Why is Clothing Security, or lack there of, such a hot topic? There are several current running stories in the news that can explain that subject in great detail. Business owners and managers that do not take the initiative to protect their inventory could be setting themselves up for major losses. Cameras can record all day long, and staff can walk the floor and monitor shoppers, but creative thieves and professional shoplifting groups will find ways to get what they want.
Investing in product protection tools can pay your business back. There are many options to choose from so you and your staff can decide what works best in your particular market. If your target shoppers are teenagers, middle age contemporary, sports oriented, or even formal wear there is a tag made for your merchandise. Hard tags and soft tags alike come in many different colors, shapes, and sizes. They can be pinned on, sewn in, stuck on or even attached via lanyard. Let’s take a closer look at some of them. Hard tags that are attached to the outer layers and are meant to be in visible locations. They are almost impossible to remove without the proper tools, or there could be damage to the item if an attempt is made. They are completely reusable, and do not require much storage space. Soft tags, on the other hand, are generally put on the price tag or even sewn into a hidden pocket of the article. They are meant to be a hidden deterrent. The customer knows the store has product protection in place, likely indicated by the Checkpoint pedestals located at the entrances, but they do not know for sure which items or where the tag may be located. If you sell delicate items there is also the option of attaching the hard tags with a lanyard. The cables are virtually indestructible, and are also completely reusable.
What happens when there is no Clothing Security being used? Well, there is the group of professional shoplifters caught recently and charged with 68 counts of felony theft based on the $150,000 worth of stolen high end fashions they were found in possession of. Each person in the group had a specific duty to perform, from distracting staff to blocking camera views to the actual concealment and theft of the clothing items. Everything was being sold for pure profits at local flea markets and online sales sites. Another group of just 2 people had over $80,000 worth of clothing in a home specially rented just to store the stolen items. When they were arrested they had $10,000 worth of stolen clothing in the car with them. The stories were the same for both groups. Find out what the store used for Clothing Security and if it could be defeated, hit those businesses over and over.
This type of repeated activity can close a business down. You pay for your inventory and it should be on your shelves and available to your honest cash paying customers. If it is going out the door unpaid, you lose those valuable items along with any profit you would have made. That is not a viable business model.
See what Clothing Security measures you could use to keep your inventory safe.
For more information contact us: 1.770.426.0547 or Clothingsecurity.net
Why is Clothing Security, or lack there of, such a hot topic? There are several current running stories in the news that can explain that subject in great detail. Business owners and managers that do not take the initiative to protect their inventory could be setting themselves up for major losses. Cameras can record all day long, and staff can walk the floor and monitor shoppers, but creative thieves and professional shoplifting groups will find ways to get what they want.
Investing in product protection tools can pay your business back. There are many options to choose from so you and your staff can decide what works best in your particular market. If your target shoppers are teenagers, middle age contemporary, sports oriented, or even formal wear there is a tag made for your merchandise. Hard tags and soft tags alike come in many different colors, shapes, and sizes. They can be pinned on, sewn in, stuck on or even attached via lanyard. Let’s take a closer look at some of them. Hard tags that are attached to the outer layers and are meant to be in visible locations. They are almost impossible to remove without the proper tools, or there could be damage to the item if an attempt is made. They are completely reusable, and do not require much storage space. Soft tags, on the other hand, are generally put on the price tag or even sewn into a hidden pocket of the article. They are meant to be a hidden deterrent. The customer knows the store has product protection in place, likely indicated by the Checkpoint Pedestals (Electronic Article Surveillance) located at the entrances, but they do not know for sure which items or where the tag may be located. If you sell delicate items there is also the option of attaching the hard tags with a lanyard. The cables are virtually indestructible, and are also completely reusable.
What happens when there is no Clothing Security being used? Well, there is the group of professional shoplifters caught recently and charged with 68 counts of felony theft based on the $150,000 worth of stolen high end fashions they were found in possession of. Each person in the group had a specific duty to perform, from distracting staff to blocking camera views to the actual concealment and theft of the clothing items. Everything was being sold for pure profit at local flea markets and online sales sites. Another group of just 2 people had over $80,000 worth of clothing in a home specially rented just to store the stolen items. When they were arrested they had $10,000 worth of stolen clothing in the car with them. The stories were the same for both groups. Find out what the store used for Clothing Security and if it could be defeated, hit those businesses over and over.
This type of repeated activity can close a business down. You pay for your inventory and it should be on your shelves and available to your honest cash paying customers. If it is going out the door unpaid, you lose those valuable items along with any profit you would have made. That is not a viable business model.
See what Clothing Security measures you could use to keep your inventory safe.
For more information contact us: 1.770.426.0547 or Clothingsecurity.net
So you have finally grown tired of losing all of your merchandise to theft, and made the decision to protect your merchandise. Now what? Can you really stop shoplifting? How do you decide what to protect? How much will you need? What kind of devices will you need? Is it worth the investment? It may actually be a little overwhelming to try and come up with a plan to protect your merchandise. You probably won’t want to go crazy and just start throwing the tags all over everything you see, although Checkpoint Tags can be placed on virtually any product. They are a good place to start when formulating a plan, and have been the standard in the industry for years.
The tags work in conjunction with the EAS (Electronic Article Surveillance) antennas that you will want to place at the entrance and exit doors. There are several different kinds of tags, so you have some options. For example, most clothing would call for hard tags, which use a pin that attaches to the merchandise. When using tags for boxed items, you would probably want to go with a soft tag depending on what merchandise you are trying to protect. These tags are adhesive on one side, so all you have to do is stick them to the merchandise. All of the tags are effective tools when trying to stop shoplifting, but you can get creative and try different options to see what works best for your products.
In addition to being a great deterrent and setting off the door alarm upon exit, they are also good for putting another step between the shoplifter and the merchandise they are trying to steal. I have caught many shoplifters by hearing the crackling sound of the shoplifters trying to remove Checkpoint Tags before stealing the items. Some shoplifters also leave the tags on the shelf right where they take them off of the product, so if you find a tag, you could review video of that area and see if you get lucky enough to find the culprit and be ready for them the next time they come into the store. In my experience, this happens a lot in the cosmetics area. It’s not always theft though, but people wanting to try out the items before they buy them. They remove the tags from the product and then use the item, which causes you a loss either way, because you can’t sell the item after someone uses it. This has been a pet peeve of mine for years. I can’t stand when I see people open up the package of an item and damage the package, only to put that package back and select an identical item that is still in perfect shape to purchase.
If you want to stop shoplifting in your store, you will have to get your team on board to stay aware of customer activity, and offer assistance to anyone that is in their area. They also need to know how to use the tags and other security devices. You will have to put forth a little investment to get your system installed and started, but it is well worth it, and will pay off in the end. As far as the Checkpoint tags themselves, they are inexpensive, so you don’t have to worry about using them freely.
For more information contact us: (stop shoplifting) or call 1.770.426.0547
So you have finally grown tired of losing all of your merchandise to theft, and made the decision to protect your merchandise. Now what? Can you really stop shoplifting? How do you decide what to protect? How much will you need? What kind of devices will you need? Is it worth the investment? It may actually be a little overwhelming to try and come up with a plan to protect your merchandise. You probably won’t want to go crazy and just start throwing the tags all over everything you see, although Checkpoint Tags can be placed on virtually any product. They are a good place to start when formulating a plan, and have been the standard in the industry for years.
The tags work in conjunction with the EAS (Electronic Article Surveillance) antennas that you will want to place at the entrance and exit doors. There are several different kinds of tags, so you have some options. For example, most clothing would call for hard tags, which use a pin that attaches to the merchandise. When using tags for boxed items, you would probably want to go with a soft tag depending on what merchandise you are trying to protect. These tags are adhesive on one side, so all you have to do is stick them to the merchandise. All of the tags are effective tools when trying to stop shoplifting, but you can get creative and try different options to see what works best for your products.
In addition to being a great deterrent and setting off the door alarm upon exit, they are also good for putting another step between the shoplifter and the merchandise they are trying to steal. I have caught many shoplifters by hearing the crackling sound of the shoplifters trying to remove Checkpoint Tags before stealing the items. Some shoplifters also leave the tags on the shelf right where they take them off of the product, so if you find a tag, you could review video of that area and see if you get lucky enough to find the culprit and be ready for them the next time they come into the store. In my experience, this happens a lot in the cosmetics area. It’s not always theft though, but people wanting to try out the items before they buy them. They remove the tags from the product and then use the item, which causes you a loss either way, because you can’t sell the item after someone uses it. This has been a pet peeve of mine for years. I can’t stand when I see people open up the package of an item and damage the package, only to put that package back and select an identical item that is still in perfect shape to purchase.
If you want to stop shoplifting in your store, you will have to get your team on board to stay aware of customer activity, and offer assistance to anyone that is in their area. They also need to know how to use the tags and other security devices. You will have to put forth a little investment to get your system installed and started, but it is well worth it, and will pay off in the end. As far as the Checkpoint tags themselves, they are inexpensive, so you don’t have to worry about using them freely.
For more information contact us: (stop shoplifting) or call 1.770.426.0547
If you’re married, or have a significant other, I don’t have to tell you that purses are a big deal. Not only are they functional, but they make a statement. They can also hurt bank statements as well… I was recently in a high end apparel retailer, and saw a display of purses that were literally bolted and cable locked down. Curious, I strolled on over to look at what one of these would set my wife back. A couple of mortgage payments, if you’re interested? Looking at their display, it was clear they were attempting to prevent shoplifting with the stringent security measures. There had to be a better way, but hey, it wasn’t my store, so I continued on my day without much more thought.
A few months later, I got an invitation to sit in on some meetings at work. They were announcing that we were going to start carrying a wider assortment of higher end apparel accessories. Top of the list? Purses. Our buyers wanted some input from the loss prevention department on product security. To my amazement, they had few pictures of competitors set up and it was similar to what I had seen a few weeks back. We didn’t want that. We wanted a clean presentation that was inviting to our customers. After all, we want them to spend their money with us and not feel like a criminal! They asked me to look into some retail anti-theft devices that would fit our vision all while still ensuing that we protected our inventory.
I already had a great idea in mind. I had used mini cable locks in the past on different merchandise, and really saw the potential in using them on the purses. Since it was an alpha 3 alarm, we would get the benefits of triple protection. It would alert the EAS towers if it went though, alert if it was tampered with while on the product, and provide a constant, audible alarm for about 10 minutes after passing through the towers. This was our solution. Once all the details were hammered out, we rolled them out to the stores. It wasn’t long before we began seeing our known shoplifters attempt to steal these purses.
Every week, I’d see reports from the store LP managers on attempted thefts, but surprisingly, no one was able to actually steal them. The stores were seeing boosters clip the cables, but then run off when the cables were triggered. Additionally, there were several occasions where shoplifters would take the merchandise out the front doors, only to be surprised at the 3 alarms cheerful ring! Most cases, they would ditch the product and head for the hills! Granted, we had a few slip through, but overall, the cable locks were doing their jobs. We wanted them to prevent shoplifting, and that’s exactly what they did.
If you’re married, or have a significant other, I don’t have to tell you that purses are a big deal. Not only are they functional, but they make a statement. They can also hurt bank statements as well… I was recently in a high end apparel retailer, and saw a display of purses that were literally bolted and cable locked down. Curious, I strolled on over to look at what one of these would set my wife back. A couple of mortgage payments, if you’re interested? Looking at their display, it was clear they were attempting to prevent shoplifting with the stringent security measures. There had to be a better way, but hey, it wasn’t my store, so I continued on my day without much more thought.
A few months later, I got an invitation to sit in on some meetings at work. They were announcing that we were going to start carrying a wider assortment of higher end apparel accessories. Top of the list? Purses. Our buyers wanted some input from the loss prevention department on product security. To my amazement, they had few pictures of competitors set up and it was similar to what I had seen a few weeks back. We didn’t want that. We wanted a clean presentation that was inviting to our customers. After all, we want them to spend their money with us and not feel like a criminal! They asked me to look into some retail anti-theft devices that would fit our vision all while still ensuing that we protected our inventory.
I already had a great idea in mind. I had used Mini Cable Loks in the past on different merchandise, and really saw the potential in using them on the purses. Since it is an Alpha 3 Alarm, we would get the benefits of triple protection. It would alert the EAS towers if it went though, alert if it was tampered with while on the product, and provide a constant, audible alarm for about 10 minutes after passing through the towers. This was our solution. Once all the details were hammered out, we rolled them out to the stores. It wasn’t long before we began seeing our known shoplifters attempt to steal these purses.
Every week, I’d see reports from the store LP managers on attempted thefts, but surprisingly, no one was able to actually steal them. The stores were seeing boosters clip the cables, but then run off when the cables were triggered. Additionally, there were several occasions where shoplifters would take the merchandise out the front doors, only to be surprised at the Alpha 3 Alarms cheerful ring! Most cases, they would ditch the product and head for the hills! Granted, we had a few slip through, but overall, the Mini Cable Loks were doing their jobs. We wanted them to prevent shoplifting, and that’s exactly what they did.
For more information contact us at losspreventionsystems.com or call 1.770.426.2537
A store I previously worked for had a good clothing security program in place, but there was still a great deal of loss in all of the clothing departments. There was usually an employee attending the changing rooms and ensuring that customers came out with the same amount of items they brought into the room. We also used hard Checkpoint tags on the more expensive items, and items that were considered to be in a higher theft category.
Even with this clothing security strategy in place, we were still finding several clothing price tags in the changing and fitting rooms on a regular basis. Something wasn’t adding up to me, so I decided to have the fitting room attendants check all of the rooms each hour, and log what they found along with the time and what room it was found. The findings were surprising, because they didn’t seem to be consistent with a shoplifter. When I examined the logs they completed, I found that there were consistently clothing tags being found in the rooms when the first log was completed in the morning. In addition, I checked the previous night’s logs, and found that the rooms were found to be clear at the end of the night, so that could only mean that the thefts were occurring after the last log was completed or before the first log was completed.
This meant that the thefts were being committed by someone that was working at the store, so I then opened an employee theft investigation. I had no idea who could have been stealing the clothes at the time, so I decided to go back to the basics and sit and watch the area to see who was going in and out. If you’re having reoccurring theft issues in your store and can’t figure out what, or who is causing the problem, you may want to conduct a random surveillance of different areas in your store. This is a good way to find out what’s really going on in your store, and all you have to do is to sit back and observe…well you also might want to take notes. It’s best to do this by using remote surveillance, or hiding out in an office that has access to the cameras in the store. As long as no one sees you or knows that you are in the building, you should be fine.
In this case though, I had a general idea that an employee was stealing in the fitting room, I just didn’t know who it was or the method of operation they were using, so the surveillance wasn’t random, but rather focused. It was kind of like looking for a shoplifter, but instead of watching customers, I was watching the employees in the store. Sure enough, during my second surveillance of the area, I was watching an early morning stock employee browsing through the clothing. They seemed to be avoiding clothing that had Checkpoint tags attached to them, but were still selecting quite a few items at once. After that they went into the fitting rooms as expected with an armful of clothing, and when they came out, the selected clothes were nowhere in sight. Later the room was searched and of course we found tags on the floor. We eventually interviewed the employee and found that they were putting on the stolen clothes under their own.
For more information contact us: (Clothing Security) or call 1.770.426.0547
A store I previously worked for had a good clothing security program in place, but there was still a great deal of loss in all of the clothing departments. There was usually an employee attending the changing rooms and ensuring that customers came out with the same amount of items they brought into the room. We also used hard Checkpoint Tags on the more expensive items, and items that were considered to be in a higher theft category.
Even with this clothing security strategy in place, we were still finding several clothing price tags in the changing and fitting rooms on a regular basis. Something wasn’t adding up to me, so I decided to have the fitting room attendants check all of the rooms each hour, and log what they found along with the time and what room it was found. The findings were surprising, because they didn’t seem to be consistent with a shoplifter. When I examined the logs they completed, I found that there were consistently clothing tags being found in the rooms when the first log was completed in the morning. In addition, I checked the previous night’s logs, and found that the rooms were found to be clear at the end of the night, so that could only mean that the thefts were occurring after the last log was completed or before the first log was completed.
This meant that the thefts were being committed by someone that was working at the store, so I then opened an employee theft investigation. I had no idea who could have been stealing the clothes at the time, so I decided to go back to the basics and sit and watch the area to see who was going in and out. If you’re having recurring theft issues in your store and can’t figure out what, or who is causing the problem, you may want to conduct a random surveillance of different areas in your store. This is a good way to find out what’s really going on in your store, and all you have to do is to sit back and observe…well you also might want to take notes. It’s best to do this by using remote surveillance, or hiding out in an office that has access to the cameras in the store. As long as no one sees you or knows that you are in the building, you should be fine.
In this case though, I had a general idea that an employee was stealing in the fitting room, I just didn’t know who it was or the method of operation they were using, so the surveillance wasn’t random, but rather focused. It was kind of like looking for a shoplifter, but instead of watching customers, I was watching the employees in the store. Sure enough, during my second surveillance of the area, I was watching an early morning stock employee browsing through the clothing. They seemed to be avoiding clothing that had Checkpoint Tags attached to them, but were still selecting quite a few items at once. After that they went into the fitting rooms as expected with an armful of clothing, and when they came out, the selected clothes were nowhere in sight. Later the room was searched and of course we found tags on the floor. We eventually interviewed the employee and found that they were putting on the stolen clothes under their own.
For more information contact us: Clothing Security or call 1.770.426.0547
In the small retail pharmacy business, the front end sales do not come close to the pharmacy contribution. Our company has to draw customers to choose our pharmacy to dispense their prescriptions, but the front end has to have the right product mix as well. We carry OTC medications and health/beauty aids, and other miscellaneous merchandise, but every other retailer has all of that too. One category we have added in the past few years is beer and wine. One new product protection tool we have found a need to incorporate is the Bottle Lock.
We have not needed to add them in all of our stores, but there has been a clear need in a few locations. Some of our stores are in areas that deal with high crime and poverty, with a lot of foot traffic, so there was a sudden spike in run-out thefts once we added alcohol. That was mainly in the wine section. Bottle Locks became a saving grace in that section to put a stop to those rampant thefts.
We only carry beer in reach in coolers, and the section is generally still only two or four doors. We are certainly not a big competitor in the local beer business; the point is to have it for convenience and impulse. The powers that be have decided to change our selection of products in these coolers. In the past we have carried only packaged items, in six, twelve and eighteen count bottles or cans. Now we are in the single serve business, carrying the giant cans and those big forty ounce bottles. I am usually pretty “yippy skippy” about new items, but this makes me ill at ease. I just feel like the draw of a huge cold beer can turn into the difference in whether a store has to deal with beer and wine theft.
My husband used to work in a convenience store and those bottles were like his arch enemies. They were stolen by local troublesome customers that had substance abuse issues. They were also very regularly stolen by teenagers. Group of teens tended see these bottles as “sharing size” and they would come in and steal them several times a week. Some would attempt to distract the clerk, and others would simply conceal them and walk right out the door.
Bottle Locks will secure the bottles shut until they are removed by the clerk. They will alarm if a customer attempts to remove them, and if there is a successful theft, I know they won’t get to partake in that bottle. The glass neck would most likely break, rendering the bottle dangerous and the beer inside undrinkable.
We will be looking into adding Bottle Locks to these as soon as they are stocked by the vendors. I want to have products on my shelves that are appealing to my customer base. There is nothing wrong with purchasing a cold single serve beer to take home and enjoy after a long hot day of work. But I want those to be bought by my honest cash paying customers, and not easily pilfered by those that would not pay for them.
For more information contact us: 1.770.426.0547 or Bottlelock.net
In the small retail pharmacy business, the front end sales do not come close to the pharmacy contribution. Our company has to draw customers to choose our pharmacy to dispense their prescriptions, but the front end has to have the right product mix as well. We carry OTC medications and health/beauty aids, and other miscellaneous merchandise, but every other retailer has all of that too. One category we have added in the past few years is beer and wine. One new product protection tool we have found a need to incorporate is the Bottle Lock.
We have not needed to add them in all of our stores, but there has been a clear need in a few locations. Some of our stores are in areas that deal with high crime and poverty, with a lot of foot traffic, so there was a sudden spike in run-out thefts once we added alcohol. That was mainly in the wine section. Bottle Locks became a saving grace in that section to put a stop to those rampant thefts.
We only carry beer in reach in coolers, and the section is generally still only two or four doors. We are certainly not a big competitor in the local beer business; the point is to have it for convenience and impulse. The powers that be have decided to change our selection of products in these coolers. In the past we have carried only packaged items, in six, twelve and eighteen count bottles or cans. Now we are in the single serve business, carrying the giant cans and those big forty ounce bottles. I am usually pretty “yippy skippy” about new items, but this makes me ill at ease. I just feel like the draw of a huge cold beer can turn into the difference in whether a store has to deal with beer and wine theft.
My husband used to work in a convenience store and those bottles were like his arch enemies. They were stolen by local troublesome customers that had substance abuse issues. They were also very regularly stolen by teenagers. A group of teens tended see these bottles as “sharing size” and they would come in and steal them several times a week. Some would attempt to distract the clerk, and others would simply conceal them and walk right out the door.
Bottle Locks will secure the bottles shut until they are removed by the clerk. They will alarm if a customer attempts to remove them, and if there is a successful theft, I know they won’t get to partake in that bottle. The glass neck would most likely break, rendering the bottle dangerous and the beer inside undrinkable.
We will be looking into adding Bottle Locks to these as soon as they are stocked by the vendors. I want to have products on my shelves that are appealing to my customer base. There is nothing wrong with purchasing a cold single serve beer to take home and enjoy after a long hot day of work. But I want those to be bought by my honest cash paying customers, and not easily pilfered by those that would not pay for them.
For more information contact us at Bottle Lok or call 1.770.426.0547
