I have been in retail a LONG time and somewhere around 18 of those years were spent in Loss Prevention. Today I still work in retail but I have the opportunity to continue to ply my Loss Prevention skills in recommending to my manager items I think should have electronic article surveillance tags on them. Better yet is when I get to use my experience to stop shoplifting in the store. I had just such an opportunity recently while I was working. I will share the story with you in a moment and there will be pertinent tips you can employ in your own store to put a halt to theft. Before I do that I want to point out that the situation could have been avoided if the store used more electronic article surveillance (EAS) devices on products than what the company currently dictates.
Electronic Article Surveillance is a system that uses radio frequency (rf) emitting tags and rf receivers called pedestals or towers to protect merchandise from theft. Pedestals are placed at the entrances and exits of stores in order to detect a person trying to leave with unpaid, TAGGED products. These are electronic article surveillance tagsI emphasize tagged because without a protective device an item can’t be detected and this is how so many stores experience climbing shortage. Let me clarify that statement too. Retailers that have electronic article surveillance systems that are not maintained, of poor quality or do not have a strong tagging program in place also experience increased shortage. When the tagged products are carried into the range of the pedestals the pedestals have an alarm that blasts out an alert and nearby employees respond to conduct receipt and package checks. The more a store tags the more effective the deterrence value of the system.
Getting back to my recent incident, I was walking to the store from my vehicle and a manager was returning from his lunch break and stopped me. He pointed out a pick-up truck that had two males sitting in it and the manager said they had been there for a while and he had watched a female leave and enter the store. The manager said that he had called the store manager and alerted him. I got into the store and got clocked in and immediately went to the floor and began offering customer service to the female suspect. I also looked into the shopping basket and noted several items in it and that none of them had EAS tags (electronic article surveillance tags) on them. Well, I offered service and would leave the immediate area and a manager would start to watch. It took a few minutes but one of the men from the truck entered the store. The man and woman met up and were still being watched by managers but I was getting tired of the cat and mouse game. The female had enough small items that it would have been easy for her to conceal some in her purse if he had blocked for her. Without electronic article surveillance tags the alarms wouldn’t sound when they left and that would prevent an excuse for a bag check. I walked into the aisle with the couple, put on my best salesman smile and offered additional assistance. I even offered to ring them up on my mobile device. Oddly, they began saying they were uncomfortable with all of the attention and felt like they were being watched! The man even said he felt I was being pushy to ring their transaction. I smiled and let them know that one of my faults was I have been a pushy salesman for my 7 years at this company. The woman said she would put the items back and leave because she was so uncomfortable. I let her know she didn’t need to go to the trouble and I took the basket and assured her I would put the items back for her. The couple left and the three of them jumped back in the truck and left. We saved over $200.00 in merchandise through employee awareness and great customer service.
Customer service is a great way to increase sales and decrease theft but it should never be the only theft prevention measure. Use EAS tags on everything and rely on Loss Prevention Systems Inc. EAS systems for reliable technology and support.
For more information about electronic article surveillance tags contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
I started this series on Sensormatic Hard Tags based on a news story I came across about a group of three people who had formed an Organized Retail Crime group. The group was caught and police recovered over $100,000 in merchandise but the overall impact to stores in the area over a 5-year period was estimated to be between $5 and $9 million dollars. The group had others stealing for them and then they would sell the merchandise at a discounted price at a flea market. As a former Loss Prevention Manager I have dealt with Organized Retail Crime groups and I know first-hand the financial impact they can have on a store. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) founder Bill Bregar also knows the financial drain these organizations can place on a store. As a former Director of Loss Prevention for several major retailers Bill has had to find the resources that can stop shoplifting. LPSI focuses on helping small and medium sized retail businesses that can’t afford a Loss Prevention team find a solution to theft issues. One of those solutions is to use Sensormatic tags on merchandise to stop all types of shoplifting, including ORC groups.
I know what you’re thinking, “A tag is going to stop shoplifting and keep an organized crime ring from stealing me blind?” I won’t go so far as to say they will stop shoplifting completely, there is always going to be a knothead who is going to gamble being caught stealing if there is a promise of quick money for a drug purchase. For the most part shoplifters and even the drug addicts who are the key to the operations of organized crime groups, don’t take unnecessary chances. Sensormatic hard tags are recognizable by nearly everyone and criminals absolutely know what they are and how they work. Crooks know that trying to steal merchandise with one of these tags attached is a good way to go to jail and that is NOT the place a drug addict wants to be when the urge hits. Sensormatic products deter shoplifters through their visual impact and the alarms they cause when tagged items are carried close to electronic article surveillance towers.
While some of those reading now may have a better understanding of the benefit of using Sensormatic hard tags and why ORC activity is a concern there are some who are still skeptical. I have a few statistics to share that may change the minds of those doubters. According to the National Retail Federation 2017 Organized Retail Crime Survey:
• 94.6% of surveyed retailers believe their company has been the victim of organized retail crime this year (pg. 5).
• Responding companies report an average loss of $726,351 per $1 billion dollars in annual sales volume due to ORC activity in the past 12 months (pg. 5).
• 34 states now have ORC laws on the books (pg. 7).
• The top stolen items for ORC groups: designer clothing, denim pants, razors, infant formula, designer handbags, laundry detergent, cigarettes, high-end liquor, jewelry and teeth whitening strips (pg. 8).
If this information does not convince you that ORC poses a threat to your business then let me give you one last bit of information from pg. 10 of the report. The authors write, “98.5% of responding retailers said ORC gangs are just as aggressive or more aggressive and violent when compared with last year.” Not only does an organized crime group cause financial losses to a store, they pose a safety risk to store employees.
Preventing all theft is important and store owners should be concerned with putting a stop to it. Preventing theft by Organized Retail Crime groups is even more important because they aren’t doing it for the thrill, they are doing it for the money. The fact that they are becoming increasingly more violent and aggressive only compounds the problems they cause store managers. Protect your merchandise with Sensormatic hard tags and make criminals think twice before they bother your store.
Sensormatic hard tags are important and we can help you with them. Call 1.770.426.0547and let’s talk.
iPad theft – 3 WC Blog 551
Bug Tag-5
Enhance Patient Data Security With A Bug Tag
The problem of patient medical information being stolen is not going away any time soon nor is the threat of medical iPad theft. As an example in a Jan. 3, 2018 article in beckershospitalreview.com by Julie Spitzer, “Stolen computer at Penn Medicine compromises 1k patient records”, the writer says, “Philadelphia-based Penn Medicine mailed letters to roughly 1,000 patients, alerting them to a potential compromise of their personal information after an unencrypted laptop was stolen from the hospital…” The facility claimed that credit card, bank account information and social security numbers were not included in the computer but other patient data was. The solutions many medical institutions want to implement are stricter encryption and security password implementation to prevent potential hacking should a device be stolen. The team at Loss Prevention Systems Inc. has a better means of protecting against iPad theft and medical tablet theft and that is the use of a Bug Tag on all devices.
The Bug Tag uses electronic article surveillance (EAS) technology working with Checkpoint pedestals to create a virtual electronic barrier to theft. The tag emits a constant radio frequency signal. When that signal is detected by a Checkpoint pedestal a sound is activated that is so loud that in a big box retail store it can be heard from one end of the building to the other. LED lights in pedestals flash drawing more attention to an attempted breach (it also alerts someone who may be hearing impaired that a tagged device is being removed from the building). When an alarm is set off employees respond to the exit and retrieve the device from the offending party. What if the thief runs out after an alarm? Use the 3-alarm Bug Tag and an internal alarm in the tag activates and the criminal can be picked out in a crowd. What if someone just pulls a tag off and then steals the iPad? No problem. The same internal alarm activates if the tag is tampered with and employees respond to the sound of the alarm and recover the unit. As a Loss Prevention Manager I saw the effectiveness of Checkpoint pedestals and how the alarms saved untold thousands of dollars in merchandise in my store. That same protection can keep mobile medical devices in a medical facility.
The concern over continued medical device theft and data breaches is extensive enough that a story in delawareonline.com Dec 18, 2017 by Meredith Newman, “Delaware doctors, hospitals increase security as medical data breaches continue nationwide” said that the Delaware Health Information Network “…recently hired a privacy and security compliance manager whose sole job is to monitor the safety of patient data and address any concerns that might come up.” The story also reported that there is insurance medical providers can purchase to cover data breaches and these policies can include prebreach and postbreach services! I understand the importance of protecting yourself against lawsuits but when you have to talk about PREBREACH coverage something seems very out of whack to me.
Encrypting of devices and using strong password protection is important to keep hackers out but the bigger issue is the loss and theft of devices. Many of these mobile computers and handheld devices are being taken home and leaving the security of the building. Use dedicated devices that are held in the building and protect them with a Bug Tag. It might be a bit inconvenient to have to check a device in and out at the beginning and end of the day but the risk of leaving it where it could be stolen is a bigger concern. Many of the HIPPA violations involving data breaches that are reported to the Department of Health and Human Services are caused by computers that have been stolen from cars or homes when taken home. Wouldn’t it make more sense to keep them in a building and protected with anti-theft devices?
Medical computer tablet theft and iPad theft are happening on a regular basis. As more and more healthcare providers become reliant on electronic resources and digital documentation it is important that patient information is a priority. Use all of the security resources that are available to you and that includes securing the devices you rely on to do your work. Use the Bug Tag and stop criminals before they can spirit a device out of your building.
Get more information on a Bug Tag, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
The problem of patient medical information being stolen is not going away any time soon nor is the threat of medical iPad theft. As an example in a Jan. 3, 2018 article in beckershospitalreview.com by Julie Spitzer, “Stolen computer at Penn Medicine compromises 1k patient records”, the writer says, “Philadelphia-based Penn Medicine mailed letters to roughly 1,000 patients, alerting them to a potential compromise of their personal information after an unencrypted laptop was stolen from the hospital…” The facility claimed that credit card, bank account information and social security numbers were not included in the computer but other patient data was. The solutions many medical institutions want to implement are stricter encryption and security password implementation to prevent potential hacking should a device be stolen. The team at Loss Prevention Systems Inc. has a better means of protecting against iPad theft and medical tablet theft and that is the use of a Bug Tag on all devices.
The Bug Tag uses electronic article surveillance (EAS) technology working with EAS pedestals to create a virtual electronic barrier to theft. The tag emits a constant radio frequency signal. When that signal is detected by a EAS pedestal a sound is activated that is so loud that in a big box retail store it can be heard from one end of the building to the other. LED lights in pedestals flash drawing more attention to an attempted breach (it also alerts someone who may be hearing impaired that a tagged device is being removed from the building). When an alarm is set off employees respond to the exit and retrieve the device from the offending party. What if the thief runs out after an alarm? Use the 3-alarm Bug Tag and an internal alarm in the tag activates and the criminal can be picked out in a crowd. What if someone just pulls a tag off and then steals the iPad? No problem. The same internal alarm activates if the tag is tampered with and employees respond to the sound of the alarm and recover the unit. As a Loss Prevention Manager I saw the effectiveness of EAS pedestals and how the alarms saved untold thousands of dollars in merchandise in my store. That same protection can keep mobile medical devices in a medical facility.
The concern over continued medical device theft and data breaches is extensive enough that a story in delawareonline.com Dec 18, 2017 by Meredith Newman, “Delaware doctors, hospitals increase security as medical data breaches continue nationwide” said that the Delaware Health Information Network “…recently hired a privacy and security compliance manager whose sole job is to monitor the safety of patient data and address any concerns that might come up.” The story also reported that there is insurance medical providers can purchase to cover data breaches and these policies can include prebreach and postbreach services! I understand the importance of protecting yourself against lawsuits but when you have to talk about PREBREACH coverage something seems very out of whack to me.
Encrypting of devices and using strong password protection is important to keep hackers out but the bigger issue is the loss and theft of devices. Many of these mobile computers and handheld devices are being taken home and leaving the security of the building. Use dedicated devices that are held in the building and protect them with a Bug Tag. It might be a bit inconvenient to have to check a device in and out at the beginning and end of the day but the risk of leaving it where it could be stolen is a bigger concern. Many of the HIPPA violations involving data breaches that are reported to the Department of Health and Human Services are caused by computers that have been stolen from cars or homes when taken home. Wouldn’t it make more sense to keep them in a building and protected with anti-theft devices?
Medical computer tablet theft and iPad theft are happening on a regular basis. As more and more healthcare providers become reliant on electronic resources and digital documentation it is important that patient information is a priority. Use all of the security resources that are available to you and that includes securing the devices you rely on to do your work. Use the Bug Tag and stop criminals before they can spirit a device out of your building.
Get more information on a Bug Tag, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
