AA blog 11
Checkpoint Labels-5
Stop Shoplifting: 3
How to Prevent Theft While Improving Customer Satisfaction By Using Checkpoint Labels
As a police officer for over 15 years I have dealt with my share of shoplifters, many of which will go to great lengths to steal merchandise. Obviously dressing rooms are used quite frequently to hide and conceal merchandise, while others are blatant enough to just fill a cart and walk out with their new items. I actually responded to a shoplifting, in which an older man opened a container of golf tees, removed about ten of them, and replaced the package leaving the store with just the amount he needed to play a round of golf that day. I have also investigated more savvy criminals, such as the delivery driver who would deliver large quantities of liquor and beer to the store. Inventory numbers were not matching up, so I was called in to investigate a possible theft. It was determined that he was delivering the product into a store room, removing several bottles of liquor from each of the boxes, and returning to his truck with his loot. I managed to catch him in the act of removing property from the store and he was prosecuted and probably lost his job. If someone really wants to take something from your store, they will do it, it is inevitable. Unfortunately we don’t always have loss prevention or police readily available to nab these guys or catch them in the act, which is why it is imperative for retailers to take matters into their own hands to stop shoplifting and reduce their risk. One way a retailer can do that is by using Checkpoint labels to help monitor their product without the use of extensive loss prevention support and manning. This will reduce overhead, increase profit, and ensure you have the inventory available for your customers.
Checkpoint labels provide several protections to both the manufacturer and the retailer, and offer several different methods, in order to track and protect your property. They provide the ability to add labels to merchandise at the manufacturing level, so that they are affixed to the product prior to them arriving at your store. This reduces the time needed to affix tags at the store level, and allows for better accountability from beginning to end. Checkpoint labels come in various styles, colors and designs and allow for a smaller, less obvious tagging solution. New innovations even allow the integration of EAS into brand labeling, which makes it very unobtrusive and undetectable to those who are familiar with tagging products. A small detachable tag can be added to the merchandise, which allows for quick removal at the time of sale. The EAS system can stop shoplifting by notifying a retailer when merchandise is taken out of the store. These soft labels can be easily and quickly deactivated, at the time of checkout, to allow for a smooth transaction and good customer service experience.
I don’t know about you, but as a female, one of my biggest pet peeves are those large hard tags that are added to the clothes. Sometimes associates don’t place those tags in a manner that allows for a good fit when trying on the item. I have even had to ask them to remove it, just so I could get the pants on, because of where they attached it. This can be very frustrating for the honest consumer who wants to buy your products. This can result in a negative experience, which causes them to shop with your competitor. These new Checkpoint labels provide alternative options for manufacturers and retailers alike. Soft labels are small and provide a comfortable experience for your customer, while still providing the level of protection you need to stop shoplifting. This provides a quality shopping experience, while protecting your assets at a reasonable cost.
Checkpoint labels are important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
As a police officer for over 15 years I have dealt with my share of shoplifters, many of which will go to great lengths to steal merchandise. Obviously dressing rooms are used quite frequently to hide and conceal merchandise, while others are blatant enough to just fill a cart and walk out with their new items. I actually responded to a shoplifting, in which an older man opened a container of golf tees, removed about ten of them, and replaced the package leaving the store with just the amount he needed to play a round of golf that day. I have also investigated more savvy criminals, such as the delivery driver who would deliver large quantities of liquor and beer to the store. Inventory numbers were not matching up, so I was called in to investigate a possible theft. It was determined that he was delivering the product into a store room, removing several bottles of liquor from each of the boxes, and returning to his truck with his loot. I managed to catch him in the act of removing property from the store and he was prosecuted and probably lost his job. If someone really wants to take something from your store, they will do it, it is inevitable. Unfortunately we don’t always have loss prevention or police readily available to nab these guys or catch them in the act, which is why it is imperative for retailers to take matters into their own hands to stop shoplifting and reduce their risk. One way a retailer can do that is by using Checkpoint labels to help monitor their product without the use of extensive loss prevention support and manning. This will reduce overhead, increase profit, and ensure you have the inventory available for your customers.
Checkpoint labels provide several protections to both the manufacturer and the retailer, and offer several different methods, in order to track and protect your property. They provide the ability to add labels to merchandise at the manufacturing level, so that they are affixed to the product prior to them arriving at your store. This reduces the time needed to affix tags at the store level, and allows for better accountability from beginning to end. Checkpoint labels come in various styles, colors and designs and allow for a smaller, less obvious tagging solution. New innovations even allow the integration of EAS into brand labeling, which makes it very unobtrusive and undetectable to those who are familiar with tagging products. A small detachable tag can be added to the merchandise, which allows for quick removal at the time of sale. The EAS system can stop shoplifting by notifying a retailer when merchandise is taken out of the store. These soft labels can be easily and quickly deactivated, at the time of checkout, to allow for a smooth transaction and good customer service experience.
I don’t know about you, but as a female, one of my biggest pet peeves are those large hard tags that are added to the clothes. Sometimes associates don’t place those tags in a manner that allows for a good fit when trying on the item. I have even had to ask them to remove it, just so I could get the pants on, because of where they attached it. This can be very frustrating for the honest consumer who wants to buy your products. This can result in a negative experience, which causes them to shop with your competitor. These new Checkpoint labels provide alternative options for manufacturers and retailers alike. Soft labels are small and provide a comfortable experience for your customer, while still providing the level of protection you need to stop shoplifting. This provides a quality shopping experience, while protecting your assets at a reasonable cost.
Checkpoint labels are important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Retail Anti-Theft Devices-3 WC blog 241
Alpha Security-3
Alpha cable lock-5
Alpha Cable Locks Keep Thieves From Rolling Away With Your Merchandise
Having spent as many years as I have in Loss Prevention and retail, I have quite a few memorable cases I worked. I am certain that many others in the field have recollections of certain cases that stood out to them. Some because of the items that were stolen, some incidents stood out due to how the theft took place or the actions of the shoplifter when stopped. There were many incidents of theft that my team or I were able to effectively investigate and close, but not all of them as quickly as I would have preferred. I once had a case that was causing me much consternation and might have been avoided if I had the proper retail anti-theft device available at the time. One of the Alpha Security retail anti-theft devices I wish I had access to then was the Alpha Cable Lock.
What is an Alpha Cable Lock and how does it work? An Alpha Security cable lock uses aircraft grade cable attached through a locking mechanism to prevent criminals from shoplifting merchandise. The locking mechanism is built with radio frequency technology that causes an Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) antenna to alarm if the secured product is carried into the antennas reception field. Tampering with the device activates an internal alarm in the device and the 3-alarm version of the Alpha Cable Lock sounds an internal alarm if the device is taken past EAS antennas. The cable can be run around or through softlines or hardlines merchandise to keep it safe. For example, a cable can be run through the sleeve of a coat, around the handle of a bottle of detergent or through the eyelet of a shoe. The versatility of the lock and the fact it is reusable makes it a fantastic choice among retail anti-theft devices for retailers.
The particular case I mentioned above that would have been avoided had we had access to an Alpha Cable Lock involved the theft of bicycles. As we conducted walks of our sporting goods department we began noticing empty spaces on the bike rack. As the number of empty spaces increased we began doing research and finding that high dollar bicycles seemed to be missing. We tagged the bicycles with EAS soft tags to prevent shoplifting but the tags were being removed or we were finding the hang tags we placed the EAS tags on were being left around the store. We also moved our security cameras to focus on the area and we reviewed video to try to identify a culprit. Live closed circuit television surveillances of this area of the store were conducted and we did eventually see our suspect.
This shoplifter selected a bicycle from the display rack, looked over the item while other shoppers were in the area then rolled it down a back aisle. He stopped and tore the paperwork off and the card board inserts from the spokes and walked it towards the front doors, going around the checkout lanes. He parked the bike in a little discount merchandise area near the front buggy corral and walked around ensuring no employees were paying attention. He went back to the bike and rolled it up to the electronic article surveillance antennas located at the door and my Loss Prevention Associate and I stopped the suspect as he jumped on the bike to ride it out. After a bit of resistance on his part, which included a fake seizure, we got the suspect into the security office. Don’t worry, the suspect was fine, he recovered from the “seizure” quickly when I informed him we would call him an ambulance, but it would cost him $500. The bike was recovered and our rash of thefts decreased significantly after that.
The lesson I hope the readers of this article will take away is that had the Alpha cable lock been available to us and strung through the wheels, the thefts could not have taken place in the first place. If you have hard to tag merchandise Alpha Security may have the solution you need with their cable lock products.
Need information on Alpha cable locks? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Having spent as many years as I have in Loss Prevention and retail, I have quite a few memorable cases I worked. I am certain that many others in the field have recollections of certain cases that stood out to them. Some because of the items that were stolen, some incidents stood out due to how the theft took place or the actions of the shoplifter when stopped. There were many incidents of theft that my team or I were able to effectively investigate and close, but not all of them as quickly as I would have preferred. I once had a case that was causing me much consternation and might have been avoided if I had the proper retail anti-theft device available at the time. One of the Alpha Security retail anti-theft devices I wish I had access to then was the Alpha Cable Lock.
What is an Alpha Cable Lock and how does it work? An Alpha Security cable lock uses aircraft grade cable attached through a locking mechanism to prevent criminals from shoplifting merchandise. The locking mechanism is built with radio frequency technology that causes an Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) antenna to alarm if the secured product is carried into the antennas reception field. Tampering with the device activates an internal alarm in the device and the 3-alarm version of the Alpha Cable Lock sounds an internal alarm if the device is taken past EAS antennas. The cable can be run around or through softlines or hardlines merchandise to keep it safe. For example, a cable can be run through the sleeve of a coat, around the handle of a bottle of detergent or through the eyelet of a shoe. The versatility of the lock and the fact it is reusable makes it a fantastic choice among retail anti-theft devices for retailers.
The particular case I mentioned above that would have been avoided had we had access to an Alpha Cable Lock involved the theft of bicycles. As we conducted walks of our sporting goods department we began noticing empty spaces on the bike rack. As the number of empty spaces increased we began doing research and finding that high dollar bicycles seemed to be missing. We tagged the bicycles with EAS soft tags to prevent shoplifting but the tags were being removed or we were finding the hang tags we placed the EAS tags on were being left around the store. We also moved our security cameras to focus on the area and we reviewed video to try to identify a culprit. Live closed circuit television surveillances of this area of the store were conducted and we did eventually see our suspect.
This shoplifter selected a bicycle from the display rack, looked over the item while other shoppers were in the area then rolled it down a back aisle. He stopped and tore the paperwork off and the card board inserts from the spokes and walked it towards the front doors, going around the checkout lanes. He parked the bike in a little discount merchandise area near the front buggy corral and walked around ensuring no employees were paying attention. He went back to the bike and rolled it up to the electronic article surveillance antennas located at the door and my Loss Prevention Associate and I stopped the suspect as he jumped on the bike to ride it out. After a bit of resistance on his part, which included a fake seizure, we got the suspect into the security office. Don’t worry, the suspect was fine, he recovered from the “seizure” quickly when I informed him we would call him an ambulance, but it would cost him $500. The bike was recovered and our rash of thefts decreased significantly after that.
The lesson I hope the readers of this article will take away is that had the Alpha cable lock been available to us and strung through the wheels, the thefts could not have taken place in the first place. If you have hard to tag merchandise Alpha Security may have the solution you need with their cable lock products.
Need information on Alpha cable locks? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Checkpoint Systems-3 WC Blog 264
Checkpoint Security System-5
Checkpoint Tags-5
Stop Shoplifting-3
Checkpoint Security Systems Are Key To Your Inventory Control: Part 2
In Part 1 of this series on Inventory Control, I discussed my definition of what Inventory Control is and how it can be confused with the different strategies used by stores to keep control over inventory. I examined how the use of Checkpoint Tags are a strategy to exert control as soon as merchandise is received by a store and can stop shoplifting and deter internal and vendor theft. In Part 2 I will be going over other parts of a Checkpoint Security System that play a role in retail theft prevention and inventory control.
A Checkpoint Security System includes the Checkpoint Tags and labels as I mentioned, but aside from deterrence without the other components of the system, Checkpoint Tags are not extremely helpful. A primary component of Checkpoint Systems is the electronic article surveillance (EAS) antennas. Antennas are usually placed near the main entry and exit points of a store in order to detect merchandise that is protected with Checkpoint Tags that have not been deactivated or removed at a point of sale. The tags and labels are structured so that they transmit a specific radio frequency. When the antennas detect this radio frequency an alarm built into the antennas activates and warns staff that merchandise not yet paid for is leaving the store. This means an item has a Checkpoint Tag that has not been detuned at the register or a hard tag that has not been removed by a cashier. When employees are alerted by the alarm they respond to the doors to conduct a receipt check and determine the cause for the activation. Usually the alarm will result in recovered merchandise as a result of the check, such as a customer carrying out merchandise they “forgot” they had with them. An alarm may stop shoplifting when a criminal panics and drops the goods they were attempting to steal, a result I frequently witnessed as a Loss Prevention Manager.
When a Checkpoint Security System is installed, there are a variety of EAS antennas that a store owner can choose from to stop shoplifting, internal theft and vendor theft. Checkpoint systems include antennas that can be installed in the floor during store construction, antennas that can help showcase merchandise with advertising panels (the Evolve iRange P30) and smaller antennas that take up minimal space at doorways, like the Classic N10 antenna. No matter which type of antenna is chosen, the inventory control strategy is making sure merchandise is accounted for through the point of sales or proper execution of vendor return processes or vendor credit/destroy processes.
If a store owner wants to be serious about inventory control and theft prevention, it would be wise to consider putting Checkpoint Security System antennas in other areas and not limited to just the front doors. EAS antennas can be placed at employee entrances and vendor/receiving doors. Antennas located at front doors stop shoplifting and may deter some employee theft and vendor theft, but if there are alternate exits employees and vendors may take advantage of those doors to avoid the detection of Checkpoint tags and labels. In rare instances I have observed Checkpoint Systems antennas located at a hallway entrance leading to store restrooms. I applaud this step. I can recall several employee theft investigations I conducted that involved the employee taking concealed merchandise into a restroom and later I would find the empty packaging. Again, I stress that inventory control is control over the movement of product in the building. Well placed antennas can control the areas people are able to carry merchandise into.
Make inventory control a reality by implementing effective merchandise protection strategies that limit the ability of customer, employees or vendors to steal. Control what happens within your building by installing a Checkpoint Security System.
Get more information on Checkpoint Security Systems, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
In Part 1 of this series on Inventory Control, I discussed my definition of what Inventory Control is and how it can be confused with the different strategies used by stores to keep control over inventory. I examined how the use of Checkpoint Tags are a strategy to exert control as soon as merchandise is received by a store and can stop shoplifting and deter internal and vendor theft. In Part 2 I will be going over other parts of a Checkpoint Security System that play a role in retail theft prevention and inventory control.
A Checkpoint Security System includes the Checkpoint Tags and labels as I mentioned, but aside from deterrence without the other components of the system, Checkpoint Tags are not extremely helpful. A primary component of Checkpoint Systems is the electronic article surveillance (EAS) antennas. Antennas are usually placed near the main entry and exit points of a store in order to detect merchandise that is protected with Checkpoint Tags that have not been deactivated or removed at a point of sale. The tags and labels are structured so that they transmit a specific radio frequency. When the antennas detect this radio frequency an alarm built into the antennas activates and warns staff that merchandise not yet paid for is leaving the store. This means an item has a Checkpoint Tag that has not been detuned at the register or a hard tag that has not been removed by a cashier. When employees are alerted by the alarm they respond to the doors to conduct a receipt check and determine the cause for the activation. Usually the alarm will result in recovered merchandise as a result of the check, such as a customer carrying out merchandise they “forgot” they had with them. An alarm may stop shoplifting when a criminal panics and drops the goods they were attempting to steal, a result I frequently witnessed as a Loss Prevention Manager.
When a Checkpoint Security System is installed, there are a variety of EAS antennas that a store owner can choose from to stop shoplifting, internal theft and vendor theft. Checkpoint systems include antennas that can be installed in the floor during store construction, antennas that can help showcase merchandise with advertising panels (the Evolve iRange P30) and smaller antennas that take up minimal space at doorways, like the Classic N10 antenna. No matter which type of antenna is chosen, the inventory control strategy is making sure merchandise is accounted for through the point of sales or proper execution of vendor return processes or vendor credit/destroy processes.
If a store owner wants to be serious about inventory control and theft prevention, it would be wise to consider putting Checkpoint Security System antennas in other areas and not limited to just the front doors. EAS antennas can be placed at employee entrances and vendor/receiving doors. Antennas located at front doors stop shoplifting and may deter some employee theft and vendor theft, but if there are alternate exits employees and vendors may take advantage of those doors to avoid the detection of Checkpoint tags and labels. In rare instances I have observed Checkpoint Systems antennas located at a hallway entrance leading to store restrooms. I applaud this step. I can recall several employee theft investigations I conducted that involved the employee taking concealed merchandise into a restroom and later I would find the empty packaging. Again, I stress that inventory control is control over the movement of product in the building. Well placed antennas can control the areas people are able to carry merchandise into.
Make inventory control a reality by implementing effective merchandise protection strategies that limit the ability of customer, employees or vendors to steal. Control what happens within your building by installing a Checkpoint Security System.
Get more information on Checkpoint Security Systems, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
