Stop shoplifting-3 WC Blog 656
Electronic Article Surveillance-4
Sensormatic Labels-3
Group Theft Can Be Prevented With The Help Of Sensormatic Labels
I remember the days when I was a Loss Prevention Officer and had to make choices on how to stop shoplifting by a group that was working together. The decisions were never easy. I had to consider if I had a partner working with me or was I alone that shift. If I was alone, did I have a manager working on whom I could depend to at least call the police for me or did I have a less than reliable manager on duty? If I was working alone I had to decide how I was going to approach the group when I was ready to stop them. These may not seem like hard choices but there were all kinds of consequences and unforeseen outcomes that could occur if I was not careful. In fact when watching a group I even had to decide who the main actor was and determine if THAT was going to be the one to maintain surveillance on. Once concealment began I had to stick with one person to watch especially if the group split up. When it comes to Retail Loss Prevention store owners have choices to make also and they aren’t always easy.
Do you, the store owner have a Loss Prevention program in place? Is it effective and what does it consist of in terms of people, equipment, theft deterrence, etc.? Who in your store knows your plan or what their role if any is to stop shoplifting? Allow me to pause for a moment and say this if you don’t have an electronic article surveillance system as part of your anti-theft strategy you need one (another choice to make, right?). Most people are familiar with these systems so I won’t belabor that point. What I will comment on is there are a number of systems on the market and finding one that is effective and has a variety of tags and labels available is important. Sensormatic labels and tags along with their electronic article surveillance towers fits that bill. They offer both radio frequency labels and acoustic magnetic tags that protect a wide range of merchandise and packaging materials. As someone who has tagged more items than he cares to remember I can vouch for the fact that having multiple tags and styles is vital for an effective security plan. Different products have different security needs and one size does not fit all. I’m going to tag a package of gum with a different device than a pair of shoes.
More likely than not, there is a store manager reading this who is thinking that they don’t need an electronic article surveillance system. They feel that their employees offer customer service and that is enough to prevent theft. As someone who has been in Loss Prevention for many years I am going to say that train of thought is flawed. The groups I was dealing with were astute in how they would commit their crimes. If they noticed that employees were providing customer service they would split up. Divide the store team and someone is going to get free to conceal merchandise. It was hard in a big box store to cover everyone, for a small or medium size retailer you will probably not have the personnel to match up one for one. Once your team is divided your store becomes free game. A force multiplier for YOU is to use Sensormatic labels to protect your merchandise and the towers at the front doors to alarm if a criminal tries to sneak goods out of the store.
In the department store I worked for as a Loss Prevention Officer we had multiple exits, I could never cover them all on my own or with a partner. BUT in the big box stores I worked for we had one entry/exit point and a single employee could respond to an electronic article surveillance alarm quickly and effectively. In a store with this equipment set up your team can offer the best customer service possible to deter shoplifters. But tagging merchandise and having one person near the front doors able to answer alarms means you don’t have to be concerned if you can’t keep up with every member of a suspicious party of customers.
You have decisions to make on how to stop shoplifting in your store(s) to stay profitable. With so many day to day managerial responsibilities to attend to this doesn’t need to be a difficult one to make. Tag merchandise with Sensormatic labels and add Sensormatic towers at your entrances and exits and you will see an immediate impact on theft reduction in your store. Multiply the impact of your customer service with Sensormatic.
Sensormatic labels are important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
I remember the days when I was a Loss Prevention Officer and had to make choices on how to stop shoplifting by a group that was working together. The decisions were never easy. I had to consider if I had a partner working with me or was I alone that shift. If I was alone, did I have a manager working on whom I could depend to at least call the police for me or did I have a less than reliable manager on duty? If I was working alone I had to decide how I was going to approach the group when I was ready to stop them. These may not seem like hard choices but there were all kinds of consequences and unforeseen outcomes that could occur if I was not careful. In fact when watching a group I even had to decide who the main actor was and determine if THAT was going to be the one to maintain surveillance on. Once concealment began I had to stick with one person to watch especially if the group split up. When it comes to Retail Loss Prevention store owners have choices to make also and they aren’t always easy.
Do you, the store owner have a Loss Prevention program in place? Is it effective and what does it consist of in terms of people, equipment, theft deterrence, etc.? Who in your store knows your plan or what their role if any is to stop shoplifting? Allow me to pause for a moment and say this if you don’t have an electronic article surveillance system as part of your anti-theft strategy you need one (another choice to make, right?). Most people are familiar with these systems so I won’t belabor that point. What I will comment on is there are a number of systems on the market and finding one that is effective and has a variety of tags and labels available is important. Sensormatic labels and tags along with their electronic article surveillance towers fits that bill. They offer both radio frequency labels and acoustic magnetic tags that protect a wide range of merchandise and packaging materials. As someone who has tagged more items than he cares to remember I can vouch for the fact that having multiple tags and styles is vital for an effective security plan. Different products have different security needs and one size does not fit all. I’m going to tag a package of gum with a different device than a pair of shoes.
More likely than not, there is a store manager reading this who is thinking that they don’t need an electronic article surveillance system. They feel that their employees offer customer service and that is enough to prevent theft. As someone who has been in Loss Prevention for many years I am going to say that train of thought is flawed. The groups I was dealing with were astute in how they would commit their crimes. If they noticed that employees were providing customer service they would split up. Divide the store team and someone is going to get free to conceal merchandise. It was hard in a big box store to cover everyone, for a small or medium size retailer you will probably not have the personnel to match up one for one. Once your team is divided your store becomes free game. A force multiplier for YOU is to use Sensormatic labels to protect your merchandise and the towers at the front doors to alarm if a criminal tries to sneak goods out of the store.
In the department store I worked for as a Loss Prevention Officer we had multiple exits, I could never cover them all on my own or with a partner. BUT in the big box stores I worked for we had one entry/exit point and a single employee could respond to an electronic article surveillance alarm quickly and effectively. In a store with this equipment set up your team can offer the best customer service possible to deter shoplifters. But tagging merchandise and having one person near the front doors able to answer alarms means you don’t have to be concerned if you can’t keep up with every member of a suspicious party of customers.
You have decisions to make on how to stop shoplifting in your store(s) to stay profitable. With so many day to day managerial responsibilities to attend to this doesn’t need to be a difficult one to make. Tag merchandise with Sensormatic labels and add Sensormatic towers at your entrances and exits and you will see an immediate impact on theft reduction in your store. Multiply the impact of your customer service with Sensormatic.
Sensormatic labels are important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
I worked in Retail Loss Prevention for many years and during that time I had a lot of opportunities to stop shoplifting as the result of an electronic article surveillance alarm set off by a tagged piece of merchandise. Today I work in a library but still deal with alarms when patrons set them off as they exit or enter our building. The alarms are sometimes caused by items that are tagged but the tags have not been properly deactivated. In other cases it is the result of someone trying to sneak library materials out in order to steal them (sounds a lot like shoplifting doesn’t it?). It is necessary to investigate and resolve the source of any alarm until it is satisfactorily resolved. Just a few days ago a student was leaving the building and as she walked through our towers the alarm sounded. I used my Loss Prevention experience to stop the patron and talk to her about what may have caused the activation.
Whether it is a college library or a store, electronic article surveillance labels can prevent merchandise and property from being improperly removed from a building. In the case of a retail business those labels can make the difference between a profitable and successful enterprise and one that struggles. Sensormatic labels can prevent thieves from stealing but even with a system as good as Sensormatic’s a store must have employees available to respond to alarms. Those employees must also have the proper training to approach shoppers who set off alarms and the know how to resolve the alarms. It is not as easy as it may sound. I would like to offer some tips from my own experience so you can train your employees to identify what has set off an electronic article surveillance alarm system.
• An employee who approaches a customer that has set off an alarm should never begin the interaction assuming the customer was trying to steal something. The attitude exhibited by the employee influences the way the customer will respond. I have found that by making a statement that indicates a mistake happened rather than an attempted theft can calm a patron almost immediately. I will say something like, “Uh-oh, our system must not have deactivated a tag properly, I’m sorry.”
• I then begin the process of determining the cause of the alarm. In a store I will ask if the patron has made a purchase. If they say they did I ask if they could show me a receipt? If the patron said they bought something but they don’t have the receipt I ask if I can look in their bag. I follow up by asking what register they went through and after reviewing the transactions if I cannot locate the item I tell the customer we must have accidentally missed the item as we were scanning. No, I’m not throwing the cashier under the bus, I am giving the person an “out” so it does not appear I am accusing them of theft.
• If a look through a shopping bag does not reveal the cause of the alarm a bit if finesse will be required. You may have to try to get a peak in a purse, backpack or tote and that can be more difficult. People don’t like to have their personal belongings rummaged through. I like to say something that will make the person feel like I am helping them. If they have multiple bags I will suggest they walk one bag through the tower at a time. Through the process of elimination I find the bag that has the active tag in it. I then diffuse the situation further. I mention that I have had customers forget and put an item in a purse to see if it would fit (such as a wallet) and forget they put it in. Again, providing a ready-made excuse for the customer makes it easier to get an item back or the person to pay for it, I have encountered both. I also tell customers that sometimes people make purchases at other stores with electronic article surveillance systems and they fail to deactivate tags and it can set off our system.
A skilled employee who has been trained can stop shoplifting and even prevent unintentional missed merchandise from leaving the store.
If you don’t currently have a Sensormatic system in your store I strongly encourage you to get one. You will stop shoplifting and as you do you will see your instocks improve. THAT drives sales and profits. As evidence that my tips work, in the case of the library alarm, the student had two books in her backpack that she had forgotten about. I got them checked out and the student went on her way.
Need more information on electronic article surveillance, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
When a Sensormatic hard tag or label attached to merchandise causes an electronic article surveillance alarm how do your employees respond? Approaching a customer at the doorway when they have activated an alarm can be intimidating for some people. In part 1 of this series I focused on why I believe it is important for store managers and owners to regularly conduct refresher training with all employees on how to attach tags and remove them from products. Failing to properly remove tags from merchandise that has been properly paid for can be a customer service nightmare. Shoppers feel embarrassed and may even get angry and create a scene. Some people get the purchase home and find a tag has not been removed and then have to go all the way back to the store to have it taken off. Oh, and don’t forget it will sound the alarm on them when they come back in to the store adding more fuel to the fire. I mentioned in part 1 that I have found regular refresher training for staff members is a useful tool to keep skills sharp that are not often used. You can apply this to Sensormatic alarm tower response in order to stop shoplifting or minimize the uproar over a missed tag or a label that was not deactivated.
One of the questions I am sure floating out there right now is, “How can a customer leave with a tag still attached or a label not deactivated if they are supposed to set off the alarm?” That is a fair question to ask. There are times when a Sensormatic hard tag is overlooked and customers will walk out with their purchase and yes, an alarm goes off but one of three things happens. First, there is a crowd of people entering or leaving at the same time and everyone looks around, assumes it was someone else who caused the alarm and they all keep walking. Second, the alarm went off and no one bothered to walk over to assist the customer or they just waved and said all is fine. Third, the towers could be in need of service, working intermittently but no one does a daily test before opening for the day and the problem goes unnoticed. One customer may leave and the alarm sounds while another customer leaves with tagged items and nothing happens.
There are easy remedies to address the malfunctioning system, simply test the towers and deactivation pads on a daily basis. If something is not working, place a service request in to minimize the down time, especially if it is the towers. Tower issues can hurt efforts to stop shoplifting and if not addressed quickly shoplifters will learn about it and take advantage of your store. Training employees to answer a Sensormatic tower alarm can be a bit harder. The reason stems from the discomfort that can come with having to confront someone. Whether the customer is pleasant or angry there is always an unknown factor that can be uncomfortable and people can turn from calm to cranky in a moment. My recommendation for training your employees is to do scenarios and have them walk through an alarm activation. While it may seem corny to some, I promise you that simulations are the best way to train. I don’t always remember something I heard in a classroom but if I have to participate I have a higher rate of memory retention. Like my CPR training, I can watch the video in the classroom but it doesn’t sink in until I am doing chest compressions and practicing with an AED device. Here are some tips to help you with Sensormatic tower alarm response training:
• Use real tagged merchandise. This will make the situation more realistic.
• Hide merchandise in a purse, backpack or shopping bag and make employees determine what is causing the alarm. Scenarios should range from a forgetful shopper to a shoplifter attempting to steal.
• Have different employees play the role of customer. It lets your employees get the feeling your customers have when an alarm is unintentionally activated.
• Have your “customers” role play with different attitudes from pleasant to ugly.
After you have role played allow all of the employees an opportunity to critique what happened. As they talk through scenarios they will learn how to handle various situations including how to stop shoplifting.
Training employees can make electronic article surveillance alarms caused by Sensormatic hard tags less intimidating to deal with. In the process your staff will be better prepared to make recoveries and ultimately add profit back to the store.
For more information about Sensormatic hard tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
When I was a Loss Prevention Manager I regularly spent time with my team doing training to stop shoplifting. I would create a scenario and one person would have to follow the “suspect” and see all the steps to conduct a proper apprehension. We also did refresher training on the steps for detaining and handcuffing a shoplifter. Basically I took the same philosophy we practiced in the military and applied it to Retail Loss Prevention. Practicing skills is the only way to stay sharp on them especially when it comes to things you don’t do on a regularly basis and trust me there were times it felt like we went through droughts of catching shoplifters. This came to me as I attended first aid and CPR training at the library where I now work. I have had a lot of first aid and CPR training starting from the time I was a Boy Scout but rarely have I had to put that first aid training to use. On top of that I have never had to use my CPR training. It is precisely because I have not had to put those skills to work very often that I continue to go through refresher training, I forget over time. The same can be said for Retail Theft Prevention. You may have a Sensormatic security system installed and you may have demonstrated to an associate once how to remove Sensormatic hard tags or respond to an alarm but they can forget.
Store managers should be spending time on a regular basis talking with employees on how to properly attach and detach Sensormatic hard tags. There also needs to be training on how they should be responding to electronic article surveillance alarms and how it helps stop shoplifting. There are a couple of reasons why this training is important and should not be glossed over.
• When it comes to the attachment of hard tags or application of labels consistency is necessary. If they are not applied properly they may be able to be removed by thieves or they may be rendered useless. For example electronic article surveillance labels may not work properly if they are bent too much around a side or corner of a box. Attaching a hard tag to a clothing size label on the neck of a shirt will not be a deterrent to theft since the shirt tag can be cut off without damaging the merchandise.
• If associates are trained to place hard tags in the same location on every pair of slacks cashiers will know where to find the tags and this will aid in proper removal at the point of sale.
• Teaching sales staff how to apply Sensormatic hard tags that have pins will help to prevent accidental puncture wounds. This can also help you, the store owner, avoid a medical bill.
• Talking about what to look for when a sensor tag activates an alarm can make the interaction with the customer more pleasant, even if they were trying to steal products. It will also help in getting thieves to pay for the merchandise or hand it to the employee.
It is the repetition of regularly reviewing this information that makes it become second nature to your employees. Not all employees have the same interactions with Sensormatic equipment and customers so some may never actually remove a tag or deactivate a label. That does not mean they should not know how to do so.
In part 2 we will continue the discussion on the importance of practice and review as it relates to how to stop shoplifting and losses as the result of a Sensormatic equipment alarm. For now just know that refresher training is an essential function in every workplace, especially for tasks that are infrequently performed.
Sensormatic hard tags are important and we can help you with them. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
