One design of our small retail pharmacies is referred to as Beauty on the Door because the makeup is merchandised on the perimeter wall straight down the first aisle as you walk in. For those of us that actually work in these locations, they are more like Beauty Out the Door. Cosmetics is our biggest shrink category period, and one of the biggest problems for many retailers, whether they are big boxes or small independents. When we identify a new product that we know is likely to be targeted, we start looking through our Anti-Shoplifting options for the right Checkpoint Label. Lipsticks, eyeliners, mascaras, and foundations are generally high retail items and unfortunately fit right into pockets and purses, easily and completely concealed.
Some labels are too big for cosmetics, and extend over the edges of the products. This can be a problem when stocking them into their fixture, or cause them to stick to one another. The other issue is they will probably just get removed by the shoplifter. You need labels that will cover the item’s available surface, conform to the round bottles and even the occasional square lipstick tubes if you want to increase your Anti-Shoplifting successes.
When it comes to stealing makeup, I have seen a wide range of creative methods to get it out the door. There were the two women in bright neon shirts that came in and walked down the aisle grabbing as much as they could and throwing everything these into these huge bags. They were out the door in less than six minutes at this store, and made off with over $4,000 in product the first time they hit. The second time, they did the same thing and got about that much again. As you can probably guess, that store did not make their shrink budget for that year. They were thankfully caught about six months later. Mostly at my store, we deal with petty theft. We have a lot of foot traffic and we are in an inner city type store. Day after day, men and women of all ages steal a variety of items from our cosmetics sections. Sometimes it is for personal use, and other times it is to try and return the item for a refund. The sad thing is these add up as well, and the more times they come in and pocket our inventory and get away with it, the more it eats into our bottom line. I caught a woman just last week with about $40 worth of foundations and eye shadows stuffed into her purse. Sadly, until that day, she was a regular customer and she has probably been ripping us off for years.
There are some Anti-Shoplifting methods that we are looking into, and they revolve around the right Checkpoint Labels. As I mentioned before, the right size label used for product protection can mean the difference in deterring the theft, catching the thief, or just losing these high dollar items to small time and professional thieves. There are small round labels that will easily wrap around and stick perfectly to odd size items. There are also clear labels that are put on over the UPC of the product, and not easily detected by a shoplifter. Those are just two examples you could employ to help stop the flow of unpaid cosmetics going out the door.
For more information please contact us at: Antishoplifting.net or call 1.770.426.0547
One design of our small retail pharmacies is referred to as Beauty on the Door because the makeup is merchandised on the perimeter wall straight down the first aisle as you walk in. For those of us that actually work in these locations, they are more like Beauty Out the Door. Cosmetics is our biggest shrink category period, and one of the biggest problems for many retailers, whether they are big boxes or small independents. When we identify a new product that we know is likely to be targeted, we start looking through our Anti-Shoplifting options for the right Checkpoint Label. Lipsticks, eyeliners, mascaras, and foundations are generally high retail items and unfortunately fit right into pockets and purses, easily and completely concealed.
Some labels are too big for cosmetics, and extend over the edges of the products. This can be a problem when stocking them into their fixture, or cause them to stick to one another. The other issue is they will probably just get removed by the shoplifter. You need labels that will cover the item’s available surface, conform to the round bottles and even the occasional square lipstick tubes if you want to increase your Anti-Shoplifting successes.
When it comes to stealing makeup, I have seen a wide range of creative methods to get it out the door. There were the two women in bright neon shirts that came in and walked down the aisle grabbing as much as they could and throwing everything into these huge bags. They were out the door in less than six minutes at this store, and made off with over $4,000 in product the first time they hit. The second time, they did the same thing and got about that much again. As you can probably guess, that store did not make their shrink budget for that year. They were thankfully caught about six months later.
Mostly at my store, we deal with petty theft. We have a lot of foot traffic and we are in an inner city type store. Day after day, men and women of all ages steal a variety of items from our cosmetics sections. Sometimes it is for personal use, and other times it is to try and return the item for a refund. The sad thing is these add up as well, and the more times they come in and pocket our inventory and get away with it, the more it eats into our bottom line. I caught a woman just last week with about $40 worth of foundations and eye shadows stuffed into her purse. Sadly, until that day, she was a regular customer and she has probably been ripping us off for years.
There are some Anti-Shoplifting methods that we are looking into, and they revolve around the right Checkpoint Labels. As I mentioned before, the right size label used for product protection can mean the difference in deterring the theft, catching the thief, or just losing these high dollar items to small time and professional thieves. There are small round labels that will easily wrap around and stick perfectly to odd size items. There are also clear labels that are put on over the UPC of the product, and not easily detected by a shoplifter. Those are just two examples you could employ to help stop the flow of unpaid cosmetics going out the door.
For more information please contact us at: Antishoplifting.net or call 1.770.426.0547
Did you know you can take an online shoplifting course for a mere $50? That is a terrifying thought for a retail manager. Actually, when I clicked on it (yes, I really did), it was a course for a person that has been caught shoplifting to take, so they can ask a judge for leniency on their court date. It’s like a psychological breakdown to help someone understand their crime, how it effects their social circle and community, and is supposed to help them stop shoplifting. There are some boosters I would like to see sentenced to take this class, over and over again, at least until they see how crazy they make me when they come steal from our store over and over. When businesses invest their time and money into anti-shoplifting devices like Checkpoint Tags, they can see the return in their inventory numbers and profit.
So just yesterday I had yet another visit from my newest foe. Not even two weeks ago, she came in a managed to remove the Alpha Spider Wraps and Checkpoint Tags from some boxes of hair regrowth formulas. She was in a totally different vehicle, wore her hair down instead of up, and this time she did not come in alone. I saw them come in separately and something told me she looked familiar, but I just couldn’t put it together. They hung out in the health and beauty aisles, and since I had been having problems over there with theft, I kept my eye on them. I even went to our small greeting card section and watched them where they could not see me. I watched them a bit longer, and decided they were not a threat. The guy was walking really slow, almost shuffling and I second guessed myself so I walked away. Even though I know better than to ever judge someone by their appearance, I let my guard down. I walked over to that section of the store to stock a random item and found discarded Checkpoint Tags from yet another hair regrowth item plus an expensive electric toothbrush as well.
When I reviewed the video the couple watched me the whole time I was watching them. When they saw me walk to the back room, they made their moves. The woman obviously does not want to take the chance of getting caught having her bag lined with foil to defeat our system. Being caught with a “booster bag” in our state is a felony. What she doesn’t seem to realize is that removing anti-shoplifting tools from a product is also a felony.
I can’t blame the Checkpoint Tags for not doing their job. In this case, I have to blame myself. I knew she would come back since she had been successful the first time she came in. I should have taken proactive measures to protect my inventory. Becoming reactive to theft is a big mistake many retailers make. One neat trick I occasionally use that really puts a damper on a booster is to wrap clear packing tape around the item. It not only prevents the thief from removing the tag, but it also renders the product useless to them. The whole point of these “foot soldiers” of organized retail crime is for them to get product for their buyer to resell. The buyer will then pay these people pennies on the dollar of the actual value of the stolen merchandise and make a huge profit for themselves. But neither wants the packaging damaged, or they know their chances of selling it will go down considerably.
You just have to remember that as technology advances, the thieves will keep up with it and change their methods. Sometimes you may have to go old school and get creative to beat them, or at least discourage them from coming back to your store. Checkpoint Tags will always be a true and tested theft deterrent against petty theft and basic shoplifters. Boosters are a different breed and they have to be treated as such. For them you have to add a little extra effort and make their jobs harder so they go steal from your competition instead!
For more information on Checkpoint Tags contact us at 1.770.426.0547 or Antishoplifting.net
Did you know you can take an online shoplifting course for a mere $50? That is a terrifying thought for a retail manager. Actually, when I clicked on it (yes, I really did), it was a course for a person that has been caught shoplifting to take, so they can ask a judge for leniency on their court date. It’s like a psychological breakdown to help someone understand their crime, how it effects their social circle and community, and is supposed to help them stop shoplifting. There are some boosters I would like to see sentenced to take this class, over and over again, at least until they see how crazy they make me when they come steal from our store over and over. When businesses invest their time and money into anti-shoplifting devices like Checkpoint Tags, they can see the return in their inventory numbers and profit.
So just yesterday I had yet another visit from my newest foe. Not even two weeks ago, she came in a managed to remove the Alpha Spider Wraps and Checkpoint Tags from some boxes of hair regrowth formulas. She was in a totally different vehicle, wore her hair down instead of up, and this time she did not come in alone. I saw them come in separately and something told me she looked familiar, but I just couldn’t put it together. They hung out in the health and beauty aisles, and since I had been having problems over there with theft, I kept my eye on them. I even went to our small greeting card section and watched them where they could not see me. I watched them a bit longer, and decided they were not a threat. The guy was walking really slow, almost shuffling and I second guessed myself so I walked away. Even though I know better than to ever judge someone by their appearance, I let my guard down. I walked over to that section of the store to stock a random item and found discarded Checkpoint Tags from yet another hair regrowth item plus an expensive electric toothbrush as well.
When I reviewed the video the couple watched me the whole time I was watching them. When they saw me walk to the back room, they made their moves. The woman obviously does not want to take the chance of getting caught having her bag lined with foil to defeat our system. Being caught with a “booster bag” in our state is a felony. What she doesn’t seem to realize is that removing anti-shoplifting tools from a product is also a felony.
I can’t blame the Checkpoint Tags for not doing their job. In this case, I have to blame myself. I knew she would come back since she had been successful the first time she came in. I should have taken proactive measures to protect my inventory. Becoming reactive to theft is a big mistake many retailers make. One neat trick I occasionally use that really puts a damper on a booster is to wrap clear packing tape around the item. It not only prevents the thief from removing the tag, but it also renders the product useless to them. The whole point of these “foot soldiers” of organized retail crime is for them to get product for their buyer to resell. The buyer will then pay these people pennies on the dollar of the actual value of the stolen merchandise and make a huge profit for themselves. But neither wants the packaging damaged, or they know their chances of selling it will go down considerably.
You just have to remember that as technology advances, the thieves will keep up with it and change their methods. Sometimes you may have to go old school and get creative to beat them, or at least discourage them from coming back to your store. Checkpoint Tags will always be a true and tested theft deterrent against petty theft and basic shoplifters. Boosters are a different breed and they have to be treated as such. For them you have to add a little extra effort and make their jobs harder so they go steal from your competition instead!
For more information on Checkpoint Tags contact us at 1.770.426.0547 or Antishoplifting.net
How much is your license worth? I’m not talking about a driver’s license; I mean your alcohol license. Would the investment in Bottle Locks be worth the time and effort you spent getting your business licensed to sell beer and wine? In my state, the store manager of the business has to have the license in their name, because they are responsible for the daily operations, paperwork and invoice retention, and training of the employees. I had to get fingerprinted, submit an additional background check, and endure several hours of training in order to receive the licenses and permits necessary to sell bottled beer and wine. In some states, if a minor is able to obtain alcohol, via buying it illegally or even stealing it from the store, that business can lose it’s license! Now, to be completely honest, I manage a small retail pharmacy. We only sell those products to drive traffic into our store, and to be able to advertise we have something our competition does not. So that said, bottle security has not really been my biggest concern. However, a situation that arose recently has forced me to think otherwise.
When parents come into my store with children, they don’t always keep them right at their side. Although we don’t have any type of toy section, some parents let them wonder through the aisles unsupervised. Most times the kids are just walking around, texting or playing games, on their phones. Other times, they are trashing the place, running around and screaming, like little monsters. Then there are the sneaky ones that are trying new things and want to see how far they can push their limits. This latter one was the kind of kid I dealt with yesterday. To begin with, about a month ago we found a near empty bottle of cheap wine hidden behind some other products. (We don’t have Bottle Locks on every single item over in the wine section, only the more premium high retail brands.) When we reviewed video footage, we were shocked to see it was a young girl, so not at all what we expected. She had a water bottle with her, and she poured that wine into it, while the woman she was with was buying her prescription. Honestly though, we chalked it up to a one time thing and just moved on. We figured it was just a kid making a bad choice and it wouldn’t happen again. We were wrong. One: about the girl, and two: about not attaching Bottle Locks to every single bottle.
This past weekend we were working on the sales floor and found another empty bottle of the same stuff we had found the month prior. Something told my assistant that same girl had been the culprit, and the video proved him to be correct. She came in with the same woman, and did the exact same thing as last time. This time I knew something had to be done. I am a parent of a fifteen year old, and I would want to know if this was happening with her. I did some detective work, and was able to determine who she was with by reviewing prescription records. I called the woman who informed me this was her neighbor’s child, and she was only with her because her mother was at work. So this girl was coming to the store, stealing this wine, and going home afterward to drink it while she was alone in the house. This was going from bad to worse. I got the mother’s phone number and called her, knowing she was again at work. Our bottle security issues paled in comparison to the problems this mother could face in the future if she was not informed of what this child was up to. The mother called me back and we talked for some time. She confided in me some other problems she was having with this girl, who in fact turned twelve years old this past weekend. TWELVE! I don’t wish that mother’s problems on anyone, and I hope they can get that child the help and attention she needs now so her issues don’t escalate.
Bottle security is a real issue and it should always be taken seriously. Your business and employees should do everything possible to ensure you never contribute to a minor being hurt or killed by getting access to alcohol from your shelves. Bottle Locks can help keep that from happening. They have different alarm capabilities, and they keep the lids secured shut. We have already made changes to our product protection plan. Every bottle on the shelf has a Bottle Lock around it’s neck. They are virtually indestructible, and I know they keep the bottles secured until they are sold. To an adult.
For more information about Bottle Locks, contact us: 1.770.426.0547 or Bottlelock.net
How much is your license worth? I’m not talking about a driver’s license; I mean your alcohol license. Would the investment in Bottle Locks be worth the time and effort you spent getting your business licensed to sell beer and wine? In my state, the store manager of the business has to have the license in their name, because they are responsible for the daily operations, paperwork and invoice retention, and training of the employees. I had to get fingerprinted, submit an additional background check, and endure several hours of training in order to receive the licenses and permits necessary to sell bottled beer and wine. In some states, if a minor is able to obtain alcohol, via buying it illegally or even stealing it from the store, that business can lose it’s license! Now, to be completely honest, I manage a small retail pharmacy. We only sell those products to drive traffic into our store, and to be able to advertise we have something our competition does not. So that said, bottle security has not really been my biggest concern. However, a situation that arose recently has forced me to think otherwise.
When parents come into my store with children, they don’t always keep them right at their side. Although we don’t have any type of toy section, some parents let them wonder through the aisles unsupervised. Most times the kids are just walking around, texting or playing games, on their phones. Other times, they are trashing the place, running around and screaming, like little monsters. Then there are the sneaky ones that are trying new things and want to see how far they can push their limits. This latter one was the kind of kid I dealt with yesterday. To begin with, about a month ago we found a near empty bottle of cheap wine hidden behind some other products. (We don’t have Bottle Locks on every single item over in the wine section, only the more premium high retail brands.) When we reviewed video footage, we were shocked to see it was a young girl, so not at all what we expected. She had a water bottle with her, and she poured that wine into it, while the woman she was with was buying her prescription. Honestly though, we chalked it up to a one time thing and just moved on. We figured it was just a kid making a bad choice and it wouldn’t happen again. We were wrong. One: about the girl, and two: about not attaching Bottle Locks to every single bottle.
This past weekend we were working on the sales floor and found another empty bottle of the same stuff we had found the month prior. Something told my assistant that same girl had been the culprit, and the video proved him to be correct. She came in with the same woman, and did the exact same thing as last time. This time I knew something had to be done. I am a parent of a fifteen year old, and I would want to know if this was happening with her. I did some detective work, and was able to determine who she was with by reviewing prescription records. I called the woman who informed me this was her neighbor’s child, and she was only with her because her mother was at work. So this girl was coming to the store, stealing this wine, and going home afterward to drink it while she was alone in the house. This was going from bad to worse. I got the mother’s phone number and called her, knowing she was again at work. Our bottle security issues paled in comparison to the problems this mother could face in the future if she was not informed of what this child was up to. The mother called me back and we talked for some time. She confided in me some other problems she was having with this girl, who in fact turned twelve years old this past weekend. TWELVE! I don’t wish that mother’s problems on anyone, and I hope they can get that child the help and attention she needs now so her issues don’t escalate.
Bottle security is a real issue and it should always be taken seriously. Your business and employees should do everything possible to ensure you never contribute to a minor being hurt or killed by getting access to alcohol from your shelves. Bottle Locks can help keep that from happening. They have different alarm capabilities, and they keep the lids secured shut. We have already made changes to our product protection plan. Every bottle on the shelf has a Bottle Lock around it’s neck. They are virtually indestructible, and I know they keep the bottles secured until they are sold. To an adult.
For more information about Bottle Locks, contact us: 1.770.426.0547 or Bottlelock.net
