Alpha Keepers-5 WC blog 229
Protect infant formula-3
Prevent shoplifting-4
Empty Shelves Of Infant Formula Starving Your Profits? Prevent Shoplifting With Alpha Keepers; Part 1
Many of you are familiar with Alpha Keepers, the anti-theft devices used to prevent shoplifting. You’ve seen these clear boxes protecting DVD’s, video games and if you’ve been to some of the bigger retail stores, even health and beauty products. What you may not know about Alpha Keepers is that they are also available to protect infant formula. Why would baby formula need to be protected? If your store(s) sell baby formula you need to know that it is a high theft item for several reasons which I will discuss shortly. I used to work for a big box retail store and it was a theft issue for us, but we were limited in what we could do to prevent the theft of our cans. We marked our cans with permanent stickers, we put security cameras in the area and we conducted live surveillances but we never made significant apprehensions. We knew from our inventory numbers they were going missing, we just struggled to prevent shoplifting of the merchandise. We would have been far more successful if we had Alpha Keepers at the time to aid us.
I have been to stores that use locking display cases to protect infant formula but this is not the best method to prevent shoplifting. Alpha Keepers designed for baby formula are better suited for driving up sales and keeping shortage down. The clear, solid plastic design permits parents or caregivers to read labels, note warnings and see content information about the product. The keepers are also built so that they can be detected when they are in the range of electronic article surveillance antennas. Keepers are detected by antennas and cause an antenna alarm and lights to be set off when a box gets too close to the antenna. This means that when a shoplifter attempts to smuggle product out the door, even if hidden under clothes or in a bag, alarms warn employees a theft is occurring. Employees can then take steps to recover the merchandise. Sales improve because merchandise that was being stolen is now on the floor and available to honest customers. The shopper can carry the item around without the bother of waiting for an employee with a key to come by and unlock a case, then walk the merchandise to the register for the patron. Shoppers that don’t have to wait are more prone to buy what they came to the store to pick up.
What is driving this theft of baby formula are two major factors. First, the high price of formula makes it difficult for many families to afford it, especially if it is one of the specialty products. I can tell you that when our twins were born, my wife and I had to put them on a special formula that cost us around $29.00 a can. The regular can at that time was around $10.00 each. The price of the specialty formula has now almost doubled since that time. You can guess that it was a struggle to keep up with this for two babies. We were a fairly young family at the time and we incurred a significant amount of credit card debt to ensure our babies were fed. For a family without the resources we had available to us, I can only imagine the fear and anxiety this could cause. I am not justifying that anyone would steal anything, especially with government and charitable aid available, but it is a little easier to understand how a mother or father might be tempted to steal to provide for a baby.
In part 2 of this series I will tackle the second major reason for the high theft of this item. Regardless of the reason for theft, it is important for store owners to protect infant formula from shoplifting but lock up cases or limiting quantities on display are not the best defense. Use Alpha Keepers to prevent shoplifting and keep product available for paying customers. Your customers will thank you with continued patronage and sales.
Alpha Keepers are important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Many of you are familiar with Alpha Keepers, the anti-theft devices used to prevent shoplifting. ou’ve seen these clear boxes protecting DVD’s, video games and if you’ve been to some of the bigger retail stores, even health and beauty products. hat you may not know about Alpha Keepers is that they are also available to protect infant formula. hy would baby formula need to be protected? f your store(s) sell baby formula you need to know that it is a high theft item for several reasons which I will discuss shortly. I used to work for a big box retail store and it was a theft issue for us, but we were limited in what we could do to prevent the theft of our cans. We marked our cans with permanent stickers, we put security cameras in the area and we conducted live surveillances but we never made significant apprehensions. e knew from our inventory numbers they were going missing, we just struggled to prevent shoplifting of the merchandise. We would have been far more successful if we had Alpha Keepers at the time to aid us.
I have been to stores that use locking display cases to protect infant formula but this is not the best method to prevent shoplifting. Alpha Keepers designed for baby formula are better suited for driving up sales and keeping shortage down. The clear, solid plastic design permits parents or caregivers to read labels, note warnings and see content information about the product. The keepers are also built so that they can be detected when they are in the range of electronic article surveillance antennas. Keepers are detected by antennas and cause an antenna alarm and lights to be set off when a box gets too close to the antenna. This means that when a shoplifter attempts to smuggle product out the door, even if hidden under clothes or in a bag, alarms warn employees a theft is occurring. Employees can then take steps to recover the merchandise. Sales improve because merchandise that was being stolen is now on the floor and available to honest customers. The shopper can carry the item around without the bother of waiting for an employee with a key to come by and unlock a case, then walk the merchandise to the register for the patron. Shoppers that don’t have to wait are more prone to buy what they came to the store to pick up.
What is driving this theft of baby formula are two major factors. First, the high price of formula makes it difficult for many families to afford it, especially if it is one of the specialty products. I can tell you that when our twins were born, my wife and I had to put them on a special formula that cost us around $29.00 a can. The regular can at that time was around $10.00 each. The price of the specialty formula has now almost doubled since that time. You can guess that it was a struggle to keep up with this for two babies. We were a fairly young family at the time and we incurred a significant amount of credit card debt to ensure our babies were fed. For a family without the resources we had available to us, I can only imagine the fear and anxiety this could cause. I am not justifying that anyone would steal anything, especially with government and charitable aid available, but it is a little easier to understand how a mother or father might be tempted to steal to provide for a baby.
In part 2 of this series I will tackle the second major reason for the high theft of this item. Regardless of the reason for theft, it is important for store owners to protect infant formula from shoplifting but lock up cases or limiting quantities on display are not the best defense. Use Alpha Keepers to prevent shoplifting and keep product available for paying customers. Your customers will thank you with continued patronage and sales.
Alpha Keepers are important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Look, I’m not a salesman by any stretch of the imagination. I tried that once in my college years and my boss told me I couldn’t sell water to a camel in the desert. I suppose that’s why I majored in criminal justice… With that being said, you’ve got to see the benefit of a Checkpoint Security System. If you own, run or manager a retail store, you’re being impacted by theft. Don’t believe me? Go make a quick pass down a back aisle, or somewhere secluded in the store. I bet you find empty packages; and that’s just what you can physically see!
Retailers, for years have tried to stop shoplifting. That’s why Loss Prevention was created. If you let your losses go completely un-checked, then you wouldn’t be in business for very long. The fatal flaw in most retailer’s way of thinking is that there is some single solution, pie in the sky, magic wand waving, hocus pocus method that once in place, you’ll never have to worry about loss again. I hate to break it to you, but that’s simply not true. In fact, I wish I could invent that tool… I wouldn’t have to do this for a living J
What you need is a multi-faceted approach to stop shoplifting. The first step, is installing a Checkpoint security system. I know you’ve seen them in other retailers, they’re most identifiable by those white, or grey towers at the entrance and exit doors. You’ve probably even thought that they were just too expensive for your store, or maybe, just maybe, you thought you didn’t have a shoplifting problem. Once you install a Checkpoint security system, the possibilities are practically endless on what you can do to prevent shoplifting.
Having a problem with people stealing meat in your community grocery store? Well, you can’t identify when your beef re-animates unless you have a Checkpoint security system set up. Same holds true for all you small boutiques out there. What’s your current plan to identify a shoplifter when they exit your store with clothing they “forgot” to pay for? What about you, the local hardware store owner? Your mortgage and kid’s college is riding on a profitable year. How do you identify a shoplifter as they leave your store with a new power drill down their pants?
Bottom line here is your bottom line. If you’re OK with some shoplifting losses, here and there, then this isn’t meant for you. If you’ve grown tired of people coming into your store, stealing your merchandise and taking food off your table, then listen up. Thieves do not stop. They do not take holidays and they will also be a problem for anyone in the retail business. They are, in fact a lot like water; they take the path of least resistance. So if you don’t have a Checkpoint security system installed, then you are where the water flows through. Get smart about protecting your business. Install a tower and use some labels. A little (and I mean TINY) investment in this solution will pay for itself within months and the criminals will have to find a softer target!
For more information about, Checkpoint security systems, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
Retail anti-theft device: 4
Alpha Ink Tag: 3
Prevent shoplifting: 3
An Alpha Ink Tag Can Provide Your Business With Deterrence And Detection At An Affordable Cost
Being in loss prevention you tend to see a lot of interesting things; people will try and steel anything they can get their hands on. In one of the stores I worked in, we had plain clothes loss prevention (LP) staff walking throughout the store watching people and LP monitoring store cameras, in order to prevent shoplifting. On one occasion we had a lady in the apparel department who was acting suspiciously. This behavior was identified via camera system, at which time the floor LP was contacted to check into it. This lady was looking around and pushing her bag into the clothing racks as if she was trying to conceal her bag. The camera would not allow a good enough visual to determine if she was concealing store property in her bag. The floor LP arrived and was watching her from a distance as he pretended to shop, but he also was unable to confirm if a theft had occurred. He watched her for approximately ten minutes before she noticed him and departed the area. She continued to shop and purchased a couple of items before leaving the store. As she left the EAS system went off and alerted store staff. Our floor LP, that had been watching her earlier, made contact with her. They reviewed her purchases against her receipt and did not identify anything unusual. Upon further investigation, the LP staff located several items in her bag that she had taken from the apparel department. She became very upset to learn that she had mistakenly taken an item that had a retail anti-theft device attached. She was so upset that she had made that mistake that she was yelling and was extremely angry towards the staff. It was apparent that this wasn’t her first shoplifting, and that she was very familiar with retail anti-theft devices, and how to avoid that type of detection. Fortunately for us, in her covert attempt to steal our property, she mistakenly took a product that had an Alpha ink tag attached to it.
In this case we were lucky enough to stop a frequent shoplifter with the use of an Alpha ink tag. Although, we learned the hard way how easy it is for someone to steal from us if we are only partially protected. We did not use retail anti-theft devices on all of our property; instead we only tagged those items of high value or those with higher theft rates. In our attempt to save cost on security, we ultimately made ourselves more vulnerable to the professional shoplifters. Alpha ink tags are a cost efficient way to add protection to all of your merchandise and prevent shoplifting in your stores. These tags are extremely strong and durable and are equipped with EAS technology. The EAS technology works to notify you in the event a person tries to leave the store with the merchandise, but also works as a deterrent. These tags are designed so that ink is expelled when a person tries to remove the tag from the garment, thus rendering the merchandise un-useable. They also are available in standard or super lock strengths, depending on your needs. These tags are re-useable and provide an unobtrusive way to protect your property from theft.
I know I was thankful that day that our retail anti-theft device was able to identify the shoplifter. Hopefully this will deter her from coming back to our store to shoplift, and will force her to choose other retail options in the future. We did learn a valuable lesson that day; always do your best to protect all of your property, not just some of it. The best way to truly prevent shoplifting is to utilize an Alpha ink tag. They are a cost-efficient way to deter and detect theft, and provide EAS alerting capability, to enhance your existing loss prevention program.
For more information about Alpha ink tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Being in loss prevention you tend to see a lot of interesting things; people will try and steel anything they can get their hands on. In one of the stores I worked in, we had plain clothes loss prevention (LP) staff walking throughout the store watching people and LP monitoring store cameras, in order to prevent shoplifting. On one occasion we had a lady in the apparel department who was acting suspiciously. This behavior was identified via camera system, at which time the floor LP was contacted to check into it. This lady was looking around and pushing her bag into the clothing racks as if she was trying to conceal her bag. The camera would not allow a good enough visual to determine if she was concealing store property in her bag. The floor LP arrived and was watching her from a distance as he pretended to shop, but he also was unable to confirm if a theft had occurred. He watched her for approximately ten minutes before she noticed him and departed the area. She continued to shop and purchased a couple of items before leaving the store. As she left the EAS system went off and alerted store staff. Our floor LP, that had been watching her earlier, made contact with her. They reviewed her purchases against her receipt and did not identify anything unusual. Upon further investigation, the LP staff located several items in her bag that she had taken from the apparel department. She became very upset to learn that she had mistakenly taken an item that had a retail anti-theft device attached. She was so upset that she had made that mistake that she was yelling and was extremely angry towards the staff. It was apparent that this wasn’t her first shoplifting, and that she was very familiar with retail anti-theft devices, and how to avoid that type of detection. Fortunately for us, in her covert attempt to steal our property, she mistakenly took a product that had an Alpha ink tag attached to it.
In this case we were lucky enough to stop a frequent shoplifter with the use of an Alpha ink tag. Although, we learned the hard way how easy it is for someone to steal from us if we are only partially protected. We did not use retail anti-theft devices on all of our property; instead we only tagged those items of high value or those with higher theft rates. In our attempt to save cost on security, we ultimately made ourselves more vulnerable to the professional shoplifters. Alpha ink tags are a cost efficient way to add protection to all of your merchandise and prevent shoplifting in your stores. These tags are extremely strong and durable and are equipped with EAS technology. The EAS technology works to notify you in the event a person tries to leave the store with the merchandise, but also works as a deterrent. These tags are designed so that ink is expelled when a person tries to remove the tag from the garment, thus rendering the merchandise un-useable. They also are available in standard or super lock strengths, depending on your needs. These tags are re-useable and provide an unobtrusive way to protect your property from theft.
I know I was thankful that day that our retail anti-theft device was able to identify the shoplifter. Hopefully this will deter her from coming back to our store to shoplift, and will force her to choose other retail options in the future. We did learn a valuable lesson that day; always do your best to protect all of your property, not just some of it. The best way to truly prevent shoplifting is to utilize an Alpha ink tag. They are a cost-efficient way to deter and detect theft, and provide EAS alerting capability, to enhance your existing loss prevention program.
For more information about Alpha ink tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
AA Blog 05: Alpha 3 Alarm
Alpha 3 Alarm: 4
Prevent Shoplifting: 3
Retail Anti-Theft Devices: 3
How Alpha Alpha 3 Alarm Technology Can Add a Whole New Level to Your Loss Prevention Program
In my experience as a police officer, I would have to say that the majority of the shopliftings I have responded to involved some sort of concealment on the part of the offender. This happens in various ways and occurs across a large spectrum of people. I have seen people blatantly conceal items on the retail floor, by placing them in their purse or backpack or inside their clothing. This is typical of the younger crowd, although I have arrested an older man for stealing vitamins, which may say more about our health care system, than it does retail theft. I have also seen people remove items from their packaging, to allow for easier concealment, or hide the item in a stroller or cart. I have also responded to the calls where someone took the item into the dressing room and placed it somewhere on their person, sometimes even layering clothing or undergarments. I have even seen someone conceal items in their person, which is going above and beyond if you ask me; nobody needs a necklace that bad. Regardless of the method, concealment seems to be the most popular method of shoplifting from my experience, and requires special consideration. The best method to prevent shoplifting, of this nature, is to utilize retail anti-theft devices
Alpha Security has a myriad of retail anti-theft devices that can be used to prevent shoplifting. They have hard tags and locks that can be used to protect any item in your inventory. Many of these devices can be equipped with the Alpha 3 Alarm, which provide an audible notification alarm. The cable locks, for example can be affixed to clothing and other items such as shoes, purses or other accessories and allow the retailer the ability to secure the item without having to pin expensive items. The locks come in various lengths and therefore provide a wide range of options in order to prevent shoplifting. They are small and easy to affix and can be equipped with the Alpha 3 Alarm technology, which is battery powered. The alarm is designed to sound if someone attempts to leave the store with the item or tries to remove the tag from the merchandise. These Alarms are designed to deter shoplifting because concealment will not play a factor with these types of devices. These tags and locks are reusable and can be affixed at the retail level. You can also purchase anti-theft devices for larger items such as televisions, gaming consoles, tools and other high priced items.
I know some retail owners believe that equipping their merchandise with locks or tags or other anti-shoplifting devices is too troublesome and expensive, but as an officer and consumer, the up-front cost outweighs the potential risk to your property and your pocketbook. As a law abiding citizen and a retail shopper, retail anti-theft devices are important to me as well. They ensure I am getting the products I want at a reasonable price. Preventing shoplifting doesn’t just improve profits for the retailer it also ensures retail prices are not marked up, due to inventory loss, associated with shoplifting. These devices will also reduce the amount of time you are seeing me in your store, at least in a law enforcement capacity that is, and will reduce your frustration. These devices are meant to supplement your existing loss prevention program and floor level associates with detection and deterrence. They also reduce your chances of having to deal with a lengthy judicial process, to try and reconcile your losses.
For more information about Alpha 3 Alarm technology, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
In my experience as a police officer, I would have to say that the majority of the shopliftings I have responded to involved some sort of concealment on the part of the offender. This happens in various ways and occurs across a large spectrum of people. I have seen people blatantly conceal items on the retail floor, by placing them in their purse or backpack or inside their clothing. This is typical of the younger crowd, although I have arrested an older man for stealing vitamins, which may say more about our health care system, than it does retail theft. I have also seen people remove items from their packaging, to allow for easier concealment, or hide the item in a stroller or cart. I have also responded to the calls where someone took the item into the dressing room and placed it somewhere on their person, sometimes even layering clothing or undergarments. I have even seen someone conceal items in their person, which is going above and beyond if you ask me; nobody needs a necklace that bad. Regardless of the method, concealment seems to be the most popular method of shoplifting from my experience, and requires special consideration. The best method to prevent shoplifting, of this nature, is to utilize retail anti-theft devices
Alpha Security has a myriad of retail anti-theft devices that can be used to prevent shoplifting.They have hard tags and locks that can be used to protect any item in your inventory. Many of these devices can be equipped with the Alpha 3 Alarm, which provide an audible notification alarm. The cable locks, for example can be affixed to clothing and other items such as shoes, purses or other accessories and allow the retailer the ability to secure the item without having to pin expensive items. The locks come in various lengths and therefore provide a wide range of options in order to prevent shoplifting. They are small and easy to affix and can be equipped with the Alpha 3 Alarm technology, which is battery powered. The alarm is designed to sound if someone attempts to leave the store with the item or tries to remove the tag from the merchandise. These Alarms are designed to deter shoplifting because concealment will not play a factor with these types of devices. These tags and locks are reusable and can be affixed at the retail level. You can also purchase anti-theft devices for larger items such as televisions, gaming consoles, tools and other high priced items.
I know some retail owners believe that equipping their merchandise with locks or tags or other anti-shoplifting devices is too troublesome and expensive, but as an officer and consumer, the up-front cost outweighs the potential risk to your property and your pocketbook. As a law abiding citizen and a retail shopper, retail anti-theft devices are important to me as well. They ensure I am getting the products I want at a reasonable price. Preventing shoplifting doesn’t just improve profits for the retailer it also ensures retail prices are not marked up, due to inventory loss, associated with shoplifting. These devices will also reduce the amount of time you are seeing me in your store, at least in a law enforcement capacity that is, and will reduce your frustration. These devices are meant to supplement your existing loss prevention program and floor level associates with detection and deterrence. They also reduce your chances of having to deal with a lengthy judicial process, to try and reconcile your losses.
For more information about Alpha 3 Alarm technology, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
JM Blog 11 Alpha Hard Tags
Key words KW – Alpha Ink Tag 5
KW- Prevent Shoplifting 5
Alpha Ink Tags; Remove The Reward And Reduce The Risk
To prevent shoplifting retail operators, must see the full scope of why shoplifting occurs. This quest to understand, to know, why a problem exists is the only path to truly ending a problem. We cannot afford to invest in programs and expend energy targeting issues we cannot impact or ones that are not the real problem. We live in a system where the risks and costs of being caught stealing carries little in the way of real consequence and the potential rewards of theft far outweigh what little impact the system does have. In to this place comes the Alpha Ink Tag and with it a measure of control for the retailer to shift the risk/reward dynamic.
How can an MPS device like an Alpha Ink Tag impact an issue as broad as this? How can the Alpha Ink Tag do anything beyond a normal clothing tag to prevent shoplifting? It does it by targeting the reward side of the equation. It hits the shoplifter in the one are that the system cannot, right in the pocket.
Those who steal for financial reasons are playing the long game, betting on an unstable enterprise with the full knowledge that at some point they will lose. It’s true, everyone gets caught eventually but they don’t view this in the same way those of us on the right side of the law do. For these shoplifters being caught is a cost of doing business. A cost they don’t care about paying, so long as they have profited enough to cover the expense.
Sadly, this mindset is the same one that good business people use. If every fourth project is a potential failure but the ones before it succeeded and the next one could be a win you roll the dice. Even if you fail you have already paid for that loss with your success. Shoplifting is the same dynamic. Every win creates a cushion that makes taking a loss an acceptable outcome. To prevent shoplifting, we need to hit the thieves in the same place they hit us, the pocketbook.
The Alpha device does just that. The removal of these tags causes a release of ink that ruins the clothing they are attached to. Once the garment is ruined it is worthless to the thief. They took the risk and you ensured that they get no reward. With one single device, you not only work to prevent shoplifting but also make their business model ineffective.
With this single device, you will have targeted both the symptom and the source of the problem. If a shoplifter needs to put themselves at risk of detection by targeting merchandise which you have protected in your store they will think twice. If, after this, they proceed only to have the Alpha Ink Tag destroy their ill-gotten gains, reducing its value to zero, they will quickly find you a poor investment of their time.
Trying to prevent shoplifting will always be a task that is ever changing. Motives and methods are ever evolving. The tools we have combat the thieves, the way we use those tools and our mindset regarding the issue must also change. The Alpha Ink Tag is a single device that covers multiple aspects of the problem while remaining a practical solution. There will always be a need, always be greed and we have to accept that. What we do not have to do is idly sit by while the system allows for the rewards of theft to outweigh the risk. We can’t fix the system but we can tip the scales back in our favor. Protect your merchandise and remove the reward and reduce your risk.
Need information on Alpha Ink Tags? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now
To prevent shoplifting retail operators, must see the full scope of why shoplifting occurs. This quest to understand, to know, why a problem exists is the only path to truly ending a problem. We cannot afford to invest in programs and expend energy targeting issues we cannot impact or ones that are not the real problem. We live in a system where the risks and costs of being caught stealing carries little in the way of real consequence and the potential rewards of theft far outweigh what little impact the system does have. In comes the Alpha Ink Tag and with it a measure of control for the retailer to shift the risk/reward dynamic.
How can an MPS device like an Alpha Ink Tag impact an issue as broad as this? How can the Alpha Ink Tag do anything beyond a normal clothing tag to prevent shoplifting? It does it by targeting the reward side of the equation. It hits the shoplifter in the one are that the system cannot, right in the pocket.
Those who steal for financial reasons are playing the long game, betting on an unstable enterprise with the full knowledge that at some point they will lose. It’s true, everyone gets caught eventually but they don’t view this in the same way those of us on the right side of the law do. For these shoplifters being caught is a cost of doing business. A cost they don’t care about paying, so long as they have profited enough to cover the expense.
Sadly, this mindset is the same one that good business people use. If every fourth project is a potential failure but the ones before it succeeded and the next one could be a win you roll the dice. Even if you fail you have already paid for that loss with your success. Shoplifting is the same dynamic. Every win creates a cushion that makes taking a loss an acceptable outcome. To prevent shoplifting, we need to hit the thieves in the same place they hit us, the pocketbook.
The Alpha device does just that. The removal of these tags causes a release of ink that ruins the clothing they are attached to. Once the garment is ruined it is worthless to the thief. They took the risk and you ensured that they get no reward. With one single device, you not only work to prevent shoplifting but also make their business model ineffective.
With this single device, you will have targeted both the symptom and the source of the problem. If a shoplifter needs to put themselves at risk of detection by targeting merchandise which you have protected in your store they will think twice. If, after this, they proceed only to have the Alpha Ink Tag destroy their ill-gotten gains, reducing its value to zero, they will quickly find you a poor investment of their time.
Trying to prevent shoplifting will always be a task that is ever changing. Motives and methods are ever evolving. The tools we have combat the thieves, the way we use those tools and our mindset regarding the issue must also change. The Alpha Ink Tag is a single device that covers multiple aspects of the problem while remaining a practical solution. There will always be a need, always be greed and we have to accept that. What we do not have to do is idly sit by while the system allows for the rewards of theft to outweigh the risk. We can’t fix the system but we can tip the scales back in our favor. Protect your merchandise and remove the reward and reduce your risk.
Need information on Alpha Ink Tags? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now
