There are many crafty methods thieves use when stealing clothing in stores. You probably know the typical methods such as concealing in a bag or under their own clothing, but are you aware of some of the not so standard methods that are being used today? One trick some people use is called wardrobing, and it’s a little more difficult to prevent than a typical shoplifting incident. It’s tricky because the people actually purchase the merchandise. Some people may argue that it technically isn’t stealing, but it does cause a loss to the retailer. It’s kind of like getting a free clothing rental, but making it where the business can’t resell the clothes.
If you don’t know what wardrobing is, it is when someone buys an item, wears the item, and then returns it for a refund. This usually occurs with expensive clothing, and it’s not always about the price. As with regular shoplifting, some people actually have the money to purchase what they are taking. They know when they purchase the item that they are going to wear it once or twice, and then get their money back. An example of this is if someone needs a suit for a job interview or for an event, but they can’t or don’t want to pay for it. Not everyone does this just for special occasions, some people do this on a regular basis.
Although it is not the same as the shoplifting you see every day, it does cause a loss. Even though the merchandise is brought back to the store, it is worn and used. Trying on clothing for a minute to see how it fits is one thing, but actually walking around and wearing it is another. How many people do you know that would want to buy something that someone else had already worn for a day or two? Damage could also have been done to the clothing, which makes it unsellable. Who knows what they did while they were wearing the clothes, and you don’t want to pass that guessing game on to your customers.
So how do you stop this from happening in your store? Standard clothing security tags will not be effective in this situation because they are designed to deter or stop theft from occurring in the store. This is a different situation, and calls for other methods to prevent the loss. Some companies have now began fighting back by taking measures to ensure it doesn’t happen at their stores. One method they are using is to place special wardrobing tags on their merchandise. These tags are strategically attached to the clothing in order to ensure they cannot be hidden.
If the customer removes the tags to wear the clothing, the return will be denied if attempted. The tags still allow the customers to purchase the items and bring them home to try on, or even give as a gift. If they do not fit, and the tag is still attached, the return will be accepted. Applying the wardrobing tags to the clothing will discourage customers from trying to get the clothing without paying for it, because no one wants a big tag hanging off of their clothes when they are dressed to impress.
For more information contact us: (Wardrobing) or call 1.770.426.0547
There are many crafty methods thieves use when stealing clothing in stores. You probably know the typical methods such as concealing in a bag or under their own clothing, but are you aware of some of the not so standard methods that are being used today? One trick some people use is called wardrobing, and it’s a little more difficult to prevent than a typical shoplifting incident. It’s tricky because the people actually purchase the merchandise. Some people may argue that it technically isn’t stealing, but it does cause a loss to the retailer. It’s kind of like getting a free clothing rental, but making it where the business can’t resell the clothes.
If you don’t know what wardrobing is, it is when someone buys an item, wears the item, and then returns it for a refund. This usually occurs with expensive clothing, and it’s not always about the price. As with regular shoplifting, some people actually have the money to purchase what they are taking. They know when they purchase the item that they are going to wear it once or twice, and then get their money back. An example of this is if someone needs a suit for a job interview or for an event, but they can’t or don’t want to pay for it. Not everyone does this just for special occasions, some people do this on a regular basis.
Although it is not the same as the shoplifting you see every day, it does cause a loss. Even though the merchandise is brought back to the store, it is worn and used. Trying on clothing for a minute to see how it fits is one thing, but actually walking around and wearing it is another. How many people do you know that would want to buy something that someone else had already worn for a day or two? Damage could also have been done to the clothing, which makes it unsellable. Who knows what they did while they were wearing the clothes, and you don’t want to pass that guessing game on to your customers.
So how do you stop this from happening in your store? Standard clothing security tags will not be effective in this situation because they are designed to deter or stop theft from occurring in the store. This is a different situation, and calls for other methods to prevent the loss. Some companies have now began fighting back by taking measures to ensure it doesn’t happen at their stores. One method they are using is to place special wardrobing tags on their merchandise. These tags are strategically attached to the clothing in order to ensure they cannot be hidden.
If the customer removes the tags to wear the clothing, the return will be denied if attempted. The tags still allow the customers to purchase the items and bring them home to try on, or even give as a gift. If they do not fit, and the tag is still attached, the return will be accepted. Applying the wardrobing tags to the clothing will discourage customers from trying to get the clothing without paying for it, because no one wants a big tag hanging off of their clothes when they are dressed to impress.
For more information contact us: Wardrobing or call 1.770.426.0547
I’ve learned over the years that I will never stop shoplifting completely. I can deploy camera systems, invest in additional checkpoint security systems, or even hire armed guards. Sometimes, that’s still not enough. In order to prevent a theft, and really combat the problem, you have to stop it at the source. Sometimes that’s training your store teams. Sometimes that’s making smart merchandising choices. Other times however, you may find yourself battling a professional group of individuals whom sole job in life is to steal from you. I am so grateful that I found a career field that allows me to aggressively go after these types of people.
I wasn’t prepared for how much work would go into this case. I’m used to closing a theft case pretty quickly. Most times, cases are simple. Someone comes in, rips an anti-shoplifting device off a product, conceals it, exits, and then goes to jail. I know, as well as anyone else in this industry, that stolen goods are often funneled somewhere. Just like a street level drug dealer doesn’t give up his supplier, a booster will keep where the goods are going a closely guarded secret. In both instances, that level of secrecy is what, in fact, keeps the money in their pocket.
At this point, it was several weeks since a joint investigation with a local police department had uncovered a store front dealing in stolen goods. On the outside, it was your typical corner market. Once inside though, it was clear to people like myself, what was really going on. There were cases of tide detergent, NFL jerseys, branded product… there was no way they were acquiring this legally. Some of these manufactures wouldn’t sell to my company, so I knew they couldn’t possibly have a purchase order with this tiny store.
As the weeks progressed, several retailers and their LP departments became involved in this case. The police department would request certain items and an undercover detective would sell the product to the store. We needed to make certain that the items appeared to have been stolen. Here’s where a simple checkpoint label made a huge impact in this case. We provided a certain type of branded cap to the undercover detective. That cap had an anti-shoplifting device attached to it, in addition to a checkpoint label with my company’s name and logo. Any normal person could assume that the merchandise, presented in the way it was, had to have been stolen from a merchant.
They took the bait. The store was more than happy to take the caps from the detective. The store clerk even told the detective to make sure that all the security tags were off the hats “next time”. It was a remarkable piece of evidence, all thanks to a very simple tag. A few more weeks went by and the store was eventually raided. The store and a warehouse belonging to the owners were found to contain about $250,000 in stolen goods from several different retailers. We did, in fact, make the front page the next morning!
For more information, contact us: Anti-Shoplifting, or call 1.770.426.0547
I’ve learned over the years that I will never stop shoplifting completely. I can deploy camera systems, invest in additional Checkpoint Security Systems, or even hire armed guards. Sometimes, that’s still not enough. In order to prevent a theft, and really combat the problem, you have to stop it at the source. Sometimes that’s training your store teams. Sometimes that’s making smart merchandising choices. Other times however, you may find yourself battling a professional group of individuals whose sole job in life is to steal from you. I am so grateful that I found a career field that allows me to aggressively go after these types of people.
I wasn’t prepared for how much work would go into this case. I’m used to closing a theft case pretty quickly. Most times, cases are simple. Someone comes in, rips an anti-shoplifting device off a product, conceals it, exits, and then goes to jail. I know, as well as anyone else in this industry, that stolen goods are often funneled somewhere. Just like a street level drug dealer doesn’t give up his supplier, a booster will keep where the goods are going a closely guarded secret. In both instances, that level of secrecy is what, in fact, keeps the money in their pocket.
At this point, it was several weeks since a joint investigation with a local police department had uncovered a store front dealing in stolen goods. On the outside, it was your typical corner market. Once inside though, it was clear to people like myself, what was really going on. There were cases of tide detergent, NFL jerseys, branded product… there was no way they were acquiring this legally. Some of these manufactures wouldn’t sell to my company, so I knew they couldn’t possibly have a purchase order with this tiny store.
As the weeks progressed, several retailers and their LP departments became involved in this case. The police department would request certain items and an undercover detective would sell the product to the store. We needed to make certain that the items appeared to have been stolen. Here’s where a simple Checkpoint Label made a huge impact in this case. We provided a certain type of branded cap to the undercover detective. That cap had an anti-shoplifting device attached to it, in addition to a Checkpoint Label with my company’s name and logo. Any normal person could assume that the merchandise, presented in the way it was, had to have been stolen from a merchant.
They took the bait. The store was more than happy to take the caps from the detective. The store clerk even told the detective to make sure that all the security tags were off the hats “next time”. It was a remarkable piece of evidence, all thanks to a very simple tag. A few more weeks went by and the store was eventually raided. The store and a warehouse belonging to the owners were found to contain about $250,000 in stolen goods from several different retailers. We did, in fact, make the front page the next morning!
For more information, contact us: Anti-Shoplifting, or call 1.770.426.0547
What happens when you have components of your organization that are not reliable? For many campus libraries that have an issue with library theft, they are turning into an unreliable resource. By ignoring the need for library theft prevention, the reputation and good will of the entire learning institution can be called into question.
If library losses get bad enough, students are forced to go elsewhere to gain resource information that is critical to the success of their coursework. There are only so many times students will get burned by their campus library not having what they need.
There is also an underlying impression that their library might not be safe. If they are aware of theft issues of “monitored” library resources, can they be convinced that they will not also become victims of theft?
If you are aware of library theft, then you more than likely have fielded an increasing number of complaints from students who have had things stolen from them while inside the library.
Not only is the library slowly becoming unreliable, but also if it is deemed unsafe, the reputation of the school is damaged. The perception of an unsafe library can make the entire school deemed as unsafe, or seedy. Installing a library theft detection system can save more than library assets over the long haul.
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
There are a number of things you can learn by observing people, especially when it is your job to catch thieves in a retail setting. One thing that a little bit of training has taught me, and that years of experience have proven is that you can never judge a person’s intentions merely by their appearances. Observing peoples’ behaviors is the best-proven way to identify shoplifters and to prevent shoplifting. But for a moment, let’s explore some of the common misconceptions about who does and who does not shoplift.
When you hear the word “criminal”, it usually invokes a particular mental image. For many people, it is the image of a suspicious man, maybe wearing a ski mask. Or maybe it is a man with black cloth around his face with holes cut out for eyes, and a black and white, horizontally-striped shirt. Whatever the case may be, that image in your mind is not the only profile of a shoplifter. Shoplifters are men, women, and even children, both young and elderly, and of all shapes and colors. The youngest shoplifter I have personally caught was six; he and his eleven-year-old sister stole hundreds of dollars of jewelry. The oldest one was 76; she stole several high-dollar perfumes.
Another misconception you should erase from your mind is capabilities, both physical and mental. Shoplifters are not only limited to those without any disabilities. One of the many felony shopliftings I have prevented involved a 14-year-old boy, paralyzed in a wheel chair. He concealed several hundred dollars-worth of men’s colognes and concealed them into a bag which he sat upon. Likewise, just because someone appears to be “above” shoplifting, they may not be. Young, attractive men and women in suits and fancy dresses commit thefts. Aspiring college athletes commit thefts. However capable of committing theft someone appears to be will surely mislead you.
A few weeks ago a pregnant woman entered the department store where I work as a loss prevention detective. She went to the shoe department, quickly selected a pair of shoes, and went immediately into a dark corner. She slipped the shoes into her purse, and then walked around carrying the empty box. She approached an employee and asked, “Where is the register closest to an exit? Don’t worry, I’m pregnant. It’s not like I would steal or anything…” After standing in line at the register for a brief moment, she placed the empty box down, and ran out of the store with the stolen shoes.
So if you were to be asked what a shoplifter looks like, I hope that you would not be so easily fooled to give a quick response. Do they have tattoos? Do they wear old or raggedy clothes? Are they male? Are they a minority group? The answer is “yes” for the same reasons that the answer is “yes” for those without tattoos, with new, bright clothing, for females and members of a majority group; people of all appearances can shoplift. So then how do asset protection and loss prevention professionals prevent shoplifting? How can they target those individuals before it is too late? The answer is the one thing shoplifters tend to have in common; suspicious behaviors. Many of these behaviors were exhibited by the pregnant woman who stole shoes. Read part 2 of this blog series to find out how to spot those telling behaviors.
For more information contact us: Prevent shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547
There are a number of things you can learn by observing people, especially when it is your job to catch thieves in a retail setting. One thing that a little bit of training has taught me, and that years of experience have proven is that you can never judge a person’s intentions merely by their appearances. Observing peoples’ behaviors is the best-proven way to identify shoplifters and to prevent shoplifting. But for a moment, let’s explore some of the common misconceptions about who does and who does not shoplift.
When you hear the word “criminal”, it usually invokes a particular mental image. For many people, it is the image of a suspicious man, maybe wearing a ski mask. Or maybe it is a man with black cloth around his face with holes cut out for eyes, and a black and white, horizontally-striped shirt. Whatever the case may be, that image in your mind is not the only profile of a shoplifter. Shoplifters are men, women, and even children, both young and elderly, and of all shapes and colors. The youngest shoplifter I have personally caught was six; he and his eleven-year-old sister stole hundreds of dollars of jewelry. The oldest one was 76; she stole several high-dollar perfumes.
Another misconception you should erase from your mind is capabilities, both physical and mental. Shoplifters are not only limited to those without any disabilities. One of the many felony shopliftings I have prevented involved a 14-year-old boy, paralyzed in a wheel chair. He concealed several hundred dollars-worth of men’s colognes and concealed them into a bag which he sat upon. Likewise, just because someone appears to be “above” shoplifting, they may not be. Young, attractive men and women in suits and fancy dresses commit thefts. Aspiring college athletes commit thefts. However capable of committing theft someone appears to be will surely mislead you.
A few weeks ago a pregnant woman entered the department store where I work as a loss prevention detective. She went to the shoe department, quickly selected a pair of shoes, and went immediately into a dark corner. She slipped the shoes into her purse, and then walked around carrying the empty box. She approached an employee and asked, “Where is the register closest to an exit? Don’t worry, I’m pregnant. It’s not like I would steal or anything…” After standing in line at the register for a brief moment, she placed the empty box down, and ran out of the store with the stolen shoes.
So if you were to be asked what a shoplifter looks like, I hope that you would not be so easily fooled to give a quick response. Do they have tattoos? Do they wear old or raggedy clothes? Are they male? Are they a minority group? The answer is “yes” for the same reasons that the answer is “yes” for those without tattoos, with new, bright clothing, for females and members of a majority group; people of all appearances can shoplift. So then how do asset protection and loss prevention professionals prevent shoplifting? How can they target those individuals before it is too late? The answer is the one thing shoplifters tend to have in common; suspicious behaviors. Many of these behaviors were exhibited by the pregnant woman who stole shoes. Read part 2 of this blog series to find out how to spot those telling behaviors.
For more information contact us: Prevent shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547
The changing, or fitting rooms are the hub of most theft activity that occurs in clothing departments, or clothing stores in general. Shoplifters will use many different methods to try and pull a fast one on your employees. Not having some form of clothing security tags on your merchandise could cost you a great deal of money, but having an unstaffed fitting room can cost you far more in the end. Clothing security doesn’t stop at tags on the clothing, but also includes all of your employees.
Shoplifters feel comfortable stealing in areas where their actions cannot be observed by other people, so what better place for them to commit their theft than in your fitting rooms. Once in the room, they know that no one is observing their actions, so they are free to do whatever they want to do without fear of being seen. After all, they want to attract as little attention as possible while they are in the store.
A fitting room attendant is on the front line in clothing security, and they can ensure that customers are exiting the rooms with the same amount of clothing they are bringing into the room. Some thieves will actually double hang merchandise, which is when they take one piece of clothing, and place an identical piece of clothing on top of it on the hanger. This way, when they are bringing the items into the fitting room, it looks like there is only one piece of clothing on the hanger. If you have a properly trained fitting room attendant, they will be able to spot these types of things and stop this from happening.
The employee stationed at the fitting room should also check the rooms on a regular basis, or before and after customers are in the rooms. The reason for this is so they can check for empty hangers, price tags, and clothing security tags. You can be sure that tags will be hidden anywhere a price tag could possibly fit. I have found them stuck under benches with gum, behind mirrors and even in the cracks of the walls. The fitting room attendant should physically handle all merchandise brought in and out of the room, because they will be able to feel if anything is inside the clothing or if it is double hung. Nothing makes shoplifters madder than spending time trying to sneak something into the fitting rooms, only to have someone find the merchandise. I have seen people try to hide hundreds of dollars of cosmetic items into a stack of folded pants. When they spend the time doing this, the looks on their faces are priceless when they are caught. They thought they were smarter than the average person.
Placing clothing security tags on clothing may deter some shoplifters from trying to steal your clothes, but it doesn’t always deter all of them. In my experience, the best way to reduce theft in the fitting room is to have an employee present at all times. The question isn’t whether or not you can afford to have staff always at the fitting rooms, but if you can afford not to have someone there at all times. The cost of keeping someone there is much lower than what you will lose if you don’t have an employee present.
For more information contact us: (clothing security) or call 1.770.426.0547
The changing, or fitting rooms are the hub of most theft activity that occurs in clothing departments, or clothing stores in general. Shoplifters will use many different methods to try and pull a fast one on your employees. Not having some form of clothing security tags on your merchandise could cost you a great deal of money, but having an unstaffed fitting room can cost you far more in the end. Clothing security doesn’t stop at tags on the clothing, but also includes all of your employees.
Shoplifters feel comfortable stealing in areas where their actions cannot be observed by other people, so what better place for them to commit their theft than in your fitting rooms. Once in the room, they know that no one is observing their actions, so they are free to do whatever they want to do without fear of being seen. After all, they want to attract as little attention as possible while they are in the store.
A fitting room attendant is on the front line in clothing security, and they can ensure that customers are exiting the rooms with the same amount of clothing they are bringing into the room. Some thieves will actually double hang merchandise, which is when they take one piece of clothing, and place an identical piece of clothing on top of it on the hanger. This way, when they are bringing the items into the fitting room, it looks like there is only one piece of clothing on the hanger. If you have a properly trained fitting room attendant, they will be able to spot these types of things and stop this from happening.
The employee stationed at the fitting room should also check the rooms on a regular basis, or before and after customers are in the rooms. The reason for this is so they can check for empty hangers, price tags, and clothing security tags. You can be sure that tags will be hidden anywhere a price tag could possibly fit. I have found them stuck under benches with gum, behind mirrors and even in the cracks of the walls. The fitting room attendant should physically handle all merchandise brought in and out of the room, because they will be able to feel if anything is inside the clothing or if it is double hung. Nothing makes shoplifters madder than spending time trying to sneak something into the fitting rooms, only to have someone find the merchandise. I have seen people try to hide hundreds of dollars of cosmetic items into a stack of folded pants. When they spend the time doing this, the looks on their faces are priceless when they are caught. They thought they were smarter than the average person.
Placing clothing security tags on clothing may deter some shoplifters from trying to steal your clothes, but it doesn’t always deter all of them. In my experience, the best way to reduce theft in the fitting room is to have an employee present at all times. The question isn’t whether or not you can afford to have staff always at the fitting rooms, but if you can afford not to have someone there at all times. The cost of keeping someone there is much lower than what you will lose if you don’t have an employee present.
For more information contact us: Clothing Security or call 1.770.426.0547
