I have mentioned in previous articles that my retail background has primarily been in the Loss Prevention field, but over the past five years I have remained in retail working for an office supply store as a customer service specialist. Sometimes my work requires me to stock merchandise on the sales floor and in doing so I use retail anti-theft devices to protect specific items or price points of merchandise. Recently I was putting out merchandise and using Alpha Keepers to protect electronics, specifically jump drives, memory cards and memory sticks. I point this out because I want to let retailers who are struggling to prevent shoplifting in their stores understand there are methods to protect even the smallest items they may carry.
Alpha Keepers are sturdy, clear, hard boxes with a hinged bottom. They can only be opened by using a special detachment key, making them very difficult for a shoplifter to force open.The boxes allow merchandise to be displayed in the open and customers can see the package and read labels while the risk for theft is dramatically reduced. Boxes are able to be displayed on store shelves and even have an option for inserting a plastic tab that allows the box to be displayed on a peg hook. They can be ordered to work with acoustic magnetic (am) electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems or radio frequency (rf) systems. The boxes are made in a number of sizes so they are versatile enough to prevent shoplifting of a wide range of products.
Some items are prone to theft due to their size and how easy they are to conceal. Because of this many retailers will lock these items in display cases to prevent shoplifting. Showcases and locking display cases, even locking peg hooks require a sales associate with a key to be readily available to open the case; show a product and either ring up the item or take it to a register. If there are other customers wanting to look at merchandise they have to wait until the associate returns or another staff member becomes available. I have seen the negative impact locking display cases have on sales. People get irritated and leave if they have to wait for service. This of course means lost sales and there is no room for that in retail. The alternative used to be taking the chance and putting out merchandise and hoping customer service and the honesty of customers would prevent shoplifting.
Alpha Keepers offer merchants an alternate solution to both situations. For instance, in my store, by securing the jump drives and memory sticks in these retail anti-theft devices, as I was doing, we are locking up merchandise. The benefit is that the customer can make the selection they want without waiting for assistance. They can walk around the store and continue to shop and when they are ready for checkout, the cashier has the detachment key to take the merchandise out of the boxes.
The benefit for the store is that customers don’t get frustrated and leave because they have to wait for assistance for something they may not feel should have to be locked up. The boxes also protect electronics by being a visible deterrent to a thief. Most shoplifters will not want to risk an EAS alarm or try to find a way to force open a box. Additionally, the boxes do add bulk to a small item and make it more difficult to conceal something. A purse can conceal a large number of jump drives removed from a peg hook. The same purse may only hold one or two jump drives protected in Alpha Keepers.
Protect electronics in your store and prevent shoplifting by using Alpha Keepers. Nothing is too small and you will improve customer service and sales.
Get more information on Alpha Keepers, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today
