Alpha Thunder Tag-4 WC blog 155
Checkpoint Classic N10-3
i-pad theft-3
Medical i-pad Use For Veteran Outreach Grows; Keep i-pads Secure With Alpha Thunder Tags
As a military veteran myself and a concerned citizen who cares deeply for our combat veteran’s, I am very interested in the steps taken by our Veteran’s Administration hospitals to care for our wounded warriors. I believe these soldiers deserve the best possible care for treating both their physical wounds and their mental wounds. So, it was interesting for me find that V.A. hospitals are now using i-pads to help both physicians and V.A. social workers in assisting veterans. According to a July 22, 2014 story by Keith Gottschalk in pittsburgh.va.gov, the VA Pittsburgh Hospital received 600 i-pads that June. Some of the benefits for clinicians that were listed:
• Convenient access to real-time clinical information
• Mobile access to patient information throughout the medical center
• Easy access to medical tools at work, home and on the go
• Secure communication between patients and providers; and
• Improved access to patient-generated data
As the hospitals find the value of using such devices and increase their spending on them, there is a definite risk of i-pad theft or tablet theft. Making sure this does not happen should be a priority and using an Alpha Thunder Tag can decrease the chance of pilferage.
The Alpha Thunder Tag works with an electronic article surveillance antenna system. When an antenna, such as a Checkpoint Classic N10 antenna is set up at a door, if a tagged device is carried into radio frequency range, an alarm in the antenna is set off. The loud, sharp, distinctive noise alerts employees that a tagged item is being carried out. Staff can verify that the person carrying the device has the authority to do so, or they can recover it from someone who is trying to steal it. Concern about possible tampering with the tag is alleviated due to the tamper proof nature of the Alpha Thunder Tag. If someone were to try to remove the tag, the tag alarms and like the Checkpoint Classic N10 antenna, staff can respond to the alarm and prevent a theft from occurring.
Is i-pad theft or tablet theft a concern for V.A. hospitals? It can be, just as it is for any other agency that incorporates the devices into their operations. One example, found on the website va.gov, a reported theft on 7/29/2015, involved an employee who took VA issued hardware from a government vehicle and transferred it to her own car at the end of her shift. She then stopped at a store on the way home and someone broke into her car stealing VA issued equipment including an i-pad, cell phone and car key. In an article posed on May 27, 2014 in Denverpost.com, two VA hospital laptop computers were stolen from a lab. My point is, mobile computing devices are a great addition to VA hospitals but do need to be secured.
I don’t want to lose sight of the benefits of mobile medical devices in VA hospitals. In another article in goerie.com, March 27, 2016, Gerry Weiss reported on a licensed social worker from the Erie Veterans Affairs Medical Center, who is meeting with combat veterans who are not comfortable around crowds or people they don’t know. Some of the veterans she is meeting with are homeless or living out of shelters. The story describes how the social worker uses a hospital i-pad to arrange meetings using Skype to arrange meetings between the veterans and behavioral health specialists. Such stories are encouraging, and demonstrate that even our homeless veterans have an opportunity to get assistance they might otherwise not receive. Computer tablets and i-pads are making these inroads possible.
Adding Checkpoint Classic N10 antennas at hospital entrances and placing an Alpha Thunder Tag on all medical mobile devices, can prevent i-pad theft at V.A. hospitals as well as other medical facilities. Preventing thieves from stealing property that adds so much richness to the treatment of patients must be a priority. Stealing anything that hinders a patient’s care should make us angry. Stealing devices that help our veterans is unconscionable.
Get more information on Alpha Thunder Tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
As a military veteran myself and a concerned citizen who cares deeply for our combat veteran’s, I am very interested in the steps taken by our Veteran’s Administration hospitals to care for our wounded warriors. I believe these soldiers deserve the best possible care for treating both their physical wounds and their mental wounds. So, it was interesting for me find that V.A. hospitals are now using i-pads to help both physicians and V.A. social workers in assisting veterans. According to a July 22, 2014 story by Keith Gottschalk in pittsburgh.va.gov, the VA Pittsburgh Hospital received 600 i-pads that June. Some of the benefits for clinicians that were listed:
• Convenient access to real-time clinical information
• Mobile access to patient information throughout the medical center
• Easy access to medical tools at work, home and on the go
• Secure communication between patients and providers; and
• Improved access to patient-generated data
As the hospitals find the value of using such devices and increase their spending on them, there is a definite risk of i-pad theft or tablet theft. Making sure this does not happen should be a priority and using an Alpha Thunder Tag can decrease the chance of pilferage.
The Alpha Thunder Tag works with an electronic article surveillance antenna system. When an antenna, such as a Checkpoint Classic N10 antenna is set up at a door, if a tagged device is carried into radio frequency range, an alarm in the antenna is set off. The loud, sharp, distinctive noise alerts employees that a tagged item is being carried out. Staff can verify that the person carrying the device has the authority to do so, or they can recover it from someone who is trying to steal it. Concern about possible tampering with the tag is alleviated due to the tamper proof nature of the Alpha Thunder Tag. If someone were to try to remove the tag, the tag alarms and like the Checkpoint Classic N10 antenna, staff can respond to the alarm and prevent a theft from occurring.
Is i-pad theft or tablet theft a concern for V.A. hospitals? It can be, just as it is for any other agency that incorporates the devices into their operations. One example, found on the website va.gov, a reported theft on 7/29/2015, involved an employee who took VA issued hardware from a government vehicle and transferred it to her own car at the end of her shift. She then stopped at a store on the way home and someone broke into her car stealing VA issued equipment including an i-pad, cell phone and car key. In an article posed on May 27, 2014 in Denverpost.com, two VA hospital laptop computers were stolen from a lab. My point is, mobile computing devices are a great addition to VA hospitals but do need to be secured.
I don’t want to lose sight of the benefits of mobile medical devices in VA hospitals. In another article in goerie.com, March 27, 2016, Gerry Weiss reported on a licensed social worker from the Erie Veterans Affairs Medical Center, who is meeting with combat veterans who are not comfortable around crowds or people they don’t know. Some of the veterans she is meeting with are homeless or living out of shelters.The story describes how the social worker uses a hospital i-pad to arrange meetings using Skype to arrange meetings between the veterans and behavioral health specialists. Such stories are encouraging, and demonstrate that even our homeless veterans have an opportunity to get assistance they might otherwise not receive. Computer tablets and i-pads are making these inroads possible.
Adding Checkpoint Classic N10 antennas at hospital entrances and placing an Alpha Thunder Tag on all medical mobile devices, can prevent i-pad theft at V.A. hospitals as well as other medical facilities. Preventing thieves from stealing property that adds so much richness to the treatment of patients must be a priority. Stealing anything that hinders a patient’s care should make us angry. Stealing devices that help our veterans is unconscionable.
Get more information on Alpha Thunder Tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
THROW SHADE AT SHOPLIFTERS WITH ALPHA EYEWEAR TAGS
Sunglasses are a good business to be in. It’s one of those categories that will always do well, provided you stay current with the new styles and you remain in stock. I mean, there’s always going to be a Sun, right? Eyewear presents a unique challenge, though. In order for your customer to buy it, they need to try it on and see how it looks and feels. You also need to make sure your product doesn’t ride off into the sunset in the hands of a sunglass thief. So how do you strike such balance between these two polarizing needs? Alpha Eyewear Tags can help you to throw some shade to potential shrink.
My company has a large amount of high end sunglasses that we carry. Everything from a $50 pair of Nike shades to the $450 dollar Oakley specs (perfect if you’re a vampire apparently). Over the years, we’ve experimented with dozens of display techniques that put the product in the hands of the customer all while working hard at preventing shoplifting incidents. We started by having them secured in a 50 feet long glass display. That was great, but the sales were pretty weak, even on our coastal stores. We tried open selling, but got hammered with theft. Open selling with a dedicated team member worked; for a while. We noticed that the one employee would quickly get overwhelmed and we were leaving ourselves wide open for theft; again. Not to mention the payroll we were spending to man that area during all open hours.
The final set-up we tried (and is still the method we use today in some of our coastal stores) is an open sell concept, with an employee and one little piece of retail magic; Alpha eyewear tags. So if you come into any of our coastal stores, you’ll see a dedicate “store” inside of the store. This area is essentially a mini sunglass specialty store. We have a single point of sale and the area is confined to about 500 sq. feet. One way in, one way out. The sunglass shop also has its very own EAS tower. We needed that because every pair of glasses are open and displayed for the customer to try on and touch, but they’re also secured with an eyewear tag. This allows us to prevent shoplifting and see an incredible amount of sell-through.
While I understand that not every retailer can build a store inside of their own store, this set up can work for any retailer, especially those that specialize in sunglasses. No longer do you have to weigh the benefits and the risks with proudly displaying your product. A simple tag can be your solution to the age-old question, “how do I prevent shoplifting?”
Need information on Alpha Eyewear Tags? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Sunglasses are a good business to be in. It’s one of those categories that will always do well, provided you stay current with the new styles and you remain in stock. I mean, there’s always going to be a Sun, right? Eyewear presents a unique challenge, though. In order for your customer to buy it, they need to try it on and see how it looks and feels. You also need to make sure your product doesn’t ride off into the sunset in the hands of a sunglass thief. So how do you strike such balance between these two polarizing needs? Alpha Eyewear Tags can help you to throw some shade to potential shrink.
My company has a large amount of high end sunglasses that we carry. Everything from a $50 pair of Nike shades to the $450 dollar Oakley specs (perfect if you’re a vampire apparently). Over the years, we’ve experimented with dozens of display techniques that put the product in the hands of the customer all while working hard at preventing shoplifting incidents. We started by having them secured in a 50 feet long glass display. That was great, but the sales were pretty weak, even on our coastal stores. We tried open selling, but got hammered with theft. Open selling with a dedicated team member worked; for a while. We noticed that the one employee would quickly get overwhelmed and we were leaving ourselves wide open for theft; again. Not to mention the payroll we were spending to man that area during all open hours.
The final set-up we tried (and is still the method we use today in some of our coastal stores) is an open sell concept, with an employee and one little piece of retail magic; Alpha eyewear tags. So if you come into any of our coastal stores, you’ll see a dedicate “store” inside of the store. This area is essentially a mini sunglass specialty store. We have a single point of sale and the area is confined to about 500 sq. feet. One way in, one way out. The sunglass shop also has its very own EAS tower. We needed that because every pair of glasses are open and displayed for the customer to try on and touch, but they’re also secured with an eyewear tag. This allows us to prevent shoplifting and see an incredible amount of sell-through.
While I understand that not every retailer can build a store inside of their own store, this set up can work for any retailer, especially those that specialize in sunglasses. No longer do you have to weigh the benefits and the risks with proudly displaying your product. A simple tag can be your solution to the age-old question, “how do I prevent shoplifting?”
Need information on Alpha Eyewear Tags? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Stop Shoplifting-3 , CP Systems-2 , Retail Theft Prevention-2
Retail Theft Prevention Vs. Robbery Prevention
I’ve worked in retail for over fifteen years. I started out in the grocery business and then ventured over to the retail pharmacy sector. In both settings, we had to figure out ways to stop shoplifting on a daily basis. The grocery store I worked in had absolutely no retail theft prevention tools: no EAS system, no cameras, nothing. Well, we did have a fake camera. The small retail pharmacy I work for has made leaps and bounds through the years, upgrading their tools and methods to stop shoplifting over the last decade. When I first started with the company, only the couple inner city locations had any sort of camera system, and they were ancient VHS recorders that required you to change the tape daily. Most stores were in the process of getting Checkpoint Systems installed around the time I was hired, though. Now, over a decade later, all of our stores have DVR systems, Checkpoint Systems, and retail theft prevention plans in place. Just like most retailers, we talk with our staff regularly about the importance of deterring shoplifters. But one thing we don’t talk about enough is robbery prevention or what to do if it does happen.
I worked in one location in our pharmacy business for a little over seven years. It is out of the city limits, near several affluent neighborhoods full of million dollar homes. There is a huge lake nearby. And that same store was the setting for four armed robberies. The last three were all prescription drug related, committed by criminals feeding their opioid addictions. They were actually pretty low key incidents, and the perpetrators were not really looking to create a big scene; they just wanted the pills. The very first robbery, however, was a terrifying experience that I hope to never go through again.
We closed at nine back then, and I was walking over to lock the door when three men came inside. They were all dressed in black from head to toe, and I knew immediately what was happening. (The man that lived across the street saw it happening too; I’ll get to him later) Two of the men demanded access to the office and they wanted all the money dumped into a bag. They wanted all of it, everything out of the drawers, and everything in the safe, including the rolled coin! There were three of us there that night, and while one guy held a gun on me dumping the money, another one held a gun to my assistant’s head and told her she better not move. Meanwhile, outside the office, the other guy had my cashier and was literally dragging him through the aisles at gunpoint. My cashier told him there was nobody else in the store, but he wouldn’t stop until he saw for himself. Once the two in the office verified the safe was empty, they made my assistant dump her purse into their bag as well. Then they made us all go to the stock room and told us to stay and count to a thousand. If one of us came out before they got out the front door, they said they’d kill us all. We did as we were told and waited.
However, they had a surprise waiting for them outside. The man that lived across the street was out there waiting. He had already called 911, and he was on the phone with them. He had his gun too. They started firing at him and he fired back. He got several shots into their getaway car. He was hiding behind his big SUV, but one shot ricocheted off something and hit him in the leg. At that point he lit up their car with the rest of the bullets in his clip. They flew out of the parking lot. Then he came in and found us, assured us it was okay to leave, and got us to safety. The police were outside already when we came out, all with our hands up. They got our neighbor to an ambulance to treat his leg, and figured out which way the robbers had gone. (They didn’t get far because of all the damage he had inflicted to their car.) They found the car abandoned, and the men were actually hiding under a boat slip, hoping the police wouldn’t find them in the water. They did find them with no problem, and a year later they all got maximum sentences at their trial.
There is no way to predict a robbery is going to occur, but if one does, your staff needs to know what to do. We did exactly what we were told, kept our heads down, not looking up or making any eye contact, and never once did any of us try to be a hero. We used caution exiting the building afterward, coming out with our hands up to ensure the police knew we were not the bad guys. That seems like an insult to injury, but it’s for everyone’s safety. All those little things were what kept us alive and resulted in the robbers leaving quickly.
Our neighbor recovered quickly and was hailed as a hero. Our friendship with him will never waiver. I have since moved to a couple different locations, and have never had any incidents at either one. I share this story, not to scare my current staff, but to make them aware that it can happen. Please have the conversation with your employees and if it ever does happen in your business, I hope you have a similar outcome. Focus on the daily job to stop shoplifting, but remember knowing what to do in case of a robbery needs to be talked about too.
Need information on how to stop shoplifting? Contact us or call: 1.770.426.0547.
I’ve worked in retail for over fifteen years. I started out in the grocery business and then ventured over to the retail pharmacy sector. In both settings, we had to figure out ways to stop shoplifting on a daily basis. The grocery store I worked in had absolutely no retail theft prevention tools: no EAS system, no cameras, nothing. Well, we did have a fake camera. The small retail pharmacy I work for has made leaps and bounds through the years, upgrading their tools and methods to stop shoplifting over the last decade. When I first started with the company, only the couple inner city locations had any sort of camera system, and they were ancient VHS recorders that required you to change the tape daily. Most stores were in the process of getting Checkpoint Systems installed around the time I was hired, though. Now, over a decade later, all of our stores have DVR systems, Checkpoint Systems, and retail theft prevention plans in place. Just like most retailers, we talk with our staff regularly about the importance of deterring shoplifters. But one thing we don’t talk about enough is robbery prevention or what to do if it does happen.
I worked in one location in our pharmacy business for a little over seven years. It is out of the city limits, near several affluent neighborhoods full of million dollar homes. There is a huge lake nearby. And that same store was the setting for four armed robberies. The last three were all prescription drug related, committed by criminals feeding their opioid addictions. They were actually pretty low key incidents, and the perpetrators were not really looking to create a big scene; they just wanted the pills. The very first robbery, however, was a terrifying experience that I hope to never go through again.
We closed at nine back then, and I was walking over to lock the door when three men came inside. They were all dressed in black from head to toe, and I knew immediately what was happening. (The man that lived across the street saw it happening too; I’ll get to him later) Two of the men demanded access to the office and they wanted all the money dumped into a bag. They wanted all of it, everything out of the drawers, and everything in the safe, including the rolled coin! There were three of us there that night, and while one guy held a gun on me dumping the money, another one held a gun to my assistant’s head and told her she better not move. Meanwhile, outside the office, the other guy had my cashier and was literally dragging him through the aisles at gunpoint. My cashier told him there was nobody else in the store, but he wouldn’t stop until he saw for himself. Once the two in the office verified the safe was empty, they made my assistant dump her purse into their bag as well. Then they made us all go to the stock room and told us to stay and count to a thousand. If one of us came out before they got out the front door, they said they’d kill us all. We did as we were told and waited.
However, they had a surprise waiting for them outside. The man that lived across the street was out there waiting. He had already called 911, and he was on the phone with them. He had his gun too. They started firing at him and he fired back. He got several shots into their getaway car. He was hiding behind his big SUV, but one shot ricocheted off something and hit him in the leg. At that point he lit up their car with the rest of the bullets in his clip. They flew out of the parking lot. Then he came in and found us, assured us it was okay to leave, and got us to safety. The police were outside already when we came out, all with our hands up. They got our neighbor to an ambulance to treat his leg, and figured out which way the robbers had gone. (They didn’t get far because of all the damage he had inflicted to their car.) They found the car abandoned, and the men were actually hiding under a boat slip, hoping the police wouldn’t find them in the water. They did find them with no problem, and a year later they all got maximum sentences at their trial.
There is no way to predict a robbery is going to occur, but if one does, your staff needs to know what to do. We did exactly what we were told, kept our heads down, not looking up or making any eye contact, and never once did any of us try to be a hero. We used caution exiting the building afterward, coming out with our hands up to ensure the police knew we were not the bad guys. That seems like an insult to injury, but it’s for everyone’s safety. All those little things were what kept us alive and resulted in the robbers leaving quickly.
Our neighbor recovered quickly and was hailed as a hero. Our friendship with him will never waiver. I have since moved to a couple different locations, and have never had any incidents at either one. I share this story, not to scare my current staff, but to make them aware that it can happen. Please have the conversation with your employees and if it ever does happen in your business, I hope you have a similar outcome. Focus on the daily job to stop shoplifting, but remember knowing what to do in case of a robbery needs to be talked about too.
Need information on how to stop shoplifting? Contact us or call: 1.770.426.0547.
