto-magnetic, electronic security tags” from 2017-2018 (pg. 10). This category would include Sensormatic labels of all types, including the HBC labels for health and beauty products and the Ultra strip III rolls. Now before I hit the panic button let me be clear, there were increases in other categories of Retail Loss Prevention Systems. For example the report listed budget increases for “Theft deterrent devices” which would include Sensormatic Safers, wraps, etc. So not all areas of retail theft protection have been neglected but the reporting that a 22.2% decrease in acousto-magnetic tag spending is concerning to me. As a former Loss Prevention Manager I believe this is a poor decision on the part of retailers.
The report indicates that shortage remains about flat to previous years at 1.33% (pg.5). Let me ask you a question, if your store sales remained flat to previous years would you be excited about this? Certainly not! You would take steps to improve profits. Well, shrink reduction is one place to start and it can be done quickly and results will be seen almost immediately. Bringing that 1.33% down by half is not unreasonable. Remember, that percentage is an average percentage for retailers. Your store(s) could very well be experiencing shrink much higher than this. As we break down shortage we find from the report that external theft accounted for 36.5% of store losses in 2017. Internal theft or employee theft resulted in an additional 30% of store losses. Combined, on average this could be 66.5% of your merchandise shortage and does not include an estimated 5.4% attributed to vendor theft or fraud. Bill Bregar, owner of Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. knows how theft takes a significant bite out of store profits. Bill has developed and operated Loss Prevention programs at the National Director level for major retailers. He draws on that experience to help business owners improve their profits through improved sales and reduced shortage. Like me, Bill DOES recommend the use of Sensormatic labels and hard tags to prevent shoplifting and internal theft to his clients.
I mentioned that you could bring shrink down by almost half and it can be done quickly. Bill agrees with me here as well and if you will take a look at the ROI calculator on the Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. website you will see that is the amount his company estimates you would reduce shrink by if you were to install a retail anti-theft system and use Sensormatic labels and tags. Sitting stagnate and accepting 1.33% losses is an unacceptable proposition when that figure can be easily improved upon.
One other aspect of the report that concerned me is that approximately 42% of stores in this survey experienced shrinkage of 1.5% and higher (with 9% of stores experiencing over 3% in shortage) (pg. 5). And what are some of the types of anti-theft measures that are increasingly being used in stores? “Simulated, visible CCTV” and “Observation mirrors” are listed as seeing a 27.0% and 9% increase since 2017 respectively (pg. 10). I have nothing against CCTV or the use of mirrors in stores. I used live CCTV and recorded video to catch shoplifters and dishonest employees. Mirrors can help with seeing corners that may be out of the line of sight of employees. Using simulated CCTV may deter a minimal amount of theft but Sensormatic labels are a much more effective method to stop shoplifting. They act as a deterrent AND they set off alarm towers providing trained employees an opportunity to recover merchandise before it gets out the door. Mirrors are only effective if employees are watching them and going to those corners but do your employees have time to be watching mirrors? Unless you have a Loss Prevention Associate working the benefits are negligible at best.
Investing in a Sensormatic system is the smart choice for store owners. They are proven to stop shoplifting and employee theft. I have first-hand experience recovering merchandise that was going to be stolen had an electronic article surveillance alarm not set off an alarm tower. Don’t waste money on technology that will not provide the same results. Keep merchandise out of the hands of thieves and in the store where it will be bought and see sales soar. Invest in Sensormatic security systems!
Need information on Sensormatic labels? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
