Living in a beach/tourist community, there are a lot of activities for locals and tourists alike to engage in. One of the favorite past times is fishing. Living so close to the ocean, as well as lakes and inland waterways, there is plenty of access to fresh water and saltwater fishing. It also means that there is a significant demand for fishing rods and reels for fishermen/women of different skill levels. Big box retailers, sporting goods stores, hunting and fishing stores all sell fishing gear and bait, it’s a big market in this part of the country. Needless to say, since it is so popular there is also a certain dishonest element that shoplifts fishing gear. I worked as a Loss Prevention Manager for a large retailer for many years in this community and dealt with a number of shoplifting cases in which fishing rods and reels were the focus of theft. It was not always easy to prevent shoplifting and deter theft of these items. If we had Alpha’s O Tag to use, we could have deterred much of the theft and fraud we experienced in this department.
The O Tag is a retail anti-theft device that is a one-piece design and is unique from other types of devices. The O Tag has a circular design that allows it to clamp around a tubular object, such as a baseball bat, display merchandise power cords and as we are discussing in this article, fishing rods. The tags are designed to work with electronic article surveillance (EAS) antennas and will set off the alarm in the antennas if they are brought into the radio frequency field of the antennas. The tags require a detachment key in order to remove them so it is extremely risky for a shoplifter to try to force one off of a piece of merchandise. Enough force and a fishing rod will break, rendering the merchandise useless. The EAS antennas and the tags combine to effectively deter thieves, but in cases where they aren’t deterred, the alarm allows store employees to respond and try to recover goods or identify the culprit.
I did see some theft of fishing rods and those were usually in video reviews attempting to determine where merchandise went. Many times the shoplifters were rolling merchandise out the front doors in shopping carts or carrying them away. The only retail anti-theft devices we had to use were EAS soft tags attached to the manufacturers’ hang tag. Unfortunately, some of the shoplifters would just pull the hang tag off and the EAS tag with it. This of course meant no EAS alarm to alert staff that someone might be attempting a theft. Using an O Tag on the merchandise would have prevented the shoplifters from being able to remove the retail anti-theft device from the rods and more than likely sent them to another store.
If the owner of a small fishing store and bait shop were to decide to use the tags, they would not be restricted to using the devices on fishing poles to prevent shoplifting, they could also be placed on such things as tackle box handles and drink cooler handles. If a store sells fishing boat accessories such as gallon containers of marine oil in bottles with handles on them, this retail anti-theft device can be placed around the handle to prevent shoplifting. Other fishing accessories that may be protected with the tags include, ice fishing shovels, chisels, bows for bow fishing and fishing net handles.
If you own a fishing supply store why cast around looking for a new angle to prevent shoplifting? You’ll be hooked once you use the O Tag and see how effective it is in keeping merchandise in stock and theft down. You’ll be able to keep prices low and hook new customers.
O Tags are important and we can help you with them. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
JM Blog 5 Alpha Hard Tags
Key words KW – Alpha Jewel Lok 5
KW- Retail Anti Theft Devices 4
KW- Prevent shoplifting 4
Alpha Jewel Lok; Prevent the Shoplifting Not The Shopping
If you ask any security professional how best to Prevent shoplifting their off the top answer will be “Lock it Up!” Next you ask what do we lock up? The response to that is simply “Everything.” I have to admit that I shared this viewpoint for the early years of my LP career and still feel this way when I learn of a large scale loss but, as we expand our role within the retail world it is clear that this is not the way forward.
Shopping is and will always be an immersive experience. Shoppers do more than look. They touch, test and ultimately connect with a product. This is even more so when the prospective sale is a substantial purchase. As a retailer what are you to do? The consumer wants this level of interaction with your merchandise but the high ticket price means high risk. If you locked everything up behind glass or used standard Retail Anti Theft Devices you may guarantee your merchandise stays on the shelf, but at the cost of it staying on your shelf.
Top line sales are what we are all after so, a balance must be struck between security and accessibility. It is in this area that the Alpha Jewel Lok shines. Small, elegant and functional the Alpha Jewel Lok allows for high ticket items, like jewelry and watches, to be safe and to be accessible. At a size smaller than your thumb, the device uses a small hook and latch to lock onto your merchandise. The hook is small enough to fit into the gaps on a watchband or easily around a ring. The beauty is that the device’s size allows for a customer to wear and experience the protected merchandise without it going unprotected.
From my experience with the Alpha Jewel Lok vs other Retail Anti Theft Devices, specifically to Prevent shoplifting of high ticket jewelry, there is no better solution. I use them for mid-priced items, allowing me to have them presented for customers to touch, while not being forced to have an associate standing over them at all times. Customer wins, LP wins and Sales win. I have even begun to consider these as a second line of defense for items in the display case. Let me explain why.
I recently dealt with $12,000 in theft at my store’s jewelry counter. A new associate was the victim of the classic switch scam. She provided a nice couple with a pair of rings to look at and as soon as they could distract her they made their move. In an instant my $6000 rings became two pieces of costume jewelry. Huge shrink impact, very hard to spot or stop unless, there had been a second line of defense. What if I placed an Alpha Jewel Lok onto my High ticket jewelry or had the associate do it as part of the display process? .
Without ruining the ring’s presentation or harming the customer’s experience this one small Retail Anti Theft Device could have saved me $12,000. The swap scam wouldn’t have been possible. The thieves couldn’t remove it without being noticed. If they went for the swap anyway the rings they swapped in would have been instantly flagged for not having the devices. Once they tried to leave the alarm would have greeted them at the door along with LP a moment later. No matter what form the end result took our goal to Prevent shoplifting would have been achieved.
Thieves, scammers and shoplifters are a clever bunch and we must be open in our thought processes and creative in our approach to security. We need to stay ahead of them while still providing an experience for our customers that leads to quality sales. With options like the Alpha Jewel Lok as well as dozens of other Retail Anti Theft Devices available we have the tools to increase profits, Prevent shoplifting and never let risk ruin the sale.
Need information on the Alpha Jewel Lok? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now
If you ask any security professional how best to Prevent shoplifting their off the top answer will be “Lock it Up!” Next you ask what do we lock up? The response to that is simply “Everything.” I have to admit that I shared this viewpoint for the early years of my LP career and still feel this way when I learn of a large scale loss but, as we expand our role within the retail world it is clear that this is not the way forward.
Shopping is and will always be an immersive experience. Shoppers do more than look. They touch, test and ultimately connect with a product. This is even more so when the prospective sale is a substantial purchase. As a retailer what are you to do? The consumer wants this level of interaction with your merchandise but the high ticket price means high risk. If you locked everything up behind glass or used standard Retail Anti Theft Devices you may guarantee your merchandise stays on the shelf, but at the cost of it staying on your shelf.
Top line sales are what we are all after so, a balance must be struck between security and accessibility. It is in this area that the Alpha Jewel Lok shines. Small, elegant and functional the Alpha Jewel Lok allows for high ticket items, like jewelry and watches, to be safe and to be accessible. At a size smaller than your thumb, the device uses a small hook and latch to lock onto your merchandise. The hook is small enough to fit into the gaps on a watchband or easily around a ring. The beauty is that the device’s size allows for a customer to wear and experience the protected merchandise without it going unprotected.
From my experience with the Alpha Jewel Lok vs other Retail Anti Theft Devices, specifically to Prevent shoplifting of high ticket jewelry, there is no better solution. I use them for mid-priced items, allowing me to have them presented for customers to touch, while not being forced to have an associate standing over them at all times. Customer wins, LP wins and Sales win. I have even begun to consider these as a second line of defense for items in the display case. Let me explain why.
I recently dealt with $12,000 in theft at my store’s jewelry counter. A new associate was the victim of the classic switch scam. She provided a nice couple with a pair of rings to look at and as soon as they could distract her they made their move. In an instant my $6000 rings became two pieces of costume jewelry. Huge shrink impact, very hard to spot or stop unless, there had been a second line of defense. What if I placed an Alpha Jewel Lok onto my High ticket jewelry or had the associate do it as part of the display process?
Without ruining the ring’s presentation or harming the customer’s experience this one small Retail Anti Theft Device could have saved me $12,000. The swap scam wouldn’t have been possible. The thieves couldn’t remove it without being noticed. If they went for the swap anyway the rings they swapped in would have been instantly flagged for not having the devices. Once they tried to leave the alarm would have greeted them at the door along with LP a moment later. No matter what form the end result took our goal to Prevent shoplifting would have been achieved.
Thieves, scammers and shoplifters are a clever bunch and we must be open in our thought processes and creative in our approach to security. We need to stay ahead of them; while still providing an experience for our customers that leads to quality sales. With options like the Alpha Jewel Lok as well as dozens of other Retail Anti Theft Devices available we have the tools to increase profits, Prevent shoplifting and never let risk ruin the sale.
Need information on the Alpha Jewel Lok? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now
People never cease to amaze me. From my years as an Air Force Security Policeman through my years in retail, I have seen truly odd things from customers and on occasion I have had to adapt to these behaviors. Hopefully as I stroll through memory lane, you will find some of these things as amusing as I do. These days there are all types of measures taken to stop shoplifting, there are Checkpoint tags to place on merchandise, electronic article surveillance antennas, closed circuit television, but these tools were not always readily available about 30 years ago.
When I was a young Airman 1st Class stationed at my first base, I experienced my first encounter with aggressive shoppers. I had no idea that the release of a new toy could be the cause of a huge uproar. I learned my lesson when I was dispatched to go to the Base Exchange (BX)/toy store. It was somewhere in neighborhood of the Christmas shopping season and the BX had a “Toyland” store set up. I was assigned guard duty this particular day at the BX for a new toy coming out called the Cabbage Patch doll. I felt a little silly having to go to a store to guard a shipment of dolls, but I was not about to argue, orders were orders.
I arrived and stayed near the display where the dolls were being set up. I was more than a little surprised at the growing crowd waiting outside the doors for the store to open! These were just dolls weren’t they?! While I am sure there was some concern by store managers to stop shoplifting, I learned later that the bigger concern was to prevent rioting (admittedly it was not on the scale of a city riot, but it was big enough to me!). Checkpoint tags weren’t used at that time to prevent theft and even if they were, they weren’t going to prevent this mayhem. The doors opened and the crowd of shoppers stormed through those doors for the limited number of dolls on the display. I don’t know what management thought I was going to do, but my instinct for self- preservation prevailed…I moved out of the way. These shoppers were grabbing dolls from each other, yelling, pushing and screaming. What effort I did try to exert was to no avail and I watched, somewhat horrified I might add, as the melee ensued.
Eventually the last of the dolls was grabbed and held with a death-grip by some fierce shopper. I don’t know that my performance was what the management had in mind when they requested a Security Policeman to be present, but I did escape with all limbs attached so in my mind, mission accomplished. I will say that this experience somewhat prepared me for the future when I would find myself in a new career as a Retail Loss Prevention Manager. Black Fridays couldn’t be any worse…could they?!
My later experiences in Retail Loss Prevention did find me preparing merchandise and the store for Black Fridays, as well as chaotic new releases of products. Using Checkpoint tags to protect merchandise we normally kept in lock up cases, we spent many hours tagging merchandise, but the results paid off. While we were aware some theft took place, overall we did not find a lot of empty packages or torn shrink wrap with tags left on them in the days after Black Friday. The combination of protected merchandise, employee awareness, strong police and Loss Prevention presence proved to be a significant factor to stop shoplifting.
I was proud of the fact that during my time as a Loss Prevention Manager, we did not experience anything like my “Toyland” trauma. Thanks to Checkpoint tags and careful planning, I never went through that again.
Get more information on Checkpoint Tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Alpha Keepers-5 WC Blog 173
Prevent Shoplifting-3
Using Alpha Keepers To Their Fullest Potential Promotes Sales And Customer Service
I admire business owners who take a risk and open a small retail store or a small chain of stores. Having spent twenty-six years in retail I have a love for the business and a desire to see people succeed. Much of the advice I can give is from first-hand experience working with retail anti-theft devices to prevent shoplifting. As I former retail Security Officer, Retail Loss Prevention Manager and Logistics Manager, I have seen the things that are successful to grow a business. One of those things is the use of Alpha Keepers to protect merchandise and still make them available to customers.
Alpha Keepers are hard, solid, clear plastic boxes that allow retailers to secure product while keeping it available for customers to handle. The boxes are built to activate Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) alarms if carried through an EAS antenna. Merchandise is placed in the box and the hinged door of the box is locked and can only be opened by a detachment key at a point of sale or a handheld key carried by an associate.
Sometimes the cases are not used to their fullest advantage. Take for example the retail store I currently work for. We carry products that we do place in Alpha Keepers, such as some ink cartridges, most jump drives, and the majority of SD cards. On the other hand we also carry external computer hard drives we do not place in keepers. Instead, the store has cardboard pictures of the hard drives in the box, but no actual units. The hard drives are maintained in a locked stockroom, and can only be retrieved by someone with a key. Frequently customers want to purchase a hard drive and if the associate providing assistance does not have the set of keys for the stockroom, a call has to be made for further assistance.
We pride ourselves on providing great customer service, but it could be improved if we allowed the Alpha Keepers to work as intended. The purpose of the anti-theft devices is to prevent shoplifting while still giving customers access to merchandise. The Keepers allow the customers to read details on the item to be purchases, see actual size and also read warning labels. I have assisted a number of patrons who had very specific questions about a hard drive they were looking at and the only way to answer the question was to read the information printed on the box. For example, one question I am asked is, “Does this come with a USB cable?” I have to look for the information on the box. The problem is that the information is not on the card inside the Keeper and my handheld portable scanner does not give me all the information on the item needed to answer the question. I have to get into the stockroom, find the merchandise and then look at the box for the information. If the merchandise were in the Keepers there would be no need for the extra trip to the stockroom and further delay for the customer.
One of the things we strive to do in our store is close a sale by getting merchandise into the hands of the customer. This helps to overcome any objections customers may have to making a purchase. Getting merchandise out of lock-up cases and into Alpha Keepers is a great way to put the merchandise in the customer’s hands while promoting customer service and preventing shoplifting. This is a win for retailers all the way around.
Need information on Alpha Keepers? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
I admire business owners who take a risk and open a small retail store or a small chain of stores. Having spent twenty-six years in retail I have a love for the business and a desire to see people succeed. Much of the advice I can give is from first-hand experience working with retail anti-theft devices to prevent shoplifting. As I former retail Security Officer, Retail Loss Prevention Manager and Logistics Manager, I have seen the things that are successful to grow a business. One of those things is the use of Alpha Keepers to protect merchandise and still make them available to customers.
Alpha Keepers are hard, solid, clear plastic boxes that allow retailers to secure product while keeping it available for customers to handle. The boxes are built to activate Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) alarms if carried through an EAS antenna. Merchandise is placed in the box and the hinged door of the box is locked and can only be opened by a detachment key at a point of sale or a handheld key carried by an associate.
Sometimes the cases are not used to their fullest advantage. Take for example the retail store I currently work for. We carry products that we do place in Alpha Keepers, such as some ink cartridges, most jump drives, and the majority of SD cards. On the other hand we also carry external computer hard drives we do not place in keepers. Instead, the store has cardboard pictures of the hard drives in the box, but no actual units. The hard drives are maintained in a locked stockroom, and can only be retrieved by someone with a key. Frequently customers want to purchase a hard drive and if the associate providing assistance does not have the set of keys for the stockroom, a call has to be made for further assistance.
We pride ourselves on providing great customer service, but it could be improved if we allowed the Alpha Keepers to work as intended. The purpose of the anti-theft devices is to prevent shoplifting while still giving customers access to merchandise. The Keepers allow the customers to read details on the item to be purchases, see actual size and also read warning labels. I have assisted a number of patrons who had very specific questions about a hard drive they were looking at and the only way to answer the question was to read the information printed on the box. For example, one question I am asked is, “Does this come with a USB cable?” I have to look for the information on the box. The problem is that the information is not on the card inside the Keeper and my handheld portable scanner does not give me all the information on the item needed to answer the question. I have to get into the stockroom, find the merchandise and then look at the box for the information. If the merchandise were in the Keepers there would be no need for the extra trip to the stockroom and further delay for the customer.
One of the things we strive to do in our store is close a sale by getting merchandise into the hands of the customer. This helps to overcome any objections customers may have to making a purchase. Getting merchandise out of lock-up cases and into Alpha Keepers is a great way to put the merchandise in the customer’s hands while promoting customer service and preventing shoplifting. This is a win for retailers all the way around.
Need information on Alpha Keepers? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
There are a lot of things that make me angry and make me want to go on one of my rants. People with “txtl8r” bumper stickers on their cars who are driving and texting irritate me People assuming that turn signals are optional equipment when they buy a car…NO signals actually come with the vehicle and are to be used. Giving me the universal gesture when I have to beep my horn at someone because they are texting at a light and it turns green and the 20 cars ahead of them have already gone but that driver wasn’t paying attention. Receiving phone calls on my home phone with “private call” showing on my caller ID and when I pick up, the solicitor on the other end asks who I am…YOU called ME, and took the time to use call block and you’re asking who I AM? Cable TV companies that raise MY rates multiple times as a 20 year customer and offer “Special” rates for new customers who haven’t shown any loyalty! Last but not least (for now), helping a customer in the store I work at, telling them my system says I have an item on hand and then finding out the shelf is empty and we don’t have it, usually due to theft! Shoplifters make me ANGRY! That is why stores should use retail anti-theft devices, such as the Alpha Thunder Tag on merchandise to prevent shoplifting.
Retail anti-theft devices come in a wide range of designs and styles, but one of the more versatile devices is the Alpha Thunder Tag. Alpha’s lines of hard tags are designed to be compatible with electronic article surveillance (EAS) antennas. This means that if a tag is in the vicinity of an antenna it will cause the antennas to activate their audible alarms and LED lights alerting store employees of unpaid merchandise being taken out the doors. The Alpha Thunder tag not only activates EAS antennas, they also have a built in tamper alarm that sounds if there is an attempt to remove it from merchandise. A third alarm in the tag activates in the tag itself if it is carried out through EAS antennas.
This retail anti-theft device has adhesive backing that allows it to be attached to a product and cannot be detached without the use of an Alpha detachment key. This style of tag allows it to be stuck to boxed merchandise or even displays, such as tablets, i-pads and laptop computers without damaging the display when you are ready to sell it. Going back to what irritates me, one of the expensive items we sell in our store that I would like to see the Alpha Thunder Tag used on would be all of the laser jet printer cartridges and laser jet drums that we sell. While some of the cartridges are protected with retail anti-theft devices, the company direction does not dictate all cartridges to be secured. This becomes the source of frustration when trying to help a customer and telling them that we have something on hand and a thorough search finds we do not have it. Using Alpha Thunder Tags would eliminate a significant amount of the theft of these products.
One other benefit of using this particular anti-theft device is that it is small enough that it does not add a considerable amount of size to a box so the shelf capacity remains high. More products on the floor equate to increased sales and the tags minimize the risk of theft and prevent shoplifting, therefore profit is increased as well.
Prevent shoplifting in your store by using Alpha Thunder Tags on products. Your in-stocks and profit line will improve and who knows, maybe someone just like me who works in your store won’t have this to rant about any longer.
Need more information on Alpha Thunder Tags? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
