Employee Theft Reduction Training – 3 WC Blog 784
Stop shoplifting – 5
Basic Training On How To Stop Shoplifting And Employee Theft
As I prepared to write this article about training to stop shoplifting and employee theft I thought back to my days in U.S. Air Force Basic Training. When I went in at age 18, I thought I could dress myself, make my bed, clean a bathroom and even stand up straight but boy was I in for a surprise! My T.I. (Training Instructor) Sgt. Ulmer made it very clear to us from the day we arrived that we were hmmmm, how do I say this in less colorful prose than he used? We were less than adequate and really had no business even being on his base. I learned over the course of 6 weeks how to walk and talk and even sit properly. Many of the things we learned were demonstrated to us then Sgt. Ulmer would explain it to us step by step and then we would perform the task ourselves such as making the bed (my mother never taught me how important hospital corners would be later in life). For those who could not learn things properly or made egregious errors over the course of the 6 weeks, there would be a “wash back” where they had the ability to go back to the starting point and begin their training over again. The military was very helpful in making sure we understood how things were to be done and gave plenty of opportunity to get remedial training when needed. After 6 weeks and assuming one did not have to repeat their training, we were prepared enough to be sent on to our technical training schools because we had learned to walk, talk, eat, make our beds and properly clean bathrooms in addition to all of the other things we had to learn. I know you are wondering how this can possibly relate to employee theft reduction training and how to stop shoplifting.
I talk jokingly about having to learn to do things I thought I already knew but the fact of the matter is I did have to learn to do those things again. I did not know how the U.S. Air Force would want me to do them. Thinking you know the proper way to do something or believing you have more knowledge on a subject than you actually do have can lead to big problems in some areas, such as how to stop shoplifting or prevent dishonest employee activity. The same applies to store owners and managers who need to address stock shortage and theft that costs thousands and tens of thousands of dollars every year. You may think you know how to protect your merchandise but there are things you probably do not know based on my experience with retail managers. Only a company with trainers who have actual Retail Loss Prevention experience can provide reliable and proven employee theft reduction training and training to stop shoplifting. Let me give you a couple examples of theft related information that might come as a surprise. Concealment of merchandise by a customer may in most instances be enough to prove intent to shoplift. Other states may have wording in their law that would make it better for the retailer to allow the suspect to exit the store or pass the last point of sale before stopping them. That begs the question, if the last point of sale is a return desk located near the front door should is that the last point of sale? Did you know that many Retail Loss Prevention departments discourage apprehending a person who sets off an electronic article surveillance alarm even if unpaid merchandise is recovered? Were you aware that an employee can be charged with breach of trust in many instances rather than theft for such things as price manipulation or conducting fake refunds? These are cases in which the employee is deliberately manipulating store data in order to falsely obtain money or goods below value to personally profit from the manipulation.
There are many other things you probably do not know about when it comes theft. Employee theft reduction training from Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. prepares you so you and your team know how to stop shoplifting before it happens. They can also teach you how you can take steps in the pre-hiring phase to reduce your exposure of hiring a bad apple. Their training is top notch and if you don’t check into it you are doing your business a disservice. You will be surprised at how much you don’t know and you don’t have to attend Basic Training to do so.
For more information on employee theft reduction training contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
As I prepared to write this article about training to stop shoplifting and employee theft I thought back to my days in U.S. Air Force Basic Training. When I went in at age 18, I thought I could dress myself, make my bed, clean a bathroom and even stand up straight but boy was I in for a surprise! My T.I. (Training Instructor) Sgt. Ulmer made it very clear to us from the day we arrived that we were hmmmm, how do I say this in less colorful prose than he used? We were less than adequate and really had no business even being on his base. I learned over the course of 6 weeks how to walk and talk and even sit properly. Many of the things we learned were demonstrated to us then Sgt. Ulmer would explain it to us step by step and then we would perform the task ourselves such as making the bed (my mother never taught me how important hospital corners would be later in life). For those who could not learn things properly or made egregious errors over the course of the 6 weeks, there would be a “wash back” where they had the ability to go back to the starting point and begin their training over again. The military was very helpful in making sure we understood how things were to be done and gave plenty of opportunity to get remedial training when needed. After 6 weeks and assuming one did not have to repeat their training, we were prepared enough to be sent on to our technical training schools because we had learned to walk, talk, eat, make our beds and properly clean bathrooms in addition to all of the other things we had to learn. I know you are wondering how this can possibly relate to employee theft reduction training and how to stop shoplifting.
I talk jokingly about having to learn to do things I thought I already knew but the fact of the matter is I did have to learn to do those things again. I did not know how the U.S. Air Force would want me to do them. Thinking you know the proper way to do something or believing you have more knowledge on a subject than you actually do have can lead to big problems in some areas, such as how to stop shoplifting or prevent dishonest employee activity. The same applies to store owners and managers who need to address stock shortage and theft that costs thousands and tens of thousands of dollars every year. You may think you know how to protect your merchandise but there are things you probably do not know based on my experience with retail managers. Only a company with trainers who have actual Retail Loss Prevention experience can provide reliable and proven employee theft reduction training and training to stop shoplifting. Let me give you a couple examples of theft related information that might come as a surprise. Concealment of merchandise by a customer may in most instances be enough to prove intent to shoplift. Other states may have wording in their law that would make it better for the retailer to allow the suspect to exit the store or pass the last point of sale before stopping them. That begs the question, if the last point of sale is a return desk located near the front door should is that the last point of sale? Did you know that many Retail Loss Prevention departments discourage apprehending a person who sets off an electronic article surveillance alarm even if unpaid merchandise is recovered? Were you aware that an employee can be charged with breach of trust in many instances rather than theft for such things as price manipulation or conducting fake refunds? These are cases in which the employee is deliberately manipulating store data in order to falsely obtain money or goods below value to personally profit from the manipulation.
There are many other things you probably do not know about when it comes theft. Employee theft reduction training from Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. prepares you so you and your team know how to stop shoplifting before it happens. They can also teach you how you can take steps in the pre-hiring phase to reduce your exposure of hiring a bad apple. Their training is top notch and if you don’t check into it you are doing your business a disservice. You will be surprised at how much you don’t know and you don’t have to attend Basic Training to do so.
For more information on employee theft reduction training, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
Sensormatic Safers-4 WC Blog 799
Retail Anti-Theft Devices -3
DVD Theft Is Still A Problem And Sensormatic Safers Are The Solution
It may not seem to be as important as it used to be it is still necessary to use retail anti-theft devices to protect DVD’s in your store. With the increase in streaming videos and online video’s there appears to be a decreasing demand for DVD’s and the same can be said for CD’s. Technology has literally put entertainment in the palm of our hands. A walk through the electronics department of many big box retail stores is indicative of these changing times as once robust DVD and CD aisles have been cut back. The selections seem to be fewer and often shelves sit bare. I don’t know if this is a theft issue or a merchandising decision. In one of my favorite stores the DVD section has been reduced to two or three gondolas where it once was four to six of them filled with movies. Does this trend mean that stores do not have to worry any longer about how to stop shoplifting in these departments? I would argue that it is still a problem and retailers must be alert to the threat and use Sensormatic Safers to prevent it.
What caused me to be concerned enough to write about it? I saw a news story from 2018 that somewhat shocked me. As a Loss Prevention Manager I dealt with some large shoplifting cases but this one was pretty remarkable in my book. According to news4sanantoni.com, Sunday, August 5th, 2018, “Women admit to using wigs to steal 917 DVD’s from several stores”, the women were accused of stealing DVD’s valued at an estimated $35,118.83. That is a lot of DVD’s by any standard. The story reported that these two crooks targeted several stores of a national retail bookstore chain. I have shopped at this particular chain and I know that they use some type of retail anti-theft devices in the form of an electronic article surveillance label. I do not know if they tag everything or just certain items. What I do know is sometimes merchandise needs different protective devices bases on the merchandise type, price point or risk. Different devices provide different levels of security. In the case of DVD’s Sensormatic Safers are the protection for DVD’s and CD’s I recommend for stores.
Sensormatic Safers are pouches made of Polyethylene and nylon materials making them flexible yet tough. They have electronic article surveillance built in giving retailers the confidence that if a shoplifter attempts to load a purse or bag with DVD’s or CD’s Sensormatic pedestals are going to activate every time. Flexible Safers are also slim so unlike other protective wraps or devices retailers maximize selling space while benefitting from the security Safers provide.
Another feature that can optimize the use of Safers is adding a metal detection card to a Sensormatic AMS9060 Controller. The metal detection card gives certain Sensormatic towers the ability to identify a professional shoplifter attempting to enter the store with a foil lined purse or bag. Not all retail anti-theft devices or systems have this capability. The article did not indicate whether foiled-lined bags were used by the suspects but it did say that one was seen grabbing a handful of DVD’s and placing them in her purse. It is not unheard of for a purse to have a foil bag or lining inside of it. Alarm activations caused by someone ENTERING a store are less frequent occurrences than exit alarms so attention is drawn to the suspect before they even get to the salesfloor. That is not an ideal situation for a shoplifter.
Just because DVD’s and CD’s are not as popular as they once were there is still a market for them. You only need to take a look at those red boxes outside of retail stores which allow customers to rent movies and games to see my point. Use Sensormatic Safers to reduce the chance of movie theft. Get the “picture” now?
Sensormatic Safers are important and we can help you with them. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
It may not seem to be as important as it used to be it is still necessary to use retail anti-theft devices to protect DVD’s in your store. With the increase in streaming videos and online video’s there appears to be a decreasing demand for DVD’s and the same can be said for CD’s. Technology has literally put entertainment in the palm of our hands. A walk through the electronics department of many big box retail stores is indicative of these changing times as once robust DVD and CD aisles have been cut back. The selections seem to be fewer and often shelves sit bare. I don’t know if this is a theft issue or a merchandising decision. In one of my favorite stores the DVD section has been reduced to two or three gondolas where it once was four to six of them filled with movies. Does this trend mean that stores do not have to worry any longer about how to stop shoplifting in these departments? I would argue that it is still a problem and retailers must be alert to the threat and use Sensormatic Safers to prevent it.
What caused me to be concerned enough to write about it? I saw a news story from 2018 that somewhat shocked me. As a Loss Prevention Manager I dealt with some large shoplifting cases but this one was pretty remarkable in my book. According to news4sanantoni.com, Sunday, August 5th, 2018, “Women admit to using wigs to steal 917 DVD’s from several stores”, the women were accused of stealing DVD’s valued at an estimated $35,118.83. That is a lot of DVD’s by any standard. The story reported that these two crooks targeted several stores of a national retail bookstore chain. I have shopped at this particular chain and I know that they use some type of retail anti-theft devices in the form of an electronic article surveillance label. I do not know if they tag everything or just certain items. What I do know is sometimes merchandise needs different protective devices bases on the merchandise type, price point or risk. Different devices provide different levels of security. In the case of DVD’s Sensormatic Safers are the protection for DVD’s and CD’s I recommend for stores.
Sensormatic Safers are pouches made of Polyethylene and nylon materials making them flexible yet tough. They have electronic article surveillance built in giving retailers the confidence that if a shoplifter attempts to load a purse or bag with DVD’s or CD’s Sensormatic pedestals are going to activate every time. Flexible Safers are also slim so unlike other protective wraps or devices retailers maximize selling space while benefitting from the security Safers provide.
Another feature that can optimize the use of Safers is adding a metal detection card to a Sensormatic AMS9060 Controller. The metal detection card gives certain Sensormatic towers the ability to identify a professional shoplifter attempting to enter the store with a foil lined purse or bag. Not all retail anti-theft devices or systems have this capability. The article did not indicate whether foiled-lined bags were used by the suspects but it did say that one was seen grabbing a handful of DVD’s and placing them in her purse. It is not unheard of for a purse to have a foil bag or lining inside of it. Alarm activations caused by someone ENTERING a store are less frequent occurrences than exit alarms so attention is drawn to the suspect before they even get to the salesfloor. That is not an ideal situation for a shoplifter.
Just because DVD’s and CD’s are not as popular as they once were there is still a market for them. You only need to take a look at those red boxes outside of retail stores which allow customers to rent movies and games to see my point. Use Sensormatic Safers to reduce the chance of movie theft. Get the “picture” now?
Sensormatic Safers are important and we can help you with them. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Clothing security tags-4 WC Blog 798
Sensormatic tags – 4
Ad”dressing” The Problem Of Clothing Theft With Sensormatic Tags
I don’t want to appear to be dressing you down but if you aren’t using clothing security tags on your merchandise I feel compelled to ask why not? Is it the idea that an anti-theft system would cost too much? Do you believe it is going to cost you the shirt on your back? You might change your mind when you learn about a story I just read from fox43.com, March 23, 2019, “Police recover $100K in stolen merchandise, $40k hidden behind baby crib” by CNN Wire. What was so special about this story? For one thing according to the report, “…over 400 pair of sunglasses stored in display and individual cases valued at approximately $37,000” were recovered. This was on top of clothing police found amounting to, “…over $100,000 worth of stolen merchandise from Lulumon, Victoria Secret, Zumiez, Abercrombie and Fitch, Ralph Lauren – Polo, Hollister, The Disney Store, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Ugg, Nike, Adidas, Champion and Sun Glass Hut.” Those numbers are distressing to someone like me who has been involved in Retail Loss Prevention. I am concerned for the victims of this particular activity but I am even more concerned for the small and medium store owners. The national chains have resources they can rely on to address theft and some use Sensormatic tags on clothing and clothing accessories such as sunglasses.
It may have crossed your mind that many of these national chain stores are already using clothing security tags of one type or another. This can prompt the question, “What is the point of using tags at all?” There are a couple of answers to the question. First, in many of these chains not everything in the store is protected with clothing security tags. These businesses focus tagging programs on high theft or their highest price point merchandise. That means shoplifters can still steal the other untagged merchandise and get away with it. I would also suggest that the quality of training received by store associates in responding to alarms caused by Sensormatic tags is probably minimal if any training has taken place. I would go so far as to say there is a good chance that anti-theft equipment is not tested on a daily or even a weekly basis. Faulty equipment can lead to increased theft and professional shoplifters know how to watch to see if alarms are being set off. National chain stores do not necessarily have in-house Loss Prevention Officers so there is no one regularly auditing tagging programs. A District Loss Prevention Manager may conduct periodic audits but again without regular oversight a tagging program often falls to the bottom of store priority lists.
For small or independent store owners the use of Sensormatic tags and equipment can have a big impact on theft reduction. YOU make the decision on what will be tagged, how it will be audited and you ensure your employees are properly trained on alarm response. You may even train them on how they can deter and prevent shoplifting. If you believe you and your management team need training before you train your staff that is available from Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI). If you don’t have an anti-theft system they can help you with the purchase of a system and can even demonstrate how affordable it can be with their free ROI Calculator.
The report told about clothes AND sunglasses being found by police. Sensormatic clothing security tags come in a variety of styles and designs to fit the needs of your particular store. These may include tags with dye packs, small SuperClamp tags or even the powerful Ultra-Gator tag. They also offer the Eyelet hard tag that can protect designer glasses or sunglasses when attached with a cable tie or lanyard.
There are no guarantees in life and the same can be said about retail theft. There is a good chance it is going to happen to your store at some point. You may not be able to stop all of it but you also don’t need to be the victim of an organized crime group stealing thousands of dollars in merchandise. Sensormatic tags and systems are an affordable way to protect your business and not be the subject in one of my articles.
For more information about Sensormatic tags contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
I don’t want to appear to be dressing you down but if you aren’t using clothing security tags on your merchandise I feel compelled to ask why not? Is it the idea that an anti-theft system would cost too much? Do you believe it is going to cost you the shirt on your back? You might change your mind when you learn about a story I just read from fox43.com, March 23, 2019, “Police recover $100K in stolen merchandise, $40k hidden behind baby crib” by CNN Wire. What was so special about this story? For one thing according to the report, “…over 400 pair of sunglasses stored in display and individual cases valued at approximately $37,000” were recovered. This was on top of clothing police found amounting to, “…over $100,000 worth of stolen merchandise from Lulumon, Victoria Secret, Zumiez, Abercrombie and Fitch, Ralph Lauren – Polo, Hollister, The Disney Store, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Ugg, Nike, Adidas, Champion and Sun Glass Hut.” Those numbers are distressing to someone like me who has been involved in Retail Loss Prevention. I am concerned for the victims of this particular activity but I am even more concerned for the small and medium store owners. The national chains have resources they can rely on to address theft and some use Sensormatic tags on clothing and clothing accessories such as sunglasses.
It may have crossed your mind that many of these national chain stores are already using clothing security tags of one type or another. This can prompt the question, “What is the point of using tags at all?” There are a couple of answers to the question. First, in many of these chains not everything in the store is protected with clothing security tags. These businesses focus tagging programs on high theft or their highest price point merchandise. That means shoplifters can still steal the other untagged merchandise and get away with it. I would also suggest that the quality of training received by store associates in responding to alarms caused by Sensormatic tags is probably minimal if any training has taken place. I would go so far as to say there is a good chance that anti-theft equipment is not tested on a daily or even a weekly basis. Faulty equipment can lead to increased theft and professional shoplifters know how to watch to see if alarms are being set off. National chain stores do not necessarily have in-house Loss Prevention Officers so there is no one regularly auditing tagging programs. A District Loss Prevention Manager may conduct periodic audits but again without regular oversight a tagging program often falls to the bottom of store priority lists.
For small or independent store owners the use of Sensormatic tags and equipment can have a big impact on theft reduction. YOU make the decision on what will be tagged, how it will be audited and you ensure your employees are properly trained on alarm response. You may even train them on how they can deter and prevent shoplifting. If you believe you and your management team need training before you train your staff that is available from Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI). If you don’t have an anti-theft system they can help you with the purchase of a system and can even demonstrate how affordable it can be with their free ROI Calculator.
The report told about clothes AND sunglasses being found by police. Sensormatic clothing security tags come in a variety of styles and designs to fit the needs of your particular store. These may include tags with dye packs, small SuperClamp tags or even the powerful Ultra-Gator tag. They also offer the Eyelet hard tag that can protect designer glasses or sunglasses when attached with a cable tie or lanyard.
There are no guarantees in life and the same can be said about retail theft. There is a good chance it is going to happen to your store at some point. You may not be able to stop all of it but you also don’t need to be the victim of an organized crime group stealing thousands of dollars in merchandise. Sensormatic tags and systems are an affordable way to protect your business and not be the subject in one of my articles.
For more information about Sensormatic tags contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
