I saw a commercial on television the other day that made me start to think about integrity and retail traffic counting companies. The commercial was geared towards consumers who are thinking about purchasing a new phone. The business offers free phones but fails to mention the contracts involved or the various fees associated with the purchase of the phone. The commercial has a saleswoman holding a phone contract and a person you assume to be a lawyer standing behind her. Every time she uses the word “free” the lawyer puts up air quotes. The gist of the commercial is that a customer may not be given all of the information for a smart decision. What is perceived to be free really has hidden costs and fees associated with the contracts. Business owners are no different than any other customer when they are making purchases for their stores. Whether it is a point of sale system, an inventory management software suite or people counting systems offered by Loss Prevention Systems Inc., an owner has to be confident he/she is going to get what is promised.
Retail traffic counting companies are businesses that provide sensors that track customer foot traffic in and out of stores. The idea behind people counting systems is that they assist managers in identifying how many customers have been in a store. They should be able to provide day of week and hourly breakdowns of foot traffic. Knowing when patrons are visiting the store can improve scheduling efficiency and optimize sales. By having more associates on the selling floor at peak times customers are more likely to get the help they need in finding products they want. It even increases the likelihood that purchases can be accessorized or a sales clerk upsells a purchase. The dilemma for store owners is determining which are the retail traffic companies that are going to deliver what they promise? Purchasing a system based on pie-in-the-sky promises that sound too good to be true is a bad idea. Unfortunately many sales people do that and there is never a lawyer standing behind them using “air quotes”.
Loss Prevention Systems Inc. is a business that has been around since 1983 and with good reason. It is a company that delivers what it promises. When they sell people counting systems they are able to provide more than a door counting sensor. They can equip stores that have electronic article surveillance (EAS) towers with the LPSI-Evolve store app for real time EAS alarm activity. The aps allows managers to see how many customers are entering and leaving the store at any given moment and they can also be alerted to an EAS alarm activation. Think about the potential this has for impacting sales and shortage in your store.
Suppose you have a mobile device and as you are working you receive an alert indicating a customer has entered your store. You can greet that customer and assist them in finding what they need. If the customer is actually a shoplifter and the EAS tower didn’t make them change their mind about trying to steal when they walked in the building the immediate customer service will. It is a fact that customer service and EAS technology are strong deterrents to theft. Retail traffic counting companies that only tell you how many people visited your stores are giving you old data with limited value. Bill Bregar, founder of Loss Prevention Systems Inc. (LPSI) is aware of the impact live, actionable information can have for stores. Since it is the business of LPSI to assist stores in increasing profits and driving down shortage you can be sure they aren’t over-selling or under-delivering people counting systems and the LPSI-Evolve store app.
Retail traffic counting companies are ready to sell you their systems and their sales staff will promise you what they think you want to hear. Are they reliable or do they have the integrity to stand behind their promises? Remember there won’t be any lawyer there to “air quote” each over-inflated guarantee they try to hook you with. Give LPSI a try and see just how people counting systems really can add to your bottom line.
For more information on people counting systems, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
As a Loss Prevention Manager it can be terribly frustrating to recognize you have to stop shoplifting of a specific product but recognize there are few adequate anti-shoplifting devices for the item(s) in question. I think back to issues I had with pseudoephedrine products before they were placed behind pharmacy counters. I recall boxes of cold medicines designed for persons with high blood pressure that were being stolen for the effects they could give to drug abusers. Sure, we could tag them with electronic article surveillance labels but the crooks could still open the boxes and remove the contents. The other possibility was to keep them off of the shelf and put up signs for customers to ask for the product at the checklanes or pharmacy. That isn’t convenient for anyone. The legitimate customer has to go back to the front lanes to see if there is even any product in the store. If there is product a manager has to get it from a lock-up cabinet or stockroom. The only benefit is that the shoplifter is prevented from stealing merchandise.
There is a better solution for hard to protect products that preclude locking them up in a secure display case or removing them from shelves altogether. The Sensormatic Flexible Safer is the answer that retailers look for that balances customer accessibility with electronic article surveillance protection. Built of strong plastics, these cases are reusable and yet secure. Sensormatic detachers are required to get a Safer open and therefore stop shoplifting criminals who would otherwise tear open a package and conceal the contents circumventing security devices. An additional feature of these cases is the slim design that has minimal impact on the amount of merchandise that can be displayed. Filling shelves is one important strategy in driving sales. Running out of a popular product and not catching it in a timely manner can cost a retailer money. There is also a shortage prevention technique of intentionally limiting quantities of high theft goods to minimize the damage thieves can do to them in a single hit. Again, this can lead to limiting sales if product runs out for the paying customer who isn’t going to look for an associate to help find more product. The Flexible Safer allows merchants to fill shelves with confidence.
As if the benefits I have already written about aren’t enough to convince you on the merits of using Safers here are some other things to consider. Safers allow merchandise to be hung on peg hooks. Consider that traditional shelving means spacing between shelves has to be high enough to allow stocking of shelves. It also means the spacing is determined by the tallest item on the shelf. Shelving also gathers a lot of dust and dirt. Safers on peghooks can be uniform in placement and make stocking easier. Peghooks don’t accumulate dust and spilled drinks on them either making them easier for planogram changes. As a Loss Prevention Manager I also liked to use anti-theft peghooks that only allowed one item at a time to be removed. This was a great way to stop shoplifting by people trying to sweep peghooks for quick theft.
There are products that electronic article surveillance labels and tags work well on. If we were to focus on health and beauty products alone since we are already talking about cold medicines then I would be happy to use a label or tag on toothpaste. From a Loss Prevention standpoint I would tag as many items as possible not considered high theft. Lip balms, store brand medicines, disposable razors and so on would be on my list. Safers would be my go to for merchandise that cannot be protected with electronic article surveillance tags or protective wraps. Make Sensormatic Flexible Safers YOUR go to device to keep your merchandise safe from criminals.
Need information on electronic article surveillance? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 today.
Clothing Security -4 WC Blog 580
Checkpoint Tags-3
ORC Groups Target Designer Clothes – Fight Back With Checkpoint Tags
Apparel retailers are constantly struggling with clothing security issues due to theft. We all are aware that shoplifters are getting their hands on merchandise and creating shortage. This also entails the problems associated with theft such as reduced merchandise available to sell. What may not be as clear to retailers, especially small storeowners is the impact of Organized Retail Crime (ORC) activity on their store. According to the National Retail Federation 2017 Organized Retail Crime Survey, two of the top categories for theft for these groups is designer clothing and denim jeans (pg. 8). The report also indicates that 94.6% of retailers surveyed believe their stores have been the victims of ORC activity (pg. 5). So what are ORC groups and why are the items they are taking hot commodities. Organized Retail Crime organizations are theft rings that work together to shoplift. They are distinct from the regular or casual shoplifter because they plan their activities and have specific merchandise they target. The merchandise they set their sights on are normally able to be resold quickly either in a brick and mortar “Mom and Pop” shop or via online stores. Merchandise may also be returnable so that giftcards or cash may be obtained for the items that were taken. Aside from outstanding customer service the best method for preventing such theft is with the use of Checkpoint tags on merchandise.
Combating retail crime is no easy task. Large, national chain stores devote money to Loss Prevention teams and anti-theft devices. They also spend a lot of money on closed circuit television, cameras and recording equipment. The small retail owner may not be able to afford all of this equipment. What they can afford is to purchase an electronic article surveillance system (EAS) for the store. With Checkpoint towers at the front entrance and clothing security tags attached to softlines goods, products are well protected. If a mule working for an Organized Retail Crime group tries to waltz out with designer jeans stuffed in a backpack or purse and the jeans have Checkpoint tags on them they will set off the tower alarms. If the mule decides to try to forcibly remove the tags they merchandise will be damaged, there’s no getting around it. Damaged goods don’t sell and the organization makes no money.
ORC groups also do not seek out attention. Being identified means a group will have a more difficult time stealing from the same retailer and that is an impediment to their business. Checkpoint EAS system alarms ensures a store is receiving an exceptional level of clothing security even if that store can’t afford other security measures. I would be remiss if I failed to point out that according the survey retailers are reporting an uptick in ORC gang aggression and violence (pg. 10). This is not to say employees should not respond to EAS alarms when they do occur. What is important is that employees are trained to de-escalate situations and approach situations in a non-aggressive, non-accusatory manner. Kill ‘em with kindness is a motto that served my teams well when I was a Loss Prevention Supervisor.
Another problem that has arisen due to ORC theft is an increase in return fraud. This has caused many retailers rethink their return policies. On page 11 of the 2017 Organized Retail Crime Survey 36.8 % of retailers reported making changes to their point-of-sale return policies. Many stores have already done away with cash for non-receipted returns issuing merchant gift cards instead. Unfortunately, even gift cards are now being sold to pawn shops. Some alternatives are a requirement to exchange for exact merchandise only taking away the incentive to try to get a lower cost item and cash in the transaction. Other retailers are putting a stop to potential criminal activity by requiring a government issued ID to be scanned for non-receipted returns and refunds over a certain dollar amount. These retailers then cut off all non-receipted returns after a set number of transactions, usually somewhere from three to five at the most. Attempted returns of garments with clothing security tags still attached are also rejected, especially when the attempt is without a receipt.
Organized Retail Crime is a growing problem and it isn’t only a concern for big name retailers. Loss Prevention Systems Inc. CEO Bill Bregar wants smaller retailers to know that they aren’t alone in the fight against these groups. You may not have the resources of the big box stores but you can get help from Loss Prevention Systems Inc. from advice on Checkpoint tags to training on how to stop shoplifting in your stores. Stop ORC before it gets a foot in your door.
For more information about Checkpoint tags contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
Apparel retailers are constantly struggling with clothing security issues due to theft. We all are aware that shoplifters are getting their hands on merchandise and creating shortage. This also entails the problems associated with theft such as reduced merchandise available to sell. What may not be as clear to retailers, especially small storeowners is the impact of Organized Retail Crime (ORC) activity on their store. According to the National Retail Federation 2017 Organized Retail Crime Survey, two of the top categories for theft for these groups is designer clothing and denim jeans (pg. 8). The report also indicates that 94.6% of retailers surveyed believe their stores have been the victims of ORC activity (pg. 5). So what are ORC groups and why are the items they are taking hot commodities. Organized Retail Crime organizations are theft rings that work together to shoplift. They are distinct from the regular or casual shoplifter because they plan their activities and have specific merchandise they target. The merchandise they set their sights on are normally able to be resold quickly either in a brick and mortar “Mom and Pop” shop or via online stores. Merchandise may also be returnable so that giftcards or cash may be obtained for the items that were taken. Aside from outstanding customer service the best method for preventing such theft is with the use of electronic article surveillance (EAS) tags on merchandise.
Combating retail crime is no easy task. Large, national chain stores devote money to Loss Prevention teams and anti-theft devices. They also spend a lot of money on closed circuit television, cameras and recording equipment. The small retail owner may not be able to afford all of this equipment. What they can afford is to purchase an electronic article surveillance system (EAS) for the store. With EAS towers at the front entrance and clothing security tags attached to softlines goods, products are well protected. If a mule working for an Organized Retail Crime group tries to waltz out with designer jeans stuffed in a backpack or purse and the jeans have EAS tags on them they will set off the tower alarms. If the mule decides to try to forcibly remove the tags they merchandise will be damaged, there’s no getting around it. Damaged goods don’t sell and the organization makes no money.
ORC groups also do not seek out attention. Being identified means a group will have a more difficult time stealing from the same retailer and that is an impediment to their business. EAS system alarms ensures a store is receiving an exceptional level of clothing security even if that store can’t afford other security measures. I would be remiss if I failed to point out that according the survey retailers are reporting an uptick in ORC gang aggression and violence (pg. 10). This is not to say employees should not respond to EAS alarms when they do occur. What is important is that employees are trained to de-escalate situations and approach situations in a non-aggressive, non-accusatory manner. Kill ‘em with kindness is a motto that served my teams well when I was a Loss Prevention Supervisor.
Another problem that has arisen due to ORC theft is an increase in return fraud. This has caused many retailers rethink their return policies. On page 11 of the 2017 Organized Retail Crime Survey 36.8 % of retailers reported making changes to their point-of-sale return policies. Many stores have already done away with cash for non-receipted returns issuing merchant gift cards instead. Unfortunately, even gift cards are now being sold to pawn shops. Some alternatives are a requirement to exchange for exact merchandise only taking away the incentive to try to get a lower cost item and cash in the transaction. Other retailers are putting a stop to potential criminal activity by requiring a government issued ID to be scanned for non-receipted returns and refunds over a certain dollar amount. These retailers then cut off all non-receipted returns after a set number of transactions, usually somewhere from three to five at the most. Attempted returns of garments with clothing security tags still attached are also rejected, especially when the attempt is without a receipt.
Organized Retail Crime is a growing problem and it isn’t only a concern for big name retailers. Loss Prevention Systems Inc. CEO Bill Bregar wants smaller retailers to know that they aren’t alone in the fight against these groups. You may not have the resources of the big box stores but you can get help from Loss Prevention Systems Inc. from advice on EAS tags to training on how to stop shoplifting in your stores. Stop ORC before it gets a foot in your door.
For more information about EAS tags contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
