Alpha Cable Lock-5 WC Blog 112
Prevent Shoplifting-4
Carry-On Luggage Shouldn’t Be Carried Out By Thieves – Alpha Cable Locks Can Curtail Theft
I have worked in retail a long time, almost 20 years in big box stores as a Loss Prevention Associate and Manager and a year and a half as a Logistics Manager. I have also worked over 5 years in a small box office supply store as a sales associate. During these years I have observed the theft of all sorts of merchandise but there is one department in which it can be particularly difficult to prevent shoplifting. Luggage, purses and backpacks can be a real headache from a security standpoint. Why do they pose more of a problem than any other item? Because these are items that people carry with them every day. Obviously purses and tote bags are observed daily, but it is not unusual to see people wearing backpacks into a store. The problem is that it becomes difficult to determine who walked in with the luggage and who didn’t. Is that rolling luggage carrier the store’s or did they come in with it? An easy way you as a store owner or manager can address this issue is to use an Alpha Cable Lock on your luggage and hand bags.
Alpha Cable Lock retail anti-theft devices can be secured around the handle of a briefcase or around a strap or carrying handle of a backpack or carrying tote. Rolling travel cases with the extending handles are also a prime candidate for being secured with a lock. The device is designed to work with electronic article surveillance systems. If a shoplifter attempts to walk through an electronic article surveillance antenna with a piece of luggage or bag protected with a cable lock, a loud alarm built in the antenna will sound. The locks also have tamper alarms built in that will alarm if an attempt is made to cut them. Store employees responding to an alarm can prevent shoplifting of the protected item. Being highly visible, it is easy for store associates to tell whether the item being carried around is store owned or was carried in by the customer.
Working in an office supply store, I can confirm that there are some fairly expensive pieces of luggage we carry. Several of the rolling storage bags are well over $100.00 each and in the time I have worked at this store, there have been several suspected thefts of these bags. The only protection the store has for the luggage items are the electronic article surveillance vendor source soft tags. The problem with this as a means to prevent shoplifting is that the bad guys remove all the tags and check the compartments before they walk out. With the removal of the soft tag the protection is gone and no alarm sounds. Often the criminals wait until a busy time of day to slip out with stolen merchandise. While the soft tag is a great anti-theft tool for many items, it is not the best option for this line of product. An Alpha Cable Lock would be nearly impossible for the thief to remove from the luggage and would be the best solution.
Another item that can be pricey and easy to steal in a store like ours is a computer laptop bag. Patrons are regularly bringing in personal laptops for servicing and so they carry their computers into the building, often with no bag or case. A quick stop by our laptop carrying cases and it would be easy to slip a personal laptop into a bag and remove the manufacturer tags, then continue walking around the store until ready to leave. An Alpha Cable Lock around a carrying handle would prevent a shoplifter from being able to pass through the electronic article surveillance antenna without detection.
Don’t allow thieves to carry out your carry- on luggage. Prevent shoplifting by using an Alpha Cable Lock on the bags and luggage you sell in your store. You will watch instocks improve and profits rise!
Get more information on Alpha Cable Lock. Contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
I have worked in retail a long time, almost 20 years in big box stores as a Loss Prevention Associate and Manager and a year and a half as a Logistics Manager. I have also worked over 5 years in a small box office supply store as a sales associate. During these years I have observed the theft of all sorts of merchandise but there is one department in which it can be particularly difficult to prevent shoplifting. Luggage, purses and backpacks can be a real headache from a security standpoint. Why do they pose more of a problem than any other item? Because these are items that people carry with them every day. Obviously purses and tote bags are observed daily, but it is not unusual to see people wearing backpacks into a store. The problem with that is it becomes difficult to determine who walked in with the luggage and who didn’t. Is that rolling luggage carrier the store’s or did they come in with it? An easy way you as a store owner or manager can address this issue is to use an Alpha Cable Lock on your luggage and hand bags.
Alpha Cable Lock retail anti-theft devices can be secured around the handle of a briefcase or around a strap or carrying handle of a backpack or carrying tote. Rolling travel cases with the extending handles are also a prime candidate for being secured with a lock. The device is designed to work with electronic article surveillance systems. If a shoplifter attempts to walk through an electronic article surveillance antenna with a piece of luggage or bag protected with a cable lock, a loud alarm built in the antenna will sound. The locks also have tamper alarms built in that will alarm if an attempt is made to cut them. Store employees responding to an alarm can prevent shoplifting of the protected item. Being highly visible, it is easy for store associates to tell whether the item being carried around is store owned or was carried in by the customer.
Working in an office supply store, I can confirm that there are some fairly expensive pieces of luggage we carry. Several of the rolling storage bags are well over $100.00 each and in the time I have worked at this store, there have been several suspected thefts of these bags. The only protection the store has for the luggage items are the electronic article surveillance vendor source soft tags. The problem with this as a means to prevent shoplifting is that the bad guys remove all the tags and check the compartments before they walk out. With the removal of the soft tag the protection is gone and no alarm sounds. Often the criminals wait until a busy time of day to slip out with stolen merchandise. While the soft tag is a great anti-theft tool for many items, it is not the best option for this line of product. An Alpha Cable Lock would be nearly impossible for the thief to remove from the luggage and would be the best solution.
Another item that can be pricey and easy to steal in a store like ours is a computer laptop bag. Patrons are regularly bringing in personal laptops for servicing and so they carry their computers into the building, often with no bag or case. A quick stop by our laptop carrying cases and it would be easy to slip a personal laptop into a bag and remove the manufacturer tags, then continue walking around the store until ready to leave. An Alpha Cable Lock around a carrying handle would prevent a shoplifter from being able to pass through the electronic article surveillance antenna without detection.
Don’t allow thieves to carry out your carry- on luggage. Prevent shoplifting by using an Alpha Cable Lock on the bags and luggage you sell in your store. You will watch instocks improve and profits rise!
Get more information on Alpha Cable Lock. Contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
One insurance website, greenwood insurance.net discusses club and bar liabilities related to alcohol stating, “…alcohol-related risks that can prove costly in the form of liability lawsuits, customer injuries, and other potential problems.” The site gives several steps a nightclub should practice at all times:
- Train employees how to identify and refuse service of alcohol to patrons who are intoxicated.
- Require bartenders to properly measure portions when mixing drinks.
- Refuse service of alcohol to patrons who have a reputation for violence and/or abusiveness under the influence.
- Create and enforce policies for verifying age.
Starting a bottle service and incorporating the use of bottle locks in a club is a great way to make all of these best practices happen.
Bottle services are simply an added experience a club owner can offer to patrons to make the night out a unique experience. Typically an offering will be a group package that is purchased in advance and can have different incentives. Low end packages may offer a booth near the DJ and one bottle of a top shelf wine or spirit. Premium packages may offer a private lounge and bar with a bartender and two or more top shelf beverages. All packages should offer a bottle service waiter or waitress who is assigned to the party. The bottles of spirits or wine are served to the table or group with bottle locks on them and only the bottle server has the detachment key to open the locks.
How does a bottle service address each of the suggestions laid out by the insurance company? Let’s begin with training employees to identify and refuse service of alcohol to intoxicated patrons. The bottle server is trained to be the eyes and ears for the nightclub. Since they are serving a select group he/she will already be trained on what to look for in a person who may be reaching their limit. Part of a bottle service agreement may have a stipulation that the server can use discretion to cut-off service if they deem a group member is becoming too inebriated. Since the bottles locks can only be removed by the server, refusal of service is easy to control.
Requiring bartenders to properly measure portions when mixing drinks should be part of a nightclub training requirement for new staff. Bartenders, as well as bottle services staff would receive the same training and be expected to adhere to club policy. Again, the benefit of having one staff member assigned to serve a single table or group, providing a V.I.P. level of service, makes it easier for the server to take their time mixing and pouring, rather than the hectic activity surrounding a bar.
Refusal of service of alcohol to patrons who have a reputation for violence and/or abusiveness under the influence can be easy when bottle services are used. Assuming the patron is known to the club and has been permitted access anyways, management can make it clear to the person who is purchasing the service that alcohol will not be served to that specific group member. Again, the beauty of a server controlling a detachment key is that THEY have the ability to refuse to remove a lock. I would even suggest the servers be in regular communication with management and security staff and serve as an early warning system if they deem a patron is becoming too loud or unruly.
Finally, age verification and enforcement is so much easier to control with a bottle service. If a group is purchasing a service and a minor will be among them, that minor can be introduced to the server in advance. A good server will establish a strong rapport with the group and get to know the members. Around a bar where patrons are crowded together, it can be easy to miss the underage customer trying to make an illegal purchase. Small group service removes that element of anonymity.
Consider all the potential pitfalls you can avoid in your nightclub by simply offering bottle services that include bottle locks. Also, don’t overlook the profits that a new service can add to the bottom line.
Get more information on Bottle Service, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Checkpoint Systems-3 WC blog 99
Checkpoint Tags -4
Retail Theft Prevention-3
Preventing Theft With Checkpoint Systems Part 2
In the first part of this series I introduced you to Checkpoint systems and some of the benefits it can offer a retail business owner or manager. I discussed the value of electronic article surveillance (EAS) antennas and the importance of having them protecting all building entry and exit points. I also pointed out that there are a variety of antennas and how there are different sizes and styles to suit the needs of different buildings. In this article, I would like to talk about another important part of a Checkpoint security system and that is the Checkpoint tags.
Checkpoint tags are retail theft prevention devices that attach to clothing, hardline merchandise and can even be placed in food packaging. The tags are designed to activate an EAS antenna alarm if it is in the frequency field of the antennas. Tags may come in a hard tag style or a soft label, depending on the type of merchandise your stores carry. Hard tags are reusable, so once removed at the checkout station, they are stored until ready to be placed on new merchandise.
Checkpoint tags work using radio frequency readings between the EAS antennas and the tags themselves. One of the benefits of a radio frequency system over other systems according to two sources I researched is that radio frequency systems tend to have a less expensive infrastructure and have lower tag costs. Checkpoint systems are also energy efficient and cost less to operate than other systems. One other factor to consider is that many items are source tagged by the vendor so tags are already concealed within the packaging. Some razor blade packages for example come already tagged where the customer won’t see it (neither will the shoplifter). Medicines, fragrances, dvd’s and cd’s are frequently source tagged by the vendors.
As a retail theft prevention tool, Checkpoint tags provide a visual deterrent to shoplifters. Hard tags, if placed properly on merchandise are highly visible. Whether the potential criminal is sorting through clothing or looking at hardware to steal, when they notice that merchandise has a protective tag on it they tend to move on to other areas of the store, or they simply leave. I did say the tags have to be properly placed. I have seen situations where a store manager did not want to detract from the ‘appearance’ of clothing so they wanted the placement of tags to be more discreet, for example inside a sweater sleeve near the cuff. Visibility is a key function of these devices so keep them where they can be seen. The practical function of hard tags is that they do activate EAS alarms when they are brought within range of the antennas located at entrances. Even when merchandise is concealed in a bag, purse or backpack, if it has a soft label or the hard tag on it, the EAS alarm sounds and lights built in the antenna flash. Store personnel can respond and determine the cause of the alarm and recover merchandise that otherwise would have been a loss. From my own experiences in Loss Prevention, I have worked in stores with Checkpoint systems and I have seen many merchandise recoveries due to EAS alarm activations. In many instances shoplifters simply got scared and dropped stolen merchandise rather than risk being caught with it on their person.
Retail theft prevention does not need to be complicated when Checkpoint systems are employed in your store. Checkpoint tags and labels on all of your merchandise, whatever you may sell, will deter theft and improve your in stocks and profits.
For more information on Checkpoint tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
In the first part of this series I introduced you to Checkpoint systems and some of the benefits it can offer a retail business owner or manager. I discussed the value of electronic article surveillance (EAS) antennas and the importance of having them protecting all building entry and exit points. I also pointed out that there are a variety of antennas and how there are different sizes and styles to suit the needs of different buildings. In this article, I would like to talk about another important part of a Checkpoint security system and that is the Checkpoint tags.
Checkpoint tags are retail theft prevention devices that attach to clothing, hardline merchandise and can even be placed in food packaging. The tags are designed to activate an EAS antenna alarm if it is in the frequency field of the antennas. Tags may come in a hard tag style or a soft label, depending on the type of merchandise your stores carry. Hard tags are reusable, so once removed at the checkout station, they are stored until ready to be placed on new merchandise.
Checkpoint tags work using radio frequency readings between the EAS antennas and the tags themselves. One of the benefits of a radio frequency system over other systems according to two sources I researched is that radio frequency systems tend to have a less expensive infrastructure and have lower tag costs. Checkpoint systems are also energy efficient and cost less to operate than other systems. One other factor to consider is that many items are source tagged by the vendor so tags are already concealed within the packaging. Some razor blade packages for example come already tagged where the customer won’t see it (neither will the shoplifter). Medicines, fragrances, dvd’s and cd’s are frequently source tagged by the vendors.
As a retail theft prevention tool, Checkpoint tags provide a visual deterrent to shoplifters. Hard tags, if placed properly on merchandise are highly visible. Whether the potential criminal is sorting through clothing or looking at hardware to steal, when they notice that merchandise has a protective tag on it they tend to move on to other areas of the store, or they simply leave. I did say the tags have to be properly placed. I have seen situations where a store manager did not want to detract from the ‘appearance’ of clothing so they wanted the placement of tags to be more discreet, for example inside a sweater sleeve near the cuff. Visibility is a key function of these devices so keep them where they can be seen. The practical function of hard tags is that they do activate EAS alarms when they are brought within range of the antennas located at entrances. Even when merchandise is concealed in a bag, purse or backpack, if it has a soft label or the hard tag on it, the EAS alarm sounds and lights built in the antenna flash. Store personnel can respond and determine the cause of the alarm and recover merchandise that otherwise would have been a loss. From my own experiences in Loss Prevention, I have worked in stores with Checkpoint systems and I have seen many merchandise recoveries due to EAS alarm activations. In many instances shoplifters simply got scared and dropped stolen merchandise rather than risk being caught with it on their person.
Retail theft prevention does not need to be complicated when Checkpoint systems are employed in your store. Checkpoint tags and labels on all of your merchandise, whatever you may sell, will deter theft and improve your in stocks and profits.
For more information on Checkpoint tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
