Retail A Dangerous Place To Work? Balancing Clothing Security and Safety

How do we balance clothing security and keeping our associates and ourselves safe from harm. We know that if we do nothing to combat shoplifting that we will soon be out of business. Shoplifters are like anyone else, they talk. And talk they do, to other shoplifters. They compare stories, techniques and where the best places to steal are. We have to combat shoplifters or your store will end up on the shoplifters’ short list. Clothing security and the security of any other type of merchandise is really quite simple. That is the easy part! If you want help with that reach out to us. We can fix it.

 

But when is enough, enough? There are shoplifters out there that are ready to take it to the next level and hurt someone in order to get away. The reasons are many, i.e. drugs, desperation, greed, debt or just that they “want it”. When I conduct my live Stop Shoplifting seminars either in person or via webinar I always tell a story. Many years ago a shoplifter stole an item from a store in a mall. That was not in dispute. The item was not just petty it was around $500+, a felony. He was seen by store management and ran. This was a store in a mall on the second level. As he was running to escape, he collided with a woman holding an infant. The infant flew out of her arms and went over the railing and was killed on impact on the planter below.

 

The shoplifter was caught and prosecuted for not only felony theft but for the infant’s death. That was on the criminal court side. He stole the merchandise, ran, and caused the death of the infant. We do not even need to go into the civil suits that were filed. You can imagine who was sued, everyone including the retailer and employees.

 

But now put yourself into the place of the manager who chased him. How would you feel? You might say to yourself that you were simply pursuing a thief that caused the death. It’s not my fault. Or, is it? If you did not chase the shoplifter to begin with, it would have never happened. These are the things that you will have to wrestle with, for the rest of your life. I have been a Law Enforcement Officer in both the civilian and military worlds. I have faced more life and death situations, both my life and others, than I care to remember. There have been many thousands of times that I have asked myself if I could have done something different.

 

So, all of this happened due of $500. It was simply NOT WORTH IT! In fact I want you to look at your shoplifting problem from a completely different angle. If you have an incident where you have to chase a shoplifter occurs and your training to stop shoplifting and procedures broke down or failed. In that case you need to go back and refine your program to stop shoplifting, not be chasing shoplifters through the parking lot. When reading this in the comfortable environment you are in right now it may sound like good justice that the shoplifter himself runs out into traffic and gets hit by a car. But the potential for innocent casualties from that could be too horrible to consider.

 

When a loss occurs reverse engineer it. Where were the break downs? Was your staff paying attention? Were they even trained in what to look for? Do you have adequate Sensormatic Security Systems in place? Are those Sensormatic Security Systems working correctly? Do you have the correct Sensormatic clothing security tags? Are those clothing security tags placed correctly? Are the clothing security tags using the correct pin? Does your staff (and you) know how to PROPERLY react to a Sensormatic Security System alarm? Is your store’s merchandise arranged and displayed correctly or is it customer AND shoplifter friendly? Are small, high dollar, popular items on an end cap in the back of the store? Are you relying on a CCTV system to discourage shoplifters? Shoplifters do not care if you have cameras or not.

 

Look at it this way. After thirty-five years in Loss Prevention I have found that there are only two ways to prevent shoplifting and they both must be done together. Staff training to PREVENT or stop shoplifting and a Sensormatic Security System. Other brands are fine also but retail theft prevention with Sensormatic systems tend to protect the widest range of products. Retail theft prevention needs to be a constant, consistent effort on your part. And retail theft prevention must involve your trained staff. Without them you can have the best Sensormatic systems installed and you will still have shoplifting problems. Loss Prevention Systems will train you and your staff on how to avoid confrontations and discourage shoplifters while delighting your good customers.

 

So if you are ready to stop shoplifting once and for all, contact us or call us toll free at 1-770-426-0547 and let us attack your shoplifting problems together.

 

Retail A Dangerous Place To Work? Balancing Clothing Security and Safety

 

11 WAB Blog
Retail A Dangerous Place To Work? Balancing Clothing Security and Safety
How do we balance clothing security and keeping our associates and ourselves safe from harm. We know that if we do nothing to combat shoplifting that we will soon be out of business. Shoplifters are like anyone else, they talk. And talk they do, to other shoplifters. They compare stories, techniques and where the best places to steal are. We have to combat shoplifters or your store will end up on the shoplifters’ short list. Clothing security and the security of any other type of merchandise is really quite simple. That is the easy part! If you want help with that reach out to us. We can fix it.
But when is enough, enough? There are shoplifters out there that are ready to take it to the next level and hurt someone in order to get away. The reasons are many, i.e. drugs, desperation, greed, debt or just that they “want it”. When I conduct my live Stop Shoplifting seminars either in person or via webinar I always tell a story. Many years ago a shoplifter stole an item from a store in a mall. That was not in dispute. The item was not just petty it was around $500+, a felony. He was seen by store management and ran. This was a store in a mall on the second level. As he was running to escape, he collided with a woman holding an infant. The infant flew out of her arms and went over the railing and was killed on impact on the planter below.
The shoplifter was caught and prosecuted for not only felony theft but for the infant’s death. That was on the criminal court side. He stole the merchandise, ran, and caused the death of the infant. We do not even need to go into the civil suits that were filed. You can imagine who was sued, everyone including the retailer and employees. 
But now put yourself into the place of the manager who chased him. How would you feel? You might say to yourself that you were simply pursuing a thief that caused the death. It’s not my fault. Or, is it? If you did not chase the shoplifter to begin with, it would have never happened. These are the things that you will have to wrestle with, for the rest of your life. I have been a Law Enforcement Officer in both the civilian and military worlds. I have faced more life and death situations, both my life and others, than I care to remember. There have been many thousands of times that I have asked myself if I could have done something different.
So, all of this happened due of $500. It was simply NOT WORTH IT! In fact I want you to look at your shoplifting problem from a completely different angle. If you have an incident where you have to chase a shoplifter occurs and your training to stop shoplifting and procedures broke down or failed. In that case you need to go back and refine your program to stop shoplifting, not be chasing shoplifters through the parking lot. When reading this in the comfortable environment you are in right now it may sound like good justice that the shoplifter himself runs out into traffic and gets hit by a car. But the potential for innocent casualties from that could be too horrible to consider.
When a loss occurs reverse engineer it. Where were the break downs? Was your staff paying attention? Were they even trained in what to look for? Do you have adequate Sensormatic Security Systems in place? Are those Sensormatic Security Systems working correctly? Do you have the correct Sensormatic clothing security tags? Are those clothing security tags placed correctly? Are the clothing security tags using the correct pin? Does your staff (and you) know how to PROPERLY react to a Sensormatic Security System alarm? Is your store’s merchandise arranged and displayed correctly or is it customer AND shoplifter friendly? Are small, high dollar, popular items on an end cap in the back of the store? Are you relying on a CCTV system to discourage shoplifters? Shoplifters do not care if you have cameras or not. 
Look at it this way. After thirty-five years in Loss Prevention I have found that there are only two ways to prevent shoplifting and they both must be done together. Staff training to PREVENT or stop shoplifting and a Sensormatic Security System. Other brands are fine also but retail theft prevention with Sensormatic systems tend to protect the widest range of products. Retail theft prevention needs to be a constant, consistent effort on your part. And retail theft prevention must involve your trained staff. Without them you can have the best Sensormatic systems installed and you will still have shoplifting problems. Loss Prevention Systems will train you and your staff on how to avoid confrontations and discourage shoplifters while delighting your good customers.
So if you are ready to stop shoplifting once and for all, contact us or call us toll free at 1-770-426-0547 and let us attack your shoplifting problems together. 

How do we balance clothing security and keeping our associates and ourselves safe from harm. We know that if we do nothing to combat shoplifting that we will soon be out of business. Shoplifters are like anyone else, they talk. And talk they do, to other shoplifters. They compare stories, techniques and where the best places to steal are. We have to combat shoplifters or your store will end up on the shoplifters’ short list. Clothing security and the security of any other type of merchandise is really quite simple. That is the easy part! If you want help with that reach out to us. We can fix it.

 

But when is enough, enough? There are shoplifters out there that are ready to take it to the next level and hurt someone in order to get away. The reasons are many, i.e. drugs, desperation, greed, debt or just that they “want it”. When I conduct my live Stop Shoplifting seminars either in person or via webinar I always tell a story. Many years ago a shoplifter stole an item from a store in a mall. That was not in dispute. The item was not just petty it was around $500+, a felony. He was seen by store management and ran. This was a store in a mall on the second level. As he was running to escape, he collided with a woman holding an infant. The infant flew out of her arms and went over the railing and was killed on impact on the planter below.

 

The shoplifter was caught and prosecuted for not only felony theft but for the infant’s death. That was on the criminal court side. He stole the merchandise, ran, and caused the death of the infant. We do not even need to go into the civil suits that were filed. You can imagine who was sued, everyone including the retailer and employees. 

 

But now put yourself into the place of the manager who chased him. How would you feel? You might say to yourself that you were simply pursuing a thief that caused the death. It’s not my fault. Or, is it? If you did not chase the shoplifter to begin with, it would have never happened. These are the things that you will have to wrestle with, for the rest of your life. I have been a Law Enforcement Officer in both the civilian and military worlds. I have faced more life and death situations, both my life and others, than I care to remember. There have been many thousands of times that I have asked myself if I could have done something different.

 

So, all of this happened due of $500. It was simply NOT WORTH IT! In fact I want you to look at your shoplifting problem from a completely different angle. If you have an incident where you have to chase a shoplifter occurs and your training to stop shoplifting and procedures broke down or failed. In that case you need to go back and refine your program to stop shoplifting, not be chasing shoplifters through the parking lot. When reading this in the comfortable environment you are in right now it may sound like good justice that the shoplifter himself runs out into traffic and gets hit by a car. But the potential for innocent casualties from that could be too horrible to consider.

 

When a loss occurs reverse engineer it. Where were the break downs? Was your staff paying attention? Were they even trained in what to look for? Do you have adequate Sensormatic Security Systems in place? Are those Sensormatic Security Systems working correctly? Do you have the correct Sensormatic clothing security tags? Are those clothing security tags placed correctly? Are the clothing security tags using the correct pin? Does your staff (and you) know how to PROPERLY react to a Sensormatic Security System alarm? Is your store’s merchandise arranged and displayed correctly or is it customer AND shoplifter friendly? Are small, high dollar, popular items on an end cap in the back of the store? Are you relying on a CCTV system to discourage shoplifters? Shoplifters do not care if you have cameras or not. 

 

Look at it this way. After thirty-five years in Loss Prevention I have found that there are only two ways to prevent shoplifting and they both must be done together. Staff training to PREVENT or stop shoplifting and a Sensormatic Security System. Other brands are fine also but retail theft prevention with Sensormatic systems tend to protect the widest range of products. Retail theft prevention needs to be a constant, consistent effort on your part. And retail theft prevention must involve your trained staff. Without them you can have the best Sensormatic systems installed and you will still have shoplifting problems. Loss Prevention Systems will train you and your staff on how to avoid confrontations and discourage shoplifters while delighting your good customers.

 

So if you are ready to stop shoplifting once and for all, contact us or call us toll free at 1-770-426-0547 and let us attack your shoplifting problems together. 

 

 

Make Good Decisions And Use Sensormatic Tags To Avoid Bad Stops


Clothing Security -4                                                                                                  WC Blog 734
Sensormatic Tags -3

Make Good Decisions And Use Sensormatic Tags To Avoid Bad Stops

     If you own a store that sells softlines merchandise clothing security has to be a concern for you. Theft is going to happen and you need to be prepared to address it but how you do so can be a tricky proposition. When I started out in Retail Loss Prevention my first job was in a department store and the majority of the merchandise we carried was softlines products such as men’s and women’s clothing, shoes, handbags and accessories. What you have to be careful of is protecting merchandise from theft and also not making false accusations against customers. I thought about this after watching a “live” police show on television the other night (although it was a previously recorded episode). I also read a news story about a teenager allegedly falsely accused of shoplifting after having been forcibly stopped by a store Loss Prevention Agent. I will tell you more about each incident in a moment but first I want to say that I have made a couple of “bad” stops during my own 17 years in Loss Prevention. It is uncomfortable and embarrassing to the accused and as the officer making the stop it is embarrassing and sticks with you a LONG time (as I attest to writing this more than 17 years after my own first “bad” stop). The other issue is that a bad stop can result in a lawsuit against the business. Sensormatic tags on clothing can greatly reduce the risk of ever having to deal with bad stops and the potential for being sued.

     The purpose of clothing security is to prevent theft through deterrence. Plain and simply those who shoplift do so for any number of reasons but they are usually dissuaded when the risk of being caught is too great. Bill Bregar who is the founder and owner of Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. was a National Director of Loss Prevention for several major retailers. He has experience with electronic article system tags working and deterring shoplifting. He recommends his customers invest in Sensormatic systems and tags to reduce shrink. Crooks know that tags are going to set off alarms if they get near the pedestals in an effort to sneak clothes out. Sensormatic tags will also damage clothes if a shoplifter attempts to force them off in order to steal merchandise. Either way, the use of these devices will stop shoplifting. If a store isn’t using electronic article surveillance that business is going to have high shortage rates there is no getting around that fact.

     This brings me to the two cases that turned out to be bad stops. In the television show a suspect was stopped by police, handcuffed and told that he was a suspect in a shoplifting incident at a hardware store. The Loss Prevention Officer came out, showed video from her phone of the incident and it was determined the suspect was not the same person. The man was released. Then in an article from wsvn.com on December 13, 2018, by Nicole Linsalata and Andrew Dymburt, they report about a family suing a major retailer after a “security officer” stopped a 13-year old girl for shoplifting. The report says that video of the arrest shows the security officer pushing the girl to the ground. To make matters worse the police found all four of the bathing suits the girl was suspected of taking were still in the fitting room. I don’t know if the stores in question use Sensormatic tags or not but obviously they do have security officers. Large retailers can afford these officers but they can and do make mistakes. Unfortunately these officers sometimes have poor training or can be too aggressive. Sometimes they get so focused on a case they fail to err on the side of caution and when that happens, things can spiral out of control. This can lead to a very costly lawsuit for the store.

     Small store owners with no Loss Prevention can avoid worrying about any of this if they use Clothing security tags to protect their merchandise. If tags are used there will be few attempts at shoplifting and those that do happen can often be prevented with great customer service. To help owners with electronic article alarm response and theft prevention, Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. offers free training with the purchase of a Sensormatic system. 

       Don’t make bad choices or bad stops. Use clothing security tags to stop theft from taking place. Train employees on the proper methods of tagging products and alarm response and you will find you can greatly reduce theft and significantly improve profits.
Get more information on clothing security, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.



If you own a store that sells softlines merchandise clothing security has to be a concern for you. Theft is going to happen and you need to be prepared to address it but how you do so can be a tricky proposition. When I started out in Retail Loss Prevention my first job was in a department store and the majority of the merchandise we carried was softlines products such as men’s and women’s clothing, shoes, handbags and accessories. What you have to be careful of is protecting merchandise from theft and also not making false accusations against customers. I thought about this after watching a “live” police show on television the other night (although it was a previously recorded episode). I also read a news story about a teenager allegedly falsely accused of shoplifting after having been forcibly stopped by a store Loss Prevention Agent. I will tell you more about each incident in a moment but first I want to say that I have made a couple of “bad” stops during my own 17 years in Loss Prevention. It is uncomfortable and embarrassing to the accused and as the officer making the stop it is embarrassing and sticks with you a LONG time (as I attest to writing this more than 17 years after my own first “bad” stop). The other issue is that a bad stop can result in a lawsuit against the business. Sensormatic tags on clothing can greatly reduce the risk of ever having to deal with bad stops and the potential for being sued.
     

The purpose of clothing security is to prevent theft through deterrence. Plain and simply those who shoplift do so for any number of reasons but they are usually dissuaded when the risk of being caught is too great. Bill Bregar who is the founder and owner of Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. was a National Director of Loss Prevention for several major retailers. He has experience with electronic article system tags working and deterring shoplifting. He recommends his customers invest in Sensormatic systems and tags to reduce shrink. Crooks know that tags are going to set off alarms if they get near the pedestals in an effort to sneak clothes out. Sensormatic tags will also damage clothes if a shoplifter attempts to force them off in order to steal merchandise. Either way, the use of these devices will stop shoplifting. If a store isn’t using electronic article surveillance that business is going to have high shortage rates there is no getting around that fact.
     

This brings me to the two cases that turned out to be bad stops. In the television show a suspect was stopped by police, handcuffed and told that he was a suspect in a shoplifting incident at a hardware store. The Loss Prevention Officer came out, showed video from her phone of the incident and it was determined the suspect was not the same person. The man was released. Then in an article from wsvn.com on December 13, 2018, by Nicole Linsalata and Andrew Dymburt, they report about a family suing a major retailer after a “security officer” stopped a 13-year old girl for shoplifting. The report says that video of the arrest shows the security officer pushing the girl to the ground. To make matters worse the police found all four of the bathing suits the girl was suspected of taking were still in the fitting room. I don’t know if the stores in question use Sensormatic tags or not but obviously they do have security officers. Large retailers can afford these officers but they can and do make mistakes. Unfortunately these officers sometimes have poor training or can be too aggressive. Sometimes they get so focused on a case they fail to err on the side of caution and when that happens, things can spiral out of control. This can lead to a very costly lawsuit for the store.
     

Small store owners with no Loss Prevention can avoid worrying about any of this if they use Clothing security tags to protect their merchandise. If tags are used there will be few attempts at shoplifting and those that do happen can often be prevented with great customer service. To help owners with electronic article alarm response and theft prevention, Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. offers free training with the purchase of a Sensormatic system. 
       

Don’t make bad choices or bad stops. Use clothing security tags to stop theft from taking place. Train employees on the proper methods of tagging products and alarm response and you will find you can greatly reduce theft and significantly improve profits.

 

Get more information on clothing security, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.

 

Clothing Security In An Apparel Store

Clothing Security Blog

Clothing Security In An Apparel Store

Are you having clothing security issues from shoplifting in your apparel store? The solution to this issue is a two step process. You must adopt both steps as one is useless without the other. But before you can implement those steps, you have to do something else. You must make the commitment to clothing security or any other retail segment security and be willing to make this a permanent part of your business. When I was Director of Loss Prevention for several major retailers, I would ask Operations Management for simply 3% of their time on a daily basis. That’s it, 3% or 18 minutes of their 10 hour day dedicated to shoplifting prevention. You can do the same. If you do, I assure you that your shoplifting losses will drop significantly.
So what should you do in that 18 minutes? Glad you asked!
First and foremost is train and reemphasize shoplifting prevention techniques to your team. Teaching them is one thing but reminding them on a constant basis until it becomes second nature will drive shoplifters away and increase your customer service to good customers. The premise of this is simple, good customers love customer service, shoplifters hate it. If you are providing good customer service and a customer is resisting that then this should be an immediate red flag. In that case what should you do? Well, provide even more customer service! This may involve staying at a discrete distance and keeping an eye on them. A shoplifter will hate this but a good customer will either be indifferent or pay little attention.
The reason they hate this is that shoplifters must have privacy to steal from you, if only for a few seconds. Deny them that and, do it consistently and they will go elsewhere to steal. Shoplifters will steal where they have the least interference. However, that leads us to the next step.
The second step is to add a Sensormatic system to your store. And as a shameless plug, yes, Loss Prevention Systems sells Sensormatic systems. Now that we have that out of the way, let us get back to the issue at hand. 
You and your staff cannot be everywhere at once. From an economic standpoint we cannot spend as much payroll as we would like or know we should. So, you need an edge. A Sensormatic system at the customer doors and tags and/or labels on your merchandise will cover your sales floor during those frequent times that shoplifters either look for or even create. If a shoplifter picks up a piece of your merchandise with a clothing security tag on it and they try to leave the store, the Sensormatic system will go into alarm, alerting you and your staff. 
Clothing security tags are easy for your staff to apply and they are easy for your staff to remove. Not so much for a shoplifter. If they try to remove your clothing security tags, they will damage the merchandise. We even have Sensormatic tags that have ink vials inside. If a significant amount of pressure is put on the ink tag. then the vials break and ruin the merchandise. Routine handling of an ink tag will not cause it to release ink. But apply a tool to it and, well you get the idea.
Sensormatic tags have some of the highest quality in the industry. Sensormatic systems are commercial grade and go through extensive testing both for tag detection and wear and tear in the toughest retail environments. All of this combines to keep both your payroll dollars and inventory shrink low and sales higher. Because if you have the merchandise to sell because shoplifters cannot steal it, you are more profitable.
Loss Prevention Systems will also provide you with the live training you need for you and your staff, as often as you need it. So let’s fix your shoplifting problems once and for all. 

Clothing Security is important to us. Contact us today at 1770-426-0547.

Are you having clothing security issues from shoplifting in your apparel store? The solution to this issue is a two step process. You must adopt both steps as one is useless without the other. But before you can implement those steps, you have to do something else. You must make the commitment to clothing security or any other retail segment security and be willing to make this a permanent part of your business. When I was Director of Loss Prevention for several major retailers, I would ask Operations Management for simply 3% of their time on a daily basis. That’s it, 3% or 18 minutes of their 10 hour day dedicated to shoplifting prevention. You can do the same. If you do, I assure you that your shoplifting losses will drop significantly.

 

So what should you do in that 18 minutes? Glad you asked!

 

First and foremost is train and reemphasize shoplifting prevention techniques to your team. Teaching them is one thing but reminding them on a constant basis until it becomes second nature will drive shoplifters away and increase your customer service to good customers. The premise of this is simple, good customers love customer service, shoplifters hate it. If you are providing good customer service and a customer is resisting that then this should be an immediate red flag. In that case what should you do? Well, provide even more customer service! This may involve staying at a discrete distance and keeping an eye on them. A shoplifter will hate this but a good customer will either be indifferent or pay little attention.

 

The reason they hate this is that shoplifters must have privacy to steal from you, if only for a few seconds. Deny them that and, do it consistently and they will go elsewhere to steal. Shoplifters will steal where they have the least interference. However, that leads us to the next step.

 

The second step is to add a Sensormatic system to your store. And as a shameless plug, yes, Loss Prevention Systems sells Sensormatic systems. Now that we have that out of the way, let us get back to the issue at hand. 

 

You and your staff cannot be everywhere at once. From an economic standpoint we cannot spend as much payroll as we would like or know we should. So, you need an edge. A Sensormatic system at the customer doors and tags and/or labels on your merchandise will cover your sales floor during those frequent times that shoplifters either look for or even create. If a shoplifter picks up a piece of your merchandise with a clothing security tag on it and they try to leave the store, the Sensormatic system will go into alarm, alerting you and your staff. 

 

Clothing security tags are easy for your staff to apply and they are easy for your staff to remove. Not so much for a shoplifter. If they try to remove your clothing security tags, they will damage the merchandise. We even have Sensormatic tags that have ink vials inside. If a significant amount of pressure is put on the ink tag. then the vials break and ruin the merchandise. Routine handling of an ink tag will not cause it to release ink. But apply a tool to it and, well you get the idea.

 

Sensormatic tags have some of the highest quality in the industry. Sensormatic systems are commercial grade and go through extensive testing both for tag detection and wear and tear in the toughest retail environments. All of this combines to keep both your payroll dollars and inventory shrink low and sales higher. Because if you have the merchandise to sell because shoplifters cannot steal it, you are more profitable.

 

Loss Prevention Systems will also provide you with the live training you need for you and your staff, as often as you need it. So let’s fix your shoplifting problems once and for all. 

 

Clothing Security is important to us. Contact us today at 1770-426-0547.

 

Eco-Friendly Bags Or Booster Bags? Clothing Security Depends On A Sensormatic System



Clothing Security- 3                                                                                                                 WC Blog 726
Sensormatic Tags-4


Eco-Friendly Bags Or Booster Bags? Clothing Security Depends On A Sensormatic System

     I know recycled bags are an “in” thing now but I have to ask retailers, how do you address clothing security when customers are using these bags in your store? I can direct my question to any retailer but I ask about clothing retailers because of a suspicious person I saw the other night. As I was shopping with my wife yesterday I would have bet my bottom dollar I was going to see another shoplifter in action. We had just entered this store and I saw a woman with a very oversized tote bag and I told my wife that the woman was going to steal because she had a “shoplifter purse”. My wife glared at me and told me that we had to pick up some things and get home. She was not going to let me play store security that night. We picked up what we needed in health and beauty and went past the clothing department and I spotted the woman in the women’s clothing section and her bag looked a bit bigger. As far as I know this store does not use Sensormatic tags or any other anti-theft tag on clothing merchandise. They may use concealed electronic article surveillance (EAS) labels but not the hard tags. We continued our shopping in the grocery department and a few minutes later the woman walked by us with her and she had some merchandise in her hands. I pointed out to my wife that the bag looked even fuller than it had when I spotted her in the clothing department. I thought to myself that if she was filling that bag with clothes it wasn’t going to set off any electronic article surveillance towers. I watched as the woman placed the items that she was carrying into the bag, I just KNEW she was stealing now! The items went in and one of them stuck out the top of the bag and she made no attempt to zip the bag. Maybe I was wrong after all. It could be that this was one of these new recycled shopping bags to keep the environment cleaner.

     In most instances had the woman in this story been stealing and concealing clothing in a recyclable bag or purse and clothing security tags were being used an EAS tower would detect the tagged goods. The promotion of recycled bags to reduce the need for shopping carts and single-use shopping bags would make sense in that case. The electronic article surveillance device protects the product against theft. On the other hand if a store is not utilizing anti-theft devices and is permitting the use of these types of bags that store is inviting shoplifting to take place. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. founder Bill Bregar knows how criminals think and how to thwart their activity. That is why he recommends that his clients use Sensormatic tags and surveillance towers to prevent clothing theft. It stops thieves from taking your product while allowing stores the choice of how they want their customers to be able to shop.

      I have no idea whether the woman in this case stole anything. I stopped watching when she left the merchandise in the bag exposed for anyone to see. What I do know is that there are more and more people bringing “shopping bags” bags into stores and putting merchandise in them. There are professional shoplifters who use foil lined bags to try to defeat retailers who put Sensormatic tags on clothing and set up EAS pedestals. Now these thieves can blend in more easily with regular shoppers. That is why it is more important than ever to put a Sensormatic system in your store. Sensormatic offers an AMS9060 controller for some of their compatible towers and this controller can be upgraded with a “Metal-Foil Detection plug- in card”. The card enables towers to detect foil lined bags if they are brought into a store. You can be confident that the shoppers with bags are real shoppers and not professional criminals.

     Going green by allowing reusable shopping bags in stores is making clothing security and merchandise protection more difficult. It can lead to an increase in theft and shortage and that drains store profits. Find that perfect balance between being eco-friendly and remaining financially solvent. Use a Sensormatic security system and keep everyone happy. Oh and one final point, Sensormatic tags are reusable many times over and THAT is good for the environment!
Clothing Security is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.

I know recycled bags are an “in” thing now but I have to ask retailers, how do you address clothing security when customers are using these bags in your store? I can direct my question to any retailer but I ask about clothing retailers because of a suspicious person I saw the other night. As I was shopping with my wife yesterday I would have bet my bottom dollar I was going to see another shoplifter in action. We had just entered this store and I saw a woman with a very oversized tote bag and I told my wife that the woman was going to steal because she had a “shoplifter purse”. My wife glared at me and told me that we had to pick up some things and get home. She was not going to let me play store security that night. We picked up what we needed in health and beauty and went past the clothing department and I spotted the woman in the women’s clothing section and her bag looked a bit bigger. As far as I know this store does not use Sensormatic tags or any other anti-theft tag on clothing merchandise. They may use concealed electronic article surveillance (EAS) labels but not the hard tags. We continued our shopping in the grocery department and a few minutes later the woman walked by us with her and she had some merchandise in her hands. I pointed out to my wife that the bag looked even fuller than it had when I spotted her in the clothing department. I thought to myself that if she was filling that bag with clothes it wasn’t going to set off any electronic article surveillance towers. I watched as the woman placed the items that she was carrying into the bag, I just KNEW she was stealing now! The items went in and one of them stuck out the top of the bag and she made no attempt to zip the bag. Maybe I was wrong after all. It could be that this was one of these new recycled shopping bags to keep the environment cleaner.
     

In most instances had the woman in this story been stealing and concealing clothing in a recyclable bag or purse and clothing security tags were being used an EAS tower would detect the tagged goods. The promotion of recycled bags to reduce the need for shopping carts and single-use shopping bags would make sense in that case. The electronic article surveillance device protects the product against theft. On the other hand if a store is not utilizing anti-theft devices and is permitting the use of these types of bags that store is inviting shoplifting to take place. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. founder Bill Bregar knows how criminals think and how to thwart their activity. That is why he recommends that his clients use Sensormatic tags and surveillance towers to prevent clothing theft. It stops thieves from taking your product while allowing stores the choice of how they want their customers to be able to shop.
     

I have no idea whether the woman in this case stole anything. I stopped watching when she left the merchandise in the bag exposed for anyone to see. What I do know is that there are more and more people bringing “shopping bags” bags into stores and putting merchandise in them. There are professional shoplifters who use foil lined bags to try to defeat retailers who put Sensormatic tags on clothing and set up EAS pedestals. Now these thieves can blend in more easily with regular shoppers. That is why it is more important than ever to put a Sensormatic system in your store. Sensormatic offers an AMS9060 controller for some of their compatible towers and this controller can be upgraded with a “Metal-Foil Detection plug- in card”. The card enables towers to detect foil lined bags if they are brought into a store. You can be confident that the shoppers with bags are real shoppers and not professional criminals.
     

Going green by allowing reusable shopping bags in stores is making clothing security and merchandise protection more difficult. It can lead to an increase in theft and shortage and that drains store profits. Find that perfect balance between being eco-friendly and remaining financially solvent. Use a Sensormatic security system and keep everyone happy. Oh and one final point, Sensormatic tags are reusable many times over and THAT is good for the environment!

 

Clothing Security is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.