HOW TO STOP SHOPLIFTING AT THE POINT OF SALE
One of the biggest areas of loss for any retail store is there cash register, or point of sale. Think about it… cashiers are an entry level position. Most people who’ve never worked a day in their lives will probably start off as a cashier. That’s scary to me. Someone with no experience, and in most cases, little maturity is now responsible for thousands of dollars every single day. Professional thieves know this, and will regularly target new cashiers to carry out theft/fraud at the registers. What are the common ways for theft to happen and what can you do to stop shoplifting at the point of sale?
It’s a busy Saturday afternoon. Your checkout lanes are wide open and your cashiers are trying their best to keep the crowd moving. A customer approaches a register operated by a brand new cashier and purchases a single bag of candy. He tenders his $.75 total with a $50 bill. Before you know it, he’s asked for change a few times and has really confused your cashier. The next thing you know, he walks out of the store $400 dollars richer. You’ve just been the victim of a quick change artist.
It’s late Friday night. You’re down to one cashier as the last of the customers filter out the store. A customer approaches the register with a $399 pair of wireless headphones. He hands it to the cashier and she passes it through the point of sale. She deactivates the checkpoint label and tells the customer his total. “That’ll be $39.99, sir”, She says with a smile. He smiles back, purchases the item and exits the store. Once again, you’re the victim of a theft. This time, the fraud scheme used is price switching.
It’s early Wednesday morning. It’s a historically slower sales day, so you start the day with only one or two cashiers. A customer approaches the register with several cases of water piled high in the basket. Your cheerful cashier scans one package and enters in the quantity. The customer gladly pays for a basket of water and exits the store. As he exits, the EAS towers sound. “It must be the basket sir, we don’t put checkpoint labels on water”, your door greeter says, waving the customer through. What both associates failed to see was the large quantity of razor blades the customer had hidden at the bottom of the basket.
You may think these incidents are few and far between, but I can guarantee you that this is happening in your store. It’s much easier and carries lower risk for a thief to operate in this manner. After all, if they are questioned by the cashier, they can just pretend that the item was out of sight. So what can you do to stop shoplifting at your registers? Training.
You don’t need the most advanced security system and you definitely don’t need a full time Loss Prevention staff. A group of well trained cashiers can put thousands of dollars back into your store each month. Do you have a solid training plan in place for each new hire? Or, does each new cashier receive about 15 minutes of “training” before they are thrown to the wolves? Unfortunately, most managers do not put enough emphasis on proper training and far too often, we see the second scenario take over. So what can you do?
You’ve been in the management business for a while now, I’m sure. You’ve seen all the ways people have tried to steal from you. Take that knowledge and build your training program around that. If your store is frequently targeted with price switches on certain products, provide initial as well as routine follow up training on how to identify pricing. It’s not good enough to give new cashiers a bunch of training and never follow up. My best stores provide training on a daily basis. There are always new theft trends and new products that arrive in the store each week, and it’s up to you as a manager to keep your cashiers one step ahead.
I mean this in the nicest way possible, but make LP awareness “dummy proof”. Let’s say you carry a wide assortment of headphones. They range in price from $3.99 to $499.99. Your cashier may never know the difference between any of them and thus, susceptible to being conned. Make a standard in the store that says that every headphone over $49.99 will have a checkpoint label. That way the cashier can identify the product as over X dollar amount if they see the label, making it easier for them to identify price switches.
You can take that example and go through your entire store. Not only are you helping your cashiers to identify the higher priced product, you’re in turn making it harder for thieves to steal it. Sometimes, to stop shoplifting, you have to take a holistic approach and attack the problem from several different angles. One of those should always be proper training on the cashier team.
For more information, contact us: Checkpoint Labels, or call 1.770.426.0547
One of the biggest areas of loss for any retail store is there cash register, or point of sale. Think about it… cashiers are an entry level position. Most people who’ve never worked a day in their lives will probably start off as a cashier. That’s scary to me. Someone with no experience, and in most cases, little maturity is now responsible for thousands of dollars every single day. Professional thieves know this, and will regularly target new cashiers to carry out theft/fraud at the registers. What are the common ways for theft to happen and what can you do to stop shoplifting at the point of sale?
It’s a busy Saturday afternoon. Your checkout lanes are wide open and your cashiers are trying their best to keep the crowd moving. A customer approaches a register operated by a brand new cashier and purchases a single bag of candy. He tenders his $.75 total with a $50 bill. Before you know it, he’s asked for change a few times and has really confused your cashier. The next thing you know, he walks out of the store $400 dollars richer. You’ve just been the victim of a quick change artist.
It’s late Friday night. You’re down to one cashier as the last of the customers filter out the store. A customer approaches the register with a $399 pair of wireless headphones. He hands it to the cashier and she passes it through the point of sale. She deactivates the Checkpoint label and tells the customer his total. “That’ll be $39.99, sir”, She says with a smile. He smiles back, purchases the item and exits the store. Once again, you’re the victim of a theft. This time, the fraud scheme used is price switching.
It’s early Wednesday morning. It’s a historically slower sales day, so you start the day with only one or two cashiers. A customer approaches the register with several cases of water piled high in the basket. Your cheerful cashier scans one package and enters in the quantity. The customer gladly pays for a basket of water and exits the store. As he exits, the EAS towers sound. “It must be the basket sir, we don’t put checkpoint labels on water”, your door greeter says, waving the customer through. What both associates failed to see was the large quantity of razor blades the customer had hidden at the bottom of the basket.
You may think these incidents are few and far between, but I can guarantee you that this is happening in your store. It’s much easier and carries lower risk for a thief to operate in this manner. After all, if they are questioned by the cashier, they can just pretend that the item was out of sight. So what can you do to stop shoplifting at your registers? Training.
You don’t need the most advanced security system and you definitely don’t need a full time Loss Prevention staff. A group of well trained cashiers can put thousands of dollars back into your store each month. Do you have a solid training plan in place for each new hire? Or, does each new cashier receive about 15 minutes of “training” before they are thrown to the wolves? Unfortunately, most managers do not put enough emphasis on proper training and far too often, we see the second scenario take over. So what can you do?
You’ve been in the management business for a while now, I’m sure. You’ve seen all the ways people have tried to steal from you. Take that knowledge and build your training program around that. If your store is frequently targeted with price switches on certain products, provide initial as well as routine follow up training on how to identify pricing. It’s not good enough to give new cashiers a bunch of training and never follow up. My best stores provide training on a daily basis. There are always new theft trends and new products that arrive in the store each week, and it’s up to you as a manager to keep your cashiers one step ahead.
I mean this in the nicest way possible, but make LP awareness “dummy proof”. Let’s say you carry a wide assortment of headphones. They range in price from $3.99 to $499.99. Your cashier may never know the difference between any of them and thus, susceptible to being conned. Make a standard in the store that says that every headphone over $49.99 will have a checkpoint label. That way the cashier can identify the product as over X dollar amount if they see the label, making it easier for them to identify price switches.
You can take that example and go through your entire store. Not only are you helping your cashiers to identify the higher priced product, you’re in turn making it harder for thieves to steal it. Sometimes, to stop shoplifting, you have to take a holistic approach and attack the problem from several different angles. One of those should always be proper training on the cashier team.
For more information about Checkpoint Labels, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
Checkpoint Systems-3
The Numbers Don’t Lie: Checkpoint Systems Deter Theft
When I hire a new employee, whether a cashier or a supervisor, part of their initial training involves how to handle shoplifters. Most of the time, they look at me in disbelief when I tell them about the theft issues we battle in our small retail pharmacy. All I have to do is show them the pages of detail sheets where I have scanned empty packages into our pilferage file. Or , depending on the day of the week, I can show them the basket of empty packages under my desk waiting to be scanned. After we go through our apprehension rules, we walk the store and I show them our antishoplifting tools, like our Checkpoint Systems, all the different size Alpha keepers, spider wraps, etc. We go over each tool, how it is applied, how it is removed, and what items are more likely to be used with the tools because they are commonly targeted.
Shoplifting is one of the most common crimes in the country. People generally don’t look at it as a “big deal.” Most incidents of theft can be chalked up as simple greed. They want something and they don’t want to pay for it. Many retailers are trending away from apprehension and going with lenient policies. Their employees are paid more per hour than the item that was stolen is even worth, so they don’t see prosecution as worth the trouble. The justice system is flawed in how it handles shoplifters. There’s no denying that. I see it over and over; we call the police, have them cuffed and stuffed, go to court five or more times, and then the thief gets a slap on the wrist. I have had the officer not show up, or even worse, I forgot the court date and didn’t show up, and the charges get dismissed. This is all really frustrating for any retailer. But I still want to stop shoplifting. I don’t give up, and I don’t ever let my guard down. I abide by my companies policies, but I also educate my staff.
Statistically speaking, one in eleven people will steal something today. Those people are caught less than half of the times they do it, and will be prosecuted even less than half of those times. This just perpetuates the problem.
I am a store manager, not a baby sitter. I don’t have time to monitor every single person that walks through the store in order to keep them from stealing. Loss prevention is not so much about catching thieves and putting them behind bars. That’s where a lot of stores get confused. They want to put up threatening signs, hassle every person coming through their front door, and inconvenience their customers. You can’t keep honest cash paying customers loyal to your store by treating them like criminals. Loss prevention is about truly preventing the loss from happening in the first place. Deterrence is the key to loss prevention. That’s why I rely on my antishoplifting tools. In my store, Checkpoint Systems is always ready and on patrol. My staff knows our mandatory list of items that must have an EAS label adhered before being put out for sale. There are items that must be encased in Alpha keepers and or wrapped in an Alpha spider wrap as well. Honestly, the empty packages add up, and those probably only reflect a quarter or what is really stolen. However, I do know that the tools we utilize are making a difference. With the addition of these valuable security measures, our shrink results have been cut in half. Fraudulent refunds have gone down dramatically since they can’t steal the stuff in the first place. Word has gotten out in the community, and incidents of theft have dropped off considerably. The numbers don’t lie; we are winning the battle and we have our Checkpoint Systems and all the gadgets that work with it to thank for that.
For more information on Checkpoint Systems, contact us: 1.770.426.0547 or Antishoplifting.net
When I hire a new employee, whether a cashier or a supervisor, part of their initial training involves how to handle shoplifters. ost of the time, they look at me in disbelief when I tell them about the theft issues we battle in our small retail pharmacy. All I have to do is show them the pages of detail sheets where I have scanned empty packages into our pilferage file. Or , depending on the day of the week, I can show them the basket of empty packages under my desk waiting to be scanned. After we go through our apprehension rules, we walk the store and I show them our antishoplifting tools, like our Checkpoint Systems, all the different size Alpha keepers, spider wraps, etc. We go over each tool, how it is applied, how it is removed, and what items are more likely to be used with the tools because they are commonly targeted.
Shoplifting is one of the most common crimes in the country. People generally don’t look at it as a “big deal.” Most incidents of theft can be chalked up as simple greed. They want something and they don’t want to pay for it. Many retailers are trending away from apprehension and going with lenient policies. Their employees are paid more per hour than the item that was stolen is even worth, so they don’t see prosecution as worth the trouble. The justice system is flawed in how it handles shoplifters. There’s no denying that. I see it over and over; we call the police, have them cuffed and stuffed, go to court five or more times, and then the thief gets a slap on the wrist. I have had the officer not show up, or even worse, I forgot the court date and didn’t show up, and the charges get dismissed. This is all really frustrating for any retailer. But I still want to stop shoplifting. I don’t give up, and I don’t ever let my guard down. I abide by my companies policies, but I also educate my staff. Statistically speaking, one in eleven people will steal something today. Those people are caught less than half of the times they do it, and will be prosecuted even less than half of those times. This just perpetuates the problem.
I am a store manager, not a baby sitter. I don’t have time to monitor every single person that walks through the store in order to keep them from stealing. Loss prevention is not so much about catching thieves and putting them behind bars. That’s where a lot of stores get confused. They want to put up threatening signs, hassle every person coming through their front door, and inconvenience their customers. You can’t keep honest cash paying customers loyal to your store by treating them like criminals. Loss prevention is about truly preventing the loss from happening in the first place. Deterrence is the key to loss prevention. That’s why I rely on my antishoplifting tools. In my store, Checkpoint Systems are always ready and on patrol. My staff knows our mandatory list of items that must have an EAS label adhered before being put out for sale. There are items that must be encased in Alpha keepers and or wrapped in an Alpha spider wrap as well. Honestly, the empty packages add up, and those probably only reflect a quarter or what is really stolen. However, I do know that the tools we utilize are making a difference. With the addition of these valuable security measures, our shrink results have been cut in half. Fraudulent refunds have gone down dramatically since they can’t steal the stuff in the first place. Word has gotten out in the community, and incidents of theft have dropped off considerably. The numbers don’t lie; we are winning the battle and we have our Checkpoint Systems and all the gadgets that work with it to thank for that.
For more information on Checkpoint Systems, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 or Antishoplifting.net
Checkpoint Systems- 4 , Checkpoint Labels- 1 , Stop Shoplifting-1 , Checkpoint Tags-1 , Retail Theft Prevention-1
What Kind Of Store Benefits From Checkpoint Systems?
What kind of store benefits from Checkpoint Systems? The short answer is any type. If you sell to the public and you allow people to freely browse in your building, then you will certainly see a return on your investment after installing genuine Checkpoint Systems. I see threatening signs hanging in convenience stores, thrift stores, upscale boutiques, grocery stores, and even gift shops. Just yesterday at a fall festival, I ventured inside a little shop that had a sign up that read: Free Ride In A Police Car If You Are Caught Stealing. What do you get if you don’t get caught? Free stuff. That’s the difference in stores that use signs and stores that use real tools for retail theft prevention.
I have been in convenience stores that utilize the signs too. They get tired of their novelty lighters and beef jerky disappearing, so they resort to using these scare tactics. Unfortunately, these stop very few people. When greed drives people to cross to the dark side, a sign is useless. Adhere some Checkpoint Labels to these items and then you send the message that you mean business. Most people are aware that in many states it is an automatic felony if they remove a tag. Boom. Then there are the expensive gift shops and boutiques. If you are the owner of a shop that sells retail inventory, then you have already shelled out plenty of money. When your merchandise walks out the door, you lose what you’ve already paid for plus the profit you would have gained from the sell. Your loss can be huge, depending on your mark-up percentage. With all the options available to you, it’s a no-brainer to take the plunge and take a look at what Checkpoint Systems can do for you.
In order to stop shoplifting, you have to be willing to put in the time and research to see what tools you need. There are Checkpoint Labels, as mentioned above. These are versatile labels that can be adhered to almost any package. They are available in many shapes, sizes, and colors. For the grocery store battling meat theft, there are labels for you too and they are even microwavable. If you are in the clothing and accessory business, they can be attached to the price labels, or even sewn into a pocket of seam. Of course, you may decide to go with the Checkpoint Tags. These can be attached as pins or even via lanyard. They are made to be strong, and their seams are tight so they reduce the temptation for the shoplifter to attempt to pry them apart. The pins do not harm the merchandise, and they are easily detached.
Either option you choose is going to work hard to deter theft from your operation. There is little training required for your store staff to become loss prevention experts. They will get to know what specific items in your store are targeted the most and they can then employ the tools you have to stop it from happening. When your customers come in they will immediately be greeted by the Checkpoint Systems pedestals and they will see the tools you use throughout the store. It sends a silent message that you are aware of the threat and you take it seriously. They will more than likely decide it’s not worth it to steal from you. That’s better than a free ride in a police car any day.
For more information on Checkpoint Systems, contact us: 1.770.426.0547 or Antishoplifting.net
What kind of store benefits from Checkpoint Systems? The short answer is any type. If you sell to the public and you allow people to freely browse in your building, then you will certainly see a return on your investment after installing genuine Checkpoint Systems. I see threatening signs hanging in convenience stores, thrift stores, upscale boutiques, grocery stores, and even gift shops. Just yesterday at a fall festival, I ventured inside a little shop that had a sign up that read: Free Ride In A Police Car If You Are Caught Stealing. What do you get if you don’t get caught? Free stuff. That’s the difference in stores that use signs and stores that use real tools for retail theft prevention.
I have been in convenience stores that utilize the signs too. They get tired of their novelty lighters and beef jerky disappearing, so they resort to using these scare tactics. Unfortunately, these stop very few people. When greed drives people to cross to the dark side, a sign is useless. Adhere some Checkpoint Labels to these items and then you send the message that you mean business. Most people are aware that in many states it is an automatic felony if they remove a tag. Boom. Then there are the expensive gift shops and boutiques. If you are the owner of a shop that sells retail inventory, then you have already shelled out plenty of money. When your merchandise walks out the door, you lose what you’ve already paid for plus the profit you would have gained from the sell. Your loss can be huge, depending on your mark-up percentage. With all the options available to you, it’s a no-brainer to take the plunge and take a look at what Checkpoint Systems can do for you.
In order to stop shoplifting, you have to be willing to put in the time and research to see what tools you need. There are Checkpoint Labels, as mentioned above. These are versatile labels that can be adhered to almost any package. They are available in many shapes, sizes, and colors. For the grocery store battling meat theft, there are labels for you too and they are even microwavable. If you are in the clothing and accessory business, they can be attached to the price labels, or even sewn into a pocket of seam. Of course, you may decide to go with the Checkpoint Tags. These can be attached as pins or even via lanyard. They are made to be strong, and their seams are tight so they reduce the temptation for the shoplifter to attempt to pry them apart. The pins do not harm the merchandise, and they are easily detached.
Either option you choose is going to work hard to deter theft from your operation. There is little training required for your store staff to become loss prevention experts. They will get to know what specific items in your store are targeted the most and they can then employ the tools you have to stop it from happening. When your customers come in they will immediately be greeted by the Checkpoint Systems pedestals and they will see the tools you use throughout the store. It sends a silent message that you are aware of the threat and you take it seriously. They will more than likely decide it’s not worth it to steal from you. That’s better than a free ride in a police car any day.
For more information on Checkpoint Systems, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 or Antishoplifting.net
CLOTHING SECURITY AND THE PROPER WAY TO RESPOND TO EAS ACTIVATIONS
If you’re like the majority of retailers out there, you have an EAS system in place to help combat theft. What I find a lot of times is that managers and store owners think that by simply installing the system, all their worldly problems will disappear. Granted, those towers at the front doors make for a great physical deterrent, but you still have to use the system and the corresponding Checkpoints Tags appropriately in order to have the most success. Even further, you should have a policy in place that guides managers and store personnel on how to appropriately react to EAS activations. A simple policy can go a long way at diffusing irate customers as well as protecting your store from any potential liability should a store associate react counter to that policy.
If you sell apparel of any type, you should understand just how important clothing security is. During any given day of the week, someone will try (or even get away with) stealing your merchandise. Whether they layer the product in the fitting room, or stuff it down their pants or inside their purse, you’re fighting a thief almost every day. If you are using your Checkpoint tags properly, you can curb this behavior and more importantly, your losses. So now you’ve got your most commonly stolen goods tagged and are ready to battle the thieves. Does your staff know what to do during and EAS activation?
99% of the time, the alarm will be activated due to a cashier failing to remove the EAS device at the point of sale. When we fail to remove the clothing security tags, we aren’t providing the best customer service to our shoppers. We (probably) embarrass them a little bit as they exit and it really inconveniences them when they are trying to leave. Making sure your staff responds appropriately to those EAS activations is crucial. You should always apologize to the customer and inform them that you simply missed a tag that needs to be removed. Most times, the customer will understand and even be appreciative if this is handled correctly (They probably wouldn’t want to get home to find a tag they can’t remove). What about those times where it’s not a legitimate customer?
One time while I was monitoring the registers early in the morning, I saw a young lady walking from the apparel department with nothing in her hands. As she exited the store, the EAS system activated. I was close to the front doors and reacted to the alert. As soon as the alarm stopped, she looked at me and immediately began apologizing. Since I was assuming that this was a faulty activation, I assured her it was nothing to apologize about and that she may have stepped on a tag that happened to be on the floor (something that happens pretty commonly at my store anyway). Before I can get another word out of my mouth, this individual started removing pair after pair… after pair of denim jeans from her purse. I then realized why she was sorry. Had it not been for the clothing security tags, I would have lost well over $500 that morning.
I think back to that incident and I use it frequently during management training classes as a way to properly respond to an EAS activation. At no point was the customer ever accused of shoplifting and the entire interaction, up to the point where stolen goods were produced, was very apologetic and non-confrontational. While not every case will be as simple and easy as this one was, it is however, a great text-book example of how react to an EAS activation. It’s also a great example of just how effective Checkpoint tags can be.
For more information, contact us: Clothing Security, or call 1.770.426.0547
If you’re like the majority of retailers out there, you have an EAS system in place to help combat theft. What I find a lot of times is that managers and store owners think that by simply installing the system, all their worldly problems will disappear. Granted, those towers at the front doors make for a great physical deterrent, but you still have to use the system and the corresponding Checkpoints Tags appropriately in order to have the most success. Even further, you should have a policy in place that guides managers and store personnel on how to appropriately react to EAS activations. A simple policy can go a long way at diffusing irate customers as well as protecting your store from any potential liability should a store associate react counter to that policy.
If you sell apparel of any type, you should understand just how important clothing security is. During any given day of the week, someone will try (or even get away with) stealing your merchandise. Whether they layer the product in the fitting room, or stuff it down their pants or inside their purse, you’re fighting a thief almost every day. If you are using your Checkpoint tags properly, you can curb this behavior and more importantly, your losses. So now you’ve got your most commonly stolen goods tagged and are ready to battle the thieves. Does your staff know what to do during and EAS activation?
99% of the time, the alarm will be activated due to a cashier failing to remove the EAS device at the point of sale. When we fail to remove the clothing security tags, we aren’t providing the best customer service to our shoppers. We (probably) embarrass them a little bit as they exit and it really inconveniences them when they are trying to leave. Making sure your staff responds appropriately to those EAS activations is crucial. You should always apologize to the customer and inform them that you simply missed a tag that needs to be removed. Most times, the customer will understand and even be appreciative if this is handled correctly (They probably wouldn’t want to get home to find a tag they can’t remove). What about those times where it’s not a legitimate customer?
One time while I was monitoring the registers early in the morning, I saw a young lady walking from the apparel department with nothing in her hands. As she exited the store, the EAS system activated. I was close to the front doors and reacted to the alert. As soon as the alarm stopped, she looked at me and immediately began apologizing. Since I was assuming that this was a faulty activation, I assured her it was nothing to apologize about and that she may have stepped on a tag that happened to be on the floor (something that happens pretty commonly at my store anyway). Before I can get another word out of my mouth, this individual started removing pair after pair… after pair of denim jeans from her purse. I then realized why she was sorry. Had it not been for the clothing security tags, I would have lost well over $500 that morning.
I think back to that incident and I use it frequently during management training classes as a way to properly respond to an EAS activation. At no point was the customer ever accused of shoplifting and the entire interaction, up to the point where stolen goods were produced, was very apologetic and non-confrontational. While not every case will be as simple and easy as this one was, it is however, a great text-book example of how react to an EAS activation. It’s also a great example of just how effective Checkpoint tags can be.
For more information about Clothing Security, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
LIMIT LOSSES IN YOUR BOTTLE SERVICE AREAS
Most of what I write is geared toward the retailer. That’s where my experience is and it’s where I think I can help the most amount of honest, hardworking people. A huge business that I often overlook is the bard and nightclub industry. While these aren’t my particular cups of tea, the potential for losses here are far higher than your average retail store. Bottle Service, especially, can make a club thousands of dollars per week. Transversely, if abused, they can single handedly shut a bar down.
We all know the pros of a good bottle service. A dedicated VIP area for your high paying clients, where they can truly be treated like royalty. This service of course, comes at a hefty price if you’re willing to pony up for the experience. Selling alcohol by the bottle can see your profits soar to nearly 1000% on a single bottle. A poorly trained bartender can cost you that profit and then some.
Like any high priced item in a retail store, high priced liquor should be protected. If I owned a bar, I would have all top shelf product secured with a bottle lock. This would prevent the booze from walking out with a dishonest patron or employee. Now obviously, this would be on the backstock and not the liquor on the bar. How long would it take for a round of shots if the bartender had to keep taking off a bottle lock before each pour?
As far as the bottle service areas and VIP section, there should be certain rules to follow to limit loses. First and foremost, accept payment first. It’s the same reason you have to pay for fuel first. Also, there have been plenty of stories where credit card companies will deny the high charge, and unless your customer has a few hundred bucks in cash, you could end up waiting days on payment. I actually read a news article on this just a few days ago.
On that instance, a patron was entertaining a few clients at a local bar. They were enjoying the bottle service offered by the club and at the end of the night, the bar ran his credit card. His bank initially declined the $1,000 charge as potentially fraud. Before the patron could make things right, he was hauled off to jail for felony theft. Now this patron has a record he has to work to clear and this club will undoubtedly gain some negative attention. This could’ve been prevented if the club would’ve ran the card PRIOR to beginning the service.
If you own or manage your own bar, you know just how profitable alcohol can be. There really isn’t an item in a retail store that comes close to the level of profitability that a single bottle of top shelf alcohol has. So it’s only naturally that you take some common sense steps to prevent losses in your bar. Whether it be a few “best practices” with your VIPs, or a few bottle locks to prevent theft, making a few simple changes can bolster your profits tenfold.
For more information, contact us: Bottle Service, or call 1.770.426.0547
Most of what I write is geared toward the retailer. That’s where my experience is and it’s where I think I can help the most amount of honest, hardworking people. A huge business that I often overlook is the bard and nightclub industry. While these aren’t my particular cups of tea, the potential for losses here are far higher than your average retail store. Bottle Service, especially, can make a club thousands of dollars per week. Transversely, if abused, they can single handedly shut a bar down.
We all know the pros of a good bottle service. A dedicated VIP area for your high paying clients, where they can truly be treated like royalty. This service of course, comes at a hefty price if you’re willing to pony up for the experience. Selling alcohol by the bottle can see your profits soar to nearly 1000% on a single bottle. A poorly trained bartender can cost you that profit and then some.
Like any high priced item in a retail store, high priced liquor should be protected. If I owned a bar, I would have all top shelf product secured with a bottle lock. This would prevent the booze from walking out with a dishonest patron or employee. Now obviously, this would be on the backstock and not the liquor on the bar. How long would it take for a round of shots if the bartender had to keep taking off a bottle lock before each pour?
As far as the bottle service areas and VIP section, there should be certain rules to follow to limit loses. First and foremost, accept payment first. It’s the same reason you have to pay for fuel first. Also, there have been plenty of stories where credit card companies will deny the high charge, and unless your customer has a few hundred bucks in cash, you could end up waiting days on payment. I actually read a news article on this just a few days ago.
On that instance, a patron was entertaining a few clients at a local bar. They were enjoying the bottle service offered by the club and at the end of the night, the bar ran his credit card. His bank initially declined the $1,000 charge as potentially fraud. Before the patron could make things right, he was hauled off to jail for felony theft. Now this patron has a record he has to work to clear and this club will undoubtedly gain some negative attention. This could’ve been prevented if the club would’ve ran the card PRIOR to beginning the service.
If you own or manage your own bar, you know just how profitable alcohol can be. There really isn’t an item in a retail store that comes close to the level of profitability that a single bottle of top shelf alcohol has. So it’s only natural that you take some common sense steps to prevent losses in your bar. Whether it be a few “best practices” with your VIPs, or a few bottle locks to prevent theft, making a few simple changes can bolster your profits tenfold.
For more information Bottle Service, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
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Employee background checks-4, Background check company-3, Pre-employment screening-4
Future Employee of the Month, or Sneaky Crook – Employee Background Checks
Hiring a new employee to join your team can be a stressful process, especially if you run a small business. Some larger companies may have a revolving door of employees coming and going, but with a smaller company, you likely won’t have that many employees working for you. That’s why it’s so important to make good, informed decisions when hiring. Employee background checks are necessary to ensure that you are making the best possible hiring decision for your company. The people you hire will be a direct reflection of your company, so you want to be sure you find trustworthy employees to be a part of your team. Most jobs today have a great number of candidates applying for the same position, so to keep costs down, you will definitely want to narrow down the candidates before a background check company runs the pre-employment screening for your potential new hires.
After you interview all of the candidates for the position and make your decision on the best person for the job, the next step is pre-employment screening, or having a background check company conduct a search to see if your potential hire has a criminal history. Whether this information will disqualify the candidate or not, it is good to know who you are really hiring to work in your business, and you can’t just take someone’s word for if they are a good person or not. Businesses that run background checks as a condition for employment usually notify the applicant and the applicant signs off, knowing that a check is going to be conducted. You would think at this point if you had a bad history, you might not continue and consent to the check. That’s not usually how it works. You would be surprised at some of the information that can be learned about applicants that you thought for sure were going to be your next employee of the month.
Do your research and find a reputable background check company that will run a thorough search on the potential employee’s past. There are reviews online for everything, including companies that conduct pre-employment screening, so do your homework and choose a company that has good reviews and won’t just take your money and run, while providing you with an inaccurate history on your potential employee. If you have any doubts that you need employee background checks for your business, just watch or read the news. It won’t take long for you to see the horror stories that exist about business owners losing thousands of dollars at the hands of their own employees.
Not every employee you hire will cause you a loss, and not every employee will take a ton of merchandise or money, but pre-employment screening will help you reduce the chances of hiring someone that has already been arrested or fired for these kinds of dishonest activities. I remember seeing one particular story about a young woman that had worked for a business for several years, and she was taking a little bit at a time, which added up to a whole lot in the end. In fact, the employee was able to steal around $45,000 worth of cash in the seven years that she worked for the business. Can you imagine what kind of damage that kind of loss would cause your business? It’s best not to take chances when looking to bring someone new on your team, because if you don’t run employee background checks, this person could wind up working for you next.
For more information about employee background checks, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
Hiring a new employee to join your team can be a stressful process, especially if you run a small business. Some larger companies may have a revolving door of employees coming and going, but with a smaller company, you likely won’t have that many employees working for you. That’s why it’s so important to make good, informed decisions when hiring. Employee background checks are necessary to ensure that you are making the best possible hiring decision for your company. The people you hire will be a direct reflection of your company, so you want to be sure you find trustworthy employees to be a part of your team. Most jobs today have a great number of candidates applying for the same position, so to keep costs down, you will definitely want to narrow down the candidates before a background check company runs the pre-employment screening for your potential new hires.
After you interview all of the candidates for the position and make your decision on the best person for the job, the next step is pre-employment screening, or having a background check company conduct a search to see if your potential hire has a criminal history. Whether this information will disqualify the candidate or not, it is good to know who you are really hiring to work in your business, and you can’t just take someone’s word for if they are a good person or not. Businesses that run background checks as a condition for employment usually notify the applicant and the applicant signs off, knowing that a check is going to be conducted. You would think at this point if you had a bad history, you might not continue and consent to the check. That’s not usually how it works. You would be surprised at some of the information that can be learned about applicants that you thought for sure were going to be your next employee of the month.
Do your research and find a reputable background check company that will run a thorough search on the potential employee’s past. There are reviews online for everything, including companies that conduct pre-employment screening, so do your homework and choose a company that has good reviews and won’t just take your money and run, while providing you with an inaccurate history on your potential employee. If you have any doubts that you need employee background checks for your business, just watch or read the news. It won’t take long for you to see the horror stories that exist about business owners losing thousands of dollars at the hands of their own employees.
Not every employee you hire will cause you a loss, and not every employee will take a ton of merchandise or money, but pre-employment screening will help you reduce the chances of hiring someone that has already been arrested or fired for these kinds of dishonest activities. I remember seeing one particular story about a young woman that had worked for a business for several years, and she was taking a little bit at a time, which added up to a whole lot in the end. In fact, the employee was able to steal around $45,000 worth of cash in the seven years that she worked for the business. Can you imagine what kind of damage that kind of loss would cause your business? It’s best not to take chances when looking to bring someone new on your team, because if you don’t run employee background checks, this person could wind up working for you next.
For more information about employee background checks, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
