O Tag-5 WC Blog 189
Prevent Shoplifting-3
Retail Anti-Theft Device-3
Disturbed By Display Disappearance? O Tags Can Disrupt Shoplifter Dastardly Deeds
Does your store sell tools, electric appliances or electric household gadgets such as vacuum cleaners? Most stores that sell such items have display models out that clients may look at to get an idea if they want to purchase the item or not. Usually the display is a working model that can be taken from the shelf and held or examined. For example, I worked in stores that sold vacuum cleaners and we had an unboxed display for most of the units. If someone wanted to get a feel for how light the weight was or how easy it was to remove the dirt bin, they were able to do so with the floor sample. To do so meant that we could not tie the display down or secure it to prevent shoplifting since the idea was to make it accessible to our customers. Similarly, we had displays of power tools that we had out for handling as well. We did experience issues of shoplifting and box switching and had to develop strategies to prevent this from happening. Our strategies would have been a lot easier to create if we had Alpha’s O Tag available to us at that time.
Alpha’s O Tag is a retail anti-theft device that can be clamped around the power cord of a device. The tag has a hard casing with a circular center that can be secured around the power cord and cannot be pulled over the plug end. The only means for a shoplifter to get the tag off a piece of merchandise is to cut the cord, which of course renders the item inoperable. Customers are able to pick up and handle the item they are interested in, but criminals are thwarted from stealing the display. The tag also works with an electronic article surveillance (EAS) system which also prevents shoplifting. If a tag is not properly removed from a display at the point of sale by a cashier, the tag will cause the EAS antennas at the door to sound their built in alarm.
I mentioned that we had problems with box switching of merchandise. This is simply another form of shoplifting, but what would happen was a patron would take an expensive display and also a cheaper, boxed version of another brand and remove the cheaper brand item from its’ box. The expensive display model would go in the box and the cheaper version was placed in the display units spot. The shoplifter would re-tape the box and go through the check lane, paying the price of the cheaper item but in reality getting the expensive item hidden inside. Finding the right retail anti-theft device to deter theft could be a challenge and at the time we did not have the tools at our disposal that are available today.
An O tag attached to the cord of a display item would activate the EAS antenna alarm even when concealed in a box. Store staff would be able to respond to the alarm and investigate the cause, locating the source of the activation. Our problem wasn’t limited to just vacuum cleaners other departments had issues too. We had to prevent shoplifting and box switching in the hardware department as well as in kitchen ware. Power tool displays sometimes disappeared as did small kitchen appliances and we didn’t always identify it right away so thieves did get away with the merchandise from time to time.
If you own a small hardware store or a small appliance store, consider all the merchandise that could be placed on display and protected. Can openers, electric frying pans, coffee makers, and toaster ovens are just a few items I can think of that are often put on display in stores to draw customers and let them see what they are buying. Hardware stores put out electric drills, sanders, electric saws and again, an O Tag could easily be used to deter theft and box switching activity.
Prevent shoplifting and box switching by using an O Tag retail anti-theft device to keep your merchandise in the store and minimize opportunities for loss. Decreased loss means more merchandise on the floor and we all know that translates to increased sales. And isn’t that what drives your bottom line?
Get more information on O Tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Does your store sell tools, electric appliances or electric household gadgets such as vacuum cleaners? Most stores that sell such items have display models out that clients may look at to get an idea if they want to purchase the item or not. Usually the display is a working model that can be taken from the shelf and held or examined. For example, I worked in stores that sold vacuum cleaners and we had an unboxed display for most of the units. If someone wanted to get a feel for how light the weight was or how easy it was to remove the dirt bin, they were able to do so with the floor sample. To do so meant that we could not tie the display down or secure it to prevent shoplifting since the idea was to make it accessible to our customers. Similarly, we had displays of power tools that we had out for handling as well. We did experience issues of shoplifting and box switching and had to develop strategies to prevent this from happening. Our strategies would have been a lot easier to create if we had Alpha’s O Tag available to us at that time.
Alpha’s O Tag is a retail anti-theft device that can be clamped around the power cord of a device. The tag has a hard casing with a circular center that can be secured around the power cord and cannot be pulled over the plug end. The only means for a shoplifter to get the tag off a piece of merchandise is to cut the cord, which of course renders the item inoperable. Customers are able to pick up and handle the item they are interested in, but criminals are thwarted from stealing the display. The tag also works with an electronic article surveillance (EAS) system which also prevents shoplifting. If a tag is not properly removed from a display at the point of sale by a cashier, the tag will cause the EAS antennas at the door to sound their built in alarm.
I mentioned that we had problems with box switching of merchandise. This is simply another form of shoplifting, but what would happen was a patron would take an expensive display and also a cheaper, boxed version of another brand and remove the cheaper brand item from its’ box. The expensive display model would go in the box and the cheaper version was placed in the display units spot. The shoplifter would re-tape the box and go through the check lane, paying the price of the cheaper item but in reality getting the expensive item hidden inside. Finding the right retail anti-theft device to deter theft could be a challenge and at the time we did not have the tools at our disposal that are available today.
An O tag attached to the cord of a display item would activate the EAS antenna alarm even when concealed in a box. Store staff would be able to respond to the alarm and investigate the cause, locating the source of the activation. Our problem wasn’t limited to just vacuum cleaners other departments had issues too. We had to prevent shoplifting and box switching in the hardware department as well as in kitchen ware. Power tool displays sometimes disappeared as did small kitchen appliances and we didn’t always identify it right away so thieves did get away with the merchandise from time to time.
If you own a small hardware store or a small appliance store, consider all the merchandise that could be placed on display and protected. Can openers, electric frying pans, coffee makers, and toaster ovens are just a few items I can think of that are often put on display in stores to draw customers and let them see what they are buying. Hardware stores put out electric drills, sanders, electric saws and again, an O Tag could easily be used to deter theft and box switching activity.
Prevent shoplifting and box switching by using an O Tag retail anti-theft device to keep your merchandise in the store and minimize opportunities for loss. Decreased loss means more merchandise on the floor and we all know that translates to increased sales. And isn’t that what drives your bottom line?
Get more information on O Tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
AA Blog 08
Customer Counting Systems: 5
Door Counting Sensor: 4
Customer Counting Systems: An Innovative Way to Identify Customer Trends, Manage labor and Increase Profit
In my position I have to travel rather frequently to various locations throughout the United States and Canada to deal with security related issues. As you can expect my travel often comes with some interesting stories and experiences, some of which can be rather humorous. It also provides me with the opportunity to frequent different hotels, restaurants, and other businesses during the course of my travel. Although some experiences are better than others, it often gives me a different perspective regarding how businesses operate. On a recent trip I decided to eat dinner at a popular chain restaurant that was close to my hotel. It was rather early in the day for dinner, but I was dealing with a time change situation. When I walked in I noticed the place was pretty empty, which didn’t surprise me. After deciding what I wanted, I waited for an extended period of time for my server to come take my order, which began to irritate me. As I was waiting and looking around I couldn’t help but notice that there were a lot of employees working considering the time of day. I use the word working liberally, as most of them were standing around having personal conversations, and doing nothing in the way of customer service. I counted 12 employees as I sat there waiting and I couldn’t help but think, what a waste of money and resources, for poor service. Maybe those large chains can afford to waste money by poorly scheduling resources, but what about those small businesses that are working hard to reduce their overhead costs, in order to increase their profit margin? This made me think about customer counting systems and how they could help this restaurant work more efficiently.
Although, most people might think customer counting systems are primarily used in the retail industry; they can be a great resource for any business that wants to track customer activity. It is important for any type of business to know how many people are frequenting their establishment and when. A door counting sensor can be extremely beneficial because it can provide real time data to eliminate labor issues. It can also provide other information that can be used to improve business or evaluate current or future promotional opportunities. A door counting sensor provides customer information, which is reported by the hour each day. Therefore, a manager or owner can utilize this information for scheduling purposes to ensure they have the appropriate staff working during the peak times of the day. Customer counting systems can also help you determine whether a promotional sale or event was successful. A door counting sensor can also be used to identify opportunities for growth and development. If a business can identify lulls in service, they can better direct their efforts on promotions during those time frames. For example, if a restaurant is slowest between 4pm-6pm, maybe you could improve sales by adding happy hour specials during those times. Customer counting systems can be received in a reporting format or incorporated into your sales data so that you can easily and quickly see trends without having to conduct a lengthy analysis based on sales and other factors.
Customer counting systems are easily installed and are a cost-efficient means to help you monitor your customer traffic in order to reduce overhead cost, while improving sales and customer satisfaction. Although I know that each business is operated differently, thus resulting in a different experience each time, I do know that poor service will ultimately impact my future consumer choices. So if you are a business manager or business owner make balancing your budget and increasing sales a priority through easy and efficient trend analysis. I would strongly recommend getting a door counting sensor, so you can better track and respond to your customers’ needs.
Customer counting systems are important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
In my position I have to travel rather frequently to various locations throughout the United States and Canada to deal with security related issues. As you can expect my travel often comes with some interesting stories and experiences, some of which can be rather humorous. It also provides me with the opportunity to frequent different hotels, restaurants, and other businesses during the course of my travel. Although some experiences are better than others, it often gives me a different perspective regarding how businesses operate. On a recent trip I decided to eat dinner at a popular chain restaurant that was close to my hotel. It was rather early in the day for dinner, but I was dealing with a time change situation. When I walked in I noticed the place was pretty empty, which didn’t surprise me. After deciding what I wanted, I waited for an extended period of time for my server to come take my order, which began to irritate me. As I was waiting and looking around I couldn’t help but notice that there were a lot of employees working considering the time of day. I use the word working liberally, as most of them were standing around having personal conversations, and doing nothing in the way of customer service. I counted 12 employees as I sat there waiting and I couldn’t help but think, what a waste of money and resources, for poor service. Maybe those large chains can afford to waste money by poorly scheduling resources, but what about those small businesses that are working hard to reduce their overhead costs, in order to increase their profit margin? This made me think about customer counting systems and how they could help this restaurant work more efficiently.
Although, most people might think customer counting systems are primarily used in the retail industry; they can be a great resource for any business that wants to track customer activity. It is important for any type of business to know how many people are frequenting their establishment and when. A door counting sensor can be extremely beneficial because it can provide real time data to eliminate labor issues. It can also provide other information that can be used to improve business or evaluate current or future promotional opportunities. A door counting sensor provides customer information, which is reported by the hour each day. Therefore, a manager or owner can utilize this information for scheduling purposes to ensure they have the appropriate staff working during the peak times of the day. Customer counting systems can also help you determine whether a promotional sale or event was successful. A door counting sensor can also be used to identify opportunities for growth and development. If a business can identify lulls in service, they can better direct their efforts on promotions during those time frames. For example, if a restaurant is slowest between 4pm-6pm, maybe you could improve sales by adding happy hour specials during those times. Customer counting systems can be received in a reporting format or incorporated into your sales data so that you can easily and quickly see trends without having to conduct a lengthy analysis based on sales and other factors.
Customer counting systems are easily installed and are a cost-efficient means to help you monitor your customer traffic in order to reduce overhead cost, while improving sales and customer satisfaction. Although I know that each business is operated differently, thus resulting in a different experience each time, I do know that poor service will ultimately impact my future consumer choices. So if you are a business manager or business owner make balancing your budget and increasing sales a priority through easy and efficient trend analysis. I would strongly recommend getting a door counting sensor, so you can better track and respond to your customers’ needs.
Customer counting systems are important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Celebrity stylists do it. Soccer moms do it. Young professionals that can’t afford to pay for an “interview” suit do it. Wardrobing is a more common practice than you may think. You may have overheard a lady at a party even say it out loud. “Be careful and don’t spill your wine on my dress; I have to return it tomorrow.” And they’ll say it like it’s perfectly acceptable, as if they’re oblivious to the fact that it is clearly return fraud. Some blame it on the fact that they simply cannot afford a nice outfit for a wedding or a party. Some blame it on social pressure. They wouldn’t dare post a selfie wearing the same outfit twice.
Wardrobing is the act of purchasing an item with zero intentions of keeping it. The people that do this don’t purchase items like normal customers. They know the store’s return policy where they shop. They know exactly how long they have, and as long as they return it on time, they will be able to receive a full refund. They want to be able to use they products they want for free, treating retailers as if they are simply a library. Basically, they pay nothing in the end for the items they use. They may bring back high heels with scuffs on the bottoms. They may bring back a purse with crumbs in the pockets. There’s nothing more gross than a party dress with sweat stains in the armpits. However, if the customer claims they were not happy with the dress, even though it has clearly been worn, the store may have no choice but to accept the return, as long as they have their receipt and they are within the valid return time period. And the store is the one that suffers for this type of return fraud. After the customer returns the less valuable items, if they are still salable at all, they are usually still sold at a deep discount for being used. That just eats up a retailer’s profit line.
There is a solution to wardrobing, however. It is a simple, yet extremely effective way to put a stop to free renters. The tools are called Alpha Shark Tags.They are meant to be attached to the front of a garment in a very prominent area. As for shoes and other accessories, they can also be attached via lanyard. They are bright red and call immediate attention to themselves. The customer can still try on the item in the store or in the comfort of their own home. It does not affect the way the garment fits. Alpha Shark Tags are designed to work as part of your store’s return policy. You can even attach a copy of that return policy to the item with the tag itself. They are to be removed at home with a simple pair of household scissors. But, once removed, the item is no longer eligible to be returned. That’s the main reason you attach it in a conspicuous area of the item. The idea is to place Alpha Shark Tags where they cannot simply be tucked away. They are designed to deter return fraud, and to send a clear message that your store does not participate in wardrobing.
Get more information on Alpha Shark Tags. Contact us or call:1.770.426.0547
