Advantages Of
Using Sensormatic Security Labels Over Other Brands
As a Loss Prevention Manager I often
wondered whether there was any advantage for stores that used Sensormatic
security labels versus the electronic article surveillance labels I was
accustomed to using. I had used big tags when I first started out in the 1990’s
in Loss Prevention and was pleased when those anti-theft labels got smaller but
they were still bigger than the tags I saw competitor retailers using. The
labels my peers were using were little rectangular plastic-looking contraptions
but they were adhesive just like our labels. I knew some of the disadvantages
of using the labels I was used to using. Size of the labels and issues with
some materials causing false alarms at the towers were two of the big
disadvantages. But what could the other product offer that would have been to
the advantage of our store?
Sensormatic Security Labels Reduce Shoplifting
I wasn’t in a position to influence change
in the anti-theft tools our company was using. Those directions came far above
my pay grade. I also don’t want to give the impression that the electronic
article surveillance (EAS) labels we were using weren’t working. EAS is an
effective deterrent to crime and is always better than nothing at all. But I
will say there is a marked difference in how they perform. They both work but
one is more reliable and has distinct advantages over the other. After learning
more about Sensormatic security labels (and later using them with another
retailer). I have to say, they are a significantly superior product if I had
the choice between the two.
One of the problems I encountered with the
EAS systems I was used to using was that we experienced phantom alarms. There
were many things that could create these false alarms. Foil gift wrap, tin foil
rolls for cooking, even coiled cords on vacuum cleaners and power tools could
set the alarm towers off. If you have any knowledge at all about EAS systems
you know how annoying these can be to customers and employees. A shopper pays
for their purchase and prepares to leave and they set off the alarm causing
everyone nearby to stop and stare. Uggghhh, it is uncomfortable and can be
embarrassing, I’ve been in that position. When an employee comes to check on
the alarm it can take an extended amount of time trying to determine if there
is unpaid merchandise or if the alarm is a phantom. I even had enough phantom
alarms one time that I had to place a service call in that ended up being a
waste of the technician’s time and a waste of store money.
Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) is in
the business of helping business owners combat retail theft and fraud. They
recognize not only the importance of EAS to prevent shoplifting but that any
system that is installed has to be reliable. Second-hand equipment, cut-rate
systems and systems that are prone to false alarms can result in poor employee
response when the towers are activated. Shoplifters see the workers go through
the pretense of receipt and bag checks without being thorough. The crooks can
tell which stores are attentive and which are lax and target the easier prey. LPSI
makes a point of recommending the Sensormatic security systems and labels to
their clientele. The equipment is reliable and so are the Sensormatic security
labels that should be used with them.
As I stated earlier, I have used several
different name brands of EAS labels in my career and I have a very strong
opinion about which I prefer. Sensormatic is my preferred vendor and I know if
you give the equipment a try you would see for yourself why I am enthusiastic
about them. I recommend you visit the LPSI website to find out how you can
improve your profit line with a Sensormatic system.
For more
information about Sensormatic security labels contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
Trying To Stop Shoplifting Can Be Crazy – How Do You Do It?
Three employees try to stop shoplifting by two or was it three shoplifters at once? Sounds crazy doesn’t it? Well, that was what happened the other night at the store I work at as a sales associate. It was getting to be a bit after 7:00pm and I was on a cash register, the manager on duty was helping me ring up sales and the third employee was busy assisting another customer. I noticed a customer walk in who seemed very fidgety and I greeted him from my register and asked if he would need help. He asked where printer ink was located and I gave him directions and kept an eye on the cctv monitor for that area. I pointed him out to my manager. We both noticed a second individual walk into another area with electronics merchandise in it. We worked to get our lines down so we could provide customer service to these two “customers”. The manager working with me recognizes my Loss Prevention Management background and respects my suspicions when something or someone does not feel right. I would ask owners of smaller, self-owned stores what do YOU do to prevent theft? Do you know how crooks operate and the methods they use to rip off stores? Do you understand the impact dishonest employees and shoplifters have on a business? Training to reduce employee theft and stop shoplifting can bring you up to speed and actually help improve the bottom line for your business.
You read correctly that I was formerly a Loss Prevention Manager and I have over 28 total years of retail experience. I have seen the different ways large stores try to train employees and managers on how to prevent theft but they are not all equal and in many cases it is done only in a poor video training format. The best training I have found incorporates a live training session(s) in addition to follow-up videos and training modules. I have conducted new hire orientations and spent time coaching cashiers on how to prevent fraudulent transactions. I know first-hand the impact it has on people when they can ask questions and interact with an instructor. That is why I strongly recommend the training to reduce employee theft offered from Loss Prevention Systems Inc. They offer several seminars that teach store owners and managers on theft related issues. They also incorporate webinars, blogs and newsletters into a comprehensive package all with informed information from people who have extensive Loss Prevention backgrounds. You may not be able to afford a Loss Prevention team for your business but you can afford to learn the way to combat theft from Loss Prevention Systems Inc.
To continue with our encounter, I stayed with the customer in the ink department as he pretended to try to contact someone on his phone to get him the information on his printer for the ink he needed. He bided his time to see if I would go away but I’m all about customer service and waited patiently. In the meantime a third suspicious person asked me for directions to the restrooms. The manager had observed this while he was finishing his transactions and said he had watched this guy watch me as I was helping the patron in the ink department (yup, it gets crazy to follow). The manager finished and went to help the second subject in the electronics area. The manager told me later that the subject began rambling about nonsense when the manager offered to assist him. He also told me he saw something in the suspect’s hands that he tried to hide then put down and it turned out to be a box containing $30 earbuds. The box had been torn open and the customer had already started to remove the contents so the manager did stop shoplifting in this case. My suspect finally left the store and hung around the entrance looking back in so I stayed near the front where he could see me. The second suspect, uh, I mean customer, came to the register and put down three sets of earbuds at a total cost of $60 and then said he forgot his wallet and would be right back. Oddly, he never returned and the third suspect left without us seeing him.
I am certain we stopped a significant amount of loss but I could not quantify a total amount. Had this been YOUR store would you and your managers have known what to do? Would you have even recognized the suspicious actions or that the people were probably working together? I can’t be at your store but training to reduce employee theft and prevent shoplifting from LPSI can ensure that you will be able to handle bad guys who want to steal from you effectively and safely.
Need information on training to reduce employee theft? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Three employees try to stop shoplifting by two or was it three shoplifters at once? Sounds crazy doesn’t it? Well, that was what happened the other night at the store I work at as a sales associate. It was getting to be a bit after 7:00pm and I was on a cash register, the manager on duty was helping me ring up sales and the third employee was busy assisting another customer. I noticed a customer walk in who seemed very fidgety and I greeted him from my register and asked if he would need help. He asked where printer ink was located and I gave him directions and kept an eye on the cctv monitor for that area. I pointed him out to my manager. We both noticed a second individual walk into another area with electronics merchandise in it. We worked to get our lines down so we could provide customer service to these two “customers”. The manager working with me recognizes my Loss Prevention Management background and respects my suspicions when something or someone does not feel right. I would ask owners of smaller, self-owned stores what do YOU do to prevent theft? Do you know how crooks operate and the methods they use to rip off stores? Do you understand the impact dishonest employees and shoplifters have on a business? Training to reduce employee theft and stop shoplifting can bring you up to speed and actually help improve the bottom line for your business.
You read correctly that I was formerly a Loss Prevention Manager and I have over 28 total years of retail experience. I have seen the different ways large stores try to train employees and managers on how to prevent theft but they are not all equal and in many cases it is done only in a poor video training format. The best training I have found incorporates a live training session(s) in addition to follow-up videos and training modules. I have conducted new hire orientations and spent time coaching cashiers on how to prevent fraudulent transactions. I know first-hand the impact it has on people when they can ask questions and interact with an instructor. That is why I strongly recommend the training to reduce employee theft offered from Loss Prevention Systems Inc. They offer several seminars that teach store owners and managers on theft related issues. They also incorporate webinars, blogs and newsletters into a comprehensive package all with informed information from people who have extensive Loss Prevention backgrounds. You may not be able to afford a Loss Prevention team for your business but you can afford to learn the way to combat theft from Loss Prevention Systems Inc.
To continue with our encounter, I stayed with the customer in the ink department as he pretended to try to contact someone on his phone to get him the information on his printer for the ink he needed. He bided his time to see if I would go away but I’m all about customer service and waited patiently. In the meantime a third suspicious person asked me for directions to the restrooms. The manager had observed this while he was finishing his transactions and said he had watched this guy watch me as I was helping the patron in the ink department (yup, it gets crazy to follow). The manager finished and went to help the second subject in the electronics area. The manager told me later that the subject began rambling about nonsense when the manager offered to assist him. He also told me he saw something in the suspect’s hands that he tried to hide then put down and it turned out to be a box containing $30 earbuds. The box had been torn open and the customer had already started to remove the contents so the manager did stop shoplifting in this case. My suspect finally left the store and hung around the entrance looking back in so I stayed near the front where he could see me. The second suspect, uh, I mean customer, came to the register and put down three sets of earbuds at a total cost of $60 and then said he forgot his wallet and would be right back. Oddly, he never returned and the third suspect left without us seeing him.
I am certain we stopped a significant amount of loss but I could not quantify a total amount. Had this been YOUR store would you and your managers have known what to do? Would you have even recognized the suspicious actions or that the people were probably working together? I can’t be at your store but training to reduce employee theft and prevent shoplifting from LPSI can ensure that you will be able to handle bad guys who want to steal from you effectively and safely.
Don’t Settle For Stagnant Shortage Results – Use Sensormatic Labels
If I were to ask retail owners if they would like to stop shoplifting from taking place in their stores I feel certain I would receive a 100% response in the affirmative. I would also guarantee a 100% affirmative response if I were to ask retailers if they would like to increase profits. Interestingly to me however is the fact that a recent 2018 National Retail Security Survey, found that there was a 22.2% decrease in the use of “Acousto-magnetic, electronic security tags” from 2017-2018 (pg. 10). This category would include Sensormatic labels of all types, including the HBC labels for health and beauty products and the Ultra strip III rolls. Now before I hit the panic button let me be clear, there were increases in other categories of Retail Loss Prevention Systems. For example the report listed budget increases for “Theft deterrent devices” which would include Sensormatic Safers, wraps, etc. So not all areas of retail theft protection have been neglected but the reporting that a 22.2% decrease in acousto-magnetic tag spending is concerning to me. As a former Loss Prevention Manager I believe this is a poor decision on the part of retailers.
The report indicates that shortage remains about flat to previous years at 1.33% (pg.5). Let me ask you a question, if your store sales remained flat to previous years would you be excited about this? Certainly not! You would take steps to improve profits. Well, shrink reduction is one place to start and it can be done quickly and results will be seen almost immediately. Bringing that 1.33% down by half is not unreasonable. Remember, that percentage is an average percentage for retailers. Your store(s) could very well be experiencing shrink much higher than this. As we break down shortage we find from the report that external theft accounted for 36.5% of store losses in 2017. Internal theft or employee theft resulted in an additional 30% of store losses. Combined, on average this could be 66.5% of your merchandise shortage and does not include an estimated 5.4% attributed to vendor theft or fraud. Bill Bregar, owner of Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. knows how theft takes a significant bite out of store profits. Bill has developed and operated Loss Prevention programs at the National Director level for major retailers. He draws on that experience to help business owners improve their profits through improved sales and reduced shortage. Like me, Bill DOES recommend the use of Sensormatic labels and hard tags to prevent shoplifting and internal theft to his clients.
I mentioned that you could bring shrink down by almost half and it can be done quickly. Bill agrees with me here as well and if you will take a look at the ROI calculator on the Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. website you will see that is the amount his company estimates you would reduce shrink by if you were to install a retail anti-theft system and use Sensormatic labels and tags. Sitting stagnate and accepting 1.33% losses is an unacceptable proposition when that figure can be easily improved upon.
One other aspect of the report that concerned me is that approximately 42% of stores in this survey experienced shrinkage of 1.5% and higher (with 9% of stores experiencing over 3% in shortage) (pg. 5). And what are some of the types of anti-theft measures that are increasingly being used in stores? “Simulated, visible CCTV” and “Observation mirrors” are listed as seeing a 27.0% and 9% increase since 2017 respectively (pg. 10). I have nothing against CCTV or the use of mirrors in stores. I used live CCTV and recorded video to catch shoplifters and dishonest employees. Mirrors can help with seeing corners that may be out of the line of sight of employees. Using simulated CCTV may deter a minimal amount of theft but Sensormatic labels are a much more effective method to stop shoplifting. They act as a deterrent AND they set off alarm towers providing trained employees an opportunity to recover merchandise before it gets out the door. Mirrors are only effective if employees are watching them and going to those corners but do your employees have time to be watching mirrors? Unless you have a Loss Prevention Associate working the benefits are negligible at best.
Investing in a Sensormatic system is the smart choice for store owners. They are proven to stop shoplifting and employee theft. I have first-hand experience recovering merchandise that was going to be stolen had an electronic article surveillance alarm not set off an alarm tower. Don’t waste money on technology that will not provide the same results. Keep merchandise out of the hands of thieves and in the store where it will be bought and see sales soar. Invest in Sensormatic security systems!
Need information on Sensormatic labels? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
If I were to ask retail owners if they would like to stop shoplifting from taking place in their stores I feel certain I would receive a 100% response in the affirmative. I would also guarantee a 100% affirmative response if I were to ask retailers if they would like to increase profits. Interestingly to me however is the fact that a recent 2018 National Retail Security Survey, found that there was a 22.2% decrease in the use of “Acousto-magnetic, electronic security tags” from 2017-2018 (pg. 10). This category would include Sensormatic labels of all types, including the HBC labels for health and beauty products and the Ultra strip III rolls. Now before I hit the panic button let me be clear, there were increases in other categories of Retail Loss Prevention Systems. For example the report listed budget increases for “Theft deterrent devices” which would include Sensormatic Safers, wraps, etc. So not all areas of retail theft protection have been neglected but the reporting that a 22.2% decrease in acousto-magnetic tag spending is concerning to me. As a former Loss Prevention Manager I believe this is a poor decision on the part of retailers.
The report indicates that shortage remains about flat to previous years at 1.33% (pg.5). Let me ask you a question, if your store sales remained flat to previous years would you be excited about this? Certainly not! You would take steps to improve profits. Well, shrink reduction is one place to start and it can be done quickly and results will be seen almost immediately. Bringing that 1.33% down by half is not unreasonable. Remember, that percentage is an average percentage for retailers. Your store(s) could very well be experiencing shrink much higher than this. As we break down shortage we find from the report that external theft accounted for 36.5% of store losses in 2017. Internal theft or employee theft resulted in an additional 30% of store losses. Combined, on average this could be 66.5% of your merchandise shortage and does not include an estimated 5.4% attributed to vendor theft or fraud. Bill Bregar, owner of Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. knows how theft takes a significant bite out of store profits. Bill has developed and operated Loss Prevention programs at the National Director level for major retailers. He draws on that experience to help business owners improve their profits through improved sales and reduced shortage. Like me, Bill DOES recommend the use of Sensormatic labels and hard tags to prevent shoplifting and internal theft to his clients.
I mentioned that you could bring shrink down by almost half and it can be done quickly. Bill agrees with me here as well and if you will take a look at the ROI calculator on the Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. website you will see that is the amount his company estimates you would reduce shrink by if you were to install a retail anti-theft system and use Sensormatic labels and tags. Sitting stagnate and accepting 1.33% losses is an unacceptable proposition when that figure can be easily improved upon.
One other aspect of the report that concerned me is that approximately 42% of stores in this survey experienced shrinkage of 1.5% and higher (with 9% of stores experiencing over 3% in shortage) (pg. 5). And what are some of the types of anti-theft measures that are increasingly being used in stores? “Simulated, visible CCTV” and “Observation mirrors” are listed as seeing a 27.0% and 9% increase since 2017 respectively (pg. 10). I have nothing against CCTV or the use of mirrors in stores. I used live CCTV and recorded video to catch shoplifters and dishonest employees. Mirrors can help with seeing corners that may be out of the line of sight of employees. Using simulated CCTV may deter a minimal amount of theft but Sensormatic labels are a much more effective method to stop shoplifting. They act as a deterrent AND they set off alarm towers providing trained employees an opportunity to recover merchandise before it gets out the door. Mirrors are only effective if employees are watching them and going to those corners but do your employees have time to be watching mirrors? Unless you have a Loss Prevention Associate working the benefits are negligible at best.
Investing in a Sensormatic system is the smart choice for store owners. They are proven to stop shoplifting and employee theft. I have first-hand experience recovering merchandise that was going to be stolen had an electronic article surveillance alarm not set off an alarm tower. Don’t waste money on technology that will not provide the same results. Keep merchandise out of the hands of thieves and in the store where it will be bought and see sales soar. Invest in Sensormatic security systems!
Need information on Sensormatic labels? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
