Stop Shoplifting –3 WC blog 812
Sensormatic System – 3
Use Caution When Responding To A Sensormatic System Alert
I believe it only makes sense for a store owner to try to stop shoplifting from happening in their store. The use of closed circuit television, public view monitors and a Sensormatic security system are the proper tools to do this. What does not make sense is asking employees to respond to electronic article surveillance (EAS) alarms and not train them first in how to do so properly. I make this observation after having just watched a video from a news story (wgno.com “How Many Times Can Shoplifters Target The Same Store In Just Two Weeks”, April 12, 2019) that showed employees trying to stop people attempting to exit their store with laundry detergent they did not pay for. The crooks can be seen walking through EAS towers at the front doors but at least in one instance an associate locked the doors so they could not exit. The lights in the tower flashed indicating the merchandise was tagged. The thieves are approached by store personnel but the approach and interaction made me nervous for the employees. As a former Loss Prevention Manager it looked ugly and it could have gotten uglier. Three different suspects all attempted to walk out with detergent. One suspect was approached by an employee who did not seem to do so safely. The video showed the employee was trying to talk the suspect into putting the detergent down but he also got into close proximity with the perpetrator and even followed him out of the store after the suspect put the merchandise down. There are times when an employee is better off calling police than putting themselves (or others) into a precarious position.
A Sensormatic system is going to deter the vast majority of your would-be shoplifters. These people come in and as soon as they see the detection towers they conclude that trying to steal from the store would be risky. Unfortunately there are other shoplifters, aggressive and potentially dangerous who steal as part of an organized crime ring or as part of a gang. It is very difficult to stop shoplifting by these criminals. In a normal situation anti-theft towers and tags deter theft and any trained employee can respond to an alarm and tactfully recover merchandise. The same is not the case with the aggressive shoplifter. It is not always clear who is going to be cooperative and who is going to become belligerent. As I watched the video clips I decided to give some quick tips on handling Sensormatic system alarms based on my training and experiences.
• When an alarm tower sounds the responding employee should approach the customer in a calm manner. Don’t look aggressive. Offering an explanation such as something must not have been deactivated helps to relax the offender.
• Never take a bag from the person. The employee should ask if they can look in the bag for something that may be causing the alarm. If the shopper does not have a shopping bag from your store or only has a purse, take the pressure off of the “customer” by suggesting they could have something from another store that was not deactivated by their employees. If merchandise belonging to your store is found offer to ring it up for them. Let them “change” their mind if they so desire and just turn over merchandise.
• As your employee interacts with the patron they should try to maintain an arm length in distance until they can determine if the person is going to be cooperative. Even if they are cooperative the employee must stay alert to the off-chance the suspect gets irritated or aggressive. If this happens disengage.
• Your workers should never block a suspect’s exit from the store or follow-them out. Yes, you want to stop shoplifting but this places the employee in a dangerous position. They never know if the suspect will push past them or knock them down to get out. Your employee also does not know who may be outside waiting for the suspect.
Make sure your staff is trained on the proper methods of EAS tower alarm response. Most times your system will deter thieves and when they choose to try anyways you can be sure that Sensormatic system tags will set off the pedestals. Done properly employees can recover tagged product without incident. It is your responsibility to keep your team safe from harm so make sure they are trained to know when it is time to leave someone alone and call the police.
A Sensormatic system is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
I believe it only makes sense for a store owner to try to stop shoplifting from happening in their store. The use of closed circuit television, public view monitors and a Sensormatic security system are the proper tools to do this. What does not make sense is asking employees to respond to electronic article surveillance (EAS) alarms and not train them first in how to do so properly. I make this observation after having just watched a video from a news story (wgno.com “How Many Times Can Shoplifters Target The Same Store In Just Two Weeks”, April 12, 2019) that showed employees trying to stop people attempting to exit their store with laundry detergent they did not pay for. The crooks can be seen walking through EAS towers at the front doors but at least in one instance an associate locked the doors so they could not exit. The lights in the tower flashed indicating the merchandise was tagged. The thieves are approached by store personnel but the approach and interaction made me nervous for the employees. As a former Loss Prevention Manager it looked ugly and it could have gotten uglier. Three different suspects all attempted to walk out with detergent. One suspect was approached by an employee who did not seem to do so safely. The video showed the employee was trying to talk the suspect into putting the detergent down but he also got into close proximity with the perpetrator and even followed him out of the store after the suspect put the merchandise down. There are times when an employee is better off calling police than putting themselves (or others) into a precarious position.
A Sensormatic system is going to deter the vast majority of your would-be shoplifters. These people come in and as soon as they see the detection towers they conclude that trying to steal from the store would be risky. Unfortunately there are other shoplifters, aggressive and potentially dangerous who steal as part of an organized crime ring or as part of a gang. It is very difficult to stop shoplifting by these criminals. In a normal situation anti-theft towers and tags deter theft and any trained employee can respond to an alarm and tactfully recover merchandise. The same is not the case with the aggressive shoplifter. It is not always clear who is going to be cooperative and who is going to become belligerent. As I watched the video clips I decided to give some quick tips on handling Sensormatic system alarms based on my training and experiences.
• When an alarm tower sounds the responding employee should approach the customer in a calm manner. Don’t look aggressive. Offering an explanation such as something must not have been deactivated helps to relax the offender.
• Never take a bag from the person. The employee should ask if they can look in the bag for something that may be causing the alarm. If the shopper does not have a shopping bag from your store or only has a purse, take the pressure off of the “customer” by suggesting they could have something from another store that was not deactivated by their employees. If merchandise belonging to your store is found offer to ring it up for them. Let them “change” their mind if they so desire and just turn over merchandise.
• As your employee interacts with the patron they should try to maintain an arm length in distance until they can determine if the person is going to be cooperative. Even if they are cooperative the employee must stay alert to the off-chance the suspect gets irritated or aggressive. If this happens disengage.
• Your workers should never block a suspect’s exit from the store or follow-them out. Yes, you want to stop shoplifting but this places the employee in a dangerous position. They never know if the suspect will push past them or knock them down to get out. Your employee also does not know who may be outside waiting for the suspect.
Make sure your staff is trained on the proper methods of EAS tower alarm response. Most times your system will deter thieves and when they choose to try anyways you can be sure that Sensormatic system tags will set off the pedestals. Done properly employees can recover tagged product without incident. It is your responsibility to keep your team safe from harm so make sure they are trained to know when it is time to leave someone alone and call the police.
A Sensormatic system is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Employee Theft Reduction Training – 3 WC Blog 784
Stop shoplifting – 5
Basic Training On How To Stop Shoplifting And Employee Theft
As I prepared to write this article about training to stop shoplifting and employee theft I thought back to my days in U.S. Air Force Basic Training. When I went in at age 18, I thought I could dress myself, make my bed, clean a bathroom and even stand up straight but boy was I in for a surprise! My T.I. (Training Instructor) Sgt. Ulmer made it very clear to us from the day we arrived that we were hmmmm, how do I say this in less colorful prose than he used? We were less than adequate and really had no business even being on his base. I learned over the course of 6 weeks how to walk and talk and even sit properly. Many of the things we learned were demonstrated to us then Sgt. Ulmer would explain it to us step by step and then we would perform the task ourselves such as making the bed (my mother never taught me how important hospital corners would be later in life). For those who could not learn things properly or made egregious errors over the course of the 6 weeks, there would be a “wash back” where they had the ability to go back to the starting point and begin their training over again. The military was very helpful in making sure we understood how things were to be done and gave plenty of opportunity to get remedial training when needed. After 6 weeks and assuming one did not have to repeat their training, we were prepared enough to be sent on to our technical training schools because we had learned to walk, talk, eat, make our beds and properly clean bathrooms in addition to all of the other things we had to learn. I know you are wondering how this can possibly relate to employee theft reduction training and how to stop shoplifting.
I talk jokingly about having to learn to do things I thought I already knew but the fact of the matter is I did have to learn to do those things again. I did not know how the U.S. Air Force would want me to do them. Thinking you know the proper way to do something or believing you have more knowledge on a subject than you actually do have can lead to big problems in some areas, such as how to stop shoplifting or prevent dishonest employee activity. The same applies to store owners and managers who need to address stock shortage and theft that costs thousands and tens of thousands of dollars every year. You may think you know how to protect your merchandise but there are things you probably do not know based on my experience with retail managers. Only a company with trainers who have actual Retail Loss Prevention experience can provide reliable and proven employee theft reduction training and training to stop shoplifting. Let me give you a couple examples of theft related information that might come as a surprise. Concealment of merchandise by a customer may in most instances be enough to prove intent to shoplift. Other states may have wording in their law that would make it better for the retailer to allow the suspect to exit the store or pass the last point of sale before stopping them. That begs the question, if the last point of sale is a return desk located near the front door should is that the last point of sale? Did you know that many Retail Loss Prevention departments discourage apprehending a person who sets off an electronic article surveillance alarm even if unpaid merchandise is recovered? Were you aware that an employee can be charged with breach of trust in many instances rather than theft for such things as price manipulation or conducting fake refunds? These are cases in which the employee is deliberately manipulating store data in order to falsely obtain money or goods below value to personally profit from the manipulation.
There are many other things you probably do not know about when it comes theft. Employee theft reduction training from Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. prepares you so you and your team know how to stop shoplifting before it happens. They can also teach you how you can take steps in the pre-hiring phase to reduce your exposure of hiring a bad apple. Their training is top notch and if you don’t check into it you are doing your business a disservice. You will be surprised at how much you don’t know and you don’t have to attend Basic Training to do so.
For more information on employee theft reduction training contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
As I prepared to write this article about training to stop shoplifting and employee theft I thought back to my days in U.S. Air Force Basic Training. When I went in at age 18, I thought I could dress myself, make my bed, clean a bathroom and even stand up straight but boy was I in for a surprise! My T.I. (Training Instructor) Sgt. Ulmer made it very clear to us from the day we arrived that we were hmmmm, how do I say this in less colorful prose than he used? We were less than adequate and really had no business even being on his base. I learned over the course of 6 weeks how to walk and talk and even sit properly. Many of the things we learned were demonstrated to us then Sgt. Ulmer would explain it to us step by step and then we would perform the task ourselves such as making the bed (my mother never taught me how important hospital corners would be later in life). For those who could not learn things properly or made egregious errors over the course of the 6 weeks, there would be a “wash back” where they had the ability to go back to the starting point and begin their training over again. The military was very helpful in making sure we understood how things were to be done and gave plenty of opportunity to get remedial training when needed. After 6 weeks and assuming one did not have to repeat their training, we were prepared enough to be sent on to our technical training schools because we had learned to walk, talk, eat, make our beds and properly clean bathrooms in addition to all of the other things we had to learn. I know you are wondering how this can possibly relate to employee theft reduction training and how to stop shoplifting.
I talk jokingly about having to learn to do things I thought I already knew but the fact of the matter is I did have to learn to do those things again. I did not know how the U.S. Air Force would want me to do them. Thinking you know the proper way to do something or believing you have more knowledge on a subject than you actually do have can lead to big problems in some areas, such as how to stop shoplifting or prevent dishonest employee activity. The same applies to store owners and managers who need to address stock shortage and theft that costs thousands and tens of thousands of dollars every year. You may think you know how to protect your merchandise but there are things you probably do not know based on my experience with retail managers. Only a company with trainers who have actual Retail Loss Prevention experience can provide reliable and proven employee theft reduction training and training to stop shoplifting. Let me give you a couple examples of theft related information that might come as a surprise. Concealment of merchandise by a customer may in most instances be enough to prove intent to shoplift. Other states may have wording in their law that would make it better for the retailer to allow the suspect to exit the store or pass the last point of sale before stopping them. That begs the question, if the last point of sale is a return desk located near the front door should is that the last point of sale? Did you know that many Retail Loss Prevention departments discourage apprehending a person who sets off an electronic article surveillance alarm even if unpaid merchandise is recovered? Were you aware that an employee can be charged with breach of trust in many instances rather than theft for such things as price manipulation or conducting fake refunds? These are cases in which the employee is deliberately manipulating store data in order to falsely obtain money or goods below value to personally profit from the manipulation.
There are many other things you probably do not know about when it comes theft. Employee theft reduction training from Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. prepares you so you and your team know how to stop shoplifting before it happens. They can also teach you how you can take steps in the pre-hiring phase to reduce your exposure of hiring a bad apple. Their training is top notch and if you don’t check into it you are doing your business a disservice. You will be surprised at how much you don’t know and you don’t have to attend Basic Training to do so.
For more information on employee theft reduction training, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
Sensormatic Safers-4 WC Blog 799
Retail Anti-Theft Devices -3
DVD Theft Is Still A Problem And Sensormatic Safers Are The Solution
It may not seem to be as important as it used to be it is still necessary to use retail anti-theft devices to protect DVD’s in your store. With the increase in streaming videos and online video’s there appears to be a decreasing demand for DVD’s and the same can be said for CD’s. Technology has literally put entertainment in the palm of our hands. A walk through the electronics department of many big box retail stores is indicative of these changing times as once robust DVD and CD aisles have been cut back. The selections seem to be fewer and often shelves sit bare. I don’t know if this is a theft issue or a merchandising decision. In one of my favorite stores the DVD section has been reduced to two or three gondolas where it once was four to six of them filled with movies. Does this trend mean that stores do not have to worry any longer about how to stop shoplifting in these departments? I would argue that it is still a problem and retailers must be alert to the threat and use Sensormatic Safers to prevent it.
What caused me to be concerned enough to write about it? I saw a news story from 2018 that somewhat shocked me. As a Loss Prevention Manager I dealt with some large shoplifting cases but this one was pretty remarkable in my book. According to news4sanantoni.com, Sunday, August 5th, 2018, “Women admit to using wigs to steal 917 DVD’s from several stores”, the women were accused of stealing DVD’s valued at an estimated $35,118.83. That is a lot of DVD’s by any standard. The story reported that these two crooks targeted several stores of a national retail bookstore chain. I have shopped at this particular chain and I know that they use some type of retail anti-theft devices in the form of an electronic article surveillance label. I do not know if they tag everything or just certain items. What I do know is sometimes merchandise needs different protective devices bases on the merchandise type, price point or risk. Different devices provide different levels of security. In the case of DVD’s Sensormatic Safers are the protection for DVD’s and CD’s I recommend for stores.
Sensormatic Safers are pouches made of Polyethylene and nylon materials making them flexible yet tough. They have electronic article surveillance built in giving retailers the confidence that if a shoplifter attempts to load a purse or bag with DVD’s or CD’s Sensormatic pedestals are going to activate every time. Flexible Safers are also slim so unlike other protective wraps or devices retailers maximize selling space while benefitting from the security Safers provide.
Another feature that can optimize the use of Safers is adding a metal detection card to a Sensormatic AMS9060 Controller. The metal detection card gives certain Sensormatic towers the ability to identify a professional shoplifter attempting to enter the store with a foil lined purse or bag. Not all retail anti-theft devices or systems have this capability. The article did not indicate whether foiled-lined bags were used by the suspects but it did say that one was seen grabbing a handful of DVD’s and placing them in her purse. It is not unheard of for a purse to have a foil bag or lining inside of it. Alarm activations caused by someone ENTERING a store are less frequent occurrences than exit alarms so attention is drawn to the suspect before they even get to the salesfloor. That is not an ideal situation for a shoplifter.
Just because DVD’s and CD’s are not as popular as they once were there is still a market for them. You only need to take a look at those red boxes outside of retail stores which allow customers to rent movies and games to see my point. Use Sensormatic Safers to reduce the chance of movie theft. Get the “picture” now?
Sensormatic Safers are important and we can help you with them. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
It may not seem to be as important as it used to be it is still necessary to use retail anti-theft devices to protect DVD’s in your store. With the increase in streaming videos and online video’s there appears to be a decreasing demand for DVD’s and the same can be said for CD’s. Technology has literally put entertainment in the palm of our hands. A walk through the electronics department of many big box retail stores is indicative of these changing times as once robust DVD and CD aisles have been cut back. The selections seem to be fewer and often shelves sit bare. I don’t know if this is a theft issue or a merchandising decision. In one of my favorite stores the DVD section has been reduced to two or three gondolas where it once was four to six of them filled with movies. Does this trend mean that stores do not have to worry any longer about how to stop shoplifting in these departments? I would argue that it is still a problem and retailers must be alert to the threat and use Sensormatic Safers to prevent it.
What caused me to be concerned enough to write about it? I saw a news story from 2018 that somewhat shocked me. As a Loss Prevention Manager I dealt with some large shoplifting cases but this one was pretty remarkable in my book. According to news4sanantoni.com, Sunday, August 5th, 2018, “Women admit to using wigs to steal 917 DVD’s from several stores”, the women were accused of stealing DVD’s valued at an estimated $35,118.83. That is a lot of DVD’s by any standard. The story reported that these two crooks targeted several stores of a national retail bookstore chain. I have shopped at this particular chain and I know that they use some type of retail anti-theft devices in the form of an electronic article surveillance label. I do not know if they tag everything or just certain items. What I do know is sometimes merchandise needs different protective devices bases on the merchandise type, price point or risk. Different devices provide different levels of security. In the case of DVD’s Sensormatic Safers are the protection for DVD’s and CD’s I recommend for stores.
Sensormatic Safers are pouches made of Polyethylene and nylon materials making them flexible yet tough. They have electronic article surveillance built in giving retailers the confidence that if a shoplifter attempts to load a purse or bag with DVD’s or CD’s Sensormatic pedestals are going to activate every time. Flexible Safers are also slim so unlike other protective wraps or devices retailers maximize selling space while benefitting from the security Safers provide.
Another feature that can optimize the use of Safers is adding a metal detection card to a Sensormatic AMS9060 Controller. The metal detection card gives certain Sensormatic towers the ability to identify a professional shoplifter attempting to enter the store with a foil lined purse or bag. Not all retail anti-theft devices or systems have this capability. The article did not indicate whether foiled-lined bags were used by the suspects but it did say that one was seen grabbing a handful of DVD’s and placing them in her purse. It is not unheard of for a purse to have a foil bag or lining inside of it. Alarm activations caused by someone ENTERING a store are less frequent occurrences than exit alarms so attention is drawn to the suspect before they even get to the salesfloor. That is not an ideal situation for a shoplifter.
Just because DVD’s and CD’s are not as popular as they once were there is still a market for them. You only need to take a look at those red boxes outside of retail stores which allow customers to rent movies and games to see my point. Use Sensormatic Safers to reduce the chance of movie theft. Get the “picture” now?
Sensormatic Safers are important and we can help you with them. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Loss Prevention Roi Calculator – 4 WC Blog 800
Can Loss Prevention Be Free? – 3
Understanding The ROI of A Loss Prevention System When You Use A Loss Prevention ROI Calculator
Can Loss Prevention be free? That seems like a silly question to ask. Why not ask if a car can be free or how about a free vacation to the Bahamas? I suppose if you were to win a raffle or a contest maybe either one could be free. Of course, even then you are going to have to pay taxes and then it won’t feel so free. If I reply to a “special offer” for a free one month trial of a sports broadcast website so that I can watch any of my favorite sports events why do I have to sign up for my free offer using a credit card? I have a sneaky suspicion that the website expects me to forget to cancel my free offer so they can bill me the next month. Why not get Manager training to Stop Shoplifting for free? Better yet, how about asking for a free Loss Prevention ROI calculator to use to figure out the cost and benefits a Sensormatic System would give you? It all sounds ridiculous. What company is going to offer free ANYTHING to customers without some sort of cost attached?
I have a secret for you. Can Loss Prevention be free? Yes, it can. So is the Loss Prevention ROI Calculator that will help you find out how this is so. A Loss Prevention system from Sensormatic is the best way to prevent theft caused by shoplifting. A system includes the towers, the tags, the deactivation pads and hard tag removal tools. It may also include peripheral attachments such as an integrated people counting device or a Sensormatic Synergy Camera. All of these do cost money. So the question is if the system and its components cost money then how in the world can they be free? Are you going to have to enter a raffle to win a system? No, it isn’t that complicated. The way a Loss Prevention system is going to be free is in the amount of money it is going to save you in shortage. That is where the Loss Prevention ROI Calculator comes in to play. If you navigate to the Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) website and look at the top of the page there are tabs and one is labeled “ROI Calc.” A simple click of the tab takes the user to the calculator itself and here is where two pieces of information are entered, the (estimated) annual sales of the store and the amount you are willing to spend on EAS (electronic article surveillance) equipment. The calculator does the rest of the work providing the estimated amount you will reduce your shrinkage by and giving you the estimated number of months it will take for your system to pay for itself. After a system has paid for itself you can realistically put the savings back to your profit line.
LPSI could have charged for the use of the calculator but they chose not to do so. It was more important to them that retail owners and managers see how significant the impact of a Sensormatic system can be for a store. The Loss Prevention ROI Calculator is also free because it does not require any kind of sign in to use it. No one is tracking the user to hound them later. Being free from a barrage of advertisements and solicitations in your email is a benefit that makes this calculator free and that much more appealing to those who use it.
One more thing that is going to surprise you is that not only can a Loss Prevention system and the ROI calculator be free; manager training to stop shoplifting can be free too! As incredible as it may sound if you purchase a Sensormatic system from LPSI you will also receive free shoplifting prevention training. I’m not talking about only training on how to use your new system I’m also talking about the training necessary to deter shoplifting. They will also provide guidance in establishing a Loss Prevention program so you can sustain your efforts at shortage reduction.
Can Loss Prevention be free? I don’t see how you can answer that question except in the affirmative. From the LPSI ROI Calculator to the training that will help you stop thieves to the actual system paying for itself it can all be free. What isn’t free are the losses your store is incurring as criminals steal from you while you consider whether or not to try the ROI calculator. Don’t delay check it out today I am sure you will be convinced
Need information on a Loss Prevention ROI Calculator? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547
Can Loss Prevention be free? That seems like a silly question to ask. Why not ask if a car can be free or how about a free vacation to the Bahamas? I suppose if you were to win a raffle or a contest maybe either one could be free. Of course, even then you are going to have to pay taxes and then it won’t feel so free. If I reply to a “special offer” for a free one month trial of a sports broadcast website so that I can watch any of my favorite sports events why do I have to sign up for my free offer using a credit card? I have a sneaky suspicion that the website expects me to forget to cancel my free offer so they can bill me the next month. Why not get Manager training to Stop Shoplifting for free? Better yet, how about asking for a free Loss Prevention ROI calculator to use to figure out the cost and benefits a Sensormatic System would give you? It all sounds ridiculous. What company is going to offer free ANYTHING to customers without some sort of cost attached?
I have a secret for you. Can Loss Prevention be free? Yes, it can. So is the Loss Prevention ROI Calculator that will help you find out how this is so. A Loss Prevention system from Sensormatic is the best way to prevent theft caused by shoplifting. A system includes the towers, the tags, the deactivation pads and hard tag removal tools. It may also include peripheral attachments such as an integrated people counting device or a Sensormatic Synergy Camera. All of these do cost money. So the question is if the system and its components cost money then how in the world can they be free? Are you going to have to enter a raffle to win a system? No, it isn’t that complicated. The way a Loss Prevention system is going to be free is in the amount of money it is going to save you in shortage. That is where the Loss Prevention ROI Calculator comes in to play. If you navigate to the Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) website and look at the top of the page there are tabs and one is labeled “ROI Calc.” A simple click of the tab takes the user to the calculator itself and here is where two pieces of information are entered, the (estimated) annual sales of the store and the amount you are willing to spend on EAS (electronic article surveillance) equipment. The calculator does the rest of the work providing the estimated amount you will reduce your shrinkage by and giving you the estimated number of months it will take for your system to pay for itself. After a system has paid for itself you can realistically put the savings back to your profit line.
LPSI could have charged for the use of the calculator but they chose not to do so. It was more important to them that retail owners and managers see how significant the impact of a Sensormatic system can be for a store. The Loss Prevention ROI Calculator is also free because it does not require any kind of sign in to use it. No one is tracking the user to hound them later. Being free from a barrage of advertisements and solicitations in your email is a benefit that makes this calculator free and that much more appealing to those who use it.
One more thing that is going to surprise you is that not only can a Loss Prevention system and the ROI calculator be free; manager training to stop shoplifting can be free too! As incredible as it may sound if you purchase a Sensormatic system from LPSI you will also receive free shoplifting prevention training. I’m not talking about only training on how to use your new system I’m also talking about the training necessary to deter shoplifting. They will also provide guidance in establishing a Loss Prevention program so you can sustain your efforts at shortage reduction.
Can Loss Prevention be free? I don’t see how you can answer that question except in the affirmative. From the LPSI ROI Calculator to the training that will help you stop thieves to the actual system paying for itself it can all be free. What isn’t free are the losses your store is incurring as criminals steal from you while you consider whether or not to try the ROI calculator. Don’t delay check it out today I am sure you will be convinced.
Need information on a Loss Prevention ROI Calculator? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547
Stop Shoplifting – 3 WC Blog 786
Sensormatic Labels -3
Cook Up A Plan To Reduce Grocery Shortage With Sensormatic Labels
When it comes to food and inventory shortage there are two factors to take into consideration, how to prevent out of date merchandise and how to stop shoplifting. I have seen merchandise that has had to be marked out of stock because the food has expired. One of the reasons for many of the unnecessary mark-outs is a failure of the store to have a good product rotation program in place. As a freight manager I always stressed to my team the importance of using FIFO (First In First Out) when putting out merchandise. This could be difficult for the team when they were being pushed for time (which was always). I would audit behind them and sometimes find shortcuts had been taken. Occasionally a worker pulled the first item on the shelf and then put out the new merchandise and then put the first item back. This gave the impression that FIFO was followed when it really was not. Those items that were not rotated would go out of date and then we had to process them and mark them out of stock. What a waste! There were also the products we stocked that just did not sell. They may not have been the right item for our store or customers just didn’t like them. Any way you cut it the product sat there until the company issued markdowns and sold it on clearance or they went out of date. The other issue we often found with out of date product was when the merchandise was vendor supplied and stocked and the vendor failed to give timely vendor credits on goods that were not selling.
The other major cause for shortage in grocery stores is due to theft. The first issue involves operational matters and can be resolved by putting good practices in place. Theft on the other hand requires another solution and that should be the use of Sensormatic labels. Labels can be used on almost anything a store carries. From canned foods to steaks, there is a remedy available from Sensormatic security systems for nearly everything a grocer carries. Now you may not need to put a label on a can of corn but you can put a Sensormatic APX Microwavable Roll Label in meat soaker pads or under the meat trays for those expensive cuts of beef and pork. Perhaps your store carries some health and beauty items as well as foods you can protect these with the HBC labels. There are also hard tags available that can protect higher end merchandise such as infant formula. All of the Sensormatic labels and tags carried by Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) are proven to stop shoplifting and that is the reason they are recommended by LPSI for their clients.
Why the fuss about grocery store shrink? It is a concern because “Shrinkage as a % of revenue 2017-2018” came in at a whopping 1.90% according to the Sensormatic Global Shrink Index (pg. 43). As I was looking for some specific grocery store theft statistics I found something I wasn’t quite expecting. According to one website I browse, they pulled some statistics from businessinsurance.org listing 9 of the top items stolen from stores. Topping that list was meat and coming in at number three on the list was baby formula! Operations may be causing some of your shortage but you cannot discount the impact theft is having on your store as well. You have to stop shoplifting if you are going to make a difference in your shortage results.
Equipping your store with an electronic article surveillance system from Sensormatic and protecting your merchandise with Sensormatic labels you can be certain you will reduce theft. Purchase that system from LPSI and you not only enjoy the benefits of owning a Sensormatic security system you receive free Loss Prevention training from LPSI. You won’t find an equivalent offer from any other company. If you are concerned about the cost of a system LPSI also has financing available for qualifying businesses. Don’t waste any more time find out more about how LPSI can help you make your business grow as you reduce shortage.
Get more information on Sensormatic labels, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
When it comes to food and inventory shortage there are two factors to take into consideration, how to prevent out of date merchandise and how to stop shoplifting. I have seen merchandise that has had to be marked out of stock because the food has expired. One of the reasons for many of the unnecessary mark-outs is a failure of the store to have a good product rotation program in place. As a freight manager I always stressed to my team the importance of using FIFO (First In First Out) when putting out merchandise. This could be difficult for the team when they were being pushed for time (which was always). I would audit behind them and sometimes find shortcuts had been taken. Occasionally a worker pulled the first item on the shelf and then put out the new merchandise and then put the first item back. This gave the impression that FIFO was followed when it really was not. Those items that were not rotated would go out of date and then we had to process them and mark them out of stock. What a waste! There were also the products we stocked that just did not sell. They may not have been the right item for our store or customers just didn’t like them. Any way you cut it the product sat there until the company issued markdowns and sold it on clearance or they went out of date. The other issue we often found with out of date product was when the merchandise was vendor supplied and stocked and the vendor failed to give timely vendor credits on goods that were not selling.
The other major cause for shortage in grocery stores is due to theft. The first issue involves operational matters and can be resolved by putting good practices in place. Theft on the other hand requires another solution and that should be the use of Sensormatic labels. Labels can be used on almost anything a store carries. From canned foods to steaks, there is a remedy available from Sensormatic security systems for nearly everything a grocer carries. Now you may not need to put a label on a can of corn but you can put a Sensormatic APX Microwavable Roll Label in meat soaker pads or under the meat trays for those expensive cuts of beef and pork. Perhaps your store carries some health and beauty items as well as foods you can protect these with the HBC labels. There are also hard tags available that can protect higher end merchandise such as infant formula. All of the Sensormatic labels and tags carried by Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) are proven to stop shoplifting and that is the reason they are recommended by LPSI for their clients.
Why the fuss about grocery store shrink? It is a concern because “Shrinkage as a % of revenue 2017-2018” came in at a whopping 1.90% according to the Sensormatic Global Shrink Index (pg. 43). As I was looking for some specific grocery store theft statistics I found something I wasn’t quite expecting. According to one website I browse, they pulled some statistics from businessinsurance.org listing 9 of the top items stolen from stores. Topping that list was meat and coming in at number three on the list was baby formula! Operations may be causing some of your shortage but you cannot discount the impact theft is having on your store as well. You have to stop shoplifting if you are going to make a difference in your shortage results.
Equipping your store with an electronic article surveillance system from Sensormatic and protecting your merchandise with Sensormatic labels you can be certain you will reduce theft. Purchase that system from LPSI and you not only enjoy the benefits of owning a Sensormatic security system you receive free Loss Prevention training from LPSI. You won’t find an equivalent offer from any other company. If you are concerned about the cost of a system LPSI also has financing available for qualifying businesses. Don’t waste any more time find out more about how LPSI can help you make your business grow as you reduce shortage.
Get more information on Sensormatic labels, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
