Hands down, Alpha Spider Wraps are one of the most effective, inexpensive methods you can use to prevent shoplifting. Throughout my career, I’ve not found a better solution to some of the most commonly stolen goods. The great thing about the Alpha Spider Wraps is that they can be used on just about any product, no matter how awkwardly shaped the packaging may be. Below are my picks for the top 5 hot items that you should be using these tags on:
- Game Consoles
Every kid (and some adults) can be huge “gamers”. This is a huge market and carrying the newest trend can mean dollar signs on your P+L. It’s difficult to lock these items in the back room, or behind a glass case, especially when your store is busy. You could be walking customers out the door if you can’t get to them quick enough. Alpha Spider Wraps provide you with an excellent level of protection, while keeping the product from growing legs!
2. Game Controllers
With any game console, comes the need for a controller. Back when I was a kid and Sega was all the rage, one would get a controller with the purchase of a console. Guess the game companies realized how much extra money they could make by selling them separately. These are often packaged in a way that shows off the ergonomics of the controller and it’s important that the customer get to feel it, before they purchase. These tags make that very easy, all while allowing you to openly display the product without the added stress of shrink.
3. Drones
Have you been living under a rock the past 18 months? If not, you must know that this arena is taking off and flying high! As technology gets better and better, personal use drones are becoming increasingly popular. It seems that everyone wants their hands on a flying camera. Drones can also be quite pricey, depending on the platform. Alpha Spider Wraps make a great product protection solution if your goal is to make these easily accessible to your customers.
4. Streaming Devices
If the cable companies don’t react soon, they could be a distant memory of the past. Millions of Americans are ditching cable (and the accompanying contract) for streaming services. In order to tap into those services, you need a streaming device (thinks Apple TV, Roku..) With the rise in popularity of these items, you can bet that they are a hot target for thieves and an item you should look to secure in order to prevent shoplifting.
5. Pre-Paid Cell Phones
Whether you just want a cheap alternative to a cell phone, or you are running a multi-billion dollar drug cartel, pre-paid cell phones are a necessity. Now, obviously, running with Walter White, you probably aren’t paying for many items that you want. So to combat those pesky drug lords and prevent shoplifting, secure those burners with an Alpha Spider Wrap… and maybe call the DEA.
For more information about Alpha Spider Wraps contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
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Prevent Shoplifting-3
Alpha Keepers – 5
Prevention Of Shoplifting Requires Retail Ant-Theft Devices And Customer Service
The first step a business owner or manager must take to prevent shoplifting in their stores is to use retail anti-theft devices to protect merchandise. These devices may include electronic article surveillance tags, cameras, showcases, and etc. The thing many business owners forget to address is the fact that retail anti-theft devices alone are not enough to stop theft. There has to be awareness, education and training of staff as well. Protection tools such as Alpha Keepers are great for deterring theft, but the truth of the matter is they don’t stop determined thieves, especially when employees are not nearby to respond to electronic article surveillance alarms.
For someone not aware of what Alpha Keepers are, they are solid, clear plastic boxes with a hinged top that locks in place after merchandise is placed in the box. The boxes are very durable and extremely difficult to break into without the proper detachment key. They are also electronic article surveillance (EAS) sensitive and will activate EAS antennas if they come into the proximity of the antennas. Keepers come in a variety of shapes and sizes giving options for protecting a wide range of products. Protective case designs are available for small health and beauty products to video game software and even round cases for baby formula.
This brings me to the point of this article, do Alpha Keepers prevent shoplifting? Yes and no is my answer. Retail anti-theft devices prevent theft by casual shoplifters who are looking for a quick thrill of stealing but are not interested in risk. The chance that an alarm could be set off at a door or prying off an anti-theft device could trip an alarm is enough to prevent theft by the “amateur” shoplifter. The professional shoplifter who makes their living stealing and reselling generally avoids items that will trigger alarms. Their goal is to leave a building undetected after stealing so they can return at a later time and steal again. So who does that leave since it sounds like most criminals are deterred by retail anti-theft devices? It leaves those who are risk takers and frequently these are the people who are stealing to support drug and alcohol habits.
A case in point is a recent incident at the store I work at as a sales associate. A customer came in one night and my instincts as a prior Loss Prevention Manager kicked in and I was immediately wary of him. The customer was looking around in a suspicious manner and seemed very jittery. I offered him assistance and he told me he was looking for ink cartridges. Our store keeps the cartridges in Alpha Keepers in a corralled area. I walked the customer to the ink cartridges and continued to assist him by trying to determine the cartridge style he needed. The patron said he had to call his mother to find out. Well, the store was busy and we have a limited staff so I took the chance that the ink cartridges would be okay since they were in keeper boxes. I hadn’t walked away very far to assist someone else when I heard the EAS alarm at the doors sound. The “customer” I had been assisting had selected two ink cartridges valued at about a hundred dollars or so combined and he ran out the door. The security boxes did what they were designed to do and set off the alarm, but in this case there was no one in the vicinity of the door to respond to the alarm and challenge him.
Retail anti-theft devices can and usually do prevent shoplifting, but to truly maximize their effectiveness, it is important to adequately staff a store with enough employees. Sometimes it can be as simple as having enough people that someone is in the area of the door to respond to alarms. If extra staffing is out of the question, it may be a matter of placing a cashier and a register at the exit making it difficult for a criminal to grab and run. Just remember, Alpha Keepers are not a cure-all for all theft but they will prevent a significant portion of it and keep your store profitable.
Get more information on Alpha Keepers. Contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
The first step a business owner or manager must take to prevent shoplifting in their stores is to use retail anti-theft devices to protect merchandise. These devices may include electronic article surveillance tags, cameras, showcases, and etc. The thing many business owners forget to address is the fact that retail anti-theft devices alone are not enough to stop theft. There has to be awareness, education and training of staff as well. Protection tools such as Alpha Keepers are great for deterring theft, but the truth of the matter is they don’t stop determined thieves, especially when employees are not nearby to respond to electronic article surveillance alarms.
For someone not aware of what Alpha Keepers are, they are solid, clear plastic boxes with a hinged top that locks in place after merchandise is placed in the box. The boxes are very durable and extremely difficult to break into without the proper detachment key. They are also electronic article surveillance (EAS) sensitive and will activate EAS antennas if they come into the proximity of the antennas. Keepers come in a variety of shapes and sizes giving options for protecting a wide range of products. Protective case designs are available for small health and beauty products to video game software and even round cases for baby formula.
This brings me to the point of this article, do Alpha Keepers prevent shoplifting? Yes and no is my answer. Retail anti-theft devices prevent theft by casual shoplifters who are looking for a quick thrill of stealing but are not interested in risk. The chance that an alarm could be set off at a door or prying off an anti-theft device could trip an alarm is enough to prevent theft by the “amateur” shoplifter. The professional shoplifter who makes their living stealing and reselling generally avoids items that will trigger alarms. Their goal is to leave a building undetected after stealing so they can return at a later time and steal again. So who does that leave since it sounds like most criminals are deterred by retail anti-theft devices? It leaves those who are risk takers and frequently these are the people who are stealing to support drug and alcohol habits.
A case in point is a recent incident at the store I work at as a sales associate. A customer came in one night and my instincts as a prior Loss Prevention Manager kicked in and I was immediately wary of him. The customer was looking around in a suspicious manner and seemed very jittery. I offered him assistance and he told me he was looking for ink cartridges. Our store keeps the cartridges in Alpha Keepers in a corralled area. I walked the customer to the ink cartridges and continued to assist him by trying to determine the cartridge style he needed. The patron said he had to call his mother to find out. Well, the store was busy and we have a limited staff so I took the chance that the ink cartridges would be okay since they were in keeper boxes. I hadn’t walked away very far to assist someone else when I heard the EAS alarm at the doors sound. The “customer” I had been assisting had selected two ink cartridges valued at about a hundred dollars or so combined and he ran out the door. The security boxes did what they were designed to do and set off the alarm, but in this case there was no one in the vicinity of the door to respond to the alarm and challenge him.
Retail anti-theft devices can and usually do prevent shoplifting, but to truly maximize their effectiveness, it is important to adequately staff a store with enough employees. Sometimes it can be as simple as having enough people that someone is in the area of the door to respond to alarms. If extra staffing is out of the question, it may be a matter of placing a cashier and a register at the exit making it difficult for a criminal to grab and run. Just remember, Alpha Keepers are not a cure-all for all theft but they will prevent a significant portion of it and keep your store profitable.
Get more information on Alpha Keepers. Contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
I don’t normally go into vision wear stores to shop but recently my wife had an eye checkup and the result was a new eyeglass prescription. Because she is not one to spend money on herself, she also was badly in need of a new pair of frames for her glasses. We went to three different stores shopping for frames and I was hit by sticker shock when I saw the prices on many of the frames, not including what it would cost to make the new lenses. On the low end there were glasses in the $40.00 range, but on the higher end frames were near $200.00! I was surprised that I saw no retail anti-theft devices in use to prevent shoplifting. In one store there were three employees but there were also quite a few shoppers and I had the impression that a knowledgeable thief could have gotten away with several pair of frames if they were so inclined. It seemed to me the store should have placed an Alpha Eyewear Tag on each pair of frames to ensure none would be stolen.
Alpha Eyewear tags are electronic article surveillance (EAS) protected retail anti-theft devices that attach to the arm of a pair of glasses. The tags are unobtrusive, allowing a shopper to try on a pair of glasses without the tag interfering with the function. The tags prevent shoplifting in two ways. First, they are almost impossible to remove without a detachment key and if someone were to attempt to force a tag off the arm of the frames the arm will break off. Second, if a store is set up with EAS antennas at the doors and a shoplifting is attempted, the tag on a protected pair of glasses will activate the antennas, sounding an alarm. In the event of an activation, store personnel are able to respond to the alarm and recover the merchandise being stolen. Tags also alarm on merchandise a customer may have inadvertently walked off with, still allowing the opportunity to recover the item.
If you have a business that sells eye wear, either glasses frames or sunglasses you may be wondering if there is really a need to protect your merchandise. In case you question whether or not you need to find a way to prevent shoplifting in your store, here are a couple of examples that may make you seriously consider using retail anti-theft devices.
- News4jax.com reporter Nicole Snyder posted a story on April 13, 2016, about a couple in Jacksonville who shoplifted $3,000 worth of merchandise from a vision store. The optical sales rep of the store was quoted as saying, “…And then you have to play a game of do we lock everything up and make it inaccessible to people or do we leave it open so people can try it on and come here and have a great experience?”
- April 18, 2016, wtvr.com reported on thieves who were repeatedly stealing from a Richmond, Virginia LensCrafters store. The thieves were stealing designer eyeglass frames. No dollar amount was reported.
- March 16, 2015 losangeles.cbslocal.com reported that a Glendale, California store owner reported the theft of $200,000 worth of designer eyewear.
Shoplifting occurs in nearly every retail business and eyeglass shops are not exempt. Protecting product is necessary to stay in business. A business cannot sustain significant losses over a prolonged period of time.
I would also point out that the optical sales rep in the Jacksonville story gave only two options for a store, lock up merchandise to prevent theft or leave it accessible and risk losing it. Alpha eyewear tags provide a third and better option. Using the tags on eyeglass frames and sunglasses can be accessible and still protected. Thieves are not going to want to risk setting off alarms or damaging merchandise they cannot resell. Provide great customer service and still protect your product. Use Alpha eyewear tags and prevent shoplifting while still giving shoppers the ability to try on and buy your products. And as for that pair of frames for my wife? We’re still looking.
Get more information on Alpha eyewear tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
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Retail Anti-theft devices-5
Alpha Hang Tag-5
An Alpha Hang Tag Can Offer Big Protection For Small Products
I love it when I have opportunity to prevent shoplifting at my current retail job because it often fits so neatly into an article about retail anti-theft devices. I no longer work in retail Loss Prevention, but even as a part time sales associate I still find I can use those skills I developed after almost 20 years in the Loss Prevention Field. The other night as we were about ten minutes from closing, a “customer” came into the store to “look at” some art supplies. The customer was wearing an oversized t-shirt, rather loose fitting jeans and a ball cap. I walked over to the customer and greeted him and began talking to him about the three boxes of art pencils and pens in his hands, as well as a clipboard. The boxes were about $17.99, $38.99 and $29.99 in value. The customer was very talkative and seemed to be all over the place in his conversation with me. After about five minutes of my “chatting” with him and offering to hold and ring up his purchase, my customer decided he would “think about” coming back to buy the items. He left the store as closing time was announced by part of the building lights going out. Why did I think he was going to steal the items? The customer was in a known high theft area and clip boards are often used to hide merchandise held in a hand until an opportunity to conceal it arises. Also, there was no retail anti-theft device on these items. For these particular items it is a missed opportunity for the store to not be utilizing an Alpha Hang Tag to protect them from theft.
The Alpha Hang Tag is a heavy duty, plastic, retail anti-theft device that is attached to the hang tag of peg hook merchandise. Because clamshell packaging comes in different thicknesses, The Alpha Hang tag is available with a short or long pin that clamps into the main housing of the device. The tags are designed to activate electronic article surveillance antennas if they enter into the detection field of the antenna. Even when merchandise protected with the hang tag is concealed under clothing, like an oversized t-shirt and loose fitting jeans, the EAS radio frequency can penetrate the clothing and read the tag. Because they have a snug fit to cover the peg hook tab, hang tags are extremely difficult to remove from merchandise.
Why are these art items not protected to prevent shoplifting if the store experiences a significant amount of theft of this category of merchandise? I don’t know the answer to the question. Some of the items in the category are small and it is possible that no one has considered that retail anti-theft devices like the Alpha Hang Tag can work on the merchandise. The store does have an electronic article surveillance system and uses other types of retail anti-theft devices on merchandise to prevent shoplifting. It is important to remember that shoplifters target merchandise for several reasons. First, the item is small and easy to conceal so the thief is less likely to be caught in the act of stealing. Second, if the shoplifter is a professional they may be stealing items that can be resold and the higher the dollar value, the more money they will get for the merchandise. Frequently boosters will get in the neighborhood of twenty-five cents on the dollar for stolen goods. Third, people shoplift merchandise they don’t think is protected. Few people want to take a chance an alarm is going to activate and alert employees to their crime. I don’t know what motivations my “customer” had, but the items I believe he wanted to steal could have fit all three reasons for being targeted.
Don’t allow your store to be vulnerable to shoplifters. Deter thieves in the first place by using an Alpha Hang Tag on your peg hook merchandise. Profits increase when you invest in merchandise protection products.
Get more information on Alpha Hang Tag, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
I love it when I have opportunity to prevent shoplifting at my current retail job because it often fits so neatly into an article about retail anti-theft devices. I no longer work in retail Loss Prevention, but even as a part time sales associate I still find I can use those skills I developed after almost 20 years in the Loss Prevention Field. The other night as we were about ten minutes from closing, a “customer” came into the store to “look at” some art supplies. The customer was wearing an oversized t-shirt, rather loose fitting jeans and a ball cap. I walked over to the customer and greeted him and began talking to him about the three boxes of art pencils and pens in his hands, as well as a clipboard. The boxes were about $17.99, $38.99 and $29.99 in value. The customer was very talkative and seemed to be all over the place in his conversation with me. After about five minutes of my “chatting” with him and offering to hold and ring up his purchase, my customer decided he would “think about” coming back to buy the items. He left the store as closing time was announced by part of the building lights going out. Why did I think he was going to steal the items? The customer was in a known high theft area and clip boards are often used to hide merchandise held in a hand until an opportunity to conceal it arises. Also, there was no retail anti-theft device on these items. For these particular items it is a missed opportunity for the store to not be utilizing an Alpha Hang Tag to protect them from theft.
The Alpha Hang Tag is a heavy duty, plastic, retail anti-theft device that is attached to the hang tag of peg hook merchandise. Because clamshell packaging comes in different thicknesses, The Alpha Hang tag is available with a short or long pin that clamps into the main housing of the device. The tags are designed to activate electronic article surveillance antennas if they enter into the detection field of the antenna. Even when merchandise protected with the hang tag is concealed under clothing, like an oversized t-shirt and loose fitting jeans, the EAS radio frequency can penetrate the clothing and read the tag. Because they have a snug fit to cover the peg hook tab, hang tags are extremely difficult to remove from merchandise.
Why are these art items not protected to prevent shoplifting if the store experiences a significant amount of theft of this category of merchandise? I don’t know the answer to the question. Some of the items in the category are small and it is possible that no one has considered that retail anti-theft devices like the Alpha Hang Tag can work on the merchandise. The store does have an electronic article surveillance system and uses other types of retail anti-theft devices on merchandise to prevent shoplifting. It is important to remember that shoplifters target merchandise for several reasons. First, the item is small and easy to conceal so the thief is less likely to be caught in the act of stealing. Second, if the shoplifter is a professional they may be stealing items that can be resold and the higher the dollar value, the more money they will get for the merchandise. Frequently boosters will get in the neighborhood of twenty-five cents on the dollar for stolen goods. Third, people shoplift merchandise they don’t think is protected. Few people want to take a chance an alarm is going to activate and alert employees to their crime. I don’t know what motivations my “customer” had, but the items I believe he wanted to steal could have fit all three reasons for being targeted.
Don’t allow your store to be vulnerable to shoplifters. Deter thieves in the first place by using an Alpha Hang Tag on your peg hook merchandise. Profits increase when you invest in merchandise protection products.
Get more information on Alpha Hang Tag, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
USING RETAIL ANTI-SHOPLIFTING DEVICES TO YOUR ADVANTAGE
Do you ever walk around your store and wonder just how much of your product winds up in the hands of a criminal? Maybe you were researching an item for a customer and your computer said you had 5 of this particular item, but you couldn’t find a single one. Or, perhaps you may have walked down a secluded aisle and noticed several empty packages of merchandise tucked away behind a shelf or display. If this sounds like you, then chances are you have a shoplifting problem. Whether it be a loss of $10 or $10,000, every penny you lose to dishonesty is a penny less that’s going towards your bottom line. Thankfully, over the past several years, technology has kept pace with this growing issue and thus given the retail industry several tools that we can use to prevent shoplifting.
There is nothing that is safe in your store, trust me. Unless of course you display your entire stock behind a glass case that is! Over the last decade, I’ve worked as an area LP manager for a large big box retailer. I’ve seen everything there is to see in regards to shoplifters and the lengths they will go through in order to steal. Thankfully, my company invests heavily into retail anti-shoplifting devices. From the large cable wraps on game stations to delicately placed sensor tags on some of the most commonly stolen items, our program ultimately keeps our shrink in line to what’s expected. What’s best is that these simple methods aren’t just for the big box stores; but can be tailored to any size retail establishment and any budget.
The first thing I had to learn coming into this career is that I wasn’t going to prevent shoplifting completely. What I had to do was develop programs that would ultimately limit our store’s exposure to the risk of loss. When I first started, we had a very small LP department and we weren’t utilizing resources to our advantage. One of the very first things that I accomplished was using the store’s negative shrink data to determine what items were most commonly stolen. From there, we ultimately applied retail anti-theft devices that were tailored specifically for that item. Over time, we began to see a shift from what was once the most commonly stolen items (which the thieves could no longer easily target), to other items within the store that were an easier target. See, thieves are like water; they will follow the path of least resistance.
As the months and years pressed on, we continued to rely on shrink data to identify “hot” items, those that continued to post losses week after week. If a new style of shirt would come in and we’d immediately see shrink, we’d flag the item at the DC to be tagged with a retail anti-theft device that made sense for the purpose of shrink mitigation as well as customer service (customers usually don’t want to shop for an item that is locked up with a cable).
Even though I work for a large company with hundreds of stores, this principle can be applied to companies that may only have one store. As store managers, or business owners, you are uniquely positioned to know what is driving your sales, as well as your shrink. By knowing where your losses are coming from, you can react to those losses and use technology to better assist you in your efforts to prevent shoplifting.
For more information about Retail Anti-Theft Devices contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
Do you ever walk around your store and wonder just how much of your product winds up in the hands of a criminal? Maybe you were researching an item for a customer and your computer said you had 5 of this particular item, but you couldn’t find a single one. Or, perhaps you may have walked down a secluded aisle and noticed several empty packages of merchandise tucked away behind a shelf or display. If this sounds like you, then chances are you have a shoplifting problem. Whether it be a loss of $10 or $10,000, every penny you lose to dishonesty is a penny less that’s going towards your bottom line. Thankfully, over the past several years, technology has kept pace with this growing issue and thus given the retail industry several tools that we can use to prevent shoplifting.
There is nothing that is safe in your store, trust me. Unless of course you display your entire stock behind a glass case that is! Over the last decade, I’ve worked as an area LP manager for a large big box retailer. I’ve seen everything there is to see in regards to shoplifters and the lengths they will go through in order to steal. Thankfully, my company invests heavily into retail anti-shoplifting devices. From the large cable wraps on game stations to delicately placed sensor tags on some of the most commonly stolen items, our program ultimately keeps our shrink in line to what’s expected. What’s best is that these simple methods aren’t just for the big box stores; but can be tailored to any size retail establishment and any budget.
The first thing I had to learn coming into this career is that I wasn’t going to prevent shoplifting completely. What I had to do was develop programs that would ultimately limit our store’s exposure to the risk of loss. When I first started, we had a very small LP department and we weren’t utilizing resources to our advantage. One of the very first things that I accomplished was using the store’s negative shrink data to determine what items were most commonly stolen. From there, we ultimately applied retail anti-theft devices that were tailored specifically for that item. Over time, we began to see a shift from what was once the most commonly stolen items (which the thieves could no longer easily target), to other items within the store that were an easier target. See, thieves are like water; they will follow the path of least resistance.
As the months and years pressed on, we continued to rely on shrink data to identify “hot” items, those that continued to post losses week after week. If a new style of shirt would come in and we’d immediately see shrink, we’d flag the item at the DC to be tagged with a retail anti-theft device that made sense for the purpose of shrink mitigation as well as customer service (customers usually don’t want to shop for an item that is locked up with a cable).
Even though I work for a large company with hundreds of stores, this principle can be applied to companies that may only have one store. As store managers, or business owners, you are uniquely positioned to know what is driving your sales, as well as your shrink. By knowing where your losses are coming from, you can react to those losses and use technology to better assist you in your efforts to prevent shoplifting.
For more information about Retail Anti-Theft Devices contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
