At this point, I have lost count of the amount of shoplifters I have caught throughout my career, but I still remember most of the stories that came from the shoplifters. In order to prevent shoplifting in your store, it’s sometimes good to look back and learn from past experiences. Shoplifters say and do the strangest things. Some of the experiences you can learn lessons from, and some are just entertaining.
I have actually had more than one person try to talk their way out of trouble by saying that the medication they are taking makes them steal. Keep in mind, these shoplifters actually cut open packages and removed retail anti-theft devices from the products they were stealing. After talking to them for a while, they both said that they were making up their stories. I’ve heard of some crazy side effects of medications on television commercials, but I don’t believe one of them was shoplifting.
One of my most memorable experiences was a teenager I caught stealing and he asked me if I liked my job. I told him that I did, and he then proceeded to tell me that he could get me a better job if I let him leave. At this point I laughed a bit, but tried to stay professional and finished listening to his sales pitch. He then said that his father has a lot of money and he could easily get me a better job making more money. So then I let him go…no not really!
Another situation I have seen on multiple occasions is someone asking their parents or spouses if they can purchase something, and they don’t like the answer they receive. You may already have guessed it, but yes, they then steal the item they were denied. One time they even went into the very next aisle over and put the merchandise in their pants. What’s interesting is that when they are stopped for shoplifting, they say that it’s the other person’s fault because they didn’t let them buy the merchandise. Needless to say, this didn’t seem to make their parents or spouse very happy.
No matter what you do to prevent shoplifting from happening, thieves are still going to try to come up with crazy ideas to get away with stealing. I had a shoplifter years ago that though he was really smart, but then realized he wasn’t at all. He walked over to the area with electronics merchandise and found a home theater system that someone forgot to put an anti-theft device on, and put it in a shopping cart. On his way out of the department, he grabbed a small shopping bag from the register. Then he passed by the toys and picked up a small toy and placed it into the bag before walking out of the store without paying. Apparently, the idea was to try to make it appear as if he made a purchase by bagging the small toy that was only about $3. What he didn’t realize until after we stopped him, was that the home theater system was just a penny under the felony amount for the state, and bagging up that toy turned a misdemeanor into a felony. There’s no way he could talk his way out of that one.
For more information contact us: (prevent shoplifting) or call 1.770.426.0547
At this point, I have lost count of the amount of shoplifters I have caught throughout my career, but I still remember most of the stories that came from the shoplifters. In order to prevent shoplifting in your store, it’s sometimes good to look back and learn from past experiences. Shoplifters say and do the strangest things. Some of the experiences you can learn lessons from, and some are just entertaining.
I have actually had more than one person try to talk their way out of trouble by saying that the medication they are taking makes them steal. Keep in mind, these shoplifters actually cut open packages and removed retail anti-theft devices from the products they were stealing. After talking to them for a while, they both said that they were making up their stories. I’ve heard of some crazy side effects of medications on television commercials, but I don’t believe one of them was shoplifting.
One of my most memorable experiences was a teenager I caught stealing and he asked me if I liked my job. I told him that I did, and he then proceeded to tell me that he could get me a better job if I let him leave. At this point I laughed a bit, but tried to stay professional and finished listening to his sales pitch. He then said that his father has a lot of money and he could easily get me a better job making more money. So then I let him go…no not really!
Another situation I have seen on multiple occasions is someone asking their parents or spouses if they can purchase something, and they don’t like the answer they receive. You may already have guessed it, but yes, they then steal the item they were denied. One time they even went into the very next aisle over and put the merchandise in their pants. What’s interesting is that when they are stopped for shoplifting, they say that it’s the other person’s fault because they didn’t let them buy the merchandise. Needless to say, this didn’t seem to make their parents or spouse very happy.
No matter what you do to prevent shoplifting from happening, thieves are still going to try to come up with crazy ideas to get away with stealing. I had a shoplifter years ago that though he was really smart, but then realized he wasn’t at all. He walked over to the area with electronic merchandise and found a home theater system that someone forgot to put an anti-theft device on, and put it in a shopping cart. On his way out of the department, he grabbed a small shopping bag from the register. Then he passed by the toys and picked up a small toy and placed it into the bag before walking out of the store without paying. Apparently, the idea was to try to make it appear as if he made a purchase by bagging the small toy that was only about $3. What he didn’t realize until after we stopped him, was that the home theater system was just a penny under the felony amount for the state, and bagging up that toy turned a misdemeanor into a felony. There’s no way he could talk his way out of that one.
For more information contact us: Prevent Shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547
A few articles back, I talked about my love for grilling and how it annoyed me that so many people find it acceptable to steal steaks from the grocery store. One thing I didn’t talk about was Liquor. In my state, we don’t have liquor stores. Every retailer and grocery store sells alcohol, which poses its own set of challenges from theft. If I’m a greedy thief, I may as well steal a bottle of my favorite spirit on way out with that steak in my shirt. I was a manager at a grocery store for a little while, and I can tell you that we leveraged our checkpoint system to fight shoplifting almost every day.
When you think about liquor bottle and checkpoint systems, you more than likely go right away to those bulky bottle locks. I’ve never really been a fan of these. I always had cashiers breaking or losing the keys, and even though they didn’t interfere with the way my product was merchandise, I didn’t like for my legitimate customer to have to wait for me to take the lock off. I tinkered around with the idea of checkpoint labels for a long time and found a solution that worked really well for my store.
Instead of bulky hard tags, I used a simple clear checkpoint label that went right over the barcode. My store had already been using the checkpoint system for years and were happy with the results it gave us. This didn’t’ take any additional equipment and the labels themselves were very inexpensive. We started using the clear checkpoint labels on our high end wine, and when we saw the difference it was making, quickly deployed it to our spirits and eventually anything over $25. It seemed as if the only people who were aware of the change were our shoplifters, who by the way, could not seem to defeat the tags since the adhesive made the label almost permanent. I didn’t spend too much of my career in the grocery business, but this is one of the clever solutions that I bring with me throughout my day. Thieves will try anything to steal from you, and It’s up to us to find every solution to fight back!
For more information, contact us: KW, or call 1.770.426.0547
A few articles back, I talked about my love for grilling and how it annoyed me that so many people find it acceptable to steal steaks from the grocery store. One thing I didn’t talk about was liquor. In my state, we don’t have liquor stores. Every retailer and grocery store sells alcohol, which poses its own set of challenges from theft. If I’m a greedy thief, I may as well steal a bottle of my favorite spirit on way out with that steak in my shirt. I was a manager at a grocery store for a little while, and I can tell you that we leveraged our Checkpoint System to fight shoplifting almost every day.
When you think about liquor bottle and Checkpoint Systems, you more than likely go right away to those bulky bottle locks. I’ve never really been a fan of these. I always had cashiers breaking or losing the keys, and even though they didn’t interfere with the way my product was merchandised, I didn’t like for my legitimate customers to have to wait for me to take the lock off. I tinkered around with the idea of Checkpoint Labels for a long time and found a solution that worked really well for my store.
Instead of bulky hard tags, I used a simple clear Checkpoint Label that went right over the barcode. My store had already been using the Checkpoint System for years and were happy with the results it gave us. This didn’t take any additional equipment and the labels themselves were very inexpensive. We started using the clear Checkpoint Labels on our high end wine, and when we saw the difference it was making, quickly deployed it to our spirits and eventually anything over $25. It seemed as if the only people who were aware of the change were our shoplifters, who by the way, could not seem to defeat the tags since the adhesive made the label almost permanent. I didn’t spend too much of my career in the grocery business, but this is one of the clever solutions that I bring with me throughout my day. Thieves will try anything to steal from you, and it’s up to us to find every solution to fight back!
For more information, contact us at Antishoplifting.net, or call 1.770.426.0547
How many times have you seen a movie or sitcom where a woman plans to buy a garment for a big event and return it for a refund afterward. She spends the whole evening trying not to spill something on herself, but inevitably ends up having some comical accident that causes her to be stuck with it instead. In the movies, it is pretty predictable that she won’t be able to return the outfit, but the not so funny truth is that this happens to retailers in the real world. The official term for people that purchase, wear, and return a garment (on purpose, not because the item is defective) is “wardrober”, and it’s not funny when it happens to your business.
Clothing Security, especially for a small retailer that may specialize in formal wear, is essential and must include a refund policy that addresses these types of scammers. It is not a feasible business model to have people purchase outfits and accessories for their big event from your store, and then return the merchandise for a full refund the next day. I am ashamed to say that my own niece made a remark to me about doing just this thing with her prom dress this year. She simply could not afford the dress she had picked out, and her intention was to wear it to the dance, change right afterward, and take it back to the store. She planned to tell them it was terribly uncomfortable and she did not want to keep it. I told her she needed to find a more affordable option at the store or buy from somewhere else. I had bought my wedding dress from these people, and I told her I would call the store myself and tell them not to take her purchase back if she went through with it. Thankfully, she found a dress she could buy and keep, before time for the big dance.
If your business deals with these types of returns, there is something you can do to reduce them. The Shark Tag can be a new addition to your refund policy, and it could save you from having to deal with people trying this tactic. These are simple gadgets, that look like a small clothes pin, and attach to the garment without any damage to the product. You can have them pre-attached to the inventory, as they do not impede the customer trying on the item, or the way it fits. Your store can also choose to attach the Shark Tag at the time of purchase. You can even have small printed copies of your store’s refund policy, and attach them to the garment with the pins of the tag. The customer is immediately made aware that they cannot return the item for a full refund unless the brightly colored tag is still fully attached.
This ingenious tag is designed to be removed at home, by the consumer, with just a pair of scissors. It also is designed so that it cannot be put back on once removed without visible signs of being tampered with. Shark Tags attach easily to the front of the dress or other clothing item, usually near the neckline. They are a strong, clearly visible deterrent to someone that is contemplating the scam of buying and wearing the merchandise to the planned event only to return it afterward. Someone planning to try this at your store will likely change their mind once they realize they cannot remove the Shark Tag.
For more information contact us: Clothingsecurity.net or call 1.770.814.0547
How many times have you seen a movie or sitcom where a woman plans to buy a garment for a big event and return it for a refund afterward. She spends the whole evening trying not to spill something on herself, but inevitably ends up having some comical accident that causes her to be stuck with it instead. In the movies, it is pretty predictable that she won’t be able to return the outfit, but the not so funny truth is that this happens to retailers in the real world. The official term for people that purchase, wear, and return a garment (on purpose, not because the item is defective) is “wardrober”, and it’s not funny when it happens to your business.
Clothing Security, especially for a small retailer that may specialize in formal wear, is essential and must include a refund policy that addresses these types of scammers. It is not a feasible business model to have people purchase outfits and accessories for their big event from your store, and then return the merchandise for a full refund the next day. I am ashamed to say that my own niece made a remark to me about doing just this thing with her prom dress this year. She simply could not afford the dress she had picked out, and her intention was to wear it to the dance, change right afterward, and take it back to the store. She planned to tell them it was terribly uncomfortable and she did not want to keep it. I told her she needed to find a more affordable option at the store or buy from somewhere else. I had bought my wedding dress from these people, and I told her I would call the store myself and tell them not to take her purchase back if she went through with it. Thankfully, she found a dress she could buy and keep, before time for the big dance.
If your business deals with these types of returns, there is something you can do to reduce them. The Alpha Shark Tag can be a new addition to your refund policy, and it could save you from having to deal with people trying this tactic. These are simple gadgets, that look like a small clothes pin, and attach to the garment without any damage to the product. You can have them pre-attached to the inventory, as they do not impede the customer trying on the item, or the way it fits. Your store can also choose to attach the Alpha Shark Tag at the time of purchase. You can even have small printed copies of your store’s refund policy, and attach them to the garment with the pins of the tag. The customer is immediately made aware that they cannot return the item for a full refund unless the brightly colored tag is still fully attached.
This ingenious tag is designed to be removed at home, by the consumer, with just a pair of scissors. It also is designed so that it cannot be put back on once removed without visible signs of being tampered with. Alpha Shark Tags attach easily to the front of the dress or other clothing item, usually near the neckline. They are a strong, clearly visible deterrent to someone that is contemplating the scam of buying and wearing the merchandise to the planned event only to return it afterward. Someone planning to try this at your store will likely change their mind once they realize they cannot remove the Shark Tag.
For more information contact us: Clothingsecurity.net or call 1.770.814.0547
