Stop Shoplifting-3 WC Blog 421
Checkpoint Security System-4
It Isn’t Rocket Science But A Properly Functioning Checkpoint System Can Stop Shoplifting
I am old enough to remember the launches of NASA spacecraft at Cape Canaveral Space Center and monitored from mission control at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. It was stirring to listen to the calm, cool and collected voices of the flight engineers and Mission Control technicians as they went through their checklists and you would hear the words, “All systems are go for launch”. The countdown would continue or stop depending on weather conditions or a warning signal on a control panel somewhere in Mission Control. It was really an intense experience even for a young boy in front of the television set. When all systems worked properly the technicians would go through their checklists and give a “Go” from their station. If something was not right such as a storm system moving to close to the launch pad the launch would be put on hold. The announcer would narrate what was happening and we would wait in suspense. If all systems were functioning as they should and weather issues were out of the way the rocket engines would ignite in a massive blast of flame and smoke and the spacecraft and astronauts would be carried into space on their mission. Though it doesn’t have all of the thrills and excitement of a NASA spacecraft system, a Checkpoint Security System has to have all parts functioning properly in order for it to fulfill the mission it was intended for. When one part is not “ready” the system does not do what it is intended to do, stop shoplifting.
A Checkpoint Security System is a complete retail anti-theft package that deters theft and can detect attempted shoplifting activity. Included in a package are electronic article surveillance pedestals usually installed near the entrance and exit points of a store. The pedestals sound the alarm when merchandise protected with Checkpoint tags is carried too close to the pedestals. That leads to the next piece in the package, the tags. Tags are attached to merchandise to ensure the item can’t get past the pedestals. Tags are available in a number of various styles from adhesive labels to hard tags that can be pinned to goods like softlines products. The Security System also requires de-activation pads that deactivate soft tags at the point of sale in order to prevent paid merchandise from creating unintentional alarm activations. Hard tags have to be removed from merchandise and require special detachment keys secured at the point of sale. The detachment key can be purchased with a lock that attaches to the counter and prevents a thief from being able to walk off with the detachment key. The failure of any piece of this system can result in a failure to stop shoplifting and even become a liability to a store.
When I was a Retail Loss Prevention Manager I remember an incident with a shopper when the Checkpoint Security System in our store failed. The customer made a purchase and as he exited the store the alarm pedestal sounded. He was approached by a supervisor who asked to see his receipt. The customer refused and raised his voice in an obvious attempt to cause a scene. An item he had purchased had not been deactivated at the register. I was called in and in order to de-escalate the situation I apologized for the inconvenience and told the customer he could leave. The customer told me he was a Loss Prevention Manager for another company and he was going to sue us. I told him that as a fellow L.P. Manager he was aware that mistakes happen and we still had a right to ask for a receipt but as a courtesy I was not going to do so. He muttered something and left the store. We never heard from him again. I also checked with some friends who worked for the company he had mentioned he worked for and each one told me what they thought of the inconsiderate oaf. After he was gone I checked our equipment and found that a morning test of the deactivation pads had not been completed and there was a faulty unit. Had the proper checklist been followed, we would have had a “Hold” on the L.P. end of things and the register would not have been used that day until I could get it repaired or replaced.
Just as NASA has to follow their procedures to ensure all systems are functioning for a “Go” for launch, a Checkpoint Security System has to properly function too. Broken equipment can cause a problem but when everything works properly it will stop shoplifting and reduce shortage. Why not shoot for the stars and watch profits soar with a retail anti-theft system from Checkpoint?
Need information on a Checkpoint Security System? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
I am old enough to remember the launches of NASA spacecraft at Cape Canaveral Space Center and monitored from mission control at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. It was stirring to listen to the calm, cool and collected voices of the flight engineers and Mission Control technicians as they went through their checklists and you would hear the words, “All systems are go for launch”. The countdown would continue or stop depending on weather conditions or a warning signal on a control panel somewhere in Mission Control. It was really an intense experience even for a young boy in front of the television set. When all systems worked properly the technicians would go through their checklists and give a “Go” from their station. If something was not right such as a storm system moving to close to the launch pad the launch would be put on hold. The announcer would narrate what was happening and we would wait in suspense. If all systems were functioning as they should and weather issues were out of the way the rocket engines would ignite in a massive blast of flame and smoke and the spacecraft and astronauts would be carried into space on their mission. Though it doesn’t have all of the thrills and excitement of a NASA spacecraft system, a Checkpoint Security System has to have all parts functioning properly in order for it to fulfill the mission it was intended for. When one part is not “ready” the system does not do what it is intended to do, stop shoplifting.
A Checkpoint Security System is a complete retail anti-theft package that deters theft and can detect attempted shoplifting activity. Included in a package are electronic article surveillance pedestals usually installed near the entrance and exit points of a store. The pedestals sound the alarm when merchandise protected with Checkpoint tags is carried too close to the pedestals. That leads to the next piece in the package, the tags. Tags are attached to merchandise to ensure the item can’t get past the pedestals. Tags are available in a number of various styles from adhesive labels to hard tags that can be pinned to goods like softlines products. The Security System also requires de-activation pads that deactivate soft tags at the point of sale in order to prevent paid merchandise from creating unintentional alarm activations. Hard tags have to be removed from merchandise and require special detachment keys secured at the point of sale. The detachment key can be purchased with a lock that attaches to the counter and prevents a thief from being able to walk off with the detachment key. The failure of any piece of this system can result in a failure to stop shoplifting and even become a liability to a store.
When I was a Retail Loss Prevention Manager I remember an incident with a shopper when the Checkpoint Security System in our store failed. The customer made a purchase and as he exited the store the alarm pedestal sounded. He was approached by a supervisor who asked to see his receipt. The customer refused and raised his voice in an obvious attempt to cause a scene. An item he had purchased had not been deactivated at the register. I was called in and in order to de-escalate the situation I apologized for the inconvenience and told the customer he could leave. The customer told me he was a Loss Prevention Manager for another company and he was going to sue us. I told him that as a fellow L.P. Manager he was aware that mistakes happen and we still had a right to ask for a receipt but as a courtesy I was not going to do so. He muttered something and left the store. We never heard from him again. I also checked with some friends who worked for the company he had mentioned he worked for and each one told me what they thought of the inconsiderate oaf. After he was gone I checked our equipment and found that a morning test of the deactivation pads had not been completed and there was a faulty unit. Had the proper checklist been followed, we would have had a “Hold” on the L.P. end of things and the register would not have been used that day until I could get it repaired or replaced.
Just as NASA has to follow their procedures to ensure all systems are functioning for a “Go” for launch, a Checkpoint Security System has to properly function too. Broken equipment can cause a problem but when everything works properly it will stop shoplifting and reduce shortage. Why not shoot for the stars and watch profits soar with a retail anti-theft system from Checkpoint?
Need information on a Checkpoint Security System? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Stop Shoplifting – 4 WC Blog 402
Employee Theft – 3
Training To Reduce Employee Theft – 3
Driving For Better Profits And Lower Shrink; Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. Offers Training To Reduce Employee Theft And Stop Shoplifting
A long time ago I taught my wife to drive. She had a few skills from when she was a little younger but had not pursued driving after that. Not long after we married we agreed there was a need for her to get her license so I spent time teaching her and she did earn her driver’s license. Turn the clock ahead 17 years and our son was ready to learn to drive. I spent time teaching him and giving him the basic skills. Wanting to be sure that he had all of the technical skills he would need to get through his driving test (and to lower insurance premiums) we sent him to a driver training school. Ahead another 3 years and I did the same training with our younger son and daughter. We sent them through driver training school also and our son went on to get his driver’s license. Our daughter chose to hold off. Now I am preparing her once again and guess what? I have found I have to review a few things, like parallel parking. More than 30 years of driving experience, 4 of those years as an Air Force Law Enforcement Specialist, and I have to refresh myself despite my driving experience (Thank You YouTube!). My reason for talking about this is that even with experience sometimes there are things you have to get refresher training on. For those things you don’t know how to do at all, getting the proper training pays off as you learn how to do something you never knew how to do in the first place. The same is true when it comes to retail loss prevention. You may be a store owner but that doesn’t necessarily translate to knowledge on how to stop shoplifting or prevent employee theft.
Training to reduce employee theft and stop shoplifting doesn’t come just by being a store manager. Bad guys are creative with old and new methods to steal from stores. Whatever the manner of theft most people are not equipped with the knowledge required to catch the bad guys let alone recognize the signs and indicators that can identify who may steal or who is planning on stealing. Think of it like this, I have been in retail management and I have been a Loss Prevention Manager. Those experiences alone do not necessarily mean I could own my own store and run it successfully or even take the position of store manager. Even if I could do so I would still require a certain amount of training in order to be successful. The same applies to Loss Prevention. In order to be successful at shortage reduction a manager or owner should go through training to reduce employee theft and that training is available through Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. They offer seminars on employee theft, shoplifting and even pre-employment hiring. As someone with over 25 years of combined retail, Loss Prevention and retail management experience, I will tell you that taking these training seminars provides invaluable lessons that will pay off over and over again in the future.
I mentioned earlier that proper training can pay off down the road (pun intended, you didn’t think I would pass up the opportunity did you?). With driver training the payoff is reduced insurance premiums and lowered chances of accidents meaning a lower risk of costly car repairs. What are the expected benefits of training to reduce employee theft or training to stop shoplifting? The obvious comes to mind first, you will learn to identify where theft is taking place and you can start to take the proper measure to stop it. You will also learn about the tools to deter and prevent theft like the Checkpoint electronic article surveillance towers and tags. As theft goes down profits go up, THERE is your dividend, black ink on your bottom line. What about the not so obvious dividends, what are they? Did you ever consider that time card fraud is theft? Have you ever thought about an employee clocking another employee in and the person being clocked in isn’t at work? How about price change manipulation? Return fraud? Never considered what happened to those receipts customers didn’t want when they left the store did you? All of these things can add up to big losses, but LPSi can show you the way to put an end to the leaches who are trying to bleed you dry. Want countless dividends when you learn to stop shoplifting and employee theft? Sign up for the seminars today, what in the world are you waiting for?
Get more information on Training To Reduce Employee Theft, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 now.
A long time ago I taught my wife to drive. She had a few skills from when she was a little younger but had not pursued driving after that. Not long after we married we agreed there was a need for her to get her license so I spent time teaching her and she did earn her driver’s license. Turn the clock ahead 17 years and our son was ready to learn to drive. I spent time teaching him and giving him the basic skills. Wanting to be sure that he had all of the technical skills he would need to get through his driving test (and to lower insurance premiums) we sent him to a driver training school. Ahead another 3 years and I did the same training with our younger son and daughter. We sent them through driver training school also and our son went on to get his driver’s license. Our daughter chose to hold off. Now I am preparing her once again and guess what? I have found I have to review a few things, like parallel parking. More than 30 years of driving experience, 4 of those years as an Air Force Law Enforcement Specialist, and I have to refresh myself despite my driving experience (Thank You YouTube!). My reason for talking about this is that even with experience sometimes there are things you have to get refresher training on. For those things you don’t know how to do at all, getting the proper training pays off as you learn how to do something you never knew how to do in the first place. The same is true when it comes to retail loss prevention. You may be a store owner but that doesn’t necessarily translate to knowledge on how to stop shoplifting or prevent employee theft.
Training to reduce employee theft and stop shoplifting doesn’t come just by being a store manager. Bad guys are creative with old and new methods to steal from stores. Whatever the manner of theft most people are not equipped with the knowledge required to catch the bad guys let alone recognize the signs and indicators that can identify who may steal or who is planning on stealing. Think of it like this, I have been in retail management and I have been a Loss Prevention Manager. Those experiences alone do not necessarily mean I could own my own store and run it successfully or even take the position of store manager. Even if I could do so I would still require a certain amount of training in order to be successful. The same applies to Loss Prevention. In order to be successful at shortage reduction a manager or owner should go through training to reduce employee theft and that training is available through Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. They offer seminars on employee theft, shoplifting and even pre-employment hiring. As someone with over 25 years of combined retail, Loss Prevention and retail management experience, I will tell you that taking these training seminars provides invaluable lessons that will pay off over and over again in the future.
I mentioned earlier that proper training can pay off down the road (pun intended, you didn’t think I would pass up the opportunity did you?). With driver training the payoff is reduced insurance premiums and lowered chances of accidents meaning a lower risk of costly car repairs. What are the expected benefits of training to reduce employee theft or training to stop shoplifting? The obvious comes to mind first, you will learn to identify where theft is taking place and you can start to take the proper measure to stop it. You will also learn about the tools to deter and prevent theft like the Checkpoint electronic article surveillance towers and tags. As theft goes down profits go up, THERE is your dividend, black ink on your bottom line. What about the not so obvious dividends, what are they? Did you ever consider that time card fraud is theft? Have you ever thought about an employee clocking another employee in and the person being clocked in isn’t at work? How about price change manipulation? Return fraud? Never considered what happened to those receipts customers didn’t want when they left the store did you? All of these things can add up to big losses, but LPSi can show you the way to put an end to the leaches who are trying to bleed you dry. Want countless dividends when you learn to stop shoplifting and employee theft? Sign up for the seminars today, what in the world are you waiting for?
Get more information on Training To Reduce Employee Theft, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 now.
Electronic article surveillance – 5 WC blog 396
Checkpoint Tags -3
Stop Shoplifting-3
What Were You thinking? Questions I Ask Myself About Merchandise Strategies, Theft Prevention And Electronic Article Surveillance
Have you ever had those moments where you’ve seen something and you just had to wonder, “What were they thinking?” I believe most of us have and from a customer and Retail Loss Prevention Manager’s perspective I do this in stores quite a bit. Sometimes it is based on merchandising strategies and sometimes how they intend to stop shoplifting:
• Dump bins – Can someone please explain to me the sales strategy behind these? How does dumping bazillions of dvd’s or videogames into a box and expecting potential customers to dig through to find one gem they really want (at a $3-$5 price point) enhance sales? I’ve tried to dig through these things and after an avalanche of movies crashes down on me as I get near the bottom of the bin I quit.
• Lawn and Garden shops at stores – why do you have a fenced in area and then have merchandise on the outside of the fence? Worse yet, you have your point of sales INSIDE the building, not even a register by the fence exit. I am certain most customers will pick up merchandise and walk it all the way back in to make a purchase but I am just as certain there are people picking up items and walking off with them.
• Why do stores have TEN shelf checkout lanes with one cashier monitoring them all? Four is okay, but inevitably when I am using a self-checkout with more than four it seems the ONE cashier is constantly busy helping with problem checkouts. I get angry having to wait for several minutes for assistance when I was going through the self-checkout to speed up the process not slow down.
• Similar to the outside the fence garden shop merchandise strategy, how about the shoe store sidewalk sale with no one manning the sidewalk? What were you thinking? Yes, those stores have electronic article surveillance towers and nope, they won’t detect Checkpoint tags that are already past the towers.
Are there answers out there to my questions? I know someone in a business has a reason for the decisions, but that does not mean it is necessarily a smart decision. This is especially true for stores that are trying to stop shoplifting by using Electronic Article Surveillance systems.
Electronic Article Surveillance systems use radio frequency (rf) waves emitted from Checkpoint Tags and picked up by Checkpoint towers to protect merchandise from theft. When merchandise is protected with tags and the tagged merchandise is carried within the detection range of the towers there are alarms and lights in the towers that are activated. The noise and lights of the towers draws a response from store employees who then conduct receipt checks and determine the cause of the activation. With the proper training on addressing alarms, employees can recover merchandise and stop shoplifting from taking place.
Additional “What were they thinking?” moments I have had in regard to merchandise protection:
• Why are anti-theft devices used on some music and movies and not used on others? I just don’t get that.
• Anti-theft device wraps used to secure merchandise and the wraps are then secured to pegboard or shelving! Alert to store managers or Loss Prevention Departments, the purpose of the wrap is to allow the customer to walk around the store while the merchandise is still protected. It is also supposed to free up employees from having to unlock showcases. Guess what they have to do with these displays? That’s right…someone has to unlock them.
• No one responds when Electronic Article Surveillance tower alarms activate! Why is no one trained to respond or responsible for making a response a priority? Why bother with a system?
Merchandise protection is called that for a reason, it is meant to protect merchandise. Doing it in a half- hearted manner does not equate to cutting your shortage in half, it simply means it isn’t being taken seriously by thieves and to a certain extent by the store.
While retailers may have good intentions in their merchandise strategies that does not mean they make sense (at least to me). The same is true for merchandise protection and I have very strong feelings on this. Electronic Article Surveillance and Checkpoint Tags can stop shoplifting when employed to its fullest potential in stores. Tag everything, make alarm response a priority and train all employees and you will see profits rise as shortage decreases. End of rants…for now.
Get more information on Electronic Article Surveillance, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Have you ever had those moments where you’ve seen something and you just had to wonder, “What were they thinking?” I believe most of us have and from a customer and Retail Loss Prevention Manager’s perspective I do this in stores quite a bit. Sometimes it is based on merchandising strategies and sometimes how they intend to stop shoplifting:
• Dump bins – Can someone please explain to me the sales strategy behind these? How does dumping bazillions of dvd’s or videogames into a box and expecting potential customers to dig through to find one gem they really want (at a $3-$5 price point) enhance sales? I’ve tried to dig through these things and after an avalanche of movies crashes down on me as I get near the bottom of the bin I quit.
• Lawn and Garden shops at stores – why do you have a fenced in area and then have merchandise on the outside of the fence? Worse yet, you have your point of sales INSIDE the building, not even a register by the fence exit. I am certain most customers will pick up merchandise and walk it all the way back in to make a purchase but I am just as certain there are people picking up items and walking off with them.
• Why do stores have TEN shelf checkout lanes with one cashier monitoring them all? Four is okay, but inevitably when I am using a self-checkout with more than four it seems the ONE cashier is constantly busy helping with problem checkouts. I get angry having to wait for several minutes for assistance when I was going through the self-checkout to speed up the process not slow down.
• Similar to the outside the fence garden shop merchandise strategy, how about the shoe store sidewalk sale with no one manning the sidewalk? What were you thinking? Yes, those stores have electronic article surveillance towers and nope, they won’t detect Checkpoint tags that are already past the towers.
Are there answers out there to my questions? I know someone in a business has a reason for the decisions, but that does not mean it is necessarily a smart decision. This is especially true for stores that are trying to stop shoplifting by using Electronic Article Surveillance systems.
Electronic Article Surveillance systems use radio frequency (rf) waves emitted from Checkpoint Tags and picked up by Checkpoint towers to protect merchandise from theft. When merchandise is protected with tags and the tagged merchandise is carried within the detection range of the towers there are alarms and lights in the towers that are activated. The noise and lights of the towers draws a response from store employees who then conduct receipt checks and determine the cause of the activation. With the proper training on addressing alarms, employees can recover merchandise and stop shoplifting from taking place.
Additional “What were they thinking?” moments I have had in regard to merchandise protection:
• Why are anti-theft devices used on some music and movies and not used on others? I just don’t get that.
• Anti-theft device wraps used to secure merchandise and the wraps are then secured to pegboard or shelving! Alert to store managers or Loss Prevention Departments, the purpose of the wrap is to allow the customer to walk around the store while the merchandise is still protected. It is also supposed to free up employees from having to unlock showcases. Guess what they have to do with these displays? That’s right…someone has to unlock them.
• No one responds when Electronic Article Surveillance tower alarms activate! Why is no one trained to respond or responsible for making a response a priority? Why bother with a system?
Merchandise protection is called that for a reason, it is meant to protect merchandise. Doing it in a half- hearted manner does not equate to cutting your shortage in half, it simply means it isn’t being taken seriously by thieves and to a certain extent by the store.
While retailers may have good intentions in their merchandise strategies that does not mean they make sense (at least to me). The same is true for merchandise protection and I have very strong feelings on this. Electronic Article Surveillance and Checkpoint Tags can stop shoplifting when employed to its fullest potential in stores. Tag everything, make alarm response a priority and train all employees and you will see profits rise as shortage decreases. End of rants…for now.
Get more information on Electronic Article Surveillance, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
ELECTRONIC ARTICLE SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM ARE THE HIGHEST QUALITY THEFT DETERRENCE SYSTEM IN RETAILERS!
ELECTRONIC ARTICLE SURVEILLANCE -3 ML Blog 02
STOP SHOPLIFTING- 4
With 12 years of Loss Prevention experience, I’ve seen it ALL. In today’s world of fast paced technology, there is a plethora of possibilities for preventing theft. I have been lucky enough to work with a majority of them. This has helped me gain extensive knowledge on what truly works to stop shoplifting in retailers.
When I’m traveling to complete store visits, I am surprised on how many retailers are still using outdated merchandise protection standards in their stores. This allows shoplifters to continue to drain profits each year. During these visits, I meet with the store managers and always ask to see their 3 year shrink trend. I am consistently seeing out dated merchandise protection devices in the stores who are constantly trending high in shrink each year. I explain to the store managers that if they are losing money each year, then it’s time to think about trying a system that has been known to positively impact shrink in retailers. Out with the old, in with the new! I visited a store manager who ran a 20 million dollar per year location. His shrink was trending higher each year, and his last shrink number consisted of $238k. We went over his Shrink Action Plan for the store to stop shoplifting and increase profits for the following year. The plan had good “reasoning” to it, but were the actions they had listed to be executed really impactful to reduce shrink the following year? Absolutely not.
The store was doing the same actions each year and stuck in repetition. The numbers were rising showing that the plan was not working. This location was still utilizing an “ink tag” system, and could not remember the last time they updated any of their merchandise protection standards. They did not realize all the new technology that was now available to retailers. I explained to the store manager about investing in an Electronic Article Surveillance System and how this would increase sales, protect high dollar merchandise, and improve shelf availability for the shoppers. They would finally be able to stop shoplifting and change how they were doing things. We created a new plan and were able to get approval to receive an Electronic Article Surveillance System for the store. The security labels for the system were an easy transition for the store. They could be placed not only on high dollar clothing, but also on bedding, footwear, food products, and even electronics. Based on the feedback I received, the store was extremely surprised on how the alarm was easy to respond to. They couldn’t believe how many times the alarm would stop shoplifting right before their eyes. Before this, they had no way of really tracking how much merchandise was going straight out the door! It was very exciting to hear the positive feedback, but without seeing the numbers after the following inventory we would not know how effective the new system truly would be. I needed to see what the shrink number would be after making the change to the new Electronic Article Surveillance System.
After inventory was completed, the store’s final numbers came in at just $62k, an estimated gain of $176k! This was the first year this store had a reduction in almost 4 years. The store was finally able to break their shrink trend! The store has been off the Shrink Focus list ever since that year, and anytime we see a store with outdated Security Systems, we try out best to show them what really works.
Get more information on the Electronic Article Surveillance System, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
With 12 years of Loss Prevention experience, I’ve seen it ALL. In today’s world of fast paced technology, there is a plethora of possibilities for preventing theft. I have been lucky enough to work with a majority of them. This has helped me gain extensive knowledge on what truly works to stop shoplifting in retailers.
When I’m traveling to complete store visits, I am surprised on how many retailers are still using outdated merchandise protection standards in their stores. This allows shoplifters to continue to drain profits each year. During these visits, I meet with the store managers and always ask to see their 3 year shrink trend. I am consistently seeing out dated merchandise protection devices in the stores who are constantly trending high in shrink each year. I explain to the store managers that if they are losing money each year, then it’s time to think about trying a system that has been known to positively impact shrink in retailers. Out with the old, in with the new! I visited a store manager who ran a 20 million dollar per year location. His shrink was trending higher each year, and his last shrink number consisted of $238k. We went over his Shrink Action Plan for the store to stop shoplifting and increase profits for the following year. The plan had good “reasoning” to it, but were the actions they had listed to be executed really impactful to reduce shrink the following year? Absolutely not.
The store was doing the same actions each year and stuck in repetition. The numbers were rising showing that the plan was not working. This location was still utilizing an “ink tag” system, and could not remember the last time they updated any of their merchandise protection standards. They did not realize all the new technology that was now available to retailers. I explained to the store manager about investing in an Electronic Article Surveillance System and how this would increase sales, protect high dollar merchandise, and improve shelf availability for the shoppers. They would finally be able to stop shoplifting and change how they were doing things. We created a new plan and were able to get approval to receive an Electronic Article Surveillance System for the store. The security labels for the system were an easy transition for the store. They could be placed not only on high dollar clothing, but also on bedding, footwear, food products, and even electronics. Based on the feedback I received, the store was extremely surprised on how the alarm was easy to respond to. They couldn’t believe how many times the alarm would stop shoplifting right before their eyes. Before this, they had no way of really tracking how much merchandise was going straight out the door! It was very exciting to hear the positive feedback, but without seeing the numbers after the following inventory we would not know how effective the new system truly would be. I needed to see what the shrink number would be after making the change to the new Electronic Article Surveillance System.
After inventory was completed, the store’s final numbers came in at just $62k, an estimated gain of $176k! This was the first year this store had a reduction in almost 4 years. The store was finally able to break their shrink trend! The store has been off the Shrink Focus list ever since that year, and anytime we see a store with outdated Security Systems, we try out best to show them what really works.
Get more information on the Electronic Article Surveillance System, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Employee Theft-4 wc blog 379
Stop Shoplifting-4
Drill Into The Basics Of How To Stop Shoplifting And Employee Theft With Manager Training From LPSI
The year was 1983, and it was a warm San Antonio evening, sometime after midnight when our bus pulled through the gates of Lackland Air Force Base. I don’t remember a lot about that first introduction to Basic Training except there was a whole lot of yelling, screaming and being told to hurry up. It is kind of a blur now as I look back on it, but in my mind they brought us in during the middle of the night so we would have a harder time escaping than if we came in during the daytime and knew the route we came in. Of course I’m kidding, we were all volunteers but for a bunch of green 18 year-olds, it was very unnerving. The truth is, none of us knew much about the military or the U.S.A.F. and in order to get a bunch of kids prepared to take on the responsibilities that military life would require harsh training was necessary and paid off. Later in life when I became a Loss Prevention Manager I went from a Loss Prevention Associate in a department store straight to my new position in a brand new, big box retail store that was being built. I had to get in my training, hire a new Loss Prevention Team for my store and conduct a section of new employee orientations for groups of 10 to 50 people on employee theft and how to stop shoplifting. I had to develop my own style of training to get my message across. Loss Prevention Systems Inc. (LPSI) offers training for companies that have no Loss Prevention Department.
There are many retail owners and managers who deal with retail shrinkage due to employee theft and have no idea how to prevent it or stop shoplifting in their stores. Many of these managers could use training that can help them reduce shortage due to theft issues much like the training I used to provide. If you are one of those managers you will be happy to know that there is a solution to your problem. As I mentioned LPSI offers training seminars on how to reduce employee theft and stop shoplifting in your stores. When the training lessons are applied in a store, retail shortage declines and profits improve. Rest assured you will receive the best possible training available. Bill Bregar, President of LPSI, has years of National level Loss Prevention experience in addition to his founding of LPSI in 1983. His expertise in the field ensures you will receive world-class sessions.
When I started having to conduct orientations for mass hires, I had a guiding hand from a Loss Prevention Manager who had been with the company a long time. He conducted one session and then worked with me on the next one. By the third orientation he allowed me to do it myself with him being in the background ready to give me advice and step in if I began faltering. Fortunately there was some stumbling on my part but I muddled through without totally dropping the ball. Soon my helper had to leave but I had enough experience to continue on my own. Over time I did develop a style I was satisfied with that combined serious aspects from my Air Force Training Instructors and the fun parts my counterpart used in his orientations.
I believe the results of the orientations from mass hire through my many years as Loss Prevention Manager were reflected in our inventory results. Our first inventory we had a .75% shrinkage result. My store manager who had been with the company well over 20 years and had opened many new stores told me that he rarely saw a new store inventory the first year under 1% shrink. Was this a fluke? No, over 12 annual inventory cycles only twice did we go over 1% and both of those offset the following years. I believe that properly training employees and managers on how to stop shoplifting and identify and prevent employee theft does make a difference.
You don’t have to go through basic training with a Drill Instructor yelling at you to prepare you for combating retail theft. Owners of smaller retail stores also don’t have to have a Loss Prevention team to drive down shortage. Let LPSI give you the training that will improve your profits and drive out thieves.
Get more information on employee theft, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
The year was 1983, and it was a warm San Antonio evening, sometime after midnight when our bus pulled through the gates of Lackland Air Force Base. I don’t remember a lot about that first introduction to Basic Training except there was a whole lot of yelling, screaming and being told to hurry up. It is kind of a blur now as I look back on it, but in my mind they brought us in during the middle of the night so we would have a harder time escaping than if we came in during the daytime and knew the route we came in. Of course I’m kidding, we were all volunteers but for a bunch of green 18 year-olds, it was very unnerving. The truth is, none of us knew much about the military or the U.S.A.F. and in order to get a bunch of kids prepared to take on the responsibilities that military life would require harsh training was necessary and paid off. Later in life when I became a Loss Prevention Manager I went from a Loss Prevention Associate in a department store straight to my new position in a brand new, big box retail store that was being built. I had to get in my training, hire a new Loss Prevention Team for my store and conduct a section of new employee orientations for groups of 10 to 50 people on employee theft and how to stop shoplifting. I had to develop my own style of training to get my message across. Loss Prevention Systems Inc. (LPSI) offers training for companies that have no Loss Prevention Department.
There are many retail owners and managers who deal with retail shrinkage due to employee theft and have no idea how to prevent it or stop shoplifting in their stores. Many of these managers could use training that can help them reduce shortage due to theft issues much like the training I used to provide. If you are one of those managers you will be happy to know that there is a solution to your problem. As I mentioned LPSI offers training seminars on how to reduce employee theft and stop shoplifting in your stores. When the training lessons are applied in a store, retail shortage declines and profits improve. Rest assured you will receive the best possible training available. Bill Bregar, President of LPSI, has years of National level Loss Prevention experience in addition to his founding of LPSI in 1983. His expertise in the field ensures you will receive world-class sessions.
When I started having to conduct orientations for mass hires, I had a guiding hand from a Loss Prevention Manager who had been with the company a long time. He conducted one session and then worked with me on the next one. By the third orientation he allowed me to do it myself with him being in the background ready to give me advice and step in if I began faltering. Fortunately there was some stumbling on my part but I muddled through without totally dropping the ball. Soon my helper had to leave but I had enough experience to continue on my own. Over time I did develop a style I was satisfied with that combined serious aspects from my Air Force Training Instructors and the fun parts my counterpart used in his orientations.
I believe the results of the orientations from mass hire through my many years as Loss Prevention Manager were reflected in our inventory results. Our first inventory we had a .75% shrinkage result. My store manager who had been with the company well over 20 years and had opened many new stores told me that he rarely saw a new store inventory the first year under 1% shrink. Was this a fluke? No, over 12 annual inventory cycles only twice did we go over 1% and both of those offset the following years. I believe that properly training employees and managers on how to stop shoplifting and identify and prevent employee theft does make a difference.
You don’t have to go through basic training with a Drill Instructor yelling at you to prepare you for combating retail theft. Owners of smaller retail stores also don’t have to have a Loss Prevention team to drive down shortage. Let LPSI give you the training that will improve your profits and drive out thieves.
Get more information on employee theft, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
