RL-173
Checkpoint hard tags-4, Electronic Article Surveillance-3, Stop Shoplifting-3
Tag, You’re It! Checkpoint Hard Tags
We’ve probably all played a game of Tag when we were kids, but when you are trying to come up with ways to stop shoplifting in your store and save money, it’s no game. In the game of Tag, you have to take action when someone tags you, so think of it as a shoplifter tagging you. You have to take action, and use a different kind of tag to help you out. Checkpoint hard tags are one of the best solutions for you to keep from losing your profits to shoplifters. Using these tags along with your Electronic Article Surveillance system provides you with a visual deterrent for shoplifters, as well as alerts you when one of the tags pass through the antennas without being deactivated.
The best way to ensure that your Electronic Article Surveillance system and Checkpoint hard tags are being utilized to their full potential is properly training your whole team on how they work and their role in using the devices. The more they use the devices, the easier it will be for them to attach the tags to the merchandise, and then detach them at the register upon purchase. One thing that I’ve seen over the years that seriously bothers me is when a store has all the tools available to help stop shoplifting, but they don’t take advantage of the devices, and they just don’t get it. What’s the point of purchasing devices to protect your merchandise if you aren’t going to use them?
Something I’ve observed happen on a regular basis is that when the Electronic Article Surveillance alarm goes off at the doors, it is either ignored, or the employee just waves for the customer to go ahead and leave the store. This absolutely drives me crazy when I see this happen, and it happens all too often. Depending on your company’s policies, the employee should at least acknowledge the customer and see what was causing the alarm to sound as they were exiting the store. If shoplifters see that your employees aren’t responding to the alarms when they sound, your whole system will not be taken seriously, because word will get out that your store is an easy target for theft.
Also, what happens when an honest customer sets off the alarm, the cashier waves them through, and then they get home only to realize that the cashier ringing their purchase forgot to remove one of the Checkpoint hard tags from and item they paid for in your store? What happens is that the customer is going to be inconvenienced. They will either have to drive back to the store to have someone remove the tag from the item, or they may attempt to remove the tag themselves, which could damage the purchased item. I don’t know about you, but if that happened to me, I would be pretty upset that I had to make a trip back to the store because of an employee’s mistake. This isn’t the kind of message you want to send to your customers.
The whole point is to stop shoplifting and reduce loss from occurring, so the best course of action is to use the devices as they were intended to be used. Make sure you know how to use all of your merchandise protection equipment first, so you can pass along that knowledge to all of your employees. This will keep everyone on the same page, and ensure your investments are being used to their full potential.
For more information about Checkpoint hard tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
We’ve probably all played a game of Tag when we were kids, but when you are trying to come up with ways to stop shoplifting in your store and save money, it’s no game. In the game of Tag, you have to take action when someone tags you, so think of it as a shoplifter tagging you. You have to take action, and use a different kind of tag to help you out. Checkpoint hard tags are one of the best solutions for you to keep from losing your profits to shoplifters. Using these tags along with your Electronic Article Surveillance system provides you with a visual deterrent for shoplifters, as well as alerts you when one of the tags pass through the antennas without being deactivated.
The best way to ensure that your Electronic Article Surveillance system and Checkpoint hard tags are being utilized to their full potential is properly training your whole team on how they work and their role in using the devices. The more they use the devices, the easier it will be for them to attach the tags to the merchandise, and then detach them at the register upon purchase. One thing that I’ve seen over the years that seriously bothers me is when a store has all the tools available to help stop shoplifting, but they don’t take advantage of the devices, and they just don’t get it. What’s the point of purchasing devices to protect your merchandise if you aren’t going to use them?
Something I’ve observed happen on a regular basis is that when the Electronic Article Surveillance alarm goes off at the doors, it is either ignored, or the employee just waves for the customer to go ahead and leave the store. This absolutely drives me crazy when I see this happen, and it happens all too often. Depending on your company’s policies, the employee should at least acknowledge the customer and see what was causing the alarm to sound as they were exiting the store. If shoplifters see that your employees aren’t responding to the alarms when they sound, your whole system will not be taken seriously, because word will get out that your store is an easy target for theft.
Also, what happens when an honest customer sets off the alarm, the cashier waves them through, and then they get home only to realize that the cashier ringing their purchase forgot to remove one of the Checkpoint hard tags from and item they paid for in your store? What happens is that the customer is going to be inconvenienced. They will either have to drive back to the store to have someone remove the tag from the item, or they may attempt to remove the tag themselves, which could damage the purchased item. I don’t know about you, but if that happened to me, I would be pretty upset that I had to make a trip back to the store because of an employee’s mistake. This isn’t the kind of message you want to send to your customers.
The whole point is to stop shoplifting and reduce loss from occurring, so the best course of action is to use the devices as they were intended to be used. Make sure you know how to use all of your merchandise protection equipment first, so you can pass along that knowledge to all of your employees. This will keep everyone on the same page, and ensure your investments are being used to their full potential.
For more information about Checkpoint hard tags contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
DON’T STAIN YOUR SOCKS WITH ALPHA INK TAGS!
Most large retailers have one thing in common for the most part; they sell socks. Think about any big box or chain store and quickly realize that I’m right. (Or you can just trust that I’ve done the research). You know what else is common to those retailers (mine included) and those socks? They get stolen. Every hour of every day of every week, they and most likely you, are losing money to thieves who are stealing your socks! You may simply overlook hosiery as a major shrink category, but I can tell you personally, in my stores two years ago, I lost about $25k in that category per store. That is a significant amount of loss. Loss that could be easily prevented with an Alpha Ink Tag.
Almost every customers that comes into my store to purchase a pair of shoes will likely also leave with a pair of socks. Those bulk socks weren’t the problem, but the athletic socks. I carry some single pairs that retail for $15.99 or higher. Not only were these being stolen in massive amounts by every passing teenager, they were very easy to resell, which made them a prime target for organized retail crime groups. I needed something to prevent shoplifting, as the theft of these socks alone were greatly impacting our bottom line.
After seeing the inventory loss creep up to such a substantial number, I decided to look into ways to better secure this product. I needed something that would do its job to prevent shoplifting, but also keep the product easily accessible to the customer. I couldn’t very well go locking up bags of cotton being a glass case now! I tried a few different options like soft tags and even pencil tags, but nothing gave me the results I was after quite like the Alpha Ink Tags.
Right off the bat, the Alpha Ink Tag has more of a deterrence simply in its appearance. You’d be surprised at how many shoplifters attempt to steal these items and quickly abandoned them when they notice that tag. The thieves were not willing to take the chance of destroying the product with ink by removing the tag. Once I saw just how effective they were in preventing shoplifting, we jumped head first in tagging each and every pair of socks we had over $9.99. My supervisor thought I was going a bit over-board, but I knew the problem we faced and I also knew that a little effort to prevent theft would go a long way to increase profits.
With the tag placed on the back of the product, the normal shopper cannot tell that there is such a large diameter tag protecting the merchandise. Since the vast majority of people don’t try on socks before purchasing them, it didn’t affect our sales one bit. This was the perfect balance between customer service and loss prevention. More importantly, it worked. It stopped those socks from walking out the door, all with just a minor investment in technology and labor. Over the course of the past year I seen our stores post very nice sales increases in the hosiery category. More importantly, the losses have dwindled from a high of $25k all the way down to a mere few hundred dollars. I’d say if you’re not using ink tags, then you’re definitely letting money walk right out the door!!
For more information, contact us: Alpha Ink Tags, or call 1.770.426.0547
Most large retailers have one thing in common for the most part; they sell socks. Think about any big box or chain store and quickly realize that I’m right. (Or you can just trust that I’ve done the research). You know what else is common to those retailers (mine included) and those socks? They get stolen. Every hour of every day of every week, they and most likely you, are losing money to thieves who are stealing your socks! You may simply overlook hosiery as a major shrink category, but I can tell you personally, in my stores two years ago, I lost about $25k in that category per store. That is a significant amount of loss. Loss that could be easily prevented with an Alpha Ink Tag.
Almost every customer that comes into my store to purchase a pair of shoes will likely also leave with a pair of socks. Those bulk socks weren’t the problem, but the athletic socks. I carry some single pairs that retail for $15.99 or higher. Not only were these being stolen in massive amounts by every passing teenager, they were very easy to resell, which made them a prime target for organized retail crime groups. I needed something to prevent shoplifting, as the theft of these socks alone were greatly impacting our bottom line.
After seeing the inventory loss creep up to such a substantial number, I decided to look into ways to better secure this product. I needed something that would do its job to prevent shoplifting, but also keep the product easily accessible to the customer. I couldn’t very well go locking up bags of cotton being a glass case now! I tried a few different options like soft tags and even pencil tags, but nothing gave me the results I was after quite like the Alpha Ink Tags.
Right off the bat, the Alpha Ink Tag has more of a deterrence simply in its appearance. You’d be surprised at how many shoplifters attempt to steal these items and quickly abandoned them when they notice that tag. The thieves were not willing to take the chance of destroying the product with ink by removing the tag. Once I saw just how effective they were in preventing shoplifting, we jumped head first in tagging each and every pair of socks we had over $9.99. My supervisor thought I was going a bit over-board, but I knew the problem we faced and I also knew that a little effort to prevent theft would go a long way to increase profits.
With the tag placed on the back of the product, the normal shopper cannot tell that there is such a large diameter tag protecting the merchandise. Since the vast majority of people don’t try on socks before purchasing them, it didn’t affect our sales one bit. This was the perfect balance between customer service and loss prevention. More importantly, it worked. It stopped those socks from walking out the door, all with just a minor investment in technology and labor. Over the course of the past year I saw our stores post very nice sales increases in the hosiery category. More importantly, the losses have dwindled from a high of $25k all the way down to a mere few hundred dollars. I’d say if you’re not using ink tags, then you’re definitely letting money walk right out the door!!
For more information on Alpha Ink Tags contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
Every single day that you come to work, you find empty packages. You conduct your weekly inventory and cycle counts and you find losses. You find evidence of employee pilferage in warehouses and stockrooms. Your business is bleeding and you need to find ways to stop shoplifting. You’re not the first manager/owner to be here, nor will you be the last. One thing every retailer learns is that theft is a reality of the business, but there are ways to reduce, minimize and ultimately stop it before it bankrupts you.
You want to stop shoplifting altogether? Take your entire store, put it behind a locked glass door and don’t open the doors to the public. Not a very sustainable business plan is it? I’ve been in the Loss Prevention field for quite some time, and the same problems persist at nearly every store I’ve ever stepped foot in. Whether it’s one of my stores, a client’s or a place that I’m shopping at. I can see the ways business can be improved upon in order to maintain a healthier financial status.
First and foremost, if you want to stop shoplifting, train your employees. More importantly, train your cashiers. They are your last line of defense. The point of sale is a window of opportunity for a criminal. They can hide merchandise inside other bulkier items, switch tickets, pull quick change cash schemes, pass counterfeit money/credit cards, steal register keys and conduct fraudulent return transactions. A well trained cashier can prevent these incidents from every happening. There’s always time for training, so I encourage your store leads to showcase new and/or high priced items daily to the cashier staff. Familiarize them with the expensive product so a potential price switch can be identified. Train them to spot counterfeits and stress the importance of LISA (Look Inside Always) and BOB (Bottom of Basket).
Customer service should be on everyone’s priority lists. Sure, shelves have to be stocked, shipments taken in, aisles cleaned up… etc, but at the end of the day, the customer is your life blood. It’s the reason your doors are able to remain open. It should be a surprise that without that customer, you have no business. So your staff should engaged every single person that comes through your doors. This will do two things. It will help you stop shoplifting and help increase your sales. A shoplifter doesn’t want to be noticed. If your staff is always alert and always there to provide assistance, how can they stick that shirt in their purse?
Lastly, put in physical security measures. Using an effective EAS system and corresponding tags and labels on your high theft/high risk product will ensure that your product remains in your store, available to the paying customer. There is no single way to prevent losses, but taking a multi-pronged approached and always keeping an open mind can help your business minimize the impact of theft.
For more information, contact us: Stop Shoplifting, or call 1.770.426.0547
Every single day that you come to work, you find empty packages. You conduct your weekly inventory and cycle counts and you find losses. You find evidence of employee pilferage in warehouses and stockrooms. Your business is bleeding and you need to find ways to stop shoplifting. You’re not the first manager/owner to be here, nor will you be the last. One thing every retailer learns is that theft is a reality of the business, but there are ways to reduce, minimize and ultimately stop it before it bankrupts you.
You want to stop shoplifting altogether? Take your entire store, put it behind a locked glass door and don’t open the doors to the public. Not a very sustainable business plan is it? I’ve been in the Loss Prevention field for quite some time, and the same problems persist at nearly every store I’ve ever stepped foot in. Whether it’s one of my stores, a client’s or a place that I’m shopping at. I can see the ways business can be improved upon in order to maintain a healthier financial status.
First and foremost, if you want to stop shoplifting, train your employees. More importantly, train your cashiers. They are your last line of defense. The point of sale is a window of opportunity for a criminal. They can hide merchandise inside other bulkier items, switch tickets, pull quick change cash schemes, pass counterfeit money/credit cards, steal register keys and conduct fraudulent return transactions. A well trained cashier can prevent these incidents from every happening. There’s always time for training, so I encourage your store leads to showcase new and/or high priced items daily to the cashier staff. Familiarize them with the expensive product so a potential price switch can be identified. Train them to spot counterfeits and stress the importance of LISA (Look Inside Always) and BOB (Bottom of Basket).
Customer service should be on everyone’s priority lists. Sure, shelves have to be stocked, shipments taken in, aisles cleaned up… etc, but at the end of the day, the customer is your life blood. It’s the reason your doors are able to remain open. It should be a surprise that without that customer, you have no business. So your staff should engaged every single person that comes through your doors. This will do two things. It will help you stop shoplifting and help increase your sales. A shoplifter doesn’t want to be noticed. If your staff is always alert and always there to provide assistance, how can they stick that shirt in their purse?
Lastly, put in physical security measures. Using an Checkpoint EAS System and corresponding tags and labels on your high theft/high risk product will ensure that your product remains in your store, available to the paying customer. There is no single way to prevent losses, but taking a multi-pronged approached and always keeping an open mind can help your business minimize the impact of theft.
For more information, contact us at Stop Shoplifting, or call 1.770.426.0547
