AA blog 04
Prevent shoplifting: 2
Alpha Spider Wrap: 4
Retail Anti-Theft devices: 2
The Police Prosecute Offenders, They Don’t Prevent Shoplifting. How The Alpha Spider Wrap Can Help You Prevent Shoplifting And Protect Your Investment.
I wanted to get a message to the small business owners out there regarding a topic I think is really important. Small retail stores tend to not properly secure their property to prevent shoplifting because they think the initial cost is too high, and they don’t see the cost benefit, as I see them. For example I responded to a report of shoplifting at a small store that sold mostly electronics; such as televisions, video gaming machines, games, movies and other high priced electronic items. I made contact with the manager who indicated that they had done an inventory and found that they were off by quite a large margin on their inventory. He estimated they lost approximately $15000.00 in inventory over a 60 day period. He provided a list of high priced items that were missing along with a video recording. The manager was able to identify four subjects taking merchandise, consistent with the missing inventory, during that time frame. The subjects were filling a cart and walking out with the items undetected. Now I won’t say the store had no security because they did, but there were flaws and weaknesses in their system. First, most of their large expensive items were not protected by an Alpha Spider Wrap, which would have prevented them from walking out the door with them. They did have some retail anti-theft devices on their property, but they were focused more on the smaller items, that could be concealed. They did not focus on the larger items because they assumed it would be easy to detect that type of theft, but they were wrong.
Employees are great resources to prevent shoplifting, but they can’t be your only means of detection. Employees are consistently helping customers, stocking inventory, making sales and doing other things that prevent them from being aware at all times. That is why we can’t ignore the larger more expensive items and the best way to do that is with an Alpha Spider Wrap. These devices come in various sizes and are equipped with expandable cables that can wrap around any shape for secure protection without damaging the item. They have an alarm and a flashing light built in that sounds when they try and leave the store with the merchandise or if someone tries to remove the device. These devices are reusable and are attached in store for easy use on items such as televisions, computers, gaming systems, tools and many other high priced bulky items. They serve as a means to assist associates with detection and prevention and add a huge cost savings as both a deterrent and a notification. Unfortunately in this particular situation the loss is hard to recover from.
Although I was able to identify the subjects, because they were what we call known offenders, the business will never fully recover from this loss. I found a fraction of the stolen property at the local pawn shop, some of which was recovered, some of which had been shipped out to other stores or sold. All the offenders were prosecuted for Burglary and Grand Theft, some of which served jail time others got a slap on the wrist. I would venture to say that store will see little to no restitution through the criminal justice system, as most offenders have no means to re-pay the debt and don’t care to. If they fail to comply they just go back to jail, which doesn’t benefit the retailer at all, and the process can be very lengthy.
This is why it is imperative for small businesses to take matters into their own hands to prevent shoplifting and to protect their property because prevention is always better than prosecution. The Alpha Spider Wrap and various other retail anti-theft devices are a cost efficient means to protect your property and increase profit.
The Alpha Spider Wrap is important and we can help you with it, call 1.770.426.0547.
I wanted to get a message to the small business owners out there regarding a topic I think is really important. Small retail stores tend to not properly secure their property to prevent shoplifting because they think the initial cost is too high, and they don’t see the cost benefit, as I see them. For example I responded to a report of shoplifting at a small store that sold mostly electronics; such as televisions, video gaming machines, games, movies and other high priced electronic items. I made contact with the manager who indicated that they had done an inventory and found that they were off by quite a large margin on their inventory. He estimated they lost approximately $15000.00 in inventory over a 60 day period. He provided a list of high priced items that were missing along with a video recording. The manager was able to identify four subjects taking merchandise, consistent with the missing inventory, during that time frame. The subjects were filling a cart and walking out with the items undetected. Now I won’t say the store had no security because they did, but there were flaws and weaknesses in their system. First, most of their large expensive items were not protected by an Alpha Spider Wrap, which would have prevented them from walking out the door with them. They did have some retail anti-theft devices on their property, but they were focused more on the smaller items, that could be concealed. They did not focus on the larger items because they assumed it would be easy to detect that type of theft, but they were wrong.
Employees are great resources to prevent shoplifting, but they can’t be your only means of detection. Employees are consistently helping customers, stocking inventory, making sales and doing other things that prevent them from being aware at all times. That is why we can’t ignore the larger more expensive items and the best way to do that is with an Alpha Spider Wrap. These devices come in various sizes and are equipped with expandable cables that can wrap around any shape for secure protection without damaging the item. They have an alarm and a flashing light built in that sounds when they try and leave the store with the merchandise or if someone tries to remove the device. These devices are reusable and are attached in store for easy use on items such as televisions, computers, gaming systems, tools and many other high priced bulky items. They serve as a means to assist associates with detection and prevention and add a huge cost savings as both a deterrent and a notification. Unfortunately in this particular situation the loss is hard to recover from.
Although I was able to identify the subjects, because they were what we call known offenders, the business will never fully recover from this loss. I found a fraction of the stolen property at the local pawn shop, some of which was recovered, some of which had been shipped out to other stores or sold. All the offenders were prosecuted for Burglary and Grand Theft, some of which served jail time others got a slap on the wrist. I would venture to say that store will see little to no restitution through the criminal justice system, as most offenders have no means to re-pay the debt and don’t care to. If they fail to comply they just go back to jail, which doesn’t benefit the retailer at all, and the process can be very lengthy.
This is why it is imperative for small businesses to take matters into their own hands to prevent shoplifting and to protect their property because prevention is always better than prosecution. The Alpha Spider Wrap and various other retail anti-theft devices are a cost efficient means to protect your property and increase profit.
The Alpha Spider Wrap is important and we can help you with it, call 1.770.426.0547.
I read about a new people counting system called VisiPlus today and I was impressed to say the least. I have long talked about the benefits of Big data and its uses in LP. You cannot have useful data when you do not have accurate data. This is as true in LP as it is for business in general. The system is a door counting sensor that connects seamlessly with the existing suite of entrance technologies that many of us in retail already use for LP purposes. Here is one more piece of that big data puzzle.
How can a door counting sensor, a people counting system, really have that big of an impact on analytics or operations? Pattern recognition. Operations has long been using sales data, volume of sales and scans per minute to determine the traffic patterns and busy times in their buildings. This data allows for them to schedule enough staff to meet demand and plan out other aspects of the day efficiently. Sales data is a part of the picture but it isn’t wholly accurate. Say you had a giant sale come in on a Tuesday at 3 pm. The sales data looks like you were super busy and if you reacted to that information alone you will find yourself overstaffed the following Tuesday, burning payroll chasing dollars that are just the ghosts of sales past.
Having a people counting system also provides data that you can apply directly to productivity. I learned a valuable lesson about productivity and management when I was young and in my first supervisor position. I worked all day and felt that, while certainly hectic at times, my day was a great and productive one. When my store manager called me into his office at the end of the day I couldn’t wait to hear how great I had done. That was not the conversation we had. My boss asked me to tell him all I had accomplished today which I did, with great enthusiasm and reference to how busy it was all day. After I gave him the list he did some quick math and pointed out that my total tasks accomplished would take 2 hours to complete, what did I do with the other 6?
Needless to say I was stunned and that conversation stuck with me. I had never realized how busy but unproductive I could be. I have used that lesson countless times and teach it to managers who struggle with productivity. How does that relate to the door counting sensor though? With accurate data on the number of people entering and exiting the building you will have a truly accurate picture of how “busy” it was.
It’s a common tale told by the unproductive. They tell management how much they tried to do but they were swamped with customers. Even when there are no sales to back that up they tell you of all the people they helped who didn’t end up buying anything. With a people counting system in place you will know exactly how many people came and went and exactly when. The door counting sensor produces data that can be applied in countless ways to improve a variety of aspects of your business.
As LP I think of other expanded uses. Tracking various exit points and paths to determine if everyone who came in exited, if people utilized a secured point of entry more than it was logged being open. The potential applications of a people counting system are endless as its impact on your business. Big Data and Analytics are the way of the future for Ops and for LP. You wouldn’t paint a picture without all the colors of paint, why would you build plans for your business without all the data?
Need information on the VisiPlus people counting systems? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now
When small business owners are looking for ways to improve profitablility, one area that may be too easily dismissed is spending on merchandise protection. Why would that be? In part, because it is seen as an additional expense rather than a savings. When we think of improving profit there is a tendency to think of things such as raising prices on goods and services. Some stores keep longer hours or stay open on holidays when they may have once been closed. I have seen a retailer reduce the amount of merchandise carried in order to reduce the amount being spent on product that was sitting on the shelf not selling. Another method of reducing spending and trying to improve profit is to reduce payroll by cutting back on full time employees and increasing part-time employees. It may even be that positions are eliminated altogether. While there may be a limited Return On Investment (ROI) by taking any one of these measures, there may also be consequences to those choices. An owner would be foolish not to calculate those costs before implementing a change. On the other hand, what if an investment could save you money? Can Loss Prevention be free? There is a tool available to help you answer those questions. The Free Loss Prevention Calculator can show you how much an investment in anti-theft equipment can save you in merchandise shortage and how fast it can pay for itself.
The Free Loss Prevention Calculator is an investment tool offered by Loss Prevention Systems, inc. that provides retailers a way to see what they may save by purchasing retail loss prevention equipment. By going to their website and clicking on the link to the Loss Prevention ROI Calculator, a business owner can enter their actual or projected annual sales and the amount of money they may want to invest in Checkpoint equipment. Using an average 1.2% merchandise shrinkage figure, and an estimated shortage reduction amount to .65%, the user will get a snapshot of costs/savings in a generated PDF document. The Free Loss Prevention Calculator does all of the work for you and none of the information is sent anywhere or shared. Once you realize the answer to the question, “Can Loss Prevention Be Free?” is, “ Yes, it can be!”, you can contact Loss Preventions Systems, inc. staff to discuss solutions to your shortage problems.
I noted earlier that there could be a negative Return On Investment if cost savings initiatives are not well thought out. You may decide that cutting staff will save you money. You look at what your saving will be, dollars/hour in payroll, benefits not having to be paid, training time, etc. The flip side to that coin you must consider is what will the impact be to the morale of the remaining employees? Who picks up the additional workload? Do you as the store owner now have to fill that role? If so, what will THAT effect be on your effectiveness at managing the operation of your store and ensuring all of your work continues to get done? Purchasing retail anti-theft equipment will improve profits and has been proven to reduce shortage for stores. To give you an example of a negative result of reducing an “expense”, according to the 2014-2015 Global Retail Theft Barometer, Apparel Specialty stores saw an increase in stock shortage from .60% in 2013-2014 to 2.28% in 2014-2015 (pg. 52). Spending on Loss Prevention during these time periods declined from .39% as a percent of total sales in 2013-2014 to just .24% in 2014-2015 (pgs. 56-57). Bottom line, less spending on Loss Prevention resulted in increased shrink and that is a poor ROI. The Loss Prevention ROI Calculator shows you how you can save money by making a smart purchasing decision in Loss Prevention Equipment.
Business owners need to always look at operations and find ways to improve results. Eliminating waste, streamlining how things are done and being open to new ideas are essential and must be done with consideration to what the Return On Investment will be. Investing money can ultimately lead to saving money too. Can Loss Prevention be free? Use the Loss Prevention ROI Calculator and see the impact Loss Prevention equipment can have for your business and how it can pay for itself.
Get more information on the Free Loss Prevention Calculator, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
