There is not a more terrible feeling in the world for a store owner or manager than to find an empty spot on a shelf where a very expensive item once sat. You just hope the item sold, but when you check your inventory numbers, you get that sick, sinking feeling when you see the item is still on the books. If you have no product protection tools in place, like Alpha Security, then really the only person to blame is the one you see in the mirror.
Liquor bottle security is no exception. If you don’t employ bottle locks, you are simply gambling with your inventory. Recently a major theft occurred in about eight minutes at a liquor store a few states away. Eight minutes is a short amount of time for the average person, but it is an eternity to a store owner watching video of a thief making off with $2,000 worth of liquor. First the man came in and browsed around, and then his female accomplice followed. The accomplice distracted a store employee, asking about the best wines to serve with various desserts. While she did this, he worked on his game plan. He walked around and chose three bottles. They averaged $300 each, and he shoved them all down his pants. While the accomplice chatted up the clerk, the man walked out the door. He went to the car and unloaded. Neither of the two employees ever had a clue. So the man came back inside. The female then went and found the other employee and used the same tactic on him, asking him mundane questions to keep him occupied. This time the man chose an $1,100 bottle of Cognac. He removed it from the store in the same manner. The lady wrapped up her charade, and they both left. It wasn’t until the following day when the owner came in to work that the empty spot where the Cognac was previously displayed was discovered. The video is good to have and may deter a future theft by the same couple, but it remains a reactive tool.
The thing is that bottle locks could have stopped the theft in the first place. As soon as the man entered the store, he would have seen that they take security seriously. Instead of seeing an open opportunity, his grandiose theft would have been shut down immediately. Bottle locks are the ultimate gadget for liquor bottle security. They have alarm capabilities that would have alerted the store staff as soon as he attempted to get out the door with those bottles. The entire staff can be quickly trained to easily attach and remove them. They do not impede the customer’s ability to shop and select any product they want. They can still pick up the merchandise, make comparisons, and bring it all to the checkout counter at their own convenience. If they attempt to remove or tamper with the bottle locks, they can self alarm. The bottle lock is almost impossible to remove without the proper key. The bottle will break, sending glass everywhere, before that thing comes off, rendering the item unusable.
Without bottle locks, your wines and spirits are just waiting to be stolen in the same manner. The investment in these tools will pay you back over and over. It will stop the petty thieves that just steal every once in a while just as well as it will stop the professional thief like the guy above. Unless your business can afford a $2,000 loss, I suggest you take a look at Alpha Security and what it can do for you.
For more information on Bottle Locks, contact us 1.770.426.0547 or Bottlelock.net
