Employee Theft -4 WC Blog 389
Stop Shoplifting -5
Looks Can Be Deceiving And Criminals May Be Stealing Without Your Knowledge; Training To Prevent Employee Theft And Stop Shoplifting Is Available
Quiz time! You are watching your checkout lanes and you see a customer checking out with one of your cashiers. They seem to know each other from their friendly banter. The customer pays with cash, receives change and takes several bags and leaves. A few days later you see the same customer going through the same cashier’s line again. There are several available registers but he waits for this cashier. After everything is rung up the customer pays cash, gets change and leaves with his bags. Do you see anything wrong with this picture? Let’s try another one, a couple of young women come in the store with a baby stroller and a baby is in the stroller. They walk around for a bit and begin picking out clothing in the young women’s department. One young lady picks up the baby and carries him in her arms. They don’t have a shopping cart and they have a lot of clothes they have picked up. They place the clothes in the baby stroller rather than bothering with a shopping cart. Do you see anything that bothers you about this? Last one, a customer is looking at merchandise in a display case. He asks an associate to show him a piece of merchandise. He is allowed to hold the item and asks to look at another item. The employee selects a second item. All the while he is chatting with the associate. The customer asked to look at a third item from the showcase and the employee reaches for it to show the customer. Is this okay or not? The answer for each of these is they were real types of theft that I dealt with as a Loss Prevention Manager. Store managers and owners running small businesses rarely have the experience or training to deal with employee theft or stop shoplifting. Those small retail store owners also don’t have budgets for trained Loss Prevention Associates. In order to address this problem Loss prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) offers training to reduce employee theft and training to stop shoplifting.
With training designed to teach managers how to protect merchandise, identify vulnerabilities and develop programs to reduce shrinkage smaller stores can keep up profits in a world of ever-increasing criminal activity. Additionally, employers often don’t consider all of the ways employees may be stealing from them or from their customers. They also don’t know that there are signals that they can look for that may be warnings that an employee intends to or is stealing. LPSI’s programs will instruct owners and managers on various methods employees use to steal, from giving merchandise to friends, under charging family members for merchandise to keeping receipts from customers for fraudulent returns. Armed with the right tools and knowledge, managers can stop shoplifting and employee theft.
So what happened in each of the scenarios I presented earlier? In the first one, the cashier was having a friend come to the checkout line and would ring up the merchandise presented. Some of the merchandise was voided from the transaction and still bagged for the friend. Other items were rung up but then the price was changed to a lower amount. Because there was a balance to pay and it looked like the customer was charged and paid properly. Looks were deceiving. Live surveillances then showed the same friend coming back over the course of several days, establishing for my case that it was not a fluke or an accident. In the second scenario two young women were in the department store where I worked, pushing a baby stroller. One girl was holding the baby and they were filling the carriage with blue jeans and covering them up with a blanket inside the stroller. As a Loss Prevention Officer I was trained on identifying suspicious signs or signals shoplifters give off so I had a reason to watch them, otherwise I would not have caught them. In the final scenario the suspect was a known iPod thief and was clever at distracting employees and getting them to take too many items out of a showcase. The employee lost track of how many iPods he had removed from the case and the suspect was able to conceal one in his waistline while the employee was reaching for a third iPod. We lost that one. Unfortunately I was not working so I could not stop shoplifting in that instance. It was found on video review after an audit of the i-Pods found a discrepancy.
Can’t afford a trained Loss Prevention staff? Need more training for you and your managers to prevent shortage? Get LPSI training to reduce employee theft and stop shoplifting.
Need information on employee theft? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Quiz time! You are watching your checkout lanes and you see a customer checking out with one of your cashiers. They seem to know each other from their friendly banter. The customer pays with cash, receives change and takes several bags and leaves. A few days later you see the same customer going through the same cashier’s line again. There are several available registers but he waits for this cashier. After everything is rung up the customer pays cash, gets change and leaves with his bags. Do you see anything wrong with this picture? Let’s try another one, a couple of young women come in the store with a baby stroller and a baby is in the stroller. They walk around for a bit and begin picking out clothing in the young women’s department. One young lady picks up the baby and carries him in her arms. They don’t have a shopping cart and they have a lot of clothes they have picked up. They place the clothes in the baby stroller rather than bothering with a shopping cart. Do you see anything that bothers you about this? Last one, a customer is looking at merchandise in a display case. He asks an associate to show him a piece of merchandise. He is allowed to hold the item and asks to look at another item. The employee selects a second item. All the while he is chatting with the associate. The customer asked to look at a third item from the showcase and the employee reaches for it to show the customer. Is this okay or not? The answer for each of these is they were real types of theft that I dealt with as a Loss Prevention Manager. Store managers and owners running small businesses rarely have the experience or training to deal with employee theft or stop shoplifting. Those small retail store owners also don’t have budgets for trained Loss Prevention Associates. In order to address this problem Loss prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) offers training to reduce employee theft and training to stop shoplifting.
With training designed to teach managers how to protect merchandise, identify vulnerabilities and develop programs to reduce shrinkage smaller stores can keep up profits in a world of ever-increasing criminal activity. Additionally, employers often don’t consider all of the ways employees may be stealing from them or from their customers. They also don’t know that there are signals that they can look for that may be warnings that an employee intends to or is stealing. LPSI’s programs will instruct owners and managers on various methods employees use to steal, from giving merchandise to friends, under charging family members for merchandise to keeping receipts from customers for fraudulent returns. Armed with the right tools and knowledge, managers can stop shoplifting and employee theft.
So what happened in each of the scenarios I presented earlier? In the first one, the cashier was having a friend come to the checkout line and would ring up the merchandise presented. Some of the merchandise was voided from the transaction and still bagged for the friend. Other items were rung up but then the price was changed to a lower amount. Because there was a balance to pay and it looked like the customer was charged and paid properly. Looks were deceiving. Live surveillances then showed the same friend coming back over the course of several days, establishing for my case that it was not a fluke or an accident. In the second scenario two young women were in the department store where I worked, pushing a baby stroller. One girl was holding the baby and they were filling the carriage with blue jeans and covering them up with a blanket inside the stroller. As a Loss Prevention Officer I was trained on identifying suspicious signs or signals shoplifters give off so I had a reason to watch them, otherwise I would not have caught them. In the final scenario the suspect was a known iPod thief and was clever at distracting employees and getting them to take too many items out of a showcase. The employee lost track of how many iPods he had removed from the case and the suspect was able to conceal one in his waistline while the employee was reaching for a third iPod. We lost that one. Unfortunately I was not working so I could not stop shoplifting in that instance. It was found on video review after an audit of the i-Pods found a discrepancy.
Can’t afford a trained Loss Prevention staff? Need more training for you and your managers to prevent shortage? Get LPSI training to reduce employee theft and stop shoplifting.
Need information on employee theft? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
As a child I grew up watching the television series Emergency! The show was about firemen and what we would call today, paramedics. The main characters would respond to fires, vehicle crashes, all of the incidents you would expect fire fighters to respond to. The thing that was unique back in those years was that the firefighters/paramedics were administering first aid and life support service to keep patients/victims alive. The main characters, John and Roy would evaluate a patient and call Rampart General Hospital and give a description of their patient’s condition. Emergency room staff doctors and nurses would then provide guidance over the radio on treatments. Today, paramedics and emergency medical technicians can use i-Pads and Tablets to consult with doctors and doctors can see the condition of the patient, as well as get the first-hand description from the care giver on scene. This does bring up one concern and that is the potential of i-Pad theft or medical tablet theft at the hospital.
The issue of medical i-Pad theft or tablet theft is very real. When such devices are stolen there is a risk of patient information compromise, placing in jeopardy patient health information, billing information (including insurance provider account and group numbers), prescription medication information and more. There is a black market where such information is sold and the information is then used for fraudulent purposes and identity theft. A facility that experiences a breach or potential breach of patient information is subject to investigations and fines levied by the Department of Health and Human Services. So how can theft be prevented? By using a Bug Tag on mobile medical devices that are maintained in hospitals, clinics and medical facilities. The Bug Tag is an anti-theft device that uses radio frequency (rf) waves to interact with Checkpoint electronic article surveillance pedestals. The Bug Tag is attached directly to the mobile device and if the device is carried too close to the pedestals, located next to the entry/exit doors, alarm with lights and a loud beeping noise. Staffs respond to the alarms and recover the device before it is removed from the building thereby averting the potential stolen patient data.
This leads me back to the beginning of this article and how i-Pads came to be prevalent among first responders today. What was happening in the world of first responders that led to the creation of paramedics and emergency medical technicians in the first place? Before the 1960’s, ambulance services varied between states and even within the states themselves. Some of the responders had no medical training making the ambulance service a transportation unit only and others had highly trained staffs to treat injuries. According to Legislative Intent Service, Inc. in an article titled, “Origins of California’s Paramedics”, a 3 year study was completed by the National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council, on accidental deaths in the United States. Titled, “Accidental Death and Disability: The Neglected Disease of Modern Society.” “The study noted another striking find: Statistically, soldiers in a warzone were faring better than the American civilian public regarding emergency care.” As a result of the study, In 1970 the, “Wedworth-Townsend Paramedic Act” was sent to the desk of then California Governor Ronald Reagan. One of the interesting points of the bill included, the ability of the paramedics to administer a number of intravenous drugs or agents, “Where voice contact or a telemetered electrocardiogram is monitored by a physician or a certified mobile intensive care nurse where authorized by a physician, and direct communication is maintained, may upon order of such physician or such nurse do any of the following:…” In other words, in Emergency!, when the paramedics were calling “Rampart” and talking to the emergency room doctor on duty, this was in line with the 1970 California bill. Today, paramedics have even more training and better tools at their disposal. The improvement in communications using i-Pads and tablets over radios has dramatically changed initial diagnosis and stabilization until a patient can reach a medical facility. Doctors can be virtually in the field with the EMT and the patient through Skype and the cameras built into i-Pads.
While guarding against i-Pad Theft or Tablet Theft in the field may be difficult. In the hospital setting it is possible when the Bug Tag is attached to each hospital owned mobile device. Doing so ensures patients will continue to receive the best treatment possible from first responders.
Get more information on a Bug Tag, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Employee Theft-3 WC Blog 323
Training to reduce employee theft-3
Employee Background Checks-3
“Sweethearting” May Not Be So Good For Your Business; Find Out How Training To Reduce Employee Theft Can Help You Identify And Stop This And Other Dishonest Activity
I went to a coffee shop located next to the campus library where I work and for the second time in recent weeks I had something happen that has prompted me to write about the issue. I work late nights at the library and this particular coffee shop closes about an hour after I arrive to work so I occasionally grab a cup of coffee a few minutes before they close. The employees know I am a staff member and take my order and are supposed to ring my transaction, give me an employee discount and take my payment. Twice now the employees have tried to tell me not to worry about paying, I assume because it is near the end of the night and they will probably be throwing out the remainder of the coffee. Because of my background in Loss Prevention I am uncomfortable with this and insist on paying for my drinks. I know some of you may be thinking I am being silly, that they are closing soon and dumping it anyways, why not just take the drink? In my opinion, there is a bigger issue at stake here, at what point do you draw the line for your employees? Can being “flexible” on little things like this lead to larger issues of theft? It can be a slippery slope when you permit grey areas for employees. Many managers have a difficult time making the distinction because they have not had training to reduce employee theft. Consideration should also be given to the possibility that this can snowball into full blown associate crime. When employers lack knowledge of theft concerns they are probably not aware that employee background checks can help prevent a store being the victim of employee theft and fraud.
Why do managers need training to reduce employee theft? Because associate theft takes many forms and the untrained owner or manager can miss the indicators that would point out that theft is taking place. Losses could be in the form of return fraud, cash theft, merchandise theft, price manipulation and so much more. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. has experienced Loss Prevention experts that can train you and your managers on identification of theft, prevention techniques and warning signals that can lead to employee theft.
Additional modules from Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. include optional training on pre-employment hiring and how it can help employers avoid hiring people who may harm your business. In cases, like the one I experienced at the coffee shop there is a term for it called “Sweethearting”. In an article in LPMInsider, “Sweethearting: The Dark Side of Good Customer Service”, by Richard C. Hollinger, PhD, March 6, 2017, the author provides the definition of Sweethearting from an article he cites; “Service Sweethearting: It’s Antecedents and Customer Consequences”, by Michael K. Brady, Clay Voorhees and Michael J. Brusco, March 2012 issue of Journal of Marketing, “Sweethearting occurs when frontline workers give unauthorized free or discounted goods and services to customer conspirators.” While this activity can start off with good intentions of providing the great customer service employees are encouraged to practice, it can quickly turn into a regular exercise that costs businesses money. Dr. Hollinger writes, “Pre-employment Screening tests can head off sweethearting if we add measures that look for high scores on “personal ethics” and, alternatively, low scores on the “need social approval from others.” http://losspreventionmedia.com/insider/employee-theft/sweethearting-the-dark-side-of-good-customer-service/ In other words, employee background checks can help in weeding out potential employees who may be inclined to engage in these behaviors.
While they may start innocently, like giving away a cup of coffee at the end of a shift because it is going to be thrown out anyways, I have personally seen these situations multiply to include more people and bigger losses. I have apprehended groups of employees who started out giving unauthorized discounts on food and drinks to friends that spiraled into full blown employee theft cases involving passing of merchandise. It is amazing how much that $1.89 cup of coffee can really end up costing you in the long run.
Don’t allow sweethearting to develop in your business. You can prevent lost profits through training to reduce employee theft and conducting employee background checks. Find out how much you don’t know from the experts who have worked in the field.
Training to reduce employee theft is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
I went to a coffee shop located next to the campus library where I work and for the second time in recent weeks I had something happen that has prompted me to write about the issue. I work late nights at the library and this particular coffee shop closes about an hour after I arrive to work so I occasionally grab a cup of coffee a few minutes before they close. The employees know I am a staff member and take my order and are supposed to ring my transaction, give me an employee discount and take my payment. Twice now the employees have tried to tell me not to worry about paying, I assume because it is near the end of the night and they will probably be throwing out the remainder of the coffee. Because of my background in Loss Prevention I am uncomfortable with this and insist on paying for my drinks. I know some of you may be thinking I am being silly, that they are closing soon and dumping it anyways, why not just take the drink? In my opinion, there is a bigger issue at stake here, at what point do you draw the line for your employees? Can being “flexible” on little things like this lead to larger issues of theft? It can be a slippery slope when you permit grey areas for employees. Many managers have a difficult time making the distinction because they have not had training to reduce employee theft. Consideration should also be given to the possibility that this can snowball into full blown associate crime. When employers lack knowledge of theft concerns they are probably not aware that employee background checks can help prevent a store being the victim of employee theft and fraud.
Why do managers need training to reduce employee theft? Because associate theft takes many forms and the untrained owner or manager can miss the indicators that would point out that theft is taking place. Losses could be in the form of return fraud, cash theft, merchandise theft, price manipulation and so much more. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. has experienced Loss Prevention experts that can train you and your managers on identification of theft, prevention techniques and warning signals that can lead to employee theft.
Additional modules from Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. include optional training on pre-employment hiring and how it can help employers avoid hiring people who may harm your business. In cases, like the one I experienced at the coffee shop there is a term for it called “Sweethearting”. In an article in LPMInsider, “Sweethearting: The Dark Side of Good Customer Service”, by Richard C. Hollinger, PhD, March 6, 2017, the author provides the definition of Sweethearting from an article he cites; “Service Sweethearting: It’s Antecedents and Customer Consequences”, by Michael K. Brady, Clay Voorhees and Michael J. Brusco, March 2012 issue of Journal of Marketing, “Sweethearting occurs when frontline workers give unauthorized free or discounted goods and services to customer conspirators.” While this activity can start off with good intentions of providing the great customer service employees are encouraged to practice, it can quickly turn into a regular exercise that costs businesses money. Dr. Hollinger writes, “Pre-employment Screening tests can head off sweethearting if we add measures that look for high scores on “personal ethics” and, alternatively, low scores on the “need social approval from others.” http://losspreventionmedia.com/insider/employee-theft/sweethearting-the-dark-side-of-good-customer-service/ In other words, employee background checks can help in weeding out potential employees who may be inclined to engage in these behaviors.
While they may start innocently, like giving away a cup of coffee at the end of a shift because it is going to be thrown out anyways, I have personally seen these situations multiply to include more people and bigger losses. I have apprehended groups of employees who started out giving unauthorized discounts on food and drinks to friends that spiraled into full blown employee theft cases involving passing of merchandise. It is amazing how much that $1.89 cup of coffee can really end up costing you in the long run.
Don’t allow sweethearting to develop in your business. You can prevent lost profits through training to reduce employee theft and conducting employee background checks. Find out how much you don’t know from the experts who have worked in the field.
Training to reduce employee theft is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
EAS Label-3 WC Blog 312
Checkpoint Labels-4
Electronic Article Surveillance-5
Stop Shoplifting-4
Be Aware Of Merchandise Your Store Sells That Interfere With The Optimum Performance Of Checkpoint Labels.
Recently, LPMINSIDER magazine had an article that focused on the potential shoplifting tools stores may be unwittingly carrying on store shelves that could be used by professional boosters or shoplifters. In his article, “Are Retailers Selling Shoplifting Tools?” by Scott Womack, December 21, 2016, Mr. Womack describes an insulated can cooler he found on a store shelf that was aluminum lined. He discusses several types of EAS labels and tag he had tested when placed in the bag to see if the bag would disrupt the alarm. He found the cooler did make it more difficult for the towers to detect tags concealed in this particular bag. The writer did not say the merchandise should not be carried but possible merchandising alternatives could be considered. In order to stop shoplifting, it is sometimes necessary for retailers to evaluate how they merchandise some items and to consider if specific merchandise could contribute to theft.
Checkpoint labels are soft tags that have coils designed into them that operate on a specific radio frequency (rf) wave. This tag, when carried within range of electronic article surveillance pedestals, causes the pedestal to sound an alarm or loud beeping noise that attracts the attention of store associates. Associates or managers respond to the alarm and usually stop shoplifting from taking place, though on occasion it may be an EAS label was not properly deactivated at a point of sale. While electronic article surveillance towers continue to get better with improved range detection fields and their detection abilities they can have limitations when thieves try to use devices to interfere with the signals, particularly aluminum or foils.
One type of device professional shoplifters or boosters will use to try to defeat Checkpoint labels and an electronic article surveillance tower is the foil lined shopping bag, often called a booster bag. This was the concern noted by the author of the article. The cooler Mr. Womack found was almost a ready-made booster bag since aluminum was one of the materials used to keep product cold when placed in the bag. His article reminded me of another product I had an issue with during an encounter with a razor blade booster. In my situation, the criminal took a box of roasting bags, removed one of the bags and took it to our health and beauty department where he filled it with packages of razor blades. The roasting bags are made of aluminum foil by the same company that makes rolls of aluminum foil. I had a tussle with the criminal and did stop shoplifting of the blades but only because I had observed the theft take place, in this situation the roasting bag did defeat any EAS label and towers. Unfortunately, there was not a lot we could do about product placement because it would have required a shift of all aluminum foils and removed them from the aisle with bakeware, plastic wrap, etc.
In spite of the occasional use of shoplifting tools by professionals and the rare instance when merchandise your store sells can be used to try to defeat an electronic article surveillance system; Checkpoint labels are still one of the best means of preventing theft. It takes a lot of time to make a booster bag that doesn’t look obvious. Additionally, finding those few items a store sells that might be used to try to defeat a system can be difficult. While some product placement may be in order, an alternative is to make sure employees know to offer exceptional customer service in those areas. If your store uses closed circuit television a camera on these aisles could be of assistance.
As I mentioned earlier, electronic article surveillance pedestals are far better than when I used them. Systems have been upgraded and are better able to pick up hidden tags and defeat efforts to disrupt radio frequency signals. Find out for yourself just how effective Checkpoint labels and EAS pedestals can be to stop shoplifting in your business.
Need information on Checkpoint labels? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
LPMINSIDER magazine had an article that focused on the potential shoplifting tools stores may be unwittingly carrying on store shelves that could be used by professional boosters or shoplifters. In his article, “Are Retailers Selling Shoplifting Tools?” by Scott Womack, December 21, 2016, Mr. Womack describes an insulated can cooler he found on a store shelf that was aluminum lined. He discusses several types of EAS labels and tag he had tested when placed in the bag to see if the bag would disrupt the alarm. He found the cooler did make it more difficult for the towers to detect tags concealed in this particular bag. The writer did not say the merchandise should not be carried but possible merchandising alternatives could be considered. In order to stop shoplifting, it is sometimes necessary for retailers to evaluate how they merchandise some items and to consider if specific merchandise could contribute to theft.
Checkpoint labels are soft tags that have coils designed into them that operate on a specific radio frequency (rf) wave. This tag, when carried within range of electronic article surveillance pedestals, causes the pedestal to sound an alarm or loud beeping noise that attracts the attention of store associates. Associates or managers respond to the alarm and usually stop shoplifting from taking place, though on occasion it may be an EAS label was not properly deactivated at a point of sale. While electronic article surveillance towers continue to get better with improved range detection fields and their detection abilities they can have limitations when thieves try to use devices to interfere with the signals, particularly aluminum or foils.
One type of device professional shoplifters or boosters will use to try to defeat Checkpoint labels and an electronic article surveillance tower is the foil lined shopping bag, often called a booster bag. This was the concern noted by the author of the article. The cooler Mr. Womack found was almost a ready-made booster bag since aluminum was one of the materials used to keep product cold when placed in the bag. His article reminded me of another product I had an issue with during an encounter with a razor blade booster. In my situation, the criminal took a box of roasting bags, removed one of the bags and took it to our health and beauty department where he filled it with packages of razor blades. The roasting bags are made of aluminum foil by the same company that makes rolls of aluminum foil. I had a tussle with the criminal and did stop shoplifting of the blades but only because I had observed the theft take place, in this situation the roasting bag did defeat any EAS label and towers. Unfortunately, there was not a lot we could do about product placement because it would have required a shift of all aluminum foils and removed them from the aisle with bakeware, plastic wrap, etc.
In spite of the occasional use of shoplifting tools by professionals and the rare instance when merchandise your store sells can be used to try to defeat an electronic article surveillance system; Checkpoint labels are still one of the best means of preventing theft. It takes a lot of time to make a booster bag that doesn’t look obvious. Additionally, finding those few items a store sells that might be used to try to defeat a system can be difficult. While some product placement may be in order, an alternative is to make sure employees know to offer exceptional customer service in those areas. If your store uses closed circuit television a camera on these aisles could be of assistance.
As I mentioned earlier, electronic article surveillance pedestals are far better than when I used them. Systems have been upgraded and are better able to pick up hidden tags and defeat efforts to disrupt radio frequency signals. Find out for yourself just how effective Checkpoint labels and EAS pedestals can be to stop shoplifting in your business.
Need information on Checkpoint labels? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Door counting sensor-4 WC blog 295
Retail Traffic Counting system-3
Customer Counting Systems-3
Special Events And Helping Charitable Causes Can Create Increases In Customers; Customer Counting Systems Aid In Future Planning
Have you ever held a special event in your store to support a charity or perhaps to try to increase your sales or even to do a little of both? I can think of several instances when I worked for a big box retailer that we did some of these things. One time our store manager permitted a local radio station to hold a radio-a-thon in the store to raise money for a great cause. Normally charities were not permitted to hold such events but our store manager had a big heart for children and especially the great work by this organization. To be honest, I can’t recall if only pledges were accepted or if monetary donations were received as well, but I do recall it was a success by the money raised for the organization. Did new people visit our store who had never been there before? We had no idea, we had no way to track foot traffic since we had no door counting sensor. An event that I helped sponsor in the store for several years was a “Santa’s Helpers” program. Working with our local police and fire department we would provide additional staff and cashiers to help underprivileged children and the public safety officials to shop for clothing, toys and necessities. Our store also donated lunch in our food court to feed everyone before they left. It was a very satisfying experience to see these kids getting new items they might not have had an opportunity to purchase otherwise. How many people came during these events, including visitors who were curious about what was going on? I wish I knew, a retail traffic counting system could have provided that information.
A retail traffic counting system keeps a retailer informed about how many customers are walking through their doors. A door counting sensor at the entrances detects the patrons walking in and out and can break down that information to the time of day. Stores that have installed a Checkpoint security system with electronic article surveillance antennas at the front doors in order to prevent shoplifting can have door sensors attached to the antennas. In these cases stores an also receive reports of EAS alarm activations and analyze that data to detect patterns of theft attempts. They use the information to create theft prevention plans and reduce shoplifting. By knowing how many people are actually entering the store at given times, retail managers can create improved staffing and payroll models based on historical data. This could include day of the week information or holiday staffing by hours of the day. If your Wednesday mornings show a minimal amount of foot traffic, it might be the time you shift some of your payroll spending elsewhere.
This historical data provided by the customer counting systems can also be used to determine if an event or sales promotion had an impact on pulling in additional customers. Let’s say for example you own a book store and you bring in an author for a book signing. The author is there to sell his/her book and you want to be the store to sell those books. You may be able to use sales information to determine if you sold a quantity of a certain book, but how many people showed up to the store that day? Sales receipts don’t tell you that information, a customer counting system will. Did you have an increase in the number of customers this year over the same day last year? If not, maybe this was an event you will not want to hold again in the future, especially if you brought in extra staff to help out. A door counting sensor gives you the ability to make intelligent decisions about how to spend payroll. Perhaps you choose to hold another book signing but this time you don’t spend the extra money on additional staff.
Retail traffic counting systems can make your business more profitable using measurable results of special events or marketing activities. By making sure you have enough staff on hand for your next event based on prior data and sales will certainly be increased. Don’t delay in getting a door counting sensor installed, the sooner you do, the sooner you will start collecting information for the future!
Need information on door counting sensors? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Have you ever held a special event in your store to support a charity or perhaps to try to increase your sales or even to do a little of both? I can think of several instances when I worked for a big box retailer that we did some of these things. One time our store manager permitted a local radio station to hold a radio-a-thon in the store to raise money for a great cause. Normally charities were not permitted to hold such events but our store manager had a big heart for children and especially the great work by this organization. To be honest, I can’t recall if only pledges were accepted or if monetary donations were received as well, but I do recall it was a success by the money raised for the organization. Did new people visit our store who had never been there before? We had no idea, we had no way to track foot traffic since we had no door counting sensor. An event that I helped sponsor in the store for several years was a “Santa’s Helpers” program. Working with our local police and fire department we would provide additional staff and cashiers to help underprivileged children and the public safety officials to shop for clothing, toys and necessities. Our store also donated lunch in our food court to feed everyone before they left. It was a very satisfying experience to see these kids getting new items they might not have had an opportunity to purchase otherwise. How many people came during these events, including visitors who were curious about what was going on? I wish I knew, a retail traffic counting system could have provided that information.
A retail traffic counting system keeps a retailer informed about how many customers are walking through their doors. A door counting sensor at the entrances detects the patrons walking in and out and can break down that information to the time of day. Stores that have installed a Checkpoint security system with electronic article surveillance antennas at the front doors in order to prevent shoplifting can have door sensors attached to the antennas. In these cases stores an also receive reports of EAS alarm activations and analyze that data to detect patterns of theft attempts. They use the information to create theft prevention plans and reduce shoplifting. By knowing how many people are actually entering the store at given times, retail managers can create improved staffing and payroll models based on historical data. This could include day of the week information or holiday staffing by hours of the day. If your Wednesday mornings show a minimal amount of foot traffic, it might be the time you shift some of your payroll spending elsewhere.
This historical data provided by the customer counting systems can also be used to determine if an event or sales promotion had an impact on pulling in additional customers. Let’s say for example you own a book store and you bring in an author for a book signing. The author is there to sell his/her book and you want to be the store to sell those books. You may be able to use sales information to determine if you sold a quantity of a certain book, but how many people showed up to the store that day? Sales receipts don’t tell you that information, a customer counting system will. Did you have an increase in the number of customers this year over the same day last year? If not, maybe this was an event you will not want to hold again in the future, especially if you brought in extra staff to help out. A door counting sensor gives you the ability to make intelligent decisions about how to spend payroll. Perhaps you choose to hold another book signing but this time you don’t spend the extra money on additional staff.
Retail traffic counting systems can make your business more profitable using measurable results of special events or marketing activities. By making sure you have enough staff on hand for your next event based on prior data and sales will certainly be increased. Don’t delay in getting a door counting sensor installed, the sooner you do, the sooner you will start collecting information for the future!
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