I remember when I was in high school everyone wanted a brown leather jacket. They were in every window of every department store in our town. They were featured in all the sale papers and they were expensive. Of course I wanted one just like everybody else, but my family could absolutely not afford to buy one. That never stopped me from looking when we went shopping though. What did stop me from looking was the extreme clothing security measures the stores employed: all those awesome leather jackets were chained together and could not be removed from the rack. Back then I did not dare ask someone to take one off for me to try on because I was just a teenager. I couldn’t afford one, so there was no need to take up someone’s time anyway.
Those chains are still used in many big department stores today. And I still see they are used to link together and secure all the leather jackets. I also see them on designer handbags. (Many sports stores use them on expensive equipment as well. My softball-crazy daughter cannot go in and select a bat without me having to hunt down an associate to come unlock the whole rack.) Clothing security is certainly an important factor in reducing losses, but when it is a huge inconvenience to the customer, there is also the threat of reduced sales. Customers want to be able to make their selections and try the garment on if they need or just want to. Typically items that are locked up in that manner are high retail, impulse items, and many times people tend to talk themselves out of the purchase before ever asking for help.
Retailers have many options when it comes to deciding what is necessary to protect their valuable inventory. Clothing security tags are one of the more obvious choices. They are an excellent deterrent. They range from the soft tags that can be adhered to the price or size tag to the hard tags that can be pinned right on to the front of the garment. They can be sewn into hidden pockets and seams, and that can make them near impossible to detect or remove when taken into a changing room. Those are just deactivated at the counter at the time of checkout so there is no extra work for the clerk.
Alpha Cable Locks are another great choice in the fight for clothing security. These tough devices may be the answer to finally retiring those long chains dangling and snaking through the merchandise. They are virtually unbreakable, easy to attach, and completely reusable. If a would be thief attempts to remove an item or takes it too close to the exit, the clothing alarm will sound. They don’t detract from the look of high end or designer merchandise. Customers will appreciate the ease of shopping, and the easier availability of the product. They also do not take up a lot of storage room, so in a small business where space is premium, they can be easily kept out of the way when not being utilized.
Unless you operate a big box store with limitless labor hours and employees, your store could definitely benefit from these simple but very effective clothing security tools. It never fails when I am by myself in the store covering a lunch break or someone has to leave early, that is when the most complicated shoppers are going to come in. Someone will need help finding an item, another will have questions about how a certain product works, and then the phone will ring. Anything that can make your work day a little easier is certainly worth looking into. If you are constantly working alone or short staffed in the store for the day, and you have multiple shoppers pulling you in different directions, you don’t want to have clothing security measures that impede sales. People could just choose to go shop your competition instead.
For more information on Clothing Security contact us: 1.770.426.0547 or Clothingsecurity.net
I remember when I was in high school everyone wanted a brown leather jacket. They were in every window of every department store in our town. They were featured in all the sale papers and they were expensive. Of course I wanted one just like everybody else, but my family could absolutely not afford to buy one. That never stopped me from looking when we went shopping though. What did stop me from looking was the extreme clothing security measures the stores employed: all those awesome leather jackets were chained together and could not be removed from the rack. Back then I did not dare ask someone to take one off for me to try on because I was just a teenager. I couldn’t afford one, so there was no need to take up someone’s time anyway.
Those chains are still used in many big department stores today. And I still see they are used to link together and secure all the leather jackets. I also see them on designer handbags. (Many sports stores use them on expensive equipment as well. My softball-crazy daughter cannot go in and select a bat without me having to hunt down an associate to come unlock the whole rack.) Clothing security is certainly an important factor in reducing losses, but when it is a huge inconvenience to the customer, there is also the threat of reduced sales. Customers want to be able to make their selections and try the garment on if they need or just want to. Typically items that are locked up in that manner are high retail, impulse items, and many times people tend to talk themselves out of the purchase before ever asking for help.
Retailers have many options when it comes to deciding what is necessary to protect their valuable inventory. Clothing security tags are one of the more obvious choices. They are an excellent deterrent. They range from the soft tags that can be adhered to the price or size tag to the hard tags that can be pinned right on to the front of the garment. They can be sewn into hidden pockets and seams, and that can make them near impossible to detect or remove when taken into a changing room. Those are just deactivated at the counter at the time of checkout so there is no extra work for the clerk.
Alpha Cable Locks are another great choice in the fight for clothing security. These tough devices may be the answer to finally retiring those long chains dangling and snaking through the merchandise. They are virtually unbreakable, easy to attach, and completely reusable. If a would be thief attempts to remove an item or takes it too close to the exit, the clothing alarm will sound. They don’t detract from the look of high end or designer merchandise. Customers will appreciate the ease of shopping, and the easier availability of the product. They also do not take up a lot of storage room, so in a small business where space is premium, they can be easily kept out of the way when not being utilized.
Unless you operate a big box store with limitless labor hours and employees, your store could definitely benefit from these simple but very effective clothing security tools. It never fails when I am by myself in the store covering a lunch break or someone has to leave early, that is when the most complicated shoppers are going to come in. Someone will need help finding an item, another will have questions about how a certain product works, and then the phone will ring. Anything that can make your work day a little easier is certainly worth looking into. If you are constantly working alone or short staffed in the store for the day, and you have multiple shoppers pulling you in different directions, you don’t want to have clothing security measures that impede sales. People could just choose to go shop your competition instead.
For more information on Clothing Security contact us: 1.770.426.0547 or Clothingsecurity.net
