There are a lot of options when it comes to product protection. First, you can simply limit the number of items you display. Try to always keep at least one out for your customer to see; hiding everything behind the counter will not work to benefit your bottom line. People don’t typically read the sign where the item would be located telling them to come ask at the checkout. If they do read it, they still may resist the mouse in a maze effort it takes to come find the item and beg for it from your high-theft item gatekeeper. In today’s world there are more customer friendly Anti-Shoplifting devices to choose from. Depending on what you need to protect, and how it’s packaged, you should be taking a look at Alpha Keepers and Spider Wraps, among others.
These keep the items on the shelves, and the customer can still see it, touch it, and know it’s in stock. When would you choose to apply the Spider Wrap? Have you ever picked up a box in a store with “display box only” written on the packaging? Again, the gatekeeper comes into play here. What if there’s only one left, the one that came from that display box? I’ll be asking for a discount if I have to buy that one, you can bet! There’s no need for that awful display box anymore. Just put the Spider Wrap around it, lock it, and you’re good to go. The customer can still pick up the box, knowing the item is in it, and come right up to your checkout, which happens to be clean, neat, and not cluttered up with locked away merchandise.
Another fantastic Anti-Shoplifting device is the Alpha Keeper. A few years ago, our area was inundated with cough medicine theft by teenagers looking to get high. They wanted dextromethorphan. There was one item in particular they wanted, Coricidin HBP. I kept noticing it was moving, and thought I was selling a lot of it, so I ordered more. Then when I compared what I was buying to what I was selling, I figured out it was walking out the door. Stories were coming out about this medicine being a hot commodity at local high schools. Our store was located near a neighborhood full of kids and teens. I started watching the section for activity, and found that it was stocked to the shelves on Tuesday afternoons, and the kids started coming that evening looking for it. I had some extra Alpha Keepers in the back and started putting the packages in them before they went to the sales floor. It didn’t take long for word to get out. The kids came in and checked out the Keeper boxes, and tried to figure them out. They didn’t like them because they were too bulky to easily conceal, and they have that pesky alarm that will sound if they try to take them through the Checkpoint pedestals up front. Those Alpha Keepers put a stop to the thefts, and I’d like to think cut down on some of the cough medicine abuse in the community. How many other five-second Anti-Shoplifting methods do you have in your business?
The Alpha Keepers are clear, so especially for medications, the customers can still read the directions for use, dosages and any warnings. These devices are out there for you so do some research and see which ones can help make your retail life a little easier.
For more information contact us at Anti Shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547