I stopped at a small convenience store for a snack and soda recently. The first thing I saw as I came in the door was a sign that read “If you steal from this store, you will go to jail today”. Actually there were a couple of these hand-written signs on the door, and other similar versions throughout the rest of the store as well. I certainly had no intention of stealing anything anyway, but the vibes I got from this store, because of all these warnings, was not any sort of welcome. I really got the message that there was so much theft I was not safe in this building, so I left without buying anything. I feel sure I was not the first potential customer and sales they lost due to their choices. Instead of threatening every customer coming in the door with this crude signage, they could incorporate a Checkpoint System to protect their inventory.
Two particular models, the Classic Street and Evolve P30 have Standard Ad Panels. They come with panel inserts that simply say “Welcome”, or the store can choose to insert their own. There are several options an owner or manager could choose from when deciding what to place in the panels. Stores could choose to advertise a weekly or monthly sale that is going on. A convenience store could have a drink/snack combo special, or a clothing boutique could have an outfit/accessory special that they want to bring attention to. If the store has bought into some bulk and surplus items, they could use use the Ad Panels to bring attention to a display and create impulse sales. They could use them to indicate the availability of a trending or hot item they now carry.
If there is an upcoming fair or festival, and the store plans to have a booth or display there, they could create anticipation and excitement about the event using the Ad Panels. Community awareness and support among local small businesses is always a winning combination. Use the panels to congratulate a local school team on a win, or encouragement for the big game. The Checkpoint System pedestals work into the aesthetics of the store, instead of giving an impression that the store is unsafe or not secured. Plus the store can choose a custom color for the pedestal bases. (Just speak to your representative about available colors.)
The real win with the Checkpoint System is the functionality of the panels and real control of the store’s inventory. The deterrence to shoplifters is there, without having to make blatant printed threats to the honest cash paying customer. There is a certain recognition of the Checkpoint brand and a would-be thief is immediately made aware that there is product protection in place as soon as they walk in the front door.
For more information contact us at 1.770.426.0547 or Antishoplifting.net
I stopped at a small convenience store for a snack and soda recently. The first thing I saw as I came in the door was a sign that read “If you steal from this store, you will go to jail today”. Actually there were a couple of these hand-written signs on the door, and other similar versions throughout the rest of the store as well. I certainly had no intention of stealing anything anyway, but the vibes I got from this store, because of all these warnings, was not any sort of welcome. I really got the message that there was so much theft I was not safe in this building, so I left without buying anything. I feel sure I was not the first potential customer and sales they lost due to their choices. Instead of threatening every customer coming in the door with this crude signage, they could incorporate a Checkpoint System to protect their inventory.
Two particular models, the Classic Street and Evolve P30 have Standard Ad Panels. They come with panel inserts that simply say “Welcome”, or the store can choose to insert their own. There are several options an owner or manager could choose from when deciding what to place in the panels. Stores could choose to advertise a weekly or monthly sale that is going on. A convenience store could have a drink/snack combo special, or a clothing boutique could have an outfit/accessory special that they want to bring attention to. If the store has bought into some bulk and surplus items, they could use use the Ad Panels to bring attention to a display and create impulse sales. They could use them to indicate the availability of a trending or hot item they now carry.
If there is an upcoming fair or festival, and the store plans to have a booth or display there, they could create anticipation and excitement about the event using the Ad Panels. Community awareness and support among local small businesses is always a winning combination. Use the panels to congratulate a local school team on a win, or encouragement for the big game. The Checkpoint System pedestals work into the aesthetics of the store, instead of giving an impression that the store is unsafe or not secured. Plus the store can choose a custom color for the pedestal bases. (Just speak to your representative about available colors.)
The real win with the Checkpoint System is the functionality of the panels and real control of the store’s inventory. The deterrence to shoplifters is there, without having to make blatant printed threats to the honest cash paying customer. There is a certain recognition of the Checkpoint brand and a would-be thief is immediately made aware that there is product protection in place as soon as they walk in the front door.
For more information contact us at 1.770.426.0547 or Antishoplifting.net
I’m a strong believer in small business in this country. No matter your race, creed or background, with a little hard work and dedication you can make a good living for yourself if you have what people want. I come from a long line of small business owners, and because of that, I often go out of my way to shop at those “mom and pop” stores, in lieu of the mass merchants. One thing that I’ve seen through the years is how easily a legitimate, family run store, can slip into selling stolen goods. It’s also a great reminder that if you sell alcohol, you should definitely have some type of bottle security in place.
I was working a theft investigation one week and, through the course of this investigation had gathered information of a fence operating in the area. A fence is what we call a store front operation (whether it be brick and motor, or an online market place) that boosters can unload their stolen goods quickly. That fence then sells the stolen goods for a profit. A much, much higher profit than what they would get if they bought the product from a legitimate vendor and not a thief. To my surprise, it was a small corner store not too far away from my childhood home. I knew the owners somewhat and I couldn’t understand how they had gotten into this.
I worked closely with the local police as we pursued the case. I had several boosters that were targeting my stores almost daily. They were targeting the lower end liquor, which was not secured with a Bottle Lock. These ran anywhere from $9 to $11. To us, it didn’t make sense to secure them since it wasn’t really the target of most thieves. As these thieves would boost our liquor, we would then be able to track the bottles back to this store. We had markers on the bottles where they couldn’t be easily seen. Local police would then make undercover purchases at this store, and would match up the markers to our product, proving the goods were ours to begin with.
A few weeks of this operation went by and police were ready to make a move on the store. I asked if I could ride along since I had known the owners for quite some time. They agreed, and even let me be a part of the interview. I found that the owners were going through some tough financial times with the business and they were enticed into selling the stolen alcohol by a family member. Turns out that most of the boosters in my investigation were relatives of the owners. Instead of paying a legitimate vendor, say $3 per bottle, they were paying the booster $1, for example. This helped them out to an extent and once they saw how easy it was, began requesting all sorts of merchandise. Before long, they were in a downward spiral that they couldn’t control.
It was tough to watch a legitimate business owner turn to what I consider, the dark side. After this case was closed out, we revamped our strategies surrounding liquor bottle security. Now, no matter the dollar amount, every bottle of liquor in our stores in secured with a bottle lock. This is the easiest way to protect our assets and remain profitable. It also makes it more difficult for those who want to make a profit from your loss gain easy access to your stock.
For more information, contact us: Bottle Lock, or call 1.770.426.0547
I’m a strong believer in small business in this country. No matter your race, creed or background, with a little hard work and dedication you can make a good living for yourself if you have what people want. I come from a long line of small business owners, and because of that, I often go out of my way to shop at those “mom and pop” stores, in lieu of the mass merchants. One thing that I’ve seen through the years is how easily a legitimate, family run store, can slip into selling stolen goods. It’s also a great reminder that if you sell alcohol, you should definitely have some type of bottle security in place.
I was working a theft investigation one week and, through the course of this investigation had gathered information of a fence operating in the area. A fence is what we call a store front operation (whether it be brick and motor, or an online market place) that boosters can unload their stolen goods quickly. That fence then sells the stolen goods for a profit. A much, much higher profit than what they would get if they bought the product from a legitimate vendor and not a thief. To my surprise, it was a small corner store not too far away from my childhood home. I knew the owners somewhat and I couldn’t understand how they had gotten into this.
I worked closely with the local police as we pursued the case. I had several boosters that were targeting my stores almost daily. They were targeting the lower end liquor, which was not secured with a Bottle Lock. These ran anywhere from $9 to $11. To us, it didn’t make sense to secure them since it wasn’t really the target of most thieves. As these thieves would boost our liquor, we would then be able to track the bottles back to this store. We had markers on the bottles where they couldn’t be easily seen. Local police would then make undercover purchases at this store, and would match up the markers to our product, proving the goods were ours to begin with.
A few weeks of this operation went by and police were ready to make a move on the store. I asked if I could ride along since I had known the owners for quite some time. They agreed, and even let me be a part of the interview. I found that the owners were going through some tough financial times with the business and they were enticed into selling the stolen alcohol by a family member. Turns out that most of the boosters in my investigation were relatives of the owners. Instead of paying a legitimate vendor, say $3 per bottle, they were paying the booster $1, for example. This helped them out to an extent and once they saw how easy it was, began requesting all sorts of merchandise. Before long, they were in a downward spiral that they couldn’t control.
It was tough to watch a legitimate business owner turn to what I consider, the dark side. After this case was closed out, we revamped our strategies surrounding liquor bottle security. Now, no matter the dollar amount, every bottle of liquor in our stores in secured with a bottle lock. This is the easiest way to protect our assets and remain profitable. It also makes it more difficult for those who want to make a profit from your loss gain easy access to your stock.
For more information, contact us: Bottle Lock, or call 1.770.426.0547
Understanding how shoplifter behavior differs from the actions of a typical, paying customer is key to spotting a shoplifter while they are trying to steal. This allows you the time you need to catch them in the act. Store employees, however, are not the only ones who are looking to see what is different.
Shoplifters are also on the lookout for merchandise that looks the same. More experienced and career shoplifters benefit only when they can resell the merchandise somehow. It can be through an internet site, in flea markets, or directly to a potential buyer. In all of these situations, the key to reselling these items is that the merchandise needs to be identical with no alternate identifiers.
Some of these identifiers could be parts of a packaging that is torn or scuffed from where a Checkpoint label was torn off. Other identifiers could be a store tag or label indicating where the product came from. Some stores create anti shoplifting labels that indicate the product comes from store “X” and should be returned if found for resale somewhere.
Some retailers have been creative in their retail theft prevention by taking a black marker and writing their store number next to a barcode. It is another identifier that detracts shoplifters from stealing those products in an attempt to resell them. The store number can also act as an identifier for law enforcement if they were to find the merchandise connected to a shoplifting case or a more organized retail theft ring.
When merchandise is clearly notated with some tag, label or other form of marking, it is harder for a thief to resell the item. It is not uncommon for stolen merchandise to end up in the hands of honest customers. These buyers may or may not legitimately realize that the merchandise has been previously shoplifted. If the product looks clean, new, unblemished and still in its original packaging why would a buyer think anything of it?
Thieves who resell on legitimate websites, at flea markets, or pose as suppliers to small businesses that are looking for a cheaper form of distribution, rely on the consistency of “their” product to fool the honest buyer. When they have the ability to widen their sales market to include honest buyers and businesses (instead of just selling to other criminals) there is a greater chance that they will be able to make money. They can increase their sales of this stolen merchandise; creating more profit for themselves and their crime ring.
Since the honest buyer will be less likely to buy blemished items, or items that have evidence that they were stolen, it is critical for the shoplifters to spot merchandise that has been tagged prior to it being stolen. This helps them to retain their market share, as it were.
Marking your high theft inventory through a label, or a written on store number can help to reduce the shoplifting losses. By clearly notating that this merchandise is the property of your store, you reduce a shoplifters attraction to your merchandise.
Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase Anti-Shoplifting devices and your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system from Checkpoint Systems to stop shoplifting in your store.
For more information on Anti-Shoplifting, Checkpoint Labels, a Checkpoint Security System, Checkpoint Security Tags, Checkpoint Systems, or Checkpoint Tags and how they can work with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system contact us at Retail theft prevention to Stop Shoplifting in your store or call 1.770.426.0547
Understanding how shoplifter behavior differs from the actions of a typical, paying customer is key to spotting a shoplifter while they are trying to steal. This allows you the time you need to catch them in the act. Store employees, however, are not the only ones who are looking to see what is different.
Shoplifters are also on the lookout for merchandise that looks the same. More experienced and career shoplifters benefit only when they can resell the merchandise somehow. It can be through an internet site, in flea markets, or directly to a potential buyer. In all of these situations, the key to reselling these items is that the merchandise needs to be identical with no alternate identifiers.
Some of these identifiers could be parts of a packaging that is torn or scuffed from where a Checkpoint label was torn off. Other identifiers could be a store tag or label indicating where the product came from. Some stores create anti shoplifting labels that indicate the product comes from store “X” and should be returned if found for resale somewhere.
Some retailers have been creative in their retail theft prevention by taking a black marker and writing their store number next to a barcode. It is another identifier that detracts shoplifters from stealing those products in an attempt to resell them. The store number can also act as an identifier for law enforcement if they were to find the merchandise connected to a shoplifting case or a more organized retail theft ring.
When merchandise is clearly notated with some tag, label or other form of marking, it is harder for a thief to resell the item. It is not uncommon for stolen merchandise to end up in the hands of honest customers. These buyers may or may not legitimately realize that the merchandise has been previously shoplifted. If the product looks clean, new, unblemished and still in its original packaging why would a buyer think anything of it?
Thieves who resell on legitimate websites, at flea markets, or pose as suppliers to small businesses that are looking for a cheaper form of distribution, rely on the consistency of “their” product to fool the honest buyer. When they have the ability to widen their sales market to include honest buyers and businesses (instead of just selling to other criminals) there is a greater chance that they will be able to make money. They can increase their sales of this stolen merchandise; creating more profit for themselves and their crime ring.
Since the honest buyer will be less likely to buy blemished items, or items that have evidence that they were stolen, it is critical for the shoplifters to spot merchandise that has been tagged prior to it being stolen. This helps them to retain their market share, as it were.
Marking your high theft inventory through a label, or a written on store number can help to reduce the shoplifting losses. By clearly notating that this merchandise is the property of your store, you reduce a shoplifters attraction to your merchandise.
Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase Anti-Shoplifting devices and your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system from Checkpoint Systems to stop shoplifting in your store.
For more information on Anti-Shoplifting, Checkpoint Labels, a Checkpoint Security System, Checkpoint Security Tags, Checkpoint Systems, or Checkpoint Tags and how they can work with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system contact us at Retail theft prevention to Stop Shoplifting in your store or call 1.770.426.0547
When I turned on the computer at work this afternoon, I saw a familiar headline staring back at me. Pharmacy employee admits to stealing over 2,000 prescription pain pills over a two year period. An outsider may wonder how it took so long to discover these drugs were missing. The sad truth is pilfering drugs out of a pharmacy is pretty easy. I have worked for a retail pharmacy for over 14 years, and I have seen this story line play out many times, even in my own company. It really makes me wonder why more pharmacies do not incorporate RX Caps for their inventory.
All of our pharmacy employees are required to have a background check and drug test. They progress through their training, and then they are left to their own devices to work with an abundance of different prescription medicines. In our lowest volume stores, there is still over a million dollars worth of assets sitting on the shelves at any time. In the medical field, it is estimated that 16% of employees have had an issue with addiction at some time. That means if you are a manager or owner of a pharmacy, you need to be aware of the real possibility that an internal issue can arise. There are steps you can take to minimize that risk. Watch for exceptions, like if a medication is getting ordered on a regular basis when there is no dispensing to validate the need for it. You obviously do not want unproductive inventory sitting on your shelves waiting to expire. You also do not want put your business in the position of having to report a major loss to the DEA or state board of pharmacy. RX Caps can be the tool you need to keep your drugs safe. They secure the lids on the bottles, and they can only be opened with the key that is provided. If an employee attempts to remove the bottles from the pharmacy area with the RX Caps still attached, they will self alarm.
One technician stole over 9,000 anti-anxiety pills. He was selling those on the street for $10 each over a period of six years with the company. Another took over 1,000 tablets that are prescribed to help patients recover from opium addiction. She was taking those for herself, because of her past addiction issue that was reoccurring because of working in the pharmacy. One more example was the employee that took over 6,000 pain pills. She was stealing them for her husband. He was using them himself for chronic pain, and selling them as well. All of these pills are out on the shelves, not controlled drugs in the safe that only the pharmacist has access to. Imagine how RX Caps could have prevented these cases from ever happening. The temptation is great, and getting pills out the door is just not hard to do. They can pocket a few at a time, or conceal whole bottles. Either way, the business is losing money, and there can be major damage to your store’s reputation. Don’t be the victim of this kind of loss.
For more information contact us at: Antishoplifting.net or call 1.770.426.0547
When I turned on the computer at work this afternoon, I saw a familiar headline staring back at me. Pharmacy employee admits to stealing over 2,000 prescription pain pills over a two year period. An outsider may wonder how it took so long to discover these drugs were missing. The sad truth is pilfering drugs out of a pharmacy is pretty easy. I have worked for a retail pharmacy for over 14 years, and I have seen this story line play out many times, even in my own company. It really makes me wonder why more pharmacies do not incorporate Alpha RX Caps for their inventory.
All of our pharmacy employees are required to have a background check and drug test. They progress through their training, and then they are left to their own devices to work with an abundance of different prescription medicines. In our lowest volume stores, there is still over a million dollars worth of assets sitting on the shelves at any time. In the medical field, it is estimated that 16% of employees have had an issue with addiction at some time. That means if you are a manager or owner of a pharmacy, you need to be aware of the real possibility that an internal issue can arise. There are steps you can take to minimize that risk. Watch for exceptions, like if a medication is getting ordered on a regular basis when there is no dispensing to validate the need for it. You obviously do not want unproductive inventory sitting on your shelves waiting to expire. You also do not want put your business in the position of having to report a major loss to the DEA or state board of pharmacy. Alpha RX Caps can be the tool you need to keep your drugs safe. They secure the lids on the bottles, and they can only be opened with the key that is provided. If an employee attempts to remove the bottles from the pharmacy area with the RX Caps still attached, they will self alarm.
One technician stole over 9,000 anti-anxiety pills. He was selling those on the street for $10 each over a period of six years with the company. Another took over 1,000 tablets that are prescribed to help patients recover from opium addiction. She was taking those for herself, because of her past addiction issue that was reoccurring because of working in the pharmacy. One more example was the employee that took over 6,000 pain pills. She was stealing them for her husband. He was using them himself for chronic pain, and selling them as well.
All of these pills are out on the shelves, not controlled drugs in the safe that only the pharmacist has access to. Imagine how RX Caps could have prevented these cases from ever happening. The temptation is great, and getting pills out the door is just not hard to do. They can pocket a few at a time, or conceal whole bottles. Either way, the business is losing money, and there can be major damage to your store’s reputation. Don’t be the victim of this kind of loss.
For more information contact us at: Antishoplifting.net or call 1.770.426.0547
Ordering retail anti-theft devices to prevent shoplifting is one thing. Having a better understanding on how to use them is a completely different thing. To order these security devices, the only education you need is to understand which devices will work for the specific products you want protected from shoplifters and theft.
Once you get the anti theft devices, you will need to know how to use them. Sure, you can probably fiddle around with them until you figure it out, but is that really the best use of your time? The way you come up with to use them might also not be as efficient as the one the actual manufacturers (Alpha Security) created.
Since it is their devices, it makes so much more sense to go directly to the source to learn the best possible way to attach and detach these security devices. Just as Alpha Security has worked tirelessly to provide the best quality and reliable, product specific anti theft devices, they have also worked to create a better way for the end user (your store) to use them.
Alpha Security has created a series of instructional videos aimed at educating their customers in how to more efficiently use their anti theft products. The videos are not very long, but they provide a visual reference as to how to properly attach and detach these security tags, devices, and other anti theft products.
Most people are visual learners, instead of auditory ones. Having the visual as a step-by-step reference makes a more complete training for these products. Retailers are no longer forced to figure the applications out on their own. Having a series of instructional videos can also be an important enhancement to an employee on boarding, or ongoing training program.
It is a key step in helping to ensure 100% compliance in tagging programs. Completing hands on training is a good step. Having these same employees view the instructional videos, and then being provided hands on training by a manager or peer will further solidify the proper way to complete this task. Having a two step process also covers the gambit of learning styles to help employees more fully understand what they are expected to do.
The instructional video can be watched over and over, paused, rewound, etc so the employees don’t have to worry about missing a step. If they didn’t see something, or wanted to watch a particular step again, the video allows this to happen.
With this video addition to your training program, it becomes much easier to hold your employees accountable for their productivity. An employee who is not following the tagging processes at 100% might say they weren’t trained, or they didn’t understand the training. Having a two-step process helps to weaken their arguments that they didn’t know what was going on. A training video also helps to standardize the training process- ensuring every employee has access to the same information.
Visit the Loss Prevention Store for Alpha 2Alarm, Alpha 3Alarm, Alpha Fashion2, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Shark Tag, Alpha Spider Wrap and other retail anti-theft devices from Alpha Security to use in conjunction with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system that can help you prevent shoplifting in your business.
For more information on how you can use Alpha Security retail anti-theft devices and your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
Ordering retail anti-theft devices to prevent shoplifting is one thing. Having a better understanding on how to use them is a completely different thing. To order these security devices, the only education you need is to understand which devices will work for the specific products you want protected from shoplifters and theft.
Once you get the anti theft devices, you will need to know how to use them. Sure, you can probably fiddle around with them until you figure it out, but is that really the best use of your time? The way you come up with to use them might also not be as efficient as the one the actual manufacturers (Alpha Security) created.
Since it is their devices, it makes so much more sense to go directly to the source to learn the best possible way to attach and detach these security devices. Just as Alpha Security has worked tirelessly to provide the best quality and reliable, product specific anti theft devices, they have also worked to create a better way for the end user (your store) to use them.
Alpha Security has created a series of instructional videos aimed at educating their customers in how to more efficiently use their anti theft products. The videos are not very long, but they provide a visual reference as to how to properly attach and detach these security tags, devices, and other anti theft products.
Most people are visual learners, instead of auditory ones. Having the visual as a step-by-step reference makes a more complete training for these products. Retailers are no longer forced to figure the applications out on their own. Having a series of instructional videos can also be an important enhancement to an employee on boarding, or ongoing training program.
It is a key step in helping to ensure 100% compliance in tagging programs. Completing hands on training is a good step. Having these same employees view the instructional videos, and then being provided hands on training by a manager or peer will further solidify the proper way to complete this task. Having a two step process also covers the gambit of learning styles to help employees more fully understand what they are expected to do.
The instructional video can be watched over and over, paused, rewound, etc so the employees don’t have to worry about missing a step. If they didn’t see something, or wanted to watch a particular step again, the video allows this to happen.
With this video addition to your training program, it becomes much easier to hold your employees accountable for their productivity. An employee who is not following the tagging processes at 100% might say they weren’t trained, or they didn’t understand the training. Having a two-step process helps to weaken their arguments that they didn’t know what was going on. A training video also helps to standardize the training process- ensuring every employee has access to the same information.
Visit the Loss Prevention Store for Alpha 2Alarm, Alpha 3Alarm, Alpha Fashion2, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Shark Tag, Alpha Spider Wrap and other retail anti-theft devices from Alpha Security to use in conjunction with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system that can help you prevent shoplifting in your business.
For more information on how you can use Alpha Security retail anti-theft devices and your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system to prevent shoplifting contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
