Studies show that about 55% of drug theft from a pharmacy is caused by burglaries and armed robberies. Sadly, the other 45% is stolen by the employees themselves. “You gotta believe.” This is also a key in stopping internal drug theft before it starts. After being in the retail pharmacy business for over 14 years, I have seen a number of cases, and each time it happens I hear people say they just cannot believe this person would steal from their workplace. If you do not think it can happen in your business, it probably already has. Anti-theft measures and tools in a pharmacy, like inventory tracking and RX caps, are important factors in deterring and detecting prescription drug theft.
There is a certain level of trust that any manager or owner must have in their employees in order to be able to ever go home at night. They can become like family to you. But with a perception of need, the availability of the product, and their own internal justification, drug theft and diversion is a true and distinct possibility.
Most high level controlled drugs and narcotics are in some kind of safe or locked cabinet. Unfortunately, this does not stop them from being taken. A pharmacist can have an addiction problem or the more tenured technicians could be given access to these by an over-trusting pharmacist. One helpful tool to add to these most targeted and highly addictive pain relievers is RX caps. These secure the bottles until they are ready to be dispensed. Then they are opened with a special key when needed. There would need to be a check and balance system in place in order to not only protect the keys, but also to monitor their use. If there is an attempt to remove a bottle from the designated area, the detection system would cause an alarm to sound. Depending on the alarm level, the RX caps can also self alarm due to tampering or continue to emit sound a certain distance from the area.
There also needs to be an inventory tracking system that will alert the staff to a problem or an exception. If you buy 3 bottles of Drug-A every ordering cycle, you should be dispensing an amount sufficient enough to warrant the purchase. If you notice that the ordering of Drug-A has been “upped” to 5 bottles every cycle while the dispensing remains at the 3 bottle level, it should cause a red flag immediately. Maybe there is a problem with the ordering system. You certainly do not want to have all of that inventory building on your shelves when it is not needed. They may expire before they are ever used up. The other distinct possibility is that someone is ordering the extra bottles to cover diversion. If your system indicates you have the pills in stock and they are not there, then someone will start to investigate quicker than if the 3 bottles needed are sitting on the shelf as expected.
Between these two tools, RX caps and intense tracking, the threat of drug theft and diversion can be significantly decreased and even deterred. If employees know you are watching, tracking and protecting the inventory, they will be less likely to attempt to steal. They may still perceive the need, but you have taken away the opportunity.
For more information contact us: 1.770.426.0547 or Antishoplifting.net
Studies show that about 55% of drug theft from a pharmacy is caused by burglaries and armed robberies. Sadly, the other 45% is stolen by the employees themselves. “You gotta believe.” This is also a key in stopping internal drug theft before it starts. After being in the retail pharmacy business for over 14 years, I have seen a number of cases, and each time it happens I hear people say they just cannot believe this person would steal from their workplace. If you do not think it can happen in your business, it probably already has. Anti-theft measures and tools in a pharmacy, like inventory tracking and Alpha RX caps, are important factors in deterring and detecting prescription drug theft.
There is a certain level of trust that any manager or owner must have in their employees in order to be able to ever go home at night. They can become like family to you. But with a perception of need, the availability of the product, and their own internal justification, drug theft and diversion is a true and distinct possibility.
Most high level controlled drugs and narcotics are in some kind of safe or locked cabinet. Unfortunately, this does not stop them from being taken. A pharmacist can have an addiction problem or the more tenured technicians could be given access to these by an over-trusting pharmacist. One helpful tool to add to these most targeted and highly addictive pain relievers is Alpha RX caps. These secure the bottles until they are ready to be dispensed. Then they are opened with a special key when needed. There would need to be a check and balance system in place in order to not only protect the keys, but also to monitor their use. If there is an attempt to remove a bottle from the designated area, the detection system would cause an alarm to sound. Depending on the alarm level, the RX Caps can also self alarm due to tampering or continue to emit sound a certain distance from the area.
There also needs to be an inventory tracking system that will alert the staff to a problem or an exception. If you buy 3 bottles of Drug-A every ordering cycle, you should be dispensing an amount sufficient enough to warrant the purchase. If you notice that the ordering of Drug-A has been “upped” to 5 bottles every cycle while the dispensing remains at the 3 bottle level, it should cause a red flag immediately. Maybe there is a problem with the ordering system. You certainly do not want to have all of that inventory building on your shelves when it is not needed. They may expire before they are ever used up. The other distinct possibility is that someone is ordering the extra bottles to cover diversion. If your system indicates you have the pills in stock and they are not there, then someone will start to investigate quicker than if the 3 bottles needed are sitting on the shelf as expected. Between these two tools, Alpha RX caps and intense tracking, the threat of drug theft and diversion can be significantly decreased and even deterred. If employees know you are watching, tracking and protecting the inventory, they will be less likely to attempt to steal. They may still perceive the need, but you have taken away the opportunity.
For more information contact us: 1.770.426.0547 or Antishoplifting.net
When making a decision on where to buy quality clothing, a good home entertainment system, or even some new furniture for your house, how do you usually decide where to shop? Most people turn to Google to find the closest location with the best deal. One thing that Google doesn’t have is a recommendation from someone you trust. If your best friend suggests shopping at a certain store, you trust their recommendation, right? Especially if they brag about the great customer service experience, prices, and the quality merchandise. This recommendation carries a lot of weight for you, builds a credible reputation for the business. Creating a reputation can also help a store to prevent shoplifting.
Believe it or not, this occurs with a store’s reputation of security, customer service, and how easy it is to steal from that store. However, criminals spread word of mouth about poor customer service, unsecure merchandise, poor alarm response and ultimately ability to shoplift undetected. These attributes make a store more appealing for shoplifters to target. If the word on the street is that a store is hard to steal from undetected, most shoplifters will choose a better-recommended store.
Over the many years that I have been working in retail loss prevention, I have observed and apprehended hundreds of shoplifters. I have also witnessed many shoplifters and thieves case a store to size up its security. There are a few things I have witnessed shoplifters pay close attention to when sizing up a “score.”
The first thing that they look for is merchandise security. Are most expensive items locked up on the sales floor? Do they have locking peg hooks, Alpha spider wraps, Alpha 3 Alarm cables, or other Alpha security devices? How difficult would it be to defeat any security devices without being detected? If you have one of your best-selling items left unsecured and ready for the taking, it is at high risk for shoplifting. Items that are shoplifted tend to be the same items that are in high demand for paying customers, and are thus high-selling items.
The next thing they size up is store staffing. Does the store have a lot of employees? Are those employees busy accomplishing tasks on the sales floor, or are they greeting every customer that comes within fifteen feet of them? At what time is the store staffed the least? Do employees have a good knowledge of what product is in their store? All of these help a thief decide whether they are likely to be approached or caught by an employee while they are shoplifting. Likewise, engaging customers and providing a great customer experience is one of the best ways to prevent shoplifting.
The third most important aspect of security that shoplifters will assess is the store’s security system. Do they have a Checkpoint security system or other electronic article surveillance that will sound an alarm at the door? Are the devices that will activate the alarm on the desired merchandise? Are there many cameras and public-view monitors around the store that will detect their theft? Is there an armed guard at the entrance? A weaker security system within a store certainly does make it a more desirable target for thieves.
When making a decision on where to buy quality clothing, a good home entertainment system, or even some new furniture for your house, how do you usually decide where to shop? Most people turn to Google to find the closest location with the best deal. One thing that Google doesn’t have is a recommendation from someone you trust. If your best friend suggests shopping at a certain store, you trust their recommendation, right? Especially if they brag about the great customer service experience, prices, and the quality merchandise. This recommendation carries a lot of weight for you, builds a credible reputation for the business. Creating a reputation can also help a store to prevent shoplifting.
Believe it or not, this occurs with a store’s reputation of security, customer service, and how easy it is to steal from that store. However, criminals spread word of mouth about poor customer service, unsecure merchandise, poor alarm response and ultimately ability to shoplift undetected. These attributes make a store more appealing for shoplifters to target. If the word on the street is that a store is hard to steal from undetected, most shoplifters will choose a better-recommended store.
Over the many years that I have been working in retail loss prevention, I have observed and apprehended hundreds of shoplifters. I have also witnessed many shoplifters and thieves case a store to size up its security. There are a few things I have witnessed shoplifters pay close attention to when sizing up a “score.”
The first thing that they look for is merchandise security. Are most expensive items locked up on the sales floor? Do they have locking peg hooks, Alpha Spider Wraps, Alpha 3 Alarm Cables, or other Alpha security devices? How difficult would it be to defeat any security devices without being detected? If you have one of your best-selling items left unsecured and ready for the taking, it is at high risk for shoplifting. Items that are shoplifted tend to be the same items that are in high demand for paying customers, and are thus high-selling items.
The next thing they size up is store staffing. Does the store have a lot of employees? Are those employees busy accomplishing tasks on the sales floor, or are they greeting every customer that comes within fifteen feet of them? At what time is the store staffed the least? Do employees have a good knowledge of what product is in their store? All of these help a thief decide whether they are likely to be approached or caught by an employee while they are shoplifting. Likewise, engaging customers and providing a great customer experience is one of the best ways to prevent shoplifting.
The third most important aspect of security that shoplifters will assess is the store’s security system. Do they have a Checkpoint Security System or other electronic article surveillance that will sound an alarm at the door? Are the devices that will activate the alarm on the desired merchandise? Are there many cameras and public-view monitors around the store that will detect their theft? Is there an armed guard at the entrance? A weaker security system within a store certainly does make it a more desirable target for thieves.
Keep in mind how these three elements of safety and security are present in your store, and what you are doing to prevent theft. Know that these things do not only affect who walks into the store, but also what people are saying about your store out on the street.
For more information contact us: Prevent Shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547
Question:
Is there any product that can protect bottles for liquor, wine, or other spirits that are sold on shelves that have a very tight shelf clearance?
Solution:
Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. constantly receives feedback from retailers that have such tight shelf restrictions that they cannot utilize bottle cap devices such as EASy Guard and other similar products. Alpha High Theft Solutions has come up with an incredible resolution to this problem-the Crystal Guard bottle cap device. This product contains a clear acrylic cap that has a very small footprint on the top. Crystal Guard protects your liquor and wine merchandise the exact same way that other bottle cap devices do, yet also have additional features. One of these accompanying features includes a transparent cap, which enables the customer and merchant to see the tax stamp and product labels.
Crystal Guard products are available in four sizes; small, large, extra-large, and tall. All four of these sizes accommodate the vast majority of liquor, wine, spirits, and other similar merchandise bottles available in the market. The device is also easily applicable to your merchandise with just a simple twist of the hand. It can also be easily removed by a merchant by using an Alpha S3 key. The product is also available in RF and AM configurations. Crystal Guard is an elegant and visually appealing solution for your bottle security.
One of the biggest benefits of any Alpha Bottle Security products is product denial. This benefit prevents shoplifters and thieves from being able to open the bottle in the store. If the shoplifters do remove the bottle from the store, chances are the bottle will shatter prior to them removing the cap.
Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. has participated in beta sales with Alpha High Theft Solutions to help evaluate their bottle solutions. Our researchers found from independent testing that Alpha’s bottle security products resisted attacks from shoplifters exceptionally well. Alpha’s Crystal Guard design also utilizes pain-points underneath the bottom of the cap to prevent thieves from attempting to pry the device off. This feature discourages theft while causing discomfort to the shoplifter without severely injuring or cutting the assailant.
Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) is known as the premier national seller inside the U.S. regarding Alpha High Theft Products and Checkpoint Solutions. We have got nationwide sales, supplies, as well as services. Loss Prevention Systems delivers much more than shoplifting products. Our expertise in retail theft prevention allows LPSI to supply real life training and methods for loss prevention. Eliminate theft for good with Loss Prevention Systems (LPSI), Checkpoint, and Alpha High Theft Solutions systems.
To learn more about Alpha Bottle Security, contact 1(770)426-0547 right away!
