When you are looking to hire a job candidate how do you go about qualifying them? Are you looking for someone that exhibits the necessary job skills, education and experience, or is it just because the have a lack of anything negative? Just because these applicants passed your background checks does not mean that they are a qualified potential employee for your company.
Showing a lack of weaknesses is not the same as showing strengths. Being able to discern the difference between the two will only benefit your company by hiring those that make your company stronger as a whole. Hiring employees who exhibit strength in skills, or experience, or judgment will provide far better results than the employee who simply does not have any glaring reasons not to hire them.
That doesn’t mean that background checks are not a needed part of the hiring process. It means that the pre employment screening is one of many steps that should be taken to qualify a potential job applicant before they are hired.
The take- away is to start to hire differently. Set a higher standard for the employees you hire. Have an expectation that they know the job they are being hired for. They should have experience in handling and diffusing customer complaints, and how to not make customers upset in the first place. Employees should be able to work with minimal supervision. An employee who has to be constantly monitored will only waste your time and resources in the long run.
To purchase Pre-Employment Screening Services or for more information on background check experts, background checks, criminal background checks, employee background checks or pre employment screening contact us at the background check company or call 1.770.426.0547
When you are looking to hire a job candidate how do you go about qualifying them? Are you looking for someone that exhibits the necessary job skills, education and experience, or is it just because the have a lack of anything negative? Just because these applicants passed your background checks does not mean that they are a qualified potential employee for your company.
Showing a lack of weaknesses is not the same as showing strengths. Being able to discern the difference between the two will only benefit your company by hiring those that make your company stronger as a whole. Hiring employees who exhibit strength in skills, or experience, or judgment will provide far better results than the employee who simply does not have any glaring reasons not to hire them.
That doesn’t mean that background checks are not a needed part of the hiring process. It means that the pre employment screening is one of many steps that should be taken to qualify a potential job applicant before they are hired.
The take- away is to start to hire differently. Set a higher standard for the employees you hire. Have an expectation that they know the job they are being hired for. They should have experience in handling and diffusing customer complaints, and how to not make customers upset in the first place. Employees should be able to work with minimal supervision. An employee who has to be constantly monitored will only waste your time and resources in the long run.
To purchase Pre-Employment Screening Services or for more information on background check experts, background checks, criminal background checks, employee background checks or pre employment screening contact us at the background check company or call 1.770.426.0547
It was Friday evening and I was leaving my office. It had been a long week to say the least. I had closed on 3 employee theft cases, began an investigation into a $25k cash loss at one store, and played host to a Regional Vice President for some market visits. Knowing I didn’t have a ton of food at home, I stopped at the grocery store after leaving work. It was the first of the month, after 5 on a Friday. The place was packed! I shop at a local grocer for just about everything. I stay away from the big box retailers since I like my money to stay in my community. My family also owns a small business, so I love giving back to the “little guy” so to speak.
I head in, fighting the crowds and grab a buggy. I start with the essentials and then make my way to the meats. I’m in the middle of a debate inside my head on whether I should go with the turkey breast or ground turkey, when two guys catch my eye. A few feet down, they begin filling a shopping cart with as many cuts of steak as they can. At first I thought, “Hey, someone’s grilling tonight”, but then I quickly realized that they were going to shoplifting steaks!
After the buggy was loaded with what was later determined to be 42 cuts of meat, valued at about a thousand dollars, they walked pretty quickly to a corner of the store. I knew what was going on so I made a phone call to the store (smart phones are great!) and asked for a manager. As I was on the phone, I watched as they pair started placing the steaks into a vacuum cleaner box. At first the manager thought I was playing a phone prank, but after some convincing, he met on an aisle just as the pair was heading to the checkout line. He made a quick call to the local police, who were surprised that someone was shoplifting steaks…
These guys got caught and the manager was able to retain his profits for another day. That’s not always the case, as your employees can’t see everything at every minute of the day. This particular store didn’t have the most basic control measures in place to deter this type of activity and it will undoubtedly continue until some programs and technology are put into place. Chances are, if you are reading this, you have the same problem, and are fed up with it. Well, here’s your chance to turn the tide on shoplifters and stop meat theft in your store. With the wide range to tools out there, you’re sure to find a solution that fits your business and your budget.
For more information, contact us: Grocery Store Meat Theft, or call 1.770.426.0547
It was Friday evening and I was leaving my office. It had been a long week to say the least. I had closed on 3 employee theft cases, began an investigation into a $25k cash loss at one store, and played host to a Regional Vice President for some market visits. Knowing I didn’t have a ton of food at home, I stopped at the grocery store after leaving work. It was the first of the month, after 5 on a Friday. The place was packed! I shop at a local grocer for just about everything. I stay away from the big box retailers since I like my money to stay in my community. My family also owns a small business, so I love giving back to the “little guy” so to speak. Of course this wasn’t an ordinary trip to the store. I would come face to face with a thief as he tried his hand at shoplifting steaks.
I head in, fighting the crowds and grab a buggy. I start with the essentials and then make my way to the meats. I’m in the middle of a debate inside my head on whether I should go with the turkey breast or ground turkey, when two guys catch my eye. A few feet down, they begin filling a shopping cart with as many cuts of steak as they can. At first I thought, “Hey, someone’s grilling tonight”, but then I quickly realized that they were going to shoplift steaks!
After the buggy was loaded with what was later determined to be 42 cuts of meat, valued at about a thousand dollars, they walked pretty quickly to a corner of the store. I knew what was going on so I made a phone call to the store (smart phones are great!) and asked for a manager. As I was on the phone, I watched as the pair started placing the steaks into a vacuum cleaner box. At first the manager thought I was playing a phone prank, but after some convincing, we met on an aisle just as the pair was heading to the checkout line. He made a quick call to the local police, who were surprised that someone was shoplifting steaks…
These guys got caught and the manager was able to retain his profits for another day. That’s not always the case, as your employees can’t see everything at every minute of the day. This particular store didn’t have the most basic control measures in place to deter this type of activity and it will undoubtedly continue until some programs and technology are put into place. Chances are, if you are reading this, you have the same problem, and are fed up with it. Well, here’s your chance to turn the tide on shoplifters and stop meat theft in your store. With the wide range to tools out there, you’re sure to find a solution that fits your business and your budget.
For more information, contact us: Grocery Store Meat Theft, or call 1.770.426.0547
Can I just say how excited I am that spring is finally here? The temperature has been hovering around 80 degrees for the past couple of weeks and I’ve already got my first fishing trip of the season planned. Guess that means I’ll be heading out to the nearest sporting goods store. Lucky for me I happen to work there. One of the perks of working LP there is, of course the discount. I was just saying to my fiancé how I was in need of a new fishing rod…
As strange as it may sound, people steal fishing rods. Now, I haven’t seen someone try to jam one down there pants yet (I’m sure it will happen tomorrow now that I’ve challenged the universe), but I have seen some very clever ways that both dishonest customers and employees alike have used to get an even bigger discount on that new combo, and if you’re not protecting your high end fishing rods with O-Tags, you could be the victim as well.
I remember last year around mid-summer. It was a Friday night and there was a full moon (you know what they say about a full moon), so naturally the fishing department was jammed packed with anglers gearing up for the morning. I noticed a gentleman perusing the higher end rods so I offered some advice, since I have previously purchased the same item he was looking at. He and I talked for a good 15 minutes and I felt good that I sold him a great rod that was surely going to help my sales goal for the night. A few minutes later, I was called to the front of the store to one of the registers.
Mind you, not all of my cashiers are expert fishermen. Nor are they well versed in the majority of high end products we sell, so it’s always a challenge to have them recognize potential fraud. With our rods, we used the O-Tag to not only provide a visible deterrent to theft, but also as a tool to assist our cashiers identify when a product should ring at a certain threshold (for these rods, it was $199 and up). I get up to the register, and I see the same customer I had spent so much time with earlier. To my surprise (not really… nothing surprises me anymore) there was a price sticker to a $19.99 tackle box over the barcode, which should have rang up $299.99. As soon as I walked over, the customer decided to leave everything and make a sprint out the door. I was proud of my cashier and even more proud of our investment in the O-Tag.
For more information, contact us: O-Tags, or call 1.770.426.0547
Can I just say how excited I am that spring is finally here? The temperature has been hovering around 80 degrees for the past couple of weeks and I’ve already got my first fishing trip of the season planned. Guess that means I’ll be heading out to the nearest sporting goods store. Lucky for me I happen to work there. One of the perks of working LP there is, of course the discount. I was just saying to my fiancé how I was in need of a new fishing rod…
As strange as it may sound, people steal fishing rods. Now, I haven’t seen someone try to jam one down their pants yet (I’m sure it will happen tomorrow now that I’ve challenged the universe), but I have seen some very clever ways that both dishonest customers and employees alike have used to get an even bigger discount on that new combo, and if you’re not protecting your high end fishing rods with Alpha O-Tags, you could be the victim as well.
I remember last year around mid-summer. It was a Friday night and there was a full moon (you know what they say about a full moon), so naturally the fishing department was jammed packed with anglers gearing up for the morning. I noticed a gentleman perusing the higher end rods so I offered some advice, since I have previously purchased the same item he was looking at. He and I talked for a good 15 minutes and I felt good that I sold him a great rod that was surely going to help my sales goal for the night. A few minutes later, I was called to the front of the store to one of the registers.
Mind you, not all of my cashiers are expert fishermen. Nor are they well versed in the majority of high end products we sell, so it’s always a challenge to have them recognize potential fraud. With our rods, we used the O-Tag to not only provide a visible deterrent to theft, but also as a tool to assist our cashiers identify when a product should ring at a certain threshold (for these rods, it was $199 and up). I get up to the register, and I see the same customer I had spent so much time with earlier. To my surprise (not really… nothing surprises me anymore) there was a price sticker to a $19.99 tackle box over the barcode, which should have rang up $299.99. As soon as I walked over, the customer decided to leave everything and make a sprint out the door. I was proud of my cashier and even more proud of our investment in the O-Tag.
For more information, contact us at losspreventionsystems.com, or call 1.770.426.0547
Shoplifters have some very “creative” ways to get stuff out the door. I have seen some wild acts throughout my over fourteen years in the retail business. I have learned to keep an open mind, stay on my toes, and believe just about anything can happen. Prevent Shoplifting Loss in your store with constant awareness, and learn the different tactics thieves may be using.
One thing to look for is what the person is wearing. Thieves come from all walks of life, so I don’t mean whether they are dressed in neat high fashion, or shabby work clothes. Look for clothing that does not fit in. If the day’s weather is mild, but the person walks in wearing a big heavy coat, it should bring up red flags to your staff. Look for people that appear to have several layers on as well. They may have on a t-shirt, then a button up shirt, then a jacket on over that. All layers are generally visible, and the two outer layers are mostly open in the front. It works because they have the t-shirt tucked in, and that is where they stuff the merchandise, usually down their backs. The button up shirt will not be tucked in, and that combined with the jacket will help shield them from being spotted because you won’t clearly see the bulky items stuffed into their clothes. The only ways you can know they have the concealed items are to actually see them do it, possibly on camera, or you walk by them and hear the items rattling. Their movements will generally be labored and slower because they don’t want to make noise or have items drop out.
Look for people’s behaviors that are out of the ordinary. Prevent Shoplifting Loss by not falling for these antics. Last week there was a big box store on the local news looking for help after a big loss. Two men walked in, got a cart, and loaded a large television and a large ride-on toy for a child. They then separated and one of the men suddenly fell to the floor clasping his chest. All the surrounding shoppers and employees immediately came to the man, or just stood watching him flailing around. Not a single person realized what was really happening or saw the other man walk out one of the exits with that cart. A moment later the one faking the heart attack stood up, suddenly just fine, and walked out the door as well.
The truth is this trick happens in small businesses to. It happened to me personally, and yes, I fell for it. I manage a small retail pharmacy. This past summer I had a couple standing right at my front counter looking at sim cards and prepaid phones. I stayed close by because these are high retail items. Suddenly the man started coughing like crazy, and seemed to be choking. She looked at him with a glare and told him to go get a drink of water from the fountain. I pointed to the back of the store, and began to walk with him to make sure he was going to be okay. Then she said, “oh, he’ll be fine, he’s such a baby. I do need some help with these cards”. So, being the good seller I am, I came back to her. I could hear him coughing all the way to the back of the store, loud and sick sounding. Suddenly it dawned on me that something wasn’t right. By the way he sounded, she should have went back there with him. I told my other employee to help her and excused myself. As I was walking back, he was going out the door, and she quickly left too. I went into the restroom, and found three empty sim card packs, worth about $250.
I should have seen through that, but it happened so fast. Prevent Shoplifting Loss in your store by acting immediately if it doesn’t feel right. Don’t be the next news story, or have to hang your head and explain to your staff how you just got taken.
For more information contact us: Preventshopliftingloss.net or call 1.770.426.0547
Shoplifters have some very “creative” ways to get stuff out the door. I have seen some wild acts throughout my over fourteen years in the retail business. I have learned to keep an open mind, stay on my toes, and believe just about anything can happen. Prevent Shoplifting Loss in your store with constant awareness, and learn the different tactics thieves may be using.
One thing to look for is what the person is wearing. Thieves come from all walks of life, so I don’t mean whether they are dressed in neat high fashion, or shabby work clothes. Look for clothing that does not fit in. If the day’s weather is mild, but the person walks in wearing a big heavy coat, it should bring up red flags to your staff. Look for people that appear to have several layers on as well. They may have on a t-shirt, then a button up shirt, then a jacket on over that. All layers are generally visible, and the two outer layers are mostly open in the front. It works because they have the t-shirt tucked in, and that is where they stuff the merchandise, usually down their backs. The button up shirt will not be tucked in, and that combined with the jacket will help shield them from being spotted because you won’t clearly see the bulky items stuffed into their clothes. The only way you can know they have the concealed items are to actually see them do it, possibly on camera, or you walk by them and hear the items rattling. Their movements will generally be labored and slower because they don’t want to make noise or have items drop out.
Look for people’s behaviors that are out of the ordinary. Prevent Shoplifting Loss by not falling for these antics. Last week there was a big box store on the local news looking for help after a big loss. Two men walked in, got a cart, and loaded a large television and a large ride-on toy for a child. They then separated and one of the men suddenly fell to the floor clasping his chest. All the surrounding shoppers and employees immediately came to the man, or just stood watching him flailing around. Not a single person realized what was really happening or saw the other man walk out one of the exits with that cart. A moment later the one faking the heart attack stood up, suddenly just fine, and walked out the door as well.
The truth is this trick happens in small businesses too. It happened to me personally, and yes, I fell for it. I manage a small retail pharmacy. This past summer I had a couple standing right at my front counter looking at sim cards and prepaid phones. I stayed close by because these are high retail items. Suddenly the man started coughing like crazy, and seemed to be choking. She looked at him with a glare and told him to go get a drink of water from the fountain. I pointed to the back of the store, and began to walk with him to make sure he was going to be okay. Then she said, “oh, he’ll be fine, he’s such a baby. I do need some help with these cards”. So, being the good seller I am, I came back to her. I could hear him coughing all the way to the back of the store, loud and sick sounding. Suddenly it dawned on me that something wasn’t right. By the way he sounded, she should have went back there with him. I told my other employee to help her and excused myself. As I was walking back, he was going out the door, and she quickly left too. I went into the restroom, and found three empty sim card packs, worth about $250.
I should have seen through that, but it happened so fast. Prevent Shoplifting Loss in your store by acting immediately if it doesn’t feel right. Don’t be the next news story, or have to hang your head and explain to your staff how you just got taken.
For more information contact us: Preventshopliftingloss.net or call 1.770.426.0547
I’ve recently read several news articles about the growing problem of meat thefts from grocery stores around the country. This definitely isn’t a new issue, but some say the problem is getting worse because the price of meats, and groceries in general have been on the rise. Short of locking up your store’s meat in a glass showcase, what can you do? The first thing you should do is look into Checkpoint Labels that are made specifically for meat sold in grocery stores.
These Checkpoint Labels are made to use on packages of meat and other foods, and can handle the cold temperatures and moisture. The team at Checkpoint Systems didn’t think that was enough though, so they put a great deal of research into developing the labels even further, so that they are even safe to be attached to the package of meat while it is in the microwave. This is not something that you would want to try with generic security tags or labels, because they could catch fire or render your food unsafe. Another point I didn’t mention is that the labels have to option to be purchased with safe handling instructions or even custom printing, so if you’re looking for a solution that provides a retail theft prevention device with your specific message or brand, they’ve got you covered.
Previously I worked in a store that sold meat and seafood in a section of the store, which was stolen on a regular basis. I remember one shoplifter in particular that would come into the store and steal several packages of meat very quickly. You might say that his shoplifting efforts weren’t very rare, but the execution was well done. His thefts usually included steaks, frozen lobster, and other beef or poultry items. The guy would walk right in the door and head straight for that department. Sometimes he would put it in a hand basket, but most of the time he would just conceal it in the waistband of his pants.
The most shocking part about this sneaky shoplifter is that he would typically complete the entire theft in under a minute or two. Needless to say, that made the thief very hard to catch. There wasn’t any pattern in the times or days he would come into the store, so we had to get lucky and see him when he first came into the store. The store I was working at during this time didn’t use Checkpoint Labels on the meat products, so there wasn’t an alarm that sounded at the door when he exited. The lack of any real retail theft prevention devices on this merchandise made it an easy target for theft. I was never lucky enough to catch this shoplifter while working at the store, but he was later apprehended by a colleague of mine.
The thief wouldn’t give much information about what he was doing with all the meat, but we knew it was too much for personal consumption, so he was likely taking orders from other people, or selling to restaurants or smaller markets in the area. This is typical with these kind of thefts. It’s not always people trying to shoplift food to eat themselves, but rather stealing food to make a quick buck when they resell it elsewhere.
For more information contact us: (Checkpoint Labels) or call 1.770.426.0547
I’ve recently read several news articles about the growing problem of meat thefts from grocery stores around the country. This definitely isn’t a new issue, but some say the problem is getting worse because the price of meats, and groceries in general have been on the rise. Short of locking up your store’s meat in a glass showcase, what can you do? The first thing you should do is look into Checkpoint Labels that are made specifically for meat sold in grocery stores.
These Checkpoint Labels are made to use on packages of meat and other foods, and can handle the cold temperatures and moisture. The team at Checkpoint Systems didn’t think that was enough though, so they put a great deal of research into developing the labels even further, so that they are even safe to be attached to the package of meat while it is in the microwave. This is not something that you would want to try with generic security tags or labels, because they could catch fire or render your food unsafe. Another point I didn’t mention is that the labels have the option to be purchased with safe handling instructions or even custom printing, so if you’re looking for a solution that provides a retail theft prevention device with your specific message or brand, they’ve got you covered.
Previously I worked in a store that sold meat and seafood in a section of the store, which was stolen on a regular basis. I remember one shoplifter in particular that would come into the store and steal several packages of meat very quickly. You might say that his shoplifting efforts weren’t very rare, but the execution was well done. His thefts usually included steaks, frozen lobster, and other beef or poultry items. The guy would walk right in the door and head straight for that department. Sometimes he would put it in a hand basket, but most of the time he would just conceal it in the waistband of his pants.
The most shocking part about this sneaky shoplifter is that he would typically complete the entire theft in under a minute or two. Needless to say, that made the thief very hard to catch. There wasn’t any pattern in the times or days he would come into the store, so we had to get lucky and see him when he first came into the store. The store I was working at during this time didn’t use Checkpoint Labels on the meat products, so there wasn’t an alarm that sounded at the door when he exited. The lack of any real retail theft prevention devices on this merchandise made it an easy target for theft. I was never lucky enough to catch this shoplifter while working at the store, but he was later apprehended by a colleague of mine.
The thief wouldn’t give much information about what he was doing with all the meat, but we knew it was too much for personal consumption, so he was likely taking orders from other people, or selling to restaurants or smaller markets in the area. This is typical with these kind of thefts. It’s not always people trying to shoplift food to eat themselves, but rather stealing food to make a quick buck when they resell it elsewhere.
For more information contact us at Loss Prevention Systems or call 1.770.426.0547
