People Counting Systems – 4 WC Blog 733
Retail Traffic Counting – 3
Combining Retail Traffic Counting Devices With Other Technologies
I was looking at technology on the Sensormatic.com website for information on people counting systems because I like to see what is new as well as how different technology can be tied together. It is my opinion that frequently retailers do not use the systems they install to the fullest potential. For example, I understand the advantages a door counting sensor can provide to help boost sales. Sometimes this is called measuring the conversion rate for the retailer. This measurement is useful to know how many people have walked through the doors and how many transactions were completed. A big difference in those numbers indicate something in the store is not right, whether it is poor customer service or a lack of products that shoppers came in to purchase. In this sense I see how retail traffic counting can be related to Loss Prevention. I have been in retail a LONG time so I recognize that shoplifting does impact merchandise in-stocks and product availability. What I am looking for when I am researching information on different websites is how various technologies complement each other so store owners and managers can leverage more out of their Loss Prevention systems.
It was during the course of my searching that I found something that could be quite useful from Sensormatic if paired together. This company offers a Sensormatic Synergy Camera that I believe could be coupled with their people counting device to make a giant leap for retailers, especially small and medium sized stores. The company information on this camera is that it “provides clear, high-definition video recordings or snapshots of loss events at the storefront”. The camera is mounted to a Sensormatic electronic article surveillance pedestal and captures video when alarms are detected which includes systems that can detect booster foil-lined bags. It will also capture video when a Sensormatic tag or label sets off the alarm. Now, I want you to picture this in conjunction with the pedestals that are fitted with people counting systems. You track how many customers are entering your store AND you are capturing video when alarm activations take place. You can get high-definition video and pictures of potential shoplifters who are visiting your business. If you have high foot traffic counts compared to sales as I mentioned earlier and you start to view images from your camera when alarms are set off you can begin to identify who the regular shoplifters are visiting your store. Along with the losses they are causing you through their theft activity they may be the ones causing empty spaces on your shelves. This could be why sales are low compared to your retail traffic counting numbers.
Another advantage for store management if they combine the people counting systems with the Synergy Camera is that they can view how their teams are responding to electronic article surveillance alarms. It is one thing to know how many alarms are sounding and who the people are who are causing activations but the response to those alarms is just as important if not more so. If alarms are activated and employees are simply waving people out the door without conducting proper package and receipt checks thieves are going to take advantage of this and steal even more. From my personal experiences as a Loss Prevention Manager I have seen employees who do not address alarms properly. Some of those are theft related and those people return to your store over and over until something is done to address how responses are handled. Again, I believe combining the videos with numbers from your retail traffic counting data can aid in improving sales by identifying issues taking place in the store.
Like so many other processes in a retail environment, one process has a direct impact on other areas of the business. If data itself is gathered and you are only counting patrons with people counting systems and you are not tying that information into other areas it becomes useless. Tie it into a Sensormatic Synergy Camera and you can begin to improve shortage numbers through suspect identification AND alarm response training. Do that and you begin to improve on hand quantities and improve sales and that should be your ultimate goal.
Retail Traffic Counting is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
I was looking at technology on the Sensormatic.com website for information on people counting systems because I like to see what is new as well as how different technology can be tied together. It is my opinion that frequently retailers do not use the systems they install to the fullest potential. For example, I understand the advantages a door counting sensor can provide to help boost sales. Sometimes this is called measuring the conversion rate for the retailer. This measurement is useful to know how many people have walked through the doors and how many transactions were completed. A big difference in those numbers indicate something in the store is not right, whether it is poor customer service or a lack of products that shoppers came in to purchase. In this sense I see how retail traffic counting can be related to Loss Prevention. I have been in retail a LONG time so I recognize that shoplifting does impact merchandise in-stocks and product availability. What I am looking for when I am researching information on different websites is how various technologies complement each other so store owners and managers can leverage more out of their Loss Prevention systems.
It was during the course of my searching that I found something that could be quite useful from Sensormatic if paired together. This company offers a Sensormatic Synergy Camera that I believe could be coupled with their people counting device to make a giant leap for retailers, especially small and medium sized stores. The company information on this camera is that it “provides clear, high-definition video recordings or snapshots of loss events at the storefront”. The camera is mounted to a Sensormatic electronic article surveillance pedestal and captures video when alarms are detected which includes systems that can detect booster foil-lined bags. It will also capture video when a Sensormatic tag or label sets off the alarm. Now, I want you to picture this in conjunction with the pedestals that are fitted with people counting systems. You track how many customers are entering your store AND you are capturing video when alarm activations take place. You can get high-definition video and pictures of potential shoplifters who are visiting your business. If you have high foot traffic counts compared to sales as I mentioned earlier and you start to view images from your camera when alarms are set off you can begin to identify who the regular shoplifters are visiting your store. Along with the losses they are causing you through their theft activity they may be the ones causing empty spaces on your shelves. This could be why sales are low compared to your retail traffic counting numbers.
Another advantage for store management if they combine the people counting systems with the Synergy Camera is that they can view how their teams are responding to electronic article surveillance alarms. It is one thing to know how many alarms are sounding and who the people are who are causing activations but the response to those alarms is just as important if not more so. If alarms are activated and employees are simply waving people out the door without conducting proper package and receipt checks thieves are going to take advantage of this and steal even more. From my personal experiences as a Loss Prevention Manager I have seen employees who do not address alarms properly. Some of those are theft related and those people return to your store over and over until something is done to address how responses are handled. Again, I believe combining the videos with numbers from your retail traffic counting data can aid in improving sales by identifying issues taking place in the store.
Like so many other processes in a retail environment, one process has a direct impact on other areas of the business. If data itself is gathered and you are only counting patrons with people counting systems and you are not tying that information into other areas it becomes useless. Tie it into a Sensormatic Synergy Camera and you can begin to improve shortage numbers through suspect identification AND alarm response training. Do that and you begin to improve on hand quantities and improve sales and that should be your ultimate goal.
Retail Traffic Counting is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Retail Theft Prevention – 3 WC Blog 711
Sensormatic security system – 3
Retail Theft Prevention – Lessons For Those Considering A Career In Loss Prevention Part 2
In Part 1 I talked about lessons I had to pick up about retail theft prevention as I transitioned into a career of Loss Prevention. I came into the job having been a U.S. Air Force Law Enforcement Specialist and after leaving the service attended college. I was hired and after a brief training period I was starting to catch shoplifters. I got pretty good at it and found I liked the adrenaline rush of watching a suspect as he/she started giving the signals they might steal. There were very few rules other than don’t make a bad stop. We were able to give chase and do what needed to be done to apprehend a bad guy. I made a lot of friends and contacts on the police department. They would race to get to where I was if I was chasing a shoplifter because they knew the cases we called them for were going to be solid. We didn’t call them just because someone set off our Sensormatic security system and got away.
Unfortunately all I really learned in this first job was how to catch a shoplifter primarily using closed circuit television. I learned a little about employee theft, setting up a covert camera and some signals to look for to identify a dishonest worker. I did not learn about the part retail theft prevention plays in store profitability. I also didn’t learn about managing a team or managing a schedule. I had experience in the Air Force training others and a little supervisory background but I chose to leave before I had a significant amount of supervisory training. Four and a half years later I was hired as a Loss Prevention Manager for a big box retail store and though I thought I was ready I was in for a rude awakening my first year. I had no real idea what it was to interview people to work for me. I also had a rookie District Manager who was new to his job which was not very helpful to me. He had stores to supervise up to 4 hours distant from my store which was in a new market for this company. Yes, I had gone through several weeks of training but I didn’t learn about interviewing a team. In hindsight here are some of the things I would like to have known if I had it to do over again:
• Don’t necessarily hire people with a background in Loss Prevention. Some of the best people I hired later were those I could train from scratch. That does not mean I would not consider someone with an L.P. background. Unfortunately some had ways of doing things that were not in our best practices. An example might be they make apprehensions based on a Sensormatic security system alarm only. They could be harder to train and some had bad or risky behaviors they brought with them.
• Surround yourself with people who have skill sets different from your own. Don’t be afraid to hire someone who may surpass you. Hire great people that can help you be better.
• Don’t allow others to push a candidate on you. They may give you an opinion but ultimately you have to supervise that person.
There were mistakes I made in my hiring decisions and I own that but if I had some choices to do over again I guarantee I would.
I mentioned a Sensormatic security system so let me add this to my tips for those considering a career in Loss Prevention. If you work in a store that doesn’t have one ask the store owner or manager to consider installing a system. If the store does have a system, learn how it operates and how to troubleshoot it. Be able to teach associates how to respond to electronic article surveillance alarms because they will be the first ones to conduct the receipt checks. A well-trained associate can save a store a LOT of money by properly answering alarms.
Retail theft prevention can be rewarding. You must be aware that there is more to it than just watching cameras and “catching bad guys”. A good Associate or Manager will learn the operational side of the store business and become a partner to the store manager. You can be worth your weight in gold to a management team but you have to see the role as bigger than just preventing shoplifting. In the next installment I will cover a few more tips I wish someone had given me as I embarked on my Loss Prevention journey.
Retail theft prevention is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 for more information.
In Part 1 I talked about lessons I had to pick up about retail theft prevention as I transitioned into a career of Loss Prevention. I came into the job having been a U.S. Air Force Law Enforcement Specialist and after leaving the service attended college. I was hired and after a brief training period I was starting to catch shoplifters. I got pretty good at it and found I liked the adrenaline rush of watching a suspect as he/she started giving the signals they might steal. There were very few rules other than don’t make a bad stop. We were able to give chase and do what needed to be done to apprehend a bad guy. I made a lot of friends and contacts on the police department. They would race to get to where I was if I was chasing a shoplifter because they knew the cases we called them for were going to be solid. We didn’t call them just because someone set off our Sensormatic security system and got away.
Unfortunately all I really learned in this first job was how to catch a shoplifter primarily using closed circuit television. I learned a little about employee theft, setting up a covert camera and some signals to look for to identify a dishonest worker. I did not learn about the part retail theft prevention plays in store profitability. I also didn’t learn about managing a team or managing a schedule. I had experience in the Air Force training others and a little supervisory background but I chose to leave before I had a significant amount of supervisory training. Four and a half years later I was hired as a Loss Prevention Manager for a big box retail store and though I thought I was ready I was in for a rude awakening my first year. I had no real idea what it was to interview people to work for me. I also had a rookie District Manager who was new to his job which was not very helpful to me. He had stores to supervise up to 4 hours distant from my store which was in a new market for this company. Yes, I had gone through several weeks of training but I didn’t learn about interviewing a team. In hindsight here are some of the things I would like to have known if I had it to do over again:
• Don’t necessarily hire people with a background in Loss Prevention. Some of the best people I hired later were those I could train from scratch. That does not mean I would not consider someone with an L.P. background. Unfortunately some had ways of doing things that were not in our best practices. An example might be they make apprehensions based on a Sensormatic security system alarm only. They could be harder to train and some had bad or risky behaviors they brought with them.
• Surround yourself with people who have skill sets different from your own. Don’t be afraid to hire someone who may surpass you. Hire great people that can help you be better.
• Don’t allow others to push a candidate on you. They may give you an opinion but ultimately you have to supervise that person.
There were mistakes I made in my hiring decisions and I own that but if I had some choices to do over again I guarantee I would.
I mentioned a Sensormatic security system so let me add this to my tips for those considering a career in Loss Prevention. If you work in a store that doesn’t have one ask the store owner or manager to consider installing a system. If the store does have a system, learn how it operates and how to troubleshoot it. Be able to teach associates how to respond to electronic article surveillance alarms because they will be the first ones to conduct the receipt checks. A well-trained associate can save a store a LOT of money by properly answering alarms.
Retail theft prevention can be rewarding. You must be aware that there is more to it than just watching cameras and “catching bad guys”. A good Associate or Manager will learn the operational side of the store business and become a partner to the store manager. You can be worth your weight in gold to a management team but you have to see the role as bigger than just preventing shoplifting. In the next installment I will cover a few more tips I wish someone had given me as I embarked on my Loss Prevention journey.
Retail theft prevention is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 for more information.
Electronic Article Surveillance – 3 WC Blog 735
Sensormatic Tags – 3
Optimize Endcap Space When You Use Sensormatic Tags
Have you ever stopped to think that the use of electronic article surveillance can help drive sales? What I mean is that the use of anti-theft devices to protect merchandise gives managers of businesses the flexibility to move merchandise closer to store entrances than they may have considered doing in the past. You may be wondering, what does moving merchandise have to do with driving sales? I thought about this recently after I made a suggestion to the store manager where I work to move some merchandise. The merchandise (retro video game systems and hand held games) were located on an endcap in the back of the store where they were not selling. I suggested we move them to a main aisle endcap near the front of the store. The manager approved the move and I changed out the endcap in about a half hour. When I returned to work a few days later, sure enough we had sold through some of the merchandise. Because I work part-time for this retailer, it was several days before I returned again but when I did I noted that more units had sold through. Major retailers I have worked for are pretty good about changing endcap planograms but it can be easy to get comfortable and leave them as they are. Since smaller, independent owners have control over their own business they decide when and if they are going to change anything. If a store isn’t using Sensormatic tags to protect merchandise it can be risky to keep higher dollar products near the front where customers can see them. In fact many owners choose to lock up these pieces but that can discourage shoppers from ever buying these items.
Using Sensormatic tags on merchandise allows customers the freedom to pick up and examine merchandise without jeopardizing the security of the item. There are so many different electronic article surveillance hard tags and labels available from Sensormatic that there is something out there that can protect virtually anything a retailer can sell, including foods. One example of a food safe tag, the Sensormatic APX Microwavable Roll Labels are available for use in grocery stores. The message I want to convey is that there is no reason for retailers to relegate higher dollar merchandise to locking showcases. All that does is tie up store payroll requiring an employee to be available to show merchandise that may or may not be sold. When customers can select what they are interested in and walk around a store to continue shopping they are probably going to purchase that item. Make them wait for service at a locking display case and you could very well lose a sale.
This brings us full circle back to the movement of merchandise. Endcaps are great for getting products into the view of the customer that might not be seen if it is stocked in-line in an aisle among other merchandise. Seasonal products, promotional items and slow-moving items (such as I noted with our videogames) can be overlooked if they are not placed where customers can see them. Quite often these products may be impulse buys that will add to the sales dollars/transaction since the customer did not come in for the item in the first place. It also helps to reduce the potential for lost margin as products have to be marked down when they don’t sell. Getting the biggest bang for the buck for each item should be your objective. High dollar items can be included on these endcap displays with the use of electronic article surveillance anti-theft devices. Without a Sensormatic security system store management does have their hands tied and have to restrict endcaps to lower dollar products to minimize losses if theft takes place.
If you own prime beach front real estate you don’t build a shack on it, you build condos or hotels and earn money from it. Endcaps are considered prime real estate in a store for a reason. These locations drive impulse buys and add-on sales for retailers. Don’t build shacks on the beach when you can build hotels. Use this real estate to sell higher end merchandise and protect those items with Sensormatic tags.
Sensormatic tags are important and we can help you with them. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Have you ever stopped to think that the use of electronic article surveillance can help drive sales? What I mean is that the use of anti-theft devices to protect merchandise gives managers of businesses the flexibility to move merchandise closer to store entrances than they may have considered doing in the past. You may be wondering, what does moving merchandise have to do with driving sales? I thought about this recently after I made a suggestion to the store manager where I work to move some merchandise. The merchandise (retro video game systems and hand held games) were located on an endcap in the back of the store where they were not selling. I suggested we move them to a main aisle endcap near the front of the store. The manager approved the move and I changed out the endcap in about a half hour. When I returned to work a few days later, sure enough we had sold through some of the merchandise. Because I work part-time for this retailer, it was several days before I returned again but when I did I noted that more units had sold through. Major retailers I have worked for are pretty good about changing endcap planograms but it can be easy to get comfortable and leave them as they are. Since smaller, independent owners have control over their own business they decide when and if they are going to change anything. If a store isn’t using Sensormatic tags to protect merchandise it can be risky to keep higher dollar products near the front where customers can see them. In fact many owners choose to lock up these pieces but that can discourage shoppers from ever buying these items.
Using Sensormatic tags on merchandise allows customers the freedom to pick up and examine merchandise without jeopardizing the security of the item. There are so many different electronic article surveillance hard tags and labels available from Sensormatic that there is something out there that can protect virtually anything a retailer can sell, including foods. One example of a food safe tag, the Sensormatic APX Microwavable Roll Labels are available for use in grocery stores. The message I want to convey is that there is no reason for retailers to relegate higher dollar merchandise to locking showcases. All that does is tie up store payroll requiring an employee to be available to show merchandise that may or may not be sold. When customers can select what they are interested in and walk around a store to continue shopping they are probably going to purchase that item. Make them wait for service at a locking display case and you could very well lose a sale.
This brings us full circle back to the movement of merchandise. Endcaps are great for getting products into the view of the customer that might not be seen if it is stocked in-line in an aisle among other merchandise. Seasonal products, promotional items and slow-moving items (such as I noted with our videogames) can be overlooked if they are not placed where customers can see them. Quite often these products may be impulse buys that will add to the sales dollars/transaction since the customer did not come in for the item in the first place. It also helps to reduce the potential for lost margin as products have to be marked down when they don’t sell. Getting the biggest bang for the buck for each item should be your objective. High dollar items can be included on these endcap displays with the use of electronic article surveillance anti-theft devices. Without a Sensormatic security system store management does have their hands tied and have to restrict endcaps to lower dollar products to minimize losses if theft takes place.
If you own prime beach front real estate you don’t build a shack on it, you build condos or hotels and earn money from it. Endcaps are considered prime real estate in a store for a reason. These locations drive impulse buys and add-on sales for retailers. Don’t build shacks on the beach when you can build hotels. Use this real estate to sell higher end merchandise and protect those items with Sensormatic tags.
Sensormatic tags are important and we can help you with them. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Sensormatic Labels – 5 WC Blog 731
Stop Shoplifting – 3
When To Choose Between Sensormatic Labels and Hard Tags
When is it better to use Sensormatic labels versus hard tags? I encountered an incident at work the other night that is a prime example of when one can be chosen over the other. I was on the salesfloor of the store where I work answering questions for a customer over the telephone. As I was trying to explain information on a specific computer monitor I happened to glance over my shoulder and saw a shopper closing up a cardboard box that a certain computer charging cable is carried in. All of the other laptop chargers are in thick plastic blister packages and have electronic article surveillance tags source tagged in them. I was suspicious of the customer as he closed up the box and placed it back on the peg hook but I was also busy with the customer on the telephone. I saw no way to interrupt the phone conversation to check on a suspicious action without potentially hurting the reputation of the store with that customer. The only other people in the store were tied up with their own customers so there was no one to call for assistance. When I did finally finish helping the customer on the phone I checked on the box that had been rehung and it was indeed empty.
Sensormatic labels and the hard tags will stop shoplifting but there are differences in how they are placed on merchandise that should influence what products store managers choose to put them on. If merchandise is protected in a hard, plastic blister package a label will provide the protection needed to sound the electronic article surveillance alarm. With ample customer service on the floor, criminals will not have the opportunity to cut into packages to remove the contents. So in these cases packaging and labels work in unison to deter theft. If presented with a choice the other merchandise I like to see labels used to protect are small easy to conceal items such as you find in the health and beauty department. These are too small for hard tags but are still in high demand by thieves and should be protected. Cosmetics are one of the top categories for theft in shrinkage analysis reporting among stores that sell cosmetics. Often store managers that don’t protect these items don’t understand that there are Sensormatic labels designed for this purpose. The HBC (Health, Beauty and Cosmetic) Sheet Label is a narrow label specifically for this category of product. As an ardent supporter of tagging as much as possible in a store, labels are the perfect solution for protecting large quantities of merchandise in a cost effective manner.
Hard tags are reusable and dependable in merchandise protection but there are limitations on what they can be used on and may not make sense for everything. Do you need to put every deck of “Old Maid” children’s cards in Flexible Safers when they pose little if any theft risk? Probably not but what you can do is tear off a label from a sheet and slap it on a box. It may be low risk but now you have virtually eliminated that threat, regardless of how minor, to keep your cards from being stolen. Sensormatic labels are versatile and can be used on almost any product sold in stores. From a deck of “Old Maid” cards to a computer printer to placement on a garment manufacturer hang tag, labels can give more flexibility for store managers in order to stop shoplifting. When a store has both the labels and the hard tags I do suggest using the hard tags when possible on the higher price point goods. If we use the theft incident I referenced earlier a Sensormatic Magnetic Alarming 3-Tone Wrap or Flexible Safer would have been a better option for the Powercord. Either of these would have prevented the crook from easily getting into the box and stealing the contents. IF a store has no other options a label on a high dollar product is better than a lock up case or no tag at all.
As much as we would like to have a one to one employee/customer ratio in our stores we know that is not an option. Sometimes we are pulled in all different directions and shoplifters take advantage of it. Using a Sensormatic security system and the best anti-theft devices for a particular product you can stop shoplifting in your store(s). When the merchandise itself seems too small or too insignificant or you simply don’t keep hard tags on hand, Sensormatic labels are a wonderful all-purpose way to keep products secure. Stay in-stock and making money by using electronic article surveillance devices on ALL your merchandise.
Sensormatic labels are important and we can help you with them. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
When is it better to use Sensormatic labels versus hard tags? I encountered an incident at work the other night that is a prime example of when one can be chosen over the other. I was on the salesfloor of the store where I work answering questions for a customer over the telephone. As I was trying to explain information on a specific computer monitor I happened to glance over my shoulder and saw a shopper closing up a cardboard box that a certain computer charging cable is carried in. All of the other laptop chargers are in thick plastic blister packages and have electronic article surveillance tags source tagged in them. I was suspicious of the customer as he closed up the box and placed it back on the peg hook but I was also busy with the customer on the telephone. I saw no way to interrupt the phone conversation to check on a suspicious action without potentially hurting the reputation of the store with that customer. The only other people in the store were tied up with their own customers so there was no one to call for assistance. When I did finally finish helping the customer on the phone I checked on the box that had been rehung and it was indeed empty.
Sensormatic labels and the hard tags will stop shoplifting but there are differences in how they are placed on merchandise that should influence what products store managers choose to put them on. If merchandise is protected in a hard, plastic blister package a label will provide the protection needed to sound the electronic article surveillance alarm. With ample customer service on the floor, criminals will not have the opportunity to cut into packages to remove the contents. So in these cases packaging and labels work in unison to deter theft. If presented with a choice the other merchandise I like to see labels used to protect are small easy to conceal items such as you find in the health and beauty department. These are too small for hard tags but are still in high demand by thieves and should be protected. Cosmetics are one of the top categories for theft in shrinkage analysis reporting among stores that sell cosmetics. Often store managers that don’t protect these items don’t understand that there are Sensormatic labels designed for this purpose. The HBC (Health, Beauty and Cosmetic) Sheet Label is a narrow label specifically for this category of product. As an ardent supporter of tagging as much as possible in a store, labels are the perfect solution for protecting large quantities of merchandise in a cost effective manner.
Hard tags are reusable and dependable in merchandise protection but there are limitations on what they can be used on and may not make sense for everything. Do you need to put every deck of “Old Maid” children’s cards in Flexible Safers when they pose little if any theft risk? Probably not but what you can do is tear off a label from a sheet and slap it on a box. It may be low risk but now you have virtually eliminated that threat, regardless of how minor, to keep your cards from being stolen. Sensormatic labels are versatile and can be used on almost any product sold in stores. From a deck of “Old Maid” cards to a computer printer to placement on a garment manufacturer hang tag, labels can give more flexibility for store managers in order to stop shoplifting. When a store has both the labels and the hard tags I do suggest using the hard tags when possible on the higher price point goods. If we use the theft incident I referenced earlier a Sensormatic Magnetic Alarming 3-Tone Wrap or Flexible Safer would have been a better option for the Powercord. Either of these would have prevented the crook from easily getting into the box and stealing the contents. IF a store has no other options a label on a high dollar product is better than a lock up case or no tag at all.
As much as we would like to have a one to one employee/customer ratio in our stores we know that is not an option. Sometimes we are pulled in all different directions and shoplifters take advantage of it. Using a Sensormatic security system and the best anti-theft devices for a particular product you can stop shoplifting in your store(s). When the merchandise itself seems too small or too insignificant or you simply don’t keep hard tags on hand, Sensormatic labels are a wonderful all-purpose way to keep products secure. Stay in-stock and making money by using electronic article surveillance devices on ALL your merchandise.
Sensormatic labels are important and we can help you with them. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Clothing Security- 3 WC Blog 726
Sensormatic Tags-4
Eco-Friendly Bags Or Booster Bags? Clothing Security Depends On A Sensormatic System
I know recycled bags are an “in” thing now but I have to ask retailers, how do you address clothing security when customers are using these bags in your store? I can direct my question to any retailer but I ask about clothing retailers because of a suspicious person I saw the other night. As I was shopping with my wife yesterday I would have bet my bottom dollar I was going to see another shoplifter in action. We had just entered this store and I saw a woman with a very oversized tote bag and I told my wife that the woman was going to steal because she had a “shoplifter purse”. My wife glared at me and told me that we had to pick up some things and get home. She was not going to let me play store security that night. We picked up what we needed in health and beauty and went past the clothing department and I spotted the woman in the women’s clothing section and her bag looked a bit bigger. As far as I know this store does not use Sensormatic tags or any other anti-theft tag on clothing merchandise. They may use concealed electronic article surveillance (EAS) labels but not the hard tags. We continued our shopping in the grocery department and a few minutes later the woman walked by us with her and she had some merchandise in her hands. I pointed out to my wife that the bag looked even fuller than it had when I spotted her in the clothing department. I thought to myself that if she was filling that bag with clothes it wasn’t going to set off any electronic article surveillance towers. I watched as the woman placed the items that she was carrying into the bag, I just KNEW she was stealing now! The items went in and one of them stuck out the top of the bag and she made no attempt to zip the bag. Maybe I was wrong after all. It could be that this was one of these new recycled shopping bags to keep the environment cleaner.
In most instances had the woman in this story been stealing and concealing clothing in a recyclable bag or purse and clothing security tags were being used an EAS tower would detect the tagged goods. The promotion of recycled bags to reduce the need for shopping carts and single-use shopping bags would make sense in that case. The electronic article surveillance device protects the product against theft. On the other hand if a store is not utilizing anti-theft devices and is permitting the use of these types of bags that store is inviting shoplifting to take place. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. founder Bill Bregar knows how criminals think and how to thwart their activity. That is why he recommends that his clients use Sensormatic tags and surveillance towers to prevent clothing theft. It stops thieves from taking your product while allowing stores the choice of how they want their customers to be able to shop.
I have no idea whether the woman in this case stole anything. I stopped watching when she left the merchandise in the bag exposed for anyone to see. What I do know is that there are more and more people bringing “shopping bags” bags into stores and putting merchandise in them. There are professional shoplifters who use foil lined bags to try to defeat retailers who put Sensormatic tags on clothing and set up EAS pedestals. Now these thieves can blend in more easily with regular shoppers. That is why it is more important than ever to put a Sensormatic system in your store. Sensormatic offers an AMS9060 controller for some of their compatible towers and this controller can be upgraded with a “Metal-Foil Detection plug- in card”. The card enables towers to detect foil lined bags if they are brought into a store. You can be confident that the shoppers with bags are real shoppers and not professional criminals.
Going green by allowing reusable shopping bags in stores is making clothing security and merchandise protection more difficult. It can lead to an increase in theft and shortage and that drains store profits. Find that perfect balance between being eco-friendly and remaining financially solvent. Use a Sensormatic security system and keep everyone happy. Oh and one final point, Sensormatic tags are reusable many times over and THAT is good for the environment!
Clothing Security is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
I know recycled bags are an “in” thing now but I have to ask retailers, how do you address clothing security when customers are using these bags in your store? I can direct my question to any retailer but I ask about clothing retailers because of a suspicious person I saw the other night. As I was shopping with my wife yesterday I would have bet my bottom dollar I was going to see another shoplifter in action. We had just entered this store and I saw a woman with a very oversized tote bag and I told my wife that the woman was going to steal because she had a “shoplifter purse”. My wife glared at me and told me that we had to pick up some things and get home. She was not going to let me play store security that night. We picked up what we needed in health and beauty and went past the clothing department and I spotted the woman in the women’s clothing section and her bag looked a bit bigger. As far as I know this store does not use Sensormatic tags or any other anti-theft tag on clothing merchandise. They may use concealed electronic article surveillance (EAS) labels but not the hard tags. We continued our shopping in the grocery department and a few minutes later the woman walked by us with her and she had some merchandise in her hands. I pointed out to my wife that the bag looked even fuller than it had when I spotted her in the clothing department. I thought to myself that if she was filling that bag with clothes it wasn’t going to set off any electronic article surveillance towers. I watched as the woman placed the items that she was carrying into the bag, I just KNEW she was stealing now! The items went in and one of them stuck out the top of the bag and she made no attempt to zip the bag. Maybe I was wrong after all. It could be that this was one of these new recycled shopping bags to keep the environment cleaner.
In most instances had the woman in this story been stealing and concealing clothing in a recyclable bag or purse and clothing security tags were being used an EAS tower would detect the tagged goods. The promotion of recycled bags to reduce the need for shopping carts and single-use shopping bags would make sense in that case. The electronic article surveillance device protects the product against theft. On the other hand if a store is not utilizing anti-theft devices and is permitting the use of these types of bags that store is inviting shoplifting to take place. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. founder Bill Bregar knows how criminals think and how to thwart their activity. That is why he recommends that his clients use Sensormatic tags and surveillance towers to prevent clothing theft. It stops thieves from taking your product while allowing stores the choice of how they want their customers to be able to shop.
I have no idea whether the woman in this case stole anything. I stopped watching when she left the merchandise in the bag exposed for anyone to see. What I do know is that there are more and more people bringing “shopping bags” bags into stores and putting merchandise in them. There are professional shoplifters who use foil lined bags to try to defeat retailers who put Sensormatic tags on clothing and set up EAS pedestals. Now these thieves can blend in more easily with regular shoppers. That is why it is more important than ever to put a Sensormatic system in your store. Sensormatic offers an AMS9060 controller for some of their compatible towers and this controller can be upgraded with a “Metal-Foil Detection plug- in card”. The card enables towers to detect foil lined bags if they are brought into a store. You can be confident that the shoppers with bags are real shoppers and not professional criminals.
Going green by allowing reusable shopping bags in stores is making clothing security and merchandise protection more difficult. It can lead to an increase in theft and shortage and that drains store profits. Find that perfect balance between being eco-friendly and remaining financially solvent. Use a Sensormatic security system and keep everyone happy. Oh and one final point, Sensormatic tags are reusable many times over and THAT is good for the environment!
Clothing Security is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
