Retail anti-theft device: 4
Alpha Ink Tag: 3
Prevent shoplifting: 3
An Alpha Ink Tag Can Provide Your Business With Deterrence And Detection At An Affordable Cost
Being in loss prevention you tend to see a lot of interesting things; people will try and steel anything they can get their hands on. In one of the stores I worked in, we had plain clothes loss prevention (LP) staff walking throughout the store watching people and LP monitoring store cameras, in order to prevent shoplifting. On one occasion we had a lady in the apparel department who was acting suspiciously. This behavior was identified via camera system, at which time the floor LP was contacted to check into it. This lady was looking around and pushing her bag into the clothing racks as if she was trying to conceal her bag. The camera would not allow a good enough visual to determine if she was concealing store property in her bag. The floor LP arrived and was watching her from a distance as he pretended to shop, but he also was unable to confirm if a theft had occurred. He watched her for approximately ten minutes before she noticed him and departed the area. She continued to shop and purchased a couple of items before leaving the store. As she left the EAS system went off and alerted store staff. Our floor LP, that had been watching her earlier, made contact with her. They reviewed her purchases against her receipt and did not identify anything unusual. Upon further investigation, the LP staff located several items in her bag that she had taken from the apparel department. She became very upset to learn that she had mistakenly taken an item that had a retail anti-theft device attached. She was so upset that she had made that mistake that she was yelling and was extremely angry towards the staff. It was apparent that this wasn’t her first shoplifting, and that she was very familiar with retail anti-theft devices, and how to avoid that type of detection. Fortunately for us, in her covert attempt to steal our property, she mistakenly took a product that had an Alpha ink tag attached to it.
In this case we were lucky enough to stop a frequent shoplifter with the use of an Alpha ink tag. Although, we learned the hard way how easy it is for someone to steal from us if we are only partially protected. We did not use retail anti-theft devices on all of our property; instead we only tagged those items of high value or those with higher theft rates. In our attempt to save cost on security, we ultimately made ourselves more vulnerable to the professional shoplifters. Alpha ink tags are a cost efficient way to add protection to all of your merchandise and prevent shoplifting in your stores. These tags are extremely strong and durable and are equipped with EAS technology. The EAS technology works to notify you in the event a person tries to leave the store with the merchandise, but also works as a deterrent. These tags are designed so that ink is expelled when a person tries to remove the tag from the garment, thus rendering the merchandise un-useable. They also are available in standard or super lock strengths, depending on your needs. These tags are re-useable and provide an unobtrusive way to protect your property from theft.
I know I was thankful that day that our retail anti-theft device was able to identify the shoplifter. Hopefully this will deter her from coming back to our store to shoplift, and will force her to choose other retail options in the future. We did learn a valuable lesson that day; always do your best to protect all of your property, not just some of it. The best way to truly prevent shoplifting is to utilize an Alpha ink tag. They are a cost-efficient way to deter and detect theft, and provide EAS alerting capability, to enhance your existing loss prevention program.
For more information about Alpha ink tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Being in loss prevention you tend to see a lot of interesting things; people will try and steel anything they can get their hands on. In one of the stores I worked in, we had plain clothes loss prevention (LP) staff walking throughout the store watching people and LP monitoring store cameras, in order to prevent shoplifting. On one occasion we had a lady in the apparel department who was acting suspiciously. This behavior was identified via camera system, at which time the floor LP was contacted to check into it. This lady was looking around and pushing her bag into the clothing racks as if she was trying to conceal her bag. The camera would not allow a good enough visual to determine if she was concealing store property in her bag. The floor LP arrived and was watching her from a distance as he pretended to shop, but he also was unable to confirm if a theft had occurred. He watched her for approximately ten minutes before she noticed him and departed the area. She continued to shop and purchased a couple of items before leaving the store. As she left the EAS system went off and alerted store staff. Our floor LP, that had been watching her earlier, made contact with her. They reviewed her purchases against her receipt and did not identify anything unusual. Upon further investigation, the LP staff located several items in her bag that she had taken from the apparel department. She became very upset to learn that she had mistakenly taken an item that had a retail anti-theft device attached. She was so upset that she had made that mistake that she was yelling and was extremely angry towards the staff. It was apparent that this wasn’t her first shoplifting, and that she was very familiar with retail anti-theft devices, and how to avoid that type of detection. Fortunately for us, in her covert attempt to steal our property, she mistakenly took a product that had an Alpha ink tag attached to it.
In this case we were lucky enough to stop a frequent shoplifter with the use of an Alpha ink tag. Although, we learned the hard way how easy it is for someone to steal from us if we are only partially protected. We did not use retail anti-theft devices on all of our property; instead we only tagged those items of high value or those with higher theft rates. In our attempt to save cost on security, we ultimately made ourselves more vulnerable to the professional shoplifters. Alpha ink tags are a cost efficient way to add protection to all of your merchandise and prevent shoplifting in your stores. These tags are extremely strong and durable and are equipped with EAS technology. The EAS technology works to notify you in the event a person tries to leave the store with the merchandise, but also works as a deterrent. These tags are designed so that ink is expelled when a person tries to remove the tag from the garment, thus rendering the merchandise un-useable. They also are available in standard or super lock strengths, depending on your needs. These tags are re-useable and provide an unobtrusive way to protect your property from theft.
I know I was thankful that day that our retail anti-theft device was able to identify the shoplifter. Hopefully this will deter her from coming back to our store to shoplift, and will force her to choose other retail options in the future. We did learn a valuable lesson that day; always do your best to protect all of your property, not just some of it. The best way to truly prevent shoplifting is to utilize an Alpha ink tag. They are a cost-efficient way to deter and detect theft, and provide EAS alerting capability, to enhance your existing loss prevention program.
For more information about Alpha ink tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Alpha Thunder Tags-4 WC blog 217
Checkpoint Classic N10-3
i-pad Theft-3
Tablet Theft-3
Mobile Medical Devices Allow Doctors To Visit Patients Online – Those Devices Need To Be Protected With Alpha Thunder Tags Part 2
I stated this two-part series discussing my fascination with a doctor’s office visit the other day. During the visit I found out this particular healthcare provider offers an online service to patients. Doctors can conduct consultations with patients over the patient’s phone, tablet, i-pad or their computer. The patient only needs to sign up for the service and set an appointment. I will add that the consultation is for limited medical issues, as more serious ailments or conditions require the patient to be seen onsite. I did not know for certain how the doctor conducts the visit from their end, but I speculated they are probably using a mobile device as well. This would allow them flexibility to move about the office or clinic while visiting the patient. From my recent research into the growing use of mobile medical devices in hospitals and how they are being used, this would only be a reasonable conclusion. I applauded the clinic for the creativity in reducing patient wait times and embracing technology in this way. Then it dawned on me that while I applaud the clinic for using technology for visits, I was still in a waiting room doing what? FILLING OUT PAPERWORK! While I recognize that electronic health records (ehr) are still a relatively new concept and medical providers are slowly transitioning to them; it seems this provider should have patients using medical mobile devices to complete new patient information. Clinics could protect against i-pad theft and tablet theft by attaching Alpha Thunder Tags to the mobile medical devices and installing Checkpoint Classic N10 antennas in doorways.
Alpha Thunder Tags are anti-theft devices that work in conjunction with electronic article surveillance (EAS) antennas such as the Checkpoint Classic N10. The Thunder Tag has radio frequency technology built into it that sends out a RF signal. When that signal is picked up by the antenna an audible alarm is activated and flashing LED lights in the antenna are triggered. By attaching the tags to medical mobile devices, hospitals or clinics can prevent their devices from being stolen. This makes it feasible for a care center to allow patients to complete their medical forms online through a device without concern of a tablet theft or i-pad theft. I am sure the question is raised, couldn’t someone just remove the tag and steal the device anyways? No, the Alpha Thunder Tag has a built in tamper alarm that sounds if someone were to try to remove it.
The question may also be asked, “Why should we allow the patient to hold the i-pad or tablet and take the chance that it may be stolen? We just transfer the information to the computer after the patient fills out the paperwork, so we still comply with ehr requirements.” My response is that this is double work. I am not a proponent of wasted effort. If the patient can do it once on a clinic supplied device there is no need for the receptionist to retype it. You also have two chances for input errors, first by the patient then by the employee. The receptionist can always assist a patient in inputting information if they are unable to do so themselves. In other words, if the technology is already in place, doesn’t it make more sense to
use it to the fullest potential? One other thing about using paper, it is always possible for paperwork to get misplaced or lost. I have even written on cases where paper medical records have been dumped in outdoor trash bins. Why take the chance of patient information breaches because paperwork is mishandled?
Mobile medical devices offer many benefits from online patient visits to a variety of professional medical apps for doctors and nurses. Clinics, hospitals and doctor offices can become more efficient and grow their practices by using these new technologies. Incorporate Alpha Thunder Tags and Checkpoint Classic N10 antennas to protect against tablet theft or i-pad theft and to prevent patient data breaches.
Alpha Thunder Tags are important and we can help it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
I stated this two-part series discussing my fascination with a doctor’s office visit the other day. During the visit I found out this particular healthcare provider offers an online service to patients. Doctors can conduct consultations with patients over the patient’s phone, tablet, i-pad or their computer. The patient only needs to sign up for the service and set an appointment. I will add that the consultation is for limited medical issues, as more serious ailments or conditions require the patient to be seen onsite. I did not know for certain how the doctor conducts the visit from their end, but I speculated they are probably using a mobile device as well. This would allow them flexibility to move about the office or clinic while visiting the patient. From my recent research into the growing use of mobile medical devices in hospitals and how they are being used, this would only be a reasonable conclusion. I applauded the clinic for the creativity in reducing patient wait times and embracing technology in this way. Then it dawned on me that while I applaud the clinic for using technology for visits, I was still in a waiting room doing what? FILLING OUT PAPERWORK! While I recognize that electronic health records (ehr) are still a relatively new concept and medical providers are slowly transitioning to them; it seems this provider should have patients using medical mobile devices to complete new patient information. Clinics could protect against i-pad theft and tablet theft by attaching Alpha Thunder Tags to the mobile medical devices and installing Checkpoint Classic N10 antennas in doorways.
Alpha Thunder Tags are anti-theft devices that work in conjunction with electronic article surveillance (EAS) antennas such as the Checkpoint Classic N10. The Thunder Tag has radio frequency technology built into it that sends out a RF signal. When that signal is picked up by the antenna an audible alarm is activated and flashing LED lights in the antenna are triggered. By attaching the tags to medical mobile devices, hospitals or clinics can prevent their devices from being stolen. This makes it feasible for a care center to allow patients to complete their medical forms online through a device without concern of a tablet theft or i-pad theft. I am sure the question is raised, couldn’t someone just remove the tag and steal the device anyways? No, the Alpha Thunder Tag has a built in tamper alarm that sounds if someone were to try to remove it.
The question may also be asked, “Why should we allow the patient to hold the i-pad or tablet and take the chance that it may be stolen? We just transfer the information to the computer after the patient fills out the paperwork, so we still comply with ehr requirements.” My response is that this is double work. I am not a proponent of wasted effort. If the patient can do it once on a clinic supplied device there is no need for the receptionist to retype it. You also have two chances for input errors, first by the patient then by the employee. The receptionist can always assist a patient in inputting information if they are unable to do so themselves. In other words, if the technology is already in place, doesn’t it make more sense touse it to the fullest potential? One other thing about using paper, it is always possible for paperwork to get misplaced or lost. I have even written on cases where paper medical records have been dumped in outdoor trash bins. Why take the chance of patient information breaches because paperwork is mishandled?
Mobile medical devices offer many benefits from online patient visits to a variety of professional medical apps for doctors and nurses. Clinics, hospitals and doctor offices can become more efficient and grow their practices by using these new technologies. Incorporate Alpha Thunder Tags and Checkpoint Classic N10 antennas to protect against tablet theft or i-pad theft and to prevent patient data breaches.
Alpha Thunder Tags are important and we can help it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
USING THE LOSS PREVENTION CALCULATOR TO DETERMINE ROI
Anytime I want something not in the budget, I have to convince my bosses that by spending that money, I can get the company a return on that investment. For example, last year I really wanted to install license plate readers in my store’s parking lots to aid in investigations. I had to put in some effort, since I don’t have some magic loss prevention calculator.
It definitely was a hard sell, as the cameras and software ran about $1,000 per location. I have 30 stores under my responsibility, so to convince the company to spend $30k was very hard, especially in the current retail climate. So how’d I do it? Well, I started small. I got the approval to test the idea in one store. So I chose the highest shrink store that I had. Once the system was installed, it didn’t take long for an instigation to hit my desk. I had some guys run out of the rear fire exit with several high end coolers, totaling well over $4,000. Guess what they hit on the way out? I was able to sell that save as a benefit to the plate reader system and ultimately secured my funding to deploy to all store locations. So what if there was some magic loss prevention ROI calculator? What would you use it for?
Chances are, if you’re reading this, you don’t have 30 stores, or multi-million dollar budgets. If I had to guess, your margins are razor thin and you’re looking for any and all ways to combat shoplifters that are eroding your profit. You’ve also probably been kicking around the idea of installing an anti-theft system, but maybe you’ve been concerned over the investment, and if you’ll ever seen your money come back. Well, the good folks over at Loss Prevention Systems developed their very own loss prevention calculator to help you see just how easy it is to see that return on your investment.
When you have time (like, right now) head over to www.losspreventionsytems.com/roi-calculator. The loss prevention calculator is so easy to use, almost anyone can do it, even store managers. Just plug in your sales information and the equipment cost. You can be set up with a new system for about $2,300. I added a few extra dollars to be conservative and to include hard tags/soft tags. Click the button and you’re all set. The loss prevention ROI calculator does all the work for you!
I think the best feature is the PDF print out it generates. You can physically see what your shrink expenses are, how much an EAS system will cost, and most importantly, how long would it take for you to see a return on your initial investment. Using the basic set up here, it would take less than a year for you to recoup your investment. Not only that, you’re setting yourself for continued savings each month through a reduction in overall shrink caused by internal and external theft. So what are you waiting for? Go see for yourself how easy the loss prevention ROI calculator is and how much money you can add back to your bottom line!
Get more information on ROI Calculator, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
