EAS Tags Do Get Booster’s Attention!

We are finally getting a break from the storm of shoplifting that has been occurring at several of our area stores.  First of all, we got a positive identification of one guy from the local police.  When we contacted the man, he actually agreed to come in for an interview in exchange for us not pressing charges.  He came and talked with us, and gave up several addresses and other details of other offenders.  Our area has been inundated with boosters because of our stores’ proximity to a large local flea market.  Even with our use of Checkpoint Systems, and many Alpha security tools, they have been finding ways around it all.  One group has been emptying entire sections of expensive toothpastes, body washes, and deodorants, even those all these items have EAS tags on the packages in plain sight.  The guy mentioned above has been seen regularly with another lady, but their “shopping list” seemed to always be the bigger expensive stuff, like hair regrowth formulas and electric toothbrushes.  In order to stop shoplifting, we have to get to the root of the problem, which is the buyer of the stolen merchandise, and we had a feeling they were all working for the same one.

Late this week one store manager recognized a woman she had suspected of stealing on a previous day.  She watched her conceal some deodorants in her large purse and then went and waited at the front door for her to attempt to leave.  As she came up to the exit, the store manager told her to dump her bag out and give back the deodorants immediately or she would have her arrested.  The woman complied and dumped her purse out and emptied it right there in the middle of the sales floor, before jetting out the door.  (She also had air fresheners, toothpaste, and batteries from another store or two in there.  None of it had any type of EAS tags, or other identifiers attached)  The manager called the other three stores in the surrounding counties and gave them some detailed descriptions.  Plus she called the police so they could get out a BOLO.   The woman actually did go right to one of the stores the other manager had alerted, and the police nabbed her and the getaway driver.  

We were out on the road scoping out these addresses when we got the call that she had been caught, so we went to talk to her.  She was terribly impaired at the time, and could barely keep her eyes open or concentrate.  She was upset though, because this was going to be her final strike if she went back to court for shoplifting.  We decided it was time to make another deal;  tell us names and details, and we can work on those charges.  First of all, we asked why she and her cohorts were specifically targeting our stores.  She said it was because we have all the items on their lists.  (We work for a small retail pharmacy.)  She said they had actually been warned several times to stay away from us because we have Checkpoint Systems, and they are hard to defeat.  Plus, we have all diligently trained our staff on methods to stop shoplifting, like adhering EAS tags right on the fronts of packages. (This is so when they pull the tag off, it will leave a mark and make the package harder to resell!)  But the draw of getting their lists completed at one or two stores instead of traveling all over was too great.  I guess even a thief has to put gas in their car.  I can also venture to guess that the faster she got back with the desired items, the faster she could get paid and go buy the drugs she was desperate for, or that drugs were possibly her payment.  

We can stop all the boosters we can get our hands on, but they will all eventually be replaced by more.  The way to stop shoplifting is to get to the head of the operation, and stop the buyer.  This is our ultimate goal.  

For more ways to stop shoplifting contact us: 1.770.426.0547 or Antishoplifting.net

STOP SHOPLIFTING BY SECURING YOUR EXISTING CHECKPOINT LABELS

As a retailer, you may not realize you can stop shoplifting simply by controlling your existing supply of Checkpoint Labels (an integral part of Electronic Article Surveillance).  A clear weapon of choice could be something that is not brought into your store by the thieves themselves but rather something that you provide to them indirectly. One example of this that I’ve seen many times in the past is something that I’ve dubbed the ‘shoe sneak’.

To demonstrate the ‘shoe sneak’, imagine the following scenario.

It’s nearly closing time and your associates have already been servicing the last remaining customers towards the front of the store and into the checkout lanes. There are a few straggling customers remaining in the store and as anyone with closing experience knows, it’s sometimes difficult to get the customers to realize that the store is about to close.

Unnoticed, a single subject in the rear of the store has been watching a store associate for several minutes as she affixed Checkpoint Labels to the rear panels of fragrance boxes. As soon as the associate left the area to assist in ushering other customers towards the checkout lanes, the preying subject makes his move by approaching the now unmanned fragrance displays and takes possession of an entire roll of Checkpoint Labels. 

Now you have a problem and no one even knows it yet. Your entire Electronic Article Surveillance program is in jeopardy. 

By whatever means, the subject makes out of the store that night with the entire roll of labels. All it takes is a weakened policy with the way store associates can respond to Electronic Article Surveillance alarms by the front doors and it just about renders an entire EAS program fruitless. Now you have a lax policy about responding to EAS alarms and you’ve let an entire roll of labels exit the store. That particular thieve now knows he has a goldmine within your store.

So what would a shoplifter want with an entire roll of Checkpoint Labels? In order to stop shoplifting, you have to think like a shoplifter! The shoplifter that made off with the roll of labels knows now that he’s in control of them; he can use them each time he comes into the store to make his move. He thinks that your associates are lax, lazy and don’t really care about preventing loss.

The shoplifter returns to your store the following day. He’s armed with a label from your missing roll and a pair of wire cutters. Oh by the way, he’s also wearing steel toed work boots. The boots are his ultimate pass to waltzing right out the front door with hundreds of dollars’ worth of merchandise, per visit. 

How?

Before entering the store, he affixed a single label from the stolen roll, onto the bottom of his work boot. He does this with the intent of actually setting off the EAS alarm pedestal immediately when he enters the store. Coming through the front doors, he does just that. The alarm sounds and the associate working the register nearest to the door looks at him. 

He responds “Steel toed boots!” knowing that the associate will accept the quick explanation and disregard the alarm. The thief just bought an excuse to exit the store in the same fashion, by setting off the EAS alarm without incident. He will be remembered in a few moments as the guy with the boots that set off the alarm. 

From here the man goes to the rear of the store, towards the expensive high end hand bags to perform his magic. He quickly goes unnoticed snipping the cable tethers securing the hand bags to the rack, removes a few and folds them up, concealing them inside of his coat. 

He makes his way towards the front, exiting the store.  He sets off the EAS alarms again, gaining the attention of the same associate. She remembers him as having set off the alarm before and lets him pass without incident. The thief is home free with several hundred dollars’ worth of your merchandise. 

The clever placement of the label on the bottom of his boot, coupled by the carelessness of securing the roll of labels the day before, multiplied by the forgiving and lax store associate is an equation of significant loss. On top of that, there is plenty of more loss in store from this same thief. Remember, he has a whole roll of labels and may use them at will.

If you’re serious and want to stop shoplifting, you have to think like a shoplifter. They will use any and all methods to steal from your store. Start by securing your labels!

For more information on how to stop shoplifting by securing your Checkpoint Labels, contact us at 1-770-426-0547.

Going Beyond The Shoplifter- Checkpoint Security System

A Checkpoint Security System is designed for applications ranging far beyond just catching shoplifters in action, although that is its primary function. For most retail stores, the Checkpoint system includes anti theft/ EAS tags, door pedestals and their alarms, and a CCTV surveillance system.

The EAS tags are the Electronic Article Surveillance tags that are the focal point of theft deterrent. These are the plastic tags that now come in a very wide variety of styles, shapes and applications for a more streamlined product protection. These tags work in conjunction with the door pedestals and towers.

The towers and pedestals contain the audible alarming mechanism. As an active EAS tag passes through the doors, or in the protective field around the doors, the alarm registers and the audible sounds. Beyond activating the alarms, the towers serve as an important visual deterrent.

Since the towers are located at the entrance/ exit doors, they are easy to spot by a shoplifter before they even enter the store. They can see that the doors have retail theft prevention and do not need to go any further into the store. They will be more likely to pick a store that does not have a security system in place.

Another security component placed near the front doors is a public view monitor. Data has shown that when faced with their own image entering a business, people are apt to be more aware of what actions they take and use when in that place of business. In particular, shoplifting suspects are less likely to steal, when they know that their image/ faces have been recorded when they entered the store. 

One of the alternative uses for cameras, CCTV systems, and Public View monitors that go beyond detecting shoplifters is for safety reasons. Cameras deter other kinds of criminal activity, like acts of violence and vandalism. A public view monitor that detects faces, personal images such as height, clothing, etc, operate under the same principal that anyone who sees their on image will be less likely to commit any crime.The flip side is that if someone does commit a crime, they are more easily identified due to the alternate views recorded. An entrance monitor is generally positioned to record the most complete view of a person entering a store. The camera angle is positioned to more accurately gauge height, body size and build, and clearly see the person’s face. All of this is translated into the image seen on the Public View Monitor.

A better identification often leads to a better chance of an arrest, and successful conviction. When more criminal activity is successfully prosecuted, word travels through the criminal community that this is not a store to mess with.

Having advanced Checkpoint security systems often helps more through the residual effects, than through the direct relationship to a shoplifting incident. By creating addition reasons why someone should not commit a criminal act in you store, you more effectively protect your store, your employees and your customers.

Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase Anti-Shoplifting devices and your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system from Checkpoint Systems to stop shoplifting in your store.

For more information on Anti-Shoplifting, Checkpoint Labels, a Checkpoint Security System, Checkpoint Security Tags, Checkpoint Systems, or Checkpoint Tags and how they can work with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system contact us at Retail theft prevention to Stop Shoplifting in your store or call 1.770.426.0547 

NIGHTCLUBS WITH BOTTLE SERVICE RISE WITH EASY BOTTLE SECURITY

Imagine, your Nightclub has been closed for a couple of hours after a busy night of keeping patrons happy and the liquor flowing. No fighting, no incidents and most importantly, the cash till full of bills. You had a good day all around for the club. Such a good day, you decide to take off early and head home, leaving your bar backs and bartenders to finish up. What you don’t realize however is that after you leave, your staff is cleaning out your profits. Talk about Bottle Service!

Every night after you leave, your Nightclub employees (the ones that you trust), have been helping themselves to the balance of your open bottle of liquor and wines. Your head bartender is in cahoots with the bar backs and everyone is in on the skimming. Your lax security team of hulking, muscle bound bouncers have gone home for the night and the Merry band of liquor thieves are happily at ‘work’ on your bottom line.

You know that you’ve been experiencing loss of product because you ran the numbers over and over again but you couldn’t figure out how the loss was happening. Now, you’ve discovered that your bar employees  have been walking into the liquor room enjoying ‘drinks on the house’ and even taking home half empty bottles. When it boils down to it, all those green dollars in the cash till mean a lot less because you’re going to need to replace what has now been lost to theft.

You decide to put a damper on the spirit bandits by installing EASy bottle Locks. A good move considering that the supply being lost is an expensive supply indeed! Now the bar staff knows that you have identified the loss, have a solid inventory count and have controlled the ‘flow’ in and out of the liquor room. They know better than to steal or consume alcohol from new, unopened supply. It was the half empty bottles that they wanted. Their very ‘Modus Operandi’!

Protecting your liquor supply from internal theft at your Nightclub isn’t the only way to control loss. Loss comes in other forms as well. Take legal liability for instance. If your establishment offers VIP Bottle Service, simply allowing your guests to pour their own drinks at their table could create quite a dilemma.

Imagine a scenario where your Bottle Service hostess delivers 4-5 bottles of highly potent spirits to their table and leaves the guests alone to share their alcohol with whoever they choose to share it with. Sure they purchased the bottles and your patrons should feel a sense of ownership over them but if your hostess isn’t monitoring their activities, things could get out of hand. They could be pouring drinks for minors that slip through the door security. Hey, this does happen!

A simple solution to squash this liability is to the offer your Bottle Service with a policy which includes attentive hostess presence and bottle security. Instituting the use of products such as the EASy Bottle by Alpha is a wonderful way to limit liability when it comes to your VIP patrons. A vibrant and attentive VIP hostess should be on hand to unlock the bottles whenever the guests want another round of drinks. The EASy bottle devices can be removed by the hostess in seconds, using just one hand. The also look great on the bottles and still leave a clear attractive view of the bottle labeling.

These bottle lock solutions can help you combat liquor shrink and liability and keep your profits from literally going down the hatch!

For more information about EASy bottle solutions contact us or call 1-770-426-2576.

Prevent Shoplifting With Training And Correct Use Of Tools

Training is a major key in any store’s plan to prevent shoplifting.  First of all, you have to train your employees to know who is in the building at all times.  I cannot count the times I have heard someone recalling an external theft incident say that they never even saw that person come in.  They need to be aware of behaviors common to shoplifters, such as avoiding eye contact, looking around to see where employees are, and don’t ever forget to notice if they are carrying what we refer to as “a giant shoplifter bag.”

Your employees also need to be trained to properly install and remove retail anti theft devices.  They should be able to tactfully explain to customers why they are in use.  We don’t usually encourage our staff to tell customers that they are there to keep people from stealing, or any other negative connotation.  I train my staff to always tell people that ask about them, we are utilizing those tools to ensure the products are on the shelf when the customer comes to buy them.  Take Alpha Keepers for instance.  We used to keep our razor refill cartridges in a this huge dispensing cabinet, so to speak.  The customer pressed a button, opened a door, and retrieved the package.  When it worked.  Then when we got Alpha Keepers, we tossed that monstrosity in the trash, put up some pegs, and hung those bad boys up.  No more complicated instructions; no more making honest customers feel like they have to find the cheese at the end of the maze. 

We also utilize Alpha Spider Wraps.  They are fantastic for high retail items that are just too big to put in an Alpha Keeper.  However, with these, I learned a nice $100 lesson just two days ago.  If the person attaching them is not properly trained, they may as well just hand it over to the thief.  My assistant had stepped outside for a moment, and noticed a car backed into a spot at the corner of our parking lot, with a someone in the driver’s seat.  That wouldn’t be unusual since we are a small retail pharmacy, and someone could just be waiting for the medication to be filled, but where the car was parked made my assistant feel something was amiss.  He came back through the door just as a woman was walking out.  He spoke to her, and she said nothing.  Instead, she put her head down and sped up.  He knew then and came upstairs and said “I think we just got hit.”  Unfortunately, that gut feeling he had was exactly right.  We watched the DVR, and sure enough that woman was a booster.  We watched as she went down the oral hygiene and shaving sections, looking but not picking anything up.  (Everything that could be targeted by boosters has some type of product protection on it in those sections.)  Then she went to the shampoo section and stopped at the hair regrowth formulas.  She picked up one that had an Alpha Spider Wrap around it.  She tugged and pulled every corner, but had no luck.  Then she chose another box, and after turning it over a couple times, pulled the package through the cables, ripped off the Checkpoint Labels, and stuffed it into her bag.  She got another one too.  As I watched I could see that the wraps on the last two boxes had not been put on correctly.  That was two $50 mistakes.  The cables have to be put on so that there is one around each side, like a holiday bow.  They cannot be wrapped around the box all one way, like a bandage.  If they were all three attached right, that lady could have pulled and yanked until her fingers snapped, but those cables would not have loosened, and all of the packages would still be sitting on my shelves. 

You live and learn.  The sun still comes up tomorrow, and when I have a staff meeting, we will have a short lesson on the correct and most effective ways to use the Alpha Spider Wraps.  The booster knew what they and the Checkpoint Labels were capable of or she wouldn’t have taken the time to remove them, so I know our deterrence measures are being noticed.

For more information on the different tools to prevent shoplifting, contact us: 1.770.426.0547 or Preventshopliftingloss.net