Bottle Lock-3 WC Blog 190
Bottle Locks-4
Bottle Security-3
Grocery Store Fails To Grasp Genius Of Bottle Locks; Don’t Give Thieves An Opportunity To Steal Spirits.
I was really dismayed the other day when I walked into one of my favorite grocery stores. The entire store has been remodeled since I last visited this particular location and I noticed several interesting modifications. The pharmacy for this location has been removed, check-out lanes seem to be less cluttered and I think they have removed fixtures, allowing cashiers to be seen by customers and allowing cashiers to see out into the store. Some food categories have been reduced in the number of selections and other categories have significantly increased. One such area is in the wine and champagne selections. Now my dismay was not in the new layout, my disappointment was that I recognized that the planners have obviously NOT read any of my articles on liquor bottle security. Not only did I fail to observe a single bottle lock in use whatsoever, much to my chagrin the store even had bottles in a locking display case! Since this particular chain of stores is my favorite (because my sons work for them, I am a little biased) I want to see them keep prices low for everyone and bottle locks on their products would be a good start.
It is quite obvious, in my opinion that since this store is not using bottle locks, there are people out there still not familiar with what bottle locks are and how they help a store keep prices low. Bottle locks are designed for liquor bottle security (as well as wines) because they are anti-theft devices that are secured on a bottle and cannot be removed without a special detachment tool. The locking device covers the bottle cap and part of the bottle neck, keeping patrons from being able to open the merchandise and drink the contents. Therefore, even if a shoplifter could get a wine or spirit out of the store or business, they wouldn’t be able to drink from it. Without access, what is the point of stealing the bottle? Even if it is going to be resold in an Organized Retail Theft situation, those people won’t be able to resell it and so the merchandise is of no value to them. Thus, at a minimum, simply using liquor bottle security devices acts as a deterrent to would-be thieves.
Another factor that is overlooked is that Alpha security devices are sensitized to activate electronic article surveillance (EAS) alarm antennas. When wines or spirits are purchased the locks are removed by the cashier and placed to the side for re-use on new merchandise. When someone attempts to spirit away spirits (pun intended) and the lock is still in place, the EAS antenna alarm sounds an alert and provides an opportunity for store staff to respond and retrieve the goods. 3-alarm devices also have an alarm built into the lock that annunciates when the antennas are breached and the device is carried out of the building. This alert can cause the perpetrator to drop the merchandise and possibly run.
So if merchandise is not being stolen, the end result is that merchandise stays in the store and is available for sale to honest patrons. Theft drops dramatically and profit from sales increases. Bear in mind, it is not uncommon for a shopper to look for a specific product and if it is not on the shelf where it should be, they will frequently leave. They may not bother to ask for assistance since they assume that an empty shelf means the store is sold out. A bottle lock installed on the merchandise helps owners ensure merchandise will stay where it is intended to stay, on the shelf and available for sale.
Use a bottle lock on each of your wines and spirits and you will be surprised at how quickly you will see a return on your investment. The only thing you won’t lock up is the joy bottled up inside you when you see profits grow.
Get more information on bottle locks, contact us or call 1.770.426.256 today.
I was really dismayed the other day when I walked into one of my favorite grocery stores. The entire store has been remodeled since I last visited this particular location and I noticed several interesting modifications. The pharmacy for this location has been removed, check-out lanes seem to be less cluttered and I think they have removed fixtures, allowing cashiers to be seen by customers and allowing cashiers to see out into the store. Some food categories have been reduced in the number of selections and other categories have significantly increased. One such area is in the wine and champagne selections. Now my dismay was not in the new layout, my disappointment was that I recognized that the planners have obviously NOT read any of my articles on liquor bottle security. Not only did I fail to observe a single bottle lock in use whatsoever, much to my chagrin the store even had bottles in a locking display case! Since this particular chain of stores is my favorite (because my sons work for them, I am a little biased) I want to see them keep prices low for everyone and bottle locks on their products would be a good start.
It is quite obvious, in my opinion that since this store is not using bottle locks, there are people out there still not familiar with what bottle locks are and how they help a store keep prices low. Bottle locks are designed for liquor bottle security (as well as wines) because they are anti-theft devices that are secured on a bottle and cannot be removed without a special detachment tool. The locking device covers the bottle cap and part of the bottle neck, keeping patrons from being able to open the merchandise and drink the contents. Therefore, even if a shoplifter could get a wine or spirit out of the store or business, they wouldn’t be able to drink from it. Without access, what is the point of stealing the bottle? Even if it is going to be resold in an Organized Retail Theft situation, those people won’t be able to resell it and so the merchandise is of no value to them. Thus, at a minimum, simply using liquor bottle security devices acts as a deterrent to would-be thieves.
Another factor that is overlooked is that Alpha security devices are sensitized to activate electronic article surveillance (EAS) alarm antennas. When wines or spirits are purchased the locks are removed by the cashier and placed to the side for re-use on new merchandise. When someone attempts to spirit away spirits (pun intended) and the lock is still in place, the EAS antenna alarm sounds an alert and provides an opportunity for store staff to respond and retrieve the goods. 3-alarm devices also have an alarm built into the lock that annunciates when the antennas are breached and the device is carried out of the building. This alert can cause the perpetrator to drop the merchandise and possibly run.
So if merchandise is not being stolen, the end result is that merchandise stays in the store and is available for sale to honest patrons. Theft drops dramatically and profit from sales increases. Bear in mind, it is not uncommon for a shopper to look for a specific product and if it is not on the shelf where it should be, they will frequently leave. They may not bother to ask for assistance since they assume that an empty shelf means the store is sold out. A bottle lock installed on the merchandise helps owners ensure merchandise will stay where it is intended to stay, on the shelf and available for sale.
Use a bottle lock on each of your wines and spirits and you will be surprised at how quickly you will see a return on your investment. The only thing you won’t lock up is the joy bottled up inside you when you see profits grow.
Get more information on bottle locks, contact us or call 1.770.426.256 today.
Checkpoint Security Tags-3 WC blog 224
Stop Shoplifting-3
Electronic Article Surveillance-4
Checkpoint tags-3
Tips To Identify Potential Shoplifters And How The Use Of Checkpoint Tags And Customer Service Can Prevent Theft Part 1
When you work in Retail Loss Prevention long enough you are bound to come across some people who insist they know how to tell if someone is a shoplifter. When pressed on how they have this “skill”, it is my experience that I will hear something along the lines of, “I can just tell.” or “They have that look.” I would like to put that notion to rest. There is no way to look at a person and be able to say he or she is a shoplifter. I have been involved in Loss Prevention or retail in general for over 26 years and I have dealt with shoplifters (who knew what they were doing) as young as 8 years old and as old as 75 years of age. I have apprehended people who were down on their luck and those who had wallets full of cash. In this series what I would like to do is help retailers stop shoplifting by giving tips on signals that may indicate someone intends to shoplift and how Checkpoint security tags can deter those thieves.
Before going any further I would like to mention that while it is good to know the signs to look for in order to stop shoplifting, it is best if you can deter them from even coming into your store. How do you do this? You do it by having an electronic article surveillance (EAS) system in your building. This includes Checkpoint antennas installed at your doors, detachment keys at the registers to remove Checkpoint security tags and finally, Checkpoint hard tags attached to clothing and other merchandise. Whether they are opportunistic shoplifters or professionals, they all know what an electronic article surveillance system is and will try to avoid them if they know employees respond to alarms when the antennas are set off. Checkpoint hard tags are available for softline and hardline merchandise and all have EAS radio frequency technology built in. When a tagged item is carried in range of an electronic article surveillance antenna, alarms in the antenna are activated and employees respond to conduct receipt checks and recover unpaid merchandise.
When a stubborn shoplifter decides to try to steal from a store despite the use of Checkpoint tags, there are signals owners/managers or staff can look for that may indicate the person needs “extra special” customer service.
• Look at how a customer dresses. I am not talking about the condition of their clothing I am speaking about whether they are wearing seasonable clothing. Is it warm and sunny outside and the shopper is wearing a coat? They may intend to keep the coat zipped and stuff it with merchandise. They may also have pockets inside the jacket they intend to fill up.
• When the customer enters the store do they have a ball cap or hat pulled low over their face or are they wearing a “hoodie” with the hood pulled up? They may also be wearing their sunglasses or a combination of these items. All are methods used to prevent possible security cameras from capturing their face.
• When they are in the store, does the customer quickly refuse offers of customer assistance? Many people want to just shop, but how they react to the offer can be an indicator they may be up to something.
• Watch for shoppers with large shopping bags from other stores, especially when those stores are not located near yours. When that bag is nearly empty, be even more alert to that person, it may start to fill up quickly.
• Look for the shopper who looks around at the ceiling. No, they aren’t admiring your lighting they are looking for security cameras.
• Is the customer looking at labels and inspecting for Checkpoint security tags rather than examining the merchandise? This is a good indicator they are trying to decide if they might risk setting off an electronic article surveillance alarm antenna or if they want to try to remove Checkpoint tags.
These are not all of the indicators of a possible thief but they are signals I have successfully used to stop shoplifting.
In part 2 of this series I will discuss how Checkpoint tags can deter even the hard core thief. I will also discuss methods you and your staff can use to prevent these die hard thieves from stealing from you without being confrontational or making accusations
Need information on Checkpoint security tags? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
When you work in Retail Loss Prevention long enough you are bound to come across some people who insist they know how to tell if someone is a shoplifter. When pressed on how they have this “skill”, it is my experience that I will hear something along the lines of, “I can just tell.” or “They have that look.” I would like to put that notion to rest. There is no way to look at a person and be able to say he or she is a shoplifter. I have been involved in Loss Prevention or retail in general for over 26 years and I have dealt with shoplifters (who knew what they were doing) as young as 8 years old and as old as 75 years of age. I have apprehended people who were down on their luck and those who had wallets full of cash. In this series what I would like to do is help retailers stop shoplifting by giving tips on signals that may indicate someone intends to shoplift and how Checkpoint security tags can deter those thieves.
Before going any further I would like to mention that while it is good to know the signs to look for in order to stop shoplifting, it is best if you can deter them from even coming into your store. How do you do this? You do it by having an electronic article surveillance (EAS) system in your building. This includes Checkpoint antennas installed at your doors, detachment keys at the registers to remove Checkpoint security tags and finally, Checkpoint hard tags attached to clothing and other merchandise. Whether they are opportunistic shoplifters or professionals, they all know what an electronic article surveillance system is and will try to avoid them if they know employees respond to alarms when the antennas are set off. Checkpoint hard tags are available for softline and hardline merchandise and all have EAS radio frequency technology built in. When a tagged item is carried in range of an electronic article surveillance antenna, alarms in the antenna are activated and employees respond to conduct receipt checks and recover unpaid merchandise.
When a stubborn shoplifter decides to try to steal from a store despite the use of Checkpoint tags, there are signals owners/managers or staff can look for that may indicate the person needs “extra special” customer service.
• Look at how a customer dresses. I am not talking about the condition of their clothing I am speaking about whether they are wearing seasonable clothing. Is it warm and sunny outside and the shopper is wearing a coat? They may intend to keep the coat zipped and stuff it with merchandise. They may also have pockets inside the jacket they intend to fill up.
• When the customer enters the store do they have a ball cap or hat pulled low over their face or are they wearing a “hoodie” with the hood pulled up? They may also be wearing their sunglasses or a combination of these items. All are methods used to prevent possible security cameras from capturing their face.
• When they are in the store, does the customer quickly refuse offers of customer assistance? Many people want to just shop, but how they react to the offer can be an indicator they may be up to something.
• Watch for shoppers with large shopping bags from other stores, especially when those stores are not located near yours. When that bag is nearly empty, be even more alert to that person, it may start to fill up quickly.
• Look for the shopper who looks around at the ceiling. No, they aren’t admiring your lighting they are looking for security cameras.
• Is the customer looking at labels and inspecting for Checkpoint security tags rather than examining the merchandise? This is a good indicator they are trying to decide if they might risk setting off an electronic article surveillance alarm antenna or if they want to try to remove Checkpoint tags.
These are not all of the indicators of a possible thief but they are signals I have successfully used to stop shoplifting.
In part 2 of this series I will discuss how Checkpoint tags can deter even the hard core thief. I will also discuss methods you and your staff can use to prevent these die hard thieves from stealing from you without being confrontational or making accusations.
Need information on Checkpoint security tags? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Alpha Thunder Tag-4 WC blog 227
Retail anti-theft device-5
Prevent Shoplifting-3
“Foiling” Professional Shoplifters And Their Booster Bags; The Benefits Of Using The 3-Alarm Alpha Thunder Tag
There are a lot of retail anti-theft devices on the market and each one can prevent shoplifting. The degree to which they can decrease theft may vary, based on the features of the device. The Alpha Thunder tag is a good example of a device with optimal impact, providing serious protection for merchandise. The tags have a number of benefits not offered by some other retail anti-theft devices on the market. The tag is applied directly to packaging using an adhesive backing that makes it stick to the item. It can be attached to boxed merchandise, plastic clamshell packaging, even to display merchandise such as tablets, laptops, and hardware displays like power tools. The Alpha Thunder tag has a tamper alarm built into it using a plunger device so that if a shoplifter were to try to pull it off, a loud 95 decibel alarm is activated. Regardless of where a thief is located in the store, that alarm will draw the attention of store employees so they can respond and deter a theft.
Many retail anti-theft devices have one or two alarm technology designs meaning they will activate an electronic article surveillance (EAS) antenna or they will activate the alarm antenna AND they have a tamper alarm to prevent removal. The Alpha Thunder tag is a 3-alarm device. It has the tamper alarm I spoke of, it activates an EAS antenna AND it has an additional internal alarm that activates if it passes through an EAS antenna and goes out the door. The one and two alarm devices activate antennas, but if a shoplifter continues out the door, there is no other alert to draw attention to them. Merchandise alarming while in the possession of a criminal draws undesired attention that a shoplifter, especially a professional shoplifter wants to avoid. While all retail anti-theft devices can prevent shoplifting the Thunder tag offers added peace of mind to the store owner or manager.
One aspect of Alpha’s 3-alarm devices that excites me about these products is they have been proven they can be detected through 5 layers of foil in booster bag tests. Booster bags are one of the illegal tools that professional shoplifters employ to try to defeat EAS antenna systems. The idea is that the foil interrupts the radio frequency waves that allow a tag to be detected by the antenna. Professional shoplifters come to a store and may have a foil lined bag folded and hidden under their clothes, or it may be a handbag or tote that they have lined on the inside with foil. They fill the bag with the merchandise they want and then leave the store, confident that even if the merchandise is protected with retail anti-theft devices the bag will prevent an EAS antenna from reading any devices or tags. With the 3-alarm tags, foil is no longer a concern for retailers. I saw the potential losses a foil lined bag could have caused my store when I caught a shoplifter stealing packages of razor blades. The suspect filled his bag and walked out through our EAS antennas but the alarm did not sound. Fortunately I had been on the salesfloor watching him and was able to detain him based on my observation of him otherwise we would have lost several hundred dollars in merchandise. Our merchandise was tagged but those particular tags could not be picked up due to the foil lining.
Stock shortage due to merchandise theft is a drain on a store’s profit margin. Left unchecked it gets worse over time as thieves identify a store as an easy target and make it a regular on their list of stores to hit. Using the Alpha Thunder Tag to protect displays and merchandise, along with EAS antennas, a store can prevent shoplifting and add those shortage dollars back to the profit line.
Get more information on Alpha Thunder Tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
There are a lot of retail anti-theft devices on the market and each one can prevent shoplifting. The degree to which they can decrease theft may vary, based on the features of the device. The Alpha Thunder tag is a good example of a device with optimal impact, providing serious protection for merchandise. The tags have a number of benefits not offered by some other retail anti-theft devices on the market. The tag is applied directly to packaging using an adhesive backing that makes it stick to the item. It can be attached to boxed merchandise, plastic clamshell packaging, even to display merchandise such as tablets, laptops, and hardware displays like power tools. The Alpha Thunder tag has a tamper alarm built into it using a plunger device so that if a shoplifter were to try to pull it off, a loud 95 decibel alarm is activated. Regardless of where a thief is located in the store, that alarm will draw the attention of store employees so they can respond and deter a theft.
Many retail anti-theft devices have one or two alarm technology designs meaning they will activate an electronic article surveillance (EAS) antenna or they will activate the alarm antenna AND they have a tamper alarm to prevent removal. The Alpha Thunder tag is a 3-alarm device. It has the tamper alarm I spoke of, it activates an EAS antenna AND it has an additional internal alarm that activates if it passes through an EAS antenna and goes out the door. The one and two alarm devices activate antennas, but if a shoplifter continues out the door, there is no other alert to draw attention to them. Merchandise alarming while in the possession of a criminal draws undesired attention that a shoplifter, especially a professional shoplifter wants to avoid. While all retail anti-theft devices can prevent shoplifting the Thunder tag offers added peace of mind to the store owner or manager.
One aspect of Alpha’s 3-alarm devices that excites me about these products is they have been proven they can be detected through 5 layers of foil in booster bag tests. Booster bags are one of the illegal tools that professional shoplifters employ to try to defeat EAS antenna systems. The idea is that the foil interrupts the radio frequency waves that allow a tag to be detected by the antenna. Professional shoplifters come to a store and may have a foil lined bag folded and hidden under their clothes, or it may be a handbag or tote that they have lined on the inside with foil. They fill the bag with the merchandise they want and then leave the store, confident that even if the merchandise is protected with retail anti-theft devices the bag will prevent an EAS antenna from reading any devices or tags. With the 3-alarm tags, foil is no longer a concern for retailers. I saw the potential losses a foil lined bag could have caused my store when I caught a shoplifter stealing packages of razor blades. The suspect filled his bag and walked out through our EAS antennas but the alarm did not sound. Fortunately I had been on the salesfloor watching him and was able to detain him based on my observation of him otherwise we would have lost several hundred dollars in merchandise. Our merchandise was tagged but those particular tags could not be picked up due to the foil lining.
Stock shortage due to merchandise theft is a drain on a store’s profit margin. Left unchecked it gets worse over time as thieves identify a store as an easy target and make it a regular on their list of stores to hit. Using the Alpha Thunder Tag to protect displays and merchandise, along with EAS antennas, a store can prevent shoplifting and add those shortage dollars back to the profit line.
Get more information on Alpha Thunder Tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
