Anti Theft Devices

Sensormatic Security Labels

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

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

in Anti Shoplifting / Anti Theft Devices

How Do Checkpoint Labels And Hard Tags Work?

Inside each Checkpoint Radio Frequency (RF) label or hard tag is a resonator, a device that picks up the transmitted signal and repeats it. The Checkpoint antennas or gates also contains a receiver that is programmed to recognize whether it is detecting the target signal during the time gaps between the pulses being broadcast by the gates. This signal is generally at 8.2 MHz But it can be anywhere from 8.0 to 9.5 MHz depending on the needs of the retailer.

Sensing a signal during these intervals indicates the presence of a signal being resonated (rebroadcast) by a security label or tag in the detection zone. When this occurs, the Checkpoint System sounds an alarm; in most Checkpoint systems, the alarm sound is accompanied by flashing lights.

This is how a Checkpoint Label is constructed:

Checkpoint hard tags have the same technology in them but are in a hard plastic case. After the resonator is inserted into the hard tag’s plastic casing, the locking mechanism is installed. This usually consists of a clutch that will accept and lock a metal pin that can be inserted through a product at the retail store.

There are numerous designs of clutches, but one example is a metal plate with a small hole in the middle. The hole is too small for the pin’s shaft to pass through unless the metal plate is flexed to enlarge the hole. Once the pin is inserted, the plate flattens, and the minimized hole fits around a grooved section in the shaft of the pin. To release this grip, the sales clerk inserts the tag into a magnetic device that flexes the clutch plate, allowing the pin to slide free.

Another example of a clutch type is a ring of tiny balls that encircle the pin, with a spring mechanism pressing the balls into a groove in the pin’s shaft; a magnetic deactivator retracts the balls from the groove, releasing the pin. Still other tag designs use a mechanical deactivator that inserts a probe into the tag to physically disengage a locking device.

Hard tag clutches come in different strengths: Standard Lock (most common and easiest to defeat), Super Lock and Checkpoint’s S3.

Like labels hard tags come in hundreds of variations and quality. Cheap hard tags are very easy to defeat and offer very little protection. This LPSI video demonstrates this.

Checkpoint Systems hard tags are designed to be used over and over. The tag and pin are removed by staff at checkout. The pin and hard tag are generally placed in separate bins under the cash/wrap and then taken to the back of the store to be used again.

Labels are a one-time use. When merchandise with a label is brought to the checkout the Cashier passes it over a deactivator which is built into the cash/wrap and the label is deactivated or “killed”. The customer leaves the store with the merchandise and the label is discarded with the merchandise packaging. Cheap labels can re-activate prior to the customer leaving and cause an alarm.

in Anti Theft Devices / Checkpoint Labels / Checkpoint Tags