When a Sensormatic hard tag or label attached to merchandise causes an electronic article surveillance alarm how do your employees respond? Approaching a customer at the doorway when they have activated an alarm can be intimidating for some people. In part 1 of this series I focused on why I believe it is important for store managers and owners to regularly conduct refresher training with all employees on how to attach tags and remove them from products. Failing to properly remove tags from merchandise that has been properly paid for can be a customer service nightmare. Shoppers feel embarrassed and may even get angry and create a scene. Some people get the purchase home and find a tag has not been removed and then have to go all the way back to the store to have it taken off. Oh, and don’t forget it will sound the alarm on them when they come back in to the store adding more fuel to the fire. I mentioned in part 1 that I have found regular refresher training for staff members is a useful tool to keep skills sharp that are not often used. You can apply this to Sensormatic alarm tower response in order to stop shoplifting or minimize the uproar over a missed tag or a label that was not deactivated.
One of the questions I am sure floating out there right now is, “How can a customer leave with a tag still attached or a label not deactivated if they are supposed to set off the alarm?” That is a fair question to ask. There are times when a Sensormatic hard tag is overlooked and customers will walk out with their purchase and yes, an alarm goes off but one of three things happens. First, there is a crowd of people entering or leaving at the same time and everyone looks around, assumes it was someone else who caused the alarm and they all keep walking. Second, the alarm went off and no one bothered to walk over to assist the customer or they just waved and said all is fine. Third, the towers could be in need of service, working intermittently but no one does a daily test before opening for the day and the problem goes unnoticed. One customer may leave and the alarm sounds while another customer leaves with tagged items and nothing happens.
There are easy remedies to address the malfunctioning system, simply test the towers and deactivation pads on a daily basis. If something is not working, place a service request in to minimize the down time, especially if it is the towers. Tower issues can hurt efforts to stop shoplifting and if not addressed quickly shoplifters will learn about it and take advantage of your store. Training employees to answer a Sensormatic tower alarm can be a bit harder. The reason stems from the discomfort that can come with having to confront someone. Whether the customer is pleasant or angry there is always an unknown factor that can be uncomfortable and people can turn from calm to cranky in a moment. My recommendation for training your employees is to do scenarios and have them walk through an alarm activation. While it may seem corny to some, I promise you that simulations are the best way to train. I don’t always remember something I heard in a classroom but if I have to participate I have a higher rate of memory retention. Like my CPR training, I can watch the video in the classroom but it doesn’t sink in until I am doing chest compressions and practicing with an AED device. Here are some tips to help you with Sensormatic tower alarm response training:
• Use real tagged merchandise. This will make the situation more realistic.
• Hide merchandise in a purse, backpack or shopping bag and make employees determine what is causing the alarm. Scenarios should range from a forgetful shopper to a shoplifter attempting to steal.
• Have different employees play the role of customer. It lets your employees get the feeling your customers have when an alarm is unintentionally activated.
• Have your “customers” role play with different attitudes from pleasant to ugly.
After you have role played allow all of the employees an opportunity to critique what happened. As they talk through scenarios they will learn how to handle various situations including how to stop shoplifting.
Training employees can make electronic article surveillance alarms caused by Sensormatic hard tags less intimidating to deal with. In the process your staff will be better prepared to make recoveries and ultimately add profit back to the store.
For more information about Sensormatic hard tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
When I was a Loss Prevention Manager I regularly spent time with my team doing training to stop shoplifting. I would create a scenario and one person would have to follow the “suspect” and see all the steps to conduct a proper apprehension. We also did refresher training on the steps for detaining and handcuffing a shoplifter. Basically I took the same philosophy we practiced in the military and applied it to Retail Loss Prevention. Practicing skills is the only way to stay sharp on them especially when it comes to things you don’t do on a regularly basis and trust me there were times it felt like we went through droughts of catching shoplifters. This came to me as I attended first aid and CPR training at the library where I now work. I have had a lot of first aid and CPR training starting from the time I was a Boy Scout but rarely have I had to put that first aid training to use. On top of that I have never had to use my CPR training. It is precisely because I have not had to put those skills to work very often that I continue to go through refresher training, I forget over time. The same can be said for Retail Theft Prevention. You may have a Sensormatic security system installed and you may have demonstrated to an associate once how to remove Sensormatic hard tags or respond to an alarm but they can forget.
Store managers should be spending time on a regular basis talking with employees on how to properly attach and detach Sensormatic hard tags. There also needs to be training on how they should be responding to electronic article surveillance alarms and how it helps stop shoplifting. There are a couple of reasons why this training is important and should not be glossed over.
• When it comes to the attachment of hard tags or application of labels consistency is necessary. If they are not applied properly they may be able to be removed by thieves or they may be rendered useless. For example electronic article surveillance labels may not work properly if they are bent too much around a side or corner of a box. Attaching a hard tag to a clothing size label on the neck of a shirt will not be a deterrent to theft since the shirt tag can be cut off without damaging the merchandise.
• If associates are trained to place hard tags in the same location on every pair of slacks cashiers will know where to find the tags and this will aid in proper removal at the point of sale.
• Teaching sales staff how to apply Sensormatic hard tags that have pins will help to prevent accidental puncture wounds. This can also help you, the store owner, avoid a medical bill.
• Talking about what to look for when a sensor tag activates an alarm can make the interaction with the customer more pleasant, even if they were trying to steal products. It will also help in getting thieves to pay for the merchandise or hand it to the employee.
It is the repetition of regularly reviewing this information that makes it become second nature to your employees. Not all employees have the same interactions with Sensormatic equipment and customers so some may never actually remove a tag or deactivate a label. That does not mean they should not know how to do so.
In part 2 we will continue the discussion on the importance of practice and review as it relates to how to stop shoplifting and losses as the result of a Sensormatic equipment alarm. For now just know that refresher training is an essential function in every workplace, especially for tasks that are infrequently performed.
Sensormatic hard tags are important and we can help you with them. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
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Training To Stop Shoplifting And Employee Theft Is The Key To Improved Profits
Let me start off this article with two questions, how often do you talk to your associates about how important it is to stop shoplifting in your store? Do you ever discuss with your managers the need to look for signs of employee theft? It may never have even occurred to you to have these conversations. If you are operating small retail stores you may not deem it necessary to mention it much because you don’t have a lot of people working for you anyways. I walk into small retail stores and may get a “hello” or a “can I help you find something?” from a clerk sitting behind a counter. I say, “Thank you I’m just looking” and wander around browsing. Often I can cruise through a store without being offered any additional assistance. I can’t help but think if I was a a I could have gotten away with a bunch of merchandise. Maybe it is because I look like I’m honest or because I happen to be a friendly person. I ran into this not long ago when my wife and I went into an antique store. You are thinking, “That was an antique store who is going to steal from there?” Is that the point? If I was the store owner I would want that employee walking around and being available to offer assistance.
Training to stop shoplifting and reduce employee theft is not difficult if someone knows what it is that deters thieves and also the signs that someone is stealing. The problem that frequently arises is that employers don’t really understand theft themselves. It is uncomfortable for them to try to train others on it so it is glossed over or ignored as a part of an onboarding orientation or ongoing training. That does not have to be the case. If you don’t know about a topic or have little understanding of it there is always a resource somewhere to help out. Loss Prevention Systems Inc. is a reliable resource for training that will provide managers and store owners with the knowledge they need. Not only will the people who attend the trainings gain a wealth of knowledge, they will be able to incorporate that information into future new hire training.
“But I don’t have time to fly off somewhere to attend a training seminar!” I completely understand. As a Loss Prevention Manager I used to have to travel on occasion to attend training sessions and as valuable as those trainings were, I hated to leave my store. The folks at Loss Prevention Systems Inc. understand this and have several solutions for the retail owners. They can come out to you and conduct training for you and your managers. You may even want to partner with a group of local small business owners to make it more impactful. Not sure you want the live training but would like something on a smaller scale? Loss Prevention Systems Inc. also offers live webinars that you can watch from your office. With options available to you there is no reason you should remain in the dark not only on how theft is happening in your store but how much it is impacting your business. You can stop it but it takes an entire store of employees who understand their role in prevention of theft and what to do to stop it.
Is shortage something that you as a small business owner need to be concerned with? According to the 2017 National Retail Security Survey, the average shrink rate for retailers is 1.44% (pg. 6). More importantly 23% of retailers reported shrink at 2% or higher (pg. 6). The report also indicates on average 36.5% of shortage is attributed to shoplifting and 30% due to employee theft (pg.8). As you can see by the numbers you have to control shortage in your stores and the only way to effectively do that is by knowing how to stop shoplifting and employee theft.
Don’t underestimate the thieves who are pilfering your business. Get training to know how to identify criminals and how to prevent them from stealing. After you are trained pass that knowledge on to your employees during orientation and ongoing refreshers. A whole lot of knowledge means a lot less employee theft and shoplifting and that means more black ink on your profit line.
Need information on employee theft? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Let me start off this article with two questions, how often do you talk to your associates about how important it is to stop shoplifting in your store? Do you ever discuss with your managers the need to look for signs of employee theft? It may never have even occurred to you to have these conversations. If you are operating small retail stores you may not deem it necessary to mention it much because you don’t have a lot of people working for you anyways. I walk into small retail stores and may get a “hello” or a “can I help you find something?” from a clerk sitting behind a counter. I say, “Thank you I’m just looking” and wander around browsing. Often I can cruise through a store without being offered any additional assistance. I can’t help but think if I was a a I could have gotten away with a bunch of merchandise. Maybe it is because I look like I’m honest or because I happen to be a friendly person. I ran into this not long ago when my wife and I went into an antique store. You are thinking, “That was an antique store who is going to steal from there?” Is that the point? If I was the store owner I would want that employee walking around and being available to offer assistance.
Training to stop shoplifting and reduce employee theft is not difficult if someone knows what it is that deters thieves and also the signs that someone is stealing. The problem that frequently arises is that employers don’t really understand theft themselves. It is uncomfortable for them to try to train others on it so it is glossed over or ignored as a part of an onboarding orientation or ongoing training. That does not have to be the case. If you don’t know about a topic or have little understanding of it there is always a resource somewhere to help out. Loss Prevention Systems Inc. is a reliable resource for training that will provide managers and store owners with the knowledge they need. Not only will the people who attend the trainings gain a wealth of knowledge, they will be able to incorporate that information into future new hire training.
“But I don’t have time to fly off somewhere to attend a training seminar!” I completely understand. As a Loss Prevention Manager I used to have to travel on occasion to attend training sessions and as valuable as those trainings were, I hated to leave my store. The folks at Loss Prevention Systems Inc. understand this and have several solutions for the retail owners. They can come out to you and conduct training for you and your managers. You may even want to partner with a group of local small business owners to make it more impactful. Not sure you want the live training but would like something on a smaller scale? Loss Prevention Systems Inc. also offers live webinars that you can watch from your office. With options available to you there is no reason you should remain in the dark not only on how theft is happening in your store but how much it is impacting your business. You can stop it but it takes an entire store of employees who understand their role in prevention of theft and what to do to stop it.
Is shortage something that you as a small business owner need to be concerned with? According to the 2017 National Retail Security Survey, the average shrink rate for retailers is 1.44% (pg. 6). More importantly 23% of retailers reported shrink at 2% or higher (pg. 6). The report also indicates on average 36.5% of shortage is attributed to shoplifting and 30% due to employee theft (pg.8). As you can see by the numbers you have to control shortage in your stores and the only way to effectively do that is by knowing how to stop shoplifting and employee theft.
Don’t underestimate the thieves who are pilfering your business. Get training to know how to identify criminals and how to prevent them from stealing. After you are trained pass that knowledge on to your employees during orientation and ongoing refreshers. A whole lot of knowledge means a lot less employee theft and shoplifting and that means more black ink on your profit line.
Need information on employee theft? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
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How Small Retailers Can Stop Shoplifting Without L.P. Teams
When people ask me why I like to write about how to stop shoplifting or why I enjoy writing about store security issues I have to smile a bit because I can honestly say it is something I enjoy doing. I spent over 17 years in Retail Loss Prevention and it was a very rewarding career. I did enjoy catching thieves and yes, I found it exciting and challenging to find suspicious activity that initiated a dishonest employee investigation. No, it wasn’t about wanting to be a police officer, I had that experience when I was in the U.S. Air Force. There was something rewarding in the Loss Prevention work that provided a sense of accomplishment for me. Even after an uneventful day I felt like I had done my job preventing theft and saving the store I worked for money and merchandise. Now as I write I feel I am contributing a similar function to the small and medium sized retailers who benefit from the services Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) provides. The goal of LPSI is to help retailers find solutions to their theft and shrinkage issues, and become more profitable as they do so. Clients who may think that a team of Loss Prevention agents is the only way to fight shortage but cannot afford them do not understand there are other ways to fight theft and fraud. LPSI provides alternatives that are affordable and cost-effective including background checks, pre-employment drug screening and Sensormatic security systems.
I believe writing articles about theft and fraud activity creates an awareness for business owners who potentially feel they are alone on an island with criminals taking bites out of their store with no hope of rescue. When owners see that there are others who are confronted with the same problems and that there are realistic solutions it provides a sense of empowerment. When I can write of my personal interactions with thieves, my experience with Sensormatic security systems, electronic article surveillance and even background checks it demonstrates these options are effective.
It is likely that someone is concerned that anti-theft measures would not be the equivalent of having a Loss Prevention team working for them. In a sense you would be correct. Where a Loss Prevention Professional can detain and prosecute a thief, I would discourage that of a store owner or their staff of employees. It can be dangerous and if someone is not properly trained mistakes can be made that can turn into costly liabilities for the store owner. On the other hand, ANYONE can be trained on properly responding to an alarm activation of Sensormatic security systems. Merchandise can be recovered when a Sensormatic tag or label activates an electronic article surveillance (EAS) tower. Honestly, Loss Prevention personnel should not be apprehending people solely based on an EAS alarm. Over the span of my career I have trained many associates on how to properly respond to an alarm and use customer service skills to stop shoplifting. For the biggest bang for your buck the solutions LPSI can give you are going to ultimately give you a better Return on Investment than hiring a Loss Prevention Associate would do for you. As a Loss Prevention professional I say this with no disrespect to our profession. The truth is we recognize the payroll limitations of small retailers and it is unlikely there is room in the budget for a professional L.P. staff. When a Loss Prevention team is out of the question LPSI is able to step in to help fill the gap.
Yes, I REALLY do like writing about Loss Prevention while entertaining and educating readers about how it pays to stop shoplifting. I feel I am able to give help on a larger scale than when I worked for a single store. But, if I were asked to give just ONE piece of advice to retail managers that would prove the most beneficial to them what would that be? Talk to the folks at LPSI and find out more about the range of solutions they offer that can help you reduce retail shrinkage!
Need information on Sensormatic security systems? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
When people ask me why I like to write about how to stop shoplifting or why I enjoy writing about store security issues I have to smile a bit because I can honestly say it is something I enjoy doing. I spent over 17 years in Retail Loss Prevention and it was a very rewarding career. I did enjoy catching thieves and yes, I found it exciting and challenging to find suspicious activity that initiated a dishonest employee investigation. No, it wasn’t about wanting to be a police officer, I had that experience when I was in the U.S. Air Force. There was something rewarding in the Loss Prevention work that provided a sense of accomplishment for me. Even after an uneventful day I felt like I had done my job preventing theft and saving the store I worked for money and merchandise. Now as I write I feel I am contributing a similar function to the small and medium sized retailers who benefit from the services Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) provides. The goal of LPSI is to help retailers find solutions to their theft and shrinkage issues, and become more profitable as they do so. Clients who may think that a team of Loss Prevention agents is the only way to fight shortage but cannot afford them do not understand there are other ways to fight theft and fraud. LPSI provides alternatives that are affordable and cost-effective including background checks, pre-employment drug screening and Sensormatic security systems.
I believe writing articles about theft and fraud activity creates an awareness for business owners who potentially feel they are alone on an island with criminals taking bites out of their store with no hope of rescue. When owners see that there are others who are confronted with the same problems and that there are realistic solutions it provides a sense of empowerment. When I can write of my personal interactions with thieves, my experience with Sensormatic security systems, electronic article surveillance and even background checks it demonstrates these options are effective.
It is likely that someone is concerned that anti-theft measures would not be the equivalent of having a Loss Prevention team working for them. In a sense you would be correct. Where a Loss Prevention Professional can detain and prosecute a thief, I would discourage that of a store owner or their staff of employees. It can be dangerous and if someone is not properly trained mistakes can be made that can turn into costly liabilities for the store owner. On the other hand, ANYONE can be trained on properly responding to an alarm activation of Sensormatic security systems. Merchandise can be recovered when a Sensormatic tag or label activates an electronic article surveillance (EAS) tower. Honestly, Loss Prevention personnel should not be apprehending people solely based on an EAS alarm. Over the span of my career I have trained many associates on how to properly respond to an alarm and use customer service skills to stop shoplifting. For the biggest bang for your buck the solutions LPSI can give you are going to ultimately give you a better Return on Investment than hiring a Loss Prevention Associate would do for you. As a Loss Prevention professional I say this with no disrespect to our profession. The truth is we recognize the payroll limitations of small retailers and it is unlikely there is room in the budget for a professional L.P. staff. When a Loss Prevention team is out of the question LPSI is able to step in to help fill the gap.
Yes, I REALLY do like writing about Loss Prevention while entertaining and educating readers about how it pays to stop shoplifting. I feel I am able to give help on a larger scale than when I worked for a single store. But, if I were asked to give just ONE piece of advice to retail managers that would prove the most beneficial to them what would that be? Talk to the folks at LPSI and find out more about the range of solutions they offer that can help you reduce retail shrinkage!
Need information on Sensormatic security systems? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
I have been in retail a LONG time and somewhere around 18 of those years were spent in Loss Prevention. Today I still work in retail but I have the opportunity to continue to ply my Loss Prevention skills in recommending to my manager items I think should have electronic article surveillance tags on them. Better yet is when I get to use my experience to stop shoplifting in the store. I had just such an opportunity recently while I was working. I will share the story with you in a moment and there will be pertinent tips you can employ in your own store to put a halt to theft. Before I do that I want to point out that the situation could have been avoided if the store used more electronic article surveillance (EAS) devices on products than what the company currently dictates.
Electronic Article Surveillance is a system that uses radio frequency (rf) emitting tags and rf receivers called pedestals or towers to protect merchandise from theft. Pedestals are placed at the entrances and exits of stores in order to detect a person trying to leave with unpaid, TAGGED products. These are electronic article surveillance tagsI emphasize tagged because without a protective device an item can’t be detected and this is how so many stores experience climbing shortage. Let me clarify that statement too. Retailers that have electronic article surveillance systems that are not maintained, of poor quality or do not have a strong tagging program in place also experience increased shortage. When the tagged products are carried into the range of the pedestals the pedestals have an alarm that blasts out an alert and nearby employees respond to conduct receipt and package checks. The more a store tags the more effective the deterrence value of the system.
Getting back to my recent incident, I was walking to the store from my vehicle and a manager was returning from his lunch break and stopped me. He pointed out a pick-up truck that had two males sitting in it and the manager said they had been there for a while and he had watched a female leave and enter the store. The manager said that he had called the store manager and alerted him. I got into the store and got clocked in and immediately went to the floor and began offering customer service to the female suspect. I also looked into the shopping basket and noted several items in it and that none of them had EAS tags (electronic article surveillance tags) on them. Well, I offered service and would leave the immediate area and a manager would start to watch. It took a few minutes but one of the men from the truck entered the store. The man and woman met up and were still being watched by managers but I was getting tired of the cat and mouse game. The female had enough small items that it would have been easy for her to conceal some in her purse if he had blocked for her. Without electronic article surveillance tags the alarms wouldn’t sound when they left and that would prevent an excuse for a bag check. I walked into the aisle with the couple, put on my best salesman smile and offered additional assistance. I even offered to ring them up on my mobile device. Oddly, they began saying they were uncomfortable with all of the attention and felt like they were being watched! The man even said he felt I was being pushy to ring their transaction. I smiled and let them know that one of my faults was I have been a pushy salesman for my 7 years at this company. The woman said she would put the items back and leave because she was so uncomfortable. I let her know she didn’t need to go to the trouble and I took the basket and assured her I would put the items back for her. The couple left and the three of them jumped back in the truck and left. We saved over $200.00 in merchandise through employee awareness and great customer service.
Customer service is a great way to increase sales and decrease theft but it should never be the only theft prevention measure. Use EAS tags on everything and rely on Loss Prevention Systems Inc. EAS systems for reliable technology and support.
For more information about electronic article surveillance tags contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
