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.
The overwhelming cause of shrink in your store is most likely due to Employee Theft. Knowing what to look for and how to prevent it from perpetuating is the key to a healthy business. There are several key indicators of potential dishonest employees that, with proper training, your managers can que in on and stop a theft before they happen; or minimize the loss once discovered.
Employee Theft Reduction Training should be standard for all supervisors and managers that you employ. As a business owner, you may not be in your store, on the floor every minute of every day. That is the reason you employ managers, right? Every Employee Theft case that I’ve ever worked or been a part of has had some of the same things in common. When you train your managers, make sure to discuss the following points, as they are almost universal.
Making Big Purchases
While this is often not a nefarious action, it can be a sign of Employee Theft. Most managers are aware of the financial situations of their employees. Managers know the employee’s salary that is to say. If you suddenly have an employee spending amounts that are much greater than what you are paying them, then something may be amiss. They could potentially be taking advantage of an employee discount for their friends and family.
Having Friends Come in the Store
It’s always great to have a family member or friend drop by work, especially if they bring food! Again, on the outset, it wouldn’t appear improper if this was a non-common occurrence. However, if you notice an employee that has friends coming into the store, especially if they are a cashier, then something may be going on beneath the surface. Part of any Employee Theft Reduction Training should also be how managers can review register activity, as well as how to operate your cameras. Those employees that always seem to have friends over could be giving away product, or failing to ring up all of their purchases at the cash register.
Complaining about Money and Hours
We’d all like to make more money, right? Most people have that desire, however employees who constantly bring up their pay rate and discuss their financial problems could be a huge red flag for a well-trained manager. If an employee feels there is no way out of their current situation, they may resort to stealing from you to either help their current situation, or as “payback” for you not paying them a wage they feel they are entitled to.
Taking out the Trash
While this may sound silly on the surface, be sure to include this tidbit in your Employee Theft Reduction Training. Generally speaking, no one is really thrilled to have garbage duty. I mean, it stinks! This task does present a perfect opportunity for Employee Theft, since chances are, the employee will have unfettered access to the back door, and will generally be unsupervised. You can limit this risk by always having a manager open outside doors and using clear plastic trash bags. Never let an employee, no matter how tenured, have full access to go in/out of your store without supervision.
Get more information on how to stop shoplifting, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
When it comes to store efforts to stop shoplifting has it ever crossed your mind that store associates can be biased? How frequently do we look at someone and assume they will NOT steal from the store? The kind of bias I am talking about is making a snap judgement about people who may have a physical disability or a child with them when they enter a store. We may look at the way they dress, wearing a suit or dress or we may see a couple carrying a baby and decide there is no way someone with an infant would ever shoplift. I came across a news article about a pair of shoplifters who had shoplifted hundreds of dollars in merchandise from a cosmetics store. Nothing is different about this case from any other shoplifting incident except in this case one of the women has only one leg and is pushed in her wheelchair by her partner. The women were in a store that specializes in cosmetics, fragrances and skincare products. Somehow they were able to steal hundreds of dollars in merchandise and leave. The report even says the pair and a man had stolen from the same store a couple of months prior to this. How do I know that biases can influence associate interactions with potential shoplifters? I know because I have allowed it in my own career.
It was not intentional but I recall a shoplifting incident in which a person in a wheelchair was rolling around a high theft area of my store. This person had a bag on the back of the chair and I intentionally talked myself out of watching this shopper. I was uncomfortable with the idea of watching someone bound to a wheelchair. Instead of watching this person as I would anyone else in a high theft department I began looking for other suspicious people. For some reason I eventually decided I was not watching the customer simply because they were in a wheelchair. I went back to my observation of this person and wouldn’t you know it they did start placing merchandise in the bag! I nearly failed to stop shoplifting because I chose to focus on the person and not the area they were in. When I did stop the suspect I also had the benefit of Sensormatic labels setting off the electronic article pedestals. The alarm gave me confirmation a theft took place when I was still in somewhat of a state of disbelief.
As I read through the article and watched the attached video clip I was interested to see that the store had electronic article surveillance pedestals at the doors. As the two exited I did not see any lights flashing from the towers or note any signals that alarms were sounding that would have indicated merchandise with Sensormatic labels or any security tags was being taken (krqe.com, “Shoplifting suspects grab hundreds of dollars in merchandise from Ulta”, Jackie Kent, Sep. 23, 2018). I can only take an educated guess based off of my own experiences but assuming the electronic article surveillance equipment is working there are three possibilities. The merchandise the suspects took was not tagged, the merchandise was removed from the packaging or the suspects were using booster bags to steal. Booster bags are foil lined bags that are intended to defeat some security systems. It is important to point out that acousto-magnetic Sensormatic labels are not affected by foil lined bags and are an outstanding deterrent to professional shoplifters. I do not know this retailer’s security procedures and what they do or don’t tag. I do know that many major retailers will not tag every item in the store focusing only on high shrink merchandise. To stop shoplifting a comprehensive tagging program must be in place and as many items as possible should be protected.
While store employees and yes, even Loss Prevention Associates may slip and make unintentional, biased judgements electronic article surveillance labels don’t judge. People may assume someone “looks” honest, or wouldn’t steal because of a perceived disability it happens. It could be the shopper reminds the associate of their grandfather and grandfathers would never steal. I even once briefly stopped watching a young lady who was pregnant because I was sure a pregnant woman wouldn’t take anything. After a few moments I watched again when she entered a high shrinkage clothing department. You guessed it, she was shoplifting. Put Sensormatic labels on all of your merchandise and shoplifters who choose to try to steal from your store will set off your security system regardless of age, height, disability or if they have a child with them.
Get more information on Sensormatic labels, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Retail Theft Prevention-3 WC Blog 676
Stop Shoplifting – 4
Want To Stop Shoplifting? Then Don’t Take Half Measures In Your Security Strategy
When it comes to retail theft prevention there are some things that just drive this old L.P. guy bananas!
• Walking into a store, touring the entire floor and never being acknowledged
• Getting a sigh when I ask for assistance
• Dirty or Broken Public View monitors when I walk into a business
• Electronic Article Surveillance pedestals that are in obvious disrepair
• Merchandise in cardboard packages with lightweight plastic hang tabs on locking peghooks
• Employees who remove an item from a locking showcase and allow you to walk around the store with it
• Inconsistent merchandise tagging or use of anti-theft devices
• Fitting rooms with empty hangers, clothing tags and worn out clothes left in them
• Inconsistent merchandise tagging or use of anti-theft devices
I bring this up because my wife and I were shopping in a clothing store today and while she was looking at the purses I was looking at the security tags on the handbags. First, I didn’t recognize the tags or the symbols on them so I had NO idea what company they are using for anti-theft devices. Second, some bags were tagged and others were not. Being curious I thought that perhaps the store was tagging based on price point. It is a strategy I disagree with vehemently but I understand the thought process. In this instance price point was not the factor, purses could have tags and the same price point of another style was not protected. I shook my head and just followed my wife as she shopped. I have seen similar situations in the store I work at. We sell ink cartridges for printers and some are in protective plastic cases and others are not, even though the price points may be the same. It bugs me if you couldn’t tell.
What is it that influences one retailer to only take half measures in terms of retail theft prevention while another seems to go all out to stop shoplifting and theft? Having been involved in Loss Prevention for as long as I have been I know that cost can influence theft prevention strategies. The money spent on payroll to tag nearly every piece of merchandise a store carries can seem to be too expensive. Then there is the cost of electronic article surveillance tags and protective devices that are used. What is not always considered is that many devices such as the Sensormatic Flexible Safer are reusable over and over and over again. They are made of strong plastics that are intended to get extensive use. An expensive item such as an ink cartridge can be stored inside them so customers can look at the merchandise but cannot open the package. It takes a cashier with a Sensormatic detachment device to remove the merchandise and the Safer is stored until it is needed for the next load of freight that comes in. As far as the tagging and application of security devices it requires some time but if merchandise is protected as it gets on the floor and over time employees can get quick at the tasks. The other thing many store owners don’t consider is that as they stop shoplifting with a focused tagging program the shortage dollars go down and offset any addition money being spent on tagging efforts.
You may not be aware of this but I’m not the only one that goes into stores and makes judgements of how seriously that store’s management takes security. While it may sound like and oxymoron criminals can be very good at their craft. They evaluate your store the way I do and they look at the condition of equipment. They look at things like Sensormatic Flexible Safers and how they are used. If there are certain items not being tagged or protected in a Safer those are the pieces they will steal. Your retail theft prevention strategy will only stop shoplifting if an item is tagged or stored in a retail anti-theft device.
There are things that drive this old Loss Prevention Manager nuts and half measures in retail security strategies are on the top of my list. If you want to avoid being on my list or simply want help to improve your shortage reduction strategy talk to the folks at Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. Their boss, Bill Bregar is a former Retail Loss Prevention Director for national retail chains. He can give you tips to stop shoplifting and improve your profit line. His business is helping YOUR business make more money and that is what you want too.
Get more information on retail theft prevention, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
When it comes to retail theft prevention there are some things that just drive this old L.P. guy bananas!
• Walking into a store, touring the entire floor and never being acknowledged
• Getting a sigh when I ask for assistance
• Dirty or Broken Public View monitors when I walk into a business
• Electronic Article Surveillance pedestals that are in obvious disrepair
• Merchandise in cardboard packages with lightweight plastic hang tabs on locking peghooks
• Employees who remove an item from a locking showcase and allow you to walk around the store with it
• Inconsistent merchandise tagging or use of anti-theft devices
• Fitting rooms with empty hangers, clothing tags and worn out clothes left in them
• Inconsistent merchandise tagging or use of anti-theft devices
I bring this up because my wife and I were shopping in a clothing store today and while she was looking at the purses I was looking at the security tags on the handbags. First, I didn’t recognize the tags or the symbols on them so I had NO idea what company they are using for anti-theft devices. Second, some bags were tagged and others were not. Being curious I thought that perhaps the store was tagging based on price point. It is a strategy I disagree with vehemently but I understand the thought process. In this instance price point was not the factor, purses could have tags and the same price point of another style was not protected. I shook my head and just followed my wife as she shopped. I have seen similar situations in the store I work at. We sell ink cartridges for printers and some are in protective plastic cases and others are not, even though the price points may be the same. It bugs me if you couldn’t tell.
What is it that influences one retailer to only take half measures in terms of retail theft prevention while another seems to go all out to stop shoplifting and theft? Having been involved in Loss Prevention for as long as I have been I know that cost can influence theft prevention strategies. The money spent on payroll to tag nearly every piece of merchandise a store carries can seem to be too expensive. Then there is the cost of electronic article surveillance tags and protective devices that are used. What is not always considered is that many devices such as the Sensormatic Flexible Safer are reusable over and over and over again. They are made of strong plastics that are intended to get extensive use. An expensive item such as an ink cartridge can be stored inside them so customers can look at the merchandise but cannot open the package. It takes a cashier with a Sensormatic detachment device to remove the merchandise and the Safer is stored until it is needed for the next load of freight that comes in. As far as the tagging and application of security devices it requires some time but if merchandise is protected as it gets on the floor and over time employees can get quick at the tasks. The other thing many store owners don’t consider is that as they stop shoplifting with a focused tagging program the shortage dollars go down and offset any addition money being spent on tagging efforts.
You may not be aware of this but I’m not the only one that goes into stores and makes judgements of how seriously that store’s management takes security. While it may sound like and oxymoron criminals can be very good at their craft. They evaluate your store the way I do and they look at the condition of equipment. They look at things like Sensormatic Flexible Safers and how they are used. If there are certain items not being tagged or protected in a Safer those are the pieces they will steal. Your retail theft prevention strategy will only stop shoplifting if an item is tagged or stored in a retail anti-theft device.
There are things that drive this old Loss Prevention Manager nuts and half measures in retail security strategies are on the top of my list. If you want to avoid being on my list or simply want help to improve your shortage reduction strategy talk to the folks at Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. Their boss, Bill Bregar is a former Retail Loss Prevention Director for national retail chains. He can give you tips to stop shoplifting and improve your profit line. His business is helping YOUR business make more money and that is what you want too.
Get more information on retail theft prevention, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
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.
