I was browsing an online auction site and found several items that I purchased. During my search I was finding a lot of video game units and video game system software. While most of the prices of the games appeared reasonable for how new they were and how recent the release of those games were there were some that caught my attention. It seemed to me the prices were low considering the item being offered by the buyer. My experiences as a retail Loss prevention Manager started to make me question those prices. Something just didn’t appear legitimate about those items. If I had purchased them would I sell them at such a discounted rate? I am reasonably certain there are stores I could take them to and get more money for my game. My inclination tells me that there are some stolen games being sold on these sites. I can remember numerous cases I had involving the theft of video games and I knew some were being pawned and some were suspected of going to flea markets. Some games were being traded for drugs and others were being sold to video game stores or mom and pop shops. Most of the theft involved shoplifters but I did apprehend a dishonest employee every now and then who was also stealing from the store. I had several options for trying to prevent shoplifting and pilferage but at the time Alpha Keepers were not one of my choices. Had they been we would have prevented even more video game theft than we already were.
Alpha Keepers are a line of retail anti-theft devices that provide showcase quality security with the added benefit of a tamper alarm. They eliminate the necessity of having an employee with a key readily available to open it at any moment of the day. Keepers are boxes made of a clear, solid material that allow your patrons to pick up and carry merchandise through the store as they continue to shop. Since they are clear your customers will be able to look at the product packaging and read the information on the labels without waiting for someone to open a showcase and babysit while the customer looks over the item. Keepers have a locking hinged door that can only be opened by a cashier at a register. Any effort by a would-be thief to try to get to the merchandise and steal it results in a tamper alarm. The alarm is a shrill, obnoxious screech (for lack of a better description) that can be heard throughout a store. The sound draws employees over and they provide extreme customer service in order to recover merchandise.
There was a shoplifting case I had that was hurting my shortage in the electronics department. The store had $29.99 games and under on open shelf display. We had a problem with criminals removing the cellophane on the games and removing the discs from the plastic case. The cases were left on the shelf making it more difficult to see where concealment was taking place since the suspects were not walking around the store. After a number of situations where we would see members of the group in the store and being unable to see the theft take place I decided to try to deter them. I walked up on one suspect who started digging through the game packages. When I found one that was empty the suspect got nervous and started to walk away. Eventually he walked behind a fixture of jackets and came out. I went behind him and checked the pockets of the jackets and found several discs in one of them. I knew I could not stop him but I also knew he was aware that we knew who he was. I did not have a problem from this group again. The thing about this story is, if we had Alpha Keepers at that time there wouldn’t have been a problem removing the games from a locking showcase and putting them on open shelves. Keepers would have allowed us to still prevent shoplifting and provided easy access to the majority of the customers in the store who were honest. In fact Keepers not only prevent shoplifting they encourage sales since customers no longer have to wait for assistance.
There can be no argument, access to merchandise drives sales. Retail anti-theft devices deter and prevent shoplifting. Combine the two and the sky is the limit on how profitable a store can be. Start reaching for the sky today.
Alpha Keepers are important and we can help you with them. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Manager Training To Stop Employee Theft-4 WC Blog 520
Stop Shoplifting-5
Manager Training To Stop Employee Theft Is More Than A Crash Course From LPSI
I work in a college library and not long ago one of our student workers left a locked book drop open and it made me think about manager training to stop employee theft. What is the correlation you may be asking? I come from a Retail Loss Prevention background and still work in a retail store on a part-time basis. I know the necessity of keeping buildings and property secure and it requires training to get others to understand it as well. When they don’t have a good grasp of it or training isn’t reinforced mistakes are made and eventually it leads to a theft problem especially in the world of retail. Is a book drop left unlocked a big deal? Not when it is empty but when someone disputes a replacement charge for a book they say they returned in an outside book deposit and we know we have had security lapses we don’t have a leg to stand on. In fairness to the customer we would have to err on the side of the customer and give the benefit of the doubt that the book may have been returned and one of our students left the drop opened after checking it. That security lapse can be costly. The same can be true in retail. Procedures may be in place to protect merchandise and prevent shoplifting or employee theft but if managers are not properly trained or receive refresher training it can cost money. This is where Loss Prevention Systems Inc. can help retail businesses improve profits through manager training to stop employee theft and to stop shoplifting.
Training comes in different forms. It may be from reading a book or manual and it may be self-taught training through trial and error. C.E.O. and founder of Loss Prevention Systems Inc., Bill Bregar wants store owners and managers to know that the best training comes from experts in a field. You may be able to learn about employee theft and how to stop shoplifting to a certain extent from trial and error but what will it cost you in monetary terms? Will your lessons learned be adequate to help identify the signs that an employee may steal or has started stealing? Is shoplifting an amateurish prank or can it be an organized group working together to clean out stores? Who is responsible for tossing out the store trash at the end of the day and is this an opportunity an employee is using to steal from your store? LPSI offers manager training to stop employee theft and training to stop shoplifting. Live seminars and online training opportunities are administered by a professional with extensive experience in the retail business. There is nothing that can substitute for the training provided by those who have caught, interviewed and investigated dishonest employees and shoplifters.
I know there is someone reading this and saying, “Wait a minute, I read a drivers manual and got my driver’s license! I can surely stop shoplifting in my store the same way.” Hmmm, you didn’t get a driver’s license simply from reading a manual. You obtained the book knowledge required to receive a permit but you didn’t just hop into a car and start driving on your own. You had someone by your side who showed you the basics. They showed the proper way to start the vehicle, accelerate and brake. Some people learn faster than others and catch on to how to drive but it is a progressive experience. Loss Prevention is sort of like driving. You can read articles, newsletters and information but it will only get you so far. The LPSI team are the equivalent of the driving instructor who will guide and train you from the experiences they gained in the field. In the process they will get you to the point where you can safely operate on your own. As a business owner this means you will be able to operate your store share your knowledge with your employees.
Your store is much more important than a library book drop. The merchandise you carry, the cash in the registers, the team that works for you all are much more valuable than a few books. Lose that money, merchandise or property or put employees at risk by hiring the wrong people and it can put you out of business. Find out just how much of an impact manager training to stop employee theft and to stop shoplifting can have for your business.
Need information on manager training to stop employee theft? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
I work in a college library and not long ago one of our student workers left a locked book drop open and it made me think about manager training to stop employee theft. What is the correlation you may be asking? I come from a Retail Loss Prevention background and still work in a retail store on a part-time basis. I know the necessity of keeping buildings and property secure and it requires training to get others to understand it as well. When they don’t have a good grasp of it or training isn’t reinforced mistakes are made and eventually it leads to a theft problem especially in the world of retail. Is a book drop left unlocked a big deal? Not when it is empty but when someone disputes a replacement charge for a book they say they returned in an outside book deposit and we know we have had security lapses we don’t have a leg to stand on. In fairness to the customer we would have to err on the side of the customer and give the benefit of the doubt that the book may have been returned and one of our students left the drop opened after checking it. That security lapse can be costly. The same can be true in retail. Procedures may be in place to protect merchandise and prevent shoplifting or employee theft but if managers are not properly trained or receive refresher training it can cost money. This is where Loss Prevention Systems Inc. can help retail businesses improve profits through manager training to stop employee theft and to stop shoplifting.
Training comes in different forms. It may be from reading a book or manual and it may be self-taught training through trial and error. C.E.O. and founder of Loss Prevention Systems Inc., Bill Bregar wants store owners and managers to know that the best training comes from experts in a field. You may be able to learn about employee theft and how to stop shoplifting to a certain extent from trial and error but what will it cost you in monetary terms? Will your lessons learned be adequate to help identify the signs that an employee may steal or has started stealing? Is shoplifting an amateurish prank or can it be an organized group working together to clean out stores? Who is responsible for tossing out the store trash at the end of the day and is this an opportunity an employee is using to steal from your store? LPSI offers manager training to stop employee theft and training to stop shoplifting. Live seminars and online training opportunities are administered by a professional with extensive experience in the retail business. There is nothing that can substitute for the training provided by those who have caught, interviewed and investigated dishonest employees and shoplifters.
I know there is someone reading this and saying, “Wait a minute, I read a drivers manual and got my driver’s license! I can surely stop shoplifting in my store the same way.” Hmmm, you didn’t get a driver’s license simply from reading a manual. You obtained the book knowledge required to receive a permit but you didn’t just hop into a car and start driving on your own. You had someone by your side who showed you the basics. They showed the proper way to start the vehicle, accelerate and brake. Some people learn faster than others and catch on to how to drive but it is a progressive experience. Loss Prevention is sort of like driving. You can read articles, newsletters and information but it will only get you so far. The LPSI team are the equivalent of the driving instructor who will guide and train you from the experiences they gained in the field. In the process they will get you to the point where you can safely operate on your own. As a business owner this means you will be able to operate your store share your knowledge with your employees.
Your store is much more important than a library book drop. The merchandise you carry, the cash in the registers, the team that works for you all are much more valuable than a few books. Lose that money, merchandise or property or put employees at risk by hiring the wrong people and it can put you out of business. Find out just how much of an impact manager training to stop employee theft and to stop shoplifting can have for your business.
Need information on manager training to stop employee theft? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Clothing security- 4 WC Blog 524
Checkpoint tags-5
Checkpoint Tags Help Offset Tight Employee Budgets
Clothing security can be difficult for small and medium size retailers that have limited resources. As a Retail Loss prevention Manager I had to deal with shoplifters and employees who have stolen clothes so I have seen the various methods employed by criminals. One of the favorite forms of theft for shoplifters and I include employees in this, is the use of fitting rooms and restrooms to commit their crimes. Rather than trying to hide merchandise in a purse, shopping bag or under their clothing and risk being observed by store cameras or plain clothes security they go where they know that cameras are not permitted. Thieves know that most stores restrict Loss Prevention personnel from making what are known as “fitting room” stops and the same applies to restrooms. In order to prevent shoplifting many of the large retailers will spend payroll on a fitting room attendant. This person’s job is supposed to be taking all merchandise from a customer, separating the items, inspecting to be sure nothing is in between items and there are not multiple items on a single hanger. It may not be feasible for smaller stores to spend scarce payroll dollars on a fitting room attendant. This is where clothing security can be enhanced in the form of Checkpoint tags available from Loss Prevention Systems Inc.
Checkpoint tags for clothing are available in a sturdy design that is built to prevent shoplifters from defeating them. Tugged, pulled, pried or beaten on these tags will hold up to the most severe punishment. Of course it should be pointed out that in my encounters with anyone trying to pull a tag off of clothing they are usually putting so much effort into it they become obvious. Those shoplifters that choose to try to conceal tagged clothing and attempt to get out of a store will set off an electronic article surveillance (EAS) alarm pedestal. The alarms and lights of the pedestals are so bright and noisy that employees respond and recover merchandise through a check of the culprit’s receipt. An employee well trained on appropriate EAS alarm response knows how to keep encounters calm and recover merchandise without a nasty confrontation.
The question arises, “Why can’t I just look in a fitting room and if there are empty hangers then I can simply stop the suspect?” You can never be absolutely sure that a hanger is an indicator of theft. Some people try on clothes and if they find a garment they like they don’t bother putting it back on a hanger. When I was a Loss Prevention Associate and brand new to the retail world I worked in a department store. I vividly recall going into a fitting room and bringing out a handful of clothes hangers. I showed them to the associates at the register and told them that someone had probably stolen the items that went on those hangers. The associates were none too pleased with me, a guy new to L.P. and retail. One of the associates took the hangers and told me that they do count items going in and out, not necessarily hangers. That associate, who is now my wife, kindly reminds me of that encounter from time to time to keep me humble. Clothing security was a priority then and items were counted but we did not use Checkpoint tags as much then as we should have. Clothing alarm tags can reduce the need to have a fitting room attendant for stores without the payroll to staff that position.
Restrooms can be another problem altogether because they are often in a corner or out of the main aisles of the store. EAS towers can be placed outside of the restrooms and if merchandise with Checkpoint tags is taken in the tower alarms will sound there too. Towers can’t be placed outside of a fitting room because the purpose of a fitting room is to take merchandise in to try on. Security tags on clothes provide protection for retailers when they can’t afford to place a person at the fitting room. As I mentioned if they tamper with tags they will damage the clothes, leave the tags in place and they will activate alarms.
If you have the resources to afford a fitting room attendant to stop shoplifting then continue to do so and let Checkpoint tags be a supplement to your security efforts. If you don’t have the resources, tag all of your merchandise with clothing security tags and watch your profits grow.
Get more information on Checkpoint tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Clothing security can be difficult for small and medium size retailers that have limited resources. As a Retail Loss prevention Manager I had to deal with shoplifters and employees who have stolen clothes so I have seen the various methods employed by criminals. One of the favorite forms of theft for shoplifters and I include employees in this, is the use of fitting rooms and restrooms to commit their crimes. Rather than trying to hide merchandise in a purse, shopping bag or under their clothing and risk being observed by store cameras or plain clothes security they go where they know that cameras are not permitted. Thieves know that most stores restrict Loss Prevention personnel from making what are known as “fitting room” stops and the same applies to restrooms. In order to prevent shoplifting many of the large retailers will spend payroll on a fitting room attendant. This person’s job is supposed to be taking all merchandise from a customer, separating the items, inspecting to be sure nothing is in between items and there are not multiple items on a single hanger. It may not be feasible for smaller stores to spend scarce payroll dollars on a fitting room attendant. This is where clothing security can be enhanced in the form of Checkpoint tags available from Loss Prevention Systems Inc.
Checkpoint tags for clothing are available in a sturdy design that is built to prevent shoplifters from defeating them. Tugged, pulled, pried or beaten on these tags will hold up to the most severe punishment. Of course it should be pointed out that in my encounters with anyone trying to pull a tag off of clothing they are usually putting so much effort into it they become obvious. Those shoplifters that choose to try to conceal tagged clothing and attempt to get out of a store will set off an electronic article surveillance (EAS) alarm pedestal. The alarms and lights of the pedestals are so bright and noisy that employees respond and recover merchandise through a check of the culprit’s receipt. An employee well trained on appropriate EAS alarm response knows how to keep encounters calm and recover merchandise without a nasty confrontation.
The question arises, “Why can’t I just look in a fitting room and if there are empty hangers then I can simply stop the suspect?” You can never be absolutely sure that a hanger is an indicator of theft. Some people try on clothes and if they find a garment they like they don’t bother putting it back on a hanger. When I was a Loss Prevention Associate and brand new to the retail world I worked in a department store. I vividly recall going into a fitting room and bringing out a handful of clothes hangers. I showed them to the associates at the register and told them that someone had probably stolen the items that went on those hangers. The associates were none too pleased with me, a guy new to L.P. and retail. One of the associates took the hangers and told me that they do count items going in and out, not necessarily hangers. That associate, who is now my wife, kindly reminds me of that encounter from time to time to keep me humble. Clothing security was a priority then and items were counted but we did not use Checkpoint tags as much then as we should have. Clothing alarm tags can reduce the need to have a fitting room attendant for stores without the payroll to staff that position.
Restrooms can be another problem altogether because they are often in a corner or out of the main aisles of the store. EAS towers can be placed outside of the restrooms and if merchandise with Checkpoint tags is taken in the tower alarms will sound there too. Towers can’t be placed outside of a fitting room because the purpose of a fitting room is to take merchandise in to try on. Security tags on clothes provide protection for retailers when they can’t afford to place a person at the fitting room. As I mentioned if they tamper with tags they will damage the clothes, leave the tags in place and they will activate alarms.
If you have the resources to afford a fitting room attendant to stop shoplifting then continue to do so and let Checkpoint tags be a supplement to your security efforts. If you don’t have the resources, tag all of your merchandise with clothing security tags and watch your profits grow.
Get more information on Checkpoint tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Prevent Shoplifting-4 WC Blog 480
Alpha Security-4
Retail Anti-Theft Devices-4
It Takes More Than Customer Service To Prevent Shoplifting
What is your preferred method to prevent shoplifting? It isn’t always comfortable to think about. It’s easy to tell sales associates to give great customer service but it can be quite another to actually do it. This is especially true when you believe someone intends to shoplift but they haven’t done anything dishonest yet. I have had quite a few situations where I had a strong suspicion someone was going to shoplift merchandise but was not in a position to observe and catch them. While those of us who have worked in Retail Loss Prevention will preach all day long about the value of customer service in reducing shortage the truth is it isn’t a cure-all in and of itself. There must be additional steps to prevent shoplifting and that includes the use of Alpha Security retail anti-theft devices.
You may not be familiar with Alpha Security retail anti-theft devices and the products under the brand name. These devices are used to protect merchandise using electronic article surveillance (EAS) technology that works with EAS pedestals. The product line features cable locks, wraps and tags that can be placed on, over or around merchandise. From clothing to hard lines products almost any item sold can be protected with Alpha items. Most of the devices offer tamper protection that ensures an alarm will sound if a criminal attempts to remove a device from the merchandise or cut it off. If a would-be thief conceals a protected item and carries it out the doors by the pedestals an alarm is activated and lights in the pedestal flash. Alerts from the devices and the pedestals warn employees an attempted theft is taking place. Employees trained in proper responses “assist” the customer with receipt checks or customer service and recover merchandise.
Perhaps you are wondering why customer service alone would not be a feasible solution to prevent shoplifting. On the surface it sounds good to think that people won’t be able to steal if your associates are helping everyone. The truth is there are shoplifters who will take their time and if they sense they are under suspicion they will spend hours walking around “browsing” a store. As a salesfloor employee I had one couple who spent well over an hour in the office supply store where I work “browsing”. I had walked up on them as they were trying to open a package so I knew what they were doing. Nevertheless they would not quit trying. They would split up and go to other areas of the store they would pick up things, walk around and then put the item down somewhere else. It almost becomes a game. Even though most of the items I thought they had concealed in shopping bags were recovered I still suspected they had gotten away with some merchandise.
Other shoplifters will become aggressive and confront an employee in an attempt to intimidate the worker and get them to back off. Even when I was a Loss Prevention Manager I would have situations where the behaviors of a shoplifter made me feel stopping them could be dangerous. If I deemed the situation as such and the subject had concealed merchandise I would make my presence known and offer “aggressive” customer service. I recall such an incident and everywhere the shoplifter went I followed and would straighten shelves and merchandise. This particular “shopper” became very irate and threatened me if I didn’t stop following her. I innocently told her I did not know what she was referring to and that I was simply available if she needed assistance. She had concealed an item in her purse that did not have any retail anti-theft devices on it as far as I knew but I didn’t share that information with her. I also periodically backed off to where I could watch her but give her room to drop any products she might have. She neared the store exit, stopped and looked at me and asked if I was going to “arrest her” if she left. I told her I didn’t know what she was talking about. She then asked if she could leave. I told her that was her decision. She was yelling at me at this point wanting to know if I was going to stop her. She eventually walked out and no alarm sounded. Had an Alpha Security device been on it she probably would not have concealed in the first place or she would have dropped the item at the door.
Customer service drives up sales but without using retail anti-theft devices it won’t be enough to stop theft significantly. Use Alpha Security products with customer service to prevent shoplifting and increase sales at the same time.
Alpha Security is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
What is your preferred method to prevent shoplifting? It isn’t always comfortable to think about. It’s easy to tell sales associates to give great customer service but it can be quite another to actually do it. This is especially true when you believe someone intends to shoplift but they haven’t done anything dishonest yet. I have had quite a few situations where I had a strong suspicion someone was going to shoplift merchandise but was not in a position to observe and catch them. While those of us who have worked in Retail Loss Prevention will preach all day long about the value of customer service in reducing shortage the truth is it isn’t a cure-all in and of itself. There must be additional steps to prevent shoplifting and that includes the use of Alpha Security retail anti-theft devices.
You may not be familiar with Alpha Security retail anti-theft devices and the products under the brand name. These devices are used to protect merchandise using electronic article surveillance (EAS) technology that works with EAS pedestals. The product line features cable locks, wraps and tags that can be placed on, over or around merchandise. From clothing to hard lines products almost any item sold can be protected with Alpha items. Most of the devices offer tamper protection that ensures an alarm will sound if a criminal attempts to remove a device from the merchandise or cut it off. If a would-be thief conceals a protected item and carries it out the doors by the pedestals an alarm is activated and lights in the pedestal flash. Alerts from the devices and the pedestals warn employees an attempted theft is taking place. Employees trained in proper responses “assist” the customer with receipt checks or customer service and recover merchandise.
Perhaps you are wondering why customer service alone would not be a feasible solution to prevent shoplifting. On the surface it sounds good to think that people won’t be able to steal if your associates are helping everyone. The truth is there are shoplifters who will take their time and if they sense they are under suspicion they will spend hours walking around “browsing” a store. As a salesfloor employee I had one couple who spent well over an hour in the office supply store where I work “browsing”. I had walked up on them as they were trying to open a package so I knew what they were doing. Nevertheless they would not quit trying. They would split up and go to other areas of the store they would pick up things, walk around and then put the item down somewhere else. It almost becomes a game. Even though most of the items I thought they had concealed in shopping bags were recovered I still suspected they had gotten away with some merchandise.
Other shoplifters will become aggressive and confront an employee in an attempt to intimidate the worker and get them to back off. Even when I was a Loss Prevention Manager I would have situations where the behaviors of a shoplifter made me feel stopping them could be dangerous. If I deemed the situation as such and the subject had concealed merchandise I would make my presence known and offer “aggressive” customer service. I recall such an incident and everywhere the shoplifter went I followed and would straighten shelves and merchandise. This particular “shopper” became very irate and threatened me if I didn’t stop following her. I innocently told her I did not know what she was referring to and that I was simply available if she needed assistance. She had concealed an item in her purse that did not have any retail anti-theft devices on it as far as I knew but I didn’t share that information with her. I also periodically backed off to where I could watch her but give her room to drop any products she might have. She neared the store exit, stopped and looked at me and asked if I was going to “arrest her” if she left. I told her I didn’t know what she was talking about. She then asked if she could leave. I told her that was her decision. She was yelling at me at this point wanting to know if I was going to stop her. She eventually walked out and no alarm sounded. Had an Alpha Security device been on it she probably would not have concealed in the first place or she would have dropped the item at the door.
Customer service drives up sales but without using retail anti-theft devices it won’t be enough to stop theft significantly. Use Alpha Security products with customer service to prevent shoplifting and increase sales at the same time.
Alpha Security is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Prevent Shoplifting -4 WC Blog 497
Alpha Security-5
Alpha Security Can Cure Alcohol Theft Crime
Alcohol theft is a concern for stores that sell beer, wine and spirits and trying to find a solution to prevent shoplifting. You may operate a small retail store and sell alcoholic beverages in your establishment. You may have even experienced a shoplifter trying to steal a bottle or can here or there. As a Loss Prevention Manager for a national retail store that carried wine, I had the experience of stopping a few customers trying to steal alcohol. It was relatively new for our company to carry spirits so I did not see a lot of theft in this department but there was some. I knew a bottle or two could be concealed in a jacket or a purse, and I would even believe a thief could put one down their pants based on other items I had caught people stealing. I was shocked when I came across a story on the internet and confirmed by several websites of a shoplifter who stole 18 bottles of liquor by concealing them in her purse and under various parts of her clothing! http://fox6now.com/2017/08/23/watch-woman-caught-on-video-stealing-18-bottles-of-liquor-in-her-clothes/ The story was posted by Fox 6 now on August 23, 2017and shows a store surveillance video of the woman as she was stealing. This theft as well as several others I found that were interesting may have been prevented if the stores had used electronic article surveillance (EAS) and Alpha Security tags to deter or detect the thefts.
If you do not use an EAS system in your store or are unfamiliar with it and Alpha Security tags allow me explain what they are and how they prevent theft. EAS systems function by the use of radio frequency waves transmitted by hard and soft tags to activate tower alarms usually located by a store entrance and exit. You have probably observed these towers in stores regularly and simply not known what they are or what they do. If merchandise that is tagged with a hard or soft tag comes too close to a tower an alarm built into the tower is set off. The alarm elicits a response from store employees who conduct receipt checks and recover merchandise to prevent shoplifting (it also helps in recovering merchandise that is missed by a cashier during the checkout process which otherwise leads to operational shortage). Soft tags are peeled from rolls and can be applied to a variety of products and surfaces such as cardboard manufacturer hang tags, plastic blister packs and cellophane and shrink wraps. Hard tags either pin or clip to merchandise or in the case of bottle protection clamp over the bottle cap and part of the neck. In the situations I am describing above involving alcohol bottle thefts, the use of a lock such as the Alpha Security Versa Guard would have deterred the shoplifter or would have caused an alarm at the door as she neared it to leave.
Lest you think the case of the thirsty thief I discussed above was an isolated incident, in another story from sonomanews.com, November 9, 2017 by Bill Hoban, “Sonoma Market’s wine-stealing trio still at large”, the reporter refers to a case in which, “Sonoma Police are looking for three woman who are suspected of walking out of a Sonoma Market on Nov. 4, with more than $1,150 of high priced wine.” The story goes on to say that employees reported 22 bottles missing. http://www.sonomanews.com/news/7620008-181/wine-stealing-trio-at-large That is roughly 7 bottles per person to not only conceal but carry out of a store. I have never visited this store but I can say that from the pictures I was able to view it does not appear Alpha Security bottle locks are being used or if they are it is in a limited manner. I will also say that from the picture of the three suspects leaving the store it does not appear there are EAS towers in use but the image could be misleading. If bottle locks are being used they should be used on all alcoholic beverages. Limiting what is tagged in a store only sends a would-be shoplifter to an item of a lower price point but you won’t prevent shoplifting from taking place. Finally, using bottle locks without an EAS system in place severely limits the effectiveness in theft prevention.
Alcohol theft is nothing to laugh about even if the thought of someone clinking out of a store with eighteen bottles hidden under their clothes and in a purse is amusing to consider. Don’t be a victim yourself, use Alpha Security bottle locks and an EAS system in your store to prevent shoplifting and keep profits up.
Need information on Alpha Security? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Alcohol theft is a concern for stores that sell beer, wine and spirits and trying to find a solution to prevent shoplifting. You may operate a small retail store and sell alcoholic beverages in your establishment. You may have even experienced a shoplifter trying to steal a bottle or can here or there. As a Loss Prevention Manager for a national retail store that carried wine, I had the experience of stopping a few customers trying to steal alcohol. It was relatively new for our company to carry spirits so I did not see a lot of theft in this department but there was some. I knew a bottle or two could be concealed in a jacket or a purse, and I would even believe a thief could put one down their pants based on other items I had caught people stealing. I was shocked when I came across a story on the internet and confirmed by several websites of a shoplifter who stole 18 bottles of liquor by concealing them in her purse and under various parts of her clothing! http://fox6now.com/2017/08/23/watch-woman-caught-on-video-stealing-18-bottles-of-liquor-in-her-clothes/. The story was posted by Fox 6 now on August 23, 2017 and shows a store surveillance video of the woman as she was stealing. This theft as well as several others I found that were interesting may have been prevented if the stores had used electronic article surveillance (EAS) and Alpha Security tags to deter or detect the thefts.
If you do not use an EAS system in your store or are unfamiliar with it and Alpha Security tags allow me to explain what they are and how they prevent theft. EAS systems function by the use of radio frequency waves transmitted by hard and soft tags to activate tower alarms usually located by a store entrance and exit. You have probably observed these towers in stores regularly and simply not known what they are or what they do. If merchandise that is tagged with a hard or soft tag comes too close to a tower an alarm built into the tower is set off. The alarm elicits a response from store employees who conduct receipt checks and recover merchandise to prevent shoplifting (it also helps in recovering merchandise that is missed by a cashier during the checkout process which otherwise leads to operational shortage). Soft tags are peeled from rolls and can be applied to a variety of products and surfaces such as cardboard manufacturer hang tags, plastic blister packs and cellophane and shrink wraps. Hard tags either pin or clip to merchandise or in the case of bottle protection clamp over the bottle cap and part of the neck. In the situations I am describing above involving alcohol bottle thefts, the use of a lock such as the Alpha Security Versa Guard would have deterred the shoplifter or would have caused an alarm at the door as she neared it to leave.
Lest you think the case of the thirsty thief I discussed above was an isolated incident, in another story from sonomanews.com, November 9, 2017 by Bill Hoban, “Sonoma Market’s wine-stealing trio still at large”, the reporter refers to a case in which, “Sonoma Police are looking for three woman who are suspected of walking out of a Sonoma Market on Nov. 4, with more than $1,150 of high priced wine.” The story goes on to say that employees reported 22 bottles missing. http://www.sonomanews.com/news/7620008-181/wine-stealing-trio-at-large. That is roughly 7 bottles per person to not only conceal but carry out of a store. I have never visited this store but I can say that from the pictures I was able to view it does not appear Alpha Security bottle locks are being used or if they are it is in a limited manner. I will also say that from the picture of the three suspects leaving the store it does not appear there are EAS towers in use but the image could be misleading. If bottle locks are being used they should be used on all alcoholic beverages. Limiting what is tagged in a store only sends a would-be shoplifter to an item of a lower price point but you won’t prevent shoplifting from taking place. Finally, using bottle locks without an EAS system in place severely limits the effectiveness in theft prevention.
Alcohol theft is nothing to laugh about even if the thought of someone clinking out of a store with eighteen bottles hidden under their clothes and in a purse is amusing to consider. Don’t be a victim yourself, use Alpha Security bottle locks and an EAS system in your store to prevent shoplifting and keep profits up.
Need information on Alpha Security? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
