Being in loss prevention and the retail industry, we tend to evaluate our risks and our weaknesses in order to determine how we can better protect our property. We routinely look at our inventory and shrinkage to try and determine how we reduce our loss and prevent shoplifting. We utilize various types of security in our stores, and continually educate ourselves on security products, so we can better manage our loss prevention program. Recently we were having an issue with theft of small hanger items. We tend to hang various products on peg boards, especially those that we have on sale or clearance, and are better displayed in that manner. We also tend to hang some of our more expensive items on displays for promotions, such as razor blade refills, makeup, batteries, small electronic items and various other products. We began to notice a high rate of loss for these types of items and wanted to find a way to protect these items efficiently. We initially moved these items towards the front of the store near the cashiers to help deter theft, but that only provided a minimal improvement. These items are small enough to conceal very easily, and unfortunately our employees can’t be watching 100% of the time. So we had to come up with a different method, which would not only deter, but would prevent shoplifting through detection. That is why we decided to use the Alpha hang tag to secure our peg board items.
The Alpha hang tag can secure any blister or clamshell packaged item, which provides a multi-faceted product for a wide range of products. These tags are made of a strong durable plastic that will hold heavier items, and provides two pin sizes to accommodate various package sizes. The Alpha hang tag is equipped with EAS technology which alarms when an item is removed from the store. This can alert staff to potential theft and illicit a response by staff to prevent shoplifting. These tags are re-useable and provide a cost-efficient means to protect your hanger type products. We have since placed these tags on a large portion of our hanger products, including items such as earphones, chargers, small tools and other electronics, which we had not contemplated in the past. These tags are removed at the time of sale and serve as both a deterrent and a source of monitoring for our high theft items. These are very versatile tags and allow for a wide range of product protection.
Since we have started using the Alpha hang tag, our shrinkage rates, for our blister and clamshell items are down 90%. I strongly believe that these tags have already paid for themselves and provide a significant return on investment for our stores. I believe that protecting your inventory also provides additional prevention, because it forces shoplifters to look at competitors, who are not equally protected and reduces shoplifting across the board. I only wish we would have known about this product sooner, so we could have prevented shoplifting without sustaining such a big loss. If you have a large clamshell and blister packaged inventory, I recommend you look at these tags as a means to protect your inventory. These tags provide a cost-efficient means to protect your property from theft, and add to your overall loss prevention program.
For more information about Alpha hang tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
Checkpoint tags-5 WC Blog 284
Clothing Security Tags-4
Security Tags On Clothes-3
Protecting Clothes From Theft By Storing It In Stockrooms? Protect Them With Checkpoint Tags And Then Fill Your Floor!
Looking back on my career in Retail Loss Prevention I can see how my perspective on the role of Loss Prevention has changed. When I first started out working in a department store, I had prior experience as an Air Force Law Enforcement Specialist. In fact one of my co-workers had been a former supervisor from my old unit and had seen my application and recommended me for the job when I applied. I loved what I was doing. I was able to stop shoplifting. I assisted with internal investigations and I was learning about the use of Checkpoint tags and clothing security. I perceived the job as more of a law enforcement function than support for a retail business and I think it would be fair to say that was sort of the mindset in those days. We built some strong bonds with our local police department. Police officers knew if they got a call from our store operator that the Loss Prevention officers had a shoplifter in custody or were chasing a shoplifter and it would be a solid arrest. When we started putting out more high ticket merchandise we used clothing security tags I only saw it as an opportunity for shoplifters to steal more valuable merchandise. I did not see that security tags on clothes could drive sales AND prevent shoplifting.
Clothing security tags come in soft tag form that can be peeled from a roll and applied to packages of socks, underwear and packaged shirts. Hard Checkpoint tags are also available and these are great for pinning directly to merchandise. Hard tags are reusable, two-piece, anti-theft devices that are nearly impossible to forcibly remove without causing damage to the merchandise. They are a visual deterrent to would-be thieves who don’t want to hassle with trying to get them off or risk exiting a door and setting off an electronic article surveillance (EAS) alarm. Both the soft and hard clothing security tags are designed with radio frequency technology so they will activate EAS antennas if the merchandise they are attached to is carried too close to the doors where the antennas are located.
So what changed for me over time? When I eventually became a Loss Prevention Manager I still saw the job as “getting the bad guys”. I had more exposure to Checkpoint tags and used them on more merchandise including clothing. My perspective changed slowly, perhaps as I learned about what the other store executive jobs involved. The Logistics Manager worked to keep merchandise on the sales floor for customers to purchase rather than in a stockroom. Bare shelves resulted in lost sales opportunities. Sales floor Managers had to ensure merchandise presentations were appealing to customers and they worked hand in hand with the Logistics Manager to move merchandise out of the stockroom and fill clothing racks, tables and gondolas. I began to refocus the way my Loss Prevention staff looked at their jobs. Yes, they were to prevent theft and when possible catch shoplifters. I did continue to develop and train those employees who wanted to go into police work or advance in Loss prevention. I helped them develop skills such how to properly write reports, interact with shoplifting suspects and develop an investigation. I also taught them how to take the skills they learned into other careers. But, I began to show them that they work for a retail business and our job was to keep shortage low and profits high, we were NOT a mini-police department.
With the change in perspective, I saw the advantages of using security tags on clothes to improve sales and still protect goods. Limiting the number of expensive jackets on the floor so they wouldn’t be stolen was less of a risk with Checkpoint tags on them. Having more jackets on the floor ensured customers had easier access to merchandise to purchase and reduced risk of running out of product on the floor and waiting for replenishment from the stockroom. Today, I am a fervent believer that a store is much better off financially by using clothing security tags to prevent theft and at the same time filling the floor for the consumer. You can’t sell merchandise from your stockroom.
Let Checkpoint tags work for you. Use security tags on clothes, then keep your product on the sales floor where customers can pick them up, try them on and purchase them. Along with an EAS antenna and outstanding customer service you will drive up profits and significantly reduce shortage.
Need information on Checkpoint tags? Contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Looking back on my career in Retail Loss Prevention I can see how my perspective on the role of Loss Prevention has changed. When I first started out working in a department store, I had prior experience as an Air Force Law Enforcement Specialist. In fact one of my co-workers had been a former supervisor from my old unit and had seen my application and recommended me for the job when I applied. I loved what I was doing. I was able to stop shoplifting. I assisted with internal investigations and I was learning about the use of Checkpoint tags and clothing security. I perceived the job as more of a law enforcement function than support for a retail business and I think it would be fair to say that was sort of the mindset in those days. We built some strong bonds with our local police department. Police officers knew if they got a call from our store operator that the Loss Prevention officers had a shoplifter in custody or were chasing a shoplifter and it would be a solid arrest. When we started putting out more high ticket merchandise we used clothing security tags I only saw it as an opportunity for shoplifters to steal more valuable merchandise. I did not see that security tags on clothes could drive sales AND prevent shoplifting.
Clothing security tags come in soft tag form that can be peeled from a roll and applied to packages of socks, underwear and packaged shirts. Hard Checkpoint tags are also available and these are great for pinning directly to merchandise. Hard tags are reusable, two-piece, anti-theft devices that are nearly impossible to forcibly remove without causing damage to the merchandise. They are a visual deterrent to would-be thieves who don’t want to hassle with trying to get them off or risk exiting a door and setting off an electronic article surveillance (EAS) alarm. Both the soft and hard clothing security tags are designed with radio frequency technology so they will activate EAS antennas if the merchandise they are attached to is carried too close to the doors where the antennas are located.
So what changed for me over time? When I eventually became a Loss Prevention Manager I still saw the job as “getting the bad guys”. I had more exposure to Checkpoint tags and used them on more merchandise including clothing. My perspective changed slowly, perhaps as I learned about what the other store executive jobs involved. The Logistics Manager worked to keep merchandise on the sales floor for customers to purchase rather than in a stockroom. Bare shelves resulted in lost sales opportunities. Sales floor Managers had to ensure merchandise presentations were appealing to customers and they worked hand in hand with the Logistics Manager to move merchandise out of the stockroom and fill clothing racks, tables and gondolas. I began to refocus the way my Loss Prevention staff looked at their jobs. Yes, they were to prevent theft and when possible catch shoplifters. I did continue to develop and train those employees who wanted to go into police work or advance in Loss prevention. I helped them develop skills such how to properly write reports, interact with shoplifting suspects and develop an investigation. I also taught them how to take the skills they learned into other careers. But, I began to show them that they work for a retail business and our job was to keep shortage low and profits high, we were NOT a mini-police department.
With the change in perspective, I saw the advantages of using security tags on clothes to improve sales and still protect goods. Limiting the number of expensive jackets on the floor so they wouldn’t be stolen was less of a risk with Checkpoint tags on them. Having more jackets on the floor ensured customers had easier access to merchandise to purchase and reduced risk of running out of product on the floor and waiting for replenishment from the stockroom. Today, I am a fervent believer that a store is much better off financially by using clothing security tags to prevent theft and at the same time filling the floor for the consumer. You can’t sell merchandise from your stockroom.
Let Checkpoint tags work for you. Use security tags on clothes, then keep your product on the sales floor where customers can pick them up, try them on and purchase them. Along with an EAS antenna and outstanding customer service you will drive up profits and significantly reduce shortage.
Need information on Checkpoint tags? Contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Checkpoint Hard Tags-5 WC Blog 255
EAS tags-4
electronic article surveillance-3
Stop shoplifting-5
Helping Employees Understand How Checkpoint Hard Tags Helps Prevent Shortage
During my time as a Loss Prevention Manager we would regularly look at numbers and break them down for training purposes. We wanted to make stock shortage make sense to our store employees. It’s one thing to tell someone that the store stock shortage results came in at a 1% shrink rate it’s another thing for it to have meaning. In real life, that doesn’t sound like a tremendous amount and it certainly isn’t going to motivate an employee to do much to try to stop shoplifting. What difference will it make to that employee if one out of ten pairs of designer jeans valued at $50 hanging on a fixture is missing the Checkpoint hard tag? Nine pair of the jeans are protected, isn’t that adequate? What are the odds a shoplifter would be looking to steal THAT particular size? If your employees are indifferent to shortage you need to help them understand how important it is that they help stop shoplifting. They need to be alert to missing EAS tags and properly responding to electronic article surveillance (EAS) alarm activations. Shortage needs to be discussed in relevant terms to motivate people to want to impact it.
For readers who are not familiar with Checkpoint hard tags, I would like to take a minute to discuss them and how they can help a store stop shoplifting. EAS tags come in a soft or hard tag version. The soft tags can be peeled off of a roll of tags and applied to most surfaces. Checkpoint hard tags are designed of a hard plastic that comes in two parts. The main piece is pinned through a garment and a cap is pushed over the pin and keeps the tag on the item. Removal of the tag requires a special detachment tool and any other attempt to take the tag off results in damage to the clothing item to which it is attached. Checkpoint tags all work in conjunction with electronic article surveillance antennas and cause an antenna alarm to sound if tagged merchandise comes too close to the doorway where the antenna is located. To sum it up, EAS tags stop shoplifting through visual deterrence (shoplifters see tags and don’t want to hassle with them) and physical alarm activations (the chance of being stopped for a receipt check or the possibility they could be apprehended for theft).
When we trained employees, we tried very hard to make the numbers we were tossing at them make more sense and more of an impact. For example, one statistic we used was that for every item that was stolen, it was estimated it would require selling ten of that item to make up the lost profit. If that one pair of $50 designer jeans that was missing the Checkpoint tag was stolen it was estimated we would have to sell $500 of that same type of jeans to make up the loss. We found that the employees paid more attention when they took that into consideration.
Another training tool we incorporated to make inventory results make more sense to associates was to break the losses down by the year, month, week, day and hour. This is a great way to remind people that theft isn’t a once a year event, but it takes place throughout the year. It serves to make it clear it is important to stop prevent theft daily. Think about it like this, I worked for a big box retailer so just to make it easy $120,000 shortage would have been a good result but consider how this breaks down:
• $10,000 a month in losses
• $2307.62 a week in losses
• $328.77 a day in losses
• $13.70 an hour in losses
When all of this is taken into consideration, missing Checkpoint hard tags don’t seem like such a small deal any longer. Now employees take more ownership of helping to stop shoplifting by ensuring all merchandise has an EAS tags on them. Instead of waving off the person who has activated the electronic article surveillance antennas they will be more inclined to do a thorough receipt check. Shortage has relevance and employees see they can make an impact.
Stock shortage hurts a store’s profitability and all employees can play a role in stopping it, but there needs to be context. Explain it to your employees and help them understand how they can impact shortage by making sure Checkpoint hard tags are properly placed on all merchandise.
Checkpoint hard tags are important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
During my time as a Loss Prevention Manager we would regularly look at numbers and break them down for training purposes. We wanted to make stock shortage make sense to our store employees. It’s one thing to tell someone that the store stock shortage results came in at a 1% shrink rate it’s another thing for it to have meaning. In real life, that doesn’t sound like a tremendous amount and it certainly isn’t going to motivate an employee to do much to try to stop shoplifting. What difference will it make to that employee if one out of ten pairs of designer jeans valued at $50 hanging on a fixture is missing the Checkpoint hard tag? Nine pair of the jeans are protected, isn’t that adequate? What are the odds a shoplifter would be looking to steal THAT particular size? If your employees are indifferent to shortage you need to help them understand how important it is that they help stop shoplifting. They need to be alert to missing EAS tags and properly responding to electronic article surveillance (EAS) alarm activations. Shortage needs to be discussed in relevant terms to motivate people to want to impact it.
For readers who are not familiar with Checkpoint hard tags, I would like to take a minute to discuss them and how they can help a store stop shoplifting. EAS tags come in a soft or hard tag version. The soft tags can be peeled off of a roll of tags and applied to most surfaces. Checkpoint hard tags are designed of a hard plastic that comes in two parts. The main piece is pinned through a garment and a cap is pushed over the pin and keeps the tag on the item. Removal of the tag requires a special detachment tool and any other attempt to take the tag off results in damage to the clothing item to which it is attached. Checkpoint tags all work in conjunction with electronic article surveillance antennas and cause an antenna alarm to sound if tagged merchandise comes too close to the doorway where the antenna is located. To sum it up, EAS tags stop shoplifting through visual deterrence (shoplifters see tags and don’t want to hassle with them) and physical alarm activations (the chance of being stopped for a receipt check or the possibility they could be apprehended for theft).
When we trained employees, we tried very hard to make the numbers we were tossing at them make more sense and more of an impact. For example, one statistic we used was that for every item that was stolen, it was estimated it would require selling ten of that item to make up the lost profit. If that one pair of $50 designer jeans that was missing the Checkpoint tag was stolen it was estimated we would have to sell $500 of that same type of jeans to make up the loss. We found that the employees paid more attention when they took that into consideration.
Another training tool we incorporated to make inventory results make more sense to associates was to break the losses down by the year, month, week, day and hour. This is a great way to remind people that theft isn’t a once a year event, but it takes place throughout the year. It serves to make it clear it is important to stop prevent theft daily. Think about it like this, I worked for a big box retailer so just to make it easy $120,000 shortage would have been a good result but consider how this breaks down:
• $10,000 a month in losses
• $2307.62 a week in losses
• $328.77 a day in losses
• $13.70 an hour in losses
When all of this is taken into consideration, missing Checkpoint hard tags don’t seem like such a small deal any longer. Now employees take more ownership of helping to stop shoplifting by ensuring all merchandise has an EAS tags on them. Instead of waving off the person who has activated the electronic article surveillance antennas they will be more inclined to do a thorough receipt check. Shortage has relevance and employees see they can make an impact.
Stock shortage hurts a store’s profitability and all employees can play a role in stopping it, but there needs to be context. Explain it to your employees and help them understand how they can impact shortage by making sure Checkpoint hard tags are properly placed on all merchandise.
Checkpoint hard tags are important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Alpha Keepers-5 WC blog 246
Retail Anti-Theft Devices-3
Protect Electronics-5
Don’t Restrict The Use Of Alpha Keepers To Only High Dollar Goods.
I work in a small office supply store and so I see merchandise protection strategies that are in place, and some are really good. Our store uses an electronic article surveillance (EAS) system to detect merchandise that someone may attempt to walk out the door without paying for the goods. We use Alpha products to protect ink, toner, headphones, etc. One thing we don’t use enough in my opinion are Alpha Keepers to protect electronics. Don’t misunderstand, we use them but since I spent many years in retail Loss Prevention, I see what I consider missed opportunities. We use keepers to prevent shoplifting of jump drives, and SD cards but we don’t use them on products that can be just as expensive as these, items such as hdmi cords. Within the electronics category we also protect some of our printer inkjet cartridges, but not all of them. So what is it that is the determining factor if something should be locked up using Alpha Keepers?
Before we go on to address that question it only makes sense to have a conversation about what Alpha Keepers are and how they function. Keeper boxes come in a variety of shapes and sizes but they do share a few things in common. The boxes are all clear so a customer can see through them and view whatever contents the Keeper is holding. As retail anti-theft devices the Keepers protect electronics merchandise with tamper resistant locking lids and EAS technology. An attempt to walk out of a store with EAS antennas at the entrance and EAS protected merchandise hidden under clothing or in a purse causes the antenna alarm to trip. Quick response to these alarms significantly improves your odds of getting the merchandise back. It is also possible that if a would-be shoplifter starts to leave with merchandise, the alarm activation may scare the thief into dropping the merchandise still resulting in a recovery and profit to the bottom line.
What is the determining factor of what should be locked up? It really comes down to what a store wants to do with their system. The place I work has most jump drives secured in Alpha Boxes and yet, there are those below a specific dollar threshhold that do not get secured. I am opposed to this strategy. Why set a price point as the means for determining what you are going to protect? I would be more supportive of a strategy that places anything that can fit into it, inside a Keeper box. We have inserts or pictures of some items such as hard drives that are placed into boxes rather than trusting the EAS system and the retail anti-theft devices to protect the products we want to sell. Looking at it with my Loss Prevention hat on, I believe we are not using the system to its fullest potential. One of the benefits of utilizing Keepers to protect electronics is that merchandise is available for a customer to pick up and take to a register without waiting for an employee to unlock a showcase or search a stockroom. Sales are shown to improve when customers don’t have to wait to get service.
Investing in Alpha Keepers to protect electronics makes sense because it is cost effective for a store. Once purchased Keepers are used over and over again. There is no need for continuous purchase of new Keepers. They also take up little additional room to protect the merchandise so there is minimal impact on the amount of product that can be displayed. I encourage store owners to use retail anti-theft devices to prevent shoplifting but I would especially encourage the use of Alpha Keepers to protect electronics. You are sure to drive up sales while lowering your shortage.
Alpha Keepers are important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
I work in a small office supply store and so I see merchandise protection strategies that are in place, and some are really good. Our store uses an electronic article surveillance (EAS) system to detect merchandise that someone may attempt to walk out the door without paying for the goods. We use Alpha products to protect ink, toner, headphones, etc. One thing we don’t use enough in my opinion are Alpha Keepers to protect electronics. Don’t misunderstand, we use them but since I spent many years in retail Loss Prevention, I see what I consider missed opportunities. We use keepers to prevent shoplifting of jump drives, and SD cards but we don’t use them on products that can be just as expensive as these, items such as hdmi cords. Within the electronics category we also protect some of our printer inkjet cartridges, but not all of them. So what is it that is the determining factor if something should be locked up using Alpha Keepers?
Before we go on to address that question it only makes sense to have a conversation about what Alpha Keepers are and how they function. Keeper boxes come in a variety of shapes and sizes but they do share a few things in common. The boxes are all clear so a customer can see through them and view whatever contents the Keeper is holding. As retail anti-theft devices the Keepers protect electronics merchandise with tamper resistant locking lids and EAS technology. An attempt to walk out of a store with EAS antennas at the entrance and EAS protected merchandise hidden under clothing or in a purse causes the antenna alarm to trip. Quick response to these alarms significantly improves your odds of getting the merchandise back. It is also possible that if a would-be shoplifter starts to leave with merchandise, the alarm activation may scare the thief into dropping the merchandise still resulting in a recovery and profit to the bottom line.
What is the determining factor of what should be locked up? It really comes down to what a store wants to do with their system. The place I work has most jump drives secured in Alpha Boxes and yet, there are those below a specific dollar threshhold that do not get secured. I am opposed to this strategy. Why set a price point as the means for determining what you are going to protect? I would be more supportive of a strategy that places anything that can fit into it, inside a Keeper box. We have inserts or pictures of some items such as hard drives that are placed into boxes rather than trusting the EAS system and the retail anti-theft devices to protect the products we want to sell. Looking at it with my Loss Prevention hat on, I believe we are not using the system to its fullest potential. One of the benefits of utilizing Keepers to protect electronics is that merchandise is available for a customer to pick up and take to a register without waiting for an employee to unlock a showcase or search a stockroom. Sales are shown to improve when customers don’t have to wait to get service.
Investing in Alpha Keepers to protect electronics makes sense because it is cost effective for a store. Once purchased Keepers are used over and over again. There is no need for continuous purchase of new Keepers. They also take up little additional room to protect the merchandise so there is minimal impact on the amount of product that can be displayed. I encourage store owners to use retail anti-theft devices to prevent shoplifting but I would especially encourage the use of Alpha Keepers to protect electronics. You are sure to drive up sales while lowering your shortage.
Alpha Keepers are important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Checkpoint System-4 WC Blog 307
Retail Theft Prevention-3
Stop Shoplifting-3
Responding To A Checkpoint System EAS Alarm Can Be Intimidating; Train Your Employees How To Approach Customers With Confidence And A Smile
There are many situations in retail where employees have encounters that can be uncomfortable, especially when they aren’t trained on how to approach people. I have seen customers become defensive when a cashier catches a ticket switch while ringing a sale. The employee became intimidated by the customer’s attitude. As a Manager On Duty I have had to deal with customers who have become angry when I wouldn’t allow a full refund for an item because they had no receipt. I have seen employees wave at a customer who set off an electronic article surveillance (EAS) pedestal rather than have to try to resolve the cause of an alarm. There have also been instances where an employee did approach a shopper who set off a tower alarm and the employee’s attitude created a tense situation. For retail theft prevention to be effective store owners and managers need to conduct ongoing training with staff on how to effectively handle conflict or de-escalate situations appropriately, especially with regard to events involving Checkpoint Systems.
A Checkpoint System is a tool that is only as effective as the store team using it. The retail theft prevention system itself is a combination of EAS pedestals installed at entry/exit doors and other key locations in a store, and the use of protective EAS tags and labels placed on merchandise. There are also deactivation pads located at checkout lanes and detachment tools to remove hard tags from merchandise. The pedestals alarm when tagged merchandise is carried near them and alert employees that a possible theft is taking place. Tags and labels provide the protection for merchandise ensuring that if a shoplifter attempts to steal product the tower alarm will be activated. Deactivation pads and detachment tools remove hard tags or “de-tune” soft tags to ensure paid merchandise won’t inadvertently cause an alarm and be a customer distraction. If your team isn’t properly trained to use this tool you degrade the effectiveness of your system to deter theft and prevent shoplifting in your store.
What do I mean? Isn’t a retail theft prevention system going to stop shoplifting once it is installed? Just having a system will deter a certain amount of shoplifting theft, the casual shoplifter generally doesn’t want to risk setting off an EAS pedestal alarm and chance being caught. It is crucial that your employees are trained in properly responding to pedestal alarm activations to get the most out of your system and that means knowing how to approach customers and resolve alarm events. Training will also make approaching customers who have set off an alarm much easier to do.
Frequently, the EAS tower alarm sound will stop shoplifting by startling a dishonest customer and they drop the goods they had and run. But not every thief runs and not every alarm is due to an attempted theft. Employees who are not properly trained to respond can be uncomfortable or even scared to have to interact with the customer who caused the event. Spend time teaching associates to walk to the doors, smile and begin a conversation with a “hello”. They can then ask about the customer’s purchases, did they buy something that may not have deactivated at the register properly? Follow-up with the question, “Do you mind if I see your receipt to try to figure out what’s causing this alarm?” By not sounding like an accusation is being made, it de-escalates the situation by making it appear an error has taken place. By showing concern that an error may have taken place I have even been able to help a customer find that tags from a prior purchase at another store were never deactivated. I have found hidden tags in wallets and the customer said they regularly were setting off alarms and never knew why. For the person who WAS trying to shoplift, giving them a potential way out by approaching and suggesting maybe they forgot to have something rung up removes the suggestion they had the intention of stealing (even if that was their intent). This is an effective method of getting the merchandise back (which is what the tower is supposed to do) and getting the crook out of your building.
Give your employees the proper training and they can stop shoplifting when the Checkpoint system alarms go off. You also give your employees the confidence that interactions at the doors don’t have to be confrontational and they will be more willing to step up and respond to those alarms.
Need information on a Checkpoint system? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
There are many situations in retail where employees have encounters that can be uncomfortable, especially when they aren’t trained on how to approach people. I have seen customers become defensive when a cashier catches a ticket switch while ringing a sale. The employee became intimidated by the customer’s attitude. As a Manager On Duty I have had to deal with customers who have become angry when I wouldn’t allow a full refund for an item because they had no receipt. I have seen employees wave at a customer who set off an electronic article surveillance (EAS) pedestal rather than have to try to resolve the cause of an alarm. There have also been instances where an employee did approach a shopper who set off a tower alarm and the employee’s attitude created a tense situation. For retail theft prevention to be effective store owners and managers need to conduct ongoing training with staff on how to effectively handle conflict or de-escalate situations appropriately, especially with regard to events involving Checkpoint Systems.
A Checkpoint System is a tool that is only as effective as the store team using it. The retail theft prevention system itself is a combination of EAS pedestals installed at entry/exit doors and other key locations in a store, and the use of protective EAS tags and labels placed on merchandise. There are also deactivation pads located at checkout lanes and detachment tools to remove hard tags from merchandise. The pedestals alarm when tagged merchandise is carried near them and alert employees that a possible theft is taking place. Tags and labels provide the protection for merchandise ensuring that if a shoplifter attempts to steal product the tower alarm will be activated. Deactivation pads and detachment tools remove hard tags or “de-tune” soft tags to ensure paid merchandise won’t inadvertently cause an alarm and be a customer distraction. If your team isn’t properly trained to use this tool you degrade the effectiveness of your system to deter theft and prevent shoplifting in your store.
What do I mean? Isn’t a retail theft prevention system going to stop shoplifting once it is installed? Just having a system will deter a certain amount of shoplifting theft, the casual shoplifter generally doesn’t want to risk setting off an EAS pedestal alarm and chance being caught. It is crucial that your employees are trained in properly responding to pedestal alarm activations to get the most out of your system and that means knowing how to approach customers and resolve alarm events. Training will also make approaching customers who have set off an alarm much easier to do.
Frequently, the EAS tower alarm sound will stop shoplifting by startling a dishonest customer and they drop the goods they had and run. But not every thief runs and not every alarm is due to an attempted theft. Employees who are not properly trained to respond can be uncomfortable or even scared to have to interact with the customer who caused the event. Spend time teaching associates to walk to the doors, smile and begin a conversation with a “hello”. They can then ask about the customer’s purchases, did they buy something that may not have deactivated at the register properly? Follow-up with the question, “Do you mind if I see your receipt to try to figure out what’s causing this alarm?” By not sounding like an accusation is being made, it de-escalates the situation by making it appear an error has taken place. By showing concern that an error may have taken place I have even been able to help a customer find that tags from a prior purchase at another store were never deactivated. I have found hidden tags in wallets and the customer said they regularly were setting off alarms and never knew why. For the person who WAS trying to shoplift, giving them a potential way out by approaching and suggesting maybe they forgot to have something rung up removes the suggestion they had the intention of stealing (even if that was their intent). This is an effective method of getting the merchandise back (which is what the tower is supposed to do) and getting the crook out of your building.
Give your employees the proper training and they can stop shoplifting when the Checkpoint System alarms go off. You also give your employees the confidence that interactions at the doors don’t have to be confrontational and they will be more willing to step up and respond to those alarms.
Need information on a Checkpoint System? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
