Checkpoint tags-5 WC Blog 284
Clothing Security Tags-4
Security Tags On Clothes-3
Protecting Clothes From Theft By Storing It In Stockrooms? Protect Them With Checkpoint Tags And Then Fill Your Floor!
Looking back on my career in Retail Loss Prevention I can see how my perspective on the role of Loss Prevention has changed. When I first started out working in a department store, I had prior experience as an Air Force Law Enforcement Specialist. In fact one of my co-workers had been a former supervisor from my old unit and had seen my application and recommended me for the job when I applied. I loved what I was doing. I was able to stop shoplifting. I assisted with internal investigations and I was learning about the use of Checkpoint tags and clothing security. I perceived the job as more of a law enforcement function than support for a retail business and I think it would be fair to say that was sort of the mindset in those days. We built some strong bonds with our local police department. Police officers knew if they got a call from our store operator that the Loss Prevention officers had a shoplifter in custody or were chasing a shoplifter and it would be a solid arrest. When we started putting out more high ticket merchandise we used clothing security tags I only saw it as an opportunity for shoplifters to steal more valuable merchandise. I did not see that security tags on clothes could drive sales AND prevent shoplifting.
Clothing security tags come in soft tag form that can be peeled from a roll and applied to packages of socks, underwear and packaged shirts. Hard Checkpoint tags are also available and these are great for pinning directly to merchandise. Hard tags are reusable, two-piece, anti-theft devices that are nearly impossible to forcibly remove without causing damage to the merchandise. They are a visual deterrent to would-be thieves who don’t want to hassle with trying to get them off or risk exiting a door and setting off an electronic article surveillance (EAS) alarm. Both the soft and hard clothing security tags are designed with radio frequency technology so they will activate EAS antennas if the merchandise they are attached to is carried too close to the doors where the antennas are located.
So what changed for me over time? When I eventually became a Loss Prevention Manager I still saw the job as “getting the bad guys”. I had more exposure to Checkpoint tags and used them on more merchandise including clothing. My perspective changed slowly, perhaps as I learned about what the other store executive jobs involved. The Logistics Manager worked to keep merchandise on the sales floor for customers to purchase rather than in a stockroom. Bare shelves resulted in lost sales opportunities. Sales floor Managers had to ensure merchandise presentations were appealing to customers and they worked hand in hand with the Logistics Manager to move merchandise out of the stockroom and fill clothing racks, tables and gondolas. I began to refocus the way my Loss Prevention staff looked at their jobs. Yes, they were to prevent theft and when possible catch shoplifters. I did continue to develop and train those employees who wanted to go into police work or advance in Loss prevention. I helped them develop skills such how to properly write reports, interact with shoplifting suspects and develop an investigation. I also taught them how to take the skills they learned into other careers. But, I began to show them that they work for a retail business and our job was to keep shortage low and profits high, we were NOT a mini-police department.
With the change in perspective, I saw the advantages of using security tags on clothes to improve sales and still protect goods. Limiting the number of expensive jackets on the floor so they wouldn’t be stolen was less of a risk with Checkpoint tags on them. Having more jackets on the floor ensured customers had easier access to merchandise to purchase and reduced risk of running out of product on the floor and waiting for replenishment from the stockroom. Today, I am a fervent believer that a store is much better off financially by using clothing security tags to prevent theft and at the same time filling the floor for the consumer. You can’t sell merchandise from your stockroom.
Let Checkpoint tags work for you. Use security tags on clothes, then keep your product on the sales floor where customers can pick them up, try them on and purchase them. Along with an EAS antenna and outstanding customer service you will drive up profits and significantly reduce shortage.
Need information on Checkpoint tags? Contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Looking back on my career in Retail Loss Prevention I can see how my perspective on the role of Loss Prevention has changed. When I first started out working in a department store, I had prior experience as an Air Force Law Enforcement Specialist. In fact one of my co-workers had been a former supervisor from my old unit and had seen my application and recommended me for the job when I applied. I loved what I was doing. I was able to stop shoplifting. I assisted with internal investigations and I was learning about the use of Checkpoint tags and clothing security. I perceived the job as more of a law enforcement function than support for a retail business and I think it would be fair to say that was sort of the mindset in those days. We built some strong bonds with our local police department. Police officers knew if they got a call from our store operator that the Loss Prevention officers had a shoplifter in custody or were chasing a shoplifter and it would be a solid arrest. When we started putting out more high ticket merchandise we used clothing security tags I only saw it as an opportunity for shoplifters to steal more valuable merchandise. I did not see that security tags on clothes could drive sales AND prevent shoplifting.
Clothing security tags come in soft tag form that can be peeled from a roll and applied to packages of socks, underwear and packaged shirts. Hard Checkpoint tags are also available and these are great for pinning directly to merchandise. Hard tags are reusable, two-piece, anti-theft devices that are nearly impossible to forcibly remove without causing damage to the merchandise. They are a visual deterrent to would-be thieves who don’t want to hassle with trying to get them off or risk exiting a door and setting off an electronic article surveillance (EAS) alarm. Both the soft and hard clothing security tags are designed with radio frequency technology so they will activate EAS antennas if the merchandise they are attached to is carried too close to the doors where the antennas are located.
So what changed for me over time? When I eventually became a Loss Prevention Manager I still saw the job as “getting the bad guys”. I had more exposure to Checkpoint tags and used them on more merchandise including clothing. My perspective changed slowly, perhaps as I learned about what the other store executive jobs involved. The Logistics Manager worked to keep merchandise on the sales floor for customers to purchase rather than in a stockroom. Bare shelves resulted in lost sales opportunities. Sales floor Managers had to ensure merchandise presentations were appealing to customers and they worked hand in hand with the Logistics Manager to move merchandise out of the stockroom and fill clothing racks, tables and gondolas. I began to refocus the way my Loss Prevention staff looked at their jobs. Yes, they were to prevent theft and when possible catch shoplifters. I did continue to develop and train those employees who wanted to go into police work or advance in Loss prevention. I helped them develop skills such how to properly write reports, interact with shoplifting suspects and develop an investigation. I also taught them how to take the skills they learned into other careers. But, I began to show them that they work for a retail business and our job was to keep shortage low and profits high, we were NOT a mini-police department.
With the change in perspective, I saw the advantages of using security tags on clothes to improve sales and still protect goods. Limiting the number of expensive jackets on the floor so they wouldn’t be stolen was less of a risk with Checkpoint tags on them. Having more jackets on the floor ensured customers had easier access to merchandise to purchase and reduced risk of running out of product on the floor and waiting for replenishment from the stockroom. Today, I am a fervent believer that a store is much better off financially by using clothing security tags to prevent theft and at the same time filling the floor for the consumer. You can’t sell merchandise from your stockroom.
Let Checkpoint tags work for you. Use security tags on clothes, then keep your product on the sales floor where customers can pick them up, try them on and purchase them. Along with an EAS antenna and outstanding customer service you will drive up profits and significantly reduce shortage.
Need information on Checkpoint tags? Contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
