Clothing security-3 WC Blog 579
Checkpoint Tags-3
Shrinking Clothing Shortage With Checkpoint Tags
Sometimes we need facts and statistics to help us understand why something needs to be treated with importance and clothing security is no different. If you are a retail owner selling any type of clothing lines you should find the following statistics from the 2017 National Retail Federation’s National Retail Security Survey interesting and disturbing:
• Inventory shrink for the apparel sector grew from 1.2% in 2016 to 1.36% in 2017 (pg.8)
• 15 of 26 apparel respondents to the survey said shrink had grown in their stores (pg.8)
• In apparel, both shoplifting (41%) and employee theft (35.5%) were higher than the overall average for retailers (pg. 8)
• In apparel only 4 of 22 respondents expect to have a higher LP budget in 2017 while 9 expect flat budgets and 2 expect lower budgets (pg. 9)
• Apparel had an average loss of $1,132 per dishonest employee (pg. 14)
• The average shoplifting incident in apparel was $974.37 (pg. 15)
• In apparel the average cost of return fraud was $968.81 (pg. 16)
Apparel retailers appear to be getting hammered from all sides when the numbers are examined. Inventory shrink is growing, shoplifting and employee theft are both increasing and it appears Loss Prevention budgets are staying flat or decreasing. The survey was taken using retail LP professionals, which means these were stores that are large enough to have an LP department of some type. Loss Prevention Systems Inc. founder and CEO Bill Bregar is concerned by theft in all retail locations but his company especially focuses on providing services to the small retail businesses. The national apparel chain stores are struggling with clothing security. How much more is the little guy which cannot afford a security staff? Bill suggests ALL retailers use Checkpoint tags on the clothes they sell, including the little guy.
Checkpoint tags and Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) pedestals are part of a larger system designed to discourage shoplifting and employee theft. The tags pin to the garment and can only be removed with a special detachment tool controlled by the store. Tags have integrated coils that continuously send out radio frequency (rf) waves. Merchandise that is tagged is picked up by the pedestals acting as rf receivers. Walk out with goods protected by a tag and the pedestal alarm blasts out an alert that can be heard throughout the largest stores. Shoplifters enter a store with a pedestal and they become much more cautious knowing they may set off an alarm if they steal. The thief looks at merchandise and sees everything has a Checkpoint tag and they usually make the choice to leave the store alone. For the foolhardy criminal who chooses to test the system, they set off the alarm when they walk up with tagged products. Often the result is dropped merchandise but when it isn’t, a quick response from trained employees is enough to conduct receipt checks and merchandise is retrieved. Though I have referenced shoplifters, employees who may consider stealing face the same obstacles if they make a decision to take something without paying. EAS makes no distinction between a crooked employee and a crooked customer.
So you may be wondering if a store that has an EAS system must also have security staff to answer alarms. The answer is no. I was a Loss Prevention Manager for a company that had numerous changes to our security teams. Sometimes I had a budget that allowed me ample people to staff the front of the store and to walk the floor seeking out shoplifters. At other times, I had little or no budget for a person to staff the front end. I always had to train store employees, usually cashiers and front-end supervisors to be prepared to respond to alarms. They were not apprehending anyone they were just trained to conduct thorough receipt and package checks. They resolved alarm activations caused by clothing security tags or other retail anti-theft devices. With training, employees who are not Loss Prevention Specialists are quite capable of handling an alarm and recovering unpaid merchandise. You don’t have to have an Loss Prevention staff to have an effective Checkpoint System.
Shoplifting and employee theft do not seem to be going away. Retail shrink, especially in the apparel sector continues to climb at a higher rate than that of other retail markets. If national chain stores continue to experience such losses then you can be sure your business will be impacted as well. Use Checkpoint tags on your clothing goods and add Checkpoint towers at your entry and exit doors and you will dramatically reduce theft in your store. The result will be declining shortage and that means more profit for your business.
Clothing security is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Sometimes we need facts and statistics to help us understand why something needs to be treated with importance and clothing security is no different. If you are a retail owner selling any type of clothing lines you should find the following statistics from the 2017 National Retail Federation’s National Retail Security Survey interesting and disturbing:
• Inventory shrink for the apparel sector grew from 1.2% in 2016 to 1.36% in 2017 (pg.8)
• 15 of 26 apparel respondents to the survey said shrink had grown in their stores (pg.8)
• In apparel, both shoplifting (41%) and employee theft (35.5%) were higher than the overall average for retailers (pg. 8)
• In apparel only 4 of 22 respondents expect to have a higher LP budget in 2017 while 9 expect flat budgets and 2 expect lower budgets (pg. 9)
• Apparel had an average loss of $1,132 per dishonest employee (pg. 14)
• The average shoplifting incident in apparel was $974.37 (pg. 15)
• In apparel the average cost of return fraud was $968.81 (pg. 16)
Apparel retailers appear to be getting hammered from all sides when the numbers are examined. Inventory shrink is growing, shoplifting and employee theft are both increasing and it appears Loss Prevention budgets are staying flat or decreasing. The survey was taken using retail LP professionals, which means these were stores that are large enough to have an LP department of some type. Loss Prevention Systems Inc. founder and CEO Bill Bregar is concerned by theft in all retail locations but his company especially focuses on providing services to the small retail businesses. The national apparel chain stores are struggling with clothing security. How much more is the little guy which cannot afford a security staff? Bill suggests ALL retailers use clothing tags on the clothes they sell, including the little guy.
Clothing tags and Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) pedestals are part of a larger system designed to discourage shoplifting and employee theft. The tags pin to the garment and can only be removed with a special detachment tool controlled by the store. Tags have integrated coils that continuously send out radio frequency (rf) waves. Merchandise that is tagged is picked up by the pedestals acting as rf receivers. Walk out with goods protected by a tag and the pedestal alarm blasts out an alert that can be heard throughout the largest stores. Shoplifters enter a store with a pedestal and they become much more cautious knowing they may set off an alarm if they steal. The thief looks at merchandise and sees everything has a hard tag and they usually make the choice to leave the store alone. For the foolhardy criminal who chooses to test the system, they set off the alarm when they walk up with tagged products. Often the result is dropped merchandise but when it isn’t, a quick response from trained employees is enough to conduct receipt checks and merchandise is retrieved. Though I have referenced shoplifters, employees who may consider stealing face the same obstacles if they make a decision to take something without paying. EAS makes no distinction between a crooked employee and a crooked customer.
So you may be wondering if a store that has an EAS system must also have security staff to answer alarms. The answer is no. I was a Loss Prevention Manager for a company that had numerous changes to our security teams. Sometimes I had a budget that allowed me ample people to staff the front of the store and to walk the floor seeking out shoplifters. At other times, I had little or no budget for a person to staff the front end. I always had to train store employees, usually cashiers and front-end supervisors to be prepared to respond to alarms. They were not apprehending anyone they were just trained to conduct thorough receipt and package checks. They resolved alarm activations caused by clothing security tags or other retail anti-theft devices. With training, employees who are not Loss Prevention Specialists are quite capable of handling an alarm and recovering unpaid merchandise. You don’t have to have an Loss Prevention staff to have an effective EAS System.
Shoplifting and employee theft do not seem to be going away. Retail shrink, especially in the apparel sector continues to climb at a higher rate than that of other retail markets. If national chain stores continue to experience such losses then you can be sure your business will be impacted as well. Use clothing tags on your clothing goods and add EAS towers at your entry and exit doors and you will dramatically reduce theft in your store. The result will be declining shortage and that means more profit for your business.
Clothing security is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Clothing Security-4 WC Blog 565
Clothing security tags-5
Clothing Security Is Affordable And Will Add Profit To Your Bottom Line
I want to address the problem of clothing security, how big an issue it is and how stores can prevent shoplifting. This issue is important to me because I have spent almost 28 years in the retail industry and about 19 of those years were in Retail Loss Prevention. I saw the problems shoplifting caused in a big box retail store and know that the issue is amplified for smaller retailers. While a 1% inventory shrinkage is a drain on stores that may do 30 or 40 million in sales a year, that same 1% is shortage for a store that does a million in sales is $10,000. That may not even sound like a lot until you consider that the profit margin of a specialty clothing retailer ranges from 4% to 13% with average net margins at just below 8% according to quora.com in an article titled, “What is the average profit margin earned by apparel retailers (brick and mortar and e-commerce/online retailers) and/or distributors?” As a source of information they referenced an article from Forbes in 2017. That means the average profit margin dollars for a clothing retailer with sales of a million dollars a year would be $80,000. This may not sound too bad to some people. But consider this, according to score.org, citing a Gallup poll it was found that 39% of business owners said they work over 60 hours a week. My admiration for the risk-takers who are investing time, money and sweat in their small businesses is tremendous. I detest those criminals who steal, whether it is a spontaneous decision, a theft for a perceived need or an organized theft ring. I am not the only one who gets his hackles up over shoplifting. The CEO and founder of Loss Prevention Systems Inc., Bill Bregar does as well. He has developed his company to assist stores in preventing shortage due to theft and fraud encouraging the use of anti-theft devices such as clothing security tags.
You may be one of those small business owners who is thinking to yourself that you could use some help in reducing your losses and adding money back to your bottom line. The problem you have is that you have no idea how clothing security tags work or even where to begin to start to address the issues. Not to worry, I am going to give you the information you need to get a better handle on what anti-theft systems and devices are. When I am discussing retail anti-theft systems for clothing security (as well as other merchandise) I am talking about an electronic article surveillance (EAS) system. The system operates using radio frequency (rf) waves transmitted by clothing security tags and received by EAS Pedestals. The tags are pinned to clothing and are built so that they are nearly indestructible and cannot be removed without the use of a special detachment key. If a shoplifter walks into the area of a pedestal (located near the doors of a store) the pedestal picks up the rf signal from the tag and blasts out a loud screeching alarm and flashes built in lights. Store employees approach the customer who activated the alarm and complete receipt checks and recover unpaid merchandise from the offender. The wonderful thing about clothing security tags and EAS pedestals is that just the presence of them in a store deters most shoplifters. Criminals do not tend to want to attract attention so they go to places where they are less likely to do something to get noticed like activate alarms.
At this point I have your interest but I know what you are thinking, “There is NO WAY you could afford a retail anti-theft system even if I knew it would reduce my inventory shrink”. “Remember that $80,000 a year profit margin you mentioned?” That would be a good argument except Bill Bregar took that into consideration knowing the struggles small and medium business owners face. Visit the Loss Prevention Systems Inc. website and checkout the free Loss Prevention ROI Calculator he has available so store owners can see that not only can they afford a Checkpoint Security System the system actually pays for itself over time.
I have been in retail a long time and I have first-hand experience watching shoplifters struggle to try to defeat clothing security in stores. I have seen the frustration when a tag could not be forced off of a pair of jeans. I have seen the shock on the face of a woman who stuffed a box full of clothes protected with clothing security tags and the pedestal alarmed when she tried to walk out of the store.
Retail anti-theft devices work. There is no getting around it. If you want to run a more profitable store let Loss Prevention Systems Inc. help you get started with a clothing security strategy that works.
Clothing Security is importing and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
I want to address the problem of clothing security, how big an issue it is and how stores can prevent shoplifting. This issue is important to me because I have spent almost 28 years in the retail industry and about 19 of those years were in Retail Loss Prevention. I saw the problems shoplifting caused in a big box retail store and know that the issue is amplified for smaller retailers. While a 1% inventory shrinkage is a drain on stores that may do 30 or 40 million in sales a year, that same 1% is shortage for a store that does a million in sales is $10,000. That may not even sound like a lot until you consider that the profit margin of a specialty clothing retailer ranges from 4% to 13% with average net margins at just below 8% according to quora.com in an article titled, “What is the average profit margin earned by apparel retailers (brick and mortar and e-commerce/online retailers) and/or distributors?” As a source of information they referenced an article from Forbes in 2017. That means the average profit margin dollars for a clothing retailer with sales of a million dollars a year would be $80,000. This may not sound too bad to some people. But consider this, according to score.org, citing a Gallup poll it was found that 39% of business owners said they work over 60 hours a week. My admiration for the risk-takers who are investing time, money and sweat in their small businesses is tremendous. I detest those criminals who steal, whether it is a spontaneous decision, a theft for a perceived need or an organized theft ring. I am not the only one who gets his hackles up over shoplifting. The CEO and founder of Loss Prevention Systems Inc., Bill Bregar does as well. He has developed his company to assist stores in preventing shortage due to theft and fraud encouraging the use of anti-theft devices such as clothing security tags.
You may be one of those small business owners who is thinking to yourself that you could use some help in reducing your losses and adding money back to your bottom line. The problem you have is that you have no idea how clothing security tags work or even where to begin to start to address the issues. Not to worry, I am going to give you the information you need to get a better handle on what anti-theft systems and devices are. When I am discussing retail anti-theft systems for clothing security (as well as other merchandise) I am talking about an electronic article surveillance (EAS) system. The system operates using radio frequency (rf) waves transmitted by clothing security tags and received by EAS Pedestals. The tags are pinned to clothing and are built so that they are nearly indestructible and cannot be removed without the use of a special detachment key. If a shoplifter walks into the area of a pedestal (located near the doors of a store) the pedestal picks up the rf signal from the tag and blasts out a loud screeching alarm and flashes built in lights. Store employees approach the customer who activated the alarm and complete receipt checks and recover unpaid merchandise from the offender. The wonderful thing about clothing security tags and EAS pedestals is that just the presence of them in a store deters most shoplifters. Criminals do not tend to want to attract attention so they go to places where they are less likely to do something to get noticed like activate alarms.
At this point I have your interest but I know what you are thinking, “There is NO WAY you could afford a retail anti-theft system even if I knew it would reduce my inventory shrink”. “Remember that $80,000 a year profit margin you mentioned?” That would be a good argument except Bill Bregar took that into consideration knowing the struggles small and medium business owners face. Visit the Loss Prevention Systems Inc. website and checkout the free Loss Prevention ROI Calculator he has available so store owners can see that not only can they afford an electronic article surveillance system the system actually pays for itself over time.
I have been in retail a long time and I have first-hand experience watching shoplifters struggle to try to defeat clothing security in stores. I have seen the frustration when a tag could not be forced off of a pair of jeans. I have seen the shock on the face of a woman who stuffed a box full of clothes protected with clothing security tags and the pedestal alarmed when she tried to walk out of the store.
Retail anti-theft devices work. There is no getting around it. If you want to run a more profitable store let Loss Prevention Systems Inc. help you get started with a clothing security strategy that works.
Clothing Security is importing and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
The store I work for is preparing for inventory and that preparation has made me think about electronic article surveillance and other things that make a difference in store shortage results. As a Loss Prevention Manager with 13 years of experience and an additional 5+ years of Retail Loss Prevention Associate experience I have a number of pointers I would like to share. My tips are just those, tips and suggestions but they served me well in my work in big box retail stores so they can help you too. What are some of the issues that can have a negative effect on a store inventory and what are the solutions?
Problem: The biggest obstacle to ensuring you have great inventory results is a failure to use clothing security tags and electronic article surveillance towers in your store. Without merchandise protection shoplifters and dishonest employees are free to steal and there is no way to recover these losses.
Solution: Install electronic article surveillance towers at your points of entry and exit. Also, use clothing security tags on all of the merchandise your store sells.
You may be wondering what good this will do in preparation for this year’s inventory if it isn’t going to have an immediate impact. I will discuss that after I clarify what hard tags are and how they work.
Clothing security tags are retail anti-theft devices that are attached to merchandise and will activate alarms in electronic article surveillance towers. Tags can be hard tags that pin to merchandise and require a specially designed detachment tool to remove them. They also come in a soft label version that is peeled from a roll and adheres to product packaging or manufacturer tags. This type of tag cannot be removed but has to be deactivated at the point of sale where the pads are usually located. Both styles of tags provide a visible deterrent to shoplifters who might try to steal the products. As mentioned the tags also set off alarm towers when the protected merchandise is carried into the detection area of the towers. Alarms elicit employee response and merchandise is recovered from the bad guys. I should also note that they aid in preventing accidental loss when a cashier misses Bottom of Buggy items that are tagged.
What other obstacles can impede great store inventories? Other things I have encountered over the years include:
Problem: Insufficient store preparation. Failing to look through all the places merchandise can fall or become hidden.
Solution: Take the time to look under fixtures and on top of display cases for merchandise that may have fallen or been placed there by a customer. Also do a thorough inspection of stockroom areas for possible stray items. Cash register stands are notorious for small items dropping into nooks and crannies. I have found merchandise tossed on top of sunglass fixtures and inside of trash cans we sold. I have also found stashed goods in drink coolers and desk drawers. Rule of thumb, if it opens look inside of it.
Problem: If you have merchandise on peg hooks and items get mixed up you could wind up with incorrect inventory counts. For example a peg hook may have a certain type of pen on it. If the first pen pack is not the same as the others and the inventory crew scans it and only counts the pieces behind it for a total quantity it will throw off inventory numbers.
Solutions: Have someone go through a few days before inventory and inspect all of the peg hooks. If you have too many pegged items, split the job up but get it done. Even if the packages are the same prices the store inventory counts will be off.
Problem: Theft on inventory night by inventory or store personnel.
Solutions: Be sure all items have clothing security tags on all merchandise and have someone monitoring the electronic article surveillance towers. Should an inventory team member or a store employee attempt to steal, you will have a chance to recover it at the towers.
Problem: Counters who are inaccurate.
Solutions: Be sure to have random audits of all areas. I suggest focusing on last year high shrink departments and high dollar departments such as jewelry.
While all the problems you could come across can’t be listed this is a good starting point. Loss Prevention Systems Inc. is also a great resource for information and technology to help you prevent theft and fraud in the future. They can help you improve your shortage results and make your store more profitable.
Need information on clothing security tags? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Clothing security tags-4 WC Blog 545
Checkpoint Tags-4
Checkpoint Tags Improve Shortage and SAFETY
I’m frustrated and angry as I read a story of a shoplifting incident that resulted in the death of an innocent bystander. The loss of life and the whole incident could possibly have been avoided if clothing security tags had been in use by the store where the shoplifting took place.
http://www.newson6.com/story/37377335/senseless-act-led-to-death-of-bystander-tahlequah-police-chief-says
According to the report the alleged shoplifter was attempting to steal clothing. The report indicated the suspect was seen in camera footage filling his shopping cart with clothes. “Next he’s seen walking out the door with what police said is a bag of stolen items.” The suspect is accused of fleeing from police in a pick-up truck. While attempting to elude police the suspect ran into another vehicle and the driver of that car was killed. I am angry that the shoplifter tried to commit a crime and then placed others in jeopardy in his effort to escape. I am angry that there are those who would use this incident to justify the position that stores should just allow criminals (and that’s what they are…shoplifting is a crime) to leave. They argue that confronting a shoplifter poses a danger to store personnel and customers. I am also concerned about the apparent lack of security tags on clothes. The retailer is a well-known chain and I have shopped in their stores. I do not recall seeing any Checkpoint tags used on clothing in their locations. While tags are not a guarantee to stop shoplifting they do provide a strong deterrence to the crime.
Clothing security tags are devices that are equipped with electronic article surveillance (EAS) technology that works in unison with Checkpoint pedestals. The EAS tech in the tags sends off a radio frequency wave that is received by a pedestal when it is carried into the detection field of the pedestal. When the pedestal picks up the signal of the tag alarms are set off creating a very loud beeping noise. Store personnel respond to these alarms and verify customer receipts against the merchandise they are taking out of the store. When done appropriately these receipt checks result in a “shopper” returning the merchandise or purchasing it. The beauty of Checkpoint tags is that they prevent shoplifting and attempts at shoplifting just by being attached to clothes. Shoplifters are not in the habit of wanting to advertise to store employees what they are doing. They want to get in, steal and get out. They know what the tags are and they generally steer clear of merchandise that is protected.
I am aware that some readers are going to think that I am saying clothing security tags would have saved the victim’s life in this case. I am not going to go that far. There were a number of factors that came into play and I am not aware of them all. For example, I read that the subject had a track record of fleeing from police in prior incidents. One report alleged the suspect would see a police car and speed away without any indications the officer even noticed him. I also have no idea if he was approached at the doors of the store or if he was approached, what that interaction looked like. I have had shoplifters run from me for absolutely no reason at all except that they thought they were being followed. No, this unfortunate tragedy may have happened with or without the use of Checkpoint tags but I believe that the use of tags MAY have deterred the suspect and sent him elsewhere or changed his decision to try to steal.
Bill Bregar and his team at Loss Prevention Systems Inc. know that there are dangers associated with shoplifting and want to eliminate that risk. This is why they trust Checkpoint tags and pedestals when recommending safety and security strategies to retail owners. Checkpoint’s equipment has a proven track record of success in shortage reduction and a natural consequence is improved safety for the store.
There is nothing funny or cute about shoplifting. There are financial costs associated with the crime that impact the store owner and their legitimate customers. There can also be tragic consequences as seen in the referenced case. Use clothing security tags on your merchandise and reduce the chances that your employees or innocent bystanders will be injured or harmed due to criminal shoplifters.
Get more information on Checkpoint tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
I’m frustrated and angry as I read a story of a shoplifting incident that resulted in the death of an innocent bystander. The loss of life and the whole incident could possibly have been avoided if clothing security tags had been in use by the store where the shoplifting took place.
http://www.newson6.com/story/37377335/senseless-act-led-to-death-of-bystander-tahlequah-police-chief-says
According to the report the alleged shoplifter was attempting to steal clothing. The report indicated the suspect was seen in camera footage filling his shopping cart with clothes. “Next he’s seen walking out the door with what police said is a bag of stolen items.” The suspect is accused of fleeing from police in a pick-up truck. While attempting to elude police the suspect ran into another vehicle and the driver of that car was killed. I am angry that the shoplifter tried to commit a crime and then placed others in jeopardy in his effort to escape. I am angry that there are those who would use this incident to justify the position that stores should just allow criminals (and that’s what they are…shoplifting is a crime) to leave. They argue that confronting a shoplifter poses a danger to store personnel and customers. I am also concerned about the apparent lack of security tags on clothes. The retailer is a well-known chain and I have shopped in their stores. I do not recall seeing any hard tags used on clothing in their locations. While tags are not a guarantee to stop shoplifting they do provide a strong deterrence to the crime.
Clothing security tags are devices that are equipped with electronic article surveillance (EAS) technology that works in unison with EAS pedestals. The EAS tech in the tags sends off a radio frequency wave that is received by a pedestal when it is carried into the detection field of the pedestal. When the pedestal picks up the signal of the tag, alarms are set off creating a very loud beeping noise. Store personnel respond to these alarms and verify customer receipts against the merchandise they are taking out of the store. When done appropriately these receipt checks result in a “shopper” returning the merchandise or purchasing it. The beauty of hard tags is that they prevent shoplifting and attempts at shoplifting just by being attached to clothes. Shoplifters are not in the habit of wanting to advertise to store employees what they are doing. They want to get in, steal and get out. They know what the tags are and they generally steer clear of merchandise that is protected.
I am aware that some readers are going to think that I am saying clothing security tags would have saved the victim’s life in this case. I am not going to go that far. There were a number of factors that came into play and I am not aware of them all. For example, I read that the subject had a track record of fleeing from police in prior incidents. One report alleged the suspect would see a police car and speed away without any indications the officer even noticed him. I also have no idea if he was approached at the doors of the store or if he was approached, what that interaction looked like. I have had shoplifters run from me for absolutely no reason at all except that they thought they were being followed. No, this unfortunate tragedy may have happened with or without the use of hard tags but I believe that the use of tags MAY have deterred the suspect and sent him elsewhere or changed his decision to try to steal.
Bill Bregar and his team at Loss Prevention Systems Inc. know that there are dangers associated with shoplifting and want to eliminate that risk. This is why they trust hard tags and pedestals when recommending safety and security strategies to retail owners.
There is nothing funny or cute about shoplifting. There are financial costs associated with the crime that impact the store owner and their legitimate customers. There can also be tragic consequences as seen in the referenced case. Use clothing security tags on your merchandise and reduce the chances that your employees or innocent bystanders will be injured or harmed due to criminal shoplifters.
Get more information on hard tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Clothing Security -5 WC blog 485
Checkpoint Tags-4
Using Checkpoint Tags Can Reduce The Threat From ORC Groups
Clothing security should always be a concern for retailers who sell this type of merchandise. But having recently read an article in a trade publication about the rise of Organized Retail Crime (ORC) I am concerned that theft is not as much of a focus as it should be. In a recent article in LPM Insider titled “2017 Survey Reveals Organized Retail Crime’s Top Stolen Items”, by Jac Brittain, LPC, November 20, 2017, the author points out three disturbing facts. First, “According to the 2017 study, organized retail crime is again on the rise.” Second, “Resources (to fight ORC) are down as other areas of the business are demanding greater attention by retail executives.” And third, three of the top stolen products according to the survey are designer clothing, jeans and purses out of eleven named products types. http://losspreventionmedia.com/insider/shoplifting-organized-retail-crime/2017-survey-reveals-organized-retail-crimes-top-stolen-items/ I am left to wonder if the resources used to fight Organized Retail Theft are limited to a reduction in personnel or if it includes the use of Checkpoint tags. One clarification I want to make for readers who do not know what ORC Groups are. Organized Retail Crime groups are comprised of professional thieves who use a structured team to steal from retailers and they then resell those products. These organizations may even open legitimate looking stores as a front for moving stolen products.
If the reduction of resources includes Checkpoint Tags I am then forced to ask the question, “Why?” When it comes to clothing security these simple tags make a world of difference. They are large enough to be easily seen by criminals who know what they are and what they do. Shoplifters who choose to take a stab at trying to remove a tag forcefully usually rip and tear merchandise and render it useless. Then there are the thieves who are willing to try to steal and sneak tagged merchandise past electronic article surveillance pedestals. This leads to the pedestals alarms and lights sounding and flashing which, in turn, results in employees answering the alarm and getting the merchandise back. Occasionally the recovery is from a receipt check and other times it is due to the thief being scared and dropping the items in an effort to avoid prosecution or capture. All of this is in addition to the fact that the tags are reusable. Unlike a throw away device the Checkpoint tags are designed to be used over and over again with the same outstanding performance. There is no reason to reduce the use of this clothing security device since there is rarely a need for adding too many at one time to your inventory. That is unless you are adding more products to your sales floor because you are increasing your sales.
Back to the first concern the author raised, that Organized Retail Crime is on the rise again, I am not sure what is driving this. Is it a matter of criminals realizing that resources are not being dedicated to clothing security or retail loss prevention? Do they understand that many brick and mortar retail establishments are struggling to keep their doors open and trying to allocate the resources and time to do that? I am not advocating unlimited resources to stop theft that would be unrealistic. I recognize that sometimes there has to be some assessment of the business to ensure fiscal stability. What I DO think can happen is a strategic allocation of people based on the use of door counting systems and the tagging of all merchandise to deter theft. Rather than reducing the number of sku’s being tagged to prevent theft I say tag more.
The next two points in the article was the breakdown of what is primarily chosen by ORC groups and that included three clothing categories. ORC groups are targeting clothing and if the resource being reduced includes clothing security tags I don’t understand the reasoning. Tagging products is proven to reduce theft. Stores only need to maintain their Checkpoint electronic article surveillance tower and devote some payroll to keep products tagged. The return on investment is the increase in sales due to having merchandise in stock. It is also the savings the store has in the merchandise that stays in the store and doesn’t get stolen. How much focus on other operational issues do stores need to improve sales when the ability to save money is right under their noses?
A rise in ORC doesn’t have to scare you. Use Checkpoint tags on ALL of the clothes and clothing accessories you sell in the store. Tagging products and ensuring proper staffing to tag, provide customer service and respond to electronic article surveillance alarms will drive up sales.
For more information about Checkpoint tags contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
Clothing security should always be a concern for retailers who sell this type of merchandise. But having recently read an article in a trade publication about the rise of Organized Retail Crime (ORC) I am concerned that theft is not as much of a focus as it should be. In a recent article in LPM Insider titled “2017 Survey Reveals Organized Retail Crime’s Top Stolen Items”, by Jac Brittain, LPC, November 20, 2017, the author points out three disturbing facts. First, “According to the 2017 study, organized retail crime is again on the rise.” Second, “Resources (to fight ORC) are down as other areas of the business are demanding greater attention by retail executives.” And third, three of the top stolen products according to the survey are designer clothing, jeans and purses out of eleven named products types. http://losspreventionmedia.com/insider/shoplifting-organized-retail-crime/2017-survey-reveals-organized-retail-crimes-top-stolen-items/ I am left to wonder if the resources used to fight Organized Retail Theft are limited to a reduction in personnel or if it includes the use of Checkpoint tags. One clarification I want to make for readers who do not know what ORC Groups are. Organized Retail Crime groups are comprised of professional thieves who use a structured team to steal from retailers and they then resell those products. These organizations may even open legitimate looking stores as a front for moving stolen products.
If the reduction of resources includes Checkpoint Tags I am then forced to ask the question, “Why?” When it comes to clothing security these simple tags make a world of difference. They are large enough to be easily seen by criminals who know what they are and what they do. Shoplifters who choose to take a stab at trying to remove a tag forcefully usually rip and tear merchandise and render it useless. Then there are the thieves who are willing to try to steal and sneak tagged merchandise past electronic article surveillance pedestals. This leads to the pedestals alarms and lights sounding and flashing which, in turn, results in employees answering the alarm and getting the merchandise back. Occasionally the recovery is from a receipt check and other times it is due to the thief being scared and dropping the items in an effort to avoid prosecution or capture. All of this is in addition to the fact that the tags are reusable. Unlike a throw away device the Checkpoint tags are designed to be used over and over again with the same outstanding performance. There is no reason to reduce the use of this clothing security device since there is rarely a need for adding too many at one time to your inventory. That is unless you are adding more products to your sales floor because you are increasing your sales.
Back to the first concern the author raised, that Organized Retail Crime is on the rise again, I am not sure what is driving this. Is it a matter of criminals realizing that resources are not being dedicated to clothing security or retail loss prevention? Do they understand that many brick and mortar retail establishments are struggling to keep their doors open and trying to allocate the resources and time to do that? I am not advocating unlimited resources to stop theft that would be unrealistic. I recognize that sometimes there has to be some assessment of the business to ensure fiscal stability. What I DO think can happen is a strategic allocation of people based on the use of door counting systems and the tagging of all merchandise to deter theft. Rather than reducing the number of sku’s being tagged to prevent theft I say tag more.
The next two points in the article was the breakdown of what is primarily chosen by ORC groups and that included three clothing categories. ORC groups are targeting clothing and if the resource being reduced includes clothing security tags I don’t understand the reasoning. Tagging products is proven to reduce theft. Stores only need to maintain their Checkpoint electronic article surveillance tower and devote some payroll to keep products tagged. The return on investment is the increase in sales due to having merchandise in stock. It is also the savings the store has in the merchandise that stays in the store and doesn’t get stolen. How much focus on other operational issues do stores need to improve sales when the ability to save money is right under their noses?
A rise in ORC doesn’t have to scare you. Use Checkpoint tags on ALL of the clothes and clothing accessories you sell in the store. Tagging products and ensuring proper staffing to tag, provide customer service and respond to electronic article surveillance alarms will drive up sales.
For more information about Checkpoint tags contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
