THROW SHADE AT SHOPLIFTERS WITH ALPHA EYEWEAR TAGS
Sunglasses are a good business to be in. It’s one of those categories that will always do well, provided you stay current with the new styles and you remain in stock. I mean, there’s always going to be a Sun, right? Eyewear presents a unique challenge, though. In order for your customer to buy it, they need to try it on and see how it looks and feels. You also need to make sure your product doesn’t ride off into the sunset in the hands of a sunglass thief. So how do you strike such balance between these two polarizing needs? Alpha Eyewear Tags can help you to throw some shade to potential shrink.
My company has a large amount of high end sunglasses that we carry. Everything from a $50 pair of Nike shades to the $450 dollar Oakley specs (perfect if you’re a vampire apparently). Over the years, we’ve experimented with dozens of display techniques that put the product in the hands of the customer all while working hard at preventing shoplifting incidents. We started by having them secured in a 50 feet long glass display. That was great, but the sales were pretty weak, even on our coastal stores. We tried open selling, but got hammered with theft. Open selling with a dedicated team member worked; for a while. We noticed that the one employee would quickly get overwhelmed and we were leaving ourselves wide open for theft; again. Not to mention the payroll we were spending to man that area during all open hours.
The final set-up we tried (and is still the method we use today in some of our coastal stores) is an open sell concept, with an employee and one little piece of retail magic; Alpha eyewear tags. So if you come into any of our coastal stores, you’ll see a dedicate “store” inside of the store. This area is essentially a mini sunglass specialty store. We have a single point of sale and the area is confined to about 500 sq. feet. One way in, one way out. The sunglass shop also has its very own EAS tower. We needed that because every pair of glasses are open and displayed for the customer to try on and touch, but they’re also secured with an eyewear tag. This allows us to prevent shoplifting and see an incredible amount of sell-through.
While I understand that not every retailer can build a store inside of their own store, this set up can work for any retailer, especially those that specialize in sunglasses. No longer do you have to weigh the benefits and the risks with proudly displaying your product. A simple tag can be your solution to the age-old question, “how do I prevent shoplifting?”
Need information on Alpha Eyewear Tags? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Sunglasses are a good business to be in. It’s one of those categories that will always do well, provided you stay current with the new styles and you remain in stock. I mean, there’s always going to be a Sun, right? Eyewear presents a unique challenge, though. In order for your customer to buy it, they need to try it on and see how it looks and feels. You also need to make sure your product doesn’t ride off into the sunset in the hands of a sunglass thief. So how do you strike such balance between these two polarizing needs? Alpha Eyewear Tags can help you to throw some shade to potential shrink.
My company has a large amount of high end sunglasses that we carry. Everything from a $50 pair of Nike shades to the $450 dollar Oakley specs (perfect if you’re a vampire apparently). Over the years, we’ve experimented with dozens of display techniques that put the product in the hands of the customer all while working hard at preventing shoplifting incidents. We started by having them secured in a 50 feet long glass display. That was great, but the sales were pretty weak, even on our coastal stores. We tried open selling, but got hammered with theft. Open selling with a dedicated team member worked; for a while. We noticed that the one employee would quickly get overwhelmed and we were leaving ourselves wide open for theft; again. Not to mention the payroll we were spending to man that area during all open hours.
The final set-up we tried (and is still the method we use today in some of our coastal stores) is an open sell concept, with an employee and one little piece of retail magic; Alpha eyewear tags. So if you come into any of our coastal stores, you’ll see a dedicate “store” inside of the store. This area is essentially a mini sunglass specialty store. We have a single point of sale and the area is confined to about 500 sq. feet. One way in, one way out. The sunglass shop also has its very own EAS tower. We needed that because every pair of glasses are open and displayed for the customer to try on and touch, but they’re also secured with an eyewear tag. This allows us to prevent shoplifting and see an incredible amount of sell-through.
While I understand that not every retailer can build a store inside of their own store, this set up can work for any retailer, especially those that specialize in sunglasses. No longer do you have to weigh the benefits and the risks with proudly displaying your product. A simple tag can be your solution to the age-old question, “how do I prevent shoplifting?”
Need information on Alpha Eyewear Tags? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
With the increased push for consumers to buy from local dealers instead of the big boxes, many new retailers are seeing more and more foot traffic in their stores. I have no issue with shopping online, but I do enjoy going into the store to browse around and I usually end up buying more than I intended. One downside to that is that with more people in the store looking around, the easier it is to get distracted, and the easier it is to lose merchandise to thieves. Some business owners and managers then make the mistake of the knee jerk reaction. They start making decisions that punish their honest customers, instead of looking into creative ways to prevent shoplifting, like utilizing retail anti theft devices.
I just drove past a new little store on my way back from taking my daughter to school. The lady opened up a “Bargains and Exchange” store about a month or so ago. I had been meaning to stop in there because there was a cute purse hanging in the window, but then I guess someone else bought it. But today I saw a big hand written sign on the front door that read: NO LARGE BAGS ALLOWED INSIDE STORE. I just sighed and shook my head. She’s started having the same trouble as the antique shop next door to her, or she’s just copying them. Either way, there are better and more customer friendly ways to prevent shoplifting. There are several different tools offered by Alpha security that can help deter theft, but none of them involve signs.
Alpha security involves some versatile tools that can be used to protect almost anything you sell. I’ll just tell you about a couple of them. First of all, there is one of my favorites, the Alpha Spider Wrap. It is exactly what it sounds like: you wrap the cables around the item and snap the lock into place. The cables are super strong and they stretch around large items. I’ve put them around 19” television boxes before. Once you click the lock into place, you can adjust and tighten the cables until there is not even room to get a sheet of paper under them. I have watched a thief try to take one off; it was very entertaining. If the customer does manage to damage one of the cables, the Alpha Spider Wrap will self alarm and alert the store staff. How cool is that?
Another tool offered by Alpha security is the Alpha Cable Lock. In our area, one oddly popular item for thieves to go after is large bottles of name brand laundry detergent. They would load up with arms full, wait until the clerk got busy, and then run out the front door. Sometimes they would be seen, but many times it went completely unnoticed. So, we invested in Alpha Cable Locks. They are about the size of an actual large lock, but they are designed for protecting merchandise. They fit right around the handles of these detergent bottles, and they are nearly impossible to remove without the right tool. Those Alpha Cable Locks put a stop to the laundry liquid thefts immediately and we were very thankful.
These are just a couple of examples of tools offered by Alpha Security. Just think about what your store is losing and take a look at what they could do for you.
Get more information on Alpha Technology. Contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
FOLLOW THROUGH WITH ALPHA O-TAGS
Believe it or not, summertime is here. That means most people will be taking it outside while the kids are out of school. Historically speaking (for my company anyway), this is when shoplifting seems to spike. Maybe it’s the long days, or the sweltering heat, but our records always indicate a giant spike this time of year. Now, more than ever, we’re faced with the challenge of increasing our sales all the while trying to prevent shoplifting.
One area of business that really picks up between spring and fall is golf. Why not, really? The sun’s out, the grass on the course is green and the sweat tea tastes mighty fine this time of year. What better way to spend a relaxing Sunday afternoon than with a game of golf with your buddies? (Fishing, maybe?) Do you know who else knows this time of year is big business for golf? Thieves operate within organized groups that not only steal, but are in the game specifically with the intent to resell those stolen goods for a profit; your profit. It’s a good thing you bought those O-Tags to better secure those high end golf clubs!
Just last year, one of my stores conducted their annual inventory. Usually if an inventory is a shock, there’s a problem. I was reviewing the line items with the General Manager when we got to his golf department. There was an enormous loss in single golf clubs. I’m talking several thousand dollars in missing golf clubs. At first, we thought there may have been a shipping error from the warehouse, but after some digging, found that everything was delivered to the store. The only other explanation to such high shrink would be theft. I asked the GM if he was positive that he was following the company policy of using O-Tags to secure all golf clubs over $50. His response was a long, blank stare back at me. I knew what the answer was and he didn’t have to say it.
LP-101: in order to prevent shoplifting, you actually have to use the tools that the company gives you to do so. A box of O-Tags sitting in the warehouse will do you absolutely no good. In fact, you have to apply them to the product if you want to see any type of success. I, unfortunately, see this very often. Managers are simply assuming that their teams are doing everything right and often fail to inspect their own expectations. I gave this GM a good deal of grief (he’s really a great guy and an overall exceptional manager), it really shows a larger problem; department managers failing to adhere to LP standards.
If you have a sales manager that consistently falls below sales numbers, you’d coach that manager. If, over time, there still is no improvement, most likely there would be documentation. Even after a coaching or two (or three… maybe 4) and a written corrective, this manager doesn’t improve, chances are, you’d be in the market for a new manager. So why is it any different when it comes to the back side of sales; shrink. By not following the controls in place, isn’t this manager taking sales dollars off the table? Of course they are. If the product is stolen, it’s not available for a customer to purchase, which equates to a lost sale.
Using the tools given in order to prevent shoplifting is just as important as add-on sales, up-charging or any other sales tactic used to bring in more dollars. So if your mangers are focusing on their sales, always remind them to focus just as much attention on shrink. It could help boost their sales without them even knowing!
Get more information on O-Tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Believe it or not, summertime is here. That means most people will be taking it outside while the kids are out of school. Historically speaking (for my company anyway), this is when shoplifting seems to spike. Maybe it’s the long days, or the sweltering heat, but our records always indicate a giant spike this time of year. Now, more than ever, we’re faced with the challenge of increasing our sales all the while trying to prevent shoplifting.
One area of business that really picks up between spring and fall is golf. Why not, really? The sun’s out, the grass on the course is green and the sweat tea tastes mighty fine this time of year. What better way to spend a relaxing Sunday afternoon than with a game of golf with your buddies? (Fishing, maybe?) Do you know who else knows this time of year is big business for golf? Thieves operate within organized groups that not only steal, but are in the game specifically with the intent to resell those stolen goods for a profit; your profit. It’s a good thing you bought those O-Tags to better secure those high end golf clubs!
Just last year, one of my stores conducted their annual inventory. Usually if an inventory is a shock, there’s a problem. I was reviewing the line items with the General Manager when we got to his golf department. There was an enormous loss in single golf clubs. I’m talking several thousand dollars in missing golf clubs. At first, we thought there may have been a shipping error from the warehouse, but after some digging, found that everything was delivered to the store. The only other explanation to such high shrink would be theft. I asked the GM if he was positive that he was following the company policy of using O-Tags to secure all golf clubs over $50. His response was a long, blank stare back at me. I knew what the answer was and he didn’t have to say it.
LP-101: in order to prevent shoplifting, you actually have to use the tools that the company gives you to do so. A box of O-Tags sitting in the warehouse will do you absolutely no good. In fact, you have to apply them to the product if you want to see any type of success. I, unfortunately, see this very often. Managers are simply assuming that their teams are doing everything right and often fail to inspect their own expectations. I gave this GM a good deal of grief (he’s really a great guy and an overall exceptional manager), it really shows a larger problem; department managers failing to adhere to LP standards.
If you have a sales manager that consistently falls below sales numbers, you’d coach that manager. If, over time, there still is no improvement, most likely there would be documentation. Even after a coaching or two (or three… maybe 4) and a written corrective, this manager doesn’t improve, chances are, you’d be in the market for a new manager. So why is it any different when it comes to the back side of sales; shrink. By not following the controls in place, isn’t this manager taking sales dollars off the table? Of course they are. If the product is stolen, it’s not available for a customer to purchase, which equates to a lost sale.
Using the tools given in order to prevent shoplifting is just as important as add-on sales, up-charging or any other sales tactic used to bring in more dollars. So if your mangers are focusing on their sales, always remind them to focus just as much attention on shrink. It could help boost their sales without them even knowing!
Get more information on O-Tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Prevent Shoplifting -3 WC blog 134
Retail Anti-Theft Devices-3
Building A Case On A Suspected Shoplifter Leads To The Arrest Of Store Break-In Suspects
With somewhere in the neighborhood of seventeen years of Retail Loss Prevention experience and thirteen or so of those years as a Loss Prevention Manager, you know there are bound to be interesting and funny stories to share. Many of those stories I have included in my articles on how to prevent shoplifting and the use of retail anti- theft devices. There are also a number of experiences I had that were interesting but did not fit into the subjects I write about. I now have the opportunity to include some of those incidents in a few articles that hopefully will make you smile or just say WOW!
One of my responsibilities as a Loss Prevention Manager was to be first on the alarm call list of our local police department. One very early morning, around 2:00am, I received a phone call from the police department that woke me out of my sound sleep. The officer said a cement block had been tossed through one of the glass front doors and officers were on the scene. I told him I would be there shortly and immediately dressed and drove the eight miles to my store. As I arrived I was met by several police officers and a crime scene investigator. We entered the store and with the front check lanes to my immediate front, right I could see one register had been pulled off of the counter and thrown to the floor. Another had been pulled apart, but it appeared the criminals got scared and left the store. I did not see any damage to retail anti-theft equipment such as our EAS antennas, which was some relief.
The police and I did a search of the building and after determining the suspects were gone, the investigator began his work taking fingerprints and photographing the crime scene. I made the required notifications to my chain of command and then began reviewing surveillance video. During my review I found the footage of the two suspects outside the building pacing, and then walking over to the neighboring hardware store where they found a cement block. Cameras were situated outside the store in such a way that the subjects were pictured selecting the block then tossing it through the door. Several cameras caught them as they entered through the opening they had made. I noticed they appeared to be teenagers; it was dark so the faces were not very clear, but one was a large kid and looked familiar to me. Video showed the larger suspect pulling up one register and slamming it to the floor, apparently in an attempt to get cash. The second suspect tugged at the other register but was unsuccessful in his effort to tear it from the counter.
It wasn’t long before the suspects looked at the doors, apparently hearing sirens, and left the building empty handed. I made copies of the videos for the police and released them to their custody. I continued to try to picture where I knew the bigger suspect from even though I could not see his face. It didn’t take too long before I realized I recognized the suspect, there had been numerous attempts by our team to prevent shoplifting by this teen and his friends. This young man had a peculiar way he walked that made him stand out. Since I had been suspicious of him I had tracked him on camera and I knew there was video footage! I pulled out those videos and sure enough, the suspect had the same particular gate to his walk that was exactly like the subject in my break-in. Because those earlier videos had great facial images, I shared my suspicions with my police partners and copied one of those videos and released it to them.
I left the store after our morning Leader On Duty Arrived and I returned to work late that morning to wrap up my reports. By 3:00pm police detectives stopped by the store to let me know that based on the videos I provided they were able to arrest the bigger suspect in a local park and he admitted to his role and gave them the name of the second suspect (it didn’t hurt that suspect number one was still wearing the clothes he had on during the break in). Suspect number two was arrested later that afternoon or the next day.
Loss Prevention work tends to focus on how to prevent shoplifting and using retail anti-theft devices to secure product but sometimes we get those unusual situations and we have to be ready to respond. They test us and make for great stories!
Need more information on how to prevent shoplifting? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
With somewhere in the neighborhood of seventeen years of Retail Loss Prevention experience and thirteen or so of those years as a Loss Prevention Manager, you know there are bound to be interesting and funny stories to share. Many of those stories I have included in my articles on how to prevent shoplifting and the use of retail anti- theft devices. There are also a number of experiences I had that were interesting but did not fit into the subjects I write about. I now have the opportunity to include some of those incidents in a few articles that hopefully will make you smile or just say WOW!
One of my responsibilities as a Loss Prevention Manager was to be first on the alarm call list of our local police department. One very early morning, around 2:00am, I received a phone call from the police department that woke me out of my sound sleep. The officer said a cement block had been tossed through one of the glass front doors and officers were on the scene. I told him I would be there shortly and immediately dressed and drove the eight miles to my store. As I arrived I was met by several police officers and a crime scene investigator. We entered the store and I could see one register had been pulled off of the counter and thrown to the floor. Another had been pulled apart, but it appeared the criminals got scared and left the store. I did not see any damage to retail anti-theft equipment such as our EAS antennas, which was some relief.
The police and I did a search of the building and after determining the suspects were gone, the investigator began his work taking fingerprints and photographing the crime scene. I made the required notifications to my chain of command and then began reviewing surveillance video. During my review I found the footage of the two suspects outside the building pacing, and then walking over to the neighboring hardware store where they found a cement block. Cameras were situated outside the store in such a way that the subjects were pictured selecting the block then tossing it through the door. Several cameras caught them as they entered through the opening they had made. I noticed they appeared to be teenagers; it was dark so the faces were not very clear, but one was a large kid and looked familiar to me. Video showed the larger suspect pulling up one register and slamming it to the floor, apparently in an attempt to get cash. The second suspect tugged at the other register but was unsuccessful in his effort to tear it from the counter.
It wasn’t long before the suspects looked at the doors, apparently hearing sirens, and left the building empty handed. I made copies of the videos for the police and released them to their custody. I continued to try to picture where I knew the bigger suspect from even though I could not see his face. It didn’t take too long before I realized I recognized the suspect, there had been numerous attempts by our team to prevent shoplifting by this teen and his friends.This young man had a peculiar way he walked that made him stand out. Since I had been suspicious of him I had tracked him on camera and I knew there was video footage! I pulled out those videos and sure enough, the suspect had the same particular gate to his walk that was exactly like the subject in my break-in. Because those earlier videos had great facial images, I shared my suspicions with my police partners and copied one of those videos and released it to them.
I left the store after our morning Leader On Duty Arrived and I returned to work late that morning to wrap up my reports. By 3:00pm police detectives stopped by the store to let me know that based on the videos I provided they were able to arrest the bigger suspect in a local park and he admitted to his role and gave them the name of the second suspect (it didn’t hurt that suspect number one was still wearing the clothes he had on during the break in). Suspect number two was arrested later that afternoon or the next day.
Loss Prevention work tends to focus on how to prevent shoplifting and using retail anti-theft devices to secure product but sometimes we get those unusual situations and we have to be ready to respond. They test us and make for great stories!
Need more information on how to prevent shoplifting? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Alpha Keepers-4 , Protect Razor Blades-2 , Prevent Shoplifting-2
Shave Off Some Stress With Alpha Keepers
I have worked for the same small retail pharmacy business for just over fifteen years. I have seen some new ideas come and go. Some of them have worked out great and some have not made it. One year our boss said that we should get rid of our “Next Register Please” signs. She said they were negative messages and that we should just talk to our customers and tell them where to check out. That was a great idea, but she also said we needed to be out on the sales floor when we did not have customers at the counter, in order to answer questions and be visible to prevent shoplifting. However, she did realize that while we were out on the floor, helping a customer find something, that another customer could walk up and not know which register to go to put their items down. Then, we would come back to the counter and have to move all their merchandise to the one we were actually using. That was very frustrating for us and them, to say the least. Needless to say, we had to order new signs not long after that.
That was just one of their least bad ideas. They have done much worse. About a month ago, a different manager decided that we should no longer keep our razor blades in Alpha Keepers. They said they had decided that they were not needed any longer since razor blades were not being stolen like they had been in the past. (If you just slapped your own forehead, you had the same reaction I had…) The original reason our company chose to protect razor blades with Alpha Keepers was because thefts were rampant in that category. We would put them out for sale, and they would disappear before the day was over. I am not even exaggerating either. I was actually having inventory one day, with counters all around the store, and had every peg wiped out. The flea market thieves don’t play. When they need a particular item to sell at their booths, they will take everything you have. So, in order to prevent shoplifting in this section, we encased all our razor blade packages in Alpha Keepers. And BOOM! Problem solved. The clear cases still allowed our honest, cash paying, customers access to the products without having to ask for them. But, they made it extremely difficult for the criminals to come in and help themselves. They could no longer just stuff the packages down in their clothes, because the cases made them heavier and harder to conceal. They also worked in conjunction with the Checkpoint system, so they would cause the alarm to activate if there was a theft attempt.
How’s this new idea going, you ask? Well, it turns out word spread really fast in the flea market community about our newest idea. And in less than two weeks, we have had four major losses in our area stores. Thousands of dollars gone in minutes because we no longer protect razor blades. So, last night after I read on our store managers only Facebook page that yet another store got hit. I have decided to take a stand and put all my razor blade packages back into Alpha Keepers. I know it’s just a matter of time before my own store becomes their next victim and I am not just going to wait and hope I don’t lose too much. Enough is enough, and this change was another obvious failure. Change is good, but not when it’s bad.
Get more information on Alpha Keepers, contact us or call today: 1.770.426.0547
I have worked for the same small retail pharmacy business for just over fifteen years. I have seen some new ideas come and go. Some of them have worked out great and some have not made it. One year our boss said that we should get rid of our “Next Register Please” signs. She said they were negative messages and that we should just talk to our customers and tell them where to check out. That was a great idea, but she also said we needed to be out on the sales floor when we did not have customers at the counter, in order to answer questions and be visible to prevent shoplifting. However, she did realize that while we were out on the floor, helping a customer find something, that another customer could walk up and not know which register to go to put their items down. Then, we would come back to the counter and have to move all their merchandise to the one we were actually using. That was very frustrating for us and them, to say the least. Needless to say, we had to order new signs not long after that.
That was just one of their least bad ideas. They have done much worse. About a month ago, a different manager decided that we should no longer keep our razor blades in Alpha Keepers. They said they had decided that they were not needed any longer since razor blades were not being stolen like they had been in the past. (If you just slapped your own forehead, you had the same reaction I had…) The original reason our company chose to protect razor blades with Alpha Keepers was because thefts were rampant in that category. We would put them out for sale, and they would disappear before the day was over. I am not even exaggerating either. I was actually having inventory one day, with counters all around the store, and had every peg wiped out. The flea market thieves don’t play. When they need a particular item to sell at their booths, they will take everything you have. So, in order to prevent shoplifting in this section, we encased all our razor blade packages in Alpha Keepers. And BOOM! Problem solved. The clear cases still allowed our honest, cash paying, customers access to the products without having to ask for them. But, they made it extremely difficult for the criminals to come in and help themselves. They could no longer just stuff the packages down in their clothes, because the cases made them heavier and harder to conceal. They also worked in conjunction with the Checkpoint system, so they would cause the alarm to activate if there was a theft attempt.
How’s this new idea going, you ask? Well, it turns out word spread really fast in the flea market community about our newest idea. And in less than two weeks, we have had four major losses in our area stores. Thousands of dollars gone in minutes because we no longer protect razor blades. So, last night after I read on our store managers only Facebook page that yet another store got hit. I have decided to take a stand and put all my razor blade packages back into Alpha Keepers. I know it’s just a matter of time before my own store becomes their next victim and I am not just going to wait and hope I don’t lose too much. Enough is enough, and this change was another obvious failure. Change is good, but not when it’s bad.
Get more information on Alpha Keepers, contact us or call today: 1.770.426.0547
