JM Blog 11 Alpha Hard Tags
Key words KW – Alpha Ink Tag 5
KW- Prevent Shoplifting 5
Alpha Ink Tags; Remove The Reward And Reduce The Risk
To prevent shoplifting retail operators, must see the full scope of why shoplifting occurs. This quest to understand, to know, why a problem exists is the only path to truly ending a problem. We cannot afford to invest in programs and expend energy targeting issues we cannot impact or ones that are not the real problem. We live in a system where the risks and costs of being caught stealing carries little in the way of real consequence and the potential rewards of theft far outweigh what little impact the system does have. In to this place comes the Alpha Ink Tag and with it a measure of control for the retailer to shift the risk/reward dynamic.
How can an MPS device like an Alpha Ink Tag impact an issue as broad as this? How can the Alpha Ink Tag do anything beyond a normal clothing tag to prevent shoplifting? It does it by targeting the reward side of the equation. It hits the shoplifter in the one are that the system cannot, right in the pocket.
Those who steal for financial reasons are playing the long game, betting on an unstable enterprise with the full knowledge that at some point they will lose. It’s true, everyone gets caught eventually but they don’t view this in the same way those of us on the right side of the law do. For these shoplifters being caught is a cost of doing business. A cost they don’t care about paying, so long as they have profited enough to cover the expense.
Sadly, this mindset is the same one that good business people use. If every fourth project is a potential failure but the ones before it succeeded and the next one could be a win you roll the dice. Even if you fail you have already paid for that loss with your success. Shoplifting is the same dynamic. Every win creates a cushion that makes taking a loss an acceptable outcome. To prevent shoplifting, we need to hit the thieves in the same place they hit us, the pocketbook.
The Alpha device does just that. The removal of these tags causes a release of ink that ruins the clothing they are attached to. Once the garment is ruined it is worthless to the thief. They took the risk and you ensured that they get no reward. With one single device, you not only work to prevent shoplifting but also make their business model ineffective.
With this single device, you will have targeted both the symptom and the source of the problem. If a shoplifter needs to put themselves at risk of detection by targeting merchandise which you have protected in your store they will think twice. If, after this, they proceed only to have the Alpha Ink Tag destroy their ill-gotten gains, reducing its value to zero, they will quickly find you a poor investment of their time.
Trying to prevent shoplifting will always be a task that is ever changing. Motives and methods are ever evolving. The tools we have combat the thieves, the way we use those tools and our mindset regarding the issue must also change. The Alpha Ink Tag is a single device that covers multiple aspects of the problem while remaining a practical solution. There will always be a need, always be greed and we have to accept that. What we do not have to do is idly sit by while the system allows for the rewards of theft to outweigh the risk. We can’t fix the system but we can tip the scales back in our favor. Protect your merchandise and remove the reward and reduce your risk.
Need information on Alpha Ink Tags? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now
To prevent shoplifting retail operators, must see the full scope of why shoplifting occurs. This quest to understand, to know, why a problem exists is the only path to truly ending a problem. We cannot afford to invest in programs and expend energy targeting issues we cannot impact or ones that are not the real problem. We live in a system where the risks and costs of being caught stealing carries little in the way of real consequence and the potential rewards of theft far outweigh what little impact the system does have. In comes the Alpha Ink Tag and with it a measure of control for the retailer to shift the risk/reward dynamic.
How can an MPS device like an Alpha Ink Tag impact an issue as broad as this? How can the Alpha Ink Tag do anything beyond a normal clothing tag to prevent shoplifting? It does it by targeting the reward side of the equation. It hits the shoplifter in the one are that the system cannot, right in the pocket.
Those who steal for financial reasons are playing the long game, betting on an unstable enterprise with the full knowledge that at some point they will lose. It’s true, everyone gets caught eventually but they don’t view this in the same way those of us on the right side of the law do. For these shoplifters being caught is a cost of doing business. A cost they don’t care about paying, so long as they have profited enough to cover the expense.
Sadly, this mindset is the same one that good business people use. If every fourth project is a potential failure but the ones before it succeeded and the next one could be a win you roll the dice. Even if you fail you have already paid for that loss with your success. Shoplifting is the same dynamic. Every win creates a cushion that makes taking a loss an acceptable outcome. To prevent shoplifting, we need to hit the thieves in the same place they hit us, the pocketbook.
The Alpha device does just that. The removal of these tags causes a release of ink that ruins the clothing they are attached to. Once the garment is ruined it is worthless to the thief. They took the risk and you ensured that they get no reward. With one single device, you not only work to prevent shoplifting but also make their business model ineffective.
With this single device, you will have targeted both the symptom and the source of the problem. If a shoplifter needs to put themselves at risk of detection by targeting merchandise which you have protected in your store they will think twice. If, after this, they proceed only to have the Alpha Ink Tag destroy their ill-gotten gains, reducing its value to zero, they will quickly find you a poor investment of their time.
Trying to prevent shoplifting will always be a task that is ever changing. Motives and methods are ever evolving. The tools we have combat the thieves, the way we use those tools and our mindset regarding the issue must also change. The Alpha Ink Tag is a single device that covers multiple aspects of the problem while remaining a practical solution. There will always be a need, always be greed and we have to accept that. What we do not have to do is idly sit by while the system allows for the rewards of theft to outweigh the risk. We can’t fix the system but we can tip the scales back in our favor. Protect your merchandise and remove the reward and reduce your risk.
Need information on Alpha Ink Tags? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now
According to the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) website, http://www.fmi.org/research-resources/supermarket-facts, Supermarket Sales By Department 2015 (% of total supermarket store sales) 2014 Supermarket Sales of alcoholic beverages amounted to $21,296.639 (millions of dollars) or 4.4% of total grocery store sales. It is interesting to note that according to the 2014-2015 Global Retail Theft Barometer Supermarkets/Grocery Retailers experienced 1.35% stock shortage results. The number one shortage category under “Food and Beverages” was wines and spirits (pg. 55). The GRTB goes on to report that approximately 50% of shortage in Supermarkets/ Grocery retailers is due to dishonest employees and 31% is due to shoplifting (pg. 54). My question to grocery store owners is this, “If 4.4% of your total sales are coming from the sale of alcoholic beverages and your number one category for shortage is from wines and spirits, what in the world are you doing to curb this threat to your business? If you haven’t given it much thought, I would like to suggest considering the use of bottle locks from Alpha Security.
Bottle Locks are locking devices that fit over the tops of wine and liquor bottles. When securely placed on the top of the cap of a bottle the lock cannot be removed safely without the use of a detachment key. This means any attempted theft and tampering with a lock could likely result in a broken bottle. An Alpha bottle lock is also sensitive to electronic article surveillance (EAS) antennas meaning that if a shoplifter tries to sneak a bottle past EAS antennas the antenna alarm will be set off. This warning gives store employees an opportunity to respond to the alarm and recover the merchandise before it is removed from the premises.
As an anti-theft tool, bottle locks impact both internal and external theft. Employees who may have been able to remove merchandise that was not protected by concealing product in bags, purses or under clothing are no longer able to do so without setting off an alarm. If proper procedures are enforced in a store, all alarm activations are treated the same and an inspection will reveal stolen merchandise. Employees and customers are equally subject to package checks and receipt reviews when they are the cause of an EAS antenna alarm. When employees know they are not exempted from scrutiny they tend to curtail dishonest activity. Shoplifters who have hit a store in the past shy away when they notice an EAS system is installed.
Aside from preventing theft an added benefit of using Alpha Security bottle locks on wines and spirits is that the devices are reusable. The locks are placed on products at the store by staff and when a bottle is purchased it goes through the point of sale where the merchandise is rung up and the bottle lock is then removed. Usually a store will have a collection box at the register and the locks are gathered for placement on new product as it is received. Stores are not required to continually purchase new anti-theft devices, making this an economical means of protecting a business. For those business owners who are concerned with environmental issues, the ability to recycle and reuse bottle locks is something to consider. Alpha Security anti-theft products are designed to be used over and over again so that a business doesn’t have to purchase new replacements.
If you sell wine or spirits in your grocery store and almost 4.5% of your sales come from this product line it is important to protect merchandise. Using a bottle lock on each of your bottles is important, especially when this is the number one stolen item in grocery stores.
Need information on bottle locks? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
EMPLOYEE BACKGROUND CHECKS AND THE EFFECTS THEY HAVE ON SHRINK
A core part of my job is investigating employee theft. Even with stringent hiring practices, constant training and always conducting employee background checks prior to hiring someone, dishonest employees are always a problem. It’s a game of statistics, really. I have 30 stores in my region. 70 or so employees at each store location. That’s a little over 2,000 employees. If just 5% of employees will steal something (and that’s being very conservative) that means at any given time, about 100 employees in my region will be engaging in nefarious activities. That means a great deal of my time is spent investigating and resolving these types of thefts. That all means that there are numerous folks that are terminated for theft.
I was looking for a new computer recently and decided to try out a new electronics store that had recently come into the market. I start browsing and an employee comes up behind me and asks if I need help. As I turn around, I (and her) quickly realize that our paths have crossed once before. She had stolen quite a substantial amount of product from my store about a year ago. I guess this new store doesn’t see a benefit in pre-employment screening. I decide I don’t want a computer from the store and head out. As I’m leaving, I hear a voice yell my name. I look over and an old high school buddy of mine is actually the manager of the store. I walk over to chat a bit.
The conversation ultimately goes to what I’m up to, and I mention that his salesperson wasn’t the most honest when she worked for my company. Looking like I just shot his dog, he confesses that the one thing he does not like about the company is that they do not run an employee background check on potential candidates. He also tells me that the same team member is suspected of stealing speakers, but they don’t have cameras in the store either. For a minute, I thought I had traveled into some alternate dimension where shrink wasn’t a concern for brick and mortar retailers.
I don’t know what became of that employee. I never did return to that store. Not because I morally disagreed with their LP practices. I don’t care if a store doesn’t do a thorough pre-employment screening; it’s not my company. The reason I didn’t make a purchase was the prices were just too high. I could buy the same item down the road at a competitor for 15-20% less. Could their higher prices be a sign that they are struggling to profit? Could that grasp for profit come from shrink? Maybe.
Think of your own business and your own customers. You always want to provide customers with the best possible experience; most often, that means having the lowest price around. As a retailer, you have to do all that is in your power to keep operating costs down in order to maximize the profit out of every item you sell. Part of that equation is limiting your exposure to shrink. Just as you apply security tags to high theft items, you should use an employee background check to prevent bad apples from being introduced into your basket. A simple and painless pre-employment screening can really make the difference of using red ink, or black on your next P+L.
Employee Background Check is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
A core part of my job is investigating employee theft. Even with stringent hiring practices, constant training and always conducting employee background checks prior to hiring someone, dishonest employees are always a problem. It’s a game of statistics, really. I have 30 stores in my region. 70 or so employees at each store location. That’s a little over 2,000 employees. If just 5% of employees will steal something (and that’s being very conservative) that means at any given time, about 100 employees in my region will be engaging in nefarious activities. That means a great deal of my time is spent investigating and resolving these types of thefts. That all means that there are numerous folks that are terminated for theft.
I was looking for a new computer recently and decided to try out a new electronics store that had recently come into the market. I start browsing and an employee comes up behind me and asks if I need help. As I turn around, I (and her) quickly realize that our paths have crossed once before. She had stolen quite a substantial amount of product from my store about a year ago. I guess this new store doesn’t see a benefit in pre-employment screening. I decide I don’t want a computer from the store and head out. As I’m leaving, I hear a voice yell my name. I look over and an old high school buddy of mine is actually the manager of the store. I walk over to chat a bit.
The conversation ultimately goes to what I’m up to, and I mention that his salesperson wasn’t the most honest when she worked for my company. Looking like I just shot his dog, he confesses that the one thing he does not like about the company is that they do not run an employee background check on potential candidates. He also tells me that the same team member is suspected of stealing speakers, but they don’t have cameras in the store either. For a minute, I thought I had traveled into some alternate dimension where shrink wasn’t a concern for brick and mortar retailers.
I don’t know what became of that employee. I never did return to that store. Not because I morally disagreed with their LP practices. I don’t care if a store doesn’t do a thorough pre-employment screening; it’s not my company. The reason I didn’t make a purchase was the prices were just too high. I could buy the same item down the road at a competitor for 15-20% less. Could their higher prices be a sign that they are struggling to profit? Could that grasp for profit come from shrink? Maybe.
Think of your own business and your own customers. You always want to provide customers with the best possible experience; most often, that means having the lowest price around. As a retailer, you have to do all that is in your power to keep operating costs down in order to maximize the profit out of every item you sell. Part of that equation is limiting your exposure to shrink. Just as you apply security tags to high theft items, you should use an employee background check to prevent bad apples from being introduced into your basket. A simple and painless pre-employment screening can really make the difference of using red ink, or black on your next P+L.
Employee Background Check is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
