Checkpoint security system-4 wc blog 235
Retail theft prevention-4
Stop shoplifting- 5
Checkpoint tags-4
A Retail Theft Prevention Strategy Is Incomplete Without A Checkpoint Security System Included
My wife and I were out shopping the other day looking around one of her favorite clothing stores. My wife was interested in the clothing, while I found myself interested in the sign on the door seeking applicants for a Loss Prevention Officer. As I looked around the store I noticed quite a few closed circuit television cameras, or at least domes hanging from the ceiling. I already knew that this store staffs the fitting room with a fitting room attendant, and saw she was diligently counting clothes for patrons as they entered and left the fitting room. But I was surprised that after all the times we have visited this store, I never noticed they do not use a Checkpoint security system to stop shoplifting. In fact they don’t use any retail theft prevention devices on clothes, shoes, or any of the other items they sell. It seems a little curious to me that a store would invest in Loss Prevention staff and CCTV systems, but not go the extra step to use Checkpoint tags or electronic article surveillance antennas. While it is good to want to catch shoplifters, I have found that it is much better if you can deter them in the first place.
How does a Checkpoint security system stop shoplifting? Starting with the electronic article surveillance (EAS) antennas positioned at the doors, shoppers entering the store are aware that the store is using retail theft prevention equipment. Criminals also look for this when they are deciding whether or not to target a store. Once in the store the use of Checkpoint tags on merchandise deters casual shoplifters, the people who may only steal for a quick thrill or on an impulse. They don’t necessarily intend to steal before they come to the store, but make a decision based on impulse. This particular group of shoplifters tends to avoid taking too many risks, especially the risk of setting off an EAS alarm at the front doors. Professional shoplifters may also be deterred by Checkpoint tags because they too prefer not to attract unnecessary attention. They desire to remain anonymous so that they can repeatedly return to a store and shoplift. Alarms attract attention so professionals prefer to steal merchandise they do not think is protected with tags or they go to a different store altogether. Store personnel trained to properly respond to EAS alarms also stop shoplifting. They can recover merchandise when an attempted theft occurs. Shoplifters recognize when a store takes alarm activations seriously and this is a retail theft prevention measure in itself.
So returning to my original observation, why is this store not using a Checkpoint security system to stop shoplifting? Is it the perception that it will cost a lot of money or the constant expense of purchasing new hard tags? A Checkpoint system can actually pay for itself over time, eliminating the concern of expense. Reduced shortage due to theft will result in increased profits to the store. Additionally, sales increase when product is available to be purchased by the honest clientele since shoplifters aren’t stealing it. These two factors combine to offset the cost of a system. The expense of hard tags is no excuse. Hard tags from Checkpoint systems are reusable. They are designed to be removed at the point of sale as an item is sold and stored until ready to be attached to new shipments of product. By recycling tags, there is not a constant need to buy more as merchandise is sold.
Having security cameras and Loss Prevention personnel are important to stop shoplifting but they should not be the only tools a store has at its’ disposal. A Retail theft prevention strategy should include a Checkpoint security system, training on the placement of Checkpoint tags, tag removal and employee training on alarm response. Reap the rewards when you use Checkpoint systems.
Need information on a Checkpoint security system? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
My wife and I were out shopping the other day looking around one of her favorite clothing stores. My wife was interested in the clothing, while I found myself interested in the sign on the door seeking applicants for a Loss Prevention Officer. As I looked around the store I noticed quite a few closed circuit television cameras, or at least domes hanging from the ceiling. I already knew that this store staffs the fitting room with a fitting room attendant, and saw she was diligently counting clothes for patrons as they entered and left the fitting room. But I was surprised that after all the times we have visited this store, I never noticed they do not use a Checkpoint security system to stop shoplifting. In fact they don’t use any retail theft prevention devices on clothes, shoes, or any of the other items they sell. It seems a little curious to me that a store would invest in Loss Prevention staff and CCTV systems, but not go the extra step to use Checkpoint tags or electronic article surveillance antennas. While it is good to want to catch shoplifters, I have found that it is much better if you can deter them in the first place.
How does a Checkpoint security system stop shoplifting? Starting with the electronic article surveillance (EAS) antennas positioned at the doors, shoppers entering the store are aware that the store is using retail theft prevention equipment. Criminals also look for this when they are deciding whether or not to target a store. Once in the store the use of Checkpoint tags on merchandise deters casual shoplifters, the people who may only steal for a quick thrill or on an impulse. They don’t necessarily intend to steal before they come to the store, but make a decision based on impulse. This particular group of shoplifters tends to avoid taking too many risks, especially the risk of setting off an EAS alarm at the front doors. Professional shoplifters may also be deterred by Checkpoint tags because they too prefer not to attract unnecessary attention. They desire to remain anonymous so that they can repeatedly return to a store and shoplift. Alarms attract attention so professionals prefer to steal merchandise they do not think is protected with tags or they go to a different store altogether. Store personnel trained to properly respond to EAS alarms also stop shoplifting. They can recover merchandise when an attempted theft occurs. Shoplifters recognize when a store takes alarm activations seriously and this is a retail theft prevention measure in itself.
So returning to my original observation, why is this store not using a Checkpoint security system to stop shoplifting? Is it the perception that it will cost a lot of money or the constant expense of purchasing new hard tags? A Checkpoint system can actually pay for itself over time, eliminating the concern of expense. Reduced shortage due to theft will result in increased profits to the store. Additionally, sales increase when product is available to be purchased by the honest clientele since shoplifters aren’t stealing it. These two factors combine to offset the cost of a system. The expense of hard tags is no excuse. Hard tags from Checkpoint systems are reusable. They are designed to be removed at the point of sale as an item is sold and stored until ready to be attached to new shipments of product. By recycling tags, there is not a constant need to buy more as merchandise is sold.
Having security cameras and Loss Prevention personnel are important to stop shoplifting but they should not be the only tools a store has at its’ disposal. A Retail theft prevention strategy should include a Checkpoint security system, training on the placement of Checkpoint tags, tag removal and employee training on alarm response. Reap the rewards when you use Checkpoint systems.
Need information on a Checkpoint security system? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Checkpoint labels-3 WC Blog 152
Stop shoplifting-3
Lack of Checkpoint Labels Leads To A Trickle Down Theory
On occasion when I am discussing my Loss Prevention experience with others the question usually arises, “You must have some interesting stories to tell?” As a matter of fact, I do have a couple that I enjoy sharing. I was never of the mindset that someone should be allowed to get away with shoplifting. As long as there was nothing more pressing happening in the store I expected my Loss Prevention team to stop all shoplifters (within company guidelines) or if it was a small item, to make every effort to deter theft. One area we were having a lot of petty theft in was our collector cards near the end of the checkout lanes. There was a popular collector card series out at the time, based on a children’s television cartoon that was the object of many juvenile shoplifters. We tagged our boxed sets of cards with Checkpoint labels to stop shoplifting but we did not do so with individual card packs due to the quantities we carried and some were source tagged by the vendor inside the packaging.
Let me briefly take a moment to mention what the Checkpoint labels are. Labels come in a number of styles, but they are “soft” tags that are designed with a circuit in the tag that is designed to work with the radio frequency of a Checkpoint security system electronic article surveillance antenna (EAS). The labels are placed on merchandise at the store and in some cases by vendors who “source tag” merchandise inside the packaging. Tags are “turned off” when passed over deactivation pads at the point of sale, usually integrated in the point of sale scan beds. When someone attempts to steal merchandise that is tagged, the tag is not deactivated and will set off the EAS antenna alarms.
So, one day I was walking through the store doing audits on high theft merchandise and I heard the sound of cellophane being torn open, one of those things that always perked up my ears. I started to walk down the back row of the area I was in and noticed a young boy, perhaps 5 or 6 years old standing in an aisle with his back to me. He was opening some type of packaging, but I had not seen him select anything although I could guess it was one of our collectable card packs. It was merely my intention to simply stop shoplifting by startling him and getting him to put the cards down and leave. I walked up behind the young fella and said, “Hello”. He turned to look at me with a petrified look on his face. I looked at the cards in his hand, and the torn packaging and asked what kind of cards he had. The boy did not respond, his mouth was hanging open and his eyes were wide. I asked again about the cards in his hands and then I heard something that sounded like water spilling on the tile floor. I looked down and wouldn’t you know it, the young man was urinating himself and on our floor. Being a parent myself, I was sympathetic and asked for assistance in a spill cleanup and took the boy to the front where I paged for his mother. Mom came up and I explained what had happened. I let her know I thought the he may have learned his lesson and said he was probably embarrassed enough at having wet himself. Mom apologized for her son, bought him a pair of jeans and left.
It has been my experience that when merchandise has Checkpoint labels on them and they are placed in a visible location on a package, they have a strong deterrent value and can stop shoplifting. In my case above, there was no visible label and even had there been the young man may not have been old enough to be deterred, but an adult may have been.
Need more information on Checkpoint labels? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
On occasion when I am discussing my Loss Prevention experience with others the question usually arises, “You must have some interesting stories to tell?” As a matter of fact, I do have a couple that I enjoy sharing. I was never of the mindset that someone should be allowed to get away with shoplifting. As long as there was nothing more pressing happening in the store I expected my Loss Prevention team to stop all shoplifters (within company guidelines) or if it was a small item, to make every effort to deter theft. One area we were having a lot of petty theft in was our collector cards near the end of the checkout lanes. There was a popular collector card series out at the time, based on a children’s television cartoon that was the object of many juvenile shoplifters. We tagged our boxed sets of cards with Checkpoint labels to stop shoplifting but we did not do so with individual card packs due to the quantities we carried and some were source tagged by the vendor inside the packaging.
Let me briefly take a moment to mention what the Checkpoint labels are. Labels come in a number of styles, but they are “soft” tags that are designed with a circuit in the tag that is designed to work with the radio frequency of a Checkpoint security system electronic article surveillance antenna (EAS). The labels are placed on merchandise at the store and in some cases by vendors who “source tag” merchandise inside the packaging. Tags are “turned off” when passed over deactivation pads at the point of sale, usually integrated in the point of sale scan beds. When someone attempts to steal merchandise that is tagged, the tag is not deactivated and will set off the EAS antenna alarms.
So, one day I was walking through the store doing audits on high theft merchandise and I heard the sound of cellophane being torn open, one of those things that always perked up my ears. I started to walk down the back row of the area I was in and noticed a young boy, perhaps 5 or 6 years old standing in an aisle with his back to me. He was opening some type of packaging, but I had not seen him select anything although I could guess it was one of our collectable card packs. It was merely my intention to simply stop shoplifting by startling him and getting him to put the cards down and leave. I walked up behind the young fella and said, “Hello”. He turned to look at me with a petrified look on his face. I looked at the cards in his hand, and the torn packaging and asked what kind of cards he had. The boy did not respond, his mouth was hanging open and his eyes were wide. I asked again about the cards in his hands and then I heard something that sounded like water spilling on the tile floor. I looked down and wouldn’t you know it, the young man was urinating himself and on our floor. Being a parent myself, I was sympathetic and asked for assistance in a spill cleanup and took the boy to the front where I paged for his mother. Mom came up and I explained what had happened. I let her know I thought the he may have learned his lesson and said he was probably embarrassed enough at having wet himself. Mom apologized for her son, bought him a pair of jeans and left.
It has been my experience that when merchandise has Checkpoint labels on them and they are placed in a visible location on a package, they have a strong deterrent value and can stop shoplifting. In my case above, there was no visible label and even had there been the young man may not have been old enough to be deterred, but an adult may have been.
Need more information on Checkpoint labels? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Checkpoint Tags-5 WC Blog 200
Checkpoint Hard Tags-5
Electronic Article Surveillance-5
Stop Shoplifting – 4
Target Hardening; It’s What Happens When You Use Checkpoint Hard Tags.
Target hardening is a term you may have heard in the news lately but were not really sure what it means. For police, military or security personnel, it means strengthening something. Wikipedia defines it as, “…the strengthening of a building or installation in order to protect it in the event of an attack or reduce the risk of theft. It is believed that a “strong, visible defense will deter or delay an attack.” A good example of target hardening would be when the government issues a heightened terrorist threat level and more police officers are added to locations such as airports or national landmarks. Banks may be hardened with added security guards if a rash of bank robberies has taken place at their branch locations. In the same manner, retailers can be seen as “soft” targets by shoplifters. Those stores that do not employ any type of security measures are typical soft targets. They are easy to steal from and there is almost no chance a thief will be caught let alone prosecuted for theft. One simple way any retailer can harden the store as a target and stop shoplifting is to use Checkpoint Hard Tags.
Checkpoint hard tags incorporate electronic article surveillance technology in strong, solid casings that are extremely difficult to defeat. Checkpoint tags are available in several designs, from the Auto Peg Tag that snaps over the hang tab or peg hole of merchandise packaging to Gen 2 and Gen 3 hard tags for apparel. By adding these anti-theft devices to your inventory you make it much more difficult for a criminal to steal from your store. Because tags are designed with electronic article surveillance capability it is critical to add electronic article surveillance antennas to the store at entrances and exits. The antennas read the signal emitted by the Checkpoint tags and when a tag is carried within range, the antenna alarm activates. Checkpoint hard tags provide a visual deterrent to stop shoplifting, but with the antennas, teeth are added to the defensive measures making it a much more intimidating system to would-be thieves.
You may be concerned that your store is a small to mid-size business or you may even have a couple of stores, but you don’t think you can afford to invest in Checkpoint tags or electronic article surveillance technology. I would like to challenge your concerns. Can you afford NOT to invest in the technology? What is your annual merchandise shrinkage (the amount of product you are losing each year due to theft and fraud)? The 2014-2015 Retail Global Theft Barometer reported that shrink in the U.S. was 1.92% for stores that participated in their survey. This percentage included shoplifting, employee theft and administrative losses, with theft and fraud accounting for approximately 87% of that number. Most of the stores in the survey spent some money on Loss Prevention measures, varying from as little as .01% to as much as 1.41% of their total sales. If those stores are experiencing shrink approaching 2%, what is the amount of merchandise your store is losing if you are not using Checkpoint Hard Tags and antennas?
Investing in Checkpoint tags should not be viewed as an expense with no return on investment. As you spend money on Checkpoint hard tags, which are re-useable, you will stop shoplifting and merchandise that was going missing will not have to be replaced anymore. Those items will be available to be purchased, thereby driving sales and profits. Antennas are a one-time investment and only require occasional maintenance or upkeep.
Don’t allow your stores to be soft targets for criminals. Use Checkpoint tags and electronic article surveillance antennas to increase security and stop shoplifting. Put the bad guys in check by “target hardening” and watch profits grow and shortage decline!
Checkpoint Hard Tags are important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Target hardening is a term you may have heard in the news lately but were not really sure what it means. For police, military or security personnel, it means strengthening something. Wikipedia defines it as, “…the strengthening of a building or installation in order to protect it in the event of an attack or reduce the risk of theft. It is believed that a “strong, visible defense will deter or delay an attack.” A good example of target hardening would be when the government issues a heightened terrorist threat level and more police officers are added to locations such as airports or national landmarks. Banks may be hardened with added security guards if a rash of bank robberies has taken place at their branch locations. In the same manner, retailers can be seen as “soft” targets by shoplifters. Those stores that do not employ any type of security measures are typical soft targets. They are easy to steal from and there is almost no chance a thief will be caught let alone prosecuted for theft. One simple way any retailer can harden the store as a target and stop shoplifting is to use Checkpoint Hard Tags.
Checkpoint hard tags incorporate electronic article surveillance technology in strong, solid casings that are extremely difficult to defeat. Checkpoint tags are available in several designs, from the Auto Peg Tag that snaps over the hang tab or peg hole of merchandise packaging to Gen 2 and Gen 3 hard tags for apparel. By adding these anti-theft devices to your inventory you make it much more difficult for a criminal to steal from your store. Because tags are designed with electronic article surveillance capability it is critical to add electronic article surveillance antennas to the store at entrances and exits. The antennas read the signal emitted by the Checkpoint tags and when a tag is carried within range, the antenna alarm activates. Checkpoint hard tags provide a visual deterrent to stop shoplifting, but with the antennas, teeth are added to the defensive measures making it a much more intimidating system to would-be thieves.
You may be concerned that your store is a small to mid-size business or you may even have a couple of stores, but you don’t think you can afford to invest in Checkpoint tags or electronic article surveillance technology. I would like to challenge your concerns. Can you afford NOT to invest in the technology? What is your annual merchandise shrinkage (the amount of product you are losing each year due to theft and fraud)? The 2014-2015 Retail Global Theft Barometer reported that shrink in the U.S. was 1.92% for stores that participated in their survey. This percentage included shoplifting, employee theft and administrative losses, with theft and fraud accounting for approximately 87% of that number. Most of the stores in the survey spent some money on Loss Prevention measures, varying from as little as .01% to as much as 1.41% of their total sales. If those stores are experiencing shrink approaching 2%, what is the amount of merchandise your store is losing if you are not using Checkpoint Hard Tags and antennas?
Investing in Checkpoint tags should not be viewed as an expense with no return on investment. As you spend money on Checkpoint hard tags, which are re-useable, you will stop shoplifting and merchandise that was going missing will not have to be replaced anymore. Those items will be available to be purchased, thereby driving sales and profits. Antennas are a one-time investment and only require occasional maintenance or upkeep.
Don’t allow your stores to be soft targets for criminals. Use Checkpoint tags and electronic article surveillance antennas to increase security and stop shoplifting. Put the bad guys in check by “target hardening” and watch profits grow and shortage decline!
Checkpoint Hard Tags are important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Retail Theft Prevention-3 WC blog 218
Stop Shoplifting-3
Checkpoint security system-4
Checkpoint tags-3
Security Enhancement; From Military Gates To Checkpoint Security System EAS Antennas
Once I was stationed on a temporary duty assignment to an Air Force base in Italy. I took to the new assignment eagerly. It was interesting for me to see how the operations varied from how things were done at my stateside base. Bases operated differently based on their mission assignments. For example, some bases have aircraft assigned to them that require stricter access to get to them. When I arrived to this base, things were a little heated in some parts of the world and we were supplementing the security forces already in place. In a way this was similar to my later experiences in retail loss prevention. When we had a spike in theft activity we would sometimes bring in Loss Prevention officers from our other stores to supplement our security in an attempt to stop shoplifting that was taking place. We would also make sure our Checkpoint security system was tested daily to be sure all the equipment was functioning, thereby maximizing our effectiveness at retail theft prevention. I know they aren’t on the same level, but there are similarities in how each improves security concerns.
In the Air Force, manned installation entry gates control access to the base. Security personnel monitor who is coming and going and can close gates as necessary. During times of increased security, military working dogs and their handlers may supplement the entry control point. In retail we use Checkpoint security system electronic article surveillance (EAS) antennas for retail theft prevention. The antennas are a visible deterrent since would-be thieves know that the antennas detect Checkpoint tags on merchandise when someone tries to steal merchandise. When someone does try to exit through an EAS antenna with stolen product that is tagged, the alarm in the antenna sounds and staff respond to identify the issue and recover the merchandise. Stores with security staff may even prosecute a shoplifter. If theft increases, stores may use Checkpoint tags on additional merchandise to try to stop shoplifting. As I mentioned previously, we occasionally sent additional security to a store to stop a problem.
Getting back to my temporary duty assignment in Italy; things were a little heated and while most of the citizens I came into contact with were very nice, there were some who were not so happy with the U.S. presence there. One day we learned there were going to be protests against the base and the base compounds situated around the town. Not all base facilities were located in one place and so there were several locations that had to be staffed with Security Police. I was assigned to a walled compound with a full gate that could be pulled open or closed and locked. I went to my post and was told an Italian Air Force counterpart would arrive shortly to assist. A few hours later, no Italian counterpart arrived but I did see the protesters making their way down the road in my direction. There were communist flags mixed with home-made signs in the crowd. I will admit I was becoming a little uneasy as I could peer through the closed gates and see this collection of people getting closer to my post. I made a radio call to try to find out if my Italian back-up was on his way, but no one had any information on his whereabouts. The protesters started to walk by my location, shouting and yelling and waving their signs, flags and banners and looking in my direction but they did not make any move directly towards me (did I emphasize I was still alone?). About half the crowd had passed by me when all of the sudden they stopped, no more yelling, no shouting they just walked away in their own directions. I was perplexed, I was fairly certain there was nothing I had done to cause this dispersion. I was amused to learn later, it was lunch time and they were breaking for a couple hours to eat and sleep. I had to give them credit, they had their priorities straight! It was not until I worked Black Fridays in retail that I would see similar mobs again.
Retail theft prevention is not as important as installation security but for the store owner it is still a big deal. A Checkpoint security system may not stop a protesting mob but it can enhance store security and stop shoplifting and improve store profits. Invest in a Checkpoint security system and Checkpoint tags, the impact will be nearly as quick as a mob breaking for lunch.
Need information on Checkpoint Security Systems? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Once I was stationed on a temporary duty assignment to an Air Force base in Italy. I took to the new assignment eagerly. It was interesting for me to see how the operations varied from how things were done at my stateside base. Bases operated differently based on their mission assignments. For example, some bases have aircraft assigned to them that require stricter access to get to them. When I arrived to this base, things were a little heated in some parts of the world and we were supplementing the security forces already in place. In a way this was similar to my later experiences in retail loss prevention. When we had a spike in theft activity we would sometimes bring in Loss Prevention officers from our other stores to supplement our security in an attempt to stop shoplifting that was taking place. We would also make sure our Checkpoint security system was tested daily to be sure all the equipment was functioning, thereby maximizing our effectiveness at retail theft prevention. I know they aren’t on the same level, but there are similarities in how each improves security concerns.
In the Air Force, manned installation entry gates control access to the base. Security personnel monitor who is coming and going and can close gates as necessary. During times of increased security, military working dogs and their handlers may supplement the entry control point. In retail we use Checkpoint security system electronic article surveillance (EAS) antennas for retail theft prevention. The antennas are a visible deterrent since would-be thieves know that the antennas detect Checkpoint tags on merchandise when someone tries to steal merchandise. When someone does try to exit through an EAS antenna with stolen product that is tagged, the alarm in the antenna sounds and staff respond to identify the issue and recover the merchandise. Stores with security staff may even prosecute a shoplifter. If theft increases, stores may use Checkpoint tags on additional merchandise to try to stop shoplifting. As I mentioned previously, we occasionally sent additional security to a store to stop a problem.
Getting back to my temporary duty assignment in Italy; things were a little heated and while most of the citizens I came into contact with were very nice, there were some who were not so happy with the U.S. presence there. One day we learned there were going to be protests against the base and the base compounds situated around the town. Not all base facilities were located in one place and so there were several locations that had to be staffed with Security Police. I was assigned to a walled compound with a full gate that could be pulled open or closed and locked. I went to my post and was told an Italian Air Force counterpart would arrive shortly to assist. A few hours later, no Italian counterpart arrived but I did see the protesters making their way down the road in my direction. There were communist flags mixed with home-made signs in the crowd. I will admit I was becoming a little uneasy as I could peer through the closed gates and see this collection of people getting closer to my post. I made a radio call to try to find out if my Italian back-up was on his way, but no one had any information on his whereabouts. The protesters started to walk by my location, shouting and yelling and waving their signs, flags and banners and looking in my direction but they did not make any move directly towards me (did I emphasize I was still alone?). About half the crowd had passed by me when all of the sudden they stopped, no more yelling, no shouting they just walked away in their own directions. I was perplexed, I was fairly certain there was nothing I had done to cause this dispersion. I was amused to learn later, it was lunch time and they were breaking for a couple hours to eat and sleep. I had to give them credit, they had their priorities straight! It was not until I worked Black Fridays in retail that I would see similar mobs again.
Retail theft prevention is not as important as installation security but for the store owner it is still a big deal. A Checkpoint security system may not stop a protesting mob but it can enhance store security and stop shoplifting and improve store profits. Invest in a Checkpoint security system and Checkpoint tags, the impact will be nearly as quick as a mob breaking for lunch.
Need information on Checkpoint Security Systems? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
When you have worked for any length of time in Retail Loss Prevention you begin to accumulate those incidents that stick out in your memory. Some of those retail theft prevention stories can be really funny. One instance when I was able to stop shoplifting and catch the crook still tickles me when I think back on it. It started when I began watching a young woman, in her upper teens, as she began to look around the ceiling for cameras. Then when satisfied she wasn’t being watched, began tearing clothing and Checkpoint tags off of clothes. I assumed she was tearing off all tags to be sure if there were security tags on the manufacturer tags, she would avoid the Checkpoint Security System antenna from activating.
For those readers who may be trying to learn more about what a Checkpoint Security System is, the terminology may be new so let me digress briefly. A Checkpoint Security System consists of all the components required to stop shoplifting in a store. This includes Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) antennas, Checkpoint tags, deactivation pads, detachment tools and support service. The antennas and tags work together using radio frequency waves emitted by the tags and received by the antennas to set off an alarm when someone tries to walk out of a building with merchandise that has not been paid for. Deactivation pads de-tune soft Checkpoint tags at the point of sale so the antennas won’t be set off when the customer leaves. The detachment devices are used to remove the Checkpoint hard tags from merchandise at the register and these tags are stored for re-use.
Checkpoint tags are available for all types of merchandise. Soft tags can be peeled from a roll and applied to almost any surface, including manufacturer hang tags (as the shoplifter in my story was looking for). There are even soft tags that are “Food Safe” and can be placed under the soaker pad in a package of meat. Hard tags are available for items such as clothing that need even tougher security protection. These tags are designed to make forced removal almost impossible without damaging the product. Shoplifters aren’t looking for damaged merchandise when they steal so they stop shoplifting and deter theft.
So, our shoplifter was removing manufacturer hang tags and in some cases Checkpoint tags from clothing and filling her purse. After watching for several minutes my boss continued to monitor her on closed circuit television. I went to the sales floor to be closer to her when she decided to leave the store. The young woman started making her way towards one of the exits, but she was taking her time, looking over her shoulder to be sure she wasn’t being followed by security. My boss radioed me and told me which exits she was walking towards so I decided it would be a good time to try something new. Our store had one exit that led to the mall, but the other exits that went to the parking lots had two sets of doors, an exterior and an interior which created a small closed in area. Our shoplifter was heading towards one of the side exits but I got there first and locked the exterior door then hid behind a clothing rack next to the exit. As she walked through the interior door, I came behind and locked it as well. Our shoplifter was trapped in a glass box! It was funny to watch as our thief was pounding on the glass yelling to be let out. An added bonus was when her boyfriend who had been waiting in a car for her, saw she was trapped. He got out of his car and started pounding on the door yelling and threatening me. I let him know the police were on the way and he could talk to them about the situation. The knight in shining armor chose to leave his damsel in distress trapped in her glass case. So much for chivalry! The police arrived and took custody of our crook.
While this was a funny shoplifting story, one thing that we did not have available at our store back in those days were the Checkpoint hard tags. This was a long time ago and we were just getting accustomed to using the soft tags. Today the story would have been different the items being stolen would have been protected with hard tags while the soft tags would have been used on other items, such as socks. The situation probably would not have happened and I would not have had a good time retelling this tale of the trapped rat.
Need information on Checkpoint Security Systems? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
