Shoplifting and theft from retail stores has gotten so out of control that it is “Retail Gone Wild” or more
to the point – it is simply crazy! Shoplifters have become so brazen that they will just walk out with
merchandise without even bothering concealing it. In many cases, if store associates try to intervene,
they are assaulted verbally and/or physically. WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?
There are a list of factors. Organized Retail Crime (ORC) is shoplifting by organized gangs, many juveniles
that hit the store in groups at one time and overwhelm the store associate resources. We simply cannot
be everywhere at once. Of course, there are also the other three groups that shoplifters are divided into
Professional, Amateur and the Opportunist. Each has its reasons and methods to steal. All of these four
types of shoplifters have been with us since the beginning of “retail”. So what has changed?
I believe that it comes down to the legal and social changes in American society over the last ten years,
give or take a year or two. Jurisdictions such as California, New York and many others have essentially
decriminalized shoplifting. In many locations law enforcement will not even come out to take a report.
Let alone arrest and charge the thief. What message is being sent? Well, in those areas it turns the
Retailers into retail buffet dining. If there is absolutely no consequence to shoplifting, then why not
steal, over and over?
From the big picture these government officials are endangering not only our society but also retailers
themselves, associates and their tax base. In virtually every state retail is the largest employer and if not,
it is very close to the top. Retailers have to make money. Not just enough to survive. They have to
prosper. If the big box store is not returning profits to the stockholders, then we know how that story
ends. Medium to small retailers have to earn a living that is commensurate with the risk they take each
and every day. In both the big box and smaller retailer it means the same thing. Close your doors and
move on to greener pastures. That means loss of jobs, tax base (both sales tax, business and personal
taxes), housing and homes, and the list goes on all the way to third world status. Welcome to the United
States of Ameristan. This domino will cause others to fall also. Robbery, burglary, assaults are all out of
control now, let alone get worse.
All of this because politicians and officials do not know what they are doing. The individuals who
approve these changes are not fit to be where they are at.
Okay, so enough of the rant. Fixing those issues will take time and effort. So what do we do to keep
ourselves in business? We have to have a change of retail mindset. Just putting the merchandise out on
the shelves and hoping for the best will not work. There are only two ways to keep shoplifting under
control and at an economic level; namely customer service and an Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS)
system such as a Sensormatic System. However, we also need to take some old tools and get them into
play.
But, I am getting ahead of myself. So what is this new retail mindset? It is no longer acceptable to simply
display and even use Sensormatic tags, and labels on our merchandise. You have to make your merchandise attractive to your good, paying customers and make it not worth the shoplifter’s time and
exposure (for those few shoplifters that care about such things). If the shoplifter steals your
merchandise but they cannot use or sell it because it is ruined, then they will move on to a retailer that
is “easier”. THAT is the guy you DO NOT want to be!
How can we accomplish this? I mentioned earlier that there are some older tools and yes, even some
new tools to help you with this. A good example are “ink tags”. Sensormatic has been making these
things forever. They have evolved into the great tool they are today. When ink tags first came out they
were simply vials of permanent dye encapsulated in the tag. If the thief tried to get them off, the vials
would rupture and the ink flowed onto the product. So early on shoplifters learned to freeze the tag
while still on the merchandise and then whack it with a hammer and presto the ink tag is removed.
Since then Sensormatic developed ink tags that have better dye with an anti-freeze in it and the glass
vials are pressurized. Now the die did not just flow but exploded somewhat onto the merchandise and
hopefully the shoplifter themselves. I did ask if they could also put a skin irritant, acid or poison in
the dye but that was not really well received. I also suggested exploding tags but for some reason they
didn’t like that one either. Some folks just do not have a sense of humor, ooooh well.
Ink tags can be used without a Sensormatic system or as part of it. Ink tags come with either AM or RF
technology and with or without a pin. So they can be used with your current Sensormatic AM or RF
equipment. This works very well with anything that will absorb the ink. Clothing, shoes, hats, or any item
with cloth.
But what about hard goods? Well, Loss Prevention Systems and Sensormatic have fixes for that and
more. Consequentially, these solutions do not just throttle back your shoplifting but, they actually
increase your bottom line and reduce your expenses. Since we tailor the solution for each and every
individual retailer and/or store, you will just have to reach out to me for further details. Pretty sneaky
how I am doing that, huh?
It boils down to this: Change your mindset and put more on your bottom line. YES, it is that simple!
Reach out to me, Bill Bregar at: [email protected].
