Early in my Loss Prevention career a lot of my work focused on clothing security. I worked in a department store so we were constantly catching shoplifters stealing clothes from all departments. While we did have bedding, housewares and accessories departments, clothing always seemed to occupy most of our time. Frequently this led to some very interesting stories, not so much due to the merchandise being stolen but the actions of the shoplifter when confronted.
One time a had a rather large woman who was in the Women’s department and she was doing all the things to that make Loss Prevention officers know that a theft is going to happen. The woman was looking at the ceiling for cameras, and she was selecting merchandise without regard to size. She did take the time to remove hang tags because in my opinion, she may have thought there were security tags on clothes or on the hang tags. This customer was carrying a large purse and began filling it up. After she was done she began walking towards a set of exit doors going into our parking lot. I stopped the woman, identified myself and began escorting her to our security office. As I was about halfway to our first floor security office walking through the Women’s department, the shoplifter pulled away from me. Rather than run out of the store as most shoplifters would do, this woman began knocking over clothing racks. I called on the radio for our operator to call the police. In the meantime I stood in the main aisle and watched as this shoplifter was flinging metal 4-way racks and round racks around the department, clothing flying. The store Operations Manager came up to me and was shocked as I was casually observing the scene. In an agitated tone of voice he asked me if I was going to do anything about it. I looked at him and I looked at her as she was tossing racks like toys and told him, “No”. I then explained that the police were on the way, and we would charge her with damage to property but she wasn’t going anywhere so I would let the police restrain her. Well, police arrived and the woman was arrested and no one was hurt, except perhaps, the Operation Manager’s pride. In this case, customer and employee safety took precedence over clothing security. Oh and the fixtures? Turns out they were fine, just a lot of clothes to pick up.
In another incident I had a shoplifter walk into our Polo department, pull a black garbage bag out of his pocket and then quickly load it with Polo shirts from a display table. The shoplifter threw the bag over his shoulder like Santa Claus and he walked towards the doors. In those days the electronic article surveillance antennas were not as good as they are today and merchandise could be lifted high enough that any security tags on clothes would not activate the alarm. I attempted to stop the shoplifter as he exited the building and he ran from me and no, he didn’t drop his bag. At that time we were allowed to chase shoplifters and I chased this thief several blocks and lost him. Police were on foot helping to try to locate him. I should also mention, we live in a tourist area and we have a number of small local restaurant/bars near this area, close to the beach. The search was becoming fruitless until a waitress on the patio/bar of one restaurant saw me at the front of their business and the police at the back. She asked if I was looking for a tall gentleman carrying a black trash bag. I confirmed I was and she had me follow her to the kitchen. My “friend” was peeking out the back door watching the police look for him. I snuck up behind him and tackled him and the police saw us both tumble out of the building. They finished the arrest and over $500.00 of Polo shirts were recovered. The arrest was fun, but the looks on the restaurant customers and kitchen workers was priceless.
Today clothing security has made vast improvements in both tags and EAS systems. Security tags on clothes come in a variety of styles and are nearly impossible to tamper with and defeat. EAS antenna fields have improved and have expanded the distance from which they can read tags. Look into what clothing security tags can do for your company.
Clothing security is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
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Checkpoint Systems-4
Preventing Theft With Checkpoint Systems Part 3
In this series of articles I have been discussing Checkpoint systems and how they work to prevent theft. I covered electronic article surveillance (EAS) antennas, how they work and the impact on retail theft prevention. In the second part I reviewed Checkpoint tags, choices offered and how they deter theft. In this final installment I will be covering Checkpoint deactivation units, detection devices and the importance of ensuring proper operation to maximize the effectiveness of Checkpoint systems.
When EAS alarm antennas regularly sound due to Checkpoint tags not being deactivated or removed from merchandise after purchase, customers become annoyed and shoplifters become unafraid. Checkpoint deactivation pads integrate with most point of sale registers and it is at that point they “turn off” or detune EAS soft tags and labels. As a tag is passed over the pad it is desensitized and the cashier does not have to spend extra effort attempting to locate the tag. Hard tags are designed to not deactivate when passed over a pad, they are simply removed using a detachment tool secured at the register. Once removed the tags are collected and placed in a central location until more merchandise is received and ready to be tagged.
It is important to test your Checkpoint systems equipment daily. Deactivation pads can be tested with the DV1000 deactivation verifier. By holding the verifier near a deactivation pad and pressing a button you can quickly determine if your equipment is working. When a deactivation pad is not working, soft tags and labels are not “turned off”, and this causes a false alarm. False alarms, in turn, embarrass and even anger customers and if not handled properly, can lead to patron’s not returning and lost sales. I should note that failure to remove hard tags can also lead to false alarms, causing the same problems. Worse than this is the situation where a store fails to correct a problem and employees stop responding to alarm events. Shoplifters take notice of employees that simply wave to shoppers who set off an alarm or even ignore them. Complacency leads to increased theft and defeats the purpose of having an EAS system.
Checkpoint also offers an Omni Verifier/Deactivator that can verify if a deactivator is working. Additionally, there are situations in which a customer can bring merchandise into the store that has Checkpoint tags that were not deactivated from another retailer, setting off your antennas. The Omni verifier can help locate a hidden EAS tag somewhere in clothing or a bag and you can make the customer aware of the issue. If you can validate the item was purchased, you may opt to offer to deactivate the item as a customer courtesy (your customer will love you for it, trust me).
EAS test cards can also be supplied by Checkpoint to test your antennas. These are cards that have non-deactivating Checkpoint tags in them that are walked through EAS antennas daily to ensure the system is responding properly. It is possible for the antennas to stop working, possibly due to a power outage, a circuit breaker being tripped or just a faulty circuit. Identifying a non-working antenna system as soon as possible is crucial for getting a service call in and a technician to the store to get the system operational again. Needless to say, but the longer a unit is out of service the greater the opportunity for shoplifters to take advantage of the issue.
With proper, daily testing of your Checkpoint system you can ensure your customers have a distraction free shopping experience. Training employees how to test deactivation units and antennas, remove hard tags and respond to EAS alarms will decrease the theft in your store and enhance profits.
For more information on Checkpoint systems, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
In this series of articles I have been discussing Checkpoint systems and how they work to prevent theft. I covered electronic article surveillance (EAS) antennas, how they work and the impact on retail theft prevention. In the second part I reviewed Checkpoint tags, choices offered and how they deter theft. In this final installment I will be covering Checkpoint deactivation units, detection devices and the importance of ensuring proper operation to maximize the effectiveness of Checkpoint systems.
When EAS alarm antennas regularly sound due to Checkpoint tags not being deactivated or removed from merchandise after purchase, customers become annoyed and shoplifters become unafraid. Checkpoint deactivation pads integrate with most point of sale registers and it is at that point they “turn off” or detune EAS soft tags and labels. As a tag is passed over the pad it is desensitized and the cashier does not have to spend extra effort attempting to locate the tag. Hard tags are designed to not deactivate when passed over a pad, they are simply removed using a detachment tool secured at the register. Once removed the tags are collected and placed in a central location until more merchandise is received and ready to be tagged.
It is important to test your Checkpoint systems equipment daily. Deactivation pads can be tested with the DV1000 deactivation verifier. By holding the verifier near a deactivation pad and pressing a button you can quickly determine if your equipment is working. When a deactivation pad is not working, soft tags and labels are not “turned off”, and this causes a false alarm. False alarms, in turn, embarrass and even anger customers and if not handled properly, can lead to patron’s not returning and lost sales. I should note that failure to remove hard tags can also lead to false alarms, causing the same problems. Worse than this is the situation where a store fails to correct a problem and employees stop responding to alarm events. Shoplifters take notice of employees that simply wave to shoppers who set off an alarm or even ignore them. Complacency leads to increased theft and defeats the purpose of having an EAS system.
Checkpoint also offers an Omni Verifier/Deactivator that can verify if a deactivator is working Additionally, there are situations in which a customer can bring merchandise into the store that has Checkpoint tags that were not deactivated from another retailer, setting off your antennas. The Omni verifier can help locate a hidden EAS tag somewhere in clothing or a bag and you can make the customer aware of the issue. If you can validate the item was purchased, you may opt to offer to deactivate the item as a customer courtesy (your customer will love you for it, trust me).
EAS test cards can also be supplied by Checkpoint to test your antennas. These are cards that have non-deactivating Checkpoint tags in them that are walked through EAS antennas daily to ensure the system is responding properly. It is possible for the antennas to stop working, possibly due to a power outage, a circuit breaker being tripped or just a faulty circuit. Identifying a non-working antenna system as soon as possible is crucial for getting a service call in and a technician to the store to get the system operational again. Needless to say, but the longer a unit is out of service the greater the opportunity for shoplifters to take advantage of the issue.
With proper, daily testing of your Checkpoint system you can ensure your customers have a distraction free shopping experience. Training employees how to test deactivation units and antennas, remove hard tags and respond to EAS alarms will decrease the theft in your store and enhance profits.
For more information on Checkpoint systems, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
I have mentioned in previous articles that my retail background has primarily been in the Loss Prevention field, but over the past five years I have remained in retail working for an office supply store as a customer service specialist. Sometimes my work requires me to stock merchandise on the sales floor and in doing so I use retail anti-theft devices to protect specific items or price points of merchandise. Recently I was putting out merchandise and using Alpha Keepers to protect electronics, specifically jump drives, memory cards and memory sticks. I point this out because I want to let retailers who are struggling to prevent shoplifting in their stores understand there are methods to protect even the smallest items they may carry.
Alpha Keepers are sturdy, clear, hard boxes with a hinged bottom. They can only be opened by using a special detachment key, making them very difficult for a shoplifter to force open.The boxes allow merchandise to be displayed in the open and customers can see the package and read labels while the risk for theft is dramatically reduced. Boxes are able to be displayed on store shelves and even have an option for inserting a plastic tab that allows the box to be displayed on a peg hook. They can be ordered to work with acoustic magnetic (am) electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems or radio frequency (rf) systems. The boxes are made in a number of sizes so they are versatile enough to prevent shoplifting of a wide range of products.
Some items are prone to theft due to their size and how easy they are to conceal. Because of this many retailers will lock these items in display cases to prevent shoplifting. Showcases and locking display cases, even locking peg hooks require a sales associate with a key to be readily available to open the case; show a product and either ring up the item or take it to a register. If there are other customers wanting to look at merchandise they have to wait until the associate returns or another staff member becomes available. I have seen the negative impact locking display cases have on sales. People get irritated and leave if they have to wait for service. This of course means lost sales and there is no room for that in retail. The alternative used to be taking the chance and putting out merchandise and hoping customer service and the honesty of customers would prevent shoplifting.
Alpha Keepers offer merchants an alternate solution to both situations. For instance, in my store, by securing the jump drives and memory sticks in these retail anti-theft devices, as I was doing, we are locking up merchandise. The benefit is that the customer can make the selection they want without waiting for assistance. They can walk around the store and continue to shop and when they are ready for checkout, the cashier has the detachment key to take the merchandise out of the boxes.
The benefit for the store is that customers don’t get frustrated and leave because they have to wait for assistance for something they may not feel should have to be locked up. The boxes also protect electronics by being a visible deterrent to a thief. Most shoplifters will not want to risk an EAS alarm or try to find a way to force open a box. Additionally, the boxes do add bulk to a small item and make it more difficult to conceal something. A purse can conceal a large number of jump drives removed from a peg hook. The same purse may only hold one or two jump drives protected in Alpha Keepers.
Protect electronics in your store and prevent shoplifting by using Alpha Keepers. Nothing is too small and you will improve customer service and sales.
Get more information on Alpha Keepers, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today
