A university or campus library is set up very similarly to a retail store. There are goods needed and wanted by a customer base. There is a process to allocate those goods to the customer, and a way to bring them back into the inventory upon return of the items. There is also a need to use Checkpoint Systems to reduce theft and inventory losses.
Libraries, just like retail stores, are not immune to theft. There is a misconception that because the library gives out books and materials for free, there is no need to steal and therefore no inventory losses.
Library theft prevention, however is critical because even though the check out materials are free doesn’t mean every library asset is available for checkout. Some reference materials to be kept inside the library providing a permanent resource for all students.
Other pieces of equipment such as computers, audio and video items can be sold through a variety of avenues. Just as retailers who decline to use Checkpoint Systems open themselves up as a target for theft, so do campus libraries.
As student debt continues to rise at astronomical rates, many students are pressured to find alternative forms of income. Stolen goods from unprotected libraries are easily resold to supplement that income.
Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase Library Theft Detection System devices and your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system from Checkpoint Systems to stop inventory losses.
For more information on a Library Theft Detection System, Library Theft Prevention, or a Checkpoint System and how they can work with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system contact us at Retail theft prevention to stop inventory losses in your library or call 1.770.426.0547
My sister just turned 21 and she’s the partier in the family. While I much prefer a quiet evening she likes to hit the newest nightclubs and bars in town. It was no surprise that she wanted to have her big day at one of her favorite spots. My dad and I thought it would be a nice gesture to treat her and her friends to a night out on the town. After all, we would be there to “supervise”, so it wouldn’t be too crazy. New Orleans is a quiet town, right?
I’ve never been a big fan of bottle service before. I pretty much figured the clubs were making some ridiculous markup on alcohol that could easily be purchased cheaper at the bar. This experience really changed my mind about that. If you’ve never been inside a night club before, let me explain some of the costs associated with a night of partying. First, you’ve got to consider a cover charge, which will set you back at least a twenty. Drinks at the bar are going to be pricey, and let’s not forget to tip our bartenders. Factor in a few drinks with a group of 15 and you’ve got a bill that will rival your mortgage payment for the month.
Bottle service wasn’t considered since it was thought of as an overly expensive luxury, however sitting down and doing the math, we actually came out much cheaper. At this particular nightclub, the bottle service reservation included 3 bottles of premium alcohol, personal service, security a cake, and a bottle of champagne. In addition, the club included the tips into the final bill. When the dust settled, it was a far better way to spend the evening and everyone had the time of their lives.
While I don’t think I’d ever consider being a VIP on my own, if you’re thinking about a large party, or even just a small gathering of friends, you may want to consider this option. Get more for your money and have a great time doing it!
For more information, contact us: Bottle Service, or call 1.770.426.0547
My sister just turned 21 and she’s the partier in the family. While I much prefer a quiet evening she likes to hit the newest nightclubs and bars in town. It was no surprise that she wanted to have her big day at one of her favorite spots. My dad and I thought it would be a nice gesture to treat her and her friends to a night out on the town. After all, we would be there to “supervise”, so it wouldn’t be too crazy. New Orleans is a quiet town, right?
I’ve never been a big fan of bottle service before. I pretty much figured the clubs were making some ridiculous markup on alcohol that could easily be purchased cheaper at the bar. This experience really changed my mind about that. If you’ve never been inside a night club before, let me explain some of the costs associated with a night of partying. First, you’ve got to consider a cover charge, which will set you back at least a twenty. Drinks at the bar are going to be pricey, and let’s not forget to tip our bartenders. Factor in a few drinks with a group of 15 and you’ve got a bill that will rival your mortgage payment for the month.
Bottle service wasn’t considered since it was thought of as an overly expensive luxury, however sitting down and doing the math, we actually came out much cheaper. At this particular nightclub, the bottle service reservation included 3 bottles of premium alcohol, personal service, security, cake, and a bottle of champagne. In addition, the club included the tips into the final bill. When the dust settled, it was a far better way to spend the evening and everyone had the time of their lives. While I don’t think I’d ever consider being a VIP on my own, if you’re thinking about a large party, or even just a small gathering of friends, you may want to consider this option. Get more for your money and have a great time doing it!
For more information, contact us: Bottle Service, or call 1.770.426.0547
No matter what time of year it is, you can find me on the lake at least once or twice a month. My grandpa got me hooked on fishing when I was very young, and even as an adult I can’t wait to get out on the water. Nothing beats getting up before dawn, grabbing my fishing pole and being the only soul for miles in the middle of a still body of water. It’s a thing of beauty. I’m convinced that sometimes if I turn my head really fast, I can catch a glimpse of my grandpa sitting next to me with his rod and reel. This is another reason I love my job so much.
As a LP Manager for a sporting goods store, I not only get to catch bad guys, I get to play around with all the stuff I love. One thing that took me by surprise in this job is how often fishing poles are stolen. Yes, stolen. Not the typical stuff down your pants product, but I’ve seen some very clever ways to steal a rod, even with the merchandise secured with an O-Tag.
Last summer, after inventories were conducted, we noticed some pretty high shrink in a particular sku. It retailed for $199 and all three of my stores were missing anywhere between 5 and 10 units. This product is shipped directly to the store and is received in by a manager, so there wasn’t any way that it never made it to the store. After searching the backrooms and warehouses for a few days, I resigned myself to the fact that they had been stolen. But how? How on Earth could you steal a fishing rod and nobody notice? Furthermore, how could you get out the front doors without the O-Tag alarming the EAS towers? I was perplexed, and out of ideas. Unless there was a band of super tall thieves who could very easily conceal them in their pants…
Unfortunately, there were no pack of giant shoplifters. I did however find some very clever thieves though. After some investigating, I found how they were getting the poles out of the store. A shoplifter would come into the store and purchase one of the fishing poles. The cashier would remove the EAS device and the customer would quickly exit the store after tending payment. He would place the product in his car and rush back inside and grab a second pole. He would approach the supervisor, with his receipt and say that the cashier had forgotten to remove the tag. My supervisor would then happily remove the O-Tag for him and he would exit the store with 2 for the price of one. This went on for weeks. This guy had a system and he was very convincing. He was eventually caught when he got too greedy.
This was a great training lesson for my stores and an even better lesson for me. No matter how much we invest in training, or in product security, someone will be out there thinking just as hard on how to defeat those system.
No matter what time of year it is, you can find me on the lake at least once or twice a month. My grandpa got me hooked on fishing when I was very young, and even as an adult I can’t wait to get out on the water. Nothing beats getting up before dawn, grabbing my fishing pole and being the only soul for miles in the middle of a still body of water. It’s a thing of beauty. I’m convinced that sometimes if I turn my head really fast, I can catch a glimpse of my grandpa sitting next to me with his rod and reel. This is another reason I love my job so much.
As a LP Manager for a sporting goods store, I not only get to catch bad guys, I get to play around with all the stuff I love. One thing that took me by surprise in this job is how often fishing poles are stolen. Yes, stolen. Not the typical stuff down your pants product, but I’ve seen some very clever ways to steal a rod, even with the merchandise secured with an O-Tag.
Last summer, after inventories were conducted, we noticed some pretty high shrink in a particular sku. It retailed for $199 and all three of my stores were missing anywhere between 5 and 10 units. This product is shipped directly to the store and is received in by a manager, so there wasn’t any way that it never made it to the store. After searching the backrooms and warehouses for a few days, I resigned myself to the fact that they had been stolen. But how? How on Earth could you steal a fishing rod and nobody notice? Furthermore, how could you get out the front doors without the O-Tag alarming the EAS towers? I was perplexed, and out of ideas. Unless there was a band of super tall thieves who could very easily conceal them in their pants…
Unfortunately, there were no pack of giant shoplifters. I did however find some very clever thieves though. After some investigating, I found how they were getting the poles out of the store. A shoplifter would come into the store and purchase one of the fishing poles. The cashier would remove the EAS device and the customer would quickly exit the store after tending payment. He would place the product in his car and rush back inside and grab a second pole. He would approach the supervisor, with his receipt and say that the cashier had forgotten to remove the tag. My supervisor would then happily remove the O-Tag for him and he would exit the store with 2 for the price of one. This went on for weeks. This guy had a system and he was very convincing. He was eventually caught when he got too greedy.
This was a great training lesson for my stores and an even better lesson for me. No matter how much we invest in training, or in product security, someone will be out there thinking just as hard on how to defeat those system.
For more information contact us at losspreventionsystems.com or call 1.770.426.0547
If you own or operate a retail business of any kind, you know that you have to protect the merchandise you allow customers to purchase. Using various tools to protect your merchandise is the best way to prevent shoplifting, especially when paired with good employee training. The Alpha Spider Wrap is one tool you can use to protect merchandise in boxes and other types of packaging because of its flexible cable structure. In most cases, having one of these strapped to your stock is going to send shoplifters in the other direction; however, if these devices are not properly used, and properly protected themselves, they don’t have the same deterrent as when used properly. There are a few big “no-no’s” to avoid when it comes to using these devices that will keep them as effective theft prevention tools.
I have worked as loss prevention in a department store that sells hardware and tools for several years. Just the other day, there were two suspicious men who came into the tools department that I and my team noticed. They had a particular interest in our portable power tools combo sets. These sets are typically priced at two- to three-hundred dollars. These men were not interested in buying the combo set but were obviously interested in stealing it. As the bearded man picked up the tool set, he immediately began examining the spider wrap containing the item—but there was a big problem. As the criminal soon discovered, the spider wrap was on the box but was not completely tightened. The bearded man and his tall friend wandered around the department for a minute, one speaking to a tools salesperson to distract him. The bearded man came back, crouched down, and slid the cables of the Alpha Spider Wrap off of the edge of the package, defeating the device, and placing it off to the side. He then got up and circled back around, picking the tool set up, and leaving the store with it, rendering no payment.
So the moral of the story is obvious: even if your merchandise has the device to prevent shoplifting attached to it, it won’t necessarily keep it out of the hands of the thieves. This is an obvious statement when read on a piece of paper, but implementing it properly can be much more difficult. Do your employees know how to use a spider wrap device? Do they know how to unlock it, how to lock it, how to tighten it properly, which items to put them on, or where to keep them when they aren’t being used? Do they also know how to properly secure the keys for these devices to prevent these keys from being stolen or misused for theft?
The magnetic keys for Alpha Spider Wraps issued by Alpha Security are also used to disable or unlock many other alpha security devices. If one of these keys gets lost or stolen, your entire store could be at risk! Make sure you have a system that will prevent the theft of these, or their loss by associates. This may include not leaving keys (even tied down) at unattended cash registers, or using a paper log to sign keys in and out. Likewise, make sure your employees are trained to use these devices properly, including unlocking—an area where a lack of training could be a big inconvenience for your customers. Just as important, make sure that they know how to re-secure new merchandise in the store.
For more information contact us: Prevent Shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547
If you own or operate a retail business of any kind, you know that you have to protect the merchandise you allow customers to purchase. Using various tools to protect your merchandise is the best way to prevent shoplifting, especially when paired with good employee training. The Alpha Spider Wrap is one tool you can use to protect merchandise in boxes and other types of packaging because of its flexible cable structure. In most cases, having one of these strapped to your stock is going to send shoplifters in the other direction; however, if these devices are not properly used, and properly protected themselves, they don’t have the same deterrent as when used properly. There are a few big “no-no’s” to avoid when it comes to using these devices that will keep them as effective theft prevention tools.
I have worked loss prevention in a department store that sells hardware and tools for several years. Just the other day, there were two suspicious men who came into the tools department that I and my team noticed. They had a particular interest in our portable power tools combo sets. These sets are typically priced at two- to three-hundred dollars. These men were not interested in buying the combo set but were obviously interested in stealing it. As the bearded man picked up the tool set, he immediately began examining the Alpha Spider Wrap containing the item—but there was a big problem. As the criminal soon discovered, the Spider Wrap was on the box but was not completely tightened. The bearded man and his tall friend wandered around the department for a minute, one speaking to a tools salesperson to distract him. The bearded man came back, crouched down, and slid the cables of the Alpha Spider Wrap off of the edge of the package, defeating the device, and placing it off to the side. He then got up and circled back around, picking the tool set up, and leaving the store with it, rendering no payment.
So the moral of the story is obvious: even if your merchandise has the device to prevent shoplifting attached to it, it won’t necessarily keep it out of the hands of the thieves. This is an obvious statement when read on a piece of paper, but implementing it properly can be much more difficult. Do your employees know how to use Alpha Spider Wrap? Do they know how to unlock it, how to lock it, how to tighten it properly, which items to put them on, or where to keep them when they aren’t being used? Do they also know how to properly secure the keys for these devices to prevent these keys from being stolen or misused for theft?
The magnetic keys for Alpha Spider Wraps issued by Alpha Security are also used to disable or unlock many other Alpha security devices. If one of these keys gets lost or stolen, your entire store could be at risk! Make sure you have a system that will prevent the theft of these, or their loss by associates. This may include not leaving keys (even tied down) at unattended cash registers, or using a paper log to sign keys in and out. Likewise, make sure your employees are trained to use these devices properly, including unlocking—an area where a lack of training could be a big inconvenience for your customers. Just as important, make sure that they know how to re-secure new merchandise in the store.
For more information contact us: Prevent Shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547
Every brick and mortar store contains fixtures, columns, merchandise, lights, mannequins and all sorts of equipment. Most stores arrange these to optimize efficiency, maximize profits, and appeal to the customer. Of course, there must always be room to comply with OSHA requirements and local fire code. After all of this is considered, the visibility of the entire sales floor can be an afterthought. Most stores have at least one or two areas in the store that aren’t frequented by shoppers or employees, no matter how small a store may be. These areas can be a hotbed of theft; concealment, defeating security devices, or staging of merchandise. What the best store planners know is that the layout of the store can greatly affect the status of clothing security.
Having worked in loss prevention for many years, I have seen it time and time again. Managers and merchandisers will place some of their best items right inside the doors of the store to catch the eye of passersby, and other customers who enter the store. While this tactic may or may not be effective, it certainly catches the eyes of thieves who may be casing the area for easy targets. A rack of expensive coats just inside the door at the beginning of the fall season is an enticing prospect for grab-and-run thieves.
I once heard a story about a successful grab-and-run at a store within the mall where I had been working. The thieves pulled a minivan up to the curb right outside of the doors. A man exited the vehicle, headed only a few steps inside the door, opened his arms as wide as he could, hugged roughly twelve coats on a rack, lifted them up, and ran right back out of the door, hurdling himself and the merchandise right into the back of the van which then sped off. This only took a matter of seconds to occur. The security team noticed the subject enter the store, and was immediately suspicious. Unfortunately, they had no time to act. In some other cases, thieves have been known to grab entire racks containing merchandise and run out with them. In these situations, even clothing security tags don’t do much to stop the theft. However, had those coats not been only feet from the door, this theft could have likely been prevented.
Likewise, the placement of merchandise and fixtures on the floor may be conducive for a less brazen type of theft; a more typical, sneaky shoplifting. The areas on the sales floor that are frequent sites of theft are called hotspots. They are usually marked by and abundance of price tags on the floor, security devices defeated, or large holes of missing clothing. These areas of the store are enticing to thieves for a reason. Typically, they are the most secluded corners of a store and sometimes, the most dimly-lit. One way of securing clothing in these areas is by placing a convex mirror that would allow a direct line of sight from an area where employees typically are to the hotspot. Alternatively, a camera and public-view monitor (or even a dummy camera) can be installed and will flush out a great deal of theft. The least expensive option is to simply re-arrange your sales floor layout.
The moral of the story is: consider what areas of your store will be the most likely for theft, and develop a plan to minimize that theft. In the long run, it will keep the thieves out and the money in your pockets!
For more information contact us: Clothing Security or call 1.770.426.0547
Every brick and mortar store contains fixtures, columns, merchandise, lights, mannequins and all sorts of equipment. Most stores arrange these to optimize efficiency, maximize profits, and appeal to the customer. Of course, there must always be room to comply with OSHA requirements and local fire code. After all of this is considered, the visibility of the entire sales floor can be an afterthought. Most stores have at least one or two areas in the store that aren’t frequented by shoppers or employees, no matter how small a store may be. These areas can be a hotbed of theft; concealment, defeating security devices, or staging of merchandise. What the best store planners know is that the layout of the store can greatly affect the status of clothing security.
Having worked in loss prevention for many years, I have seen it time and time again. Managers and merchandisers will place some of their best items right inside the doors of the store to catch the eye of passersby, and other customers who enter the store. While this tactic may or may not be effective, it certainly catches the eyes of thieves who may be casing the area for easy targets. A rack of expensive coats just inside the door at the beginning of the fall season is an enticing prospect for grab-and-run thieves.
I once heard a story about a successful grab-and-run at a store within the mall where I had been working. The thieves pulled a minivan up to the curb right outside of the doors. A man exited the vehicle, headed only a few steps inside the door, opened his arms as wide as he could, hugged roughly twelve coats on a rack, lifted them up, and ran right back out of the door, hurdling himself and the merchandise right into the back of the van which then sped off. This only took a matter of seconds to occur. The security team noticed the subject enter the store, and was immediately suspicious. Unfortunately, they had no time to act. In some other cases, thieves have been known to grab entire racks containing merchandise and run out with them. In these situations, even clothing security tags don’t do much to stop the theft. However, had those coats not been only feet from the door, this theft could have likely been prevented.
Likewise, the placement of merchandise and fixtures on the floor may be conducive for a less brazen type of theft; a more typical, sneaky shoplifting. The areas on the sales floor that are frequent sites of theft are called hotspots. They are usually marked by and abundance of price tags on the floor, security devices defeated, or large holes of missing clothing. These areas of the store are enticing to thieves for a reason. Typically, they are the most secluded corners of a store and sometimes, the most dimly-lit. One way of securing clothing in these areas is by placing a convex mirror that would allow a direct line of sight from an area where employees typically are to the hotspot. Alternatively, a camera and public-view monitor (or even a dummy camera) can be installed and will flush out a great deal of theft. The least expensive option is to simply re-arrange your sales floor layout.
The moral of the story is: consider what areas of your store will be the most likely for theft, and develop a plan to minimize that theft. In the long run, it will keep the thieves out and the money in your pockets!
For more information contact us: Clothing Security or call 1.770.426.0547
