Sensormatic hard tags

Don’t “Rum”mage Around For A Solution To Stop Shoplifting Use Sensormatic Hard Tags

Liquor store theft is a problem and if a store owner fails to use Sensormatic hard tags on products they could end up with situations like these:

  • “Foursome sought in theft of liquor at a Cape Coral Publix”, WFTX Digital Team, May 09,2019. This group was believed to have stolen, “…six bottles of Jonnie Walker Black Label, five bottles of Belvedere Vodka, and two bottles of Hennessey.” I did some research and it appears that a total value of $500 would be a middle of the road estimate for the stolen merchandise.
  • “Man walks out of Costco with 24 bottles of Hennessey liquor, police say”, May, 06, 2019 wisn.com. According to this story the suspect took the alcohol and “Officers said he also took a Lorex brand home security system. The goods were worth about $1,500.” The Lorex system could be as much as $999. If this is the unit stolen that means the alcohol was valued at approximately $500.

 

Interestingly enough while reviewing news articles I also happened upon one titled, “23% drop in thefts show strategy to curb shoplifting working: Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries”, cbc.ca, May 30, 2019. I was curious as to what strategies this business has employed to make such an impact. According to the article several strategies are now being used which include adding new Loss Prevention Officers, “checking customers’ ID at the doors of Liquor Marts, using bottle locks (added emphasis mine) and lockable shelf cases, and requiring customers to ask sales staff for high-value bottles.”  While I am not a fan of locking showcases or making merchandise inaccessible I AM in favor of using the Sensormatic systems Bottle Cap Tag to prevent theft.

 

 In my opinion it only makes sense to use alternatives to locking showcases whenever possible. Showcases require too much attention on the part of store employees to assist patrons who want to get something out of lock-up. Employees could be ringing up other transactions, upselling or suggestive selling merchandise to new customers or even be completing tasks. To stop what you are doing simply to unlock merchandise you have locked up to stop shoplifting is poor use of resources. Sensormatic hard tags are an alternative to locking showcases. Shoppers can select what they want and continue to browse a store (which often leads to more sales) without waiting on an employee who may not be able to assist for several minutes. Not only does the patron begin to look at their watch as the minutes tick by they may feel pressured to hurry up and leave. The risk of losing the sales increases and the more time that goes by the less inclined they will be to look around and perhaps add to their shopping basket.

 

Locking up merchandise may stop shoplifting but it also hinders sales. Those stores that use a Sensormatic systems and Sensormatic hard tags have nearly the same level of security as stores that use the display cases but also have better opportunities to increase sales. But you may be wondering how a Bottle Cap Tag on a bottle of Hennessey can be better protection than that lock-up case. The Bottle Cap Tag has electronic article surveillance built in so if a crook attempts to walk out with a stolen bottle the alarm pedestals will alert store employees to the criminal activity. The vast majority of shoplifters are not anxious to set off alarms and be seen. They know that most stores have security cameras and will review them and then contact police. The other thing is the bottle tag covers the top of the bottle. The cap of the bottle cannot be removed without breaking the bottle defeating the purpose of stealing in the first place.

 

 In my Loss Prevention experiences I have worked extensively with Sensormatic systems so I am keenly familiar with how much of a deterrent effect they have on shoplifters. I have recovered merchandise dropped by shoplifters when they have set off alarm pedestals. I have also observed potential thieves look at merchandise and then put it back on a shelf when they find it has an anti-shoplifting tag on it. Tagging merchandise is a tactic proven over time to stop shoplifting where it is implemented.

 

Alcohol theft continues to be a major concern for grocery and alcohol and beverage stores. Failing to protect merchandise only leads to more theft as criminals learn which businesses are easiest to target. That in turn can lead to more serious criminal activity such as robberies and assaults. Using Sensormatic hard tags is the optimum solution for addressing theft and improving sales in the long term.

 

For more information about Sensormatic hard tags contact us or call 1.770.426.0547

 

 

in General

Is A Sensormatic System The Cure To All My Shoplifting Woes?

 

#10 WAB 
Is A Sensormatic System The Cure To All My Shoplifting Woes?
The short answer is NO a Sensormatic System is not the total solution. By itself, your Sensormatic System is not going to stop all your shoplifting problems. However, it will be a VERY important part of the puzzle. As the former Director of Loss Prevention for several major companies, I have more than just a little experience with this topic. I started my loss prevention career at the store level, apprehending shoplifters. As I moved closer to the Board Room, eventually as the Chairman of the Board for the Georgia Retail Association, I saw what it took for companies large and small to fix the shoplifting problem.
For medium to small retailers there are two solutions to shoplifting. The first part is an Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) system such as a Sensormatic System. The second part to the solution is an alert and WELL trained staff. I outline most of that in my book which is available online at Amazon and at Barnes & Noble. So let’s explore that in a bit more depth.
Sensormatic systems although simple in scope utilize very complex commercial grade equipment. This equipment is pretty straight forward to the retailer and their staff. It consists of pedestals at the customer doors that detect specialized Sensormatic labels and tags that are placed by staff on merchandise. These labels and tags are either deactivated (labels) or removed (tags) at checkout. 
A legitimate customer that makes a purchase walks out the door with their merchandise and goes on their way. A shoplifter that attempts to steal merchandise triggers the pedestals visual and audible alarm, alerting staff. Merchandise is protected 24/7. Labels are disposable and after deactivation go out the door with the merchandise packaging. Tags or more correctly “hard tags” are removed by staff to be reused over and over.
Sensormatic Systems are very cost effective, even more so when you consider what the real cost of a stolen piece of merchandise is. If you lose a $50 piece of merchandise take that number and divide it by your after expenses profit margin (the average is about 2%). So $50/0.02 = $2500.00. That is what you will have to sell to break even on the $50 loss!
The second and as important side to keeping shoplifters at bay is keeping your staff trained. We can help you with this. Our philosophy is that if you are profitable then so are we. Just installing a Sensormatic System without training will not work. At first, you would see some benefit but your losses will begin to creep back up. The same is also true in reverse. Training without a system will not deliver long-term, sustained benefits. 
So what kind of training do you and your staff need? Of course, we want you to know how to use the system. How it functions, what problems can arise and how to use Sensormatic tags and labels to their maximum benefit. However, you have to go further. What do you do when you encounter a situation when a customer triggers and alarm? You must have a consistent, customer service approach to an alarm. 
In addition we also teach you how to spot and deter shoplifters. The Sensormatic System is your backup. We want to deter the shoplifter the moment they come into the store. It is actually quite easy to spot a shoplifter, if you know what to look for. Once you suspect that someone is trying or may steal from you then you need to approach that situation with certain customer service skills that will deter the shoplifter but delight the good customer. Our method may even lead to add-on sales from your good customers. You see shoplifters hate attention. We help you to exploit that.
So a Sensormatic System and support by Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. together will help you to cure your shoplifting woes. Contact us today about a Sensormatic System for your store and learn more about our great training program that you get FREE of charge with your system. Call 1-770-426-0547 today.

The short answer is NO a Sensormatic System is not the total solution. By itself, your Sensormatic System is not going to stop all your shoplifting problems. However, it will be a VERY important part of the puzzle. As the former Director of Loss Prevention for several major companies, I have more than just a little experience with this topic. I started my loss prevention career at the store level, apprehending shoplifters. As I moved closer to the Board Room, eventually as the Chairman of the Board for the Georgia Retail Association, I saw what it took for companies large and small to fix the shoplifting problem.

 

For medium to small retailers there are two solutions to shoplifting. The first part is an Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) system such as a Sensormatic System. The second part to the solution is an alert and WELL trained staff. I outline most of that in my book which is available online at Amazon and at Barnes & Noble. So let’s explore that in a bit more depth.

 

Sensormatic systems although simple in scope utilize very complex commercial grade equipment. This equipment is pretty straight forward to the retailer and their staff. It consists of pedestals at the customer doors that detect specialized Sensormatic labels and tags that are placed by staff on merchandise. These labels and tags are either deactivated (labels) or removed (tags) at checkout. 

 

A legitimate customer that makes a purchase walks out the door with their merchandise and goes on their way. A shoplifter that attempts to steal merchandise triggers the pedestals visual and audible alarm, alerting staff. Merchandise is protected 24/7. Labels are disposable and after deactivation go out the door with the merchandise packaging. Tags or more correctly “hard tags” are removed by staff to be reused over and over.

 

Sensormatic Systems are very cost effective, even more so when you consider what the real cost of a stolen piece of merchandise is. If you lose a $50 piece of merchandise take that number and divide it by your after expenses profit margin (the average is about 2%). So $50/0.02 = $2500.00. That is what you will have to sell to break even on the $50 loss!

 

The second and as important side to keeping shoplifters at bay is keeping your staff trained. We can help you with this. Our philosophy is that if you are profitable then so are we. Just installing a Sensormatic System without training will not work. At first, you would see some benefit but your losses will begin to creep back up. The same is also true in reverse. Training without a system will not deliver long-term, sustained benefits. 

 

So what kind of training do you and your staff need? Of course, we want you to know how to use the system. How it functions, what problems can arise and how to use Sensormatic hard tags and labels to their maximum benefit. However, you have to go further. What do you do when you encounter a situation when a customer triggers and alarm? You must have a consistent, customer service approach to an alarm. 

 

In addition we also teach you how to spot and deter shoplifters. The Sensormatic System is your backup. We want to deter the shoplifter the moment they come into the store. It is actually quite easy to spot a shoplifter, if you know what to look for. Once you suspect that someone is trying or may steal from you then you need to approach that situation with certain customer service skills that will deter the shoplifter but delight the good customer. Our method may even lead to add-on sales from your good customers. You see shoplifters hate attention. We help you to exploit that.

 

So a Sensormatic System and support by Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. together will help you to cure your shoplifting woes. Contact us today about a Sensormatic System for your store and learn more about our great training program that you get FREE of charge with your system. Call 1-770-426-0547 today.

 

 

in General

Organized Retail Crime Can Be Subdued With Sensormatic Safers

 

Prevent shoplifting – 3                                                                                                         WC Blog 771
Sensormatic Safers – 4
Organized Retail Crime Can Be Subdued With Sensormatic Safers
     Here are a few items that can be protected against shoplifting if a store uses Sensormatic Safers to protect them:
• Razors
• Deodorant
• Teeth Whitening Strips
What makes these items so special? They are among the top items targeted by Organized Retail Crime groups according to the National Retail Federation 2018 Organized Retail Crime Survey (pg. 6). This is significant and should be a concern to every retail owner. The report states that, “ORC costs retailers $777,877 per $1 billion in sales – an all-time survey high” (pg. 3). Now for those who are not familiar with Organized Retail Crime (ORC) groups I will tell you that these are not your opportunist or amateur shoplifters. These are professional organizations that steal merchandise in order to resell it through any number of sources. The merchandise may be sold through the internet, out of a warehouse or through a legitimate appearing corner retail store. There are also times when merchandise is returned to a store and a gift card is given for the refund. Those gift cards are then sold for cash, some to pawn shops and others online. The activity of these groups makes it extremely important that stores are using Sensormatic Safers to prevent shoplifting.
       So, besides the reselling of the merchandise and the dollar amounts being taken you might be wondering why these shoplifters are any more destructive to stores than any other shoplifter. If a regular shoplifter is caught you have eliminated that player from preying on your store especially if you ask for a trespass notice. The ORC groups work much differently. They often have tiers or levels from the lowest workers sometimes called mules to an organization leader. The leader may even have several assistants who hire the mules or workers who do the actual work or stealing. Catching one of these mules does not necessarily eliminate the problem because the ORC does not rely on one person to do their stealing. Mules may not even know who it is who hired them. These people may be hired with the promise of drugs or some cash (usually somewhere around 25 cents on the dollar) to steal merchandise. The person recruiting the shoplifter will frequently remain anonymous to their mule. The recruiter is going to follow through on their agreed payment so he can use them again in the future. The shoplifter is willing to take the risk for instant gratification, be it drugs or cash. You can see where it is in the interest of the thief to avoid merchandise protected with devices that prevent shoplifting. The recruiter doesn’t care where the merchandise is taken from as long as they get what is on their “shopping list”. Should a mule be caught, even if they have the shopping list they won’t have much information to give to the police about who they are working for. The recruiter loses one worker for a while but they have other people lined up ready to work for them. Multiple recruiters mean multiple workers and so it takes a lot more effort to cut the head off of the organization.
     The folks at Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) know how these theft rings work. They know the most popular items ORC groups will steal and LPSI has the training and tools that can keep clients safe from these predators. Do you need to protect razors and razor blades? LPSI has Sensormatic Safers. DO you need to protect fragrances? They have flexible Safers? How about designer jeans, they are very popular with Organized Retail Crime gangs. LPSI has Sensormatic hard tags to prevent shoplifting. If you don’t have an electronic article surveillance system or maybe you need an upgrade to keep up with the latest criminal innovations, LPSI has Sensormatic towers for you. Criminal groups are always trying to get one-step ahead of retailers but LPSI offers solutions that can thwart their efforts.
     Organized Retail Crime groups are out for razors, deodorant, whitening strips and other merchandise that could easily be protected with the use of Sensormatic Safers and electronic article surveillance towers. Because they are professional shoplifters they offer special challenges to retailers but LPSI offers the solutions store owners need to defeat them. Don’t risk becoming a victim to ORC shoplifting rings, contact LPSI today to find out how to get started today.
For more information about Sensormatic Safers contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
     
     

Here are a few items that can be protected against shoplifting if a store uses Sensormatic Safers to protect them:

• Razors

• Deodorant

• Teeth Whitening Strips

What makes these items so special? They are among the top items targeted by Organized Retail Crime groups according to the National Retail Federation 2018 Organized Retail Crime Survey (pg. 6). This is significant and should be a concern to every retail owner. The report states that, “ORC costs retailers $777,877 per $1 billion in sales – an all-time survey high” (pg. 3). Now for those who are not familiar with Organized Retail Crime (ORC) groups I will tell you that these are not your opportunist or amateur shoplifters. These are professional organizations that steal merchandise in order to resell it through any number of sources. The merchandise may be sold through the internet, out of a warehouse or through a legitimate appearing corner retail store. There are also times when merchandise is returned to a store and a gift card is given for the refund. Those gift cards are then sold for cash, some to pawn shops and others online. The activity of these groups makes it extremely important that stores are using Sensormatic Safers to prevent shoplifting.

So, besides the reselling of the merchandise and the dollar amounts being taken you might be wondering why these shoplifters are any more destructive to stores than any other shoplifter. If a regular shoplifter is caught you have eliminated that player from preying on your store especially if you ask for a trespass notice. The ORC groups work much differently. They often have tiers or levels from the lowest workers sometimes called mules to an organization leader. The leader may even have several assistants who hire the mules or workers who do the actual work or stealing. Catching one of these mules does not necessarily eliminate the problem because the ORC does not rely on one person to do their stealing. Mules may not even know who it is who hired them. These people may be hired with the promise of drugs or some cash (usually somewhere around 25 cents on the dollar) to steal merchandise. The person recruiting the shoplifter will frequently remain anonymous to their mule. The recruiter is going to follow through on their agreed payment so he can use them again in the future. The shoplifter is willing to take the risk for instant gratification, be it drugs or cash. You can see where it is in the interest of the thief to avoid merchandise protected with devices that prevent shoplifting. The recruiter doesn’t care where the merchandise is taken from as long as they get what is on their “shopping list”. Should a mule be caught, even if they have the shopping list they won’t have much information to give to the police about who they are working for. The recruiter loses one worker for a while but they have other people lined up ready to work for them. Multiple recruiters mean multiple workers and so it takes a lot more effort to cut the head off of the organization.

The folks at Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) know how these theft rings work. They know the most popular items ORC groups will steal and LPSI has the training and tools that can keep clients safe from these predators. Do you need to protect razors and razor blades? LPSI has Sensormatic Safers. DO you need to protect fragrances? They have flexible Safers? How about designer jeans, they are very popular with Organized Retail Crime gangs. LPSI has Sensormatic hard tags to prevent shoplifting. If you don’t have an electronic article surveillance system or maybe you need an upgrade to keep up with the latest criminal innovations, LPSI has Sensormatic towers for you. Criminal groups are always trying to get one-step ahead of retailers but LPSI offers solutions that can thwart their efforts.

Organized Retail Crime groups are out for razors, deodorant, whitening strips and other merchandise that could easily be protected with the use of Sensormatic Safers and electronic article surveillance towers. Because they are professional shoplifters they offer special challenges to retailers but LPSI offers the solutions store owners need to defeat them. Don’t risk becoming a victim to ORC shoplifting rings, contact LPSI today to find out how to get started today.

 

For more information about Sensormatic Safers contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.     

     

 

 

in General