Clothing Security-5 WC blog 89
Checkpoint Tags-5
Clothing security tags-3
Clothing Shortage Can Be An Easy Fix With Checkpoint Tags
According to the 2015 Global Retail Theft Report Apparel Specialist retailers in North America experienced the second highest shrinkage rate of all the respondent categories, second only to pharmacies and drugstores. The sad part is, in my opinion, this is unnecessary. Clothing security does not have to be complicated and with the right steps any clothing store can bring shortage down. Using Checkpoint tags to deter theft is a step in the right direction.
Checkpoint tags for clothing are designed to be a visual deterrent and a physical prevention measure. Attached to a garment these devices are nearly impossible to remove without a detachment key available to retailers from Checkpoint. Attempts to pry or forcibly remove clothing security tags generally results in damaged merchandise. Most criminals are already aware of the problems they will encounter if they steal merchandise with Checkpoint tags and avoid them for other merchandise which is not tagged. This is the visual deterrence effect. Seeing the devices sends the crook to other merchandise and preferably other stores. Aside from being difficult to remove, clothing security tags are also acoustic magnetic or radio frequency compatible meaning they will activate the electronic article surveillance (EAS) antennas at the front doors. This is my hint: if your store(s) does not have an EAS system I highly recommend investing in one.
Along with Checkpoint tags, other steps you can implement for clothing security include having a trained employee at your fitting room. I worked in Loss Prevention for one particular big box retailer that had fitting rooms and occasionally they had a fitting room attendant, but not consistently. When the fitting room attendant was present it was a hit or miss proposition on how well they would do their job. I will only add that we had a lot of empty hangers and clothing tickets on the stall floors. An effective fitting room strategy means limiting the number of items someone may take into a fitting room and keeping it to a reasonable number. Too many items and it becomes difficult for an employee to monitor everyone. Require a number system that hands a patron a number that corresponds to the number of garments they are taking in a fitting room. Do not permit a patron to carry more in unless they exchange an item they already tried on.
Fitting room attendants must also be trained to be firm and physically handle all clothing items being taken into the fitting room. Shoplifters will layer clothes on a hanger, hide merchandise between clothes and partially lift an item to show there is nothing underneath. Clothing security is only going to work if the attendant is aware of the tricks thieves will attempt to play on them. The employee must also count all of the merchandise coming out of the room and if there is something missing, the customer must be required to go back in and retrieve the item. Shoplifters like to tell the employee they left an item in the room and when the employee goes back to check, the shoplifter has left the area.
When an EAS system is installed, clothing security will also require a trained cashier team. They need to understand the importance of removing clothing security tags from all merchandise. Failing to remove tags causes alarms and eventually results in complacency on the part of staff who responds to alarms. Thieves understand that in stores where alarms occur frequently people stop being thorough in their efforts to resolve alarms and simply wave people out the door. Minimizing cashier errors and training people to follow up properly on EAS alarms will result in recovered clothing and when shoplifters understand this, they will take their business elsewhere.
A focus on clothing security will pay big dividends. Use Checkpoint tags and install an EAS antenna system in your store. This, along with attention at the fitting room and you will be well on the way to dramatically reducing shortage and increasing profitability.
For more information on Checkpoint tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
According to the 2015 Global Retail Theft Report Apparel Specialist retailers in North America experienced the second highest shrinkage rate of all the respondent categories, second only to pharmacies and drugstores. The sad part is, in my opinion, this is unnecessary. Clothing security does not have to be complicated and with the right steps any clothing store can bring shortage down. Using Checkpoint tags to deter theft is a step in the right direction.
Checkpoint tags for clothing are designed to be a visual deterrent and a physical prevention measure. Attached to a garment these devices are nearly impossible to remove without a detachment key available to retailers from Checkpoint. Attempts to pry or forcibly remove clothing security tags generally results in damaged merchandise. Most criminals are already aware of the problems they will encounter if they steal merchandise with Checkpoint tags and avoid them for other merchandise which is not tagged. This is the visual deterrence effect. Seeing the devices sends the crook to other merchandise and preferably other stores. Aside from being difficult to remove, clothing security tags are also acoustic magnetic or radio frequency compatible meaning they will activate the electronic article surveillance (EAS) antennas at the front doors. This is my hint: if your store(s) does not have an EAS system I highly recommend investing in one.
Along with Checkpoint tags, other steps you can implement for clothing security include having a trained employee at your fitting room. I worked in Loss Prevention for one particular big box retailer that had fitting rooms and occasionally they had a fitting room attendant, but not consistently. When the fitting room attendant was present it was a hit or miss proposition on how well they would do their job. I will only add that we had a lot of empty hangers and clothing tickets on the stall floors. An effective fitting room strategy means limiting the number of items someone may take into a fitting room and keeping it to a reasonable number. Too many items and it becomes difficult for an employee to monitor everyone. Require a number system that hands a patron a number that corresponds to the number of garments they are taking in a fitting room. Do not permit a patron to carry more in unless they exchange an item they already tried on.
Fitting room attendants must also be trained to be firm and physically handle all clothing items being taken into the fitting room. Shoplifters will layer clothes on a hanger, hide merchandise between clothes and partially lift an item to show there is nothing underneath. Clothing security is only going to work if the attendant is aware of the tricks thieves will attempt to play on them. The employee must also count all of the merchandise coming out of the room and if there is something missing, the customer must be required to go back in and retrieve the item. Shoplifters like to tell the employee they left an item in the room and when the employee goes back to check, the shoplifter has left the area.
When an EAS system is installed, clothing security will also require a trained cashier team. They need to understand the importance of removing clothing security tags from all merchandise. Failing to remove tags causes alarms and eventually results in complacency on the part of staff who responds to alarms. Thieves understand that in stores where alarms occur frequently people stop being thorough in their efforts to resolve alarms and simply wave people out the door. Minimizing cashier errors and training people to follow up properly on EAS alarms will result in recovered clothing and when shoplifters understand this, they will take their business elsewhere.
A focus on clothing security will pay big dividends. Use Checkpoint tags and install an EAS antenna system in your store. This, along with attention at the fitting room and you will be well on the way to dramatically reducing shortage and increasing profitability.
For more information on Checkpoint tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
Bottle locks-5 WC blog 87
Bottle Security-4
Who’s Sneaking What Out The Back Door? Bottle Security Protects Against Vendor Shortage
Vendor theft and fraud is an easily overlooked source of store shortage. According to the 2015 Global Retail Theft Barometer vendor shortage and fraud resulted in 2.21 billion dollars of shortage for North American retailers. Approximately 10 percent of supermarket shortage was the result of vendor shortage and 5 percent of convenience store shortage was due to vendor shortage. I was unable to determine which vendor items were the largest cause of shortage however, when we take a look at the report we find that in the category of food and beverages the number one most stolen items fell under wine and spirits. I believe the data should at least alert beverage and grocery store owners and managers to the possibility that alcohol vendors may be the source of some amount of store shortage. If this is the case, would it not make sense to employ bottle security measures in your stockroom as well as on your sales floor? Using bottle locks prevent shoplifting but they can also prevent vendor theft in your store.
Bottle locks are designed to fit over the top of a wine or liquor bottle and prevent it from being opened. They are compatible with electronic article surveillance systems so any attempt to remove a bottle with a bottle lock on it will cause an electronic article surveillance antenna to alarm when the protected item passes through the antenna. Any attempt to remove a bottle lock without the proper detachment key can cause a tamper alarm to activate. It is possible that vendors could be working in the store and concealing bottles and exiting through a front entrance and reentering to go back to work. Many grocery stores and convenience stores have electronic article surveillance systems at the front of the store so bottle locks would be effective at this point of entry/exit.
Thinking about your backroom however, what controls do you have in place here? I worked as a Logistics Manager for a period of time and with my experience in Loss Prevention as well, I know that the vendor entrance can be an area of vulnerability for a store. It is easy for your receiving employees to become complacent with vendors they get to know over time. As they become acquaintances with each other, the receiver may not check “empty cases” as thoroughly as they once did for merchandise. Many vendors break down their boxes, stack them on a hand truck and wheel the boxes out the back door. How thoroughly is anyone looking between these stacks for merchandise? Potentially, vendors could be sneaking merchandise back out of the store through an unprotected vendor door and you would not know it. Installing an electronic article surveillance antenna on the vendor door would be the first step in reducing alcohol and wine vendor shortage.
Liquor and wine bottle security should also occur as soon as a vendor delivery takes place. Store employees should add locks to the merchandise as it is checked in and receiving is complete. Once the sales floor is filled, overstock returned to the stockroom already has bottle security in place protecting the merchandise in an area not usually frequented by staff. If you have dishonest vendors or employees for that matter, the locks will act as a deterrent to someone who may want to try to steal and resell bottles or just have their own little party. If you have the additional protection of electronic article surveillance antennas on the vendor entrance you will have the benefit of alarm protection. And one more thing to consider, and EAS antenna on the vendor door won’t just sound for bottle locks, they will alarm for any EAS protected merchandise!
As much as we would like to think we have honest vendors and employees, the fact remains there are dishonest people in our stores. Are you willing to trust your profits and losses on an assumption that none of your vendors would steal from you? What if you could reduce up to ten percent of your shortage simply by adding a bottle security strategy to your vendor program? Use bottle locks and see your shortage results decline and profits rise.
For more information on bottle security, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Vendor theft and fraud is an easily overlooked source of store shortage. According to the 2015 Global Retail Theft Barometer vendor shortage and fraud resulted in 2.21 billion dollars of shortage for North American retailers. Approximately 10 percent of supermarket shortage was the result of vendor shortage and 5 percent of convenience store shortage was due to vendor shortage. I was unable to determine which vendor items were the largest cause of shortage however, when we take a look at the report we find that in the category of food and beverages the number one most stolen items fell under wine and spirits. I believe the data should at least alert beverage and grocery store owners and managers to the possibility that alcohol vendors may be the source of some amount of store shortage. If this is the case, would it not make sense to employ bottle security measures in your stockroom as well as on your sales floor? Using bottle locks prevent shoplifting but they can also prevent vendor theft in your store.
Bottle locks are designed to fit over the top of a wine or liquor bottle and prevent it from being opened. They are compatible with electronic article surveillance systems so any attempt to remove a bottle with a bottle lock on it will cause an electronic article surveillance antenna to alarm when the protected item passes through the antenna. Any attempt to remove a bottle lock without the proper detachment key can cause a tamper alarm to activate. It is possible that vendors could be working in the store and concealing bottles and exiting through a front entrance and reentering to go back to work. Many grocery stores and convenience stores have electronic article surveillance systems at the front of the store so bottle locks would be effective at this point of entry/exit.
Thinking about your backroom however, what controls do you have in place here? I worked as a Logistics Manager for a period of time and with my experience in Loss Prevention as well, I know that the vendor entrance can be an area of vulnerability for a store. It is easy for your receiving employees to become complacent with vendors they get to know over time. As they become acquaintances with each other, the receiver may not check “empty cases” as thoroughly as they once did for merchandise. Many vendors break down their boxes, stack them on a hand truck and wheel the boxes out the back door. How thoroughly is anyone looking between these stacks for merchandise? Potentially, vendors could be sneaking merchandise back out of the store through an unprotected vendor door and you would not know it. Installing an electronic article surveillance antenna on the vendor door would be the first step in reducing alcohol and wine vendor shortage.
Liquor and wine bottle security should also occur as soon as a vendor delivery takes place. Store employees should add locks to the merchandise as it is checked in and receiving is complete. Once the sales floor is filled, overstock returned to the stockroom already has bottle security in place protecting the merchandise in an area not usually frequented by staff. If you have dishonest vendors or employees for that matter, the locks will act as a deterrent to someone who may want to try to steal and resell bottles or just have their own little party. If you have the additional protection of electronic article surveillance antennas on the vendor entrance you will have the benefit of alarm protection. And one more thing to consider, and EAS antenna on the vendor door won’t just sound for bottle locks, they will alarm for any EAS protected merchandise!
As much as we would like to think we have honest vendors and employees, the fact remains there are dishonest people in our stores. Are you willing to trust your profits and losses on an assumption that none of your vendors would steal from you? What if you could reduce up to ten percent of your shortage simply by adding a bottle security strategy to your vendor program? Use bottle locks and see your shortage results decline and profits rise.
For more information on bottle security, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Alpha Shark Tag – 4 WC blog 90
Return Fraud-5
Wardrobing-3
Are You Loaning Clothes Due To Return Fraud? Alpha Shark Tags Strengthen Return Policies
Do you own a clothing store and worry about return fraud? Perhaps you don’t worry about it because you don’t ever take back any clothing items that don’t have the tags on them. Maybe you don’t take back any clothes without a receipt. It may be that you have a two week return policy and you are strict in adhering to the policy, no exceptions will be tolerated. I would like to suggest that while you may believe you have some good policies in place, there are ways for those who want to commit return fraud to sneak stuff past you. There are also things you as a retailer can do to prevent return fraud, the best option being the use of Alpha Shark Tags.
What is an Alpha Shark Tag? It is a plastic, brightly colored tag that is pinned to a garment by clipping it together. Once it is snapped shut it can’t be removed without cutting it off. It can only be used once, and the customer discards the tag when they get home and decide they want to keep the merchandise. How does this help you, the business owner? You put in place a return policy that clearly states the merchandise cannot be returned if the Alpha Shark Tag is removed. The company that makes the tags also has a small hang label that may be attached with the tag that explains this policy for you.
One of the more difficult forms of return fraud for retailers to prevent is wardrobing fraud. This occurs when the customer purchases clothing and wears it then returns it for a full refund. The person who is wardrobing is removing the clothing tags from the garment or possibly hiding the tags, then wearing the clothing out that night or day. After wearing the item the tags are reattached and the item goes back to the merchant. In most instances, since the tags are in place and the customer has a receipt, the item is refunded.
Now as fantastic as this may sound, you are probably asking how a customer can reattach their own clothing tags and price labels. A little internet shopping and I found I can purchase a tag attachment gun from Amazon for as little as $10.79! The plastic “hangers” that the gun uses can be purchased at any office supply store. What a great scam! I could come to your store, purchase a new suit, tie and shirt and leave. I get home, remove the tags from the clothing and wear it for a night out with my wife. When I am done with the suit, I reattach the tags with my $10.79 attachment gun and return it to your store with my receipt. My reason for the return? I just wasn’t satisfied and no, nothing is wrong with it, thank you very much. You may just credit it back to my credit card. Now consider the same situation, but this time you had Alpha Shark Tags on the garments I purchased. If I were to cut off the Shark Tag, you aren’t going to take back the return and if I leave them on, I would look really silly wearing the suit out to dinner.
Does this really happen? You bet it does. There are people who do this for a living. They like the image of wearing new clothes to work, or for a night out and never having to be seen in the same outfit twice. Why bother with a clothing rental store when they can get their clothes for free and return them within the limits set by the store? Do the clothes ever have odors or stains from food or make-up on them? Yes, they do occasionally and some of the bigger retailers will still return the items and take the loss when they defect the clothes or mark them out of stock.
Don’t allow yourself to be the victim of return fraud. Begin using Alpha Shark Tags on ALL your clothing items and stop being an unwitting target of those involved in wardrobing. Your good customers will appreciate buying new, unused merchandise and the ones who are defrauding you will take their business elsewhere.
For more information on Alpha Shark Tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
Do you own a clothing store and worry about return fraud? Perhaps you don’t worry about it because you don’t ever take back any clothing items that don’t have the tags on them. Maybe you don’t take back any clothes without a receipt. It may be that you have a two week return policy and you are strict in adhering to the policy, no exceptions will be tolerated. I would like to suggest that while you may believe you have some good policies in place, there are ways for those who want to commit return fraud to sneak stuff past you. There are also things you as a retailer can do to prevent return fraud, the best option being the use of Alpha Shark Tags.
What is an Alpha Shark Tag? It is a plastic, brightly colored tag that is pinned to a garment by clipping it together. Once it is snapped shut it can’t be removed without cutting it off. It can only be used once, and the customer discards the tag when they get home and decide they want to keep the merchandise. How does this help you, the business owner? You put in place a return policy that clearly states the merchandise cannot be returned if the Alpha Shark Tag is removed.
One of the more difficult forms of return fraud for retailers to prevent is wardrobing fraud. This occurs when the customer purchases clothing and wears it then returns it for a full refund. The person who is wardrobing is removing the clothing tags from the garment or possibly hiding the tags, then wearing the clothing out that night or day. After wearing the item the tags are reattached and the item goes back to the merchant. In most instances, since the tags are in place and the customer has a receipt, the item is refunded.
Now as fantastic as this may sound, you are probably asking how a customer can reattach their own clothing tags and price labels. A little internet shopping and I found I can purchase a tag attachment gun from Amazon for as little as $10.79! The plastic “hangers” that the gun uses can be purchased at any office supply store. What a great scam! I could come to your store, purchase a new suit, tie and shirt and leave. I get home, remove the tags from the clothing and wear it for a night out with my wife. When I am done with the suit, I reattach the tags with my $10.79 attachment gun and return it to your store with my receipt. My reason for the return? I just wasn’t satisfied and no, nothing is wrong with it, thank you very much. You may just credit it back to my credit card. Now consider the same situation, but this time you had Alpha Shark Tags on the garments I purchased. If I were to cut off the Shark Tag, you aren’t going to take back the return and if I leave them on, I would look really silly wearing the suit out to dinner.
Does this really happen? You bet it does. There are people who do this for a living. They like the image of wearing new clothes to work, or for a night out and never having to be seen in the same outfit twice. Why bother with a clothing rental store when they can get their clothes for free and return them within the limits set by the store? Do the clothes ever have odors or stains from food or make-up on them? Yes, they do occasionally and some of the bigger retailers will still return the items and take the loss when they defect the clothes or mark them out of stock.
Don’t allow yourself to be the victim of return fraud. Begin using Alpha Shark Tags on ALL your clothing items and stop being an unwitting target of those involved in wardrobing. Your good customers will appreciate buying new, unused merchandise and the ones who are defrauding you will take their business elsewhere.
For more information on Alpha Shark Tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
