Clothing Security – 4 WC blog 848
Clothing security tags – 3
The Best Shortage Reduction Programs Always Include Clothing Security Tags
It can be difficult to decide the best clothing security to use to protect your merchandise from theft. Do you rely on fantastic customer service to dissuade potential pilferers from scooting out with unpaid goods? Do you have fitting room practices in place to prevent hidden goods from being secreted into a dressing room? Perhaps you use closed circuit television cameras and monitors to deter criminals from stealing clothing. Each of these is a good tool in the fight against merchandise shortage but if this is all you are doing then you are missing a critical element in your tool chest.
Sensormatic’s electronic article surveillance towers and clothing security tags are essential for those store owners who are looking for effective methods to reduce shortage. For one thing the tags are nearly impossible to remove without damaging the merchandise. They are built so that a Sensormatic detachment tool is required to take the tag off of an item. I confess that as a Loss Prevention Officer I wanted to see how difficult it really would be to forcibly remove clothing security tags so I attempted to pry one off of a shirt. The shirt was damaged already so I wasn’t destroying anything of value. I can say that the tag did not come off and as I recall I did end up damaging the product more in the process. Since I had a pretty good understanding of how the tags worked I can only imagine the damage a shoplifter would do to a garment if they were able to get a tagged article of clothing out of a store.
Sensormatic products alone are a strong deterrent to criminals. They don’t want to damage merchandise. Whether they intend to sell it to make money, trade the clothes for drugs or take the goods for their own use the majority of shoplifters recognize the damage tags will cause of forcibly removed. That removes the incentive to try to steal in the first place. Most people also understand what electronic article surveillance systems do and that includes shoplifters. The potential risk of setting off a Sensormatic security alarm and getting caught is another deterrent that prevents theft from taking place.
Are these risks associated with Sensormatic tags enough to impede all shoplifters? I would say no. A system may work as a standalone clothing security measure for a time but when crooks see that no one responds to alarm activations they no longer fear being stopped. An effective clothing security program will incorporate training employees on how to properly react to electronic article surveillance alarms. Waving at a customer who has just set off a Sensormatic alarm pedestal only reinforces to thieves that alarms are not taken seriously at a store where this happens. Ongoing training with employees is an important part of an overall shortage reduction program for a store. There are right and wrong ways to stop people who set off alarms.
I mentioned at the beginning of this article that there are other tools that retailers use in their efforts to enhance clothing security. Fitting room controls is one of my favorite areas to focus theft prevention. The reason is the privacy afforded thieves when they enter a fitting room. They know stores cannot place closed circuit television cameras or mirrors here. They hide merchandise and clothing articles between draped pieces of clothing and walk in. While in the room they either change into the clothing hidden between layers of merchandise they are carrying or they conceal those items in a bag, backpack, purse etc. Scheduling an associate to work the fitting room and separate merchandise being taken into a room is a strong deterrent to shoplifting. I cannot tell you how much merchandise I have seen good fitting room attendants recover.
In order to stop shoplifting and improve your profits you must have a comprehensive program in place. Start a program with a great customer service culture add clothing security tags and a Sensormatic system and a fitting room attendant and you will be well on your way. Help is always just a phone call away.
For more information on clothing security contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
It can be difficult to decide the best clothing security to use to protect your merchandise from theft. Do you rely on fantastic customer service to dissuade potential pilferers from scooting out with unpaid goods? Do you have fitting room practices in place to prevent hidden goods from being secreted into a dressing room? Perhaps you use closed circuit television cameras and monitors to deter criminals from stealing clothing. Each of these is a good tool in the fight against merchandise shortage but if this is all you are doing then you are missing a critical element in your tool chest.
Sensormatic’s electronic article surveillance towers and clothing security tags are essential for those store owners who are looking for effective methods to reduce shortage. For one thing the tags are nearly impossible to remove without damaging the merchandise. They are built so that a Sensormatic detachment tool is required to take the tag off of an item. I confess that as a Loss Prevention Officer I wanted to see how difficult it really would be to forcibly remove clothing security tags so I attempted to pry one off of a shirt. The shirt was damaged already so I wasn’t destroying anything of value. I can say that the tag did not come off and as I recall I did end up damaging the product more in the process. Since I had a pretty good understanding of how the tags worked I can only imagine the damage a shoplifter would do to a garment if they were able to get a tagged article of clothing out of a store.
Sensormatic products alone are a strong deterrent to criminals. They don’t want to damage merchandise. Whether they intend to sell it to make money, trade the clothes for drugs or take the goods for their own use the majority of shoplifters recognize the damage tags will cause of forcibly removed. That removes the incentive to try to steal in the first place. Most people also understand what electronic article surveillance systems do and that includes shoplifters. The potential risk of setting off a Sensormatic security alarm and getting caught is another deterrent that prevents theft from taking place.
Are these risks associated with Sensormatic tags enough to impede all shoplifters? I would say no. A system may work as a standalone clothing security measure for a time but when crooks see that no one responds to alarm activations they no longer fear being stopped. An effective clothing security program will incorporate training employees on how to properly react to electronic article surveillance alarms. Waving at a customer who has just set off a Sensormatic alarm pedestal only reinforces to thieves that alarms are not taken seriously at a store where this happens. Ongoing training with employees is an important part of an overall shortage reduction program for a store. There are right and wrong ways to stop people who set off alarms.
I mentioned at the beginning of this article that there are other tools that retailers use in their efforts to enhance clothing security. Fitting room controls is one of my favorite areas to focus theft prevention. The reason is the privacy afforded thieves when they enter a fitting room. They know stores cannot place closed circuit television cameras or mirrors here. They hide merchandise and clothing articles between draped pieces of clothing and walk in. While in the room they either change into the clothing hidden between layers of merchandise they are carrying or they conceal those items in a bag, backpack, purse etc. Scheduling an associate to work the fitting room and separate merchandise being taken into a room is a strong deterrent to shoplifting. I cannot tell you how much merchandise I have seen good fitting room attendants recover.
In order to stop shoplifting and improve your profits you must have a comprehensive program in place. Start a program with a great customer service culture add clothing security tags and a Sensormatic system and a fitting room attendant and you will be well on your way. Help is always just a phone call away.
For more information on clothing security contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
background investigation – 5 WC blog 846
Pre-Employment Screening-3
Failing To Conduct A Background Investigation Is A Recipe For Disaster
Does your business conduct a background investigation before hiring a new employee? If not you might be inviting trouble in your workplace. There is always a measure of risk involved in hiring a new employee. Will they have the skills to do the job you are hiring them to perform? Will they become an attendance problem? Do they have a criminal record you may not be aware that they have? If they do, what is that record for, theft, assault, driving while intoxicated? The task of hiring new people is not easy and if not done properly it can cause problems for you and your store.
Do you need an example? How about this story from montrealgazette.com,“Fake nurse in Quebec discovered and fired – after 20 years on the job”, by Presse Canadienne, June 1, 2019. The story reports on a woman who had worked in various departments of the hospital over the course of 20 years. According to the report, “Before being exposed, the woman had worked in several departments of the hospital, including the operating room.” The story also says, “Over the years, the documents asked of her were provided – falsified documents.” This should give you a moment of pause while considering the potential ramifications this could have had to patients in this hospital. Someone can provide documentation to “prove” qualifications but without conducting thorough pre-employment screening an owner or manager can be fooled.
To show that this is not restricted to the medical field an article in voiceofsandiego.org, “San Diego Unified Moved a Problem Principle to Districtwide Role, Then Paid Him to Leave”, by Will Huntsberry, April 2, 2019. This story reports a principle, “…appeared to have falsified his credentials – presenting a Ph.D. from a University in England that seemed to be nothing more than a website.” More than just a problem of being in a position he was not qualified to hold, it seems from the story that the subject of this story had also been involved in sexual harassment and created a hostile work environment at a high school he had previously worked in. You may not be running a school but you are running a business and your employees are counting on you to maintain a safe workplace. A background investigation can validate credentials of your potential new hires before you bring them on your team.
Pre-employment screening done by a reliable company can help a business avoid a wide range of potential problems. If you require drivers for deliveries you will want to make sure the applicants have clean driving records. Are you seeking to hire an account for your bookkeeping? Hire a background investigation company that can validate the credentials of a promising candidate. If you own a retail business you have multiple employees. Keep them safe from a new co-worker who could be a sexual predator. A pre-employment check can include a review of the national sex offender registry to ensure your candidate is not listed. The right company can tailor screenings to include those areas you believe are most critical to your business. If you aren’t sure what those areas should be that company should be able to help guide you based on your business and what the position will entail.
Since most of the readers will be retail owners and managers I would also point out that pre-employment screening can lead to a reduction in stock shortage. Employee theft accounts for roughly 1/3 of all merchandise shortage. By conducting a background investigation on applicants a store owner greatly reduces the chance that a future criminal will be hired. If background checks are part of a comprehensive shortage reduction plan that also includes manager training to reduce employee theft and the installation of a Sensormatic security system, risk of internal theft can almost be wiped out.
As we all know one-stop shopping is the easiest and often most efficient way to get everything done. How can anyone bundle a background investigation, a Sensormatic system and manager training without having to look all over the internet? How can anyone do this and be confident they will get reputable resources for each of these needs? Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. has the solution for all of these and more. When it comes to shortage and theft reduction this company has the retail and investigation experience to help any store owner know matter how big or small the company. Hiring the right people and improving profitability for stores is what they specialize in and they can do the same for you.
Need more information on a background investigation? Call us at 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Does your business conduct a background investigation before hiring a new employee? If not you might be inviting trouble in your workplace. There is always a measure of risk involved in hiring a new employee. Will they have the skills to do the job you are hiring them to perform? Will they become an attendance problem? Do they have a criminal record you may not be aware that they have? If they do, what is that record for, theft, assault, driving while intoxicated? The task of hiring new people is not easy and if not done properly it can cause problems for you and your store.
Do you need an example? How about this story from montrealgazette.com,“Fake nurse in Quebec discovered and fired – after 20 years on the job”, by Presse Canadienne, June 1, 2019. The story reports on a woman who had worked in various departments of the hospital over the course of 20 years. According to the report, “Before being exposed, the woman had worked in several departments of the hospital, including the operating room.” The story also says, “Over the years, the documents asked of her were provided – falsified documents.” This should give you a moment of pause while considering the potential ramifications this could have had to patients in this hospital. Someone can provide documentation to “prove” qualifications but without conducting thorough pre-employment screening an owner or manager can be fooled.
To show that this is not restricted to the medical field an article in voiceofsandiego.org, “San Diego Unified Moved a Problem Principle to Districtwide Role, Then Paid Him to Leave”, by Will Huntsberry, April 2, 2019. This story reports a principle, “…appeared to have falsified his credentials – presenting a Ph.D. from a University in England that seemed to be nothing more than a website.” More than just a problem of being in a position he was not qualified to hold, it seems from the story that the subject of this story had also been involved in sexual harassment and created a hostile work environment at a high school he had previously worked in. You may not be running a school but you are running a business and your employees are counting on you to maintain a safe workplace. A background investigation can validate credentials of your potential new hires before you bring them on your team.
Pre-employment screening done by a reliable company can help a business avoid a wide range of potential problems. If you require drivers for deliveries you will want to make sure the applicants have clean driving records. Are you seeking to hire an account for your bookkeeping? Hire a background investigation company that can validate the credentials of a promising candidate. If you own a retail business you have multiple employees. Keep them safe from a new co-worker who could be a sexual predator. A pre-employment check can include a review of the national sex offender registry to ensure your candidate is not listed. The right company can tailor screenings to include those areas you believe are most critical to your business. If you aren’t sure what those areas should be that company should be able to help guide you based on your business and what the position will entail.
Since most of the readers will be retail owners and managers I would also point out that pre-employment screening can lead to a reduction in stock shortage. Employee theft accounts for roughly 1/3 of all merchandise shortage. By conducting a background investigation on applicants a store owner greatly reduces the chance that a future criminal will be hired. If background checks are part of a comprehensive shortage reduction plan that also includes manager training to reduce employee theft and the installation of a Sensormatic security system, risk of internal theft can almost be wiped out.
As we all know one-stop shopping is the easiest and often most efficient way to get everything done. How can anyone bundle a background investigation, a Sensormatic system and manager training without having to look all over the internet? How can anyone do this and be confident they will get reputable resources for each of these needs? Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. has the solution for all of these and more. When it comes to shortage and theft reduction this company has the retail and investigation experience to help any store owner know matter how big or small the company. Hiring the right people and improving profitability for stores is what they specialize in and they can do the same for you.
Need more information on a background investigation? Call us at 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Can Loss Prevention Be Free?-3 WC Blog 842
Free Loss Prevention Calculator-4
A Free Loss Prevention Calculator Can Lead To A Free Loss Prevention System
Can Loss Prevention be free or can training to stop shoplifting be free? It seems like these are silly questions to ask especially if you are like me and believe nothing is free in life. If something is offered for free there nearly always seems to be some sort of catch to the offer. Most of you reading this article are business owners or business managers and you know you can’t afford to just give things away without expecting some type of return on your investment. I have seen offers in stores where you get a free package of paper with the purchase of a particular series of printers. Okay, but I have to buy that brand and model to get the free paper. Usually those models of printers tend to be a bit pricier anyways. How about when you give away pens or other “swag” with your business logo? Yes, those are free but the idea is you are going to get a return on your investment when customers come to shop with you because they saw your business logo on that item. Nothing is wrong with any of these promos and in fact I encourage these enticements. It is a smart way to get more business or increase sales. So when I heard about the Free Loss Prevention Calculator my first instinct was what is the catch?
My first thought was to go to the site where it was offered and see if I had to log in or set up a username and password and then the company would be able to contact me. It isn’t going to be all that free if I feel pushed by a salesman into purchasing a Sensormatic security system for a store. Much to my surprise I did not have to do any kind of sign in. There was a tab at the top of the page and I clicked on it and went straight to the Free Loss Prevention Calculator. I was able to enter a few pieces of data, specifically estimated annual sales and how much I was willing to invest in Loss Prevention. The calculation was done and showed me approximately how much a Sensormatic system could save me in reduced shortage annually. Based on the reduction it showed me how long it would take for the system to pay for itself. It was incredibly easy to use and I could adjust numbers as much as I wanted to do so. Can Loss Prevention be free? Looking at the results of the calculator yes it can be.
Of course being the skeptic I am after I closed out I waited to see if I was going to get some kind of email from the company. Surely they had to have a way to track me being on their page it would be good business sense. A couple days went by and not a peep. The Free Loss Prevention Calculator truly was free to use. I will also give the company credit and say yes, it also appears that the Loss Prevention system itself could be free. Through the losses it would prevent it would pay for itself over time. But this got me to investigating a bit more because I am a Loss Prevention professional and investigating is what I do. I wanted to know what the catch was in buying a system from this company. They would require me to buy a system and then charge me to train my team on how to use the thing, right? I was flabbergasted. If I were to purchase a brand new Sensormatic system from this company they provide FREE training on how to use it. I have been in Retail Loss Prevention for a long time and I can say this is unprecedented. But after digging a little deeper into this business I realized their focus is not on sales of equipment, their focus is on helping businesses increase profits through reducing theft and shortage. That can be through assessing shortage risks of a store be they operational or theft related and helping to create an action plan to address those risks. It is through in person and online training opportunities they offer stores. They can also conduct background checks to help stores not hire risky employees in the first place.
Can Loss Prevention be free? It seems like it can be and with that said I suppose I need to reevaluate my position that nothing in life can be free. There are three things that can be free, Loss Prevention, the Free Loss Prevention Calculator and training when a Sensormatic security system is purchased from Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. Check it out for yourself I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
For more information on the free Loss Prevention Calculator, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
Can Loss Prevention be free or can training to stop shoplifting be free? It seems like these are silly questions to ask especially if you are like me and believe nothing is free in life. If something is offered for free there nearly always seems to be some sort of catch to the offer. Most of you reading this article are business owners or business managers and you know you can’t afford to just give things away without expecting some type of return on your investment. I have seen offers in stores where you get a free package of paper with the purchase of a particular series of printers. Okay, but I have to buy that brand and model to get the free paper. Usually those models of printers tend to be a bit pricier anyways. How about when you give away pens or other “swag” with your business logo? Yes, those are free but the idea is you are going to get a return on your investment when customers come to shop with you because they saw your business logo on that item. Nothing is wrong with any of these promos and in fact I encourage these enticements. It is a smart way to get more business or increase sales. So when I heard about the Free Loss Prevention Calculator my first instinct was what is the catch?
My first thought was to go to the site where it was offered and see if I had to log in or set up a username and password and then the company would be able to contact me. It isn’t going to be all that free if I feel pushed by a salesman into purchasing a Sensormatic security system for a store. Much to my surprise I did not have to do any kind of sign in. There was a tab at the top of the page and I clicked on it and went straight to the Free Loss Prevention Calculator. I was able to enter a few pieces of data, specifically estimated annual sales and how much I was willing to invest in Loss Prevention. The calculation was done and showed me approximately how much a Sensormatic system could save me in reduced shortage annually. Based on the reduction it showed me how long it would take for the system to pay for itself. It was incredibly easy to use and I could adjust numbers as much as I wanted to do so. Can Loss Prevention be free? Looking at the results of the calculator yes it can be.
Of course being the skeptic I am after I closed out I waited to see if I was going to get some kind of email from the company. Surely they had to have a way to track me being on their page it would be good business sense. A couple days went by and not a peep. The Free Loss Prevention Calculator truly was free to use. I will also give the company credit and say yes, it also appears that the Loss Prevention system itself could be free. Through the losses it would prevent it would pay for itself over time. But this got me to investigating a bit more because I am a Loss Prevention professional and investigating is what I do. I wanted to know what the catch was in buying a system from this company. They would require me to buy a system and then charge me to train my team on how to use the thing, right? I was flabbergasted. If I were to purchase a brand new Sensormatic system from this company they provide FREE training on how to use it. I have been in Retail Loss Prevention for a long time and I can say this is unprecedented. But after digging a little deeper into this business I realized their focus is not on sales of equipment, their focus is on helping businesses increase profits through reducing theft and shortage. That can be through assessing shortage risks of a store be they operational or theft related and helping to create an action plan to address those risks. It is through in person and online training opportunities they offer stores. They can also conduct background checks to help stores not hire risky employees in the first place.
Can Loss Prevention be free? It seems like it can be and with that said I suppose I need to reevaluate my position that nothing in life can be free. There are three things that can be free, Loss Prevention, the Free Loss Prevention Calculator and training when a Sensormatic security system is purchased from Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. Check it out for yourself I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
For more information on the free Loss Prevention Calculator, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
