I remember my time as a Loss Prevention Manager when I had to go through log sheets to decipher electronic article surveillance alarm events. What a headache that could be. Employees were supposed to write down dates, times and what set off the alarm towers. For example, if a security label had not been properly deactivated and the alarm sounded the responding employee was supposed to write that information down for Loss Prevention. My job was to see if there was a training problem, an equipment failure a label issue or perhaps even a recovery from a shoplifter. We all know that despite our best efforts rarely does anything happen exactly the way we want it to happen. In this case alarm testing wasn’t always recorded, alarm activity was not always noted or alarms were not notated properly. It was difficult to get actionable data from the information collected when it was inconsistent. When I would make a fuss about it to the front end manager he/she would address the situation. The employees would get back on the program briefly and the logs would be useful again for a period of time. It was an important part of my job to know when Sensormatic labels were setting off the alarm towers and when. When done correctly I could review corresponding video to see who caused the alarm and if the responder thoroughly tried to resolve the problem. This was useful for training and efforts to stop shoplifting.
A lot has improved in Retail Loss Prevention since my days as a Loss Prevention Manager. Electronic article surveillance towers have become more advanced, Sensormatic labels have gotten much smaller and hard tags and wraps are continually evolving. In fact the use of Sesnormatic systems has expanded far beyond the reduction of theft they now are used to drive sales. Adding a customer counting device to a pedestal can enable a retail owner to understand shopper traffic patterns. That knowledge can be used to adjust work schedules to better serve clients. It can also help determine if a new product or display is having an impact on sales. Some pedestals have the ability to have signage added to them. Advertising as we all know can directly drive customer shopping habits and it is free marketing space. With all of these advances the necessity of paper record keeping has also become obsolete. Logs can still be used but they don’t have to be, electronic article surveillance has come that far in recent years.
Now retail owners have the ability to use Sensormatic’s Shrink Management as a Service cloud based electronic article surveillance management system. This system enables retail managers to see reporting that includes retail traffic, electronic article surveillance alarm activity by date, and the alarm rate. Other information that can aid in controlling shortage is metal foil detection, jammer detections and potential dollar losses due to theft. By reviewing this data you can see the potential theft activity that is taking place and take steps to prevent it. Think about it if alarms are trending to be more frequent on a given day of the week according to reporting managers can position a “greeter” at the front doors. This person can be right at the doors ready to respond to pedestal alarms. The presence of this employee will also be a deterrent to someone who enters with the intention of trying to shoplift and changes their mind when they see a greeter. Couple the reports with a Sensormatic Synergy camera and owners/managers can capture pictures and video of alarm events and the suspects causing those alarms. And one other thing to keep in mind about your greeter they may be a deterrent to theft but the right person can also be an ambassador for your store. They can provide directions, store information and greet customers which gives a personal touch shoppers desire.
Sensormatic labels and systems have made incredible progress over the years. The effectiveness in deterring and preventing crime has improved as the equipment has evolved. The multi-functionality of these systems has made them even more attractive to shop owners. Managing the systems through cloud based services makes sure reporting is accurate and easy to access. When you think about it there is nothing to lose by investing in a Sensormatic system so my question to you is, why aren’t you picking up your phone to get your own system now?
Get more information on electronic article surveillance, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
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.
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.
Sensormatic Labels – 3 WC Blog 787
Stop Shoplifting – 3
Utlra-Slim Sensormatic Labels – A Big Solution For Little Products
When I was a Loss Prevention Officer I hated trying to stop shoplifting when it involved small merchandise. If it could fit in the pocket of a shoplifter it was a risky decision to make if I chose to stop the crook. Small merchandise like cosmetics, bottles of medicine, batteries and even hand tools or accessories could be easily concealed in a pocket and just as easily removed from a pocket. Whether I was watching someone on closed circuit television cameras or doing a live floor observation I found it could be a pain in the neck to keep a close eye on the suspect’s hands. What compounded the problem was there was often no method of protecting these little objects from shoplifters. Sensormatic understands that these small products could present a big problem for retailers. There are now Sensormatic labels created specifically to address this concern.
Sensormatic ultra-slim EAS (electronic article surveillance) acousto-magnetic labels are small enough to fit on most of the merchandise that shoplifters tend to pocket. This is especially true for cosmetics some of which can be as slim as a pencil. When I was actively involved in Loss Prevention we did not have any tags or labels that could be used to stop shoplifting in our cosmetics department. We were forced to depend on closed circuit television and public view monitors as well as customer service to deter thieves in this area. That was just in our cosmetics department and did not include the other departments where merchandise was small enough to pocket but hard to protect as I mentioned earlier.
Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) recognizes the problem pocketable merchandise poses and the difficulty in finding adequate anti-theft devices for those items. When they learned that Sensormatic labels came in the ultra-slim size they made it a point to ensure sure their clients were made aware of it. They know the risks a Loss Prevention Officer or even a Store Manager takes when they try to stop someone they suspect of shoplifting small merchandise. Even if concealment is observed the items are so small that a suspect can discretely dump the item without being seen. Stop that person and they don’t have merchandise on their person and you open a HUGE can of worms. In fact the risk of making a bad stop on small merchandise is so great that when I was a Loss Prevention Manager our Regional Loss Prevention Manager directed that apprehensions could not be made if the suspected theft only involved cosmetics. Bad stops had become a regular issue and it was determined that the losses were not worth the time in court and the expenses involved in settling those bad cases. I should make one clarification, if a suspect was grabbing and pocketing a large quantity of cosmetics we were permitted to stop shoplifting in those situations.
While we are talking about preventing the theft of any small item I am focusing on cosmetics for two reasons. First, I have had my own share of close calls when it comes to nearly making a bad stop when I suspected someone had stolen cosmetics. Fortunately I usually thought better of it or I found dropped merchandise when I briefly lost sight of the suspect. Second, according to the 2014-2015 Global Retail Theft Barometer within health and beauty departments makeup products ranked second in most stolen items (fragrances came in first) (pg. 55).
There is no reason to rack up losses in small merchandise any longer. Sensormatic labels can take care of a big chunk of the theft you may be experiencing. I am not minimizing the importance of customer service in deterring criminals from shoplifting but your employees can’t be everywhere at once. Sensormatic ultra-slim EAS labels will give you the advantage you need to make an impulse shoplifter think twice before pocketing that beauty product. Don’t let little things continue to be a big problem let LPSI help you with a Sensormatic system and labels.
For more information on Sensormatic labels contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
When I was a Loss Prevention Officer I hated trying to stop shoplifting when it involved small merchandise. If it could fit in the pocket of a shoplifter it was a risky decision to make if I chose to stop the crook. Small merchandise like cosmetics, bottles of medicine, batteries and even hand tools or accessories could be easily concealed in a pocket and just as easily removed from a pocket. Whether I was watching someone on closed circuit television cameras or doing a live floor observation I found it could be a pain in the neck to keep a close eye on the suspect’s hands. What compounded the problem was there was often no method of protecting these little objects from shoplifters. Sensormatic understands that these small products could present a big problem for retailers. There are now Sensormatic labels created specifically to address this concern.
Sensormatic ultra-slim EAS (electronic article surveillance) acousto-magnetic labels are small enough to fit on most of the merchandise that shoplifters tend to pocket. This is especially true for cosmetics some of which can be as slim as a pencil. When I was actively involved in Loss Prevention we did not have any tags or labels that could be used to stop shoplifting in our cosmetics department. We were forced to depend on closed circuit television and public view monitors as well as customer service to deter thieves in this area. That was just in our cosmetics department and did not include the other departments where merchandise was small enough to pocket but hard to protect as I mentioned earlier.
Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) recognizes the problem pocketable merchandise poses and the difficulty in finding adequate anti-theft devices for those items. When they learned that Sensormatic labels came in the ultra-slim size they made it a point to ensure sure their clients were made aware of it. They know the risks a Loss Prevention Officer or even a Store Manager takes when they try to stop someone they suspect of shoplifting small merchandise. Even if concealment is observed the items are so small that a suspect can discretely dump the item without being seen. Stop that person and they don’t have merchandise on their person and you open a HUGE can of worms. In fact the risk of making a bad stop on small merchandise is so great that when I was a Loss Prevention Manager our Regional Loss Prevention Manager directed that apprehensions could not be made if the suspected theft only involved cosmetics. Bad stops had become a regular issue and it was determined that the losses were not worth the time in court and the expenses involved in settling those bad cases. I should make one clarification, if a suspect was grabbing and pocketing a large quantity of cosmetics we were permitted to stop shoplifting in those situations.
While we are talking about preventing the theft of any small item I am focusing on cosmetics for two reasons. First, I have had my own share of close calls when it comes to nearly making a bad stop when I suspected someone had stolen cosmetics. Fortunately I usually thought better of it or I found dropped merchandise when I briefly lost sight of the suspect. Second, according to the 2014-2015 Global Retail Theft Barometer within health and beauty departments makeup products ranked second in most stolen items (fragrances came in first) (pg. 55).
There is no reason to rack up losses in small merchandise any longer. Sensormatic labels can take care of a big chunk of the theft you may be experiencing. I am not minimizing the importance of customer service in deterring criminals from shoplifting but your employees can’t be everywhere at once. Sensormatic ultra-slim EAS labels will give you the advantage you need to make an impulse shoplifter think twice before pocketing that beauty product. Don’t let little things continue to be a big problem let LPSI help you with a Sensormatic system and labels.
For more information on Sensormatic labels, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
