As a Loss Prevention Manager it can be terribly frustrating to recognize you have to stop shoplifting of a specific product but recognize there are few adequate anti-shoplifting devices for the item(s) in question. I think back to issues I had with pseudoephedrine products before they were placed behind pharmacy counters. I recall boxes of cold medicines designed for persons with high blood pressure that were being stolen for the effects they could give to drug abusers. Sure, we could tag them with electronic article surveillance labels but the crooks could still open the boxes and remove the contents. The other possibility was to keep them off of the shelf and put up signs for customers to ask for the product at the checklanes or pharmacy. That isn’t convenient for anyone. The legitimate customer has to go back to the front lanes to see if there is even any product in the store. If there is product a manager has to get it from a lock-up cabinet or stockroom. The only benefit is that the shoplifter is prevented from stealing merchandise.
There is a better solution for hard to protect products that preclude locking them up in a secure display case or removing them from shelves altogether. The Sensormatic Flexible Safer is the answer that retailers look for that balances customer accessibility with electronic article surveillance protection. Built of strong plastics, these cases are reusable and yet secure. Sensormatic detachers are required to get a Safer open and therefore stop shoplifting criminals who would otherwise tear open a package and conceal the contents circumventing security devices. An additional feature of these cases is the slim design that has minimal impact on the amount of merchandise that can be displayed. Filling shelves is one important strategy in driving sales. Running out of a popular product and not catching it in a timely manner can cost a retailer money. There is also a shortage prevention technique of intentionally limiting quantities of high theft goods to minimize the damage thieves can do to them in a single hit. Again, this can lead to limiting sales if product runs out for the paying customer who isn’t going to look for an associate to help find more product. The Flexible Safer allows merchants to fill shelves with confidence.
As if the benefits I have already written about aren’t enough to convince you on the merits of using Safers here are some other things to consider. Safers allow merchandise to be hung on peg hooks. Consider that traditional shelving means spacing between shelves has to be high enough to allow stocking of shelves. It also means the spacing is determined by the tallest item on the shelf. Shelving also gathers a lot of dust and dirt. Safers on peghooks can be uniform in placement and make stocking easier. Peghooks don’t accumulate dust and spilled drinks on them either making them easier for planogram changes. As a Loss Prevention Manager I also liked to use anti-theft peghooks that only allowed one item at a time to be removed. This was a great way to stop shoplifting by people trying to sweep peghooks for quick theft.
There are products that electronic article surveillance labels and tags work well on. If we were to focus on health and beauty products alone since we are already talking about cold medicines then I would be happy to use a label or tag on toothpaste. From a Loss Prevention standpoint I would tag as many items as possible not considered high theft. Lip balms, store brand medicines, disposable razors and so on would be on my list. Safers would be my go to for merchandise that cannot be protected with electronic article surveillance tags or protective wraps. Make Sensormatic Flexible Safers YOUR go to device to keep your merchandise safe from criminals.
Need information on electronic article surveillance? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 today.
