No matter what size or type of product you are trying to secure, Checkpoint labels can be placed on virtually any type of merchandise. It’s no secret that the labels have been used to protect all kinds of products for several decades, but some shoplifters still don’t understand the technology. Yes, there are shoplifters that have really done their homework and know what they are doing, but I’ve also witnessed some pretty clueless individuals in action. Some shoplifters will do anything to get around the system and they will get creative…and weird.
I’ve seen shoplifters cut the UPC (Universal Product Code) labels off of packages that didn’t even have any form of merchandise protection, because they thought it was what set off the alarm as they exited the store. In their defense, some anti-shoplifting devices come with a UPC label printed on them, but that wasn’t the case in any of the occasions I am referencing. It’s almost as if they are paranoid that anything could really be a security tag, so they don’t take any chances and just cut off whatever they suspect could be a retail theft prevention device.
One especially strange occurrence I had the pleasure of observing was someone actually pick up a tube of toothpaste and bottle of shampoo. There was nothing strange about that itself, but I knew something was about to happen because of how the person acting and constantly looking around. There wasn’t any kind of merchandise protection attached to these items either. To my disbelief, the shoplifter then removed two sandwich bags from her purse and opened them. She then looked around again before squeezing the tube of toothpaste into one of the bags, and pouring the shampoo into the other bag. Once the bags were filled, she put them in her purse and discarded the empty packages on the shelf.
This was undoubtedly one of the strangest things I have witnessed in my career in retail loss prevention. I continued watching the shoplifter, as she unsuccessfully attempted to remove a couple Checkpoint labels from items in the cosmetics area. She finally succeeded at removing one of the labels several minutes later, but then she ran into another problem. After getting the anti-shoplifting label off of the package, she started waving her arm around in the air quickly and at first I had no idea why she was doing it. I then realized that one of the Checkpoint labels that she took off of the cosmetics package was stuck to her finger. She eventually removed it and stuck it onto the shelf, but she was extremely nervous at the time. If I wasn’t already watching her, that surely would have gotten my attention.
She ultimately left the store with the merchandise hidden in her purse, and we apprehended her for the theft. She was quite proud of herself for the sandwich bag trick even though she knew that she was caught. Not all shoplifters stick to the norm and steal with the same methods, so if you ever find an empty shampoo bottle or tube of toothpaste in your store, or anything similar that you wouldn’t expect to happen, you just might have been visited by a creative shoplifter. Although Checkpoint’s intentions may not have been to make the evidence stick to the shoplifter or confuse them, a paranoid shoplifter is easier to spot, which adds to the list of benefits.
For more information contact us: (Checkpoint Labels) or call 1.770.426.0547
No matter what size or type of product you are trying to secure, Checkpoint Labels can be placed on virtually any type of merchandise. It’s no secret that the labels have been used to protect all kinds of products for several decades, but some shoplifters still don’t understand the technology. Yes, there are shoplifters that have really done their homework and know what they are doing, but I’ve also witnessed some pretty clueless individuals in action. Some shoplifters will do anything to get around the system and they will get creative…and weird.
I’ve seen shoplifters cut the UPC (Universal Product Code) labels off of packages that didn’t even have any form of merchandise protection, because they thought it was what set off the alarm as they exited the store. In their defense, some anti-shoplifting devices come with a UPC label printed on them, but that wasn’t the case in any of the occasions I am referencing. It’s almost as if they are paranoid that anything could really be a security tag, so they don’t take any chances and just cut off whatever they suspect could be a retail theft prevention device.
One especially strange occurrence I had the pleasure of observing was someone actually pick up a tube of toothpaste and bottle of shampoo. There was nothing strange about that itself, but I knew something was about to happen because of how the person acting and constantly looking around. There wasn’t any kind of merchandise protection attached to these items either. To my disbelief, the shoplifter then removed two sandwich bags from her purse and opened them. She then looked around again before squeezing the tube of toothpaste into one of the bags, and pouring the shampoo into the other bag. Once the bags were filled, she put them in her purse and discarded the empty packages on the shelf.
This was undoubtedly one of the strangest things I have witnessed in my career in retail loss prevention. I continued watching the shoplifter, as she unsuccessfully attempted to remove a couple Checkpoint labels from items in the cosmetics area. She finally succeeded at removing one of the labels several minutes later, but then she ran into another problem. After getting the anti-shoplifting label off of the package, she started waving her arm around in the air quickly and at first I had no idea why she was doing it. I then realized that one of the Checkpoint Labels that she took off of the cosmetics package was stuck to her finger. She eventually removed it and stuck it onto the shelf, but she was extremely nervous at the time. If I wasn’t already watching her, that surely would have gotten my attention.
She ultimately left the store with the merchandise hidden in her purse, and we apprehended her for the theft. She was quite proud of herself for the sandwich bag trick even though she knew that she was caught. Not all shoplifters stick to the norm and steal with the same methods, so if you ever find an empty shampoo bottle or tube of toothpaste in your store, or anything similar that you wouldn’t expect to happen, you just might have been visited by a creative shoplifter. Although Checkpoint’s intentions may not have been to make the evidence stick to the shoplifter or confuse them, a paranoid shoplifter is easier to spot, which adds to the list of benefits.
For more information contact us: Checkpoint Labels or call 1.770.426.0547
Pretty recently I was flipping through the television stations on a Friday evening. It had been a long week at work and I felt like staying in. As I’m flipping through the 400 channels that I pay for and don’t use, I stumbled across an older sitcom that I hadn’t seen in a while. It was another rerun, but I didn’t care. To my surprise, the main plot of the show was based on the main characters wife wardrobing. It was funny to watch, since the show was filmed about 15 years ago and they didn’t have all the cool LP advancements like we have today. Sure, they had EAS systems and Checkpoint tags, but retailers didn’t have a way of spotting fraudulent refunds like they do today.
The basic plot was the main characters wife was buying high end clothing since she worked for a very reputable law firm. Since she felt that she needed to make an impression on her bosses and clients, she had to wear designer names daily. She was only a paralegal, so her salary couldn’t keep up, so she realized that she could wear the product once, then return it, just as long as the tags were still on the clothes.
Her argument, like so many people today when it comes to wardrobing, is that it really doesn’t hurt anyone. She was not stealing the merchandise, nor was she damaging it, so what’s the big deal? He husband though, saw the problem. Just like in today’s world, it is ethically wrong and detrimental to a store’s business to conduct this act. So much so that there are tags, like the Alpha Shark Tag, that are designed to specifically combat this scheme.
The tags can be affixed to any garment, and they are then removed by the customer at home. If you are a small boutique store, or high end retailer, you can then clearly state in your return policy that if the tag is tampered with, or removed, returns cannot be accepted. Placement of the tag is also key. You want to have it in an open and obvious place that can’t be covered with an accessory like a scarf, or belt. By placing the tag in this manner, you assure that the customer cannot simply cover the tag for their night on the town and bring it back to you the next day. After all, you’re in the business to sell clothing, not rent it!
For more information, contact us: Clothing Security, or call 1.770.426.0547
Pretty recently I was flipping through the television stations on a Friday evening. It had been a long week at work and I felt like staying in. As I’m flipping through the 400 channels that I pay for and don’t use, I stumbled across an older sitcom that I hadn’t seen in a while. It was another rerun, but I didn’t care. To my surprise, the main plot of the show was based on the main characters wife wardrobing. It was funny to watch, since the show was filmed about 15 years ago and they didn’t have all the cool LP advancements like we have today. Sure, they had EAS systems and Checkpoint Tags, but retailers didn’t have a way of spotting fraudulent refunds like they do today.
The basic plot was the main characters wife was buying high end clothing since she worked for a very reputable law firm. Since she felt that she needed to make an impression on her bosses and clients, she had to wear designer names daily. She was only a paralegal, so her salary couldn’t keep up, she realized that she could wear the product once, then return it, just as long as the tags were still on the clothes.
Her argument, like so many people today when it comes to wardrobing, is that it really doesn’t hurt anyone. She was not stealing the merchandise, nor was she damaging it, so what’s the big deal? He husband though, saw the problem. Just like in today’s world, it is ethically wrong and detrimental to a store’s business to conduct this act. So much so that there are tags, like the Alpha Shark Tag, that are designed to specifically combat this scheme.
The tags can be affixed to any garment, and they are then removed by the customer at home. If you are a small boutique store, or high end retailer, you can then clearly state in your return policy that if the tag is tampered with, or removed, returns cannot be accepted. Placement of the tag is also key. You want to have it in an open and obvious place that can’t be covered with an accessory like a scarf, or belt. By placing the tag in this manner, you assure that the customer cannot simply cover the tag for their night on the town and bring it back to you the next day. After all, you’re in the business to sell clothing, not rent it!
For more information, contact us: Clothing Security, or call 1.770.426.0547
Sometimes, and I really don’t like to admit it, I’m impressed at what a shoplifter will go through in order to make off with goods. I often sit back and watch cases where lots of time and energy are put into a theft. I think what would happen if this person would put that much effort into an actual job. Throughout my career, I have met plenty of individuals that rely solely on the income of shoplifter. Boosting is their 9-5. I’ve also learned that they can find clever ways to try and defeat your Checkpoint Systems as well.
Last football season, I had a pair of coast to coast boosters that were tearing my stores apart. They were targeting jerseys, which sell for about $139 each. They would start their run out East, and within a day or so had traversed the interstate and had hit every single one of my stores. Even with the company alerts, the emphasis on Checkpoint Tags and the prominent display location, they were able to hit each store for about 5 jerseys each, per run. They made 5 total runs last season, causing me a loss of about $35k in a very short amount of time. It was very frustrating how good they were. One would distract the sales clerk while the other would use a pair of pliers to remove the Checkpoint Tag. Once the first booster would conceal a jersey or two, they would swap roles and repeat.
I knew that these guys were aware of the Checkpoint System, so I had to use that to my advantage. The Checkpoint Tags we were using were clearly not effective against these guys. They knew all they needed to do was break the tag and it wouldn’t cause an alarm at the door. I needed something better, so we tested out ink tags on the jerseys at a few stores. The results were pretty funny to watch on video.
The first time I saw a report of where the Checkpoint System worked came a few weeks after rolling them out to the test stores. One of my stores reported them as being in the store, and I was able to find them on video. They came in with their usual routine, but they actually scratched their heads when they saw the ink tag. You could quite literally see the confusion on their faces as they attempted to defeat the tag, but agreed that it might not be such a good idea. The left the store without stealing a single jersey. This was the proof of concept that I needed. This football season, all of my jerseys will be secured with an ink tag. I already know we’ll see a reduction in theft. I’m just curious to know if I’ll see my boosters again.
For more information, contact us: Checkpoint Tags, or call 1.770.426.0547
Sometimes, and I really don’t like to admit it, I’m impressed at what a shoplifter will go through in order to make off with goods. I often sit back and watch cases where lots of time and energy are put into a theft. I think what would happen if this person would put that much effort into an actual job. Throughout my career, I have met plenty of individuals that rely solely on the income of shoplifter. Boosting is their 9-5. I’ve also learned that they can find clever ways to try and defeat your Checkpoint Systems as well.
Last football season, I had a pair of coast to coast boosters that were tearing my stores apart. They were targeting jerseys, which sell for about $139 each. They would start their run out East, and within a day or so had traversed the interstate and had hit every single one of my stores. Even with the company alerts, the emphasis on Checkpoint Tags and the prominent display location, they were able to hit each store for about 5 jerseys each, per run. They made 5 total runs last season, causing me a loss of about $35k in a very short amount of time. It was very frustrating how good they were. One would distract the sales clerk while the other would use a pair of pliers to remove the Checkpoint Tag. Once the first booster would conceal a jersey or two, they would swap roles and repeat.
I knew that these guys were aware of the Checkpoint System, so I had to use that to my advantage. The Checkpoint Tags we were using were clearly not effective against these guys. They knew all they needed to do was break the tag and it wouldn’t cause an alarm at the door. I needed something better, so we tested out ink tags on the jerseys at a few stores. The results were pretty funny to watch on video.
The first time I saw a report of where the Checkpoint System worked came a few weeks after rolling them out to the test stores. One of my stores reported them as being in the store, and I was able to find them on video. They came in with their usual routine, but they actually scratched their heads when they saw the ink tag. You could quite literally see the confusion on their faces as they attempted to defeat the tag, but agreed that it might not be such a good idea. The left the store without stealing a single jersey. This was the proof of concept that I needed. This football season, all of my jerseys will be secured with an ink tag. I already know we’ll see a reduction in theft. I’m just curious to know if I’ll see my boosters again.
For more information, contact us: Checkpoint Tags, or call 1.770.426.0547
Liquor bottle security goes beyond keeping the product out of the hand of a shoplifter. You should have physical security control measures in place to stop underage individuals from getting their hands on alcohol. It’s bad enough to have a shoplifter steal your products, but as a person, how would you feel if an underage teen not only stole the alcohol from your store, but ended up being killed by alcohol poisoning from your store? The cost of that product is nothing compared to a human life, and as a business owner/manager, you have a responsibility to protect the interests of your stores.
This happened to a friend of mine a few years back. He worked for a family owned liquor store that did not invest in any type of bottle security devices. Since there was virtually nothing stopping a theft, his store was a soft target for shoplifting. One day, the unthinkable happened. A 17 year old high school senior came in and stole a bottle of top shelf vodka to celebrate graduating. This kid drank the entire bottle and unfortunately passed away due to his actions. While it’s hard to say if there was anything that could have been done to prevent such an unfortunate accident, looking back, a bottle lock may have discouraged such an easy theft, and maybe would have saved this kid’s life. Alternatively, maybe it wouldn’t have and fate would have it no other way.
When we look at situations such as this, or just everyday shoplifting losses, there is something you can do to prevent and protect your store from these types of losses. There are countless options when deploying bottle locks, and you can choose from a wide variety of solutions to find your individual store’s needs. When you look at the cost of the investment, it’s very nominal to the return you will get. At the end of the day, you really can’t afford to not secure alcohol.
For more information, contact us: Bottle Lock, or call 1.770.426.0547
Liquor bottle security goes beyond keeping the product out of the hands of a shoplifter. You should have physical security control measures in place to stop underage individuals from getting their hands on alcohol. It’s bad enough to have a shoplifter steal your products, but as a person, how would you feel if an underage teen not only stole the alcohol from your store, but ended up being killed by alcohol poisoning from your store? The cost of that product is nothing compared to a human life, and as a business owner/manager, you have a responsibility to protect the interests of your stores.
This happened to a friend of mine a few years back. He worked for a family owned liquor store that did not invest in any type of bottle security devices. Since there was virtually nothing stopping a theft, his store was a soft target for shoplifting. One day, the unthinkable happened. A 17 year old high school senior came in and stole a bottle of top shelf vodka to celebrate graduating. This kid drank the entire bottle and unfortunately passed away due to his actions. While it’s hard to say if there was anything that could have been done to prevent such an unfortunate accident, looking back, a Bottle Lok may have discouraged such an easy theft, and maybe would have saved this kid’s life. Alternatively, maybe it wouldn’t have and fate would have it no other way.
When we look at situations such as this, or just everyday shoplifting losses, there is something you can do to prevent and protect your store from these types of losses. There are countless options when deploying Bottle Loks, and you can choose from a wide variety of solutions to find your individual store’s needs. When you look at the cost of the investment, it’s very nominal to the return you will get. At the end of the day, you really can’t afford to not secure alcohol.
For more information, contact us: Bottle Lok, or call 1.770.426.0547
You may think that after you apprehend a shoplifter, you would want to get them out the door as fast as possible, but it may be in your best interest to have a conversation with them instead. After all, who could give you better information about how to stop shoplifting in your store, than the shoplifters themselves? Although not all shoplifters want to talk to you (especially about ways to keep them from stealing from you), there are some that can’t help but tell you their whole life story.
When I apprehend a shoplifter, I obviously want to get all of their personal information, but I also like to ask additional questions during the interview. First of all, ask them why they are taking the merchandise from your store. I’ve had some shoplifters tell me that they know people who have gotten away with it at the store, and they said it was easy to steal there. You may be surprised by their answers, and it may give you some good ideas for improving your retail theft prevention strategy. If the shoplifter tells you that the need the money to support a drug habit, you could also recommend organizations in the area that could help with the problem. After all, your goal is to get them to stay away from your store, so why not try to get them help so they don’t continue stealing from you.
Next, if it’s not already obvious, try to find out what is happening to the merchandise once it leaves the store. This is a big opportunity to get valuable information to stop shoplifting in your store. The reason is that even if you catch a shoplifter, more are going to replace them, especially if there is a local buyer of stolen merchandise that is sending them out to stores for specific merchandise. If they tell you where they are selling the stolen merchandise, you can share this information with the local police, who can start an investigation on the location or person. If a local buyer is taken out of the equation, it is likely that you will experience less shoplifting at your business.
A shoplifter I caught years ago did his homework on the store, and was happy to share his thoughts on the subject. I asked him why he chose our location to steal merchandise. The first thing he pointed out was that no one ever pays any attention to him, so he is able to get in and out quickly without being bothered. He then said that there was a lack of merchandise protection or anti-shoplifting devices on the products he steals. Next, he noticed that there were certain areas of the store in which camera coverage needed to be improved, or was nonexistent. He typically picked up merchandise from other areas of the store, and brought them to the spots where he knew that there weren’t any cameras so he could easily conceal the merchandise.
This interview gave me important information on ways to improve the way we used anti-shoplifting devices were used in the store, and what merchandise to keep under watch. It also gave me ideas about how to improve our camera strategy to ensure there was sufficient camera coverage throughout different areas of the store. Overall, a few minutes of talking with a shoplifter could save you a lot of money in the long run.
For more information contact us: (stop shoplifting) or call 1.770.426.0547
You may think that after you apprehend a shoplifter, you would want to get them out the door as fast as possible, but it may be in your best interest to have a conversation with them instead. After all, who could give you better information about how to stop shoplifting in your store, than the shoplifters themselves? Although not all shoplifters want to talk to you (especially about ways to keep them from stealing from you), there are some that can’t help but tell you their whole life story.
When I apprehend a shoplifter, I obviously want to get all of their personal information, but I also like to ask additional questions during the interview. First of all, ask them why they are taking the merchandise from your store. I’ve had some shoplifters tell me that they know people who have gotten away with it at the store, and they said it was easy to steal there. You may be surprised by their answers, and it may give you some good ideas for improving your retail theft prevention strategy. If the shoplifter tells you that they need the money to support a drug habit, you could also recommend organizations in the area that could help with the problem. After all, your goal is to get them to stay away from your store, so why not try to get them help so they don’t continue stealing from you.
Next, if it’s not already obvious, try to find out what is happening to the merchandise once it leaves the store. This is a big opportunity to get valuable information to stop shoplifting in your store. The reason is that even if you catch a shoplifter, more are going to replace them, especially if there is a local buyer of stolen merchandise that is sending them out to stores for specific merchandise. If they tell you where they are selling the stolen merchandise, you can share this information with the local police, who can start an investigation on the location or person. If a local buyer is taken out of the equation, it is likely that you will experience less shoplifting at your business.
A shoplifter I caught years ago did his homework on the store, and was happy to share his thoughts on the subject. I asked him why he chose our location to steal merchandise. The first thing he pointed out was that no one ever pays any attention to him, so he is able to get in and out quickly without being bothered. He then said that there was a lack of merchandise protection or anti-shoplifting devices on the products he steals. Next, he noticed that there were certain areas of the store in which camera coverage needed to be improved, or was nonexistent. He typically picked up merchandise from other areas of the store, and brought them to the spots where he knew that there weren’t any cameras so he could easily conceal the merchandise.
This interview gave me important information on ways to improve the way we used anti-shoplifting devices were used in the store, and what merchandise to keep under watch. It also gave me ideas about how to improve our camera strategy to ensure there was sufficient camera coverage throughout different areas of the store. Overall, a few minutes of talking with a shoplifter could save you a lot of money in the long run.
For more information contact us: Stop Shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547
