Stop Shoplifting -3 WC Blog 690
Sensormatic security tags-3
Sensormatic Security Tags Could Have Prevented This Attempted TV Theft
I get a kick out of each opportunity I get to stop shoplifting even when it isn’t taking place in my store. It happened again, the old Loss Prevention instincts perked up when I saw some suspicious activity in a big box retail store as my wife and I were shopping. As so often happens though when I run into these situations it could have been avoided had the merchandise been protected by using Sensormatic security tags. I will tell you about it in a moment but first I want to explain why I want every store owner and manager to understand the importance of security tags.
Sensormatic security tags are first a visual deterrent to someone who enters a store with the intention of walking out with merchandise they haven’t paid for. This means the reverse is just as true. If a criminal walks into a store and intends to steal and they do find merchandise that isn’t tagged they are going to be more inclined to steal it. Security tags aren’t hard to put on merchandise and believe it or not they are affordable. Security labels are designed for one-time use but come in bulk quantities. Hard tags are meant for multiple uses and stand up to extensive use. Multi-use also means there is little need for replacement tag purchases. It is a great way to save money while protecting what is important in your store. To make a system complete it requires installing Sensormatic pedestals at the front doors to the business. A quick visit to the Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. website and a click on their free ROI calculator and you can see for yourself how affordable all of this can be.
So now back to how my shopping trip turned into an adventure to stop shoplifting. My wife and I were walking down an aisle to pick up a box of trash bags and I watched a man pulling a large, black trash bag from a roll. He seemed to be talking to himself while opening up this single bag. I also noticed there was a shopping cart with only a 32 inch LCD television in it. The cart was blocking another customer so I asked the man if the cart was his so the woman and her child could get by. He apologized and moved the buggy. Well, that confirmed for me the cart and the television were his. At this point he started to talk to the woman telling her he was trying to see how big the bags were. I wasn’t buying his act. My wife and I got to the end of the aisle and I stopped and watched him. My wife asked what I was doing and when I told her she rolled her eyes as if to say, “Here we go again!” I watched as the man wheeled the buggy, television and his single trash bag down another aisle. I saw an employee, told him about my L.P. background and about the suspect and the television and suggested he get someone from L.P. or a manager. The suspect was in another aisle trying to place the bag over the television. I walked up and started to talk to him and commented that he had forgotten the rest of the bags an aisle over. He went back and picked up the package and said something about forgetting it. As he walked to another aisle I followed him and watched as he put the package of bags on a shelf. He attempted again to put the bag on the merchandise. Fortunately for him I happened to see where he “accidently” put the bags down again and took them to him. He acknowledged his error and put the bags in his shopping cart and moved the television to the bottom rail of the cart and proceeded to tell me he was going to check-out. Did I mention I also now saw a single can of beer in the child seat covered by the bags? A manager came up and asked me if I was okay. I told him the situation and he said he would tell the front door people and cashiers to look for him (not that he had walked far from us). So while I did not see the final outcome of this I do believe I did stop shoplifting of a television from taking place in this store.
While I enjoyed this game of cops and robbers it could have been avoided had Sensormatic security tags, specifically the Magnetic Alarming 2-Tone Wrap been used on this item. Since I can’t be everywhere at once, I recommend talking to the folks at Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. and find out how they can help you get your own Sensormatic system.
Sesnormatic hard tags are important and we can help you with them. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
I get a kick out of each opportunity I get to stop shoplifting even when it isn’t taking place in my store. It happened again, the old Loss Prevention instincts perked up when I saw some suspicious activity in a big box retail store as my wife and I were shopping. As so often happens though when I run into these situations it could have been avoided had the merchandise been protected by using Sensormatic security tags. I will tell you about it in a moment but first I want to explain why I want every store owner and manager to understand the importance of security tags.
Sensormatic security tags are first a visual deterrent to someone who enters a store with the intention of walking out with merchandise they haven’t paid for. This means the reverse is just as true. If a criminal walks into a store and intends to steal and they do find merchandise that isn’t tagged they are going to be more inclined to steal it. Security tags aren’t hard to put on merchandise and believe it or not they are affordable. Security labels are designed for one-time use but come in bulk quantities. Hard tags are meant for multiple uses and stand up to extensive use. Multi-use also means there is little need for replacement tag purchases. It is a great way to save money while protecting what is important in your store. To make a system complete it requires installing Sensormatic pedestals at the front doors to the business. A quick visit to the Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. website and a click on their free ROI calculator and you can see for yourself how affordable all of this can be.
So now back to how my shopping trip turned into an adventure to stop shoplifting. My wife and I were walking down an aisle to pick up a box of trash bags and I watched a man pulling a large, black trash bag from a roll. He seemed to be talking to himself while opening up this single bag. I also noticed there was a shopping cart with only a 32 inch LCD television in it. The cart was blocking another customer so I asked the man if the cart was his so the woman and her child could get by. He apologized and moved the buggy. Well, that confirmed for me the cart and the television were his. At this point he started to talk to the woman telling her he was trying to see how big the bags were. I wasn’t buying his act. My wife and I got to the end of the aisle and I stopped and watched him. My wife asked what I was doing and when I told her she rolled her eyes as if to say, “Here we go again!” I watched as the man wheeled the buggy, television and his single trash bag down another aisle. I saw an employee, told him about my L.P. background and about the suspect and the television and suggested he get someone from L.P. or a manager. The suspect was in another aisle trying to place the bag over the television. I walked up and started to talk to him and commented that he had forgotten the rest of the bags an aisle over. He went back and picked up the package and said something about forgetting it. As he walked to another aisle I followed him and watched as he put the package of bags on a shelf. He attempted again to put the bag on the merchandise. Fortunately for him I happened to see where he “accidently” put the bags down again and took them to him. He acknowledged his error and put the bags in his shopping cart and moved the television to the bottom rail of the cart and proceeded to tell me he was going to check-out. Did I mention I also now saw a single can of beer in the child seat covered by the bags? A manager came up and asked me if I was okay. I told him the situation and he said he would tell the front door people and cashiers to look for him (not that he had walked far from us). So while I did not see the final outcome of this I do believe I did stop shoplifting of a television from taking place in this store.
While I enjoyed this game of cops and robbers it could have been avoided had Sensormatic security tags, specifically the Magnetic Alarming 2-Tone Wrap been used on this item. Since I can’t be everywhere at once, I recommend talking to the folks at Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. and find out how they can help you get your own Sensormatic system.
Sesnormatic hard tags are important and we can help you with them. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
How do you handle clothing security for your store? What I mean is this, what controls do you have in place to prevent theft? Who may be stealing in your store and where is it happening? If you are operating a store and selling any type of apparel you need to ask yourself these questions. Psssst…store owners who don’t sell clothing I recommend you don’t stop reading. You may not sell clothing but the information will be relevant to you too. The first thought that you probably have is this is an article on shoplifting. Yes and No. Shoplifters are a big concern for stores and more so for those stores that are not using any type of security tags on clothes. It is important that you don’t discount the chance that you have employees who may also be stealing from you. Retail anti-theft devices can deter theft at all levels and theft accounted for approximately 66.5% of retail shortage in 2017 according to the 2018 National Retail Security Survey (pg. 5).
With 17 years of Retail Loss Prevention experience under my belt I will unequivocally tell you that if you are not using a retail security system in your store you are inviting theft into your building. Those stores that have a Sensormatic security system and use security tags on clothes (and nearly all other merchandise) are deterring criminals from stealing and sending them where? That’s right, to YOUR store. Criminals know what security systems look like when they walk into a store and they know what security tags and labels on clothing look like. Theft is always risky and the bad guys know that but they make every effort to avoid being detected and going to jail. So, when they enter YOUR store because they ran into security equipment at the store just down the block you are inviting theft in. You aren’t without recourse you can join those who have installed a Sensormatic system and have added clothing security to their merchandise. If you have any questions about the purchase of a system and tags Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. can give you information you need to make a smart decision.
Getting back to the original question though, how do you handle clothing security? Bearing in mind that employees and customers will steal from you there must be steps in place to cover all of your bases. Here are some tips to help you control the opportunities for merchandise theft:
• As we have already discussed retailers should be using security tags on clothes. I recommend Sensormatic hard tags to make forced removal of tags an almost impossible task without damaging garments.
• Train employees on the importance of customer service. Teach them how it can help increase store sales and how it can deter theft. Note: Training employees on how to stop shoplifting through customer service is a skill and Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. does offer training seminars that will teach associates the best methods to identify it and stop it…SAFELY.
• Have locked fitting room doors if you cannot afford a dedicated fitting room attendant. All items must be separated piece by piece to prevent items from being hidden between layers. Use number chips to track how many items a customer takes in and limit that amount to 6 pieces at a time. The rule must apply to employees who are shopping as well as customers.
• Do not allow employees to ring up family or friends at the register.
• Require employees (including all managers) to have purchases and bags checked before leaving at the end of the shift.
• Conduct manager training on how they can prevent employee theft. Again, Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. does offer this in a training seminar as well as other training sessions.
• Do not allow employees to keep personal belongings at a cash register or on the sales floor. Provide lockers or locking cabinets for the storage of personal effects while the associate is on the clock.
• If it is in the budget consider a limited closed circuit television system to keep an eye on cash registers, front doors and even hard to see sales floor areas.
• Finally consult with Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. on a theft evaluation of your store and areas of vulnerability. They can also assist with a shortage action plan.
Clothing security is not hard it just requires having the right resources and knowledge of theft related issues. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. has knowledgeable staff that can point you in the right direction to bring down shortage. Sensormatic has the right tools to protect your clothing (and other merchandise) to send crooks to the next retailer that has not put a security system in place.
Need information on clothing security? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Retail Traffic Counting System –3 WC Blog 683
Door Counting Sensor-3
Visual Merchandising Enhanced With A Door Counting Sensor Part 1
I walked into my favorite grocery store today and saw the new weekly sales displayed at the front of the store and it started my mind churning about a retail traffic counting system. I began thinking about the role that customer counting has in relationship to visual merchandising and advertising. This store puts out a weekly flyer on Wednesdays and has weekend sales specials they advertise in it. Now I recognize that there is a certain customer base that will always come in. You have the loyal customers, the customers on the way home from work and then the shopper who responds to advertising and merchandising. The goal of every store owner, regardless of what you sell should be to increase foot traffic and in the process increase sales. To do that you can’t depend on just your loyal customer and the customer making a quick stop for a specific item (although if you merchandise properly you could turn this customer into a new “regular” shopper). IF the goal of advertising and visual merchandising is to draw in people, doesn’t it only make sense to measure/count the number of people coming to the store? A door counting sensor makes customer tracking easy for any retailer.
The Integrated EAS Traffic Counter from Sensormatic can be placed on the Sensormatic electronic article surveillance pedestals. This retail traffic counting system tracks people entering AND exiting the store and is not affected by shadows or weather. That means your counts are going to be accurate. It also means that you will have real numbers to use in assessing and interpreting sales activity. Is your store without an EAS system? Are you interested in preventing shoplifting, reducing shortage, improving profits and increasing sales? Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. can help you do ALL of these things with the installation of a Sensormatic system and yes, track customers as well.
Before we go further you might want to know why visual merchandising is so important to your store. I used to think it was annoying when the stores I worked in would rearrange planograms or move merchandise around. Sure, a new endcap display made sense to me but other aspects seemed counter-intuitive. Don’t customers like to go directly to where they know merchandise is located in a business? Some may, but here are some other points to consider when it comes to merchandising. Here are some tips from snapretail.com, “11 Visual Merchandising Tactics To Increase Sales”:
1. Window Displays Make First Impression – They suggest making a story out of the window display, even giving the illusion of movement.
2. Appeal to Desires – “Display nearest the entrance should feature solely desires” (as opposed to needs).
3. Create a Connection – The idea they want conveyed is to put items together to show what it may look like as part of a set. The writer mentions having a scarf displayed as part of an outfit or a Stand mixer on a counter with baking goods.
4. Keep it Fresh – They suggest changing displays every two weeks and keep the seasons in mind. Don’t leave holiday displays up after the holiday is over.
5. Regularly Update POS Displays – “Your regular customers will remember what’s on display as they check out and are more likely to grab an extra item if the display is fresh.”
These are my top favorites from the website’s article but I encourage readers to review it for the other tips they offer. What I will add is that this can be very time and labor intensive. How do you know if that window display was worth the effort you and your team put into it? Did sales increase? If they did was it only because your regular customer came in and happened to purchase an item that was displayed? Sales data won’t give you that information. A door counting sensor can provide more insight into the people flowing into your shop.
Assuming you can now see the advantage a retail traffic counting system can have in assessing your sales data you may still be wondering if you really need a Sensormatic EAS system. You could increase your sales with the displays and bring in more people but if some of those people intend to steal from you they will look for signs of a merchandise protection. The first sign is the Sensormatic EAS pedestals at the front doors. In Part 2 of this article I want to talk more about the correlation a door counting sensor, visual merchandising and marketing have with each other and how they can improve sales.
Get more information on retail traffic counting systems contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
I walked into my favorite grocery store today and saw the new weekly sales displayed at the front of the store and it started my mind churning about a retail traffic counting system. I began thinking about the role that customer counting has in relationship to visual merchandising and advertising. This store puts out a weekly flyer on Wednesdays and has weekend sales specials they advertise in it. Now I recognize that there is a certain customer base that will always come in. You have the loyal customers, the customers on the way home from work and then the shopper who responds to advertising and merchandising. The goal of every store owner, regardless of what you sell should be to increase foot traffic and in the process increase sales. To do that you can’t depend on just your loyal customer and the customer making a quick stop for a specific item (although if you merchandise properly you could turn this customer into a new “regular” shopper). IF the goal of advertising and visual merchandising is to draw in people, doesn’t it only make sense to measure/count the number of people coming to the store? A door counting sensor makes customer tracking easy for any retailer.
The Integrated EAS Traffic Counter from Sensormatic can be placed on the Sensormatic electronic article surveillance pedestals. This retail traffic counting system tracks people entering AND exiting the store and is not affected by shadows or weather. That means your counts are going to be accurate. It also means that you will have real numbers to use in assessing and interpreting sales activity. Is your store without an EAS system? Are you interested in preventing shoplifting, reducing shortage, improving profits and increasing sales? Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. can help you do ALL of these things with the installation of a Sensormatic system and yes, track customers as well.
Before we go further you might want to know why visual merchandising is so important to your store. I used to think it was annoying when the stores I worked in would rearrange planograms or move merchandise around. Sure, a new endcap display made sense to me but other aspects seemed counter-intuitive. Don’t customers like to go directly to where they know merchandise is located in a business? Some may, but here are some other points to consider when it comes to merchandising. Here are some tips from snapretail.com, “11 Visual Merchandising Tactics To Increase Sales”:
1. Window Displays Make First Impression – They suggest making a story out of the window display, even giving the illusion of movement.
2. Appeal to Desires – “Display nearest the entrance should feature solely desires” (as opposed to needs).
3. Create a Connection – The idea they want conveyed is to put items together to show what it may look like as part of a set. The writer mentions having a scarf displayed as part of an outfit or a Stand mixer on a counter with baking goods.
4. Keep it Fresh – They suggest changing displays every two weeks and keep the seasons in mind. Don’t leave holiday displays up after the holiday is over.
5. Regularly Update POS Displays – “Your regular customers will remember what’s on display as they check out and are more likely to grab an extra item if the display is fresh.”
These are my top favorites from the website’s article but I encourage readers to review it for the other tips they offer. What I will add is that this can be very time and labor intensive. How do you know if that window display was worth the effort you and your team put into it? Did sales increase? If they did was it only because your regular customer came in and happened to purchase an item that was displayed? Sales data won’t give you that information. A door counting sensor can provide more insight into the people flowing into your shop.
Assuming you can now see the advantage a retail traffic counting system can have in assessing your sales data you may still be wondering if you really need a Sensormatic EAS system. You could increase your sales with the displays and bring in more people but if some of those people intend to steal from you they will look for signs of a merchandise protection. The first sign is the Sensormatic EAS pedestals at the front doors. In Part 2 of this article I want to talk more about the correlation a door counting sensor, visual merchandising and marketing have with each other and how they can improve sales.
Get more information on retail traffic counting systems contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
A free Loss Prevention Calculator helps store owners see what the return on an investment in a Retail Loss Prevention System would be without spending anything to look into it. Shoplifting costs stores money through stolen merchandise and the loss of business when a customer can’t locate the goods they came into the store to purchase. It also takes an additional toll when a shoplifter picks up an item and then returns it for cash or a gift card. Nothing like paying for your own stuff is there? Is there a risk in spending money on a Sensormatic System? Is it a good idea for a business owner to take a risk in investing in something without assurance it will pay off? I know of one example of a calculated risk taken that has paid off.
About three years ago, my Alma Mater, Coastal Carolina University, made what appeared to be an unusual investment for a school, they sponsored a NASCAR driver in the truck racing series. There was no equivalent to the Loss Prevention ROI Calculator for the University to refer to before attempting this venture. Not many schools would make such a partnership but the deal has been beneficial to the driver, Brandon Brown (a Coastal student and alumni), his team and Coastal Carolina. The sponsorship helps the driver and his team cover the expenses of travel, salaries and vehicle maintenance. The return on investment for the school is the national recognition the school receives every time Mr. Brown, his truck and now Xfinity series race car are viewed on television. In a feature page on Coastal’s website in a story by Brent Reser, “In The Fast Lane”, Bill Plate, CCU’s Vice President for University Communications, pointed out the benefit of the sponsorship for Coastal with the school’s Chanticleer logo prominently displayed. “It is no different than a billboard except this billboard moves up and down moves up and down I-95”, Plate says referring to the trailer marked with Coastal insignia that transports Brown’s vehicle”…Plate goes on to say, “Then on race day it is a billboard that goes 180 mph…” NASCAR is a hugely popular sport and is watched all across the nation so the attention garnered aids in recruiting new students. It is also helpful to the CCU athletics teams in recruiting efforts to make the school competitive on the highest levels. It was a risky move that has turned out well for the University.
The Loss Prevention ROI Calculator gives retailers the ability to see how adding Loss Prevention system to their store will add security that reduces shrink without taking a risk. Click on the ROI calculator on the top of the Loss Prevention Systems Inc. home page and enter two key pieces of information, your estimated annual sales and the amount you would spend on a Sensormatic system. The calculator has a built in shortage reduction factor so it will give you the estimated number of months it would take for a system to pay for itself. In other words Loss Prevention can pay for itself. The Loss Prevention ROI Calculator removes any and all risks a store owner takes in the purchase of a Sensormatic security system by showing the benefits it will provide.
As a former Loss Prevention Manager with over 27 years of retail experience I have first-hand knowledge that Checkpoint systems work. I have seen top theft departments drastically improve in shortage performance after Sensormatic tags and labels were used on merchandise. I have complete confidence that after using the Free Loss Prevention Calculator you will see that your business can see similar shortage improvement.
Adding a school logo to a racing truck and car was a calculated risk for CCU. There was no way to measure what the impact would be prior to sponsoring the team. Adding a Sensormatic security system to your store doesn’t need to be a risk. The Free Loss Prevention Calculator gives a realistic expectation of how much store owners will save in reduced inventory shrinkage. Decreased shrink means more profit and merchandise in the store for customers to purchase and THAT is something to crow about!
For more information on the Loss Prevention ROI Calculator contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
How is it that a pair of shoplifters can enter a store, remove EAS tags from clothing and in the process fill up an entire shopping cart? I read an article on winknews.com, by Derrick Shaw, September 7, 2018, “Cape Coral Police ask for help Identifying two Burlington theft suspects” and according to the report this is exactly what happened. The pair left with $600 in merchandise and an exterior video camera captured a picture of the suspect’s car in the parking lot. As I looked at the picture of the dynamic duo entering the store and the picture posted of the car and parking lot a couple of things stood out to me that piqued my Loss Prevention curiosity. First, there are electronic article surveillance antennas at the doors and a closed circuit television camera was used to gather pictures so security is a priority in some fashion. I also noted it was night time and the parking lot was devoid of cars. I can only see two vehicles in the entire parking lot and one is believed to belong to the criminals. This leads me to believe there were very few shoppers in the store and these two should have stood out. Why were they able to remove EAS tags from $600 worth of clothing without being noticed by associates?
I am going to take an educated guess and say that if this crime took place in early September as the report indicates and it was as dark as the pictures indicate then it was most likely getting close to closing time. In my 27 years plus in retail I feel safe in assuming employees were more concerned with recovering the store from the activity earlier in the day. Clothing racks needed to be sized and straightened, garments on tables folded and placed back where they were supposed to go. I have no idea how many workers would have been in the store but if I had to take a stab at it I would guess anywhere from 3 – 5 people were working, a manager, a cashier, and a couple of salesfloor associates. There seems to have been a breakdown in priorities or training for employees on how to stop shoplifting needs to be reviewed. It does seem from my searching the internet that the stores do employ store level Loss Prevention Associates but I could not determine if every store has them or if they are in the store at all times. I know that in my years as a Loss Prevention Manager for a big box retailer with a Loss Prevention team we did not have the staff to cover the store from open to close. We relied on our store associates to provide exceptional customer service to help deter shoplifters and report suspicious activity in our absence.
Store managers and owners, many of you with smaller stores have to contend with theft issues with no support of a Loss Prevention professional. What do YOUR store employees do to deter crime? Have they been trained on the importance of providing customer service both to improve sales but also to stop shoplifting from taking place? Are you using EAS tags on your merchandise? Congratulations if you are using a Sensormatic security system and tags however, as we see in the case of the $600 clothing caper it does little good if there is no customer service to support it. A balanced approach to theft prevention requires the installation of an anti-theft system and training employees on how they deter criminals by offering help. They must also be trained on recognizing the signs someone intends to steal and steps to intervene appropriately. While awareness of activity at all times of the day or night is important there are indicators that shoplifters give off. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. provides training that will give you AND your associates the information and tools necessary to stop shoplifting and still get the daily tasks completed that keep a store running.
Small stores are going to have fewer employees at any given time than a national chain store. This makes it more crucial for your employees to be knowledgeable of how criminals operate and how to give service that will stop them. Placing EAS tags on merchandise is a deterrent to criminal activity but effectiveness is only as good as the people who are trained in how they work and how to respond to alarms. Let Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. give you all the information you need on Sensormatic systems and tags and how your employees can be an integral part of your merchandise protection strategy.
Need information on EAS tags? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
