Alpha 3 Alarm -4 WC Blog 439
retail anti-theft devices-4
prevent shoplifting-3
Secure Merchandise With Alpha 3 Alarm Devices
How secure is your store from theft? Not just from shoplifters but also from dishonest employees? I’m always concerned with merchandise protection to prevent shoplifting by using retail anti-theft devices such as Alpha 3 Alarm devices. But I am also thinking of shortage caused by dishonest employees who have access to supposedly secure areas of a store. As a Loss Prevention Manager I would visit other stores in my company from time to time. I would go to fill in helping with an inventory or assist with a suspected investigation and I would be told how that store had strong internal theft controls. They would show me how keys were signed out and in. They made sure doors were never propped open. Office areas would never have unsecured purses or bags. Often I would find compactors unlocked (a potential internal theft concern). Prepping a secure electronics cage for inventory and I would find hidden packages or retail anti-theft devices. I would find a purse in a file drawer in someone’s unlocked desk. This was not the case in every trip I would make there were visits when controls appeared to be good. Unfortunately there were management teams that did not believe their staff would steal and wouldn’t take the time to thoroughly audit their own stores.
I do think it would be beneficial to mention what Alpha 3 Alarm retail anti-theft devices are since there may be some reading that are not familiar with them. The devices are electronic article surveillance (EAS) tags that come in a number of forms from wraps to hard tags that pin on clothes. Each carries built in technology that sends out a radio wave that will activate an EAS tower alarm when it is carried in the vicinity of a tower. These devices also have tamper alarms that screech when a shoplifter attempts to pry the unit off a product. Finally, if a shoplifter gets out the doors past EAS towers, the third alarm (an internal alarm in the tag) activates and goes where the shoplifter goes. As a tool to prevent shoplifting the Alpha 3 Alarm series of devices are top notch.
So what is my point in discussing retail anti-theft devices that are designed to prevent shoplifting when I am writing about internal security controls? Anti-theft tags aren’t for stopping shoplifting alone. There are dishonest employees who will try to walk out of a building with stolen merchandise and the tags will alarm on them the same as they do on a shoplifter. What your store personnel can do that shoplifters can’t do is get access to ‘secure’ areas giving them more places to commit their crimes. It is often in the locations that I would find empty packages or discarded EAS devices. I am not being critical only of the stores where I went for support. I had my share of internal theft cases, some more difficult than others to close and a few I did not successfully close before my suspect quit. For example, I had an employee once who would leave her purse in an unlocked desk drawer in an employee’s only area. Despite our policies against this and my warnings to her she persisted in the activity and one day claimed someone had stolen $20 from her purse. I had no cameras in the area and could never validate her claim. Nor did I have much sympathy since I had warned her on multiple occasions against this.
I also had an electronics lock-up which required a key to get into and I once found EAS tags we placed on CD’s hidden behind merchandise. At that time I had a single camera in the room. I never resolved the case despite doing live surveillances and video reviews. On the other hand I was very strict in our store about key control and made a point to address any violations of key control or door security to my store manager. Fortunately I had a store manager that respected my efforts and was as fanatical about stock shortage as I was. Over 13 years as L.P. Manager I had shortage under 1% 11 of those years. In large part that was due to ensuring secure areas were secure, monitoring activity in those areas and getting managers to understand the importance of security.
It was difficult to visit other stores and have the same influence on those managers. Hopefully as you read this article you see how crucial it is to keep tight security from showcases to stockrooms. Lock your doors and secure merchandise with Alpha 3 Alarm devices, you’ll see profits soar!
For more information about Alpha 3 Alarm contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
How secure is your store from theft? Not just from shoplifters but also from dishonest employees? I’m always concerned with merchandise protection to prevent shoplifting by using retail anti-theft devices such as Alpha 3 Alarm devices. But I am also thinking of shortage caused by dishonest employees who have access to supposedly secure areas of a store. As a Loss Prevention Manager I would visit other stores in my company from time to time. I would go to fill in helping with an inventory or assist with a suspected investigation and I would be told how that store had strong internal theft controls. They would show me how keys were signed out and in. They made sure doors were never propped open. Office areas would never have unsecured purses or bags. Often I would find compactors unlocked (a potential internal theft concern). Prepping a secure electronics cage for inventory and I would find hidden packages or retail anti-theft devices. I would find a purse in a file drawer in someone’s unlocked desk. This was not the case in every trip I would make there were visits when controls appeared to be good. Unfortunately there were management teams that did not believe their staff would steal and wouldn’t take the time to thoroughly audit their own stores.
I do think it would be beneficial to mention what Alpha 3 Alarm retail anti-theft devices are since there may be some reading that are not familiar with them. The devices are electronic article surveillance (EAS) tags that come in a number of forms from wraps to hard tags that pin on clothes. Each carries built in technology that sends out a radio wave that will activate an EAS tower alarm when it is carried in the vicinity of a tower. These devices also have tamper alarms that screech when a shoplifter attempts to pry the unit off a product. Finally, if a shoplifter gets out the doors past EAS towers, the third alarm (an internal alarm in the tag) activates and goes where the shoplifter goes. As a tool to prevent shoplifting the Alpha 3 Alarm series of devices are top notch.
So what is my point in discussing retail anti-theft devices that are designed to prevent shoplifting when I am writing about internal security controls? Anti-theft tags aren’t for stopping shoplifting alone. There are dishonest employees who will try to walk out of a building with stolen merchandise and the tags will alarm on them the same as they do on a shoplifter. What your store personnel can do that shoplifters can’t do is get access to ‘secure’ areas giving them more places to commit their crimes. It is often in the locations that I would find empty packages or discarded EAS devices. I am not being critical only of the stores where I went for support. I had my share of internal theft cases, some more difficult than others to close and a few I did not successfully close before my suspect quit. For example, I had an employee once who would leave her purse in an unlocked desk drawer in an employee’s only area. Despite our policies against this and my warnings to her she persisted in the activity and one day claimed someone had stolen $20 from her purse. I had no cameras in the area and could never validate her claim. Nor did I have much sympathy since I had warned her on multiple occasions against this.
I also had an electronics lock-up which required a key to get into and I once found EAS tags we placed on CD’s hidden behind merchandise. At that time I had a single camera in the room. I never resolved the case despite doing live surveillances and video reviews. On the other hand I was very strict in our store about key control and made a point to address any violations of key control or door security to my store manager. Fortunately I had a store manager that respected my efforts and was as fanatical about stock shortage as I was. Over 13 years as L.P. Manager I had shortage under 1% 11 of those years. In large part that was due to ensuring secure areas were secure, monitoring activity in those areas and getting managers to understand the importance of security.
It was difficult to visit other stores and have the same influence on those managers. Hopefully as you read this article you see how crucial it is to keep tight security from showcases to stockrooms. Lock your doors and secure merchandise with Alpha 3 Alarm devices, you’ll see profits soar!
For more information about Alpha 3 Alarm contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
Stop shoplifting-4 WC Blog 479
Training To Reduce Employee Theft-3
Jump For Joy When You Learn How To Stop Shoplifting
How do you train employees to stop shoplifting whether they are Loss Prevention personnel, store employees or managers? Well, a long time ago when I first entered the world of Retail Loss Prevention it was all OJT (On The Job Training). My new boss showed me how cameras worked, what to look for to identify shoplifters. I had to go through the store’s orientation class and work the salesfloor and cashiering for a week. Once I started catching shoplifters on my own we had very few limits on what we could or could not do. One of the things we could do then that is almost never permitted today is chasing a shoplifter. That being the case I had a number of funny and scary situations I was involved in but there was one that was funny and scary at the same time.
Before I go further with my story I would like to digress for a moment and discuss training for managers to impact shortage. Many large businesses have manager training that includes at least a segment by a Loss Prevention department that deals with issues of theft. Smaller and privately owned retail store owners may not have this kind of training available to them. Training to reduce employee theft and stop shoplifting is critical for any retail management team. Not knowing the methods employees may use to steal from a store means the dishonest employees can take advantage of management. Not being able to identify how shoplifters commit their crimes and what can prevent these activities can lead to unsustainable shortage. Loss Prevention Systems Inc. (LPSI) has training sessions available to provide the same (or better) training than the big corporations give their managers. LPSI offers managers courses on training to reduce employee theft and how to stop shoplifting. Employees will learn the methods these criminals use and how to prevent them as well as teaching on what NOT to do when it comes to shoplifters.
With that said I return to my story. Remember that we had no rules that governed us in what we could or could not do to catch a shoplifter except, don’t make a bad stop. Stopping a person who did not steal anything was a cardinal sin even at that time. I was watching a couple with an infant stroller via closed circuit television. The two were pulling tags off of children’s clothes and hiding them in the stroller and a diaper bag. This activity went on for quite some time and eventually they walked to the exit doors. I left the security office and stopped the couple. They denied having done anything and started shouting at me. The woman started to go back into the store but the man ran. I chased him to his station wagon and as he got in the car he realized he didn’t have the keys. He yelled to the woman to come to the car and it was obvious she was too scared to leave. I had our operator on my two-way radio and she was on the phone with local police describing the situation. I told the couple the police were coming and to cooperate. When the man realized the woman wouldn’t leave the sidewalk he jumped back out of the vehicle and wanted to fight me. I wasn’t going to intentionally get into a fist fight and kept my distance, going to the other side of the car. The subject got onto the roof of his car and was screaming about what he was going to do to me. I remained calm as I heard the police sirens approaching. I tried to explain that he was causing a scene in front of his wife and child and he should cooperate. Apparently that just angered him more and he jumped up and down on the car and was doing so as the police pulled up. I admit I was a bit scared at anyone dumb enough to jump up and down on the roof of their car and scream over a shoplifting incident. On the other hand it was a funny scene to see and more so when he refused to come down for the police officers.
Chasing shoplifters is a bad idea and I would not suggest it to anyone. Rather, find out how to stop shoplifting and while you’re at it take training to reduce employee theft from LPSI. Instead of the guy on the roof of his car, you’ll be the one jumping up and down when you see how much money you can save your company due to theft reduction.
Get more information on training to reduce employee theft contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today
How do you train employees to stop shoplifting whether they are Loss Prevention personnel, store employees or managers? Well, a long time ago when I first entered the world of Retail Loss Prevention it was all OJT (On The Job Training). My new boss showed me how cameras worked, what to look for to identify shoplifters. I had to go through the store’s orientation class and work the salesfloor and cashiering for a week. Once I started catching shoplifters on my own we had very few limits on what we could or could not do. One of the things we could do then that is almost never permitted today is chasing a shoplifter. That being the case I had a number of funny and scary situations I was involved in but there was one that was funny and scary at the same time.
Before I go further with my story I would like to digress for a moment and discuss training for managers to impact shortage. Many large businesses have manager training that includes at least a segment by a Loss Prevention department that deals with issues of theft. Smaller and privately owned retail store owners may not have this kind of training available to them. Training to reduce employee theft and stop shoplifting is critical for any retail management team. Not knowing the methods employees may use to steal from a store means the dishonest employees can take advantage of management. Not being able to identify how shoplifters commit their crimes and what can prevent these activities can lead to unsustainable shortage. Loss Prevention Systems Inc. (LPSI) has training sessions available to provide the same (or better) training than the big corporations give their managers. LPSI offers managers courses on training to reduce employee theft and how to stop shoplifting. Employees will learn the methods these criminals use and how to prevent them as well as teaching on what NOT to do when it comes to shoplifters.
With that said I return to my story. Remember that we had no rules that governed us in what we could or could not do to catch a shoplifter except, don’t make a bad stop. Stopping a person who did not steal anything was a cardinal sin even at that time. I was watching a couple with an infant stroller via closed circuit television. The two were pulling tags off of children’s clothes and hiding them in the stroller and a diaper bag. This activity went on for quite some time and eventually they walked to the exit doors. I left the security office and stopped the couple. They denied having done anything and started shouting at me. The woman started to go back into the store but the man ran. I chased him to his station wagon and as he got in the car he realized he didn’t have the keys. He yelled to the woman to come to the car and it was obvious she was too scared to leave. I had our operator on my two-way radio and she was on the phone with local police describing the situation. I told the couple the police were coming and to cooperate. When the man realized the woman wouldn’t leave the sidewalk he jumped back out of the vehicle and wanted to fight me. I wasn’t going to intentionally get into a fist fight and kept my distance, going to the other side of the car. The subject got onto the roof of his car and was screaming about what he was going to do to me. I remained calm as I heard the police sirens approaching. I tried to explain that he was causing a scene in front of his wife and child and he should cooperate. Apparently that just angered him more and he jumped up and down on the car and was doing so as the police pulled up. I admit I was a bit scared at anyone dumb enough to jump up and down on the roof of their car and scream over a shoplifting incident. On the other hand it was a funny scene to see and more so when he refused to come down for the police officers.
Chasing shoplifters is a bad idea and I would not suggest it to anyone. Rather, find out how to stop shoplifting and while you’re at it take training to reduce employee theft from LPSI. Instead of the guy on the roof of his car, you’ll be the one jumping up and down when you see how much money you can save your company due to theft reduction.
Get more information on training to reduce employee theft contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today
Clothing Alarm-3 WC Blog 484
Clothing Security Tags-5
Getting Your Attention With A Clothing Alarm
I don’t know about you but I find alarms get my attention and a clothing alarm is meant to do the same thing. I think of my alarm clock waking me for work in the morning when I am in a deep sleep. That incessant beeping noise seems to come upon me suddenly and I am startled by the noise. I also get chewed out by my wife when I hit the snooze button and get up and shower and the alarm goes off again. My job is in a college library. When the alarm pedestal, at the doors, sound due to items that have not been properly checked out or are not supposed to leave the building I find my attention is immediately drawn to the location where the alarm activated. Then there is the fire alarm in our building that sounds occasionally due to a faulty sensor but we have to treat it as a real fire. That alarm is loud and certainly grabs my attention. There are also flashing ceiling lights that are meant to catch the attention of patrons and serve to alert any patrons who may be hard of hearing. All of these alarms do basically the same thing that clothing security tags do when they activate electronic article pedestals; they arouse the attention of anyone nearby.
I would be remiss if I did not spend time telling you what clothing security tags are and how they work. Clothing security tags may be soft tags that can be peeled from a roll of tags and applied to products or to hang tags. In some cases manufacturers may apply a tag to a piece of cardboard and conceal it in a product such as a purse or wallet. The other types of tags are made of a hard, heavy duty piece of plastic with a pin on one side and a clip that holds the tag in place. The tags are almost indestructible and require a special tool to remove them from a garment. Trying to take them off with any other means causes significant damage to clothing items. The removal tools are controlled by stores making them difficult to obtain by an individual who is not a retailer. Hard tags also have circuitry built into them that allows them to work with Checkpoint towers. It is the towers that will sound the alarm and flash the lights that gain the attention of employees (and the shoplifters!).
Is a clothing alarm really enough to deter shoplifters? It is. For one thing consider this, if it didn’t concern a thief whether an alarm was going to sound they wouldn’t go out of their way to try to force tags off of clothing so they could steal it. As a Loss Prevention Associate at a department store I watched as shoplifters attempted to take tags off of clothes. They would pull and twist but get flustered and abandon merchandise then often try to find something that was not tagged. I recall one young woman I caught for shoplifting but no clothing alarm had activated when she walked out of the doors. When I had her empty her purse of its contents there was a pair of jeans that were cut near the hip and waistband. I recognized that this was where clothing security tags would have been located. I asked if she knew the jeans couldn’t be worn. She acknowledged that she knew it but was too afraid to leave them. I reminded her that she would have been better off not having stolen at all and the removal of the tag had proven her intent. In most instances though the thief just gives up on the tagged products, stock shortage results prove it.
Clothing security tags can help reduce theft and improve profits for your store(s). Don’t be alarmed if you aren’t already using them, Loss Prevention Systems Inc. can help you get started. All it takes is a phone call.
Need information on clothing security tags? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
I don’t know about you but I find alarms get my attention and a clothing alarm is meant to do the same thing. I think of my alarm clock waking me for work in the morning when I am in a deep sleep. That incessant beeping noise seems to come upon me suddenly and I am startled by the noise. I also get chewed out by my wife when I hit the snooze button and get up and shower and the alarm goes off again. My job is in a college library. When the alarm pedestal, at the doors, sound due to items that have not been properly checked out or are not supposed to leave the building I find my attention is immediately drawn to the location where the alarm activated. Then there is the fire alarm in our building that sounds occasionally due to a faulty sensor but we have to treat it as a real fire. That alarm is loud and certainly grabs my attention. There are also flashing ceiling lights that are meant to catch the attention of patrons and serve to alert any patrons who may be hard of hearing. All of these alarms do basically the same thing that clothing security tags do when they activate electronic article pedestals; they arouse the attention of anyone nearby.
I would be remiss if I did not spend time telling you what clothing security tags are and how they work. Clothing security tags may be soft tags that can be peeled from a roll of tags and applied to products or to hang tags. In some cases manufacturers may apply a tag to a piece of cardboard and conceal it in a product such as a purse or wallet. The other types of tags are made of a hard, heavy duty piece of plastic with a pin on one side and a clip that holds the tag in place. The tags are almost indestructible and require a special tool to remove them from a garment. Trying to take them off with any other means causes significant damage to clothing items. The removal tools are controlled by stores making them difficult to obtain by an individual who is not a retailer. Hard tags also have circuitry built into them that allows them to work with Checkpoint towers. It is the towers that will sound the alarm and flash the lights that gain the attention of employees (and the shoplifters!).
Is a clothing alarm really enough to deter shoplifters? It is. For one thing consider this, if it didn’t concern a thief whether an alarm was going to sound they wouldn’t go out of their way to try to force tags off of clothing so they could steal it. As a Loss Prevention Associate at a department store I watched as shoplifters attempted to take tags off of clothes. They would pull and twist but get flustered and abandon merchandise then often try to find something that was not tagged. I recall one young woman I caught for shoplifting but no clothing alarm had activated when she walked out of the doors. When I had her empty her purse of its contents there was a pair of jeans that were cut near the hip and waistband. I recognized that this was where clothing security tags would have been located. I asked if she knew the jeans couldn’t be worn. She acknowledged that she knew it but was too afraid to leave them. I reminded her that she would have been better off not having stolen at all and the removal of the tag had proven her intent. In most instances though the thief just gives up on the tagged products, stock shortage results prove it.
Clothing security tags can help reduce theft and improve profits for your store(s). Don’t be alarmed if you aren’t already using them, Loss Prevention Systems Inc. can help you get started. All it takes is a phone call.
Need information on clothing security tags? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Loss Prevention pays for itself – How fast? – 3 WC Blog 434B
Free Loss Prevention Calculator – 3
It’s No Joke, Loss Prevention Pays For Itself – How Fast? The Free Loss Prevention Calculator Can Answer That Question For You
I attended a farmers market this afternoon. It was interesting because there was little in the way of what I would call farmer produce there. There were several bee product booths, which included honeys, bees wax (I almost bought some just so no one could tell me to mind my own beeswax anymore) and bee wax lip ointments. There was a seller of kettle corn (not the kind of corn I was thinking of for a farmer’s market) and a booth with glazed pecans and cashews. I bought some because, well I just liked it. How did I know I would like it? The vendor was giving out free samples of cashews. As so often happens as I was snacking on my sample and seeing quite a few other people getting samples as well I started wondering about the return on investment for the vendor. What was her profit going to be if she was giving away free product? In some way she HAD to recoup what it was costing her to give away product. Well, after tasting that free sample, the vendor made $4 from me. This reminded me that Loss Prevention pays for itself – How fast? This is the question.
I am sure that many of you are thinking that it is silly to even consider the question Loss Prevention pays for itself – How fast? In light of my experience at the farmer’s market though, is it so silly after all? If you think about it that pecan vendor invested in making the product. I don’t know how much time and energy went into it but I am certain it was significant. Still, that sample cost them something and to give it away demonstrated to me the value of their product and they sold me on it. In a similar fashion a store owner can pay for a new Checkpoint System but the investment will pay off in the amount of shortage it will eliminate from a store. Once the savings from reduced shortage pays for the system any additional savings go to the profit line of the store. The question at that point is how to determine what the time frame is that it will take for an investment to pay for itself. THAT can be figured out by using the Free Loss Prevention Calculator.
Available on the Loss Prevention Systems Inc. website, the Free Loss Prevention Calculator allows a user to enter annual sales information, and the amount a store owner would be willing to invest in a Checkpoint System. The calculator assumes a store annual shrinkage rate of 1.2% and an estimated shortage reduction to .65% (results could be lower) with the installation of a system. Using this formula the result is an estimate of the number of months it would take for a new system to pay for itself.
Now you’re thinking that you might be interested but how do I know that a Loss Prevention System will actually reduce my shortage? In a report published in Crime Science Journal on 30 May 17 by Aiden Sidebottom, Amy Thornton, Lisa Tompson, Jyoti Belur, Nick Tilley and Kate Bowers, titled: “A systematic review of tagging as a method to reduce theft in retail environments”, the authors go through the methods they used to create their report, the studies they cited and the challenges they had in different measures used by those who conducted those studies. That said, there was what I consider a significant finding in this report. “What, then, can be said about the effectiveness of tags as a theft reduction measure in retail environments? Mindful of the aforementioned variability in outcome measures, if we assume the reductions in theft, shrinkage and shortage all denote positive outcomes associated with the introduction of tags, then across these eight studies we find mixed results. Considering all types of tags, five studies report positive results” (added emphasis is mine). https://crimesciencejournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40163-017-0068-y
Five out of eight studies is significant especially after reading the report and seeing the information the authors had to sift through. I believe it is significant enough to support my position that a Loss Prevention System does reduce shortage. Therefore by using the Free Loss Prevention Calculator you can answer the question: Loss Prevention pays for itself – How fast? You don’t need to have a booth at a farmer’s market to grow profits. Investing in a Checkpoint System now will allow you to reap big profits later.
The Free Loss Prevention Calculator is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
I attended a farmers market this afternoon. It was interesting because there was little in the way of what I would call farmer produce there. There were several bee product booths, which included honeys, bees wax (I almost bought some just so no one could tell me to mind my own beeswax anymore) and bee wax lip ointments. There was a seller of kettle corn (not the kind of corn I was thinking of for a farmer’s market) and a booth with glazed pecans and cashews. I bought some because, well I just liked it. How did I know I would like it? The vendor was giving out free samples of cashews. As so often happens as I was snacking on my sample and seeing quite a few other people getting samples as well I started wondering about the return on investment for the vendor. What was her profit going to be if she was giving away free product? In some way she HAD to recoup what it was costing her to give away product. Well, after tasting that free sample, the vendor made $4 from me. This reminded me that Loss Prevention pays for itself – How fast? This is the question.
I am sure that many of you are thinking that it is silly to even consider the question Loss Prevention pays for itself – How fast? In light of my experience at the farmer’s market though, is it so silly after all? If you think about it that pecan vendor invested in making the product. I don’t know how much time and energy went into it but I am certain it was significant. Still, that sample cost them something and to give it away demonstrated to me the value of their product and they sold me on it. In a similar fashion a store owner can pay for a new Checkpoint System but the investment will pay off in the amount of shortage it will eliminate from a store. Once the savings from reduced shortage pays for the system any additional savings go to the profit line of the store. The question at that point is how to determine what the time frame is that it will take for an investment to pay for itself. THAT can be figured out by using the Free Loss Prevention Calculator.
Available on the Loss Prevention Systems Inc. website, the Free Loss Prevention Calculator allows a user to enter annual sales information, and the amount a store owner would be willing to invest in a Checkpoint System. The calculator assumes a store annual shrinkage rate of 1.2% and an estimated shortage reduction to .65% (results could be lower) with the installation of a system. Using this formula the result is an estimate of the number of months it would take for a new system to pay for itself.
Now you’re thinking that you might be interested but how do I know that a Loss Prevention System will actually reduce my shortage? In a report published in Crime Science Journal on 30 May 17 by Aiden Sidebottom, Amy Thornton, Lisa Tompson, Jyoti Belur, Nick Tilley and Kate Bowers, titled: “A systematic review of tagging as a method to reduce theft in retail environments”, the authors go through the methods they used to create their report, the studies they cited and the challenges they had in different measures used by those who conducted those studies. That said, there was what I consider a significant finding in this report. “What, then, can be said about the effectiveness of tags as a theft reduction measure in retail environments? Mindful of the aforementioned variability in outcome measures, if we assume the reductions in theft, shrinkage and shortage all denote positive outcomes associated with the introduction of tags, then across these eight studies we find mixed results. Considering all types of tags, five studies report positive results” (added emphasis is mine). https://crimesciencejournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40163-017-0068-y
Five out of eight studies is significant especially after reading the report and seeing the information the authors had to sift through. I believe it is significant enough to support my position that a Loss Prevention System does reduce shortage. Therefore by using the Free Loss Prevention Calculator you can answer the question: Loss Prevention pays for itself – How fast? You don’t need to have a booth at a farmer’s market to grow profits. Investing in a Checkpoint System now will allow you to reap big profits later.
The Free Loss Prevention Calculator is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Alpha Security-3 WC Blog 450
Retail Anti-Theft Devices-4
Proper Training Of Employees On Everything From Alpha Security Devices To Store Safety Response Can Save A Store Money
Proper training of new employees is important. There are some managers who will hire someone for a position and because that new hire had prior work experience in that field the assumption is made that the transition will be easy. Learning how to straighten shelves should be the same from one retailer to the next or how hard can it be to go from one point of sale system to another? Cross training is also important, can a cashier work the salesfloor or can a sales consultant put out new merchandise? Perhaps it is knowledge of how to apply Alpha Security retail anti-theft devices. One retailer may require devices to be placed in one location and another retailer may only want them on certain merchandise. It isn’t always cut and dry. Training is important for employers to invest in for their associates. It can make the difference in whether sales increase, safety is a trademark for a store, and security of the building and merchandise is properly addressed.
I will continue with this thought shortly but I do want to discuss Alpha Security and the retail anti-theft devices they have developed since I mentioned them above. Alpha’s security devices are electronic article surveillance (EAS) enabled meaning they send out a signal that can be picked up by EAS pedestals. When tagged items are carried near a door with a pedestal located beside it the tag triggers alarms built into the pedestal. The alarm attracts the attention of workers nearby and if trained properly they respond, conduct receipt checks and recover merchandise. Alpha’s tags, wraps, keepers and cables provide retailers enough variety of products that nearly any merchandise that can be carried in a store can be protected to prevent shoplifting.
Notice I even mentioned that it requires trained employees to properly respond to alarm activations. Training is important in so many aspects of retail as I suggested previously. It does impact sales for a store. Consider for a moment, if a new employee hasn’t been trained on the merchandise a store carries. A customer asks if a particular widget is carried. The employee doesn’t even know what a widget is let alone if the store carries it or where it would be located. I have seen employees in this position tell a customer that the item isn’t carried by this retailer. WHOAH NELLY! The employee doesn’t ask anyone if the store carries the widget and doesn’t bother to see if there is an alternative or if the company may sell it online. Instead of making a sale the untrained employee costs the store a sale.
Consider safety in a store and what a lack of training can do. Untrained employees caught using powered equipment such as a cardboard baler or compactor by an OSHA inspector can be the cause of a huge fine. An employee not trained to block off a spill and clean it properly can lead to a slip and fall accident by a patron. From medical treatment payouts to legal fees and possible monetary settlement payments, lack of training on safety can put a financial burden on a store.
Finally how about merchandise security? Failure to properly train employees on how to put retail anti-theft devices on merchandise properly can lead to theft of goods. Properly trained staff understand the importance of testing EAS systems on a daily basis. False alarms caused by cashiers failing to remove Alpha Security devices can also lead to angry customers and unnecessary heated complaints. This can lead to a loss of customers who are embarrassed by false alarms. An employee who has not received proper training on alarm activation responses can also make false accusations of attempted theft or may try to chase a shoplifter out of the store which can have potentially worse implications.
Proper training of store associates has got to be a priority for store owners and managers. Assuming people will know what to do based on their perceived prior experience may not be a well thought out plan. Spend time training on all aspects of the business from cashiering to retail anti-theft device placement and detachment. Doing so can make your store a much more profitable business in the long run.
Alpha Security is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Proper training of new employees is important. There are some managers who will hire someone for a position and because that new hire had prior work experience in that field the assumption is made that the transition will be easy. Learning how to straighten shelves should be the same from one retailer to the next or how hard can it be to go from one point of sale system to another? Cross training is also important, can a cashier work the salesfloor or can a sales consultant put out new merchandise? Perhaps it is knowledge of how to apply Alpha Security retail anti-theft devices. One retailer may require devices to be placed in one location and another retailer may only want them on certain merchandise. It isn’t always cut and dry. Training is important for employers to invest in for their associates. It can make the difference in whether sales increase, safety is a trademark for a store, and security of the building and merchandise is properly addressed.
I will continue with this thought shortly but I do want to discuss Alpha Security and the retail anti-theft devices they have developed since I mentioned them above. Alpha’s security devices are electronic article surveillance (EAS) enabled meaning they send out a signal that can be picked up by EAS pedestals. When tagged items are carried near a door with a pedestal located beside it the tag triggers alarms built into the pedestal. The alarm attracts the attention of workers nearby and if trained properly they respond, conduct receipt checks and recover merchandise. Alpha’s tags, wraps, keepers and cables provide retailers enough variety of products that nearly any merchandise that can be carried in a store can be protected to prevent shoplifting.
Notice I even mentioned that it requires trained employees to properly respond to alarm activations. Training is important in so many aspects of retail as I suggested previously. It does impact sales for a store. Consider for a moment, if a new employee hasn’t been trained on the merchandise a store carries. A customer asks if a particular widget is carried. The employee doesn’t even know what a widget is let alone if the store carries it or where it would be located. I have seen employees in this position tell a customer that the item isn’t carried by this retailer. WHOAH NELLY! The employee doesn’t ask anyone if the store carries the widget and doesn’t bother to see if there is an alternative or if the company may sell it online. Instead of making a sale the untrained employee costs the store a sale.
Consider safety in a store and what a lack of training can do. Untrained employees caught using powered equipment such as a cardboard baler or compactor by an OSHA inspector can be the cause of a huge fine. An employee not trained to block off a spill and clean it properly can lead to a slip and fall accident by a patron. From medical treatment payouts to legal fees and possible monetary settlement payments, lack of training on safety can put a financial burden on a store.
Finally how about merchandise security? Failure to properly train employees on how to put retail anti-theft devices on merchandise properly can lead to theft of goods. Properly trained staff understand the importance of testing EAS systems on a daily basis. False alarms caused by cashiers failing to remove Alpha Security devices can also lead to angry customers and unnecessary heated complaints. This can lead to a loss of customers who are embarrassed by false alarms. An employee who has not received proper training on alarm activation responses can also make false accusations of attempted theft or may try to chase a shoplifter out of the store which can have potentially worse implications.
Proper training of store associates has got to be a priority for store owners and managers. Assuming people will know what to do based on their perceived prior experience may not be a well thought out plan. Spend time training on all aspects of the business from cashiering to retail anti-theft device placement and detachment. Doing so can make your store a much more profitable business in the long run.
Alpha Security is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
