WC Blog 467
Checkpoint Tags – 4
Checkpoint labels-3
Inventory Control Begins At Unload
Where should a store’s inventory control process begin? In the store I worked for as a Loss Prevention Manager our inventory control process began on the loading dock. We were a big box retailer and carried a large assortment of items. This included clothing, electronics, food, bedding, etcetera so our unload process played a part in our procedures. Electronic merchandise that was considered high theft would be placed in a locking, rolling cart and after the unloading was completed the cart was locked and rolled by a specialist to the electronics department for processing. The specialist was responsible for placing retail anti-theft devices on merchandise within certain categories or price point ranges. Some items would be tagged with Checkpoint Tags and other items were placed in a locking showcase. Some products were not tagged because they were shipped to the store vendor-source tagged with Checkpoint labels inside the packaging. The benefit of this process was that the number of people with access to potentially high-theft merchandise was limited because of the controls we had in place.
What are Checkpoint tags? Although the term is occasionally applied to hard tags and labels the tag is usually a two-piece device with a pin on one side and a clasping piece on the other. Checkpoint labels are a soft tag that can be peeled from a roll and adhered to an item. Designed to interact with electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems to deter theft and identify persons attempting to steal merchandise from a store, the tags and labels cause EAS systems to activate when carried near a tower. When a thief tampers with a tag it usually results in damage to the merchandise. Labels have a strong adhesive that will leave the circuit behind when someone tries to peel it off. This circuit causes the EAS alarms to sound when tagged goods are carried near the tower location. Shoplifters tend to leave merchandise alone when they see the tags or labels and try to find something else to steal or they will find another store where they can go.
I currently work for a store that has merchandise pushed to the floor and it is tagged there. Much of the work is completed before store opening and during that time there is no concern for customers being around to take something from a cart of merchandise. As the employee works the freight they are to place the appropriate Checkpoint Tags on items as directed by a security chart. This is fine when no customers are in the store but once the doors are open the merchandise on the cart is susceptible to theft. The employee has to walk away to put items up or they may be called to assist someone and they can’t keep pushing the cart back and forth to the stockroom. There have been times in the evening when I have stocked leftover freight the team could not get out and obviously I am working when there are plenty of customers in the store. I also respond to back-up calls at the register so you can see there are times when merchandise that is normally secured is not.
The only exception to this is when there is merchandise already source tagged with Checkpoint labels from the manufacturer. However, we do not know which item they may be. Often a source label is embedded in the packaging so the only way to identify those products would be with a hand scanner which our store does not use. Of course the bad guys don’t know it either until they try to walk out the door with stolen merchandise and the EAS system alarms. That is when employees respond to the alarm and conducts a receipt check then recover the merchandise.
I am of the opinion that merchandise that is going to be secured with Checkpoint Tags should be done while the products are still in the stockroom immediately after a truck unload. I know not every store receives their freight the same way so it might be that boxes and containers may have to be opened and sorted first. However you choose to do it, just don’t send merchandise you intend to protect to the selling floor until the tagging is done. You will have much better results come inventory time.
For more information about Checkpoint Tags contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Where should a store’s inventory control process begin? In the store I worked for as a Loss Prevention Manager our inventory control process began on the loading dock. We were a big box retailer and carried a large assortment of items. This included clothing, electronics, food, bedding, etcetera so our unload process played a part in our procedures. Electronic merchandise that was considered high theft would be placed in a locking, rolling cart and after the unloading was completed the cart was locked and rolled by a specialist to the electronics department for processing. The specialist was responsible for placing retail anti-theft devices on merchandise within certain categories or price point ranges. Some items would be tagged with Checkpoint Tags and other items were placed in a locking showcase. Some products were not tagged because they were shipped to the store vendor-source tagged with Checkpoint labels inside the packaging. The benefit of this process was that the number of people with access to potentially high-theft merchandise was limited because of the controls we had in place.
What are Checkpoint tags? Although the term is occasionally applied to hard tags and labels the tag is usually a two-piece device with a pin on one side and a clasping piece on the other. Checkpoint labels are a soft tag that can be peeled from a roll and adhered to an item. Designed to interact with electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems to deter theft and identify persons attempting to steal merchandise from a store, the tags and labels cause EAS systems to activate when carried near a tower. When a thief tampers with a tag it usually results in damage to the merchandise. Labels have a strong adhesive that will leave the circuit behind when someone tries to peel it off. This circuit causes the EAS alarms to sound when tagged goods are carried near the tower location. Shoplifters tend to leave merchandise alone when they see the tags or labels and try to find something else to steal or they will find another store where they can go.
I currently work for a store that has merchandise pushed to the floor and it is tagged there. Much of the work is completed before store opening and during that time there is no concern for customers being around to take something from a cart of merchandise. As the employee works the freight they are to place the appropriate Checkpoint Tags on items as directed by a security chart. This is fine when no customers are in the store but once the doors are open the merchandise on the cart is susceptible to theft. The employee has to walk away to put items up or they may be called to assist someone and they can’t keep pushing the cart back and forth to the stockroom. There have been times in the evening when I have stocked leftover freight the team could not get out and obviously I am working when there are plenty of customers in the store. I also respond to back-up calls at the register so you can see there are times when merchandise that is normally secured is not.
The only exception to this is when there is merchandise already source tagged with Checkpoint labels from the manufacturer. However, we do not know which item they may be. Often a source label is embedded in the packaging so the only way to identify those products would be with a hand scanner which our store does not use. Of course the bad guys don’t know it either until they try to walk out the door with stolen merchandise and the EAS system alarms. That is when employees respond to the alarm and conducts a receipt check then recover the merchandise.
I am of the opinion that merchandise that is going to be secured with Checkpoint Tags should be done while the products are still in the stockroom immediately after a truck unload. I know not every store receives their freight the same way so it might be that boxes and containers may have to be opened and sorted first. However you choose to do it, just don’t send merchandise you intend to protect to the selling floor until the tagging is done. You will have much better results come inventory time.
For more information about Checkpoint Tags contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
