Electronic Article Surveillance – 3 WC Blog 701
Stop Shoplifting -3
“Safer” Ways To Stop Shoplifting
As someone who has been involved in retail loss prevention as an associate and a manager I have been using electronic article surveillance products for better than 28 years. I have used different styles of tags and labels over the course of my career. One problem I have found with tagging of merchandise is some pegged items can present challenges. Lower price point products may be easy to protect with a soft label. Slap it on, don’t cover any critical information such as a warning label and you are good to go. For other things you want more protection but wraps don’t work well to stop shoplifting. There may be a long cardboard peg hook tab that only folds over and prevents a wrap from being properly tightened down. When this happens the wrap can be slipped off of the merchandise and makes it an easier target for thieves. So are there any solutions? You could lock up those expensive items in a locking display case that’s a pretty safe alternative. That strategy does have problems and the biggest is inconvenience. It is inconvenient to your customers, to your staff and can result in lost sales. There is a better alternative and that is the use of Sensormatic Flexible Safers to protect these items.
Safers sound secure and they should since they are designed by one of the leaders in retail anti-theft technology. Made of layers of strong, lightweight plastics laminated together and possessing electronic article surveillance technology these anti-theft devices provide powerful deterrence to criminal activity. If the item you want to protect is small they give size to it. Crooks like to take things that are small and have some value. They look for items that can be resold, traded for drugs or fraudulently returned and make some money for their effort. As an example, a thief isn’t going to steal a $2 box of Crayola colored pencils from your store if they can steal a $20 box of Prisma colored pencils. Both are peg hook items and I have even tried to place a security wrap on a metal box of Prisma pencils. It is not easy and to be honest the Safer would be a more secure alternative since the wrap has to be worked around the peg hook tab. The safer allows the item to be placed inside the device and the safer is secured. Patrons can pick up the merchandise, look at the item, read about the product but if they try to walk out with it the Safer sets off the Sensormatic electronic alarm system near the front doors. The safer and the towers are often enough to stop shoplifting but when that occasional kleptomaniac decides to try to sneak something out anyways the alarm system sounds. Employees respond to alarms at the doors and recover merchandise and prevent the loss to the store.
The question then is if the shoplifter is deterred by the Safer won’t they try to steal those $2 Crayola pencils as an alternative? That is a very real possibility if you don’t take the time to protect all of your merchandise. If I was giving advice to a store owner I would suggest that the cheaper merchandise be tagged with a Sensormatic electronic article surveillance label. Use Flexible Safers and hard tags on your higher price point items. I don’t have the ability to address every type of retailer and their needs in this article. There are so many different types of retailers out there that each should have specialized assistance to get sound advice for their particular store. Based on my experience as a Loss Prevention Manager I would recommend Loss prevention Systems, Inc. as a resource with the trained staff that can answer questions for your store.
So back to my original point, some items are just plain ol’ ornery when it comes to protecting them, especially pegged goods. You don’t want to lock them up because your team is going to constantly make trips to the stockroom or the customers will just get irritated when they can’t get help to get the merchandise and they will leave. The price of the item may be a cause for concern to you that a security label is not sufficient to dissuade a crook. The Flexible Safer is the solution for you. You keep your merchandise available to your honest customers while at the same time you stop shoplifting. It’s a win-win solution for everyone but the bad guy.
Don’t allow shoplifters to frustrate the way you display merchandise. Also don’t let their actions create hassles for your employees or your customers. Use Flexible Safers and put out all the pegged items you want to drive sales.
Electronic Article Surveillance is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
As someone who has been involved in retail loss prevention as an associate and a manager I have been using electronic article surveillance products for better than 28 years. I have used different styles of tags and labels over the course of my career. One problem I have found with tagging of merchandise is some pegged items can present challenges. Lower price point products may be easy to protect with a soft label. Slap it on, don’t cover any critical information such as a warning label and you are good to go. For other things you want more protection but wraps don’t work well to stop shoplifting. There may be a long cardboard peg hook tab that only folds over and prevents a wrap from being properly tightened down. When this happens the wrap can be slipped off of the merchandise and makes it an easier target for thieves. So are there any solutions? You could lock up those expensive items in a locking display case that’s a pretty safe alternative. That strategy does have problems and the biggest is inconvenience. It is inconvenient to your customers, to your staff and can result in lost sales. There is a better alternative and that is the use of Sensormatic Flexible Safers to protect these items.
Safers sound secure and they should since they are designed by one of the leaders in retail anti-theft technology. Made of layers of strong, lightweight plastics laminated together and possessing electronic article surveillance technology these anti-theft devices provide powerful deterrence to criminal activity. If the item you want to protect is small they give size to it. Crooks like to take things that are small and have some value. They look for items that can be resold, traded for drugs or fraudulently returned and make some money for their effort. As an example, a thief isn’t going to steal a $2 box of Crayola colored pencils from your store if they can steal a $20 box of Prisma colored pencils. Both are peg hook items and I have even tried to place a security wrap on a metal box of Prisma pencils. It is not easy and to be honest the Safer would be a more secure alternative since the wrap has to be worked around the peg hook tab. The safer allows the item to be placed inside the device and the safer is secured. Patrons can pick up the merchandise, look at the item, read about the product but if they try to walk out with it the Safer sets off the Sensormatic electronic alarm system near the front doors. The safer and the towers are often enough to stop shoplifting but when that occasional kleptomaniac decides to try to sneak something out anyways the alarm system sounds. Employees respond to alarms at the doors and recover merchandise and prevent the loss to the store.
The question then is if the shoplifter is deterred by the Safer won’t they try to steal those $2 Crayola pencils as an alternative? That is a very real possibility if you don’t take the time to protect all of your merchandise. If I was giving advice to a store owner I would suggest that the cheaper merchandise be tagged with a Sensormatic electronic article surveillance label. Use Flexible Safers and hard tags on your higher price point items. I don’t have the ability to address every type of retailer and their needs in this article. There are so many different types of retailers out there that each should have specialized assistance to get sound advice for their particular store. Based on my experience as a Loss Prevention Manager I would recommend Loss prevention Systems, Inc. as a resource with the trained staff that can answer questions for your store.
So back to my original point, some items are just plain ol’ ornery when it comes to protecting them, especially pegged goods. You don’t want to lock them up because your team is going to constantly make trips to the stockroom or the customers will just get irritated when they can’t get help to get the merchandise and they will leave. The price of the item may be a cause for concern to you that a security label is not sufficient to dissuade a crook. The Flexible Safer is the solution for you. You keep your merchandise available to your honest customers while at the same time you stop shoplifting. It’s a win-win solution for everyone but the bad guy.
Don’t allow shoplifters to frustrate the way you display merchandise. Also don’t let their actions create hassles for your employees or your customers. Use Flexible Safers and put out all the pegged items you want to drive sales.
Electronic Article Surveillance is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
I am picking up where I left off in Part 1 with issues regarding online orders, pickups and problems that may not be foreseen including Sensormatic tags not being removed. I began considering this problem while working at my retail job as a sales specialist. It then took on a much larger scope when I saw reserved parking places at a Target store and a grocery retailer. I described in Part 1 how part of my job responsibilities include picking merchandise for orders that come through our mobile devices. Some of these orders are for in-store pickup and others I package and ship out via a delivery service. I thought about how easy it would be for me or anyone else to forget to remove or deactivate a retail anti-theft device from goods prior to shipping them or handing them to the customer. Drawing upon my Loss Prevention experiences I realized that it could be a big deal for businesses that sell garments. Fail to remove clothing security tags and the customer who receives the shipment won’t be able to wear it. But this is not the only opportunity I thought about with online ordering and curbside delivery. What I would like to do is share some of the wins of an online service as well as other potential problems or challenges these services can present.
WINS:
- Online orders open a world of new opportunities to sell products to customers who may never step foot into your city or town let alone your business. If they aren’t local the merchandise can be shipped to them. If they are local the store may see increased foot traffic. The first purchase may be a curbside delivery but that customer may come in on another trip.
- Many customers today are busy and want a quick trip to the store. The ability to order and pick-up provides flexibility to the on-the-go consumer who has a jam packed schedule.
- If a customer has a disability online ordering and curbside delivery provide a convenience so the customer does not have to get out of the vehicle to pick up what they need.
- More customers shopping and ordering from your store online decreases the potential for shoplifting to a certain extent.
OPPORTUNITIES:
- If shipping merchandise out of the store how are you adding in the shipping costs? If you do add in a shipping cost is that going to dissuade some people from ordering?
- It is easy to forget about clothing security tags and other Sensormatic tags during the preparation process for shipping. I already covered the problem of clothes being received with a tag still on it but if the merchandise has a security label on it and it has not been detuned that can be an issue. For example if the item is a medicine box and the customer keeps the box in a purse or backpack to prevent the contents from spilling and they enter a store with an electronic article surveillance system they could set off an alarm. This could be an embarrassing moment for that customer.
- While online orders may increase your overall presence with a quality website and search optimization there is the loss of opportunity for the impulse sales. Customers won’t be walking into the store so they won’t be influenced by your displays and signage.
The reduced foot traffic is probably my biggest concern with the growing trend of online ordering and pick-ups. According to an article posted in Fox Business on Feb 24, 2018, “You Won’t Believe What the Average American Spends On Impulse Buys”, “The average American will spend more than $300,000 on “impulse buys” during their adult lifetime…”. The article goes on to describe what types of things Americans will purchase on impulse. Included in the list are vacations, household items, unplanned food purchases and yes, clothing. That is a LOT of impulse buying not coming into a store. I don’t want to see stores hit by shoplifting and if you are using clothing security tags on your merchandise you can avoid most of that activity. I DO want to see customers entering your store.
If you are going to compete in the new market of online buying you are going to have to find creative ways to market to these shoppers but you also cannot neglect the shoppers still coming in to visit in the traditional manner. Use Sensormatic security tags to protect merchandise from theft and don’t forget to remove or deactivate them before shipping or delivering. Adapt to the new shopper but don’t forget the traditional customer or neglect merchandise protection as you do so.
Clothing security tags are important and we can help you with it. Call 1.966.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Stop shoplifting-3 WC Blog 689
Sensormatic System – 3
Sensormatic Systems Remove Opportunity For Theft Part 2
In the first article we discussed how removing opportunity can stop shoplifting and employee theft. The article came about because of a story I read from Loss Prevention Magazine in which the author discussed this very topic. He made valid arguments about the expense of analytical data to try to determine methods for addressing theft and tracking potential opportunities for theft to occur. He then focused on one strategy for internal theft reduction which I did not take any issue with. I encourage you to read Part 1 of this series so you can find the story I am referencing, it could prove useful to business owners. I then discussed my perspective on data and analytics and how it can become a time consuming task to review all of the information and then make it actionable. Opportunity for employee theft starts in the hiring process and then in the building design and finally how operations of the store work. The author of the article I read would probably be in agreement with me about the employment part but he feels that the labor pool is becoming smaller to choose from with the economy improving.
The first solution to stop shoplifting and employee theft I proposed in Part 1 was the installation of new Sensormatic systems in stores. Not only do new electronic article surveillance towers at the entrance and exits of a store let potential thieves know you are serious about crime, they also let store workers know when an attempted theft is taking place. They don’t discriminate between employees and customers. Anyone trying to take merchandise out that is tagged will activate an alarm. These systems remove opportunity one of the key elements necessary for criminals who want to steal. In Part 1 I also told readers that the best source to go to for Sensormatic systems is Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI). LPSI is a company that has been helping retailers with shrink management and theft reduction for over 30 years. They are well equipped to give advice on anti-theft equipment and other methods to curb theft. This leads me to another issue mentioned in the Loss Prevention Magazine article the writer’s argument about hiring being a factor that employers have little control over in terms of opportunity.
I don’t agree that as a “labor market continues to tighten there is little opportunity for retailers to take serious aim at losses from employee theft through more selective hiring” as posed by that author. I believe that the use of pre-employment screening and drug screening of applicants is still a viable option for retail owners and managers. Both of these tools are offered by LPSI as part of a larger strategy to reduce theft and shortage. A pre-employment screening is an opportunity to dig into verifying what an applicant has put on an application or in some cases finding out what was left off an application. There are a number of benefits in conducting background checks but the most important thing to know is it can reduce your chances of hiring criminals. An applicant drug screening helps minimize the chance of hiring a person who uses illegal substances who may take an opportunity to steal from your store to satisfy an addiction. Failing to screen for both of these opens an unnecessary opportunity for a crook to gain employment with your business. Combine the three, Sensormatic Systems, pre-employment background checks and drug screening and you have the makings of a truly impactful anti-theft strategy.
Give a thief an opportunity and he or she will take it and run. Whether you are trying to stop shoplifting or internal theft the tools are available to you to keep it out of your shop. LPSI has those tools and can also assess your business for you to see if there are any other opportunities that have been overlooked. Hire the right people, get the right equipment and hear the right advice and you will create new opportunities to grow your business.
Get more information on Sensormatic systems, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
In the first article we discussed how removing opportunity can stop shoplifting and employee theft. The article came about because of a story I read from Loss Prevention Magazine in which the author discussed this very topic. He made valid arguments about the expense of analytical data to try to determine methods for addressing theft and tracking potential opportunities for theft to occur. He then focused on one strategy for internal theft reduction which I did not take any issue with. I encourage you to read Part 1 of this series so you can find the story I am referencing, it could prove useful to business owners. I then discussed my perspective on data and analytics and how it can become a time consuming task to review all of the information and then make it actionable. Opportunity for employee theft starts in the hiring process and then in the building design and finally how operations of the store work. The author of the article I read would probably be in agreement with me about the employment part but he feels that the labor pool is becoming smaller to choose from with the economy improving.
The first solution to stop shoplifting and employee theft I proposed in Part 1 was the installation of new Sensormatic systems in stores. Not only do new electronic article surveillance towers at the entrance and exits of a store let potential thieves know you are serious about crime, they also let store workers know when an attempted theft is taking place. They don’t discriminate between employees and customers. Anyone trying to take merchandise out that is tagged will activate an alarm. These systems remove opportunity one of the key elements necessary for criminals who want to steal. In Part 1 I also told readers that the best source to go to for Sensormatic systems is Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI). LPSI is a company that has been helping retailers with shrink management and theft reduction for over 30 years. They are well equipped to give advice on anti-theft equipment and other methods to curb theft. This leads me to another issue mentioned in the Loss Prevention Magazine article the writer’s argument about hiring being a factor that employers have little control over in terms of opportunity.
I don’t agree that as a “labor market continues to tighten there is little opportunity for retailers to take serious aim at losses from employee theft through more selective hiring” as posed by that author. I believe that the use of pre-employment screening and drug screening of applicants is still a viable option for retail owners and managers. Both of these tools are offered by LPSI as part of a larger strategy to reduce theft and shortage. A pre-employment screening is an opportunity to dig into verifying what an applicant has put on an application or in some cases finding out what was left off an application. There are a number of benefits in conducting background checks but the most important thing to know is it can reduce your chances of hiring criminals. An applicant drug screening helps minimize the chance of hiring a person who uses illegal substances who may take an opportunity to steal from your store to satisfy an addiction. Failing to screen for both of these opens an unnecessary opportunity for a crook to gain employment with your business. Combine the three, Sensormatic Systems, pre-employment background checks and drug screening and you have the makings of a truly impactful anti-theft strategy.
Give a thief an opportunity and he or she will take it and run. Whether you are trying to stop shoplifting or internal theft the tools are available to you to keep it out of your shop. LPSI has those tools and can also assess your business for you to see if there are any other opportunities that have been overlooked. Hire the right people, get the right equipment and hear the right advice and you will create new opportunities to grow your business.
Get more information on Sensormatic systems, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Free Loss Prevention Calculator -3 WC Blog 700
Loss Prevention ROI Calculator – 3
Learn How Loss Prevention Pays For Itself With The Loss Prevention ROI Calculator
Is there a vehicle calculator comparable to the Free Loss Prevention Calculator? Unfortunately the answer seems to be a resounding no. I have been experiencing a number of car breakdowns recently so I started browsing car dealerships on the internet. I have been looking for a vehicle I can afford but it has been a fruitless effort so far. I look for transportation that will give me plenty of room for my family, comfort, decent mileage and of course a royal blue would make my wife very happy. Oh, I also want at least a couple of years left on the manufacturer’s warranty. Not too much to ask for in my mind, I know what I need/want in terms of reliability and travel requirements. As I find a car that seems to match my needs I use the dealership’s financing calculator to see that I am probably not going to be able to afford that vehicle. I think if that little chat box with a picture of a representative could see what I was doing rather than asking if it could help me, it would laugh and tell me to keep dreaming. So, I enter my information in their calculator and find that not only is the vehicle not going to pay for itself it would cost a LOT more than I can afford. Too bad those payment calculators aren’t like the Loss Prevention ROI Calculator.
Most of you are thinking I’ve lost my mind. How could I ever expect a vehicle to pay for itself over time that is a ludicrous idea? I would agree and I recognize that a car loses value over time and with use. What you would be surprised to learn as a retail manager or store owner is that a loss prevention security system from Sensormatic CAN pay for itself over time. It is an investment that will reduce your losses incurred from shoplifting and internal employee theft. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) founder Bill Bregar has been a crusader against retail theft since he started his company in 1983. Relying on his military, educational and Loss Prevention experiences (he just happened to hold the Director of Loss Prevention position for several national retailers) he began helping retailers reduce shortage and improve profits. One indispensable tool in the Loss Prevention toolbox is an anti-theft system. Unfortunately many business owners hold the misconception that their store is too small to be able to install a system or it is beyond their budget. Bill wanted to be able to demonstrate that a system is within reach and created the Free Loss Prevention Calculator. With a quick visit to the LPSI website and a click of the “ROI Calc.” tab a store owner is taken to the calculator. No registering, no signing in simply enter the estimated annual sales of your store and how much you would want to invest in a Sensormatic system and the Loss Prevention ROI calculator figures your stores estimated shrink losses in dollars based on an average of 1.2%. It estimates the reduction in shortage from 1.2% to .65% a conservative estimate as some owners will see even better results. The monthly cost of the electronic article surveillance system is displayed but so is the best part, the estimated number of months it will take for the system to pay for itself!
You read that correctly, The Free Loss Prevention Calculator shows you how long it will take for a Sensormatic system to pay for itself in reduced shortage. After that it becomes profit! I don’t have that luxury with a car financing calculator. Nothing about that deal says I am going to start profiting from my investment. All I get is that I am going to pay out the ear for 5 or 6 years on something that is going to devalue over that span. Maybe these car dealers need to sell me an ice cream truck then they could use their own version of the Loss Prevention ROI Calculator and tell me how long before my truck profits me.
In conclusion I want to let store owners and managers know that while a Loss Prevention System is an important part of theft prevention it should be part of a more comprehensive theft prevention program. LPSI would be happy to take a look at your business and help assess risks and develop a strategy that will ensure you have an edge over your competition. Can Loss Prevention be free? You bet it can be and LPSI can show you how.
Get more information on the Free Loss Prevention Calculator, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Is there a vehicle calculator comparable to the Free Loss Prevention Calculator? Unfortunately the answer seems to be a resounding no. I have been experiencing a number of car breakdowns recently so I started browsing car dealerships on the internet. I have been looking for a vehicle I can afford but it has been a fruitless effort so far. I look for transportation that will give me plenty of room for my family, comfort, decent mileage and of course a royal blue would make my wife very happy. Oh, I also want at least a couple of years left on the manufacturer’s warranty. Not too much to ask for in my mind, I know what I need/want in terms of reliability and travel requirements. As I find a car that seems to match my needs I use the dealership’s financing calculator to see that I am probably not going to be able to afford that vehicle. I think if that little chat box with a picture of a representative could see what I was doing rather than asking if it could help me, it would laugh and tell me to keep dreaming. So, I enter my information in their calculator and find that not only is the vehicle not going to pay for itself it would cost a LOT more than I can afford. Too bad those payment calculators aren’t like the Loss Prevention ROI Calculator.
Most of you are thinking I’ve lost my mind. How could I ever expect a vehicle to pay for itself over time that is a ludicrous idea? I would agree and I recognize that a car loses value over time and with use. What you would be surprised to learn as a retail manager or store owner is that a loss prevention security system from Sensormatic CAN pay for itself over time. It is an investment that will reduce your losses incurred from shoplifting and internal employee theft. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) founder Bill Bregar has been a crusader against retail theft since he started his company in 1983. Relying on his military, educational and Loss Prevention experiences (he just happened to hold the Director of Loss Prevention position for several national retailers) he began helping retailers reduce shortage and improve profits. One indispensable tool in the Loss Prevention toolbox is an anti-theft system. Unfortunately many business owners hold the misconception that their store is too small to be able to install a system or it is beyond their budget. Bill wanted to be able to demonstrate that a system is within reach and created the Free Loss Prevention Calculator. With a quick visit to the LPSI website and a click of the “ROI Calc.” tab a store owner is taken to the calculator. No registering, no signing in simply enter the estimated annual sales of your store and how much you would want to invest in a Sensormatic system and the Loss Prevention ROI calculator figures your stores estimated shrink losses in dollars based on an average of 1.2%. It estimates the reduction in shortage from 1.2% to .65% a conservative estimate as some owners will see even better results. The monthly cost of the electronic article surveillance system is displayed but so is the best part, the estimated number of months it will take for the system to pay for itself!
You read that correctly, The Free Loss Prevention Calculator shows you how long it will take for a Sensormatic system to pay for itself in reduced shortage. After that it becomes profit! I don’t have that luxury with a car financing calculator. Nothing about that deal says I am going to start profiting from my investment. All I get is that I am going to pay out the ear for 5 or 6 years on something that is going to devalue over that span. Maybe these car dealers need to sell me an ice cream truck then they could use their own version of the Loss Prevention ROI Calculator and tell me how long before my truck profits me.
In conclusion I want to let store owners and managers know that while a Loss Prevention System is an important part of theft prevention it should be part of a more comprehensive theft prevention program. LPSI would be happy to take a look at your business and help assess risks and develop a strategy that will ensure you have an edge over your competition. Can Loss Prevention be free? You bet it can be and LPSI can show you how.
Get more information on the Free Loss Prevention Calculator, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Sensormatic hard tag: need 2
people counting
clothing security: need 2
safer
clothing Security-4 WC Blog 692
Sensormatic tags-3
Clothing Security Can Be A Problem In The New ERA Of Online Ordering And Parking Lot Pick-Ups Part 1
Recently I am seeing more drive and pick-up parking spaces and I got to thinking about how it relates to clothing security and other theft protection efforts. It only seems to be recently that I saw the delivery parking places pop up in locations like WalMart, Target, and even a grocery store chain near where I live. In the store I work for we have been doing what are called Omni orders over the past year or so. All of these are designed to make a faster shopping experience for customers so they can make purchases online and pick them up without having to go into a store. Personally I see good and bad aspects to this strategy. One of my concerns involves the handling of Sensormatic tags and labels used to prevent shoplifting.
As I consider the process of Omni orders in our store I can see where there may be problems for other retailers. Our store does not sell any clothing we aren’t that type of retailer but having filled orders I am in a position to see the potential pitfalls for those stores that do sell clothing. When stores like the one I work at are using Sensormatic tags and labels on merchandise we are trying to prevent theft. We are deterring shoplifters and even employees who would try to steal when we put retail anti-theft devices on products. Crooks are well aware that tagged goods are going to set off those electronic article surveillance (EAS) towers we have at the front doors. Before we finish a transaction we have to use deactivation pads to detune EAS labels or we have to use a detachment tool to remove a hard tag or wrap. In those stores where I worked as a Loss Prevention Manager or Associate and softlines products were sold we had to remove the clothing security tags at the points of sale. If labels are not detuned it is a nuisance to customers as they walk out of a store. If a hard tag isn’t removed a whole new problem is created for the patron. Aside from the alarm it causes if no one responds the patron may simply leave. If the patron gets home and a tag is still on the merchandise the product can’t be worn and then you have to deal with a very angry customer when they come back. As a Loss Prevention Associate for a department store I would see this problem as shoppers would walk into our store from the mall. I remember being involved with a number of situations when a customer had a proper receipt from another store but that location failed to remove clothing security tags. The shopper was embarrassed and after verifying the receipt and product matched I would escort the customer back to that store and seek assistance in having a tag removed.
That brings me back to my concern with these new online orders being shipped from stores. The process for our company goes something like this. An alert pops on our mobile device. We are prompted on the items to pull and we go through the list picking the pieces. We then box the goods up for shipment and print the packing list and shipping label and ready it for delivery pick-up. We also have in-store pick-ups for online orders that are processed in a similar manner. When these orders involve hard tagged merchandise we have to ensure the tags are removed before they are shipped off or turned over to the customer. Now what happens when the store is one that sells shoes, shirts, jeans, dresses, etc. and protects items with clothing security tags? Having been involved in the shipping process I can see where it would be easy to overlook the critical step of removing anti-theft devices. Ship off an article of clothing with the security tag still attached and you are going to have one extremely agitated customer who can’t wear the product. This can create a horrible customer service fiasco.
In Part 2 I want to talk a bit more about the advantages and disadvantages of the online shopping experience. I want to be clear that I am in total favor of the use of Sensormatic tags and efforts to stop theft. I am also in favor of owners finding new ways to increase sales and being open to finding new ways to reach additional customers. I only want retailers to be careful in their strategies and not follow a trend for the sake of a trend but to look for the potential pitfalls a strategy may carry.
Need information on clothing security? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Recently I am seeing more drive and pick-up parking spaces and I got to thinking about how it relates to clothing security and other theft protection efforts. It only seems to be recently that I saw the delivery parking places pop up in locations like WalMart, Target, and even a grocery store chain near where I live. In the store I work for we have been doing what are called Omni orders over the past year or so. All of these are designed to make a faster shopping experience for customers so they can make purchases online and pick them up without having to go into a store. Personally I see good and bad aspects to this strategy. One of my concerns involves the handling of Sensormatic tags and labels used to prevent shoplifting.
As I consider the process of Omni orders in our store I can see where there may be problems for other retailers. Our store does not sell any clothing we aren’t that type of retailer but having filled orders I am in a position to see the potential pitfalls for those stores that do sell clothing. When stores like the one I work at are using Sensormatic tags and labels on merchandise we are trying to prevent theft. We are deterring shoplifters and even employees who would try to steal when we put retail anti-theft devices on products. Crooks are well aware that tagged goods are going to set off those electronic article surveillance (EAS) towers we have at the front doors. Before we finish a transaction we have to use deactivation pads to detune EAS labels or we have to use a detachment tool to remove a hard tag or wrap. In those stores where I worked as a Loss Prevention Manager or Associate and softlines products were sold we had to remove the clothing security tags at the points of sale. If labels are not detuned it is a nuisance to customers as they walk out of a store. If a hard tag isn’t removed a whole new problem is created for the patron. Aside from the alarm it causes if no one responds the patron may simply leave. If the patron gets home and a tag is still on the merchandise the product can’t be worn and then you have to deal with a very angry customer when they come back. As a Loss Prevention Associate for a department store I would see this problem as shoppers would walk into our store from the mall. I remember being involved with a number of situations when a customer had a proper receipt from another store but that location failed to remove clothing security tags. The shopper was embarrassed and after verifying the receipt and product matched I would escort the customer back to that store and seek assistance in having a tag removed.
That brings me back to my concern with these new online orders being shipped from stores. The process for our company goes something like this. An alert pops on our mobile device. We are prompted on the items to pull and we go through the list picking the pieces. We then box the goods up for shipment and print the packing list and shipping label and ready it for delivery pick-up. We also have in-store pick-ups for online orders that are processed in a similar manner. When these orders involve hard tagged merchandise we have to ensure the tags are removed before they are shipped off or turned over to the customer. Now what happens when the store is one that sells shoes, shirts, jeans, dresses, etc. and protects items with clothing security tags? Having been involved in the shipping process I can see where it would be easy to overlook the critical step of removing anti-theft devices. Ship off an article of clothing with the security tag still attached and you are going to have one extremely agitated customer who can’t wear the product. This can create a horrible customer service fiasco.
In Part 2 I want to talk a bit more about the advantages and disadvantages of the online shopping experience. I want to be clear that I am in total favor of the use of Sensormatic tags and efforts to stop theft. I am also in favor of owners finding new ways to increase sales and being open to finding new ways to reach additional customers. I only want retailers to be careful in their strategies and not follow a trend for the sake of a trend but to look for the potential pitfalls a strategy may carry.
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