I was covering my cashier for her break this past weekend, when this guy came up to buy three six-packs of beer. When he sat them down I noticed one of them was missing three bottles. The guy said he hadn’t seen it when he picked it up. I told him I would sell it to him for half price since it would take an act of congress to get the beer guy to give me credit for the package. That meant losing the profit I would have made from it too. I can justify it to myself since my beer section is a paltry two door reach in cooler, and we don’t really sell a lot of it anyway. I pay a lot more attention to my larger and more expensive wine selection. Bottle security in that section is paramount because it has more potential sales for my store. We have security cameras all around the store and the aisles are set up so that the wine section is close to the checkout so the cashiers can monitor the shoppers over there.
I have seen some other bottle security options used at stores that could be helpful. Some stores use empty bottles for place holders on the shelves. They place the price labels on the shelves just as they would if the real bottles were there. The customer takes that bottle up to the cashier and they retrieve the actual bottle that the customer wants to purchase. Another store used a similar approach. They took wood planks and laid them down end to end on the shelves and adhere pictures of the products to the boards. The customer takes the picture down and brings that to the front counter for the cashier. The biggest problem with both of these ideas is that there has to be a whole separate place for storage for the actual wine and spirits bottles. I manage a small retail pharmacy and we happen to sell wine, but do not have that kind of space. Another issue is that if there is only one clerk on duty, they have to leave the cash register unattended in order to get the customer’s selections for them. Some stores hire security guards if they have major theft issues. They’re not cheap though, so that’s is going to cost you. That could ultimately take payroll dollars away from your other employees.
If you don’t have that kind of space or extra money to drop, take a look at a bottle security option offered by Alpha Security. Bottle locks could be the answer. They are easy to apply and remove right at the checkout. The customer gets to browse your selection of wine and spirits on the shelf. They can pick up the bottles and compare them without the bottle locks impeding them. They don’t have to come to the checkout with some token and wait on the clerk to find the right choice. Alpha Security brought these to the table so you don’t have to worry about your valuable inventory being on display. Bottle locks fit over almost any size bottle and they are completely reusable. They offer a visible deterrent to the potential shoplifter. There is also the complete benefit denial for the rare times that you do suffer a loss. If someone gets brave enough to run out with a bottle that is still protected by a bottle lock, the bottle will shatter before they get the cap off. When you get your theft solutions from Alpha Security you are also getting peace of mind.
Bottle security is important and we can help. Contact us or call today 1.770.426.0547
As I was preparing to write this article, I spent some time reviewing the 2014-2015 Global Retail Theft Report. The report lists “North America Most Stolen Items – by vertical” in a chart. Items that show up are footwear, i-pads, laptop computers, wine and spirits, meat, and building supplies including lumber, but I was interested in something else. I wanted to know roughly how many categories were potentially items that stores would display on peg hooks. If there were enough peg hook merchandise categories, then I had to wonder if this could be an overlooked shortage problem that retailers should be addressing. Interestingly, of 25 most stolen items listed, as few as five and possibly as many as eight categories could include peg hook items. These include fashion accessories, batteries, screws and washers, mobile device accessories and razor blades. In some cases, I could include smaller power tools, small electric toothbrushes, and make-up products. Looking at these numbers the thought occurred to me that the Auto Peg Tag could help make a significant impact to stop shoplifting of these items.
Obviously, peg hook merchandise comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, but for the most part, they tend to be relatively small. This makes them prime targets for shoplifters. They are difficult to detect when someone is carrying them and they are easy to conceal in a pocket, purse or even a backpack. They can also be difficult to protect with soft EAS tags because they may cover up important product information. The Auto Peg Tag is a hard plastic, single piece design that goes over the packaging peg hole. It comes in a bright white or yellow color that makes it and the merchandise easy to see. A “security protected” warning and lock icon are printed on the tags to help deter and stop shoplifting by would-be thieves. The tags are radio frequency sensitive so they work with all Checkpoint electronic article surveillance antennas. One cost savings consideration is that the Auto Peg Tag is reusable so when removed at the point of sales, they are recycled and used on new products.
Having almost 25 years of combined retail experience, I know that many of these peg hook items mentioned are targeted not only by the opportunistic shoplifter, they are also the products desired by professional boosters. Razor blades, cosmetics, electric toothbrushes and batteries frequently turn up for sale at flea markets and warehouses.These Locations are where criminals resell the items they have stolen or where they store them for later sale. The 2014-2015 Global Retail Theft Report confirms this on page 53, “Shoplifting continues to plague the retail industry due to escalating problem of ORC (Organized Retail Theft), easy sale of stolen merchandise through online sites, reduced sales floor coverage and the general perception of shoplifting as a “low risk/non-offensive” crime.
It is important to find ways to stop shoplifting while not hindering the shopping habits of good customers. Locking display cases and locking peg hooks may sound like the best method to curb theft, but they keep honest customers from getting access to merchandise and this can be extremely irritating to your shoppers. These measures may stop shoplifting for the most part but they also require employees to be immediately available to unlock a fixture. Any time customers have to wait for service, such as finding help to unlock a case, there is a good chance they will abandon a purchase. Not losing a sale in order to not lose merchandise is no way to do business. The Auto Peg Tag allows a store to display merchandise so it is accessible to customers and protected against theft with electronic article surveillance technology.
My father used to tell me “Don’t sweat the small stuff”, in the case of peg hook merchandise my advice is DO sweat the small stuff. The loss of little items can cost you big bucks. Use Auto Peg Tags and an electronic article surveillance system to stop shoplifting in your store.
Need more information on Auto Peg Tag? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
BG Check Company-2 , Pre Employment Screening-2 , Employee BG Check-3
Search Engine Background Checks Are Not Good Enough
Small business owners still have a responsibility to perform employee background checks on their new hires. If not for the security of the business, but also for the safety of the other employees and customers. The problem is that many business owners choose to attempt to gather the information themselves instead of hiring a reputable background check company. By choosing the DIY version of a pre employment screening, you are putting your company and reputation at risk for a huge mistake.
Anyone can Google their own name and find out lots of information listed online for all to see. And most of the time that can all be obtained for free. A business owner or manager can just plug in a potential new employees name and see what pops up about this person. Most of the time they can find their address, telephone number, spouse’s name, and sometimes even get a map to the person’s home. (Unfortunately unless the candidate is a famous ax murderer, most of their criminal history is not going to be available from a search engine.)
I’m sure if a manager was going to attempt to do their own employee background checks, they wouldn’t just stop there though. They would probably call the previous employers listed on the person’s application or resume’. This is an important step in the application process, and I don’t discount it. However, you have to remember that those particular people are listed for a reason. They are the people that this person trusts to put them in a good light and tell about their best attributes. They won’t list the actual boss that fired them from their last job; they will instead list the coworker that they were closest to. They will list their friend that works at the same place, but in a totally different department.
Next on the do it yourself employee background check, you would check the person’s social media activity. I agree you can learn a lot from someone’s Facebook or Linked In profiles, but many people use those formats to showcase themselves as the people they wish they were, not who they really are. (Again, not many former ax murderers are going to advertise their grisly pasts.)
The key is to find out exactly what you need to know about the person you are considering bringing on board with your company. It can be challenging to get rid of someone once you hire them, and if you find out too late about their sketchy past, you could still end up paying for their unemployment benefits when you end up firing them. You don’t need to see a satellite view of their home you found on Google maps and you don’t need to see a picture they posted of what they had for dinner last night. You don’t need to see how many funny cat videos they “like” every day. (Although, you may have to deal with that later if they’re doing it from your computer at work!) You do need a trustworthy background check company to sift through this person’s criminal and work history and make sure they are who they say they are. You do need a quality pre employment screening.
Employee Background Checks are important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Small business owners still have a responsibility to perform employee background checks on their new hires. If not for the security of the business, but also for the safety of the other employees and customers. The problem is that many business owners choose to attempt to gather the information themselves instead of hiring a reputable background check company. By choosing the DIY version of a pre employment screening, you are putting your company and reputation at risk for a huge mistake.
Anyone can Google their own name and find out lots of information listed online for all to see. And most of the time that can all be obtained for free. A business owner or manager can just plug in a potential new employees name and see what pops up about this person. Most of the time they can find their address, telephone number, spouse’s name, and sometimes even get a map to the person’s home. (Unfortunately unless the candidate is a famous ax murderer, most of their criminal history is not going to be available from a search engine.)
I’m sure if a manager was going to attempt to do their own employee background checks, they wouldn’t just stop there though. They would probably call the previous employers listed on the person’s application or resume’. This is an important step in the application process, and I don’t discount it. However, you have to remember that those particular people are listed for a reason. They are the people that this person trusts to put them in a good light and tell about their best attributes. They won’t list the actual boss that fired them from their last job; they will instead list the coworker that they were closest to. They will list their friend that works at the same place, but in a totally different department.
Next on the do it yourself employee background check, you would check the person’s social media activity. I agree you can learn a lot from someone’s Facebook or Linked In profiles, but many people use those formats to showcase themselves as the people they wish they were, not who they really are. (Again, not many former ax murderers are going to advertise their grisly pasts.)
The key is to find out exactly what you need to know about the person you are considering bringing on board with your company. It can be challenging to get rid of someone once you hire them, and if you find out too late about their sketchy past, you could still end up paying for their unemployment benefits when you end up firing them. You don’t need to see a satellite view of their home you found on Google maps and you don’t need to see a picture they posted of what they had for dinner last night. You don’t need to see how many funny cat videos they “like” every day. (Although, you may have to deal with that later if they’re doing it from your computer at work!) You do need a trustworthy background check company to sift through this person’s criminal and work history and make sure they are who they say they are. You do need a quality pre employment screening.
Employee Background Checks are important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
