Retail Theft Prevention – 3 WC Blog 548
Checkpoint Security System -5
Do Your Employees Have Time For Retail Theft Prevention Measures?
I just finished reading an article on lawsuits by employees suing over bag checks and it reminded me of similar questions of retail theft prevention when I was a Loss Prevention Manager. The article in LPM Insider, “Security Footage Sinks Employee Lawsuit Targeting Employee Bag Checks” by Garrett Seivold, Feb 7, 2018 discusses a lawsuit against Nike brought by some employees. The complaint was that employees felt they were required to wait too long after they clocked out for bag checks. Nike won in this case but there is no guarantee retailers will win in other lawsuits that have to do with unpaid wait time. In this instance the court seemed to rule that the length of wait times were trivial as Nike showed most were averaging 18.5 seconds. I remember employees complaining at the store where I was a Manager on Duty that waiting to leave after closing was unpaid work, regardless of the safety factor involved. They argued that they should be paid if they had to wait. The same argument follows for bag checks. The question for store owners is whether there is a way to balance retail theft prevention and the potential that an upset worker could file a lawsuit against your business? It also begs the question if an employee is off the clock and activates a Checkpoint Security System can they be stopped by a manager for a package inspection?
You may not know what a Checkpoint Security System is or how it could have an impact on employees being delayed leaving a store. When we talk about a Checkpoint Security System we are talking about all of the parts that make up a system from Checkpoint tags and detachment tools to Checkpoint pedestals. The tags send out radio frequency signals that are received by Checkpoint pedestals. If a shoplifter or employee tries to leave a store without paying for merchandise or if a tag isn’t removed a security alarm is activated. Employees resolve alarm issues through receipt checks or in some cases a bag/purse check. Tags can be detected even when the merchandise they are attached to is hidden or concealed under clothing or in backpacks, totes, purses etc. The detachment tool is used to remove a tag at the register during a purchase so there should be very few causes for alarms aside from theft attempts.
This brings us back to the question of whether a store can stop an employee and conduct a bag/purse check with or without an alarm. Employers can require an employee in the hiring process to agree to bag and package checks. As part of the hiring process a waiver form should be included that agrees to a package verification and a clause stating that failure to do so could lead to termination of employment. Employers, be sure you explain this and all forms before asking someone to sign them. New hires have to understand what they are agreeing to and not feel coerced. Checks also have to be conducted in one of two ways they are either totally random and everyone on any given day or shift is subject to an inspection OR receipt checks happen every day for every one managers included. Making exceptions hurts your credibility and may put you at risk for some type of discrimination lawsuit.
The second part to the package check equation is that of time. The lawsuit in the Nike case complained that employees were not being paid for their time. The key seems to be that the inspections should not take too long but stores do have a right to some retail theft protection in doing so. If there is an alarm from the Checkpoint Security System when an employee exits there is a reasonable cause for the employee to be stopped. These inspections may end up taking a little more time than the end of the shift, “open the bag and allow a manager to glance in or compare a purchase to a receipt” check. It is important that stores are being careful in taking steps to reduce false alarms due to failures to remove or deactivate tags. If false alarms are a problem and store managers are not able to show they are trying to address those issues it would be more difficult to detain anyone for alarm activations. If stores are not experiencing false Checkpoint Security System alarms then there should be no issue with package checks in these instances.
Respect for employee’s time should be something every manager considers. Employees should recognize that retail theft prevention is a real concern for retailers and can impact them too. Mutual respect and cooperation of store managers and employees ensures a profitable business for everyone.
Get more information on retail theft prevention, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
I just finished reading an article on lawsuits by employees suing over bag checks and it reminded me of similar questions of retail theft prevention when I was a Loss Prevention Manager. The article in LPM Insider, “Security Footage Sinks Employee Lawsuit Targeting Employee Bag Checks” by Garrett Seivold, Feb 7, 2018 discusses a lawsuit against Nike brought by some employees. The complaint was that employees felt they were required to wait too long after they clocked out for bag checks. Nike won in this case but there is no guarantee retailers will win in other lawsuits that have to do with unpaid wait time. In this instance the court seemed to rule that the length of wait times were trivial as Nike showed most were averaging 18.5 seconds. I remember employees complaining at the store where I was a Manager on Duty that waiting to leave after closing was unpaid work, regardless of the safety factor involved. They argued that they should be paid if they had to wait. The same argument follows for bag checks. The question for store owners is whether there is a way to balance retail theft prevention and the potential that an upset worker could file a lawsuit against your business? It also begs the question if an employee is off the clock and activates an electronic article surveillance (EAS) security system can they be stopped by a manager for a package inspection?
You may not know what an EAS Security System is or how it could have an impact on employees being delayed leaving a store. When we talk about an EAS Security System we are talking about all of the parts that make up a system from hard tags/labels and detachment tools to EAS pedestals. The tags send out radio frequency signals that are received by EAS pedestals. If a shoplifter or employee tries to leave a store without paying for merchandise or if a tag isn’t removed a security alarm is activated. Employees resolve alarm issues through receipt checks or in some cases a bag/purse check. Tags can be detected even when the merchandise they are attached to is hidden or concealed under clothing or in backpacks, totes, purses etc. The detachment tool is used to remove a tag at the register during a purchase so there should be very few causes for alarms aside from theft attempts.
This brings us back to the question of whether a store can stop an employee and conduct a bag/purse check with or without an alarm. Employers can require an employee in the hiring process to agree to bag and package checks. As part of the hiring process a waiver form should be included that agrees to a package verification and a clause stating that failure to do so could lead to termination of employment. Employers, be sure you explain this and all forms before asking someone to sign them. New hires have to understand what they are agreeing to and not feel coerced. Checks also have to be conducted in one of two ways they are either totally random and everyone on any given day or shift is subject to an inspection OR receipt checks happen every day for every one managers included. Making exceptions hurts your credibility and may put you at risk for some type of discrimination lawsuit.
The second part to the package check equation is that of time. The lawsuit in the Nike case complained that employees were not being paid for their time. The key seems to be that the inspections should not take too long but stores do have a right to some retail theft protection in doing so. If there is an alarm from the EAS Security System when an employee exits there is a reasonable cause for the employee to be stopped. These inspections may end up taking a little more time than the end of the shift, “open the bag and allow a manager to glance in or compare a purchase to a receipt” check. It is important that stores are being careful in taking steps to reduce false alarms due to failures to remove or deactivate tags. If false alarms are a problem and store managers are not able to show they are trying to address those issues it would be more difficult to detain anyone for alarm activations. If stores are not experiencing false EAS security system alarms then there should be no issue with package checks in these instances.
Respect for employee’s time should be something every manager considers. Employees should recognize that retail theft prevention is a real concern for retailers and can impact them too. Mutual respect and cooperation of store managers and employees ensures a profitable business for everyone.
Get more information on retail theft prevention, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
When a Sensormatic hard tag or label attached to merchandise causes an electronic article surveillance alarm how do your employees respond? Approaching a customer at the doorway when they have activated an alarm can be intimidating for some people. In part 1 of this series I focused on why I believe it is important for store managers and owners to regularly conduct refresher training with all employees on how to attach tags and remove them from products. Failing to properly remove tags from merchandise that has been properly paid for can be a customer service nightmare. Shoppers feel embarrassed and may even get angry and create a scene. Some people get the purchase home and find a tag has not been removed and then have to go all the way back to the store to have it taken off. Oh, and don’t forget it will sound the alarm on them when they come back in to the store adding more fuel to the fire. I mentioned in part 1 that I have found regular refresher training for staff members is a useful tool to keep skills sharp that are not often used. You can apply this to Sensormatic alarm tower response in order to stop shoplifting or minimize the uproar over a missed tag or a label that was not deactivated.
One of the questions I am sure floating out there right now is, “How can a customer leave with a tag still attached or a label not deactivated if they are supposed to set off the alarm?” That is a fair question to ask. There are times when a Sensormatic hard tag is overlooked and customers will walk out with their purchase and yes, an alarm goes off but one of three things happens. First, there is a crowd of people entering or leaving at the same time and everyone looks around, assumes it was someone else who caused the alarm and they all keep walking. Second, the alarm went off and no one bothered to walk over to assist the customer or they just waved and said all is fine. Third, the towers could be in need of service, working intermittently but no one does a daily test before opening for the day and the problem goes unnoticed. One customer may leave and the alarm sounds while another customer leaves with tagged items and nothing happens.
There are easy remedies to address the malfunctioning system, simply test the towers and deactivation pads on a daily basis. If something is not working, place a service request in to minimize the down time, especially if it is the towers. Tower issues can hurt efforts to stop shoplifting and if not addressed quickly shoplifters will learn about it and take advantage of your store. Training employees to answer a Sensormatic tower alarm can be a bit harder. The reason stems from the discomfort that can come with having to confront someone. Whether the customer is pleasant or angry there is always an unknown factor that can be uncomfortable and people can turn from calm to cranky in a moment. My recommendation for training your employees is to do scenarios and have them walk through an alarm activation. While it may seem corny to some, I promise you that simulations are the best way to train. I don’t always remember something I heard in a classroom but if I have to participate I have a higher rate of memory retention. Like my CPR training, I can watch the video in the classroom but it doesn’t sink in until I am doing chest compressions and practicing with an AED device. Here are some tips to help you with Sensormatic tower alarm response training:
• Use real tagged merchandise. This will make the situation more realistic.
• Hide merchandise in a purse, backpack or shopping bag and make employees determine what is causing the alarm. Scenarios should range from a forgetful shopper to a shoplifter attempting to steal.
• Have different employees play the role of customer. It lets your employees get the feeling your customers have when an alarm is unintentionally activated.
• Have your “customers” role play with different attitudes from pleasant to ugly.
After you have role played allow all of the employees an opportunity to critique what happened. As they talk through scenarios they will learn how to handle various situations including how to stop shoplifting.
Training employees can make electronic article surveillance alarms caused by Sensormatic hard tags less intimidating to deal with. In the process your staff will be better prepared to make recoveries and ultimately add profit back to the store.
For more information about Sensormatic hard tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
Prevent Shoplifting – 3 WC Blog 547
Alpha Keepers-5
Alpha Keepers Are The Answer To Lock-Up Case Lunacy
From time to time I find the need to go on a rant about efforts I see to prevent shoplifting after visiting different stores. I have to wonder who is making some of the decisions with respect to shortage protection initiatives. The other day I was shopping in a chain store and glanced at a small locking display case. Because I write about this stuff and because I have been involved in Retail Loss Prevention for so long I happen to be nosey about these things. What could be so important in this store (if I said where I was you would probably say the same thing) that there would be a need for a locking showcase? Well, there was some type of pay-as you-go cell phone and a $1 dollar phone card of some sort. You read that right, a ONE dollar card. A little further down the same aisle were foods that were more expensive! Now I will be generous and say that this might have been a fluke. However, I got to another aisle that had air freshener refills in one of those cases that sounds a chiming noise when the door is opened by a customer. I thought that the strategy was really odd. If shortage was an issue in these departments it would have been easier and made more sense to use Alpha Keepers on the items that were being “secured”.
Alpha Keepers are clear, hard protective boxes with locking lids. The boxes have electronic article surveillance (EAS) technology built into them that is designed to work with Checkpoint Security System towers. The boxes are extremely tough and can only be opened with a detachment tool usually kept secured at store points of sale. Efforts to force open a Keeper box results in a tamper alarm sounding and alerting store employees to an attempted theft. Responding associates prevent shoplifting by providing great customer service to the would-be thief. If a criminal is foolish enough to try to carry an item protected in a Keeper past a Checkpoint tower the tower will sense the radio waves sent out by the Keeper. An alarm in the tower sounds at the attempted breach. Again, associates respond to the alarms and through careful receipt checks get the perpetrator to buy the item or hand it over. Either way theft is stopped.
Not only was I amused by the merchandise that was locked up in these showcases I was surprised that ANYTHING was locked up in the store. There were two employees working from what I could see. One was at the cash register (before she left the salesfloor for some reason, maybe a break?) and the other was on the salesfloor absorbed in putting out merchandise. Who was going to help me if I had wanted to look at something in a showcase? From the pace of the salesfloor guy I did not get the impression he was going to be in a hurry to assist me if I opened the chime door to the air freshener refills. CEO of Loss Prevention Systems Inc., Bill Bregar understands that for small and medium sized stores staffing could be limited to one or two people in the store at any given time. Locking merchandise in a showcase doesn’t make sense when store employees may be tied up at a register or at the other end of the store helping another customer. The only thing it may do is annoy a customer or prevent a sale. Sure, merchandise will be protected as it sits and does absolutely nothing to assist sales. Bill wants store managers to see that by using Alpha Keepers merchandise is still protected but customers can pick up an item and walk around. There is no need for a sales person to come by with a key and unlock it. Protected merchandise will sell rather than gather dust in a case.
The other take away in this is either protect merchandise or don’t protect it. If a manager is going to limit what will be protected, at least have it make sense. Don’t put an air freshener refill in a security case to prevent shoplifting and leave the main air fresheners on an open sell shelf. Don’t take up valuable salesfloor space with a locking showcase for a one dollar card of some sort. Alpha Keepers give more flexibility in what can be protected and take up less floor space in the process.
Take theft prevention seriously. Let the folks at Loss Prevention Systems Inc. help you in shortage reduction planning and the tools that can make you successful. Alpha Keepers can improve access to goods while freeing up your employees to provide customer service and ring sales.
Alpha Keepers are important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
From time to time I find the need to go on a rant about efforts I see to prevent shoplifting after visiting different stores. I have to wonder who is making some of the decisions with respect to shortage protection initiatives. The other day I was shopping in a chain store and glanced at a small locking display case. Because I write about this stuff and because I have been involved in Retail Loss Prevention for so long I happen to be nosey about these things. What could be so important in this store (if I said where I was you would probably say the same thing) that there would be a need for a locking showcase? Well, there was some type of pay-as you-go cell phone and a $1 dollar phone card of some sort. You read that right, a ONE dollar card. A little further down the same aisle were foods that were more expensive! Now I will be generous and say that this might have been a fluke. However, I got to another aisle that had air freshener refills in one of those cases that sounds a chiming noise when the door is opened by a customer. I thought that the strategy was really odd. If shortage was an issue in these departments it would have been easier and made more sense to use Keepers on the items that were being “secured”.
Keepers are clear, hard protective boxes with locking lids. The boxes have electronic article surveillance (EAS) technology built into them that is designed to work with an EAS System towers. The boxes are extremely tough and can only be opened with a detachment tool usually kept secured at store points of sale. Efforts to force open a Keeper box results in a tamper alarm sounding and alerting store employees to an attempted theft. Responding associates prevent shoplifting by providing great customer service to the would-be thief. If a criminal is foolish enough to try to carry an item protected in a Keeper past an EAS tower the tower will sense the radio waves sent out by the Keeper. An alarm in the tower sounds at the attempted breach. Again, associates respond to the alarms and through careful receipt checks get the perpetrator to buy the item or hand it over. Either way theft is stopped.
Not only was I amused by the merchandise that was locked up in these showcases I was surprised that ANYTHING was locked up in the store. There were two employees working from what I could see. One was at the cash register (before she left the salesfloor for some reason, maybe a break?) and the other was on the salesfloor absorbed in putting out merchandise. Who was going to help me if I had wanted to look at something in a showcase? From the pace of the salesfloor guy I did not get the impression he was going to be in a hurry to assist me if I opened the chime door to the air freshener refills. CEO of Loss Prevention Systems Inc., Bill Bregar understands that for small and medium sized stores staffing could be limited to one or two people in the store at any given time. Locking merchandise in a showcase doesn’t make sense when store employees may be tied up at a register or at the other end of the store helping another customer. The only thing it may do is annoy a customer or prevent a sale. Sure, merchandise will be protected as it sits and does absolutely nothing to assist sales. Bill wants store managers to see that by using Keepers merchandise is still protected but customers can pick up an item and walk around. There is no need for a sales person to come by with a key and unlock it. Protected merchandise will sell rather than gather dust in a case.
The other take away in this is either protect merchandise or don’t protect it. If a manager is going to limit what will be protected, at least have it make sense. Don’t put an air freshener refill in a security case to prevent shoplifting and leave the main air fresheners on an open sell shelf. Don’t take up valuable salesfloor space with a locking showcase for a one dollar card of some sort. Keepers give more flexibility in what can be protected and take up less floor space in the process.
Take theft prevention seriously. Let the folks at Loss Prevention Systems Inc. help you in shortage reduction planning and the tools that can make you successful. Keepers can improve access to goods while freeing up your employees to provide customer service and ring sales.
Keepers are important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
