sensormatic system

Protect Health And Beauty Products From Professional Crooks By Using Sensormatic Safers

Prevent Shoplifting – 3 WC Blog 847

protect health and beauty products – 4

Protect Health And Beauty Products From Professional Crooks By Using Sensormatic Safers

How important is it for store owners to protect health and beauty products? How important is it to prevent all theft in your store? As I was searching for recent news on Organized Retail Crime (ORC) activity I came across a story that was a strong reminder of why it is important for merchants to prevent shoplifting. A professional shoplifting ring out of Florida was recently caught by police. They are accused of theft to the tune of over $2 million dollars in stolen goods! According to a story in clickorlando.com, May 08, 2018, “5 arrested 1 sought in Florida retail theft ring” the suspects were, “…hitting eight to 10 businesses each day.” This is an incredible amount of merchandise and it was not just one type of store being targeted. The group was hitting grocery stores, drug stores and department stores. The story related that Publix Loss Prevention started the investigation as the group was stealing primarily health and beauty products from their stores. Of course as the investigation by police went into full swing it was determined other chains were being hit by the group also. It turns out the ring was stealing clothes and shoes as well as teeth whitening strips, electric toothbrushes and razors. The goods were then sold on the black market.

What are Organized Retail Theft (ORC) rings and is there a way to combat them? ORC groups are professional shoplifting groups. They can vary in the number of people who operate in a ring and they may even use people outside of the ring to actually do the shoplifting. What makes these groups different from the opportunist who enters a store and steals is that the opportunist may only do it as a prank or for a thrill. They may steal a lot over time but not in the quantities or dollars that professional groups will steal. ORC rings are reselling as a business. They may sell on the internet, out of a warehouse or use a “mom and pop” shop as a cover. They will steal anything they can get out of a store but they love to steal small merchandise that is easy to conceal. This is why it is so important to protect health and beauty products.

So now you know what an ORC group is but how do you fight back against a group of criminals who may be working in teams or sending in others to steal for them? You prevent shoplifting by using Sensormatic Flexible Safers. Safers are tough, durable, locking bags with electronic article surveillance protection built into them. They add size and alarm protection to smaller pieces of merchandise that would otherwise be easy for shoplifters to steal in bulk quantities. How did the ORC group mentioned at the beginning of this article get away with hitting eight to 10 businesses a day? I would be willing to bet that in part they were avoiding merchandise that had electronic article surveillance protection as much as they possibly could. Professional shoplifters know that activating alarm towers with Flexible Safers or other Sensormatic tags is going to draw unwanted attention and make it difficult to go back to that store again. A store that uses anti-shoplifting devices to protect health and beauty products is one step ahead of the bad guys.

It is important that I mention that Sensormatic Safers prevent shoplifting by the opportunist as much as the professional. This is especially true in the health and beauty product departments where so many of the items are pocketable. That means they are small enough to be slipped into a pocket and that is a difficult theft to see. I can tell you that we in the Loss Prevention field are very wary of stopping someone for stealing something as small as a cosmetic item. It is simply too risky and the chance of making a bad stop too great. We often let these people walk out unless they set off an electronic article surveillance alarm and then we leave it up to a store manager or supervisor to resolve the cause for the alarm. We generally won’t make an apprehension for an alarm activation, we simply want to see merchandise retrieved.

You never know if your store will be hit by professional shoplifting rings but I can assure you at some point you will be the victim of some variety of shoplifter. If you want to protect health and beauty products or any small merchandise Flexible Safers are the solution for you. Saving money with a Sensormatic System and tags is a beautiful thing.

For more information about how to protect health and beauty products contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.

How important is it for store owners to protect health and beauty products? How important is it to prevent all theft in your store? As I was searching for recent news on Organized Retail Crime (ORC) activity I came across a story that was a strong reminder of why it is important for merchants to prevent shoplifting. A professional shoplifting ring out of Florida was recently caught by police. They are accused of theft to the tune of over $2 million dollars in stolen goods! According to a story in clickorlando.com, May 08, 2018, “5 arrested 1 sought in Florida retail theft ring” the suspects were, “…hitting eight to 10 businesses each day.” This is an incredible amount of merchandise and it was not just one type of store being targeted. The group was hitting grocery stores, drug stores and department stores. The story related that Publix Loss Prevention started the investigation as the group was stealing primarily health and beauty products from their stores. Of course as the investigation by police went into full swing it was determined other chains were being hit by the group also. It turns out the ring was stealing clothes and shoes as well as teeth whitening strips, electric toothbrushes and razors. The goods were then sold on the black market.

What are Organized Retail Theft (ORC) rings and is there a way to combat them? ORC groups are professional shoplifting groups. They can vary in the number of people who operate in a ring and they may even use people outside of the ring to actually do the shoplifting. What makes these groups different from the opportunist who enters a store and steals is that the opportunist may only do it as a prank or for a thrill. They may steal a lot over time but not in the quantities or dollars that professional groups will steal. ORC rings are reselling as a business. They may sell on the internet, out of a warehouse or use a “mom and pop” shop as a cover. They will steal anything they can get out of a store but they love to steal small merchandise that is easy to conceal. This is why it is so important to protect health and beauty products.

So now you know what an ORC group is but how do you fight back against a group of criminals who may be working in teams or sending in others to steal for them? You prevent shoplifting by using Sensormatic Flexible Safers. Safers are tough, durable, locking bags with electronic article surveillance protection built into them. They add size and alarm protection to smaller pieces of merchandise that would otherwise be easy for shoplifters to steal in bulk quantities. How did the ORC group mentioned at the beginning of this article get away with hitting eight to 10 businesses a day? I would be willing to bet that in part they were avoiding merchandise that had electronic article surveillance protection as much as they possibly could. Professional shoplifters know that activating alarm towers with Flexible Safers or other Sensormatic tags is going to draw unwanted attention and make it difficult to go back to that store again. A store that uses anti-shoplifting devices to protect health and beauty products is one step ahead of the bad guys.

It is important that I mention that Sensormatic Safers prevent shoplifting by the opportunist as much as the professional. This is especially true in the health and beauty product departments where so many of the items are pocketable. That means they are small enough to be slipped into a pocket and that is a difficult theft to see. I can tell you that we in the Loss Prevention field are very wary of stopping someone for stealing something as small as a cosmetic item. It is simply too risky and the chance of making a bad stop too great. We often let these people walk out unless they set off an electronic article surveillance alarm and then we leave it up to a store manager or supervisor to resolve the cause for the alarm. We generally won’t make an apprehension for an alarm activation, we simply want to see merchandise retrieved.

You never know if your store will be hit by professional shoplifting rings but I can assure you at some point you will be the victim of some variety of shoplifter. If you want to protect health and beauty products or any small merchandise Flexible Safers are the solution for you. Saving money with a Sensormatic System and tags is a beautiful thing.

For more information about how to protect health and beauty products contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.

in General

The Best Shortage Reduction Programs Always Include Clothing Security Tags

Clothing Security – 4 WC blog 848

Clothing security tags – 3

The Best Shortage Reduction Programs Always Include Clothing Security Tags

It can be difficult to decide the best clothing security to use to protect your merchandise from theft. Do you rely on fantastic customer service to dissuade potential pilferers from scooting out with unpaid goods? Do you have fitting room practices in place to prevent hidden goods from being secreted into a dressing room? Perhaps you use closed circuit television cameras and monitors to deter criminals from stealing clothing. Each of these is a good tool in the fight against merchandise shortage but if this is all you are doing then you are missing a critical element in your tool chest.

Sensormatic’s electronic article surveillance towers and clothing security tags are essential for those store owners who are looking for effective methods to reduce shortage. For one thing the tags are nearly impossible to remove without damaging the merchandise. They are built so that a Sensormatic detachment tool is required to take the tag off of an item. I confess that as a Loss Prevention Officer I wanted to see how difficult it really would be to forcibly remove clothing security tags so I attempted to pry one off of a shirt. The shirt was damaged already so I wasn’t destroying anything of value. I can say that the tag did not come off and as I recall I did end up damaging the product more in the process. Since I had a pretty good understanding of how the tags worked I can only imagine the damage a shoplifter would do to a garment if they were able to get a tagged article of clothing out of a store.

Sensormatic products alone are a strong deterrent to criminals. They don’t want to damage merchandise. Whether they intend to sell it to make money, trade the clothes for drugs or take the goods for their own use the majority of shoplifters recognize the damage tags will cause of forcibly removed. That removes the incentive to try to steal in the first place. Most people also understand what electronic article surveillance systems do and that includes shoplifters. The potential risk of setting off a Sensormatic security alarm and getting caught is another deterrent that prevents theft from taking place.

Are these risks associated with Sensormatic tags enough to impede all shoplifters? I would say no. A system may work as a standalone clothing security measure for a time but when crooks see that no one responds to alarm activations they no longer fear being stopped. An effective clothing security program will incorporate training employees on how to properly react to electronic article surveillance alarms. Waving at a customer who has just set off a Sensormatic alarm pedestal only reinforces to thieves that alarms are not taken seriously at a store where this happens. Ongoing training with employees is an important part of an overall shortage reduction program for a store. There are right and wrong ways to stop people who set off alarms.

I mentioned at the beginning of this article that there are other tools that retailers use in their efforts to enhance clothing security. Fitting room controls is one of my favorite areas to focus theft prevention. The reason is the privacy afforded thieves when they enter a fitting room. They know stores cannot place closed circuit television cameras or mirrors here. They hide merchandise and clothing articles between draped pieces of clothing and walk in. While in the room they either change into the clothing hidden between layers of merchandise they are carrying or they conceal those items in a bag, backpack, purse etc. Scheduling an associate to work the fitting room and separate merchandise being taken into a room is a strong deterrent to shoplifting. I cannot tell you how much merchandise I have seen good fitting room attendants recover.

In order to stop shoplifting and improve your profits you must have a comprehensive program in place. Start a program with a great customer service culture add clothing security tags and a Sensormatic system and a fitting room attendant and you will be well on your way. Help is always just a phone call away.

For more information on clothing security contact us or call 1.770.426.0547

It can be difficult to decide the best clothing security to use to protect your merchandise from theft. Do you rely on fantastic customer service to dissuade potential pilferers from scooting out with unpaid goods? Do you have fitting room practices in place to prevent hidden goods from being secreted into a dressing room? Perhaps you use closed circuit television cameras and monitors to deter criminals from stealing clothing. Each of these is a good tool in the fight against merchandise shortage but if this is all you are doing then you are missing a critical element in your tool chest.

Sensormatic’s electronic article surveillance towers and clothing security tags are essential for those store owners who are looking for effective methods to reduce shortage. For one thing the tags are nearly impossible to remove without damaging the merchandise. They are built so that a Sensormatic detachment tool is required to take the tag off of an item. I confess that as a Loss Prevention Officer I wanted to see how difficult it really would be to forcibly remove clothing security tags so I attempted to pry one off of a shirt. The shirt was damaged already so I wasn’t destroying anything of value. I can say that the tag did not come off and as I recall I did end up damaging the product more in the process. Since I had a pretty good understanding of how the tags worked I can only imagine the damage a shoplifter would do to a garment if they were able to get a tagged article of clothing out of a store.

Sensormatic products alone are a strong deterrent to criminals. They don’t want to damage merchandise. Whether they intend to sell it to make money, trade the clothes for drugs or take the goods for their own use the majority of shoplifters recognize the damage tags will cause of forcibly removed. That removes the incentive to try to steal in the first place. Most people also understand what electronic article surveillance systems do and that includes shoplifters. The potential risk of setting off a Sensormatic security alarm and getting caught is another deterrent that prevents theft from taking place.

Are these risks associated with Sensormatic tags enough to impede all shoplifters? I would say no. A system may work as a standalone clothing security measure for a time but when crooks see that no one responds to alarm activations they no longer fear being stopped. An effective clothing security program will incorporate training employees on how to properly react to electronic article surveillance alarms. Waving at a customer who has just set off a Sensormatic alarm pedestal only reinforces to thieves that alarms are not taken seriously at a store where this happens. Ongoing training with employees is an important part of an overall shortage reduction program for a store. There are right and wrong ways to stop people who set off alarms.

I mentioned at the beginning of this article that there are other tools that retailers use in their efforts to enhance clothing security. Fitting room controls is one of my favorite areas to focus theft prevention. The reason is the privacy afforded thieves when they enter a fitting room. They know stores cannot place closed circuit television cameras or mirrors here. They hide merchandise and clothing articles between draped pieces of clothing and walk in. While in the room they either change into the clothing hidden between layers of merchandise they are carrying or they conceal those items in a bag, backpack, purse etc. Scheduling an associate to work the fitting room and separate merchandise being taken into a room is a strong deterrent to shoplifting. I cannot tell you how much merchandise I have seen good fitting room attendants recover.

In order to stop shoplifting and improve your profits you must have a comprehensive program in place. Start a program with a great customer service culture add clothing security tags and a Sensormatic system and a fitting room attendant and you will be well on your way. Help is always just a phone call away.

For more information on clothing security contact us or call 1.770.426.0547

in General

Failing To Conduct A Background Investigation Is A Recipe For Disaster

background investigation – 5 WC blog 846

Pre-Employment Screening-3

Failing To Conduct A Background Investigation Is A Recipe For Disaster

Does your business conduct a background investigation before hiring a new employee? If not you might be inviting trouble in your workplace. There is always a measure of risk involved in hiring a new employee. Will they have the skills to do the job you are hiring them to perform? Will they become an attendance problem? Do they have a criminal record you may not be aware that they have? If they do, what is that record for, theft, assault, driving while intoxicated? The task of hiring new people is not easy and if not done properly it can cause problems for you and your store.

Do you need an example? How about this story from montrealgazette.com,“Fake nurse in Quebec discovered and fired – after 20 years on the job”, by Presse Canadienne, June 1, 2019. The story reports on a woman who had worked in various departments of the hospital over the course of 20 years. According to the report, “Before being exposed, the woman had worked in several departments of the hospital, including the operating room.” The story also says, “Over the years, the documents asked of her were provided – falsified documents.” This should give you a moment of pause while considering the potential ramifications this could have had to patients in this hospital. Someone can provide documentation to “prove” qualifications but without conducting thorough pre-employment screening an owner or manager can be fooled.

To show that this is not restricted to the medical field an article in voiceofsandiego.org, “San Diego Unified Moved a Problem Principle to Districtwide Role, Then Paid Him to Leave”, by Will Huntsberry, April 2, 2019. This story reports a principle, “…appeared to have falsified his credentials – presenting a Ph.D. from a University in England that seemed to be nothing more than a website.” More than just a problem of being in a position he was not qualified to hold, it seems from the story that the subject of this story had also been involved in sexual harassment and created a hostile work environment at a high school he had previously worked in. You may not be running a school but you are running a business and your employees are counting on you to maintain a safe workplace. A background investigation can validate credentials of your potential new hires before you bring them on your team.

Pre-employment screening done by a reliable company can help a business avoid a wide range of potential problems. If you require drivers for deliveries you will want to make sure the applicants have clean driving records. Are you seeking to hire an account for your bookkeeping? Hire a background investigation company that can validate the credentials of a promising candidate. If you own a retail business you have multiple employees. Keep them safe from a new co-worker who could be a sexual predator. A pre-employment check can include a review of the national sex offender registry to ensure your candidate is not listed. The right company can tailor screenings to include those areas you believe are most critical to your business. If you aren’t sure what those areas should be that company should be able to help guide you based on your business and what the position will entail.

Since most of the readers will be retail owners and managers I would also point out that pre-employment screening can lead to a reduction in stock shortage. Employee theft accounts for roughly 1/3 of all merchandise shortage. By conducting a background investigation on applicants a store owner greatly reduces the chance that a future criminal will be hired. If background checks are part of a comprehensive shortage reduction plan that also includes manager training to reduce employee theft and the installation of a Sensormatic security system, risk of internal theft can almost be wiped out.

As we all know one-stop shopping is the easiest and often most efficient way to get everything done. How can anyone bundle a background investigation, a Sensormatic system and manager training without having to look all over the internet? How can anyone do this and be confident they will get reputable resources for each of these needs? Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. has the solution for all of these and more. When it comes to shortage and theft reduction this company has the retail and investigation experience to help any store owner know matter how big or small the company. Hiring the right people and improving profitability for stores is what they specialize in and they can do the same for you.

Need more information on a background investigation? Call us at 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.

Does your business conduct a background investigation before hiring a new employee? If not you might be inviting trouble in your workplace. There is always a measure of risk involved in hiring a new employee. Will they have the skills to do the job you are hiring them to perform? Will they become an attendance problem? Do they have a criminal record you may not be aware that they have? If they do, what is that record for, theft, assault, driving while intoxicated? The task of hiring new people is not easy and if not done properly it can cause problems for you and your store.

Do you need an example? How about this story from montrealgazette.com,“Fake nurse in Quebec discovered and fired – after 20 years on the job”, by Presse Canadienne, June 1, 2019. The story reports on a woman who had worked in various departments of the hospital over the course of 20 years. According to the report, “Before being exposed, the woman had worked in several departments of the hospital, including the operating room.” The story also says, “Over the years, the documents asked of her were provided – falsified documents.” This should give you a moment of pause while considering the potential ramifications this could have had to patients in this hospital. Someone can provide documentation to “prove” qualifications but without conducting thorough pre-employment screening an owner or manager can be fooled.

To show that this is not restricted to the medical field an article in voiceofsandiego.org, “San Diego Unified Moved a Problem Principle to Districtwide Role, Then Paid Him to Leave”, by Will Huntsberry, April 2, 2019. This story reports a principle, “…appeared to have falsified his credentials – presenting a Ph.D. from a University in England that seemed to be nothing more than a website.” More than just a problem of being in a position he was not qualified to hold, it seems from the story that the subject of this story had also been involved in sexual harassment and created a hostile work environment at a high school he had previously worked in. You may not be running a school but you are running a business and your employees are counting on you to maintain a safe workplace. A background investigation can validate credentials of your potential new hires before you bring them on your team.

Pre-employment screening done by a reliable company can help a business avoid a wide range of potential problems. If you require drivers for deliveries you will want to make sure the applicants have clean driving records. Are you seeking to hire an account for your bookkeeping? Hire a background investigation company that can validate the credentials of a promising candidate. If you own a retail business you have multiple employees. Keep them safe from a new co-worker who could be a sexual predator. A pre-employment check can include a review of the national sex offender registry to ensure your candidate is not listed. The right company can tailor screenings to include those areas you believe are most critical to your business. If you aren’t sure what those areas should be that company should be able to help guide you based on your business and what the position will entail.

Since most of the readers will be retail owners and managers I would also point out that pre-employment screening can lead to a reduction in stock shortage. Employee theft accounts for roughly 1/3 of all merchandise shortage. By conducting a background investigation on applicants a store owner greatly reduces the chance that a future criminal will be hired. If background checks are part of a comprehensive shortage reduction plan that also includes manager training to reduce employee theft and the installation of a Sensormatic security system, risk of internal theft can almost be wiped out.

As we all know one-stop shopping is the easiest and often most efficient way to get everything done. How can anyone bundle a background investigation, a Sensormatic system and manager training without having to look all over the internet? How can anyone do this and be confident they will get reputable resources for each of these needs? Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. has the solution for all of these and more. When it comes to shortage and theft reduction this company has the retail and investigation experience to help any store owner know matter how big or small the company. Hiring the right people and improving profitability for stores is what they specialize in and they can do the same for you.

Need more information on a background investigation? Call us at 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.

in General