What is scary to a child, monsters under the bed or in a closet? How about the first day in a new school? Performing in a school play in front of an audience? As a father of three children, I can tell you that a trip to the emergency room is scary, both for the parent AND the child. Removing fear for a child isn’t always easy and it can be even more difficult when the trip is to an emergency room for treatment. It may be an x-ray for a broken arm or the necessity of having stitches put in. I even had to take our son in once for a Styrofoam pellet that lodged in his ear (yup, true story). There can be any number of reasons to have to visit the emergency room but, with all of the doctors and nurses and people in the waiting room it can be frightening. Doctors and nurses have always had to find ways to distract young patients so they can administer tests and treatments. I know I had to hold my children still and try to talk to them so shots could be given, not a fun task since I knew it was hurting them (my wife always wound up being the good guy and hero for the rest of the day). Other distractions that are sometimes used by healthcare professionals are books, candy, and toys. Now, i-pads and computer tablets are being used to distract children during hospital visits to make trips a little easier. The trick for the medical providers is to ensure these medical devices don’t get lost or stolen. i-pad theft has been an issue in schools and from patient’s in hospitals so there is no reason to believe they could not be stolen from an emergency room or children’s hospital. One way to prevent this from happening is to use an Alpha Thunder Tag on tablets and i-pads and install Checkpoint Classic N10 antennas at entrances.
An Alpha Thunder Tag is attached to an i-pad or tablet by an adhesive backing on the tag itself. Tamper proof protection in the tag prevents it from being removed in an attempt to steal the mobile device. If someone tries to remove the tag an internal alarm in the Alpha Thunder Tag sounds a sharp, piercing alert that lets staff know a tag is being removed. When the Classic N10 antennas are installed at entrances and exits, they can pick up the radio frequency of a tag being carried into the range of the antennas. The antenna then sounds an alarm and built in LED lights flash. Workers are able to respond and recover mobile devices in the event of an i-pad theft or tablet theft attempt.
So how are the i-pads and tablets being used for children in hospitals? In an article titled, “i-pads in the ER: Using Gadgets to Make a Hospital Trip Less Scary” in Sciencelife from the University of Chicago Medicine and Biological Sciences, August 13, 2012 by Matt Wood, quoting Chelsea Cress, MS, CCLS, a child life specialist from the Child Life and Family Education Department at the University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital; “We know that kids can use their imaginations to take them to a place that most grownups can’t,” she said. “Using the iPad really helps them cope with procedures better and forget about what’s happening at the hospital.” In an August 27, 2013 story on stonybrookchildren’s.org website, a story on a donation of four i-pads being donated to the Stony Brook Children’s Hospital by the Starlight Children’s Foundation states, “The tablets will serve more than 27,000 Tri-State area pediatric patients per year and meet the evolving needs of hospitals and children through education, distraction and the healing power of play.”
With i-pads and tablets playing such a critical part in the patient care of children, it is that much more important to take steps to protect these mobile devices. Installing the Classic N10 antennas and attaching an Alpha Thunder Tag to prevent tablet or i-pad theft will ensure the devices are available to young patients for years to come.
Get more information on Alpha Thunder Tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Small and medium business owners today have to remain competitive with the “Big Box” stores in order to remain in business. This can be terribly difficult in a retail environment in which a large national chain can afford to cut prices of merchandise to the bone in order to drive out competition. Price cutting isn’t the only thing small retail store owners need to be concerned with they also have to compete with return policies that may be quite liberal in some businesses. There are some retailers that will take back almost anything, receipt in hand or not, worn or new, this includes clothing. To be clear, in some cases if the customer does not have a receipt they may not get the full price they claim to have paid but they usually can get something from these stores even if only a store credit. Smaller retailers are not in a position to offer such extravagant return policies, especially when clothing appears to have been worn then returned, a practice known as wardrobing. The small business owner who specializes in clothing sales can eliminate the risk of wardrobing fraud by using Alpha Shark Tags on merchandise.
People who engage in the practice of wardrobing purchase clothing with the intent of wearing it a time or two and then returning it. These people are careful to keep their receipts and the tags from the item(s) purchased. Sometimes they will slip the tags off and leave the plastic tag hanger. Other times the tags will be taped so they are still attached but inside the garment so it is out of sight. There are even people clever enough to purchase tag attachment guns and re-tag clothing when they are ready to return it. When an Alpha Shark Tag is used on a piece of clothing, it is unlike retail anti-theft devices that are removed at the point of sale. This tag is designed to be used only once and is removed by the customer when they get the item home and decide to keep it. It does not hinder someone from trying on the garment to be sure it fits properly. Alpha Shark Tags give retailers the ability to refuse a return if the tag is not attached to clothing. The tags should be attached in a location on a piece of clothing that they will stand out. If someone were to try wearing a garment with a tag attached it would be obvious that person intended to return the item later. The tags are also brightly colored so they are clearly visible to everyone.
By eliminating the risk of clothes that have been worn a retailer need not worry about not being able to resell merchandise. When worn or used clothing items are returned the retailer is forced to try to mark down the price of the item thereby losing profit margin. In some cases the clothing can be too damaged and the merchandise has to be marked out of stock entirely. In this situation, there is risk of losing not just profit margin, but cost as well.
By using Alpha Shark Tags and being consistent in a return policy a retailer is not going to risk losing legitimate customers. Shoppers who are honest are only annoyed by inconsistency in store refund policies where they are allowed a return in one instance but turned down later when the circumstances are the same. Shoppers don’t want to make a purchase, get home and find out something doesn’t fit and then get refused when they bring the merchandise back to the store. When Shark Tags are used a store only needs to make sure it is clear to buyers that a return is not permissible if the tag is removed.
Wardrobing fraud is real and can eat away at a store’s profits. Find out how Alpha Shark Tags can reduce return fraud and improve your bottom line.
Need more information on wardrobing? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
In the retail pharmacy business, we sell more than just prescriptions. Our front store’s purpose is to sell high margin items that people may need to go with their medications. We also offer other miscellaneous items that our target shopping audience is looking for such as cosmetics and facial care items. Unfortunately, these items are also usually our top shrink categories. We don’t have to stop shoplifting back in that pharmacy since customers can’t go back there, but catching thieves out on our small sales floor can be a real challenge. That’s one reason we have a Checkpoint security system in place. If it’s mere presence does not deter the shoplifter, it can help catch them.
Our main group of shoppers are women ages 18 to 40. Studies have shown that demographic to be the most prevalent group of thieves, especially in embezzlement cases. So, it’s really no surprise when I find empty packages of wrinkle creams and foundations hidden around the store. Recently though, I have noticed an alarming trend in my cosmetics department. Entire sections are being wiped out. Makeup is expensive; I get that. But this isn’t just one person stealing for themselves for personal use. I believe this person is selling what she is stealing, either online or possibly at the flea market. About two weeks ago was the second time in two months that I have been over in that section scanning all the empty spots and my system is telling me the stuff should be there. There are trays almost completely empty, void of all shades of red lipsticks. Before I went on vacation last week, I decided it was time to put some anti-shoplifting measures into place. When these items came back in on our delivery truck, I applied Checkpoint labels around each tube before putting them out for sale. I didn’t just stop at the red shades though; I didn’t want this person to change her mind and go for the nudes or browns instead! So I took the time and adhered Checkpoint labels to every tube of lipstick. If the thief comes back I want my Checkpoint security system to go berserk when she tries to leave! (I made sure they didn’t cover the UPC or ingredients.) When I came back from my time off, I immediately checked over there, and all my cosmetics were accounted for.
I took a little bit of time and checked the video surveillance system to see if I could find the culprit, but that turned out to be too time consuming. Since I had no idea who has been stealing the makeup, my best option to stop shoplifting is to just make the products less appealing for the criminal. I hope she notices the Checkpoint labels and decides it’s too risky to steal from our store anymore. If she doesn’t notice them, that’s okay too. When she gets too close to the door, the Checkpoint security system will recognize the tags have not been deactivated, and the alarm will sound as soon as she gets too close. Then my staff can apprehend her and recover our merchandise. Either way, we win this. I have to admit that I do love the thrill of catching a thief, but if I can stop shoplifting, that’s even better. I would much rather prevent the loss through deterrence efforts instead.
Get more information on a Checkpoint Security System , contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
