RETURN FRAUD ON THE SKI SLOPES?
Last month, my girlfriend and I took a little winter vacation to a resort town high in the mountains of Colorado. I had just wrapped up another stressful and incredibly long holiday season, so getting out of my stores for a week was just what the doctor ordered. Of course, being in the LP world, I can’t really turn “It” off. You all know what I’m talking about. No matter where I go, or what store I’m in, I can’t help but to look at things from an LP perspective. I would have never imagined I’d be talking about Alpha Shark Tags on my ski trip, but what can I say?
What does one do in a mountain resort town after a week of fresh snow? You ski. Or at least, you attempt to. Well, we were not prepared so we went down to one of the retail stores and had to buy a couple of jackets and pants that would protect us from the cold. These items cost more than a night in the hotel. There it was. There was the “It” I couldn’t turn off. I looked at my girlfriend and asked her if she thought return fraud was a big problem at this particular store. She rolled her eyes and kept shopping.
I have to say, we were assisted by a sales associate that I would love to clone. She greeted us upon entry, helped us pick out everything we needed and really took the time and provided us with one on one service. When we were wrapping things up, I asked to speak with her manager. I like to recognize good service when I receive it. The manager came over and I let him know how impressed I was, and we began talking for a bit. I told him I was an LP manager for my company and I just had to ask about return fraud. I couldn’t help myself.
I was curious to know about how many people come into town for the week, get set up with their snow gear, only to return it at the end of their vacation. Not surprisingly, the manager told me it was pretty common, and they struggle with it almost on a daily basis, but they hadn’t figured out a way to really combat their issue in a manner that mirrored the owner’s philosophy of taking care of the customer. Sound familiar? I asked if he had ever heard of Alpha Shark Tags.
Of course, he hadn’t, so I grabbed my phone and Googled it for him. We talked a bit more about return fraud and he asked my opinion on how these tags could be applied to items in his store. Well, it was simple. Take the Alpha Shark Tag and place it front and center of all winter gear. Snow jackets, pants, boots, goggles, whatever. You put them in a place where they are visible and incredibly obvious to the wearer. You also make sure that your customer is aware of your return policy. That policy should clearly state that once the Alpha Shark Tag is removed from the garment, it can not be return. This will effectively stop vacationing families from using your store as a rental outlet.
Whether or not this store manager takes my advice, or not, you should. Return fraud is one of the biggest and most financial impactful fraud schemes out there currently. You can’t make a profit if you are constantly renting out your merchandise. Take a stand against this practice and refuse to be the victim anymore. Oh, in case you’re wondering, I did not return my ski clothes!
For more information about Alpha Shark Tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
Last month, my girlfriend and I took a little winter vacation to a resort town high in the mountains of Colorado. I had just wrapped up another stressful and incredibly long holiday season, so getting out of my stores for a week was just what the doctor ordered. Of course, being in the LP world, I can’t really turn “It” off. You all know what I’m talking about. No matter where I go, or what store I’m in, I can’t help but to look at things from an LP perspective. I would have never imagined I’d be talking about Alpha Shark Tags on my ski trip, but what can I say?
What does one do in a mountain resort town after a week of fresh snow? You ski. Or at least, you attempt to. Well, we were not prepared so we went down to one of the retail stores and had to buy a couple of jackets and pants that would protect us from the cold. These items cost more than a night in the hotel. There it was. There was the “It” I couldn’t turn off. I looked at my girlfriend and asked her if she thought return fraud was a big problem at this particular store. She rolled her eyes and kept shopping.
I have to say, we were assisted by a sales associate that I would love to clone. She greeted us upon entry, helped us pick out everything we needed and really took the time and provided us with one on one service. When we were wrapping things up, I asked to speak with her manager. I like to recognize good service when I receive it. The manager came over and I let him know how impressed I was, and we began talking for a bit. I told him I was an LP manager for my company and I just had to ask about return fraud. I couldn’t help myself.
I was curious to know about how many people come into town for the week, get set up with their snow gear, only to return it at the end of their vacation. Not surprisingly, the manager told me it was pretty common, and they struggle with it almost on a daily basis, but they hadn’t figured out a way to really combat their issue in a manner that mirrored the owner’s philosophy of taking care of the customer. Sound familiar? I asked if he had ever heard of Alpha Shark Tags.
Of course, he hadn’t, so I grabbed my phone and Googled it for him. We talked a bit more about return fraud and he asked my opinion on how these tags could be applied to items in his store. Well, it was simple. Take the Alpha Shark Tag and place it front and center of all winter gear. Snow jackets, pants, boots, goggles, whatever. You put them in a place where they are visible and incredibly obvious to the wearer. You also make sure that your customer is aware of your return policy. That policy should clearly state that once the Alpha Shark Tag is removed from the garment, it can not be return. This will effectively stop vacationing families from using your store as a rental outlet.
Whether or not this store manager takes my advice, or not, you should. Return fraud is one of the biggest and most financial impactful fraud schemes out there currently. You can’t make a profit if you are constantly renting out your merchandise. Take a stand against this practice and refuse to be the victim anymore. Oh, in case you’re wondering, I did not return my ski clothes!
For more information about Alpha Shark Tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
