Sensormatic Safers-4 WC Blog 799
Retail Anti-Theft Devices -3
DVD Theft Is Still A Problem And Sensormatic Safers Are The Solution
It may not seem to be as important as it used to be it is still necessary to use retail anti-theft devices to protect DVD’s in your store. With the increase in streaming videos and online video’s there appears to be a decreasing demand for DVD’s and the same can be said for CD’s. Technology has literally put entertainment in the palm of our hands. A walk through the electronics department of many big box retail stores is indicative of these changing times as once robust DVD and CD aisles have been cut back. The selections seem to be fewer and often shelves sit bare. I don’t know if this is a theft issue or a merchandising decision. In one of my favorite stores the DVD section has been reduced to two or three gondolas where it once was four to six of them filled with movies. Does this trend mean that stores do not have to worry any longer about how to stop shoplifting in these departments? I would argue that it is still a problem and retailers must be alert to the threat and use Sensormatic Safers to prevent it.
What caused me to be concerned enough to write about it? I saw a news story from 2018 that somewhat shocked me. As a Loss Prevention Manager I dealt with some large shoplifting cases but this one was pretty remarkable in my book. According to news4sanantoni.com, Sunday, August 5th, 2018, “Women admit to using wigs to steal 917 DVD’s from several stores”, the women were accused of stealing DVD’s valued at an estimated $35,118.83. That is a lot of DVD’s by any standard. The story reported that these two crooks targeted several stores of a national retail bookstore chain. I have shopped at this particular chain and I know that they use some type of retail anti-theft devices in the form of an electronic article surveillance label. I do not know if they tag everything or just certain items. What I do know is sometimes merchandise needs different protective devices bases on the merchandise type, price point or risk. Different devices provide different levels of security. In the case of DVD’s Sensormatic Safers are the protection for DVD’s and CD’s I recommend for stores.
Sensormatic Safers are pouches made of Polyethylene and nylon materials making them flexible yet tough. They have electronic article surveillance built in giving retailers the confidence that if a shoplifter attempts to load a purse or bag with DVD’s or CD’s Sensormatic pedestals are going to activate every time. Flexible Safers are also slim so unlike other protective wraps or devices retailers maximize selling space while benefitting from the security Safers provide.
Another feature that can optimize the use of Safers is adding a metal detection card to a Sensormatic AMS9060 Controller. The metal detection card gives certain Sensormatic towers the ability to identify a professional shoplifter attempting to enter the store with a foil lined purse or bag. Not all retail anti-theft devices or systems have this capability. The article did not indicate whether foiled-lined bags were used by the suspects but it did say that one was seen grabbing a handful of DVD’s and placing them in her purse. It is not unheard of for a purse to have a foil bag or lining inside of it. Alarm activations caused by someone ENTERING a store are less frequent occurrences than exit alarms so attention is drawn to the suspect before they even get to the salesfloor. That is not an ideal situation for a shoplifter.
Just because DVD’s and CD’s are not as popular as they once were there is still a market for them. You only need to take a look at those red boxes outside of retail stores which allow customers to rent movies and games to see my point. Use Sensormatic Safers to reduce the chance of movie theft. Get the “picture” now?
Sensormatic Safers are important and we can help you with them. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
It may not seem to be as important as it used to be it is still necessary to use retail anti-theft devices to protect DVD’s in your store. With the increase in streaming videos and online video’s there appears to be a decreasing demand for DVD’s and the same can be said for CD’s. Technology has literally put entertainment in the palm of our hands. A walk through the electronics department of many big box retail stores is indicative of these changing times as once robust DVD and CD aisles have been cut back. The selections seem to be fewer and often shelves sit bare. I don’t know if this is a theft issue or a merchandising decision. In one of my favorite stores the DVD section has been reduced to two or three gondolas where it once was four to six of them filled with movies. Does this trend mean that stores do not have to worry any longer about how to stop shoplifting in these departments? I would argue that it is still a problem and retailers must be alert to the threat and use Sensormatic Safers to prevent it.
What caused me to be concerned enough to write about it? I saw a news story from 2018 that somewhat shocked me. As a Loss Prevention Manager I dealt with some large shoplifting cases but this one was pretty remarkable in my book. According to news4sanantoni.com, Sunday, August 5th, 2018, “Women admit to using wigs to steal 917 DVD’s from several stores”, the women were accused of stealing DVD’s valued at an estimated $35,118.83. That is a lot of DVD’s by any standard. The story reported that these two crooks targeted several stores of a national retail bookstore chain. I have shopped at this particular chain and I know that they use some type of retail anti-theft devices in the form of an electronic article surveillance label. I do not know if they tag everything or just certain items. What I do know is sometimes merchandise needs different protective devices bases on the merchandise type, price point or risk. Different devices provide different levels of security. In the case of DVD’s Sensormatic Safers are the protection for DVD’s and CD’s I recommend for stores.
Sensormatic Safers are pouches made of Polyethylene and nylon materials making them flexible yet tough. They have electronic article surveillance built in giving retailers the confidence that if a shoplifter attempts to load a purse or bag with DVD’s or CD’s Sensormatic pedestals are going to activate every time. Flexible Safers are also slim so unlike other protective wraps or devices retailers maximize selling space while benefitting from the security Safers provide.
Another feature that can optimize the use of Safers is adding a metal detection card to a Sensormatic AMS9060 Controller. The metal detection card gives certain Sensormatic towers the ability to identify a professional shoplifter attempting to enter the store with a foil lined purse or bag. Not all retail anti-theft devices or systems have this capability. The article did not indicate whether foiled-lined bags were used by the suspects but it did say that one was seen grabbing a handful of DVD’s and placing them in her purse. It is not unheard of for a purse to have a foil bag or lining inside of it. Alarm activations caused by someone ENTERING a store are less frequent occurrences than exit alarms so attention is drawn to the suspect before they even get to the salesfloor. That is not an ideal situation for a shoplifter.
Just because DVD’s and CD’s are not as popular as they once were there is still a market for them. You only need to take a look at those red boxes outside of retail stores which allow customers to rent movies and games to see my point. Use Sensormatic Safers to reduce the chance of movie theft. Get the “picture” now?
Sensormatic Safers are important and we can help you with them. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Clothing security tags-4 WC Blog 798
Sensormatic tags – 4
Ad”dressing” The Problem Of Clothing Theft With Sensormatic Tags
I don’t want to appear to be dressing you down but if you aren’t using clothing security tags on your merchandise I feel compelled to ask why not? Is it the idea that an anti-theft system would cost too much? Do you believe it is going to cost you the shirt on your back? You might change your mind when you learn about a story I just read from fox43.com, March 23, 2019, “Police recover $100K in stolen merchandise, $40k hidden behind baby crib” by CNN Wire. What was so special about this story? For one thing according to the report, “…over 400 pair of sunglasses stored in display and individual cases valued at approximately $37,000” were recovered. This was on top of clothing police found amounting to, “…over $100,000 worth of stolen merchandise from Lulumon, Victoria Secret, Zumiez, Abercrombie and Fitch, Ralph Lauren – Polo, Hollister, The Disney Store, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Ugg, Nike, Adidas, Champion and Sun Glass Hut.” Those numbers are distressing to someone like me who has been involved in Retail Loss Prevention. I am concerned for the victims of this particular activity but I am even more concerned for the small and medium store owners. The national chains have resources they can rely on to address theft and some use Sensormatic tags on clothing and clothing accessories such as sunglasses.
It may have crossed your mind that many of these national chain stores are already using clothing security tags of one type or another. This can prompt the question, “What is the point of using tags at all?” There are a couple of answers to the question. First, in many of these chains not everything in the store is protected with clothing security tags. These businesses focus tagging programs on high theft or their highest price point merchandise. That means shoplifters can still steal the other untagged merchandise and get away with it. I would also suggest that the quality of training received by store associates in responding to alarms caused by Sensormatic tags is probably minimal if any training has taken place. I would go so far as to say there is a good chance that anti-theft equipment is not tested on a daily or even a weekly basis. Faulty equipment can lead to increased theft and professional shoplifters know how to watch to see if alarms are being set off. National chain stores do not necessarily have in-house Loss Prevention Officers so there is no one regularly auditing tagging programs. A District Loss Prevention Manager may conduct periodic audits but again without regular oversight a tagging program often falls to the bottom of store priority lists.
For small or independent store owners the use of Sensormatic tags and equipment can have a big impact on theft reduction. YOU make the decision on what will be tagged, how it will be audited and you ensure your employees are properly trained on alarm response. You may even train them on how they can deter and prevent shoplifting. If you believe you and your management team need training before you train your staff that is available from Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI). If you don’t have an anti-theft system they can help you with the purchase of a system and can even demonstrate how affordable it can be with their free ROI Calculator.
The report told about clothes AND sunglasses being found by police. Sensormatic clothing security tags come in a variety of styles and designs to fit the needs of your particular store. These may include tags with dye packs, small SuperClamp tags or even the powerful Ultra-Gator tag. They also offer the Eyelet hard tag that can protect designer glasses or sunglasses when attached with a cable tie or lanyard.
There are no guarantees in life and the same can be said about retail theft. There is a good chance it is going to happen to your store at some point. You may not be able to stop all of it but you also don’t need to be the victim of an organized crime group stealing thousands of dollars in merchandise. Sensormatic tags and systems are an affordable way to protect your business and not be the subject in one of my articles.
For more information about Sensormatic tags contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
I don’t want to appear to be dressing you down but if you aren’t using clothing security tags on your merchandise I feel compelled to ask why not? Is it the idea that an anti-theft system would cost too much? Do you believe it is going to cost you the shirt on your back? You might change your mind when you learn about a story I just read from fox43.com, March 23, 2019, “Police recover $100K in stolen merchandise, $40k hidden behind baby crib” by CNN Wire. What was so special about this story? For one thing according to the report, “…over 400 pair of sunglasses stored in display and individual cases valued at approximately $37,000” were recovered. This was on top of clothing police found amounting to, “…over $100,000 worth of stolen merchandise from Lulumon, Victoria Secret, Zumiez, Abercrombie and Fitch, Ralph Lauren – Polo, Hollister, The Disney Store, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Ugg, Nike, Adidas, Champion and Sun Glass Hut.” Those numbers are distressing to someone like me who has been involved in Retail Loss Prevention. I am concerned for the victims of this particular activity but I am even more concerned for the small and medium store owners. The national chains have resources they can rely on to address theft and some use Sensormatic tags on clothing and clothing accessories such as sunglasses.
It may have crossed your mind that many of these national chain stores are already using clothing security tags of one type or another. This can prompt the question, “What is the point of using tags at all?” There are a couple of answers to the question. First, in many of these chains not everything in the store is protected with clothing security tags. These businesses focus tagging programs on high theft or their highest price point merchandise. That means shoplifters can still steal the other untagged merchandise and get away with it. I would also suggest that the quality of training received by store associates in responding to alarms caused by Sensormatic tags is probably minimal if any training has taken place. I would go so far as to say there is a good chance that anti-theft equipment is not tested on a daily or even a weekly basis. Faulty equipment can lead to increased theft and professional shoplifters know how to watch to see if alarms are being set off. National chain stores do not necessarily have in-house Loss Prevention Officers so there is no one regularly auditing tagging programs. A District Loss Prevention Manager may conduct periodic audits but again without regular oversight a tagging program often falls to the bottom of store priority lists.
For small or independent store owners the use of Sensormatic tags and equipment can have a big impact on theft reduction. YOU make the decision on what will be tagged, how it will be audited and you ensure your employees are properly trained on alarm response. You may even train them on how they can deter and prevent shoplifting. If you believe you and your management team need training before you train your staff that is available from Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI). If you don’t have an anti-theft system they can help you with the purchase of a system and can even demonstrate how affordable it can be with their free ROI Calculator.
The report told about clothes AND sunglasses being found by police. Sensormatic clothing security tags come in a variety of styles and designs to fit the needs of your particular store. These may include tags with dye packs, small SuperClamp tags or even the powerful Ultra-Gator tag. They also offer the Eyelet hard tag that can protect designer glasses or sunglasses when attached with a cable tie or lanyard.
There are no guarantees in life and the same can be said about retail theft. There is a good chance it is going to happen to your store at some point. You may not be able to stop all of it but you also don’t need to be the victim of an organized crime group stealing thousands of dollars in merchandise. Sensormatic tags and systems are an affordable way to protect your business and not be the subject in one of my articles.
For more information about Sensormatic tags contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
Sensormatic Tags – 4 WC Blog 751
Clothing Security Tags – 3
Use Sensormatic Tags The Right Way And Improve Theft Prevention
Clothing security tags work in every store they are used in. In fact they are so effective that according to the Sensormatic Global Retail Shrink Index, Electronic article surveillance (EAS) is the most popular Loss Prevention investment among retailers in the United States. According to their researchers, 92.16% of retailers surveyed indicated they are investing in electronic article surveillance (pg. 45). Certainly the use of clothing security is important but I will tell you that based on my experience, which tags are used and where they are placed are almost as important to a merchandise protection program.
Effective standardized tagging guidelines for retailers improve the processing of merchandise for cashiers. It makes auditing of tagging easier for managers and it results in fewer customer service complaints. Here are of my suggestions to use as a basis when starting a tagging program:
• Tag visibility is important. Hidden tags sound like they would be a deterrent to criminals and in some situations that does work. But most of your shoplifters will be opportunists and if they see the Sensormatic tags they are less likely to try to steal an item. Deterrence is preferred to having to confront a potential shoplifter which can become dangerous.
• Hiding clothing security tags can also result in a cashier overlooking them during the checkout process. Since these tags are not designed to deactivate they are going to sound the EAS tower at the doors and create a distraction. The customer may be embarrassed or angry and an employee has to respond and try to determine what caused the alarm.
• Placing tags where they are hard to cover up is also important. For example, a hard tag on the waist of a skirt can be covered by a blouse or sweater if a shoplifter tries to wear it out of the store.
• Finally, there are Sensormatic tags and labels. I know that sometimes it is easier to slap a label on a manufacturer hang tag rather than pinning a tag onto a piece of clothing but I always recommend a hard tag on clothing. For a t-shirt or a pair of socks a label may be sufficient but pants, shirts, purses, etc. should always be hard tagged.
Now that I covered what not to do here are my suggestions to help you with a consistent tagging strategy:
• Tag pants in a seam near the knee. Also do it on the same leg of every pair of slacks, jeans pants etc. Cashiers will always know to look for the Sensormatic tags in the same place. If you find this is more effort than you want to put into it you can tag near the cuff, but do it several inches above the end of the leg.
• Shoes can be a bit more difficult since people want to try them on. Additionally not all shoes are designed the same. If possible tag through an eyelet, buckle or strap. IF there is no choice, a Sensormatic label may serve as a substitute on the bottom of each shoe.
• Attach clothing security tags to the neckline. This ensures the tag is visible and it is very hard to hide this. If you make the choice to tag on a sleeve, as with pants, do it several inches above the end of the sleeve. A small cut in the garment can be easy to repair and the tag slipped off. Cut in a piece of clothing anywhere else renders it unserviceable and useless.
• Purses generally have loops and straps that are accommodating for tags making them easy for protecting. Wallets on the other hand may be more challenging. This is one of the situations where I believe it is warranted to use a Sensormatic label hidden in the merchandise. The key is to emphasize that cashiers be sure to run all wallets over deactivation pads to avoid those false alarms.
These are strategies that I used for many years as a Retail Loss Prevention Manager and I can attest to the effectiveness of following these suggestions. We were consistently bringing in shortage numbers well under 1% during my tenure.
Sensormatic is a trusted company in the Loss Prevention industry and their equipment is so effective in preventing shoplifting that Bill Bregar, owner of Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. recommends their products to his clients. Why is that important? It is important because Bill has been in the business of retail shortage prevention and consultation since 1983. He was also a Loss Prevention Director for major retail stores. When Bill and I are in agreement it means you can’t go wrong if you listen to us. Use Sensormatic tags and see how much you can improve your bottom line.
For more information about clothing security tags contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
Clothing security tags work in every store they are used in. In fact they are so effective that according to the Sensormatic Global Retail Shrink Index, Electronic article surveillance (EAS) is the most popular Loss Prevention investment among retailers in the United States. According to their researchers, 92.16% of retailers surveyed indicated they are investing in electronic article surveillance (pg. 45). Certainly the use of clothing security is important but I will tell you that based on my experience, which tags are used and where they are placed are almost as important to a merchandise protection program.
Effective standardized tagging guidelines for retailers improve the processing of merchandise for cashiers. It makes auditing of tagging easier for managers and it results in fewer customer service complaints. Here are of my suggestions to use as a basis when starting a tagging program:
• Tag visibility is important. Hidden tags sound like they would be a deterrent to criminals and in some situations that does work. But most of your shoplifters will be opportunists and if they see the Sensormatic tags they are less likely to try to steal an item. Deterrence is preferred to having to confront a potential shoplifter which can become dangerous.
• Hiding clothing security tags can also result in a cashier overlooking them during the checkout process. Since these tags are not designed to deactivate they are going to sound the EAS tower at the doors and create a distraction. The customer may be embarrassed or angry and an employee has to respond and try to determine what caused the alarm.
• Placing tags where they are hard to cover up is also important. For example, a hard tag on the waist of a skirt can be covered by a blouse or sweater if a shoplifter tries to wear it out of the store.
• Finally, there are Sensormatic tags and labels. I know that sometimes it is easier to slap a label on a manufacturer hang tag rather than pinning a tag onto a piece of clothing but I always recommend a hard tag on clothing. For a t-shirt or a pair of socks a label may be sufficient but pants, shirts, purses, etc. should always be hard tagged.
Now that I covered what not to do here are my suggestions to help you with a consistent tagging strategy:
• Tag pants in a seam near the knee. Also do it on the same leg of every pair of slacks, jeans pants etc. Cashiers will always know to look for the Sensormatic tags in the same place. If you find this is more effort than you want to put into it you can tag near the cuff, but do it several inches above the end of the leg.
• Shoes can be a bit more difficult since people want to try them on. Additionally not all shoes are designed the same. If possible tag through an eyelet, buckle or strap. IF there is no choice, a Sensormatic label may serve as a substitute on the bottom of each shoe.
• Attach clothing security tags to the neckline. This ensures the tag is visible and it is very hard to hide this. If you make the choice to tag on a sleeve, as with pants, do it several inches above the end of the sleeve. A small cut in the garment can be easy to repair and the tag slipped off. Cut in a piece of clothing anywhere else renders it unserviceable and useless.
• Purses generally have loops and straps that are accommodating for tags making them easy for protecting. Wallets on the other hand may be more challenging. This is one of the situations where I believe it is warranted to use a Sensormatic label hidden in the merchandise. The key is to emphasize that cashiers be sure to run all wallets over deactivation pads to avoid those false alarms.
These are strategies that I used for many years as a Retail Loss Prevention Manager and I can attest to the effectiveness of following these suggestions. We were consistently bringing in shortage numbers well under 1% during my tenure.
Sensormatic is a trusted company in the Loss Prevention industry and their equipment is so effective in preventing shoplifting that Bill Bregar, owner of Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. recommends their products to his clients. Why is that important? It is important because Bill has been in the business of retail shortage prevention and consultation since 1983. He was also a Loss Prevention Director for major retail stores. When Bill and I are in agreement it means you can’t go wrong if you listen to us. Use Sensormatic tags and see how much you can improve your bottom line.
For more information about clothing security tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
Loss Prevention Roi Calculator – 4 WC Blog 800
Can Loss Prevention Be Free? – 3
Understanding The ROI of A Loss Prevention System When You Use A Loss Prevention ROI Calculator
Can Loss Prevention be free? That seems like a silly question to ask. Why not ask if a car can be free or how about a free vacation to the Bahamas? I suppose if you were to win a raffle or a contest maybe either one could be free. Of course, even then you are going to have to pay taxes and then it won’t feel so free. If I reply to a “special offer” for a free one month trial of a sports broadcast website so that I can watch any of my favorite sports events why do I have to sign up for my free offer using a credit card? I have a sneaky suspicion that the website expects me to forget to cancel my free offer so they can bill me the next month. Why not get Manager training to Stop Shoplifting for free? Better yet, how about asking for a free Loss Prevention ROI calculator to use to figure out the cost and benefits a Sensormatic System would give you? It all sounds ridiculous. What company is going to offer free ANYTHING to customers without some sort of cost attached?
I have a secret for you. Can Loss Prevention be free? Yes, it can. So is the Loss Prevention ROI Calculator that will help you find out how this is so. A Loss Prevention system from Sensormatic is the best way to prevent theft caused by shoplifting. A system includes the towers, the tags, the deactivation pads and hard tag removal tools. It may also include peripheral attachments such as an integrated people counting device or a Sensormatic Synergy Camera. All of these do cost money. So the question is if the system and its components cost money then how in the world can they be free? Are you going to have to enter a raffle to win a system? No, it isn’t that complicated. The way a Loss Prevention system is going to be free is in the amount of money it is going to save you in shortage. That is where the Loss Prevention ROI Calculator comes in to play. If you navigate to the Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) website and look at the top of the page there are tabs and one is labeled “ROI Calc.” A simple click of the tab takes the user to the calculator itself and here is where two pieces of information are entered, the (estimated) annual sales of the store and the amount you are willing to spend on EAS (electronic article surveillance) equipment. The calculator does the rest of the work providing the estimated amount you will reduce your shrinkage by and giving you the estimated number of months it will take for your system to pay for itself. After a system has paid for itself you can realistically put the savings back to your profit line.
LPSI could have charged for the use of the calculator but they chose not to do so. It was more important to them that retail owners and managers see how significant the impact of a Sensormatic system can be for a store. The Loss Prevention ROI Calculator is also free because it does not require any kind of sign in to use it. No one is tracking the user to hound them later. Being free from a barrage of advertisements and solicitations in your email is a benefit that makes this calculator free and that much more appealing to those who use it.
One more thing that is going to surprise you is that not only can a Loss Prevention system and the ROI calculator be free; manager training to stop shoplifting can be free too! As incredible as it may sound if you purchase a Sensormatic system from LPSI you will also receive free shoplifting prevention training. I’m not talking about only training on how to use your new system I’m also talking about the training necessary to deter shoplifting. They will also provide guidance in establishing a Loss Prevention program so you can sustain your efforts at shortage reduction.
Can Loss Prevention be free? I don’t see how you can answer that question except in the affirmative. From the LPSI ROI Calculator to the training that will help you stop thieves to the actual system paying for itself it can all be free. What isn’t free are the losses your store is incurring as criminals steal from you while you consider whether or not to try the ROI calculator. Don’t delay check it out today I am sure you will be convinced
Need information on a Loss Prevention ROI Calculator? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547
Can Loss Prevention be free? That seems like a silly question to ask. Why not ask if a car can be free or how about a free vacation to the Bahamas? I suppose if you were to win a raffle or a contest maybe either one could be free. Of course, even then you are going to have to pay taxes and then it won’t feel so free. If I reply to a “special offer” for a free one month trial of a sports broadcast website so that I can watch any of my favorite sports events why do I have to sign up for my free offer using a credit card? I have a sneaky suspicion that the website expects me to forget to cancel my free offer so they can bill me the next month. Why not get Manager training to Stop Shoplifting for free? Better yet, how about asking for a free Loss Prevention ROI calculator to use to figure out the cost and benefits a Sensormatic System would give you? It all sounds ridiculous. What company is going to offer free ANYTHING to customers without some sort of cost attached?
I have a secret for you. Can Loss Prevention be free? Yes, it can. So is the Loss Prevention ROI Calculator that will help you find out how this is so. A Loss Prevention system from Sensormatic is the best way to prevent theft caused by shoplifting. A system includes the towers, the tags, the deactivation pads and hard tag removal tools. It may also include peripheral attachments such as an integrated people counting device or a Sensormatic Synergy Camera. All of these do cost money. So the question is if the system and its components cost money then how in the world can they be free? Are you going to have to enter a raffle to win a system? No, it isn’t that complicated. The way a Loss Prevention system is going to be free is in the amount of money it is going to save you in shortage. That is where the Loss Prevention ROI Calculator comes in to play. If you navigate to the Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) website and look at the top of the page there are tabs and one is labeled “ROI Calc.” A simple click of the tab takes the user to the calculator itself and here is where two pieces of information are entered, the (estimated) annual sales of the store and the amount you are willing to spend on EAS (electronic article surveillance) equipment. The calculator does the rest of the work providing the estimated amount you will reduce your shrinkage by and giving you the estimated number of months it will take for your system to pay for itself. After a system has paid for itself you can realistically put the savings back to your profit line.
LPSI could have charged for the use of the calculator but they chose not to do so. It was more important to them that retail owners and managers see how significant the impact of a Sensormatic system can be for a store. The Loss Prevention ROI Calculator is also free because it does not require any kind of sign in to use it. No one is tracking the user to hound them later. Being free from a barrage of advertisements and solicitations in your email is a benefit that makes this calculator free and that much more appealing to those who use it.
One more thing that is going to surprise you is that not only can a Loss Prevention system and the ROI calculator be free; manager training to stop shoplifting can be free too! As incredible as it may sound if you purchase a Sensormatic system from LPSI you will also receive free shoplifting prevention training. I’m not talking about only training on how to use your new system I’m also talking about the training necessary to deter shoplifting. They will also provide guidance in establishing a Loss Prevention program so you can sustain your efforts at shortage reduction.
Can Loss Prevention be free? I don’t see how you can answer that question except in the affirmative. From the LPSI ROI Calculator to the training that will help you stop thieves to the actual system paying for itself it can all be free. What isn’t free are the losses your store is incurring as criminals steal from you while you consider whether or not to try the ROI calculator. Don’t delay check it out today I am sure you will be convinced.
Need information on a Loss Prevention ROI Calculator? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547
Stop Shoplifting – 3 WC Blog 786
Sensormatic Labels -3
Cook Up A Plan To Reduce Grocery Shortage With Sensormatic Labels
When it comes to food and inventory shortage there are two factors to take into consideration, how to prevent out of date merchandise and how to stop shoplifting. I have seen merchandise that has had to be marked out of stock because the food has expired. One of the reasons for many of the unnecessary mark-outs is a failure of the store to have a good product rotation program in place. As a freight manager I always stressed to my team the importance of using FIFO (First In First Out) when putting out merchandise. This could be difficult for the team when they were being pushed for time (which was always). I would audit behind them and sometimes find shortcuts had been taken. Occasionally a worker pulled the first item on the shelf and then put out the new merchandise and then put the first item back. This gave the impression that FIFO was followed when it really was not. Those items that were not rotated would go out of date and then we had to process them and mark them out of stock. What a waste! There were also the products we stocked that just did not sell. They may not have been the right item for our store or customers just didn’t like them. Any way you cut it the product sat there until the company issued markdowns and sold it on clearance or they went out of date. The other issue we often found with out of date product was when the merchandise was vendor supplied and stocked and the vendor failed to give timely vendor credits on goods that were not selling.
The other major cause for shortage in grocery stores is due to theft. The first issue involves operational matters and can be resolved by putting good practices in place. Theft on the other hand requires another solution and that should be the use of Sensormatic labels. Labels can be used on almost anything a store carries. From canned foods to steaks, there is a remedy available from Sensormatic security systems for nearly everything a grocer carries. Now you may not need to put a label on a can of corn but you can put a Sensormatic APX Microwavable Roll Label in meat soaker pads or under the meat trays for those expensive cuts of beef and pork. Perhaps your store carries some health and beauty items as well as foods you can protect these with the HBC labels. There are also hard tags available that can protect higher end merchandise such as infant formula. All of the Sensormatic labels and tags carried by Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) are proven to stop shoplifting and that is the reason they are recommended by LPSI for their clients.
Why the fuss about grocery store shrink? It is a concern because “Shrinkage as a % of revenue 2017-2018” came in at a whopping 1.90% according to the Sensormatic Global Shrink Index (pg. 43). As I was looking for some specific grocery store theft statistics I found something I wasn’t quite expecting. According to one website I browse, they pulled some statistics from businessinsurance.org listing 9 of the top items stolen from stores. Topping that list was meat and coming in at number three on the list was baby formula! Operations may be causing some of your shortage but you cannot discount the impact theft is having on your store as well. You have to stop shoplifting if you are going to make a difference in your shortage results.
Equipping your store with an electronic article surveillance system from Sensormatic and protecting your merchandise with Sensormatic labels you can be certain you will reduce theft. Purchase that system from LPSI and you not only enjoy the benefits of owning a Sensormatic security system you receive free Loss Prevention training from LPSI. You won’t find an equivalent offer from any other company. If you are concerned about the cost of a system LPSI also has financing available for qualifying businesses. Don’t waste any more time find out more about how LPSI can help you make your business grow as you reduce shortage.
Get more information on Sensormatic labels, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
When it comes to food and inventory shortage there are two factors to take into consideration, how to prevent out of date merchandise and how to stop shoplifting. I have seen merchandise that has had to be marked out of stock because the food has expired. One of the reasons for many of the unnecessary mark-outs is a failure of the store to have a good product rotation program in place. As a freight manager I always stressed to my team the importance of using FIFO (First In First Out) when putting out merchandise. This could be difficult for the team when they were being pushed for time (which was always). I would audit behind them and sometimes find shortcuts had been taken. Occasionally a worker pulled the first item on the shelf and then put out the new merchandise and then put the first item back. This gave the impression that FIFO was followed when it really was not. Those items that were not rotated would go out of date and then we had to process them and mark them out of stock. What a waste! There were also the products we stocked that just did not sell. They may not have been the right item for our store or customers just didn’t like them. Any way you cut it the product sat there until the company issued markdowns and sold it on clearance or they went out of date. The other issue we often found with out of date product was when the merchandise was vendor supplied and stocked and the vendor failed to give timely vendor credits on goods that were not selling.
The other major cause for shortage in grocery stores is due to theft. The first issue involves operational matters and can be resolved by putting good practices in place. Theft on the other hand requires another solution and that should be the use of Sensormatic labels. Labels can be used on almost anything a store carries. From canned foods to steaks, there is a remedy available from Sensormatic security systems for nearly everything a grocer carries. Now you may not need to put a label on a can of corn but you can put a Sensormatic APX Microwavable Roll Label in meat soaker pads or under the meat trays for those expensive cuts of beef and pork. Perhaps your store carries some health and beauty items as well as foods you can protect these with the HBC labels. There are also hard tags available that can protect higher end merchandise such as infant formula. All of the Sensormatic labels and tags carried by Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) are proven to stop shoplifting and that is the reason they are recommended by LPSI for their clients.
Why the fuss about grocery store shrink? It is a concern because “Shrinkage as a % of revenue 2017-2018” came in at a whopping 1.90% according to the Sensormatic Global Shrink Index (pg. 43). As I was looking for some specific grocery store theft statistics I found something I wasn’t quite expecting. According to one website I browse, they pulled some statistics from businessinsurance.org listing 9 of the top items stolen from stores. Topping that list was meat and coming in at number three on the list was baby formula! Operations may be causing some of your shortage but you cannot discount the impact theft is having on your store as well. You have to stop shoplifting if you are going to make a difference in your shortage results.
Equipping your store with an electronic article surveillance system from Sensormatic and protecting your merchandise with Sensormatic labels you can be certain you will reduce theft. Purchase that system from LPSI and you not only enjoy the benefits of owning a Sensormatic security system you receive free Loss Prevention training from LPSI. You won’t find an equivalent offer from any other company. If you are concerned about the cost of a system LPSI also has financing available for qualifying businesses. Don’t waste any more time find out more about how LPSI can help you make your business grow as you reduce shortage.
Get more information on Sensormatic labels, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Customer Counting device – 4 WC Blog 788
people counting system – 3
Improve Store Efficiency And Sales With A Customer Counting Device – Part 1
Here I am in the library where I work and I glanced at the people counting system we use to track headcount and we are really low in patron numbers. What a great time to get some tasks done that we have on our agenda. I have the same number of employees working as I do any other day but some are basically twiddling their thumbs waiting to provide assistance at our circulation and help desk. We are on the last day of classes before the college students take a break so many people have already left campus. There just is not the same level of activity as a normal day would have. In fact at this point of the day we are at only about half our normal counts. Had I looked at our counts from last year I could have planned out activities for the employees better in order to get things done that we needed to do. Have you ever found yourself in this type of quandary in your store? You walk to the cashier stand and the cashier is standing around waiting for someone to make a purchase while your salesfloor employees are loitering around talking about who knows what? Payroll for student workers is not based on sales or productivity so the impact of having our staff here is not detrimental to what we do. Actually, not using allotted payroll hurts our department (and student workers) more than having excess students. Our customer counting device is more helpful in showing why we need more space and furniture. For retail owners having unnecessary or unproductive staff on the time clock when they are not needed is costly.
If a store owner is interested in getting more bang for the buck from their payroll dollars a people counting system is exactly what the doctor ordered. Consider for a moment the advantages you would have if you could look at prior year customer headcounts and know for a specific week what days and times your store was busy. I’m not talking about sales data right now I am specifically talking about customer foot traffic. Maybe you want to plan a training day for your managers with Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) on “Employee Theft Reduction Training”. How convenient would it be to review prior year people counting system information and be able to select a date that will offer few interruptions because it just won’t be all that busy? Maybe you want to plan an employee appreciation day for the hard work your employees have put in this past year. Use your customer counting device records to pick your day. Store bounce-backs or cleaning days can be rough to do if you get the wrong day. Even if your employees are happy to help customers it just feels awkward when they are dusty and dirty and dressed down and trying to render that assistance. Busy days are just not the right time for these task-oriented work days.
A customer counting device does not have to be relegated to finding the best days for activities either. I want you to think about your store’s conversion rate. If you don’t know how many people have walked through your doors you have no idea how many left without making a purchase. You start tracking how many people are entering and leaving and compare that number to your daily sales transactions and the result may make you cringe. What could you have done differently to get more merchandise into the hands of customers? That brings us back to the point about proper staffing.
In Part 2 we will continue to explore how a customer counting device can improve your staffing model. We will also look at how it can be used as a tool to help increase sales. I will tell you that if you are interested in learning more about the advantages a store has when keeping track of patron headcounts or just improving your sales through shortage reduction, LPSI is a great resource for retailers.
Need information on a customer counting device? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Here I am in the library where I work and I glanced at the people counting system we use to track headcount and we are really low in patron numbers. What a great time to get some tasks done that we have on our agenda. I have the same number of employees working as I do any other day but some are basically twiddling their thumbs waiting to provide assistance at our circulation and help desk. We are on the last day of classes before the college students take a break so many people have already left campus. There just is not the same level of activity as a normal day would have. In fact at this point of the day we are at only about half our normal counts. Had I looked at our counts from last year I could have planned out activities for the employees better in order to get things done that we needed to do. Have you ever found yourself in this type of quandary in your store? You walk to the cashier stand and the cashier is standing around waiting for someone to make a purchase while your salesfloor employees are loitering around talking about who knows what? Payroll for student workers is not based on sales or productivity so the impact of having our staff here is not detrimental to what we do. Actually, not using allotted payroll hurts our department (and student workers) more than having excess students. Our customer counting device is more helpful in showing why we need more space and furniture. For retail owners having unnecessary or unproductive staff on the time clock when they are not needed is costly.
If a store owner is interested in getting more bang for the buck from their payroll dollars a people counting system is exactly what the doctor ordered. Consider for a moment the advantages you would have if you could look at prior year customer headcounts and know for a specific week what days and times your store was busy. I’m not talking about sales data right now I am specifically talking about customer foot traffic. Maybe you want to plan a training day for your managers with Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) on “Employee Theft Reduction Training”. How convenient would it be to review prior year people counting system information and be able to select a date that will offer few interruptions because it just won’t be all that busy? Maybe you want to plan an employee appreciation day for the hard work your employees have put in this past year. Use your customer counting device records to pick your day. Store bounce-backs or cleaning days can be rough to do if you get the wrong day. Even if your employees are happy to help customers it just feels awkward when they are dusty and dirty and dressed down and trying to render that assistance. Busy days are just not the right time for these task-oriented work days.
A customer counting device does not have to be relegated to finding the best days for activities either. I want you to think about your store’s conversion rate. If you don’t know how many people have walked through your doors you have no idea how many left without making a purchase. You start tracking how many people are entering and leaving and compare that number to your daily sales transactions and the result may make you cringe. What could you have done differently to get more merchandise into the hands of customers? That brings us back to the point about proper staffing.
In Part 2 we will continue to explore how a customer counting device can improve your staffing model. We will also look at how it can be used as a tool to help increase sales. I will tell you that if you are interested in learning more about the advantages a store has when keeping track of patron headcounts or just improving your sales through shortage reduction, LPSI is a great resource for retailers.
Need information on a customer counting device? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
