REDUCE SHRINKAGE BY UTILZING THE ALPHA HANG TAG IMMEDIATELY!
Prevent Shoplifitng-3 ML Blog 22
Alpha Hang Tag- 4
Shoplifting is one of the most serious problems in retailers. A lot of stores may not realize how MASSIVE the problem is. Shoplifters are one of the highest contributors to shrinkage for the retail industry. Shrinkage costs the retailers over $45 billion each year! It takes a massive bite right out of your bottom line. With this said, are you doing enough to put a stop to shrinkage in your location? Retailers have many ways to protect their assets from thieves. In Loss Prevention, I utilize the most advanced security devices available and always embrace new technology. Most retailers will place regular hard tags and wraps on their products as a theft deterrent to prevent shoplifting. That program works as a prevention for boxed and clothing items, but not for our clamshell packaged merchandise. This leaves many high dollar product without proper security protection from thieves. Many stores are forgetting about those areas, which leads to a trending high amount of loss each year. By utilizing an Alpha Hang Tag, you finally put a stop to shrink in these areas!
I have worked as Loss Prevention Manager in several different retail locations. Several of them did not realize the newest technology out there for merchandise protection. I would start working at a new location, and it would never fail I would only see hard tags, ink tags, or spider wraps. One of my locations had a big electronics department. 60 percent of the product in this department consisted of clamshell products. They would have heavy TV’s spider wrapped, leaving pegs of merchandise over $200.00 priced without protection. I understand why they were doing the 60 inch TV’s, due to the high price point. However, I had to explain to them that the chance of a heavy TV walking out the door was rarer then several people stealing the smaller pegged, high dollar items. I pulled their shrink reports, and was able to show them the difference. They did not have any TVs missing in a 3 years trend! They did have high shrink each year in the pegged products. Yet they were still protecting only the TVs, versus the most stolen items? They had to start thinking smarter than the shoplifters to prevent shoplifting in their store. I had to change their way of thinking, and help them understand the importance of utilizing the Alpha Hang Tag. Once I conducted a meeting with the managers, there was a few concerns by them. One manager asked “Why can’t we just use locking peg hooks, since we already have some in the back?”. I explained, “If we place the merchandise on a locking peg hook, its normal to think it was protected and the merchandise could not be removed unless an associate unlocked the peg. However, a thief can come through with a knife and cut the top of the plastic off easily”. Locking pegs are also not customer friendly for retailers, making the customer wait till they find an associate. I needed to show them what has worked for me in the past. I started with a story that I know all too well. I watched one evening via CCTV, 2 shoplifters come through an aisle of high dollar merchandise on pegs. I noticed one of the subjects, digging an item out of his pocket. It ended up being a Kershaw Knife. Next, I saw on camera him cut a whole row of product off. The second subject grabs all of the product, stuffing them into an empty bag. After concealing, the first subject exits and gets the car ready for the second subject. He pulls up to the curb, and the subject with the bag filled jumps in! Not only did he get away with 8 expensive items, but it could have been a scary situation for associates and customers! Once I explained my story to the managers, everyone knew we had to change the culture! We had to put a stop to the thieves from coming in, using knives to steal items right underneath our nose. After figuring out where the issue was, I was able to get approval to order the Alpha Hang Tag. I received my first shipment in quickly, and we placed them on our high dollar pegged products. After 2 months of usage and tracking, we found 0 product was cut off by thieves. This was a huge win for my store! Now they understand what action plans really work to prevent shoplifting. One feedback received was how much they liked the size of the Alpha Hang tag is, making it very customer friendly for shopping. It is also extremely easy to put on, so it does not take inordinate amounts of time for the associates to put on. I have had heard nothing but positive feedback from the store staff after utilizing our new security tags!
After having such a high success rate, I was able to obtain approval to order more and place it on other products as well. The store team trusted my expertise, leading to using the best products out there! The following year, we had a shrink reduction in our problem areas. The best part for the store was not finding tons of cut open packaging daily, knowing that we were able to prevent shoplifting!
Get more information on the Alpha Hang Tag, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Shoplifting is one of the most serious problems in retailers. A lot of stores may not realize how MASSIVE the problem is. Shoplifters are one of the highest contributors to shrinkage for the retail industry. Shrinkage costs the retailers over $45 billion each year! It takes a massive bite right out of your bottom line. With this said, are you doing enough to put a stop to shrinkage in your location? Retailers have many ways to protect their assets from thieves. In Loss Prevention, I utilize the most advanced security devices available and always embrace new technology. Most retailers will place regular hard tags and wraps on their products as a theft deterrent to prevent shoplifting. That program works as a prevention for boxed and clothing items, but not for our clamshell packaged merchandise. This leaves many high dollar product without proper security protection from thieves. Many stores are forgetting about those areas, which leads to a trending high amount of loss each year. By utilizing an Alpha Hang Tag, you finally put a stop to shrink in these areas!
I have worked as Loss Prevention Manager in several different retail locations. Several of them did not realize the newest technology out there for merchandise protection. I would start working at a new location, and it would never fail I would only see hard tags, ink tags, or spider wraps. One of my locations had a big electronics department. 60 percent of the product in this department consisted of clamshell products. They would have heavy TV’s spider wrapped, leaving pegs of merchandise over $200.00 priced without protection. I understand why they were doing the 60 inch TV’s, due to the high price point. However, I had to explain to them that the chance of a heavy TV walking out the door was rarer then several people stealing the smaller pegged, high dollar items. I pulled their shrink reports, and was able to show them the difference. They did not have any TVs missing in a 3 years trend! They did have high shrink each year in the pegged products. Yet they were still protecting only the TVs, versus the most stolen items? They had to start thinking smarter than the shoplifters to prevent shoplifting in their store. I had to change their way of thinking, and help them understand the importance of utilizing the Alpha Hang Tag. Once I conducted a meeting with the managers, there was a few concerns by them. One manager asked “Why can’t we just use locking peg hooks, since we already have some in the back?”. I explained, “If we place the merchandise on a locking peg hook, its normal to think it was protected and the merchandise could not be removed unless an associate unlocked the peg. However, a thief can come through with a knife and cut the top of the plastic off easily”. Locking pegs are also not customer friendly for retailers, making the customer wait till they find an associate. I needed to show them what has worked for me in the past. I started with a story that I know all too well. I watched one evening via CCTV, 2 shoplifters come through an aisle of high dollar merchandise on pegs. I noticed one of the subjects, digging an item out of his pocket. It ended up being a Kershaw Knife. Next, I saw on camera him cut a whole row of product off. The second subject grabs all of the product, stuffing them into an empty bag. After concealing, the first subject exits and gets the car ready for the second subject. He pulls up to the curb, and the subject with the bag filled jumps in! Not only did he get away with 8 expensive items, but it could have been a scary situation for associates and customers! Once I explained my story to the managers, everyone knew we had to change the culture! We had to put a stop to the thieves from coming in, using knives to steal items right underneath our nose. After figuring out where the issue was, I was able to get approval to order the Alpha Hang Tag. I received my first shipment in quickly, and we placed them on our high dollar pegged products. After 2 months of usage and tracking, we found 0 product was cut off by thieves. This was a huge win for my store! Now they understand what action plans really work to prevent shoplifting. One feedback received was how much they liked the size of the Alpha Hang tag is, making it very customer friendly for shopping. It is also extremely easy to put on, so it does not take inordinate amounts of time for the associates to put on. I have had heard nothing but positive feedback from the store staff after utilizing our new security tags!
After having such a high success rate, I was able to obtain approval to order more and place it on other products as well. The store team trusted my expertise, leading to using the best products out there! The following year, we had a shrink reduction in our problem areas. The best part for the store was not finding tons of cut open packaging daily, knowing that we were able to prevent shoplifting!
Get more information on the Alpha Hang Tag, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Retail Traffic Counting System -3 WC Blog 470
Door counting sensor-4
Innovative Ideas Using A Door Counting System
Innovations to improve profits and service are always fascinating to me. I came across something that piqued my interest while in a grocery store with my wife. We were just starting to walk past the frozen food freezer units and I saw a light turn on. Initially I thought this was possibly a bad bulb but then I noticed that the rest of the lights in the other coolers were out. We then turned to walk down the aisle and as we progressed the lights in the units immediately in front of us came on. I thought it was cool that someone thought of this innovation to save money. But I also thought about what may be another added bonus to the system. The lights coming on as we passed by the front of the aisle attracted my attention. How many customers does this cause to turn into an aisle they may have passed by? Does this have an unintended impact on driving sales? As those questions came to my mind I thought about retail traffic counting systems as an innovation in retail. Sure, they can tell a store owner how many people are coming in a store that is the natural intent of the devices. Are there other benefits that may be considered afterthoughts to installing them as were the draw of the motion sensor lights in the freezers?
Before I explore this any further it would be a good idea to clarify what retail traffic counter systems are for the uninitiated reader. These are systems that utilize a door counting sensor to track how many people are entering a store. The information gleaned from the system is used to determine exactly what the traffic patterns in a store are by time of day and the day of the week. This information is then used by store managers and store owners to determine payroll allocations. Payroll is spent where trends indicate the busiest days and hours are from a historical perspective.
Back to my observation about side benefits how else might a store owner benefit if he/she were to place a door counting sensor at the entrance to the store? Is there more than knowing how to spend payroll more effectively? Consider what happens when a new window display is set up. Does management really know whether it was impactful to set up that mannequin or layout a new lawnmower or tool set? Using the data from retail traffic counting systems it is possible to compare days. Maybe last year 300 people entered the store on this day of the week. This year the totals were 350 people coming to visit. Barring any external factors that may have played a part such as snow or a special event in the community, something that might have drawn in people to the town, it would be fairly safe to assume the display was the draw. Note should be taken for next year on what was displayed you may have hit a jackpot.
Another positive effect of a retail traffic counting system is it can help measure your store social media presence. It is one thing to get tweets and re-tweets or hundreds of Facebook shares but that means nothing if you don’t know if your media presence translates to sales. On the other hand a tweet about a special event in your building or a Facebook post telling everyone there is a special one-time deal being offered may drive in people but you don’t have any clue how many unless you can track that number by foot traffic. I know what you are thinking, “I always have my receipt tape to tell me how my event impacted sales.” If you think this an accurate measure you might want to reconsider that line of thought. How many customers came in but did not buy anything? Perhaps they just wanted to browse merchandise but what if they didn’t buy because no one was available to offer assistance? A door counting sensor along with sales receipt data can paint a true picture of how many people were in your store and how many actually made purchases. This information can help in creating future action plans that will make sale promotions more profitable than in the past.
Innovation often requires looking at something more than on the surface. A motion sensor can save money on energy and draw in a customer. A door counting sensor can count people and give vital information that will help in assessing social media and advertising impact along with other statistical data. See how a retail traffic counting sensor can help drive up your sales.
Need information on a door counting system? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Innovations to improve profits and service are always fascinating to me. I came across something that piqued my interest while in a grocery store with my wife. We were just starting to walk past the frozen food freezer units and I saw a light turn on. Initially I thought this was possibly a bad bulb but then I noticed that the rest of the lights in the other coolers were out. We then turned to walk down the aisle and as we progressed the lights in the units immediately in front of us came on. I thought it was cool that someone thought of this innovation to save money. But I also thought about what may be another added bonus to the system. The lights coming on as we passed by the front of the aisle attracted my attention. How many customers does this cause to turn into an aisle they may have passed by? Does this have an unintended impact on driving sales? As those questions came to my mind I thought about retail traffic counting systems as an innovation in retail. Sure, they can tell a store owner how many people are coming in a store that is the natural intent of the devices. Are there other benefits that may be considered afterthoughts to installing them as were the draw of the motion sensor lights in the freezers?
Before I explore this any further it would be a good idea to clarify what retail traffic counter systems are for the uninitiated reader. These are systems that utilize a door counting sensor to track how many people are entering a store. The information gleaned from the system is used to determine exactly what the traffic patterns in a store are by time of day and the day of the week. This information is then used by store managers and store owners to determine payroll allocations. Payroll is spent where trends indicate the busiest days and hours are from a historical perspective.
Back to my observation about side benefits how else might a store owner benefit if he/she were to place a door counting sensor at the entrance to the store? Is there more than knowing how to spend payroll more effectively? Consider what happens when a new window display is set up. Does management really know whether it was impactful to set up that mannequin or layout a new lawnmower or tool set? Using the data from retail traffic counting systems it is possible to compare days. Maybe last year 300 people entered the store on this day of the week. This year the totals were 350 people coming to visit. Barring any external factors that may have played a part such as snow or a special event in the community, something that might have drawn in people to the town, it would be fairly safe to assume the display was the draw. Note should be taken for next year on what was displayed you may have hit a jackpot.
Another positive effect of a retail traffic counting system is it can help measure your store social media presence. It is one thing to get tweets and re-tweets or hundreds of Facebook shares but that means nothing if you don’t know if your media presence translates to sales. On the other hand a tweet about a special event in your building or a Facebook post telling everyone there is a special one-time deal being offered may drive in people but you don’t have any clue how many unless you can track that number by foot traffic. I know what you are thinking, “I always have my receipt tape to tell me how my event impacted sales.” If you think this an accurate measure you might want to reconsider that line of thought. How many customers came in but did not buy anything? Perhaps they just wanted to browse merchandise but what if they didn’t buy because no one was available to offer assistance? A door counting sensor along with sales receipt data can paint a true picture of how many people were in your store and how many actually made purchases. This information can help in creating future action plans that will make sale promotions more profitable than in the past.
Innovation often requires looking at something more than on the surface. A motion sensor can save money on energy and draw in a customer. A door counting sensor can count people and give vital information that will help in assessing social media and advertising impact along with other statistical data. See how a retail traffic counting sensor can help drive up your sales.
Need information on a door counting system? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Pre-employment screening is not simply a means of cutting down the amount of time it takes to wade through an applicant pool. Though it can be one benefit of the process, there are practical benefits from a Loss Prevention standpoint as well. Often employers will place job ads in various locations in order to fill positions, and they will get a large response to the ad. At first glance, this seems like it would be a good thing for the employer, but then the process of reviewing applications takes place and it becomes obvious that there are many that you would never want on the team. It may be the applications are not completely filled out or there are glaring omissions and gaps in employment. Then further review has to take place to find those people that look like they would be good to interview. Depending on how deep the application pool is this can be a tedious task. From a Loss Prevention point of view it can be a nightmare. Bill Bregar, CEO of Loss Prevention Systems Inc. wants to help stores establish a strong team of employees without concern over a risk of bringing criminals or poor performers on board. Employee background checks and pre-employment screening in addition to applicant management combine to make hiring easier and create a secure environment.
Loss Prevention Systems Inc. is now offering an applicant management center to employers. This new tool will aid owners and managers in the hiring process and reduce the paperwork normally associated with filling position vacancies. For example, LPSI offers background checks to employers to ensure there are no concerns about the applicant’s past. Getting authorization forms signed by applicants could be a pain in the neck in the past. With an applicant management system, LPSI can accomplish the task electronically and include an electronic mouse signature that captures an applicant’s authorization to conduct the search. Additionally, the new system allows background checks to be an automatic part of the hiring process. Applicants will give their consent electronically and the process will begin. The option for manual review and submission is still something that can be done; the choice is up to the prospective employer. The applicant management process will also allow you to create a variety of job positions for different work centers, and you can flag specific questions for applicants to assist in the streamlining of your pool. In other words, if you require specific talents or skills, you can have questions that must be answered in a certain way or the application will not be included for consideration. You can see the benefit that is derived from having a one-stop shop for an application and hiring process.
As a former Loss Prevention Manager, I like the benefits associated with an automatic pre-employment screening process in conjunction with flagging application questions. Questions I have seen for applicants have included, “Have you ever been convicted of a felony?”, “Have you ever shoplifted?” or “Have you ever stolen from your employer?” Flagging these questions can help eliminate applicants who have answered yes and who would be a risk for you to add to your team. The background check can be conducted on the pool of applicants you are considering and if those results conflict with the answers provided in the questionnaire you can use the email support and conduct a further inquiry on the applicant. Having caught employees stealing who did not have employee background checks completed prior to bringing them on board, I know the negative impact those hires can have on a business. Automating this into your hiring process can save you a lot of money and prevent a lot of shortage in the long run.
Employee Background Checks are an important part of any employer’s hiring process to ensure the best qualified talent is brought on a team. Trying to manage all of the parts of the process of hiring can be challenging and time consuming. LPSI can simplify paperwork and conduct the thorough pre-employment screening for your applicants that will streamline your hiring process, so you can spend more time on other aspects of driving sales for your business.
Need information on applicant management? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
