Checkpoint Overhead System-5 WC Blog 503
Overhead EAS System-4
Stop Shoplifting-4
Get An Upscale Look And Strong EAS Protection With A Checkpoint Overhead System
A long time ago, when I first started working in Retail Loss Prevention there was no such thing as an overhead EAS system. At that time EAS (acronym for electronic article surveillance) towers were kind of tall, clunky looking and not really pretty to look at. They were also kind of close together in order to get a better detection field when tagged items were carried through them. One of the complaints made by store management was that they wanted the protection offered by EAS tagging but they didn’t want these contraptions at the front doors. This was especially true in the upscale department store where I worked. The tagging of clothing was bad enough these were designer name brand items we were carrying and tags at that time were not attractive to look at. Let’s just say they didn’t enhance the appearance of the merchandise. Then you add to that the fact that customers had to enter and exit through the towers and obviously it just ruined the ambiance from the get-go. The issue is how do you stop shoplifting and retain the look you want for your store? We’ll delve into that in a moment. First I want to let everyone know what a Checkpoint Overhead System from Loss Prevention Systems Inc. is and what it can do for your store in terms of appearance and the ability to stop shoplifting.
To begin with a Checkpoint Overhead System is an electronic article surveillance (EAS) system that operates on a system of radio waves emitted from an EAS tagged item to trigger overhead EAS system receivers. The receiver has a certain area in which it can pick up those waves and when it does it sounds an alarm that alerts store employees that tagged goods are being removed from the store. Employees go to the door, conduct a receipt check and recover the unpaid for items. In other words a Checkpoint Overhead System will stop shoplifting and improve profits. Like myself, Bill Bregar CEO of Loss Prevention Systems Inc. despises thieves and wants to help stores improve their bottom line through retail theft prevention. He understands that stores also have differing needs. Some want an upscale look and others simply want no antennas on the floor. Overhead EAS systems meet both requirements. Since they are installed on the ceiling they are great for stores with tight floor space or for the upscale look there is no tower or pedestal to distract your patrons. For someone who has worked in retail for over 27 years, nearly 20 of that in Retail Loss Prevention I can tell you I am impressed at the advantages this type of system offers retailers.
The question you may be asking now is, “I thought EAS towers were a deterrent to shoplifters, and doesn’t this diminish that deterrent value?” My response is, “Not at all.” Here is why I say that. If a store has a good merchandise protection plan in place Checkpoint tags are going to be very visible on merchandise. The majority of shoplifters, even the “impulse” shoplifter will recognize a tag when they see it. They know what it can do and they usually will not bother trying to steal a tagged item. They may actually turn out to be more perplexed when they see the tags and don’t see a tower, not thinking to look up for a Checkpoint overhead system. I believe this system will do as much to stop shoplifting as the traditional towers you are accustomed to seeing and perhaps more.
One other advantage to an overhead EAS system is that there is simpler wiring, not on the floor, all overhead in the ceiling. Having been with a technician when they would come to my store on a service call I saw the blocking up of an entrance he would sometimes be forced to do. Wiring was in the floor and could be a pain to work on. All of the wiring for this system is overhead. Talk about less of a distraction to patrons!
Whether you are trying to get a cleaner, more upscale look or just have felt you didn’t have the room for an EAS tower system but still want to prevent shoplifting, Loss Prevention Systems Inc. can assist you. A Checkpoint overhead system will give you security and a great first impression to your clients.
For more information on a Checkpoint Overhead System contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 now
A long time ago, when I first started working in Retail Loss Prevention there was no such thing as an overhead EAS system. At that time EAS (acronym for electronic article surveillance) towers were kind of tall, clunky looking and not really pretty to look at. They were also kind of close together in order to get a better detection field when tagged items were carried through them. One of the complaints made by store management was that they wanted the protection offered by EAS tagging but they didn’t want these contraptions at the front doors. This was especially true in the upscale department store where I worked. The tagging of clothing was bad enough these were designer name brand items we were carrying and tags at that time were not attractive to look at. Let’s just say they didn’t enhance the appearance of the merchandise. Then you add to that the fact that customers had to enter and exit through the towers and obviously it just ruined the ambiance from the get-go. The issue is how do you stop shoplifting and retain the look you want for your store? We’ll delve into that in a moment. First I want to let everyone know what a Checkpoint Overhead System from Loss Prevention Systems Inc. is and what it can do for your store in terms of appearance and the ability to stop shoplifting.
To begin with a Checkpoint Overhead System is an electronic article surveillance (EAS) system that operates on a system of radio waves emitted from an EAS tagged item to trigger overhead EAS system receivers. The receiver has a certain area in which it can pick up those waves and when it does it sounds an alarm that alerts store employees that tagged goods are being removed from the store. Employees go to the door, conduct a receipt check and recover the unpaid for items. In other words a Checkpoint Overhead System will stop shoplifting and improve profits. Like myself, Bill Bregar CEO of Loss Prevention Systems Inc. despises thieves and wants to help stores improve their bottom line through retail theft prevention. He understands that stores also have differing needs. Some want an upscale look and others simply want no antennas on the floor. Overhead EAS systems meet both requirements. Since they are installed on the ceiling they are great for stores with tight floor space or for the upscale look there is no tower or pedestal to distract your patrons. For someone who has worked in retail for over 27 years, nearly 20 of that in Retail Loss Prevention I can tell you I am impressed at the advantages this type of system offers retailers.
The question you may be asking now is, “I thought EAS towers were a deterrent to shoplifters, and doesn’t this diminish that deterrent value?” My response is, “Not at all.” Here is why I say that. If a store has a good merchandise protection plan in place Checkpoint tags are going to be very visible on merchandise. The majority of shoplifters, even the “impulse” shoplifter will recognize a tag when they see it. They know what it can do and they usually will not bother trying to steal a tagged item. They may actually turn out to be more perplexed when they see the tags and don’t see a tower, not thinking to look up for a Checkpoint overhead system. I believe this system will do as much to stop shoplifting as the traditional towers you are accustomed to seeing and perhaps more.
One other advantage to an overhead EAS system is that there is simpler wiring, not on the floor, all overhead in the ceiling. Having been with a technician when they would come to my store on a service call I saw the blocking up of an entrance he would sometimes be forced to do. Wiring was in the floor and could be a pain to work on. All of the wiring for this system is overhead. Talk about less of a distraction to patrons!
Whether you are trying to get a cleaner, more upscale look or just have felt you didn’t have the room for an EAS tower system but still want to prevent shoplifting, Loss Prevention Systems Inc. can assist you. A Checkpoint overhead system will give you security and a great first impression to your clients.
For more information on a Checkpoint Overhead System contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 now
Checkpoint Tags- 4 WC Blog 452
Stop Shoplifting-3
Electronic Article Surveillance-3
Squeal With Delight When You Find Out What Checkpoint Tags Can Do For Your Store
I was recently out shopping with my wife and out of the blue I heard a child start screaming. I then heard her mom or caregiver trying to calm her down but the young child was not quieting down. I turned to my wife and pointed out that someone was apparently not happy. It didn’t just get our attention it got the attention of other patrons who were also commenting on the child. I remember as an U.S. Air Force Security Policeman responding to a call to the Airman’s Club where a fight was in progress. Once I got there it wasn’t hard to locate the two people having the altercation all I had to do was follow the screaming and the crowd. How many of us sitting at a traffic light have heard the screeching of tires as someone slams on the brakes? Instinctively we grip the steering wheel harder and look in the rearview mirror to see if someone is about to slam into us. Loud noises attract attention, there’s no getting around it. That is one of the many benefits of using Checkpoint Tags on merchandise to stop shoplifting. The last thing shoplifters wants to do when stealing is to attract attention to themselves. Well, the second to the last thing, the last thing they want to do is get caught and sent to jail.
Checkpoint Tags are electronic article surveillance devices that are attached to merchandise to deter and stop shoplifting. They deter criminals because they are built to be visible when placed in a high profile location on a piece of merchandise. For example on a pair of slacks a tag would be placed on the waistband or on a seam near the knee. Seeing it, the would-be thief recognizes that the item is protected and steers away from it. Because the tags are built with electronic article surveillance technology they create an alarm when carried in the vicinity of Checkpoint towers near the exits of a store. The alarm blares throughout the store attracting attention and workers respond and follow response procedures that recover merchandise for the store. Another unique aspect of the tags is that they have built in tamper alarms. When a shoplifter attempts to pry at the device to open it a loud sound squeals and employees go to the location where the sound is coming from. Again a theft is prevented due to the design of the tags.
I want to go back to what I mentioned earlier about screaming/screeching and squealing attracting attention. What is it during a scary movie that makes everyone in the theater jump? That’s correct, the blood curdling scream from the would-be victim. I am sure many of you reading this article have seen the movie “Psycho” and recall the shower scene and the screaming Vera Miles (trivia fact, Janet Leigh was not available for that scene according to imdb.com). The point is a scream ALWAYS draws a response from people. The retail store where my daughter works often refers to the Checkpoint Tags they use as “screamers” rather than their actual name. This variation is an appropriate reference to the noise these tags send out when someone attempts to defeat them.
As a retail owner or manager, think about what it could mean for your bottom line if you were to start protecting your merchandise with electronic article surveillance tags. Simply the threat of screaming tags or beeping towers would deter shoplifters. Employees trained to respond to alarms in the store or at the doors could make a significant reduction in store shortage. Stop shoplifting in your building, keep your store shelves filled and rely on the proven effectiveness of Checkpoint Tags to reduce shrink and prepare to be amazed at the effect it will have on profits.
Need information on Checkpoint Tags? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
I was recently out shopping with my wife and out of the blue I heard a child start screaming. I then heard her mom or caregiver trying to calm her down but the young child was not quieting down. I turned to my wife and pointed out that someone was apparently not happy. It didn’t just get our attention it got the attention of other patrons who were also commenting on the child. I remember as an U.S. Air Force Security Policeman responding to a call to the Airman’s Club where a fight was in progress. Once I got there it wasn’t hard to locate the two people having the altercation all I had to do was follow the screaming and the crowd. How many of us sitting at a traffic light have heard the screeching of tires as someone slams on the brakes? Instinctively we grip the steering wheel harder and look in the rearview mirror to see if someone is about to slam into us. Loud noises attract attention, there’s no getting around it. That is one of the many benefits of using Checkpoint Tags on merchandise to stop shoplifting. The last thing shoplifters wants to do when stealing is to attract attention to themselves. Well, the second to the last thing, the last thing they want to do is get caught and sent to jail.
Checkpoint Tags are electronic article surveillance devices that are attached to merchandise to deter and stop shoplifting. They deter criminals because they are built to be visible when placed in a high profile location on a piece of merchandise. For example on a pair of slacks a tag would be placed on the waistband or on a seam near the knee. Seeing it, the would-be thief recognizes that the item is protected and steers away from it. Because the tags are built with electronic article surveillance technology they create an alarm when carried in the vicinity of Checkpoint towers near the exits of a store. The alarm blares throughout the store attracting attention and workers respond and follow response procedures that recover merchandise for the store. Another unique aspect of the tags is that they have built in tamper alarms. When a shoplifter attempts to pry at the device to open it a loud sound squeals and employees go to the location where the sound is coming from. Again a theft is prevented due to the design of the tags.
I want to go back to what I mentioned earlier about screaming/screeching and squealing attracting attention. What is it during a scary movie that makes everyone in the theater jump? That’s correct, the blood curdling scream from the would-be victim. I am sure many of you reading this article have seen the movie “Psycho” and recall the shower scene and the screaming Vera Miles (trivia fact, Janet Leigh was not available for that scene according to imdb.com). The point is a scream ALWAYS draws a response from people. The retail store where my daughter works often refers to the Checkpoint Tags they use as “screamers” rather than their actual name. This variation is an appropriate reference to the noise these tags send out when someone attempts to defeat them.
As a retail owner or manager, think about what it could mean for your bottom line if you were to start protecting your merchandise with electronic article surveillance tags. Simply the threat of screaming tags or beeping towers would deter shoplifters. Employees trained to respond to alarms in the store or at the doors could make a significant reduction in store shortage. Stop shoplifting in your building, keep your store shelves filled and rely on the proven effectiveness of Checkpoint Tags to reduce shrink and prepare to be amazed at the effect it will have on profits.
Need information on Checkpoint Tags? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
SAY NO TO SHOPLIFTING BY UTILIZING EAS LABELS IN YOUR STORE NOW!
EAS Labels- 4 ML Blog 17
Stop Shoplifting – 3
Working in Loss Prevention shows you all aspects of shoplifting. Each day as you are watching for thieves, you never know what will happen or what technique you will observe. One day you are catching a thoroughly experienced thief who steals for a living. The next day you are catching a mom pushing a stroller with kids. Other times you may catch a group of 5 kids, not thinking about the seriousness of what they are doing. Some days you run into extremely strange situations that make you wonder what the person was thinking! You just never know. Just last month, I had a strange incident with EAS Labels! My store now uses them every day to stop shoplifting!
One morning I was on CCTV, scanning CCTV on a very slow morning. Slow, I thought! I had a subject enter the store acting very suspiciously. She paced the sales floor for close to 20 minutes, looking for associates and acting extremely nervous. This is a behavior I know too well from shoplifters, so I had to be patient and continue to observe. I kept CCTV on her due to these behaviors. After she finally felt “safe” to steal, she started rapidly selecting our highest dollar product out of the home décor department. I noticed all of the product was small, and would be easily concealable in a large purse she was carrying. After selecting 8 items priced between $39.99 and $79.00, she AGAIN paced the sales floor appearing very paranoid for another 20 minutes. I knew at this point, this was going to be a long, drawn out shoplifting incident. I continued to watch, and finally the subject started pulling each price tag off each item. After pulling the tags, she walked the floor looking for a trash can to conceal the ripped tags in. The subject finally concealed each item slowly into her purse. However, one thing struck me as extremely odd. Why go through all this trouble scoping out the sales floor & pulling tags but not removing the EAS Labels!!? It didn’t make any sense. That should be the first thing you want off, especially with how they alarm at the door! The subject ended up walking the floor for another 45 minutes before finally exiting the building! Finally, she looks like she is making her way for an exit. While exiting, the alarm went ballistic! She panicked, quickly dumping all product on ground, just as I thought would happen. She ran to her vehicle, and took off as fast as she could. The store associates and I ran outside to where she dumped. I was able to recover all product from outside the store! EAS Labels saved us from taking a loss on this product! After this incident, I had several other occurrences where the labels worked to stop shoplifting. Less worry, more product on the shelf. Another positive element is how extremely easy they are to apply, and an inexpensive fix.
I invested a lot of time into this case. But the payoff was massive! Especially showing my store team that the labels we have in place works to stop shoplifting. This was a strange shoplifter case, but it helped illustrate for store management why we utilize EAS labels anytime we receive high dollar product to place on the shelves! You will see a decrease in theft trends once you utilize the same program as me.
Need information on EAS Labels? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
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Working in Loss Prevention shows you all aspects of shoplifting. Each day as you are watching for thieves, you never know what will happen or what technique you will observe. One day you are catching a thoroughly experienced thief who steals for a living. The next day you are catching a mom pushing a stroller with kids. Other times you may catch a group of 5 kids, not thinking about the seriousness of what they are doing. Some days you run into extremely strange situations that make you wonder what the person was thinking! You just never know. Just last month, I had a strange incident with EAS Labels! My store now uses them every day to stop shoplifting!
One morning I was on CCTV, scanning CCTV on a very slow morning. Slow, I thought! I had a subject enter the store acting very suspiciously. She paced the sales floor for close to 20 minutes, looking for associates and acting extremely nervous. This is a behavior I know too well from shoplifters, so I had to be patient and continue to observe. I kept CCTV on her due to these behaviors. After she finally felt “safe” to steal, she started rapidly selecting our highest dollar product out of the home décor department. I noticed all of the product was small, and would be easily concealable in a large purse she was carrying. After selecting 8 items priced between $39.99 and $79.00, she AGAIN paced the sales floor appearing very paranoid for another 20 minutes. I knew at this point, this was going to be a long, drawn out shoplifting incident. I continued to watch, and finally the subject started pulling each price tag off each item. After pulling the tags, she walked the floor looking for a trash can to conceal the ripped tags in. The subject finally concealed each item slowly into her purse. However, one thing struck me as extremely odd. Why go through all this trouble scoping out the sales floor & pulling tags but not removing the EAS Labels!!? It didn’t make any sense. That should be the first thing you want off, especially with how they alarm at the door! The subject ended up walking the floor for another 45 minutes before finally exiting the building! Finally, she looks like she is making her way for an exit. While exiting, the alarm went ballistic! She panicked, quickly dumping all product on ground, just as I thought would happen. She ran to her vehicle, and took off as fast as she could. The store associates and I ran outside to where she dumped. I was able to recover all product from outside the store! EAS Labels saved us from taking a loss on this product! After this incident, I had several other occurrences where the labels worked to stop shoplifting. Less worry, more product on the shelf. Another positive element is how extremely easy they are to apply, and an inexpensive fix.
I invested a lot of time into this case. But the payoff was massive! Especially showing my store team that the labels we have in place works to stop shoplifting. This was a strange shoplifter case, but it helped illustrate for store management why we utilize EAS labels anytime we receive high dollar product to place on the shelves! You will see a decrease in theft trends once you utilize the same program as me.
Need information on EAS Labels? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
BOOSTERS LEAVE RETAILER EMPTY HANDED, AFTER ATTEMPTING TO STEAL HIGH DOLLAR ITEMS SECURED WITH CLOTHING SECURITY TAGS!
Clothing Security Tags -4 ML Blog 25
Security tags on clothes – 3
Boosters drive Loss Prevention teams absolute CRAZY. They wipe out shelves within minutes, killing your sales and shrink numbers. There are several incidents while I am just at lunch, and boosters were in and out of my location! My store had a policy at the time, to not utilize security devices on certain items we sold. Stores struggle on the decision of utilizing security devices on products or not. A lot of retailers worry about the cost versus seeing the return on investment from using merchandise protection standards. However, these were the “hot” items that the boosters wanted currently. Instead of being frustrated daily, I took it upon myself to do a Best Practice Security Device Program. I wrote up an action plan up on why I was going to go above and beyond with tagging standards. I ordered clothing security tags to deter the thieves and to prove how this program can really work. You learn truly by experimenting with different devices, figuring out what actually deters merchandise from leaving the building. Normally this will send boosters to your competitors, keeping your items on your shelves to sell. Why not invest your money on what has been proven to stop shoplifting in other retailers?! I personally like to invest in security tags on clothes, in order to reduce their amount of loss each year. I have had several, crazy experiences to prove this method.
It’s 5:00pm on a Saturday, and the store is packed with customers on this busy weekend. The store team is running around helping shoppers, while I am scanning CCTV cameras looking for boosters. I am waiting for 2 subjects that target my store once a month on specific weekend days. I was able to develop their trend, and knew they were going to hit my store at some point that weekend. I kept my cameras pointed on the highly targeted woman’s shirts and played the waiting game. Finally by 7:30pm, I see the familiar subjects that I know all too well. They were scoping the store suspiciously for cameras, then quickly headed for the woman’s department. I keep CCTV on the subjects and within minutes of seeing their strange behaviors, both subjects walk right up to the woman’s shirts they have targeted previously. Just 2 weeks ago, I received my new clothing security tags in and I had the store team place them on this entire fixture. Subject 1, quickly goes up to the rack and grabs a stack of the shirts priced at $49.99 per piece. Subject 2 scopes the area, and then signals for Subject 1 to go to the fitting room. They both go into the fitting room and stay in there for 10 minutes. I watch them exit the fitting room, and see them come out with the stack of shirts, dumping them on a random fixture. I run to check the fixture to make sure they didn’t take any. I check the shirts and literally start jumping in the air for joy! All of the associates in the area looked at me like I was crazy, but I was extremely pumped! I was able to see that they dumped everything because they couldn’t get the clothing security tags off of the products! Finally, I was able to put a stop to these boosters! After dumping the clothes, they exited the building quickly and you could actually see them frowning and upset! A HUGE win for our store! They left my store and never came back. I never spotted them again, which shows the deterrent tag method really worked. I ended up totaling up how much these boosters would have left my store with, if I did not have the security devices present: a grand total of $499.90! Within minutes it went from close to $500.00 going right out the door, to the boosters leaving immediately with NOTHING. However, think about how much they got away with previously or when I was not there to observe? I was lucky that I figured out who they were and when they were coming in. This investigation led us to take action by placing security tags on clothes. It is such a small task, for such a big prevention. In this day and age, it is not realistic for associate awareness on the sales floor to be enough in deterring the thieves. Retailers have to use more advanced protection devices that really deters the thieves from coming into the store. I’ve learned that associates including myself cannot observe everything that is going on every day. Even an entire Loss Prevention team cannot observe everything that is going on every single day. So what are you going to do to stop the booster craziness?!
In my several years of being an Asset Protection Manager, I see a massive amount of these same incidents happening on camera due to security tags on clothes. The boosters panicking leaving all items behind, after seeing what tags we use. This is the route to go, if you are looking for an inexpensive fix that truly puts boosters to a stop!
For more information about Clothing Security Tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
Boosters drive Loss Prevention teams absolute CRAZY. They wipe out shelves within minutes, killing your sales and shrink numbers. There are several incidents while I am just at lunch, and boosters were in and out of my location! My store had a policy at the time, to not utilize security devices on certain items we sold. Stores struggle on the decision of utilizing security devices on products or not. A lot of retailers worry about the cost versus seeing the return on investment from using merchandise protection standards. However, these were the “hot” items that the boosters wanted currently. Instead of being frustrated daily, I took it upon myself to do a Best Practice Security Device Program. I wrote up an action plan up on why I was going to go above and beyond with tagging standards. I ordered clothing security tags to deter the thieves and to prove how this program can really work. You learn truly by experimenting with different devices, figuring out what actually deters merchandise from leaving the building. Normally this will send boosters to your competitors, keeping your items on your shelves to sell. Why not invest your money on what has been proven to stop shoplifting in other retailers?! I personally like to invest in security tags on clothes, in order to reduce their amount of loss each year. I have had several, crazy experiences to prove this method.
It’s 5:00pm on a Saturday, and the store is packed with customers on this busy weekend. The store team is running around helping shoppers, while I am scanning CCTV cameras looking for boosters. I am waiting for 2 subjects that target my store once a month on specific weekend days. I was able to develop their trend, and knew they were going to hit my store at some point that weekend. I kept my cameras pointed on the highly targeted woman’s shirts and played the waiting game. Finally by 7:30pm, I see the familiar subjects that I know all too well. They were scoping the store suspiciously for cameras, then quickly headed for the woman’s department. I keep CCTV on the subjects and within minutes of seeing their strange behaviors, both subjects walk right up to the woman’s shirts they have targeted previously. Just 2 weeks ago, I received my new clothing security tags in and I had the store team place them on this entire fixture. Subject 1, quickly goes up to the rack and grabs a stack of the shirts priced at $49.99 per piece. Subject 2 scopes the area, and then signals for Subject 1 to go to the fitting room. They both go into the fitting room and stay in there for 10 minutes. I watch them exit the fitting room, and see them come out with the stack of shirts, dumping them on a random fixture. I run to check the fixture to make sure they didn’t take any. I check the shirts and literally start jumping in the air for joy! All of the associates in the area looked at me like I was crazy, but I was extremely pumped! I was able to see that they dumped everything because they couldn’t get the clothing security tags off of the products! Finally, I was able to put a stop to these boosters! After dumping the clothes, they exited the building quickly and you could actually see them frowning and upset! A HUGE win for our store! They left my store and never came back. I never spotted them again, which shows the deterrent tag method really worked. I ended up totaling up how much these boosters would have left my store with, if I did not have the security devices present: a grand total of $499.90! Within minutes it went from close to $500.00 going right out the door, to the boosters leaving immediately with NOTHING. However, think about how much they got away with previously or when I was not there to observe? I was lucky that I figured out who they were and when they were coming in. This investigation led us to take action by placing security tags on clothes. It is such a small task, for such a big prevention. In this day and age, it is not realistic for associate awareness on the sales floor to be enough in deterring the thieves. Retailers have to use more advanced protection devices that really deters the thieves from coming into the store. I’ve learned that associates including myself cannot observe everything that is going on every day. Even an entire Loss Prevention team cannot observe everything that is going on every single day. So what are you going to do to stop the booster craziness?!
In my several years of being an Asset Protection Manager, I see a massive amount of these same incidents happening on camera due to security tags on clothes. The boosters panicking leaving all items behind, after seeing what tags we use. This is the route to go, if you are looking for an inexpensive fix that truly puts boosters to a stop!
For more information about Clothing Security Tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
Checkpoint Systems-4 WC Blog 427
Checkpoint Tags-3
Stop Shoplifting-3
Checkpoint Systems And Other Theft Prevention Tools Are Only Effective When Employees Use Them Every Day
My daughter has been working for a clothing retailer for about three years now as a sales associate. She is trained to do some Manager on Duty functions and has made her interest known that she wants to move up in management. Recently she has been asked to help fill in as an opening and closing manager for two stores in her area. During one of her shifts one of the cashiers working with her took two counterfeit bills. She did not learn of it until closing time and then had to get the store recovered and get the team out of the building. When I picked her up she was telling me about the incident and how she came across the bills and they felt and looked fake. She said their stores have counterfeit bill readers and so she asked the cashier if he had used it before accepting the money. He acknowledged he had not and told her he rarely does use it. My daughter had taken pictures of the bills on her phone and showed them to me. There was no excuse for these to have been accepted under any circumstance, bill reader or not. Because I used to be a Loss Prevention Manager for quite a number of years I asked if she had contacted her District Loss Prevention Manager. I told her that he would probably want the employee written up at a minimum or possibly even fired. Being new to managing a store she said she had not contacted him. I urged her to text him and send the pictures. She did so and he did tell her to write up the employee. Often we have the tools at our disposal to stop shoplifting and theft in our stores but we fail to properly use those tools. For example we may have Checkpoint Systems installed but we don’t conduct receipt checks when the system alarms. Failing to use these systems leads to increased theft and shortage in the long run.
The Checkpoint Systems have several key components that make the system work properly. The Checkpoint pedestals are set up at entrance and exit points and have receivers in them that pick up radio frequency waves emitted by Checkpoint tags. Hard tags are supposed to be removed at the point of sale when an item is purchased and soft tags are to be de-tuned or de-activated by a de-activation pad installed at the point of sale. If people are being trained properly and equipment is functioning as it should the only alarms that sound will be when shoplifters attempt to steal merchandise. Portable scanners can be used to test de-activation pads to make sure they are working as they are supposed to. Test cards are used to ensure pedestals are detecting tagged merchandise properly. When one part of the system is not working correctly it can cause issues for customers and employees alike.
As I pointed out in my daughter’s situation the employee was not using equipment that was provided to them to prevent fraud. Several fraudulent bills were accepted and this caused a financial loss to the store. Similarly when Checkpoint Systems are being used in a store to stop shoplifting and they are not being used properly or maintained they are costing money in terms of unchecked theft. I have done observations in stores to monitor employee behaviors related to Loss Prevention training they have undergone. During some of those observations I have watched associates ignore alarms set off by Checkpoint tags that were not properly de-tuned at the register. I have seen associates fail to remove hard tags from clothing and customers get frustrated at having to walk back to a register to have a tag removed. I have done covert surveillances and watched supervisors who were supposed to test pedestals and deactivation pads in the absence of Loss Prevention fail to do so. Had the pedestals not been working and no Loss Prevention Personnel in the building, it would have taken additional time to determine there was a problem and a service call to be placed. It would have also hindered efforts to stop shoplifting.
Whatever tools your store has in place to prevent theft, whether they are counterfeit bill readers or Checkpoint tags, they have to be used in order to be effective. It also takes everyone to be on board with the program. One person not testing bills or failing to do regular system checks on Checkpoint Systems and the effectiveness of a theft prevention strategy is greatly impaired. Make sure your store remains profitable get ALL of your associates involved in your theft prevention program.
Need information on Checkpoint Systems? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
My daughter has been working for a clothing retailer for about three years now as a sales associate. She is trained to do some Manager on Duty functions and has made her interest known that she wants to move up in management. Recently she has been asked to help fill in as an opening and closing manager for two stores in her area. During one of her shifts one of the cashiers working with her took two counterfeit bills. She did not learn of it until closing time and then had to get the store recovered and get the team out of the building. When I picked her up she was telling me about the incident and how she came across the bills and they felt and looked fake. She said their stores have counterfeit bill readers and so she asked the cashier if he had used it before accepting the money. He acknowledged he had not and told her he rarely does use it. My daughter had taken pictures of the bills on her phone and showed them to me. There was no excuse for these to have been accepted under any circumstance, bill reader or not. Because I used to be a Loss Prevention Manager for quite a number of years I asked if she had contacted her District Loss Prevention Manager. I told her that he would probably want the employee written up at a minimum or possibly even fired. Being new to managing a store she said she had not contacted him. I urged her to text him and send the pictures. She did so and he did tell her to write up the employee. Often we have the tools at our disposal to stop shoplifting and theft in our stores but we fail to properly use those tools. For example we may have Checkpoint Systems installed but we don’t conduct receipt checks when the system alarms. Failing to use these systems leads to increased theft and shortage in the long run.
The Checkpoint Systems have several key components that make the system work properly. The Checkpoint pedestals are set up at entrance and exit points and have receivers in them that pick up radio frequency waves emitted by Checkpoint tags. Hard tags are supposed to be removed at the point of sale when an item is purchased and soft tags are to be de-tuned or de-activated by a de-activation pad installed at the point of sale. If people are being trained properly and equipment is functioning as it should the only alarms that sound will be when shoplifters attempt to steal merchandise. Portable scanners can be used to test de-activation pads to make sure they are working as they are supposed to. Test cards are used to ensure pedestals are detecting tagged merchandise properly. When one part of the system is not working correctly it can cause issues for customers and employees alike.
As I pointed out in my daughter’s situation the employee was not using equipment that was provided to them to prevent fraud. Several fraudulent bills were accepted and this caused a financial loss to the store. Similarly when Checkpoint Systems are being used in a store to stop shoplifting and they are not being used properly or maintained they are costing money in terms of unchecked theft. I have done observations in stores to monitor employee behaviors related to Loss Prevention training they have undergone. During some of those observations I have watched associates ignore alarms set off by Checkpoint tags that were not properly de-tuned at the register. I have seen associates fail to remove hard tags from clothing and customers get frustrated at having to walk back to a register to have a tag removed. I have done covert surveillances and watched supervisors who were supposed to test pedestals and deactivation pads in the absence of Loss Prevention fail to do so. Had the pedestals not been working and no Loss Prevention Personnel in the building, it would have taken additional time to determine there was a problem and a service call to be placed. It would have also hindered efforts to stop shoplifting.
Whatever tools your store has in place to prevent theft, whether they are counterfeit bill readers or Checkpoint tags, they have to be used in order to be effective. It also takes everyone to be on board with the program. One person not testing bills or failing to do regular system checks on Checkpoint Systems and the effectiveness of a theft prevention strategy is greatly impaired. Make sure your store remains profitable get ALL of your associates involved in your theft prevention program.
Need information on Checkpoint Systems? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
