O Tag-5 WC Blog 189
Prevent Shoplifting-3
Retail Anti-Theft Device-3
Disturbed By Display Disappearance? O Tags Can Disrupt Shoplifter Dastardly Deeds
Does your store sell tools, electric appliances or electric household gadgets such as vacuum cleaners? Most stores that sell such items have display models out that clients may look at to get an idea if they want to purchase the item or not. Usually the display is a working model that can be taken from the shelf and held or examined. For example, I worked in stores that sold vacuum cleaners and we had an unboxed display for most of the units. If someone wanted to get a feel for how light the weight was or how easy it was to remove the dirt bin, they were able to do so with the floor sample. To do so meant that we could not tie the display down or secure it to prevent shoplifting since the idea was to make it accessible to our customers. Similarly, we had displays of power tools that we had out for handling as well. We did experience issues of shoplifting and box switching and had to develop strategies to prevent this from happening. Our strategies would have been a lot easier to create if we had Alpha’s O Tag available to us at that time.
Alpha’s O Tag is a retail anti-theft device that can be clamped around the power cord of a device. The tag has a hard casing with a circular center that can be secured around the power cord and cannot be pulled over the plug end. The only means for a shoplifter to get the tag off a piece of merchandise is to cut the cord, which of course renders the item inoperable. Customers are able to pick up and handle the item they are interested in, but criminals are thwarted from stealing the display. The tag also works with an electronic article surveillance (EAS) system which also prevents shoplifting. If a tag is not properly removed from a display at the point of sale by a cashier, the tag will cause the EAS antennas at the door to sound their built in alarm.
I mentioned that we had problems with box switching of merchandise. This is simply another form of shoplifting, but what would happen was a patron would take an expensive display and also a cheaper, boxed version of another brand and remove the cheaper brand item from its’ box. The expensive display model would go in the box and the cheaper version was placed in the display units spot. The shoplifter would re-tape the box and go through the check lane, paying the price of the cheaper item but in reality getting the expensive item hidden inside. Finding the right retail anti-theft device to deter theft could be a challenge and at the time we did not have the tools at our disposal that are available today.
An O tag attached to the cord of a display item would activate the EAS antenna alarm even when concealed in a box. Store staff would be able to respond to the alarm and investigate the cause, locating the source of the activation. Our problem wasn’t limited to just vacuum cleaners other departments had issues too. We had to prevent shoplifting and box switching in the hardware department as well as in kitchen ware. Power tool displays sometimes disappeared as did small kitchen appliances and we didn’t always identify it right away so thieves did get away with the merchandise from time to time.
If you own a small hardware store or a small appliance store, consider all the merchandise that could be placed on display and protected. Can openers, electric frying pans, coffee makers, and toaster ovens are just a few items I can think of that are often put on display in stores to draw customers and let them see what they are buying. Hardware stores put out electric drills, sanders, electric saws and again, an O Tag could easily be used to deter theft and box switching activity.
Prevent shoplifting and box switching by using an O Tag retail anti-theft device to keep your merchandise in the store and minimize opportunities for loss. Decreased loss means more merchandise on the floor and we all know that translates to increased sales. And isn’t that what drives your bottom line?
Get more information on O Tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Does your store sell tools, electric appliances or electric household gadgets such as vacuum cleaners? Most stores that sell such items have display models out that clients may look at to get an idea if they want to purchase the item or not. Usually the display is a working model that can be taken from the shelf and held or examined. For example, I worked in stores that sold vacuum cleaners and we had an unboxed display for most of the units. If someone wanted to get a feel for how light the weight was or how easy it was to remove the dirt bin, they were able to do so with the floor sample. To do so meant that we could not tie the display down or secure it to prevent shoplifting since the idea was to make it accessible to our customers. Similarly, we had displays of power tools that we had out for handling as well. We did experience issues of shoplifting and box switching and had to develop strategies to prevent this from happening. Our strategies would have been a lot easier to create if we had Alpha’s O Tag available to us at that time.
Alpha’s O Tag is a retail anti-theft device that can be clamped around the power cord of a device. The tag has a hard casing with a circular center that can be secured around the power cord and cannot be pulled over the plug end. The only means for a shoplifter to get the tag off a piece of merchandise is to cut the cord, which of course renders the item inoperable. Customers are able to pick up and handle the item they are interested in, but criminals are thwarted from stealing the display. The tag also works with an electronic article surveillance (EAS) system which also prevents shoplifting. If a tag is not properly removed from a display at the point of sale by a cashier, the tag will cause the EAS antennas at the door to sound their built in alarm.
I mentioned that we had problems with box switching of merchandise. This is simply another form of shoplifting, but what would happen was a patron would take an expensive display and also a cheaper, boxed version of another brand and remove the cheaper brand item from its’ box. The expensive display model would go in the box and the cheaper version was placed in the display units spot. The shoplifter would re-tape the box and go through the check lane, paying the price of the cheaper item but in reality getting the expensive item hidden inside. Finding the right retail anti-theft device to deter theft could be a challenge and at the time we did not have the tools at our disposal that are available today.
An O tag attached to the cord of a display item would activate the EAS antenna alarm even when concealed in a box. Store staff would be able to respond to the alarm and investigate the cause, locating the source of the activation. Our problem wasn’t limited to just vacuum cleaners other departments had issues too. We had to prevent shoplifting and box switching in the hardware department as well as in kitchen ware. Power tool displays sometimes disappeared as did small kitchen appliances and we didn’t always identify it right away so thieves did get away with the merchandise from time to time.
If you own a small hardware store or a small appliance store, consider all the merchandise that could be placed on display and protected. Can openers, electric frying pans, coffee makers, and toaster ovens are just a few items I can think of that are often put on display in stores to draw customers and let them see what they are buying. Hardware stores put out electric drills, sanders, electric saws and again, an O Tag could easily be used to deter theft and box switching activity.
Prevent shoplifting and box switching by using an O Tag retail anti-theft device to keep your merchandise in the store and minimize opportunities for loss. Decreased loss means more merchandise on the floor and we all know that translates to increased sales. And isn’t that what drives your bottom line?
Get more information on O Tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
