Stop shoplifting – 3
Sensormatic System -3 wc blog 813
Trying To Stop Shoplifting Built Remarkable Friendships
I have spent much of my life trying to stop shoplifting and other crime and in the course of doing so I have built some fantastic friendships. I thought my most memorable shoplifters were my own memories and would not be shared by anyone else. Apparently I was wrong. I happened to run into a police officer I had not seen in years while I was at my current retail job a few nights ago. I knew I recognized him but could not recall from where but he recognized me and we started talking about “the good ol’ days” when we worked on the same cases together. He brought up a shoplifting case that I share from time to time with my friends (or in an article) but I was shocked that he still remembered it. As a police officer he worked hundreds of cases so why would one particular shoplifting case stand out to him? He asked me if I remembered the shoplifter we caught hiding in a trash can! This was a LONG time ago, like early 1990’s, but he had not forgotten about it.
The case involved a clothing security problem we were experiencing in the department store where I was a Loss Prevention Officer. Baseball caps were becoming a high theft issue for our store so we began focusing closed circuit television on the area. Our store had an anti-theft system to stop shoplifting, similar to a Sensormatic system but we had not started tagging hats at that point. I was focused on watching the ballcaps this day and observed a suspect walk up to the display. He picked up a small stack of hats and tucked them under his shirt and walked towards the exit. To prevent the theft of the hats I had to run to the exit, meet him at the door, recover the merchandise and escort him back to the doors. I successfully stopped the suspect… for about 5 seconds then he dropped the merchandise and ran from me. I chased the suspect to an apartment complex (we were allowed to chase in those days) and he lost me. Local police arrived but we were unable to find the would-be shoplifter. I stayed in the area after the police left and kept surveillance of the area. Eventually I saw the suspect peek out of a trash can and I called the police back through our store operator. The apartment owner also called the police when they heard movement on their porch. Police returned and lifted the lid from the trash can and the suspect tipped over then tried to flee. The suspect was captured, cuffed and transported to the city jail.
My police officer friend recalled the story since he responded to this call he laughed because he remembered how much our thief stank from hiding in the trash bin. I should mention it was not long after that incident that we started tagging our ballcaps with clothing security dye tags. The tags looked like the Sensormatic system Benefit Denial Tags that also have electronic article surveillance technology in them. I guess it goes to show you that you can’t take friendships for granted. Even when I only thought I was doing my job trying to stop shoplifting in the process I built partnerships and friendships that would last for a long time.
The interesting thing is my trip down memory lane did not stop here. I have also been going through old paperwork cleaning out my briefcase and came across a certificate of recognition from the former Chief of Police for my work with the police department on a Police/Community event. By that time I had moved into a Loss Prevention Manager position with another company. There were photos of a Christmas shopping event I assisted the police and fire department to hold in our store for local underprivileged children. I came across more pictures of police/store events over the years that brought back more memories and some of the officers I have remained in contact with.
A Sensormatic system will help deter shoplifters from stealing from your store. Building partnerships with your local police department can help too. Offering a designated parking space for police vehicles, inviting officers to visit and have a cup of coffee and even providing a small percentage discount to police and first responders can increase their presence in your building. As you do this you will find you too can build friendships that may last longer than you imagined they would.
For more information on a Sensormatic System contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
I have spent much of my life trying to stop shoplifting and other crime and in the course of doing so I have built some fantastic friendships. I thought my most memorable shoplifters were my own memories and would not be shared by anyone else. Apparently I was wrong. I happened to run into a police officer I had not seen in years while I was at my current retail job a few nights ago. I knew I recognized him but could not recall from where but he recognized me and we started talking about “the good ol’ days” when we worked on the same cases together. He brought up a shoplifting case that I share from time to time with my friends (or in an article) but I was shocked that he still remembered it. As a police officer he worked hundreds of cases so why would one particular shoplifting case stand out to him? He asked me if I remembered the shoplifter we caught hiding in a trash can! This was a LONG time ago, like early 1990’s, but he had not forgotten about it.
The case involved a clothing security problem we were experiencing in the department store where I was a Loss Prevention Officer. Baseball caps were becoming a high theft issue for our store so we began focusing closed circuit television on the area. Our store had an anti-theft system to stop shoplifting, similar to a Sensormatic system but we had not started tagging hats at that point. I was focused on watching the ballcaps this day and observed a suspect walk up to the display. He picked up a small stack of hats and tucked them under his shirt and walked towards the exit. To prevent the theft of the hats I had to run to the exit, meet him at the door, recover the merchandise and escort him back to the doors. I successfully stopped the suspect… for about 5 seconds then he dropped the merchandise and ran from me. I chased the suspect to an apartment complex (we were allowed to chase in those days) and he lost me. Local police arrived but we were unable to find the would-be shoplifter. I stayed in the area after the police left and kept surveillance of the area. Eventually I saw the suspect peek out of a trash can and I called the police back through our store operator. The apartment owner also called the police when they heard movement on their porch. Police returned and lifted the lid from the trash can and the suspect tipped over then tried to flee. The suspect was captured, cuffed and transported to the city jail.
My police officer friend recalled the story since he responded to this call he laughed because he remembered how much our thief stank from hiding in the trash bin. I should mention it was not long after that incident that we started tagging our ballcaps with clothing security dye tags. The tags looked like the Sensormatic system Benefit Denial Tags that also have electronic article surveillance technology in them. I guess it goes to show you that you can’t take friendships for granted. Even when I only thought I was doing my job trying to stop shoplifting in the process I built partnerships and friendships that would last for a long time.
The interesting thing is my trip down memory lane did not stop here. I have also been going through old paperwork cleaning out my briefcase and came across a certificate of recognition from the former Chief of Police for my work with the police department on a Police/Community event. By that time I had moved into a Loss Prevention Manager position with another company. There were photos of a Christmas shopping event I assisted the police and fire department to hold in our store for local underprivileged children. I came across more pictures of police/store events over the years that brought back more memories and some of the officers I have remained in contact with.
A Sensormatic system will help deter shoplifters from stealing from your store. Building partnerships with your local police department can help too. Offering a designated parking space for police vehicles, inviting officers to visit and have a cup of coffee and even providing a small percentage discount to police and first responders can increase their presence in your building. As you do this you will find you too can build friendships that may last longer than you imagined they would.
For more information on a Sensormatic System contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Sensormatic Safers – 4
Prevent Shoplifting -3 wc Blog 814
Prevent Shoplifting With Sensormatic Safers And You Will Reduce Other Crimes Affecting Your Customers
Sensormatic Safers are super at protecting your merchandise from theft. In a sense they can even help make a store safer from criminals who are attracted to stores where shoplifting runs rampant. Where one type of crime is out of control you will often find that other crime and fraud is taking place. In some instances it is your customers who are the victims of those predators. Prevent shoplifting and you can make an impact on other crime. Retail anti-theft devices from Sensormatic can make merchandise that is popular with thieves hard to steal. As shoplifting is reduced the shoplifters look for other stores to steal from and other criminal activity tends to decline as well. Sadly Sensormatic Safers and similar devices cannot directly help your customers who are victims of fraud predators or criminal activity directed at them personally.
A perfect example of this took place not long ago in the store where I work. An older customer came in and said they needed to purchase an unusual number of re-loadable giftcards. I wasn’t too surprised at first since we do cater to a lot of small businesses and sometimes we receive unusual requests. I was thinking that perhaps the patron was going to put $20 on each and give them as incentives to their employees. It turned out the customer wanted $500 on each card. This got my attention and I immediately called for the store manager to assist with the purchase, it smelled of fraud to me and I was afraid the customer was the victim. Both the manager and I asked the customer several times if they were sure who they were giving the giftcards to. It was explained that this is frequently a method used to defraud older citizens. The concern was heightened as the patron pulled out cash to pay for this transaction. The customer insisted everything was legitimate and they had contacted their attorney. My manager and I finished the transaction and as soon as the customer left my manager contacted his manager. Well, about an hour later the customer returned and apparently did get in contact with their attorney and was told this was a scam. My manager was able to put a stop on the giftcards and the customer would get their money back some time in the near future.
This was a big save but not every one of your customers can avoid being the victim of fraud or theft. As I mentioned, Sensormatic Safers and electronic article surveillance prevent shoplifting they don’t prevent return fraud, crimes against persons or property crimes against your patrons. I have investigated property crimes when customers have had purses and wallets stolen from their shopping carts. I have had to help those victims trace their steps, contact their banks and speak to police. I have assisted a customer when their car was broken into and valuables were stolen. Review of video, looking for suspects it was interesting from an investigator’s perspective it was disappointing that the incident took place on our property and for the loss the victim experienced.
I have had panhandlers and shady characters hang around the store and harass people trying to walk in and out of the building. No, it may not have been illegal but it was intimidating and concerning. Most people don’t want a stranger approaching them in a parking lot because you can never be sure what their intention or motive is. In some cases a person is trying to be nice and starts to reach into a purse or wallet and it is snatched from them and the criminal flees.
These personal and property crimes will happen anywhere. They happened at the stores where I worked and we controlled our shoplifting. The problem is the growth of this activity when store managers and owners don’t make an effort to prevent shoplifting. Don’t allow your store to become a repository for all types of crime. Your customers need to feel safe otherwise they will shop somewhere else. Using Sensormatic Safers and tags to protect your merchandise will be a good starting place to begin cleaning up other crime. It will make your store more profitable by lowering shrink and helping to increase sales through a growth in customer traffic.
Get more information on how to prevent shoplifting, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Sensormatic Safers are super at protecting your merchandise from theft. In a sense they can even help make a store safer from criminals who are attracted to stores where shoplifting runs rampant. Where one type of crime is out of control you will often find that other crime and fraud is taking place. In some instances it is your customers who are the victims of those predators. Prevent shoplifting and you can make an impact on other crime. Retail anti-theft devices from Sensormatic can make merchandise that is popular with thieves hard to steal. As shoplifting is reduced the shoplifters look for other stores to steal from and other criminal activity tends to decline as well.
A perfect example of this took place not long ago in the store where I work. An older customer came in and said they needed to purchase an unusual number of re-loadable giftcards. I wasn’t too surprised at first since we do cater to a lot of small businesses and sometimes we receive unusual requests. I was thinking that perhaps the patron was going to put $20 on each and give them as incentives to their employees. It turned out the customer wanted $500 on each card. This got my attention and I immediately called for the store manager to assist with the purchase, it smelled of fraud to me and I was afraid the customer was the victim. Both the manager and I asked the customer several times if they were sure who they were giving the giftcards to. It was explained that this is frequently a method used to defraud older citizens. The concern was heightened as the patron pulled out cash to pay for this transaction. The customer insisted everything was legitimate and they had contacted their attorney. My manager and I finished the transaction and as soon as the customer left my manager contacted his manager. Well, about an hour later the customer returned and apparently did get in contact with their attorney and was told this was a scam. My manager was able to put a stop on the giftcards and the customer would get their money back some time in the near future.
This was a big save but not every one of your customers can avoid being the victim of fraud or theft. As I mentioned, Sensormatic Safers and electronic article surveillance prevent shoplifting they don’t prevent return fraud, crimes against persons or property crimes against your patrons. I have investigated property crimes when customers have had purses and wallets stolen from their shopping carts. I have had to help those victims trace their steps, contact their banks and speak to police. I have assisted a customer when their car was broken into and valuables were stolen. Review of video, looking for suspects it was interesting from an investigator’s perspective it was disappointing that the incident took place on our property and for the loss the victim experienced.
I have had panhandlers and shady characters hang around the store and harass people trying to walk in and out of the building. No, it may not have been illegal but it was intimidating and concerning. Most people don’t want a stranger approaching them in a parking lot because you can never be sure what their intention or motive is. In some cases a person is trying to be nice and starts to reach into a purse or wallet and it is snatched from them and the criminal flees.
These personal and property crimes will happen anywhere. They happened at the stores where I worked and we controlled our shoplifting. The problem is the growth of this activity when store managers and owners don’t make an effort to prevent shoplifting. Don’t allow your store to become a repository for all types of crime. Your customers need to feel safe otherwise they will shop somewhere else. Using Sensormatic Safers and tags to protect your merchandise will be a good starting place to begin cleaning up other crime. It will make your store more profitable by lowering shrink and helping to increase sales through a growth in customer traffic.
Get more information on how to prevent shoplifting, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Sensormatic Tags – 3 WC Blog 805
Clothing Security -3
Prevent Fitting Room Failures With Sensormatic Tags
If you sell clothing you have fitting rooms and if you have fitting rooms it can be tough to prevent theft especially if your store does not use Sensormatic tags on clothing. As is often the case this thought came to me as I was on a shopping excursion. This time I was with one of my sons who was purchasing clothes for a job interview. It just so happened that he wanted my assistance in selecting appropriate attire (yeah, dad can still be useful from time to time especially when mom isn’t home). We went to a department store and looked at suits, shirts, sports jackets and ties. The funny thing is I had worked for this particular business, though not this store, when I started out in my Loss Prevention career. I know the protection we used to use for merchandise including fitting room controls. As we looked at the apparel I was somewhat taken aback at the lack of clothing security tags on merchandise. $35.00 slacks on the low end, suits in the hundreds of dollars, even the sports coat he settled on was on sale from $110.00 to $85.00. Hmmm…I was surprised but times change and I could not see any use of anti-theft devices. We selected several pair of pants, and the sports coat and he went to the fitting room. No one was present to check what he was carrying into the rooms. I found another item I wanted him to try on and took it to him and to be honest I was shocked at the condition of the fitting room stalls. All were empty of people but there were empty hangers, and loose clothing in every one of them. I even saw a large plastic shopping bag from another store in one room. I could not help but wonder how much theft had taken place and when the last fitting room inspection had taken place.
Fitting rooms are notorious for being a favorite location for shoplifters. Due to payroll constraints many stores have stopped assigning workers as fitting room attendants. Other stores have opted for a hybrid whereby the sales associate assigned to a department also controls fitting rooms. This may be done by keeping fitting room doors locked or by placing a point of sale near the fitting room entrance. There are drawbacks to each of these strategies. Locking doors requires a sales associate to be available with a key when a customer wants to try something on. Delay that shopper and you anger them and potentially lose sales. Putting a cashier near a fitting room entrance may give the appearance of control but if that cashier is busy they won’t be able to control activity in or out of a fitting room. Using Sensormatic tags is the only sensible solution to preventing theft of clothing in a fitting room.
Hopefully every store owner and manager takes clothing security as seriously as I do. I understand that stores and especially small stores have limited budgets. It is rarely practical for these stores to staff a fitting room especially when some major retailers have had to move away from that model. Sensormatic tags can take care of many of the problems posed by fitting room theft. Thieves want rewards with minimal risk. Tags present risk because they will set off the towers at the front doors. When shoplifters attempt to force tags off of garments it damages the merchandise rendering them useless to the would-be crook. Stores may not be able to put an employee at the fitting room but they can afford to purchase a Loss Prevention System that can be almost as effective. One reminder though, even if you opt to buy a Sensormatic system and tags you can’t totally neglect your fitting rooms. Regular inspections for empty hangers, old clothing and re-shop merchandise must be made. Cluttered fitting rooms tend to attract criminals.
Clothing security can be difficult when it comes to fitting rooms. Patrons want to try on clothes but unfettered access to fitting rooms can lead to financial loss for store owners. Protect your merchandise with Sensormatic anti-theft systems and let your customers enjoy trying on merchandise while you relax in the knowledge your inventory is safe and secure.
Get more information on Sensormatic tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
If you sell clothing you have fitting rooms and if you have fitting rooms it can be tough to prevent theft especially if your store does not use Sensormatic tags on clothing. As is often the case this thought came to me as I was on a shopping excursion. This time I was with one of my sons who was purchasing clothes for a job interview. It just so happened that he wanted my assistance in selecting appropriate attire (yeah, dad can still be useful from time to time especially when mom isn’t home). We went to a department store and looked at suits, shirts, sports jackets and ties. The funny thing is I had worked for this particular business, though not this store, when I started out in my Loss Prevention career. I know the protection we used to use for merchandise including fitting room controls. As we looked at the apparel I was somewhat taken aback at the lack of clothing security tags on merchandise. $35.00 slacks on the low end, suits in the hundreds of dollars, even the sports coat he settled on was on sale from $110.00 to $85.00. Hmmm…I was surprised but times change and I could not see any use of anti-theft devices. We selected several pair of pants, and the sports coat and he went to the fitting room. No one was present to check what he was carrying into the rooms. I found another item I wanted him to try on and took it to him and to be honest I was shocked at the condition of the fitting room stalls. All were empty of people but there were empty hangers, and loose clothing in every one of them. I even saw a large plastic shopping bag from another store in one room. I could not help but wonder how much theft had taken place and when the last fitting room inspection had taken place.
Fitting rooms are notorious for being a favorite location for shoplifters. Due to payroll constraints many stores have stopped assigning workers as fitting room attendants. Other stores have opted for a hybrid whereby the sales associate assigned to a department also controls fitting rooms. This may be done by keeping fitting room doors locked or by placing a point of sale near the fitting room entrance. There are drawbacks to each of these strategies. Locking doors requires a sales associate to be available with a key when a customer wants to try something on. Delay that shopper and you anger them and potentially lose sales. Putting a cashier near a fitting room entrance may give the appearance of control but if that cashier is busy they won’t be able to control activity in or out of a fitting room. Using Sensormatic tags is the only sensible solution to preventing theft of clothing in a fitting room.
Hopefully every store owner and manager takes clothing security as seriously as I do. I understand that stores and especially small stores have limited budgets. It is rarely practical for these stores to staff a fitting room especially when some major retailers have had to move away from that model. Sensormatic tags can take care of many of the problems posed by fitting room theft. Thieves want rewards with minimal risk. Tags present risk because they will set off the towers at the front doors. When shoplifters attempt to force tags off of garments it damages the merchandise rendering them useless to the would-be crook. Stores may not be able to put an employee at the fitting room but they can afford to purchase a Loss Prevention System that can be almost as effective. One reminder though, even if you opt to buy a Sensormatic system and tags you can’t totally neglect your fitting rooms. Regular inspections for empty hangers, old clothing and re-shop merchandise must be made. Cluttered fitting rooms tend to attract criminals.
Clothing security can be difficult when it comes to fitting rooms. Patrons want to try on clothes but unfettered access to fitting rooms can lead to financial loss for store owners. Protect your merchandise with Sensormatic anti-theft systems and let your customers enjoy trying on merchandise while you relax in the knowledge your inventory is safe and secure.
Get more information on Sensormatic tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Stop Shoplifting – 3 WC Blog 803
Sensormatic Tags- 3
It Takes Teamwork To Run A Store And Stop Shoplifting
Efforts to stop shoplifting in a store must involve more than just the store owner or manager. An effective strategy incorporates the input from department managers or whatever leadership hierarchy a store has in place. This has been something I have always been in favor of since my days as a Loss Prevention Manager. It came to me again recently when I was invited to be a part of a Veterans Committee at the college where I work. This was the second meeting of this particular group (I was not a member at the first meeting.) The Chairman of the committee outlined some of the goals from the first meeting. As discussions about everything the committee wanted to accomplish were laid out it appeared there was much the leader was taking upon himself. This group of military veterans and retired military leaders and college leadership started jumping in and giving suggestions and offering solutions to some big challenges. For example one of the goals of the committee is to send five members of the student veteran’s leadership team to a national conference. This includes finding sponsors, donors, arranging flights, hotels rooms, etc. The Committee Chairman was trying to do this and run his department on campus. My fellow committee members are men and women of action. They started volunteering to take on some of these tasks. What does this have to do with Loss Prevention? Theft prevention cannot be the responsibility of one person. Whether it is ensuring merchandise is being tagged with Sensormatic tags to daily testing of equipment to creating a shortage plan, it cannot fall on one person.
Store managers have to have a team of people who will assist them in putting together an effective shortage prevention strategy. The manager has to have a vision for what he/she wants but without the help of people who are willing to share the load that vision will not be fulfilled. The store owner or manager can make the initial purchase of a Sensormatic security system and have it installed but once that is complete there is more that goes into a Shortage Plan. Someone has to be responsible for the training of employees who will be responding to electronic article surveillance alarms when they activate the towers. Since turnover is going to occur from time to time this trainer has to be continually reviewing procedures with employees and training new employees. Properly responding to alarms is important and can determine if merchandise is recovered or how the person will respond who has caused the alarm. When executed in the right way, responders to electronic article surveillance alarms can stop shoplifting and recover merchandise without causing a scene. They can also keep a situation from escalating by the manner in which they interact with the customer who causes the alarm.
Not only does someone need to take responsibility for alarm response training someone has to be charged with the tagging and auditing of merchandise. The store management team should determine the items that they want to have protected with Sensormatic tags. At that point someone has to get the job done and make sure it is a continual process. It can be tedious (I know I have had to do it) but when the merchandise program is followed on a daily basis it is easy to keep up with. Lapses in tagging and auditing create headaches as employees have to backtrack to locate what is not tagged and get caught up. You can understand how hard it would be for a Store Manager to do this with the rest of his/her workload.
While it is not as labor intensive the system equipment must be checked for operational readiness on a regular basis. This may be daily or weekly but it is a test that should include the pedestals, deactivation pads, Sensormatic cameras or traffic counting devices if they are part of a system and accounting of detachment tools. Identifying issues quickly plays an important role in store efforts to stop shoplifting. Broken or damaged equipment can mean that thieves are not being detected as they leave the store. That results in an increase in unnecessary shrinkage.
Putting an anti-theft program in place and incorporating Sensormatic tags and towers into that plan is important. Having a team that gives their support and participates in the program is crucial. No matter how well-intentioned a store owner or manager may be they cannot carry that load by themselves. Getting team buy in and support is necessry in all aspects of a business and theft prevention and shortage reduction is no different. Teamwork makes running a store easier on everyone and a more productive environment overall.
For more information on Sensormatic tags contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
Efforts to stop shoplifting in a store must involve more than just the store owner or manager. An effective strategy incorporates the input from department managers or whatever leadership hierarchy a store has in place. This has been something I have always been in favor of since my days as a Loss Prevention Manager. It came to me again recently when I was invited to be a part of a Veterans Committee at the college where I work. This was the second meeting of this particular group (I was not a member at the first meeting.) The Chairman of the committee outlined some of the goals from the first meeting. As discussions about everything the committee wanted to accomplish were laid out it appeared there was much the leader was taking upon himself. This group of military veterans and retired military leaders and college leadership started jumping in and giving suggestions and offering solutions to some big challenges. For example one of the goals of the committee is to send five members of the student veteran’s leadership team to a national conference. This includes finding sponsors, donors, arranging flights, hotels rooms, etc. The Committee Chairman was trying to do this and run his department on campus. My fellow committee members are men and women of action. They started volunteering to take on some of these tasks. What does this have to do with Loss Prevention? Theft prevention cannot be the responsibility of one person. Whether it is ensuring merchandise is being tagged with Sensormatic tags to daily testing of equipment to creating a shortage plan, it cannot fall on one person.
Store managers have to have a team of people who will assist them in putting together an effective shortage prevention strategy. The manager has to have a vision for what he/she wants but without the help of people who are willing to share the load that vision will not be fulfilled. The store owner or manager can make the initial purchase of a Sensormatic security system and have it installed but once that is complete there is more that goes into a Shortage Plan. Someone has to be responsible for the training of employees who will be responding to electronic article surveillance alarms when they activate the towers. Since turnover is going to occur from time to time this trainer has to be continually reviewing procedures with employees and training new employees. Properly responding to alarms is important and can determine if merchandise is recovered or how the person will respond who has caused the alarm. When executed in the right way, responders to electronic article surveillance alarms can stop shoplifting and recover merchandise without causing a scene. They can also keep a situation from escalating by the manner in which they interact with the customer who causes the alarm.
Not only does someone need to take responsibility for alarm response training someone has to be charged with the tagging and auditing of merchandise. The store management team should determine the items that they want to have protected with Sensormatic tags. At that point someone has to get the job done and make sure it is a continual process. It can be tedious (I know I have had to do it) but when the merchandise program is followed on a daily basis it is easy to keep up with. Lapses in tagging and auditing create headaches as employees have to backtrack to locate what is not tagged and get caught up. You can understand how hard it would be for a Store Manager to do this with the rest of his/her workload.
While it is not as labor intensive the system equipment must be checked for operational readiness on a regular basis. This may be daily or weekly but it is a test that should include the pedestals, deactivation pads, Sensormatic cameras or traffic counting devices if they are part of a system and accounting of detachment tools. Identifying issues quickly plays an important role in store efforts to stop shoplifting. Broken or damaged equipment can mean that thieves are not being detected as they leave the store. That results in an increase in unnecessary shrinkage.
Putting an anti-theft program in place and incorporating Sensormatic tags and towers into that plan is important. Having a team that gives their support and participates in the program is crucial. No matter how well-intentioned a store owner or manager may be they cannot carry that load by themselves. Getting team buy in and support is necessry in all aspects of a business and theft prevention and shortage reduction is no different. Teamwork makes running a store easier on everyone and a more productive environment overall.
For more information on Sensormatic tags contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
Free ROI Calculator – 3 WC Blog 796
Loss Prevention Calculator- 3
Before Making The Wrong Decision Use The Free ROI Calculator
I crinkle my nose and furrow my brow thinking about how I wished there had been a Free ROI Calculator for some of the bad hiring decisions I have made in the past. I could have made better choices in more than a few instances. I cringe when I reflect on my first two hires. Now, I will own the fact that I hired them but to be fair I was a new Loss Prevention Manager and my District Manager strongly nudged me to pick them. I don’t know if you can have a negative Return On Investment for a hiring decision but I certainly did. One of the two claimed to have Loss Prevention experience and put it on her application but I don’t think our background check company did any kind of employment verification. If she did work for the other company it soon became clear why she jumped ship…she was probably on the verge of being fired! Despite my training this employee could not or would not get the hang of being an undercover floor detective. I came to work and she would be wearing the most outrageous, bright, clothing and wearing ridiculous hats. I coached her about how to walk back aisles and behind fixtures. Nope! She would walk with my other employee on the main aisles gabbing. I did eventually get rid of both of them but I lost credibility with my new store manager and had zero apprehensions to show for the investment. Yup, I was in the negative. That was one of my worst decisions but not THE worst. In light of this decision on my part I wonder if any store managers have made their own bad decisions when it comes to their efforts to stop shoplifting?
If you own a store, have you chosen not to purchase a Sensormatic security system? Maybe you decided to buy a knock-off system from an internet seller. Either way you have made your own bad decision that could be having a negative ROI for you. Owning a Sensormatic security system has been proven to be effective at stopping shoplifting and that adds value back into your store. The Loss Prevention Calculator shows you how much you can save by installing a system in your business. Even better than that, the calculator shows you how fast a Loss Prevention system can pay for itself.
I would guess that if you opted to purchase a second-hand or cut-rate anti-theft system you had a few nagging doubts. Just as I had concerns about the Loss Prevention Officers my boss was pushing me to hire you probably had doubts about your system but ignored your gut feeling. Don’t be too hard on yourself neither one of us had a Free ROI Calculator to guide us in our decision (and for me it is too late to go back for a re-do). On the other hand, you do have the option of accessing the Loss Prevention Calculator and learning now how you can still get a new Sensormatic system and get it at an affordable price! If you chose not to purchase one at all because you did not think you could pay for it Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) has financing available for customers who choose to purchase with them. They also toss in free training for stores which purchase a system from them (I sure could have used them to train my associates maybe they would have learned something). In case I forgot to mention it the Free ROI calculator is exactly that, FREE. You can use it without any obligation of purchase and no one is going to flood your email with pushy sales pitches. LPSI just wants you to see that an electronic article surveillance system can save you money, help improve your sales and is extremely affordable.
Did I ever get past that bad hiring decision? Yes, after I helped my employees decide that finding other opportunities for employment would be a good idea I did hire two very productive Loss Prevention Associates. There were other bad apples that got past me over my 13 plus years at that store as a Loss Prevention Manager but overall I was able to bring in some good workers. Poor decisions can be the result of being in a hurry, being pressured, being deceived and even due to a lack of information but they can be overcome. If you have made a poor decision in whether or not to invest in an anti-theft system or purchasing a budget system that does not meet expectations you can turn that around. Use the Loss Prevention Calculator to see how you can alter course and purchase a Sensormatic system.
Need information on the Loss Prevention Calculator? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
I crinkle my nose and furrow my brow thinking about how I wished there had been a Free ROI Calculator for some of the bad hiring decisions I have made in the past. I could have made better choices in more than a few instances. I cringe when I reflect on my first two hires. Now, I will own the fact that I hired them but to be fair I was a new Loss Prevention Manager and my District Manager strongly nudged me to pick them. I don’t know if you can have a negative Return On Investment for a hiring decision but I certainly did. One of the two claimed to have Loss Prevention experience and put it on her application but I don’t think our background check company did any kind of employment verification. If she did work for the other company it soon became clear why she jumped ship…she was probably on the verge of being fired! Despite my training this employee could not or would not get the hang of being an undercover floor detective. I came to work and she would be wearing the most outrageous, bright, clothing and wearing ridiculous hats. I coached her about how to walk back aisles and behind fixtures. Nope! She would walk with my other employee on the main aisles gabbing. I did eventually get rid of both of them but I lost credibility with my new store manager and had zero apprehensions to show for the investment. Yup, I was in the negative. That was one of my worst decisions but not THE worst. In light of this decision on my part I wonder if any store managers have made their own bad decisions when it comes to their efforts to stop shoplifting?
If you own a store, have you chosen not to purchase a Sensormatic security system? Maybe you decided to buy a knock-off system from an internet seller. Either way you have made your own bad decision that could be having a negative ROI for you. Owning a Sensormatic security system has been proven to be effective at stopping shoplifting and that adds value back into your store. The Loss Prevention Calculator shows you how much you can save by installing a system in your business. Even better than that, the calculator shows you how fast a Loss Prevention system can pay for itself.
I would guess that if you opted to purchase a second-hand or cut-rate anti-theft system you had a few nagging doubts. Just as I had concerns about the Loss Prevention Officers my boss was pushing me to hire you probably had doubts about your system but ignored your gut feeling. Don’t be too hard on yourself neither one of us had a Free ROI Calculator to guide us in our decision (and for me it is too late to go back for a re-do). On the other hand, you do have the option of accessing the Loss Prevention Calculator and learning now how you can still get a new Sensormatic system and get it at an affordable price! If you chose not to purchase one at all because you did not think you could pay for it Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) has financing available for customers who choose to purchase with them. They also toss in free training for stores which purchase a system from them (I sure could have used them to train my associates maybe they would have learned something). In case I forgot to mention it the Free ROI calculator is exactly that, FREE. You can use it without any obligation of purchase and no one is going to flood your email with pushy sales pitches. LPSI just wants you to see that an electronic article surveillance system can save you money, help improve your sales and is extremely affordable.
Did I ever get past that bad hiring decision? Yes, after I helped my employees decide that finding other opportunities for employment would be a good idea I did hire two very productive Loss Prevention Associates. There were other bad apples that got past me over my 13 plus years at that store as a Loss Prevention Manager but overall I was able to bring in some good workers. Poor decisions can be the result of being in a hurry, being pressured, being deceived and even due to a lack of information but they can be overcome. If you have made a poor decision in whether or not to invest in an anti-theft system or purchasing a budget system that does not meet expectations you can turn that around. Use the Loss Prevention Calculator to see how you can alter course and purchase a Sensormatic system.
Need information on the Loss Prevention Calculator? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
