Alpha Keepers – 4 WC blog 01
Prevent Shoplifting – 4
I Can See Clearly Now…With Alpha Keepers
One of the challenging aspects of shortage prevention is maintaining a balance between merchandise control and access to products. The loss prevention professional desires to keep high theft merchandise out of the hands of the criminals and prevent shoplifting. Store owners and managers generally want to allow access to products. Alpha Keepers provides that happy medium that makes for a harmonious relationship between loss prevention’s efforts to minimize accessibility and limit opportunity for theft and operation’s efforts to drive sales through ease of access for the customer.
Alpha Keepers are strong, clear cases that come in a variety of shapes and sizes that can fit a wide range of products. Whether a store specializes in fragrances, or sells a bit of everything, I have seen Alpha Keepers used to protect all types of merchandise. USB Jump Drives, videogames, razor blades and even baby formula can all be protected. If tampered with, these boxes will sound a high pitched audible alarm that will alert store associates that something is not right. There is no question that these devices will prevent shoplifting and decrease shortage. Since it is a clear box, the customer can see the packaging, read the product information and get the information they need to make a purchasing decision. Because they are not secured to a shelf, or locked behind glass, customers can carry the item with them in the store. They are only restricted in gaining access to the actual product. For the majority of customers, this is sufficient for meeting their needs.
My experience and background may give me a slightly different perspective in the arena of retail theft prevention from some others in the profession. I spent many years working in Loss Prevention, both as a store security officer and as an Asset Protection Executive. I also spent some time as a store Logistics Executive. I learned over time that profitable sales are not the result of a single strategy. In order to prevent shoplifting of high theft merchandise often the first response of a Loss Prevention team is to find a way to remove the product from the reach of would be shoplifters. Think about it, from a loss prevention perspective, if they can’t touch it they can’t steal it…right? A locking security fixture was a reasonable solution, let the consumer look through the glass in wonder at the video games in the case…Awesome (not)! The store manager wants the customer to pick up product, get it in their hands, and take it to a checkout counter, the more they pick up, the more they buy right? And doesn’t everyone know that more sales equates to a lower shortage percentage? When a store uses Alpha Keepers it gets the benefit of a locking showcase with the flexibility of putting merchandise in customer’s hands.
Certainly there is a case to be made for each school of thought. In their own ways, the loss prevention team and the store manager are both right, and they are both wrong. Customers want to be able to touch the product, to read packaging, to have a good idea of what they are buying. Let’s be honest, companies spend millions of dollars to strategize on what packaging to use to draw in new buyers. In a like manner, experts in retail theft prevention understand that shoplifters, whether professional boosters or casual opportunists, look for the easily targeted products that are not protected by some type of anti-shoplifting system or device.
Alpha Keepers provides that solution that can bridge the divide between the need to protect products and prevent shoplifting while allowing the honest customer to view and carry a product. Security and sales no longer need to be exclusive. Working together, loss prevention and store management can increase sales and decrease shortage at the same time.
For more information about Alpha Keepers contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
One of the challenging aspects of shortage prevention is maintaining a balance between merchandise control and access to products. The loss prevention professional desires to keep high theft merchandise out of the hands of the criminals and prevent shoplifting. Store owners and managers generally want to allow access to products. Alpha Keepers provides that happy medium that makes for a harmonious relationship between loss prevention’s efforts to minimize accessibility and limit opportunity for theft and operation’s efforts to drive sales through ease of access for the customer.
Alpha Keepers are strong, clear cases that come in a variety of shapes and sizes that can fit a wide range of products. Whether a store specializes in fragrances, or sells a bit of everything, I have seen Alpha Keepers used to protect all types of merchandise. USB Jump Drives, videogames, razor blades and even baby formula can all be protected. If tampered with, these boxes will sound a high pitched audible alarm that will alert store associates that something is not right. There is no question that these devices will prevent shoplifting and decrease shortage. Since it is a clear box, the customer can see the packaging, read the product information and get the information they need to make a purchasing decision. Because they are not secured to a shelf, or locked behind glass, customers can carry the item with them in the store. They are only restricted in gaining access to the actual product. For the majority of customers, this is sufficient for meeting their needs.
My experience and background may give me a slightly different perspective in the arena of retail theft prevention from some others in the profession. I spent many years working in Loss Prevention, both as a store security officer and as an Asset Protection Executive. I also spent some time as a store Logistics Executive. I learned over time that profitable sales are not the result of a single strategy. In order to prevent shoplifting of high theft merchandise often the first response of a Loss Prevention team is to find a way to remove the product from the reach of would be shoplifters. Think about it, from a loss prevention perspective, if they can’t touch it they can’t steal it…right? A locking security fixture was a reasonable solution, let the consumer look through the glass in wonder at the video games in the case…Awesome (not)! The store manager wants the customer to pick up product, get it in their hands, and take it to a checkout counter, the more they pick up, the more they buy right? And doesn’t everyone know that more sales equates to a lower shortage percentage? When a store uses Alpha Keepers it gets the benefit of a locking showcase with the flexibility of putting merchandise in customer’s hands.
Certainly there is a case to be made for each school of thought. In their own ways, the loss prevention team and the store manager are both right, and they are both wrong. Customers want to be able to touch the product, to read packaging, to have a good idea of what they are buying. Let’s be honest, companies spend millions of dollars to strategize on what packaging to use to draw in new buyers. In a like manner, experts in retail theft prevention understand that shoplifters, whether professional boosters or casual opportunists, look for the easily targeted products that are not protected by some type of anti-shoplifting system or device.
Alpha Keepers provides that solution that can bridge the divide between the need to protect products and prevent shoplifting while allowing the honest customer to view and carry a product. Security and sales no longer need to be exclusive. Working together, loss prevention and store management can increase sales and decrease shortage at the same time.
For more information about Alpha Keepers, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
