Retailers have always faced the challenge of preventing shoplifting, which can cause significant financial losses. In response to this problem, Sensormatic, a leading provider of retail security solutions, has developed an anti-shoplifting system that has been proven to be highly effective.
The Sensormatic anti-shoplifting system is a comprehensive solution that utilizes a combination of electronic article surveillance (EAS) and other technologies to prevent theft. The system consists of three main components: tags, pedestals, and a monitoring system. The tags are small electronic devices that are attached to products in the store. The pedestals are placed at the entrances and exits of the store and are designed to detect the tags. The monitoring system is used by store personnel to track the movement of tagged products and identify any potential theft.
Studies have shown that retailers that use the Sensormatic anti-shoplifting system experience a significant decrease in shoplifting losses. In fact, some studies have indicated that the system pays for itself in as little as five months. This is because the system is so effective at preventing theft that the savings from reduced losses quickly offset the cost of the system.
But the benefits of the Sensormatic system go beyond just preventing shoplifting. The system also provides retailers with valuable data and insights into their inventory and customer behavior. By tracking the movement of tagged products, retailers can identify which products are most popular and adjust their inventory accordingly. They can also use the data to optimize store layouts and improve customer experiences.
The Sensormatic anti-shoplifting system is a valuable investment for any retailer looking to prevent shoplifting, reduce losses, and increase profits. By utilizing advanced technology and providing valuable insights into customer behavior, the system offers a comprehensive solution that pays for itself in a short amount of time.
Loss Prevention Systems Inc. Partners with Tyco Retail Solutions
Loss Prevention Systems Inc. to Provide Innovative LP and Inventory Solutions
Kennesaw, GA – August 24, 2018 – Loss Prevention Systems Inc. (LPSI) is proud to announce its Channel Partnership with Tyco Retail Solutions – a leading provider of analytics-based Loss Prevention, Inventory Intelligence and Traffic Insights for the retail industry. Loss Prevention Systems Inc. has joined Tyco Retail Solutions’ GlobalPartnerEdge Channel Program focused on delivering the Sensormatic® Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) and TrueVue Inventory Intelligence solutions to the North American market.
LPSI has the expertise to integrate new or existing loss prevention programs with techniques and tools for shrink management and inventory control by incorporating the latest EAS and RFID inventory solutions provided by Tyco Retail. Loss Prevention Systems Inc. has been working with small-to-medium size retailers for over 2 decades in providing loss prevention services including consulting, training and pre-employment background checks.
Bill Bregar, author and president of LPSI says, “Adding these tools to our services enables us to provide a complete retail loss prevention solution, and it’s great to be working with Tyco Retail.” This unique channel partnership allows us to combine the industry leading Sensormatic EAS solutions with our skills, experience and knowledge to deliver timely, accurate analytics and tools for small-to-medium size retailers to increase profits and reduce shrink. Bill also adds, “We have always believed that the average size retailer should have the same loss prevention protections as any major retailer. This protection includes, staff training, awareness and world class solutions and insights designed to protect retailers’ profits.”
“We are thrilled to have LPSI a part of our GlobalPartnerEdge Channel Partner Program and Eco-System” says David I. Green, Global Channels and Unified Commerce Leader. “The retail industry continues to transform. The commitment to growing our market share through our channel partner community is steadfast. Channel Partners are essential in delivering our solutions within the physical retail supply chain; our capabilities combined with the Channel are limitless.”
If you would more information, please visit www.LossPreventionSystems.com
I started this series on Sensormatic Hard Tags based on a news story I came across about a group of three people who had formed an Organized Retail Crime group. The group was caught and police recovered over $100,000 in merchandise but the overall impact to stores in the area over a 5-year period was estimated to be between $5 and $9 million dollars. The group had others stealing for them and then they would sell the merchandise at a discounted price at a flea market. As a former Loss Prevention Manager I have dealt with Organized Retail Crime groups and I know first-hand the financial impact they can have on a store. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) founder Bill Bregar also knows the financial drain these organizations can place on a store. As a former Director of Loss Prevention for several major retailers Bill has had to find the resources that can stop shoplifting. LPSI focuses on helping small and medium sized retail businesses that can’t afford a Loss Prevention team find a solution to theft issues. One of those solutions is to use Sensormatic tags on merchandise to stop all types of shoplifting, including ORC groups.
I know what you’re thinking, “A tag is going to stop shoplifting and keep an organized crime ring from stealing me blind?” I won’t go so far as to say they will stop shoplifting completely, there is always going to be a knothead who is going to gamble being caught stealing if there is a promise of quick money for a drug purchase. For the most part shoplifters and even the drug addicts who are the key to the operations of organized crime groups, don’t take unnecessary chances. Sensormatic hard tags are recognizable by nearly everyone and criminals absolutely know what they are and how they work. Crooks know that trying to steal merchandise with one of these tags attached is a good way to go to jail and that is NOT the place a drug addict wants to be when the urge hits. Sensormatic products deter shoplifters through their visual impact and the alarms they cause when tagged items are carried close to electronic article surveillance towers.
While some of those reading now may have a better understanding of the benefit of using Sensormatic hard tags and why ORC activity is a concern there are some who are still skeptical. I have a few statistics to share that may change the minds of those doubters. According to the National Retail Federation 2017 Organized Retail Crime Survey:
• 94.6% of surveyed retailers believe their company has been the victim of organized retail crime this year (pg. 5).
• Responding companies report an average loss of $726,351 per $1 billion dollars in annual sales volume due to ORC activity in the past 12 months (pg. 5).
• 34 states now have ORC laws on the books (pg. 7).
• The top stolen items for ORC groups: designer clothing, denim pants, razors, infant formula, designer handbags, laundry detergent, cigarettes, high-end liquor, jewelry and teeth whitening strips (pg. 8).
If this information does not convince you that ORC poses a threat to your business then let me give you one last bit of information from pg. 10 of the report. The authors write, “98.5% of responding retailers said ORC gangs are just as aggressive or more aggressive and violent when compared with last year.” Not only does an organized crime group cause financial losses to a store, they pose a safety risk to store employees.
Preventing all theft is important and store owners should be concerned with putting a stop to it. Preventing theft by Organized Retail Crime groups is even more important because they aren’t doing it for the thrill, they are doing it for the money. The fact that they are becoming increasingly more violent and aggressive only compounds the problems they cause store managers. Protect your merchandise with Sensormatic hard tags and make criminals think twice before they bother your store.
What are the differences between Checkpoint Systems and Alpha High Theft Solutions 1 alarm, 2 alarm and 3 alarm solutions?
The following is a brief explanation of the Alpha High Theft Solutions 1, 2 and 3 Alarm products functionality.
1,2, and 3 alarm solutions encompass individual and combined security solutions for whatever your loss issue is.
The functionality begins with our Alpha 1 Alarm device and it will activate the Checkpoint Systems Electronic Article Surveillance antenna if a breach occurs.
The Alpha 2 Alarm device has added security that in addition to activating upon breach it will activate if the device is cut or even tampered with. The cable is coated and made from aircraft strength cable for extreme durability and reliability. The coating on the cable not only protects the merchandise from theft but protects it from the device.
For our most complete device the Alpha 3 Alarm Includes the same as 1 and 2 alarm actions, activation upon breach and activation upon tampering or cutting, It also will continue alarming with an extended range protection at 95 Decibels for up to 10 minutes after shoplifter has left the premises. The standard decibel is a ratio of how much acoustical energy we hear with and for human conversation is 35 to 45 DCB. This technology provides an extra piece of mind when added to your security solution to stop shoplifting.
Retail Loss “Penalty” Costs Average U.S. Household $615 Annually; Dishonest Employees Biggest Contributor; Shoplifting Remains Significant
THOROFARE, NJ — Nov. 4, 2015 – Shrink, comprised of shoplifting, employee or supplier fraud, and administrative errors, rose in the U.S. from 1.28 percent of sales in 2013-2014 to 1.97 percent during 2014-2015, based upon responses from common retail respondents who participated in Global Retail Theft Barometer surveys both years.
Globally, this compares to 1.42 percent, a figure also up from the previous .94 percent average of all common retailers surveyed the previous year.
Retailers expressed that a range of factors, including a challenging retail environment, caused them to implement austerity measures resulting in a reduction of loss prevention investments. This, combined with areas of high unemployment and limited tools to monitor internal theft and inventory discrepancies, all contributed to an increase in their shrink.
According to the report, the annual cost of shrink to U.S. shoppers, as absorbed or passed on from retailers, averaged $615 per household.
The study, underwritten by an independent grant from Checkpoint Systems, Inc. (NYSE: CKP), was carried out during 2014-2015 by The Smart Cube and Ernie Deyle, a retail loss prevention analyst. It was based upon in-depth phone and written survey interviews conducted in 24 countries among more than 200 retailers representing nearly $1 trillion in sales during 2014-2015.
Seasonal Comparisons
Seasonally, U.S. respondents said that 46 percent of their yearly losses occurred in winter, nearly twice as much as the next season, autumn, at 24 percent. Spring (18 percent) and summer (12 percent) followed.
Vertical Retail Comparisons
U.S. apparel specialists (2.28 percent), pharmacies/drugstores (2.25 percent) and non-grocery retailers (1.9 percent) witnessed the highest shrink rates because of the widespread prevalence of internal and external retail theft targeting their merchandise.
Employee Theft vs. Shoplifting
In fact, while shoplifting is the biggest cause of retail shrink in 18 of the 24 countries surveyed, in the U.S., employee theft ranked first at 45 percent, with shoplifting next at 36 percent. The primary reasons for employee theft were weak pre-employment screening procedures, reduced associate supervision, increasing part-time workforce (especially during peak winter periods when theft is highest), and the easy sale of stolen merchandise.
Shoplifting continues to plague the retail industry due to escalating problem of organized retail crime, easy sales of stolen merchandise through online sites, reduced investments in loss prevention tools and resources, and the general perception of shoplifting as a “low-risk/non-offensive” crime.
Most Stolen Merchandise
Shoplifters and dishonest employees in the U.S. primarily targeted small and easy-to-conceal items such as liquor, mobile accessories, batteries, fashion accessories and razor blades, as well as high-value items with high resale value, such as tablets. When sorted by retail vertical, the most stolen items included footwear (Apparel and Fashion Accessories); batteries (DIY Home Improvement); mobile device accessories (Electronics); wines and liquor (Food and Beverage); and razor blades (Health and Beauty).
According to Deyle, “This year’s results highlight the persistent factors that impact shrink and ultimately reduce retailers’ profitability. Even if retailers are paying more attention to all aspects of the problem, without a strong investment in loss prevention tactics, tools and resources, they won’t get the results they’d expect. Our hope is that this report helps the industry better understand all the complexities of the shrink problem as well as the most cost-effective ways of addressing it.”
“This is our fourteenth year of supporting what continues to be the industry’s only global statistical research,” said Per Levin President of Merchandise Availability Solutions, Checkpoint Systems. “To combat increased shrink, retailers are adopting strategies to approach losses from a wider perspective from all levels within the organization and work with their supplier and solutions partners. With the right technologies, people and processes, they can achieve improved merchandise availability, which directly impacts shoppers’ satisfaction and retailers’ profitability.”
During the latest reporting period, U.S. retailers that also participated in the study in 2013 reduced their overall loss prevention spend to 0.50% of sales, which contributed to the reported increase in shrink. Most common loss prevention store solutions included CCTV/DVR (83 percent), alarm monitoring (78 percent), and security guards (63 percent). Most common merchandise protection solutions deployed to prevent retail theft included alectronic article surveillance (EAS) (68 percent), spider wraps/security keepers (41 percent) and advanced inventory control tactics (27 percent).
Interested parties can obtain a copy of the complete 135-page Global Retail Theft Barometer report and see a video overview of the study at http://www.GlobalRetailTheftBarometer.com. In addition, an in-depth review of the study will be available via a webinar hosted by Loss Prevention Magazine on November 11 at 1 p.m. EST.
Retailers wishing to participate in next year’s Global Retail Theft Barometer study may register here.
About The Smart Cube (www.thesmartcube.com)
The Smart Cube is a global professional services firm that specializes in delivering custom research and analytics services. The firm helps organizations make critical decisions based on bespoke intelligence and insight. Founded in 2003, The Smart Cube has conducted more than 19,000 studies through its global network of 500 analysts. The firm is headquartered in London and has professionals throughout Asia Pacific, the United States, Europe, and Latin America. Follow The Smart Cube on LinkedIn athttp://www.linkedin.com/company/the-smart-cube or on Twitter @TSCInsights.
About Checkpoint Systems (www.Checkpoint Systems.com)
Checkpoint Systems is a global leader in merchandise availability solutions for the retail industry, encompassing loss prevention and merchandise visibility. Checkpoint provides end-to-end solutions enabling retailers to achieve accurate real-time inventory, accelerate the replenishment cycle, prevent out-of-stocks and reduce theft, thus improving merchandise availability and the shopper’s experience. Checkpoint’s solutions are built upon 45 years of radio frequency technology expertise, innovative high-theft and loss prevention solutions, market-leading RFID hardware, software, and comprehensive labeling capabilities to brand, secure and track merchandise from source to shelf. Checkpoint’s customers benefit from increased sales and profits by implementing merchandise availability solutions to ensure the right merchandise is available at the right place and time when consumers are ready to buy. Listed on the NYSE (NYSE: CKP), Checkpoint operates in every major geographic market and employs more than 4700 people worldwide.
Many times when LPSI is called in to help a client, we find that the Owner or Manager has let a problem get so far out of control that it’s shocking to us how much they have allowed themselves to lose– be it from shoplifting, employee theft, vendor fraud, inventory control or other loss prevention areas. Even though they knew it was going on, they may have made some halfhearted attempts to “deal with it”… but they really did nothing until their situation pushed the company into severe financial difficulty.
All of that money went down the drain. In fact, dealing with problems like employee theft and shoplifting should be simple, easy and painless. What I see with most management teams or individuals is a disconnect between their normal business decision processes and an LP issue. For some reason, they tend to think LP is very complicated and fraught with legal mines. Yes, of course, we must keep criminal and civil laws in mind. But remember, we are talking about theft, truly the oldest profession in the world. Laws in this area are well defined and fairly straight forward. If you take something that is not yours, it is a crime!
Now, back to the real problem. Why does an otherwise successful, intelligent business person who can work their way through a huge variety of business problems suddenly go completely blank on what essentially is just another business issue that must be managed? They deal with sales, customer service, employment issues, insurance, taxes, permits, licenses, cash flow, banking, etc.– on a daily basis! The problem continues to get worse, however, because this same competent, capable, intelligent individual makes the mistake of ignoring the problem and hoping it will go away. OMG! What are they thinking? The only thing that will go away is your inventory and your money! If you own a grocery store and a freezer unit starts making a strange noise, do you simply ignore it? No, you get an employee or vendor on it, NOW. Because you know that the inventory in that freezer is worth thousands of dollars in cost, sales, labor and handling!
Do not prepare to lose it, prepare to save it. For example, like most business owners, I am not a CPA. I have a CPA that handles these things. That is what he is trained for, and that’s what he is good at. I call him, he fixes the problem. Even though our minds often tell us differently, we have to remember that we are not experts in everything. We all need help from time to time– even if it is simply advice.
My CPA is on speed dial. My phone number for your LP speed dial is 1-770-426-0547.
Kennesaw, GA – August 24, 2018 – Loss Prevention Systems Inc. (LPSI) is proud to announce its Channel Partnership with Tyco Retail Solutions – a leading provider of analytics-based Loss Prevention, Inventory Intelligence and Traffic Insights for the retail industry. Loss Prevention Systems Inc. has joined Tyco Retail Solutions’ GlobalPartnerEdge Channel Program focused on delivering the Sensormatic® Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) and TrueVue Inventory Intelligence solutions to the North American market.
I know what you’re thinking, “A tag is going to 
