Hands down, Alpha Spider Wraps are one of the most effective, inexpensive methods you can use to prevent shoplifting. Throughout my career, I’ve not found a better solution to some of the most commonly stolen goods. The great thing about the Alpha Spider Wraps is that they can be used on just about any product, no matter how awkwardly shaped the packaging may be. Below are my picks for the top 5 hot items that you should be using these tags on:
- Game Consoles
Every kid (and some adults) can be huge “gamers”. This is a huge market and carrying the newest trend can mean dollar signs on your P+L. It’s difficult to lock these items in the back room, or behind a glass case, especially when your store is busy. You could be walking customers out the door if you can’t get to them quick enough. Alpha Spider Wraps provide you with an excellent level of protection, while keeping the product from growing legs!
2. Game Controllers
With any game console, comes the need for a controller. Back when I was a kid and Sega was all the rage, one would get a controller with the purchase of a console. Guess the game companies realized how much extra money they could make by selling them separately. These are often packaged in a way that shows off the ergonomics of the controller and it’s important that the customer get to feel it, before they purchase. These tags make that very easy, all while allowing you to openly display the product without the added stress of shrink.
3. Drones
Have you been living under a rock the past 18 months? If not, you must know that this arena is taking off and flying high! As technology gets better and better, personal use drones are becoming increasingly popular. It seems that everyone wants their hands on a flying camera. Drones can also be quite pricey, depending on the platform. Alpha Spider Wraps make a great product protection solution if your goal is to make these easily accessible to your customers.
4. Streaming Devices
If the cable companies don’t react soon, they could be a distant memory of the past. Millions of Americans are ditching cable (and the accompanying contract) for streaming services. In order to tap into those services, you need a streaming device (thinks Apple TV, Roku..) With the rise in popularity of these items, you can bet that they are a hot target for thieves and an item you should look to secure in order to prevent shoplifting.
5. Pre-Paid Cell Phones
Whether you just want a cheap alternative to a cell phone, or you are running a multi-billion dollar drug cartel, pre-paid cell phones are a necessity. Now, obviously, running with Walter White, you probably aren’t paying for many items that you want. So to combat those pesky drug lords and prevent shoplifting, secure those burners with an Alpha Spider Wrap… and maybe call the DEA.
For more information about Alpha Spider Wraps contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
In part two of this series on true stories of dumb criminals I have to consider that it isn’t always the criminal who is the dumb one. Sometimes it can be those of us in Retail Loss Prevention who could be eligible for a “Witless Protection Program”. We can become dependent on anti-theft measures, such as security tags on clothes to protect merchandise and closed circuit television to monitor the store. We can also become too trusting in the customers who shop with us.
I was monitoring our closed circuit televisions one afternoon and happened to see a woman in one of the clothing departments looking around in a suspicious manner. Sure enough, it didn’t take me long to observe her pulling at security tags on clothes and trying to get them off. Some of those garments were placed in the shopping cart she was pushing and others placed back on the rack. She was also looking at clothes that had no Checkpoint tags and concealing them in a large purse she was carrying. The customer continued her activity for quite some time then after having concealed what she wanted, she walked towards the door. I was somewhat surprised however when she stopped and started chatting with my uniformed Security Officer. It became apparent they knew each other. The woman finally walked to the doors and as she passed through the electronic article surveillance antennas, the alarm sounded and I was there to stop her. My co-worker told me he knew her, she shopped at the store all the time and he was sure there was some mistake. After I got the shoplifter to the office, I recovered the merchandise from the purse and discovered she had not found the Checkpoint tags on all of the items. Who was witless? My co-worker was because he allowed himself to be charmed by the woman who had been shoplifting for a length of time I could not determine.
From time to time it may be the police who qualify for entry in the “Witless Protection Program”. There was the time a young lady stole a wallet from the department store I worked in. The wallets had hidden Checkpoint tags in an inner compartment and when she left the store the electronic article surveillance antenna alarmed. The shoplifter continued into the mall and my supervisor and I stopped her and brought her back in the store. As we neared the security office the shoplifter started to run and we had to fight with her to restrain her. We both had to physically keep our suspect on the ground until the police arrived. We later learned she was high on crack cocaine which was giving her unusual strength. When the police officer arrived she told us to let the suspect up. We tried to warn the officer that she should be restrained with handcuffs first but the officer was insistent the young woman would go with her. We did as we were told and as soon as we did, the shoplifter started to run again. After a very brief foot pursuit, all three of us managed to catch and detain the suspect once more. The officer decided she might need to use handcuffs after all.
Finally, I have had my own opportunities to qualify for the program. I was at another store assisting the Loss Prevention Officers and that store’s officers stopped two men who were stealing a large quantity of multipliers. I assisted in the stop and in the process of trying to make the apprehension one of the subjects pulled out a can of pepper spray and sprayed me in the face. That made me really angry and so I chased him and he sprayed me a second time. Despite being almost blinded, I was determined not to let this criminal get away (I was quite angry now). The suspect got to his car and as he started to enter it I attempted to grab him once more. I was subjected to another dose of pepper spray. Being completely unable to see (not to mention red faced, in pain and snotty) I decided I had had enough. The suspect got away. Yep, I was definitely a charter member of the club.
Loss Prevention personnel can’t always be counted on to make smart decisions but security tags on clothes and Checkpoint equipment can be counted on to prevent theft. Stop the theft of clothing and accessories with Checkpoint tags.
Get more information on Checkpoint tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
What kind of person thinks it is okay to go to the store, buy an outfit, wear it out on the town and then return it for a full cash refund. For most customers, they would not dream of such a thing. Most normal customers know it is nothing short of return fraud. But for one in six women across the nation, it is a normal and acceptable way to shop. In their heads, they have made up excuses and told themselves that they are just borrowing the items for the night. Wardrobing is the sneaky way to stay stylish, and they do not consider their actions as return fraud at all. It is very costly to look good and stay up to date on the current fashions. In this social media bound world, they cannot take the chance that they may be tagged in a group picture wearing the same outfit from the last weekend’s party. Talk about a photo bomb.
These women want to look fabulous at every event without having to move into the poor house. Weddings, job interviews, proms, and other big events are the major excuses many women use for wardrobing. She can’t show up the bride in her dress, but she can certainly make sure she is the best dressed guest there. Wardrobing success involves some planning ahead. She has to make sure she is fully aware of the store’s return policy. How long can she keep the dress? Does she have to bring it back the next day or can she wait a couple weeks? That matters because she really hopes when she brings the items back, there will be different people working that day. She knows she will need to bring her original proof of purchase back with her. If she loses the receipt, she knows that will be a deal breaker. Can she claim the dress ended up fitting too tightly or that the garment was poorly made? She has to know for sure she can get away with tucking in the price tag and avoiding red wine all night. Then she knows she just needs some air freshener to do a good job covering the smoke and sweat smell, so she can take the walk of shame back in there and get her money back.
Many stores have begun making changes to their return policies to combat this free rent mentality. Some have added restocking fees to their merchandise. Some have shortened their return time periods. Some smart retailers have started adding gadgets called Alpha Shark Tags to their return policy, however, and that seems to be the most effective way to stop wardrobing so far. These tags are clipped directly on to the garment, right on the front, where they cannot be hidden or tucked away. The customer is told at the time or purchase about the store’s restrictions on returns. They should be shown the Alpha Shark Tags and told- do not remove it and expect to return it. Once the customer gets home with the item, the tag can be removed with a pair of household scissors. There is no way to reattach the tag once it has been cut. Free rent amounts to nothing short of return fraud and Alpha Shark Tags are here to help your store put a stop to it.
Putting a stop to wardrobing is important and we can help you with it. Contact us or call today: 1.770.426.0547
What kind of person thinks it is okay to go to the store, buy an outfit, wear it out on the town and then return it for a full cash refund. For most customers, they would not dream of such a thing. Most normal customers know it is nothing short of return fraud. But for one in six women across the nation, it is a normal and acceptable way to shop. In their heads, they have made up excuses and told themselves that they are just borrowing the items for the night. Wardrobing is the sneaky way to stay stylish, and they do not consider their actions as return fraud at all. It is very costly to look good and stay up to date on the current fashions. In this social media bound world, they cannot take the chance that they may be tagged in a group picture wearing the same outfit from the last weekend’s party. Talk about a photo bomb.
These women want to look fabulous at every event without having to move into the poor house. Weddings, job interviews, proms, and other big events are the major excuses many women use for wardrobing. She can’t show up the bride in her dress, but she can certainly make sure she is the best dressed guest there. Wardrobing success involves some planning ahead. She has to make sure she is fully aware of the store’s return policy. How long can she keep the dress? Does she have to bring it back the next day or can she wait a couple weeks? That matters because she really hopes when she brings the items back, there will be different people working that day. She knows she will need to bring her original proof of purchase back with her. If she loses the receipt, she knows that will be a deal breaker. Can she claim the dress ended up fitting too tightly or that the garment was poorly made? She has to know for sure she can get away with tucking in the price tag and avoiding red wine all night. Then she knows she just needs some air freshener to do a good job covering the smoke and sweat smell, so she can take the walk of shame back in there and get her money back.
Many stores have begun making changes to their return policies to combat this free rent mentality. Some have added restocking fees to their merchandise. Some have shortened their return time periods. Some smart retailers have started adding gadgets called Alpha Shark Tags to their return policy, however, and that seems to be the most effective way to stop wardrobing so far. These tags are clipped directly on to the garment, right on the front, where they cannot be hidden or tucked away. The customer is told at the time or purchase about the store’s restrictions on returns. They should be shown the Alpha Shark Tags and told- do not remove it and expect to return it. Once the customer gets home with the item, the tag can be removed with a pair of household scissors. There is no way to reattach the tag once it has been cut. Free rent amounts to nothing short of return fraud and Alpha Shark Tags are here to help your store put a stop to it.
Putting a stop to wardrobing is important and we can help you with it. Contact us or call today: 1.770.426.0547
I wasn't sure if it was stress, me getting older or perhaps something more serious going on, but for the last few months, I've been suffering from migraines on a recurrent basis. The straw that broke the camel's back came when I had to leave work in the middle of a large investigation because I just couldn't see straight. I had to see my doctor. I go in and he says that migraines can have several triggers. He can't find anything and recommend me to my eye doctor, gives me a script and tells me to come back in a week. Done. It seems like whether it's my dentist, doctor, or now eye doc, I always seem to bring up Alpha Thunder Tags to someone in the office.
I go ahead and make an appointment to rule out eye problems. I get to the office, check in and wait. As I'm waiting, I see the office staff all using tablets. There's not a desktop PC in the house. My name is called. I walk with the nurse who's using a tablet. She runs a few basic tests, records the info on the tablet. Doc comes in the room; you guessed it, uses a tablet. So while we're discussing which is better or worse, I ask the doc if he's ever considered that someone could steal his tablets. Since he doesn't work in the LP industry, he of course doesn't. Alas, another opportunity for me to talk about Alpha Thunder Tags.
Once I tell him what I actually do for a living, we talk for a bit about tablet theft. He's surprised to hear my point of view. He tells me that he even hired a tech firm to install the latest technology to keep his patient files confidential and impervious to outside hackers, but never really consider falling victim to a tablet theft. All that money spent to keep the data safe could easily be circumvented if a thief made off when a physical tablet.
Not only do you have to worry about a patient or a thief walking in stealing the tablet, but you also have to think about a dishonest employee. While no one wants to think they're employees would steal from them; unfortunately it happens. Often. The absolute best way to prevent tablet theft in your office is to utilize a physical security measure such as the Alpha Thunder Tag. It's a rather small investment that will provide an immediate return on investment in not only real dollars, but in protecting your practice and your patient.
Oh, by the way, it turns out, nothing was wrong with my eyes. I went back and saw my primary doc like he asked and after a few more tests, I found that my nasal cavities remain in a congested and filled state. One over-the- counter allergy drug later, and I no longer have migraines, I sleep better and my girlfriend says I don't snore anymore.
Imagine that.
For more information about Alpha Thunder Tags contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
Pre-employment screening-3 WC Blog 192
Background Check Company-3
Employee background checks-3
Interviewing Skills Are Not Enough; Employee Background Checks Can
Prevent Poor Hiring Choices Part I
As a business owner, how do you decide who you should hire for a job? Do you base your decisions strictly on your ability to interview applicants? Are you a shrewd judge of character and can “just tell” if someone isn’t being honest with you during a job interview? Maybe you just know the right questions to ask in order to find that right person for the job. If you don’t have any Human Resources experience, I want to give you fair warning that you are walking a very risky path filled with potential pitfalls. First, if you are “winging it” or making your own questions without the proper experience in the hiring process, you could be setting yourself up for a lawsuit. Likewise, if your sole means of hiring someone is the interview and you are not conducting an employee background check, you may be exposing yourself and your company to unnecessary liability.
Employee background checks can be cursory inquiries, looking at an applicant’s driving history or conducting credit checks. It may also involve verifying work history, confirming dates of employment and positions held within a company. Often this is enough information for hiring applicants for entry level positions. Frequently high school students or college graduates for that matter won’t have a significant amount of work under their belt and so this may be ample information to make an informed decision before hiring someone.
On the other hand, more thorough pre-employment screening may be necessary for a position that requires a special skill set, or may bring someone into contact with children. For example, one of my children is attending college to become a teacher. As part of their agreement to be accepted into the teaching program, the students are required to be fingerprinted and undergo a background check. The school takes the safety of the children that may be taught by these future education graduates very seriously. What about your business? Who are your clients? Who are you possibly bringing into your workplace and exposing your employees to? “Gut feelings” and your intuition during an interview may not be enough to identify future superstars from super problems.
So how can a business owner, even the owner of a very small business seeking to expand to their first hired employee conduct thorough pre-employment screenings? First, hire a Background Check Company to help you determine what might be important to check on for the position you are seeking to fill. If the job will have an employee parking cars as a valet, it might be beneficial to have a driving record check included in a record inspection. Perhaps you own a plumbing business and you are seeking to expand and need a licensed plumber to work with you. How do you know your applicants are certified plumbers, simply because they said so on their application? A Background Check Company can validate certifications, schooling and training the applicant says they have graduated from or been certified in.
You may not have much experience in looking at job applications. I can tell you from experience, a lot of people misrepresent themselves or their backgrounds on applications. In my current position in a college, we advertise for open positions and in our job ads set specific background or experience we are looking for in an applicant. It never ceases to amaze me the number of times I see an answer to a question on an application that indicates a person has a certain amount of experience, but nowhere on the application or a resume can I find that set of skills. For example, we may ask, “Do you have experience working non-traditional hours?” The applicant says yes to the question, but everything on the application and resume indicate they have experience working only 8am-4pm Monday – Friday! Now, let me be clear, those are not non-traditional hours, so someone is trying to look good on an application but does not meet the job requirements.
A Background Check Company can conduct pre-employment screening for a company that ensures an applicant is being honest on an application and a good choice to hire. In part two of this series we will review certain things employers can and cannot ask applicants and how a Background Check Company might help save you some headaches and money.
Employee Background Checks are important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
As a business owner, how do you decide who you should hire for a job? Do you base your decisions strictly on your ability to interview applicants? Are you a shrewd judge of character and can “just tell” if someone isn’t being honest with you during a job interview? Maybe you just know the right questions to ask in order to find that right person for the job. If you don’t have any Human Resources experience, I want to give you fair warning that you are walking a very risky path filled with potential pitfalls. First, if you are “winging it” or making your own questions without the proper experience in the hiring process, you could be setting yourself up for a lawsuit. Likewise, if your sole means of hiring someone is the interview and you are not conducting an employee background check, you may be exposing yourself and your company to unnecessary liability.
Employee background checks can be cursory inquiries, looking at an applicant’s driving history or conducting credit checks. It may also involve verifying work history, confirming dates of employment and positions held within a company. Often this is enough information for hiring applicants for entry level positions. Frequently high school students or college graduates for that matter won’t have a significant amount of work under their belt and so this may be ample information to make an informed decision before hiring someone.
On the other hand, more thorough pre-employment screening may be necessary for a position that requires a special skill set, or may bring someone into contact with children. For example, one of my children is attending college to become a teacher. As part of their agreement to be accepted into the teaching program, the students are required to be fingerprinted and undergo a background check. The school takes the safety of the children that may be taught by these future education graduates very seriously. What about your business? Who are your clients? Who are you possibly bringing into your workplace and exposing your employees to? “Gut feelings” and your intuition during an interview may not be enough to identify future superstars from super problems.
So how can a business owner, even the owner of a very small business seeking to expand to their first hired employee conduct thorough pre-employment screenings? First, hire a Background Check Company to help you determine what might be important to check on for the position you are seeking to fill. If the job will have an employee parking cars as a valet, it might be beneficial to have a driving record check included in a record inspection. Perhaps you own a plumbing business and you are seeking to expand and need a licensed plumber to work with you. How do you know your applicants are certified plumbers, simply because they said so on their application? A Background Check Company can validate certifications, schooling and training the applicant says they have graduated from or been certified in.
You may not have much experience in looking at job applications. I can tell you from experience, a lot of people misrepresent themselves or their backgrounds on applications. In my current position in a college, we advertise for open positions and in our job ads set specific background or experience we are looking for in an applicant. It never ceases to amaze me the number of times I see an answer to a question on an application that indicates a person has a certain amount of experience, but nowhere on the application or a resume can I find that set of skills. For example, we may ask, “Do you have experience working non-traditional hours?” The applicant says yes to the question, but everything on the application and resume indicate they have experience working only 8am-4pm Monday – Friday! Now, let me be clear, those are not non-traditional hours, so someone is trying to look good on an application but does not meet the job requirements.
A Background Check Company can conduct pre-employment screening for a company that ensures an applicant is being honest on an application and a good choice to hire. In part two of this series we will review certain things employers can and cannot ask applicants and how a Background Check Company might help save you some headaches and money.
Employee Background Checks are important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
