If you are utilizing tools such as Alpha Keepers, and Checkpoint Labels on your merchandise, and still seeing shrink in those items, you may need to make some changes to your daily plan. Product protection is key to keeping your assets on the shelf and available for sale, but if you don’t make smart business decisions you could be lessening their effectiveness. If you make the investment into these products, your business doesn’t become Fort Knox. Anti-Shoplifting also includes knowing the tools shoplifters use to defeat your efforts.
My store sells a lot of different items, but I know I have to keep an eye on some particular ones like scissors, box cutters, and even tin foil. A tin foil lined bag will hold a lot of items tagged with Checkpoint Labels, and can have the ability to scramble the system so it doesn’t alarm when they exit. Then you have no idea you’ve just been wiped out, at least until you happen to walk by that section. By then it’s too late, and your chances of getting your merchandise back are slim. Don’t make the mistake of blindly filling a shelf of high retail items simply because they are in Alpha Keepers. Limit your shelf quantities, so if you do take a hit, it won’t be so massive.
Don’t get me wrong, tools like Alpha Keepers and Checkpoint labels are priceless when it comes to deterrence. Anti-Shoplifting efforts have the biggest impact on people that are thinking about stealing. You can quickly change their minds because they see these being used, and the fear of being caught is suddenly greater than the desire to take the product. One example I use, for my store in particular, is razor cartridge refills. If someone comes in and sees that these things are a bit pricey, they may decide to just steal them instead. If the package is enclosed in an Alpha Keeper, that idea is easily put aside. My razor cartridge loss has been all but eliminated. The issue with shoplifters comes into play when you have a professional come in and conceal them in something like the foil-lined bag, or even a foil-lined baby stroller, and get away with everything you have on the shelf. You have to identify how the theft happened and be proactive in stopping it from happening again. Don’t fill the shelf to capacity when the product comes back in. You do not want to become a known target. Be on the lookout for people coming in and standing around that area, and especially if they are in possession of a giant shoplifter bag!
Another thing I do to boost my Anti-Shoplifting reputation in the community is by putting the Checkpoint Labels on the inside panel of my Alpha Keepers. It may be redundant, but the point is not to add alarm potential for the inventory. I actually do this with the mindset that I will see the theft happen and get it reported before the thieves get too far away. Shoplifters in groups usually steal from multiple locations in one day. If they are caught, you have a better chance of getting back your store’s merchandise if it is identifiable. Believe me, the police appreciate that too.
For more information contact us at Antishoplifting.net or call 1.770.426.0547
