Alpha Spider Wrap-5 WC blog 116
Retail Anti-Theft Devices-4
Properly Applying Alpha Spider Wrap Promotes Sales And Improves Customer Service
When I was a Loss Prevention Manager I was introduced to Alpha Spider Wrap and since then I have seen a huge growth in the use of this retail anti-theft device in many different retailers. Sometimes it is placed appropriately on merchandise and other times it is obvious to me someone did not truly understand what they were doing when they attempted to protect merchandise with it. Spider wrap can be an effective way to prevent shoplifting but like any tool, it has to be used properly to be doing the job it was intended to do.
Before I get more specific about how these retail anti-theft devices can be improperly placed, I need to discuss what Alpha Spider Wrap is and what it does. The device has wires that are connected in a main disc and there are two looped wires that extend out the sides. The looped wires extend and retract as needed to fit around the item to be protected. When the proper length is determined, the loops are clasped together and the device is tightened to a snug fit around a box. The wires form a circuit so that if a shoplifter attempts to cut one of the wires, a tamper alarm in the device sounds a high, piercing noise. The wraps are also designed to set off electronic article surveillance antennas if carried through the antennas.
When used properly, as I mentioned above, the Alpha Spider Wrap wires surround a boxed item and it is tight enough that the wires cannot be manipulated or forced over the sides of the box. The protection of retail anti-theft devices give the retailer the ability to display high dollar items on the sales floor and allows customers to pick up and carry merchandise. This flexibility for the retailer allows them to not have to lock everything up in a display case. Customers don’t need to wait for someone with a key to walk by and unlock the case; show the merchandise and either put it back again or walk it to the register to ring the purchase. Frequently this will drive sales up because customers don’t have to wait for service. In fact, according to Help Scout.net, quoting from a 2011 American Express Survey, “78% of customers have bailed on a transaction or not made an intended purchase because of a poor service experience”.
If then one of the benefits of Alpha Spider Wrap is to provide a better service experience by allowing customer access to merchandise, I have to wonder at some of the things I see in some stores. For example, in one store I have observed several boxes of a high dollar headphone set secured with the wraps. This would have been perfect except that the store then had a cable running through all the retail anti-theft devices and securing everything to the shelf. What was the point of using spider wraps if they were going to secure the merchandise down? On at least one occasion I saw wrapped merchandise in a locking display case. Again, I have question to point of using the device if an associate is still required to unlock the case to show it to a customer?
The other issue I see, even in the store I work in, is that the wrap is not tight enough on a box. When there is too much play in the cords, the wrap can be slipped off the box without setting off the tamper alarm. Sometimes the looseness is due to a plastic hang tab that is too stiff and thick and prevents the employee from tightening the wires enough. This can be avoided by either cutting off the hang tab or putting the wire next to it and cranking the device closed. Another problem arises when the wrong sized wrap is used. There are different size wraps and if someone applies a large wrap to a box that is too small it is possible the device can’t be tightened enough to prevent some play in the strands. The remedy is simply to have large and small wraps on hand to ensure the right equipment is used for the right item.
Don’t make customers wait in line for lock up display cases to be opened in order to get products. Proper application and use of Alpha Spider Wrap can promote customer service and drive up sales.
Need information on Alpha Spider Wrap? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
When I was a Loss Prevention Manager I was introduced to the Alpha Spider Wrap and since then I have seen a huge growth in the use of this retail anti-theft device in many different retailers. Sometimes it is placed appropriately on merchandise and other times it is obvious to me someone did not truly understand what they were doing when they attempted to protect merchandise with it. Spider wrap can be an effective way to prevent shoplifting but like any tool, it has to be used properly to be doing the job it was intended to do.
Before I get more specific about how these retail anti-theft devices can be improperly placed, I need to discuss what Alpha Spider Wrap is and what it does. The device has wires that are connected in a main disc and there are two looped wires that extend out the sides. The looped wires extend and retract as needed to fit around the item to be protected. When the proper length is determined, the loops are clasped together and the device is tightened to a snug fit around a box. The wires form a circuit so that if a shoplifter attempts to cut one of the wires, a tamper alarm in the device sounds a high piercing noise. The wraps are also designed to set off electronic article surveillance antennas if carried through the antennas.
When used properly, as I mentioned above, the Alpha Spider Wrap wires surround a boxed item and it is tight enough that the wires cannot be manipulated or forced over the sides of the box. The protection of retail anti-theft devices give the retailer the ability to display high dollar items on the sales floor and allows customers to pick up and carry merchandise. This flexibility for the retailer allows them to not have to lock everything up in a display case. Customers don’t need to wait for someone with a key to walk by and unlock the case; show the merchandise and either put it back again or walk it to the register to ring the purchase. Frequently this will drive sales up because customers don’t have to wait for service. In fact, according to Help Scout.net, quoting from a 2011 American Express Survey, “78% of customers have bailed on a transaction or not made an intended purchase because of a poor service experience”.
If then one of the benefits of the Alpha Spider Wrap is to provide a better service experience by allowing customer access to merchandise, I have to wonder at some of the things I see in some stores. For example, in one store I have observed several boxes of a high dollar headphone set secured with the wraps. This would have been perfect except that the store then had a cable running through all the retail anti-theft devices and securing everything to the shelf. What was the point of using spider wraps if they were going to secure the merchandise down? On at least one occasion I saw wrapped merchandise in a locking display case. Again, I have question to point of using the device if an associate is still required to unlock the case to show it to a customer?
The other issue I see, even in the store I work in, is that the wrap is not tight enough on a box. When there is too much play in the cords, the wrap can be slipped off the box without setting off the tamper alarm. Sometimes the looseness is due to a plastic hang tab that is too stiff and thick and prevents the employee from tightening the wires enough. This can be avoided by either cutting off the hang tab or putting the wire next to it and cranking the device closed. Another problem arises when the wrong sized wrap is used. There are different size wraps and if someone applies a large wrap to a box that is too small it is possible the device can’t be tightened enough to prevent some play in the strands. The remedy is simply to have large and small wraps on hand to ensure the right equipment is used for the right item.
Don’t make customers wait in line for lock up display cases to be opened in order to get products. Proper application and use of Alpha Spider Wrap can promote customer service and drive up sales.
Need information on Alpha Spider Wrap? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
