Stop Shoplifting – 3 WC Blog 786
Sensormatic Labels -3
Cook Up A Plan To Reduce Grocery Shortage With Sensormatic Labels
When it comes to food and inventory shortage there are two factors to take into consideration, how to prevent out of date merchandise and how to stop shoplifting. I have seen merchandise that has had to be marked out of stock because the food has expired. One of the reasons for many of the unnecessary mark-outs is a failure of the store to have a good product rotation program in place. As a freight manager I always stressed to my team the importance of using FIFO (First In First Out) when putting out merchandise. This could be difficult for the team when they were being pushed for time (which was always). I would audit behind them and sometimes find shortcuts had been taken. Occasionally a worker pulled the first item on the shelf and then put out the new merchandise and then put the first item back. This gave the impression that FIFO was followed when it really was not. Those items that were not rotated would go out of date and then we had to process them and mark them out of stock. What a waste! There were also the products we stocked that just did not sell. They may not have been the right item for our store or customers just didn’t like them. Any way you cut it the product sat there until the company issued markdowns and sold it on clearance or they went out of date. The other issue we often found with out of date product was when the merchandise was vendor supplied and stocked and the vendor failed to give timely vendor credits on goods that were not selling.
The other major cause for shortage in grocery stores is due to theft. The first issue involves operational matters and can be resolved by putting good practices in place. Theft on the other hand requires another solution and that should be the use of Sensormatic labels. Labels can be used on almost anything a store carries. From canned foods to steaks, there is a remedy available from Sensormatic security systems for nearly everything a grocer carries. Now you may not need to put a label on a can of corn but you can put a Sensormatic APX Microwavable Roll Label in meat soaker pads or under the meat trays for those expensive cuts of beef and pork. Perhaps your store carries some health and beauty items as well as foods you can protect these with the HBC labels. There are also hard tags available that can protect higher end merchandise such as infant formula. All of the Sensormatic labels and tags carried by Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) are proven to stop shoplifting and that is the reason they are recommended by LPSI for their clients.
Why the fuss about grocery store shrink? It is a concern because “Shrinkage as a % of revenue 2017-2018” came in at a whopping 1.90% according to the Sensormatic Global Shrink Index (pg. 43). As I was looking for some specific grocery store theft statistics I found something I wasn’t quite expecting. According to one website I browse, they pulled some statistics from businessinsurance.org listing 9 of the top items stolen from stores. Topping that list was meat and coming in at number three on the list was baby formula! Operations may be causing some of your shortage but you cannot discount the impact theft is having on your store as well. You have to stop shoplifting if you are going to make a difference in your shortage results.
Equipping your store with an electronic article surveillance system from Sensormatic and protecting your merchandise with Sensormatic labels you can be certain you will reduce theft. Purchase that system from LPSI and you not only enjoy the benefits of owning a Sensormatic security system you receive free Loss Prevention training from LPSI. You won’t find an equivalent offer from any other company. If you are concerned about the cost of a system LPSI also has financing available for qualifying businesses. Don’t waste any more time find out more about how LPSI can help you make your business grow as you reduce shortage.
Get more information on Sensormatic labels, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
When it comes to food and inventory shortage there are two factors to take into consideration, how to prevent out of date merchandise and how to stop shoplifting. I have seen merchandise that has had to be marked out of stock because the food has expired. One of the reasons for many of the unnecessary mark-outs is a failure of the store to have a good product rotation program in place. As a freight manager I always stressed to my team the importance of using FIFO (First In First Out) when putting out merchandise. This could be difficult for the team when they were being pushed for time (which was always). I would audit behind them and sometimes find shortcuts had been taken. Occasionally a worker pulled the first item on the shelf and then put out the new merchandise and then put the first item back. This gave the impression that FIFO was followed when it really was not. Those items that were not rotated would go out of date and then we had to process them and mark them out of stock. What a waste! There were also the products we stocked that just did not sell. They may not have been the right item for our store or customers just didn’t like them. Any way you cut it the product sat there until the company issued markdowns and sold it on clearance or they went out of date. The other issue we often found with out of date product was when the merchandise was vendor supplied and stocked and the vendor failed to give timely vendor credits on goods that were not selling.
The other major cause for shortage in grocery stores is due to theft. The first issue involves operational matters and can be resolved by putting good practices in place. Theft on the other hand requires another solution and that should be the use of Sensormatic labels. Labels can be used on almost anything a store carries. From canned foods to steaks, there is a remedy available from Sensormatic security systems for nearly everything a grocer carries. Now you may not need to put a label on a can of corn but you can put a Sensormatic APX Microwavable Roll Label in meat soaker pads or under the meat trays for those expensive cuts of beef and pork. Perhaps your store carries some health and beauty items as well as foods you can protect these with the HBC labels. There are also hard tags available that can protect higher end merchandise such as infant formula. All of the Sensormatic labels and tags carried by Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) are proven to stop shoplifting and that is the reason they are recommended by LPSI for their clients.
Why the fuss about grocery store shrink? It is a concern because “Shrinkage as a % of revenue 2017-2018” came in at a whopping 1.90% according to the Sensormatic Global Shrink Index (pg. 43). As I was looking for some specific grocery store theft statistics I found something I wasn’t quite expecting. According to one website I browse, they pulled some statistics from businessinsurance.org listing 9 of the top items stolen from stores. Topping that list was meat and coming in at number three on the list was baby formula! Operations may be causing some of your shortage but you cannot discount the impact theft is having on your store as well. You have to stop shoplifting if you are going to make a difference in your shortage results.
Equipping your store with an electronic article surveillance system from Sensormatic and protecting your merchandise with Sensormatic labels you can be certain you will reduce theft. Purchase that system from LPSI and you not only enjoy the benefits of owning a Sensormatic security system you receive free Loss Prevention training from LPSI. You won’t find an equivalent offer from any other company. If you are concerned about the cost of a system LPSI also has financing available for qualifying businesses. Don’t waste any more time find out more about how LPSI can help you make your business grow as you reduce shortage.
Get more information on Sensormatic labels, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
#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.
Loss Prevention Calculator – 4 WC Blog 772
Loss Prevention Pays for Itself – how fast? -3
Loss Prevention Pays For Itself – How Fast? The Loss Prevention Calculator Can Give You The Answer
I can tell you what the return on investment would be if you were to purchase a Sensormatic System by using the Loss Prevention Calculator. I can tell you that you will probably trim your shortage by almost half and quite possibly more. I can tell you that an electronic article system is probably a lot more affordable than you ever imagined. I can tell you that with a Sensormatic system Loss Prevention pays for itself – how fast? Well the how fast is answered when you use the Loss Prevention Calculator on the Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. website. Can I tell you everything you might want to know about how a Loss Prevention System will work in your store or how effective it will be? Unfortunately the answer to THAT question is no.
The reason I can’t answer how a Loss Prevention System will work in your store or how effective it will be is because there are multiple factors to take into consideration. Here are a couple of things that I would have to consider in the equation:
• How much merchandise are you planning to protect? Are you going to use Sensormatic labels and tags in a limited fashion? Are you only going to attach tags to some items or only merchandise over a certain price point? It does make a difference. The more merchandise that is protected the lower the chances that theft will take place.
• Are you only going to rely on the protection of electronic article surveillance alarms sounding or are you going to take advantage of the training opportunities offered by Loss Prevention Systems, Inc.? Trained personnel who know how to identify crooks, tag merchandise properly and the function customer service plays in deterring theft all make a difference in the effectiveness of a Loss Prevention System.
• Are you willing to consider installing Sensormatic towers that will allow interchangeable advertising panels to be placed in them? Increasing sales can lower shortage as a percentage to sales and advertising is a great way to appeal to your customers.
• Will you include a people counting device in your Sensormatic tower to track your customer traffic? Tracking foot traffic can help retailers increase sales through improved employee scheduling. Schedule employees when patterns indicate customers are in the store to help improve checkout wait times and customer service on the floor.
• Will you add in the Sensormatic Shrink Management as a Service feature? An electronic article surveillance alarm reporting tool that can help you improve alarm responses and identify trends in alarm occurrences. Used in conjunction with a Sensormatic camera attached to your towers and you can identify shoplifters and put a stop to future theft activity.
A Sensormatic security system can include much more than the towers and the tags to protect a store. That is why when I say Loss Prevention pays for itself – how fast? I am hesitant to give a firm answer.
Think about it in this way. If you purchase a house and add deadbolts to the doors you have increased the safety of your home by a certain margin. Add an alarm and monitoring service to your home and you have increased the security by another factor. Toss in a camera or two and you have multiplied the safety of your home once more. A Sensormatic system is much the same. You get great protection with alarm pedestals and tags but amplify the impact of that system with other features. The initial cost will be a bit more but ultimately the returns are greater too. You also cannot easily figure how much growth will result from people counting devices and advertising panels. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc.’s Loss Prevention Calculator CAN show you how you will reduce your shortage by almost half with a Loss Prevention system and give a good indicator of how fast it will pay for itself through savings in shortage reduction based on how much you are willing to invest.
Loss Prevention pays for itself – how fast? That is a question that you can explore more in depth with the folks at Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. after you give their Free Loss Prevention Calculator a try. Once you see how impactful a basic system can be, you can ask them about other ways they can help you grow your business through shortage reduction and profit growth. A word of warning, you won’t get a call from them after using their calculator you will have to reach out to them because there is no obligation or tracking when you access this feature. So what are you waiting for? Try out the calculator and learn how fast you can start saving money, today!
Need information on the Loss Prevention Calculator? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
I can tell you what the return on investment would be if you were to purchase a Sensormatic System by using the Loss Prevention Calculator. I can tell you that you will probably trim your shortage by almost half and quite possibly more. I can tell you that an electronic article system is probably a lot more affordable than you ever imagined. I can tell you that with a Sensormatic system Loss Prevention pays for itself – how fast? Well the how fast is answered when you use the Loss Prevention Calculator on the Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. website. Can I tell you everything you might want to know about how a Loss Prevention System will work in your store or how effective it will be? Unfortunately the answer to THAT question is no.
The reason I can’t answer how a Loss Prevention System will work in your store or how effective it will be is because there are multiple factors to take into consideration. Here are a couple of things that I would have to consider in the equation:
• How much merchandise are you planning to protect? Are you going to use Sensormatic labels and tags in a limited fashion? Are you only going to attach tags to some items or only merchandise over a certain price point? It does make a difference. The more merchandise that is protected the lower the chances that theft will take place.
• Are you only going to rely on the protection of electronic article surveillance alarms sounding or are you going to take advantage of the training opportunities offered by Loss Prevention Systems, Inc.? Trained personnel who know how to identify crooks, tag merchandise properly and the function customer service plays in deterring theft all make a difference in the effectiveness of a Loss Prevention System.
• Are you willing to consider installing Sensormatic towers that will allow interchangeable advertising panels to be placed in them? Increasing sales can lower shortage as a percentage to sales and advertising is a great way to appeal to your customers.
• Will you include a people counting device in your Sensormatic tower to track your customer traffic? Tracking foot traffic can help retailers increase sales through improved employee scheduling. Schedule employees when patterns indicate customers are in the store to help improve checkout wait times and customer service on the floor.
• Will you add in the Sensormatic Shrink Management as a Service feature? An electronic article surveillance alarm reporting tool that can help you improve alarm responses and identify trends in alarm occurrences. Used in conjunction with a Sensormatic camera attached to your towers and you can identify shoplifters and put a stop to future theft activity.
A Sensormatic security system can include much more than the towers and the tags to protect a store. That is why when I say Loss Prevention pays for itself – how fast? I am hesitant to give a firm answer.
Think about it in this way. If you purchase a house and add deadbolts to the doors you have increased the safety of your home by a certain margin. Add an alarm and monitoring service to your home and you have increased the security by another factor. Toss in a camera or two and you have multiplied the safety of your home once more. A Sensormatic system is much the same. You get great protection with alarm pedestals and tags but amplify the impact of that system with other features. The initial cost will be a bit more but ultimately the returns are greater too. You also cannot easily figure how much growth will result from people counting devices and advertising panels. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc.’s Loss Prevention Calculator CAN show you how you will reduce your shortage by almost half with a Loss Prevention system and give a good indicator of how fast it will pay for itself through savings in shortage reduction based on how much you are willing to invest.
Loss Prevention pays for itself – how fast? That is a question that you can explore more in depth with the folks at Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. after you give their Free Loss Prevention Calculator a try. Once you see how impactful a basic system can be, you can ask them about other ways they can help you grow your business through shortage reduction and profit growth. A word of warning, you won’t get a call from them after using their calculator you will have to reach out to them because there is no obligation or tracking when you access this feature. So what are you waiting for? Try out the calculator and learn how fast you can start saving money, today!
Need information on the Loss Prevention Calculator? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
sensormatic labels – 4 WC Blog 781
Stop Shoplifting – 3
‘Cents’less Acts Of Violence Can Be Averted With Sensormatic Labels
As I read the news stories on Loss Prevention, retail and even Google searches I find I want to see retailers stop shoplifting more than I ever did in the past. While I have always detested the crime of shoplifting and have had more than my own share of violent encounters, it seems the problem of violence has grown exponentially. I just saw a video on abc7chicago.com of a security guard fighting with a shoplifter in a 99 cent store! You read that correctly a fight in a 99 cent store. I don’t know if it is more shocking that a store selling merchandise valued at less than a dollar has a security guard in it or that a fight broke out in that store. Added to that was the video showed the shoplifter removing something from a bag and then throwing it at the security guard and then tipping over a sunglass fixture. I don’t want to paint the security guard as a totally helpless victim because according to the report he aimed pepper spray at the suspect and it appears he punched her (although it took place after she threw the item at him). Do a Google search of shoplifter fights and things get even uglier. What are store owners to do? Do you just give up and let people steal and hope it isn’t enough to put you out of business? Do you hire security guards (if you can afford them) and risk fights? There is an alternate solution and that is the use of Sensormatic labels and tags to prevent people from trying to steal in the first place.
Before I continue let me make it clear that I am not telling you that the use of electronic article surveillance will stop shoplifting completely. I promise what it will do is reduce your store shrinkage significantly. The installation of Sensormatic pedestals and application of Sensormatic labels to your merchandise have been proven to have a dramatic impact on the amount of shoplifting taking place in a store. It is such a powerful tool that Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. has created a free to use ROI (return on investment) calculator. The calculator assumes a store will reduce shrinkage by about half a percent by installing a complete Sensormatic security system. Ponder the advantages that means for a business. Not only does a store reduce losses which is a victory in and of itself the store also becomes safer.
How do I come to that conclusion? If you reduce the number of shoplifters coming to your location because you have put up obstacles in the form of electronic article surveillance tags and towers you reduce the chances of violent activity by these same people. Shoplifters have a tendency to go to the stores they deem are easy pickings. When the risk of getting caught increases because of anti-theft devices they prefer to go where there is no system in place. Yes, I detest the shoplifters and have a special revulsion towards the violent sort of thief. I would prefer they were all in jail but obviously that is not going to happen. In light of this, I am telling retailers to install a Sensormatic system to drive out this element and shoo them elsewhere.
I watched the video from the 99 cent store several times. I paused and looked carefully at the entrance doorways in the frames that were clear to see. There was no sign of any type of electronic article surveillance tower in the any of those pictures. So let’s recap for clarity’s sake, No Sensormatic labels or pedestals, one belligerent shoplifting suspect throwing merchandise with other customers nearby and one security guard using pepper spray and punching at a shoplifting suspect. To this seasoned Loss Prevention professional it is a recipe for disaster.
Would the store stop shoplifting in this case had they used Sensormatic labels on the merchandise they were selling? At a 99 cent store I would imagine they could have used labels on at least the items that are found to be high shortage for this type of business. Training of employees on how to handle a suspected shoplifter situation would have also been helpful and could have diffused this incident or helped address it in a different manner. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. can help you with training too because employee safety is just as important to them as their client’s financial success.
Whether your store deals in dollars or cents you need to stop shoplifting from taking place. It can cost you a lot of money and it can create a dangerous environment for your customers and employees by encouraging violent crooks to take advantage of your business. Improve your store all around with a Sensormatic system.
Get more information on Sensormatic labels, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
As I read the news stories on Loss Prevention, retail and even Google searches I find I want to see retailers stop shoplifting more than I ever did in the past. While I have always detested the crime of shoplifting and have had more than my own share of violent encounters, it seems the problem of violence has grown exponentially. I just saw a video on abc7chicago.com of a security guard fighting with a shoplifter in a 99 cent store! You read that correctly a fight in a 99 cent store. I don’t know if it is more shocking that a store selling merchandise valued at less than a dollar has a security guard in it or that a fight broke out in that store. Added to that was the video showed the shoplifter removing something from a bag and then throwing it at the security guard and then tipping over a sunglass fixture. I don’t want to paint the security guard as a totally helpless victim because according to the report he aimed pepper spray at the suspect and it appears he punched her (although it took place after she threw the item at him). Do a Google search of shoplifter fights and things get even uglier. What are store owners to do? Do you just give up and let people steal and hope it isn’t enough to put you out of business? Do you hire security guards (if you can afford them) and risk fights? There is an alternate solution and that is the use of Sensormatic labels and tags to prevent people from trying to steal in the first place.
Before I continue let me make it clear that I am not telling you that the use of electronic article surveillance will stop shoplifting completely. I promise what it will do is reduce your store shrinkage significantly. The installation of Sensormatic pedestals and application of Sensormatic labels to your merchandise have been proven to have a dramatic impact on the amount of shoplifting taking place in a store. It is such a powerful tool that Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. has created a free to use ROI (return on investment) calculator. The calculator assumes a store will reduce shrinkage by about half a percent by installing a complete Sensormatic security system. Ponder the advantages that means for a business. Not only does a store reduce losses which is a victory in and of itself the store also becomes safer.
How do I come to that conclusion? If you reduce the number of shoplifters coming to your location because you have put up obstacles in the form of electronic article surveillance tags and towers you reduce the chances of violent activity by these same people. Shoplifters have a tendency to go to the stores they deem are easy pickings. When the risk of getting caught increases because of anti-theft devices they prefer to go where there is no system in place. Yes, I detest the shoplifters and have a special revulsion towards the violent sort of thief. I would prefer they were all in jail but obviously that is not going to happen. In light of this, I am telling retailers to install a Sensormatic system to drive out this element and shoo them elsewhere.
I watched the video from the 99 cent store several times. I paused and looked carefully at the entrance doorways in the frames that were clear to see. There was no sign of any type of electronic article surveillance tower in the any of those pictures. So let’s recap for clarity’s sake, No Sensormatic labels or pedestals, one belligerent shoplifting suspect throwing merchandise with other customers nearby and one security guard using pepper spray and punching at a shoplifting suspect. To this seasoned Loss Prevention professional it is a recipe for disaster.
Would the store stop shoplifting in this case had they used Sensormatic labels on the merchandise they were selling? At a 99 cent store I would imagine they could have used labels on at least the items that are found to be high shortage for this type of business. Training of employees on how to handle a suspected shoplifter situation would have also been helpful and could have diffused this incident or helped address it in a different manner. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. can help you with training too because employee safety is just as important to them as their client’s financial success.
Whether your store deals in dollars or cents you need to stop shoplifting from taking place. It can cost you a lot of money and it can create a dangerous environment for your customers and employees by encouraging violent crooks to take advantage of your business. Improve your store all around with a Sensormatic system.
Get more information on Sensormatic labels, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Sensormatic Security Labels – 5 WC Blog 756
Electronic Article Surveillance – 3
Advantages Of Using Sensormatic Security Labels Over Other Brands Part 2
In Part 1 of this series on Sensormatic security labels I discussed some problems that can be encountered with certain electronic article surveillance systems and labels. From phantom alarms at the doors to having to try to work with large labels there are can be disadvantages associated with some systems. On the other hand there are clear advantages to using Sensormatic security systems. After nearly 17 in Retail Loss Prevention I have had personal experience using different labels, tags and towers. I saw how effective the Sensormatic labels were in protecting merchandise.
This is a short list of what makes the Sensormatic security labels my preferred choice in anti-theft soft tags:
• Right out of the gate is the size of the Sensormatic labels. Whether we are talking about the Sensormatic AP Sheet Labels or the HBC Labels, these tags have a small footprint and take up little space on a piece of merchandise. This means that there are more small items that can be tagged than might have been possible with traditional radio frequency (RF) labels.
• Where RF electronic article surveillance labels are limited in the numbers of products they can be used on, the acoustic magnetic (AM) labels are virtually unlimited. AM labels are not affected by foils or metals so products such as foil gift wraps, foil gift bags, and even bicycles can be protected with a label.
• Because AM labels are not affected by metal, metal shopping carts are not problems for tagged merchandise. Metal shopping carts by their design can interfere with radio waves and disrupt the frequency of RF labels. AM labels are not impacted by this so retailers need not be concerned about what materials their buggies are made out of. Professional shoplifters occasionally use foil lined bags called booster bags to shoplift. These bags are intended to render RF labels useless so they won’t be detected as merchandise in a foil lined bag is carried out of a store. Again, AM labels are not affected by these bags and can still be detected by alarm pedestals.
• AM labels can withstand high humidity levels for certain periods of time without the effectiveness of the tag being impacted. They can also be stored for up to 96 hours in temperatures not exceeding 122 degrees Fahrenheit. This may not seem like a big deal at first but if labels are transported in delivery trucks temperatures and humidity can get high. Having labels that can stand up to these conditions and not lose their potency is an important feature that should not be underestimated by a retailer.
• Finally, and this is probably one of the most important differences in my opinion, Sensormatic’s labels can be reactivated with the Sensormatic Hand Wand.
Each of these are great reasons for investing in Sensormatic security labels but I really want to focus on the last point about reactivation.
When merchandise with an RF label is detuned at the point of sale that label is neutralized and can’t be used again. That is okay if all of your sales are final but we all know that merchandise returns are going to happen. So what happens when the merchandise is brought back and the packaging has an RF label still attached? Based on my experiences I will tell you that in the majority of cases nothing will happen. A new tag cannot be placed on top of an old tag and to be frank most retailers won’t even think about trying to place a new tag on a returned product. That means if the merchandise is in re-sellable condition it is going back out unprotected. It may look like it is tagged but it won’t work if someone decides to try to steal it. With the ability to reactivate Sensormatic security labels a retailer only needs to the Sensormatic Hand Wand available at the return desk to ensure product is secure and ready to be re-stocked.
As I have explained there are sound reasons for choosing to use Sensormatic security labels over other brands. They are proven to stop shoplifting and can be used in situations that would negate the effectiveness of other tags. Don’t take chances on electronic article surveillance labels that may deteriorate due to climate conditions or may not be active any longer. You can count on Sensormatic labels to help in keeping shortage low.
Need information on Sensormatic security labels? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
In Part 1 of this series on Sensormatic security labels I discussed some problems that can be encountered with certain electronic article surveillance systems and labels. From phantom alarms at the doors to having to try to work with large labels there are can be disadvantages associated with some systems. On the other hand there are clear advantages to using Sensormatic security systems. After nearly 17 in Retail Loss Prevention I have had personal experience using different labels, tags and towers. I saw how effective the Sensormatic labels were in protecting merchandise.
This is a short list of what makes the Sensormatic security labels my preferred choice in anti-theft soft tags:
• Right out of the gate is the size of the Sensormatic labels. Whether we are talking about the Sensormatic AP Sheet Labels or the HBC Labels, these tags have a small footprint and take up little space on a piece of merchandise. This means that there are more small items that can be tagged than might have been possible with traditional radio frequency (RF) labels.
• Where RF electronic article surveillance labels are limited in the numbers of products they can be used on, the acoustic magnetic (AM) labels are virtually unlimited. AM labels are not affected by foils or metals so products such as foil gift wraps, foil gift bags, and even bicycles can be protected with a label.
• Because AM labels are not affected by metal, metal shopping carts are not problems for tagged merchandise. Metal shopping carts by their design can interfere with radio waves and disrupt the frequency of RF labels. AM labels are not impacted by this so retailers need not be concerned about what materials their buggies are made out of. Professional shoplifters occasionally use foil lined bags called booster bags to shoplift. These bags are intended to render RF labels useless so they won’t be detected as merchandise in a foil lined bag is carried out of a store. Again, AM labels are not affected by these bags and can still be detected by alarm pedestals.
• AM labels can withstand high humidity levels for certain periods of time without the effectiveness of the tag being impacted. They can also be stored for up to 96 hours in temperatures not exceeding 122 degrees Fahrenheit. This may not seem like a big deal at first but if labels are transported in delivery trucks temperatures and humidity can get high. Having labels that can stand up to these conditions and not lose their potency is an important feature that should not be underestimated by a retailer.
• Finally, and this is probably one of the most important differences in my opinion, Sensormatic’s labels can be reactivated with the Sensormatic Hand Wand.
Each of these are great reasons for investing in Sensormatic security labels but I really want to focus on the last point about reactivation.
When merchandise with an RF label is detuned at the point of sale that label is neutralized and can’t be used again. That is okay if all of your sales are final but we all know that merchandise returns are going to happen. So what happens when the merchandise is brought back and the packaging has an RF label still attached? Based on my experiences I will tell you that in the majority of cases nothing will happen. A new tag cannot be placed on top of an old tag and to be frank most retailers won’t even think about trying to place a new tag on a returned product. That means if the merchandise is in re-sellable condition it is going back out unprotected. It may look like it is tagged but it won’t work if someone decides to try to steal it. With the ability to reactivate Sensormatic security labels a retailer only needs to the Sensormatic Hand Wand available at the return desk to ensure product is secure and ready to be re-stocked.
As I have explained there are sound reasons for choosing to use Sensormatic security labels over other brands. They are proven to stop shoplifting and can be used in situations that would negate the effectiveness of other tags. Don’t take chances on electronic article surveillance labels that may deteriorate due to climate conditions or may not be active any longer. You can count on Sensormatic labels to help in keeping shortage low.
Need information on Sensormatic security labels? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
