Prevent Shoplifting-4 WC Blog 457
Retail Anti-Theft Devices-4
Alpha Hang Tag-4
Take A Lesson From The Government; Reduce Shortage With Retail Anti-Theft Devices That Can Be Recycled and Reused Many Times Over
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, the EPA (Environment Protection Agency) .org has been using this theme for quite a number of years to encourage citizens to reduce the amount of litter and waste we create. I remember as a young child everything went in the trash can, but newspapers were often recycled. As a Boy Scout we spent time at a recycling center helping to separate out newspapers and magazines for the center. In some states we could collect glass bottles and turn them in to a local store and get 5 cents a bottle. That was good money for a kid. In the 1980’s and 1990’s collecting aluminum cans and taking them to recycling centers could bring you extra money. Taking a lesson from the EPA, retailers can benefit from the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle model in a little different way. The idea behind the EPA’s push is to reduce, if not eliminate waste in landfills. One of the objectives for retailers should be the reduction of shortage and theft. I am proposing that store owners could reduce shortage and prevent shoplifting through the use of retail anti-theft devices.
Retail anti-theft devices come in a variety of styles and shapes that give stores the ability to protect any item they may carry. One example I like to point to is the Alpha Hang Tag. This particular device was created to be placed on the hang tab or clamshell of packaging that may be hard to protect with other devices. It serves two purposes. If merchandise is hanging on a locking peg hook the Alpha Hang tag keeps a thief from cutting the hang tab off the merchandise and removing it. The second purpose is that they operate with electronic article surveillance technology. Should a shoplifter decide to try to steal merchandise with this anti-theft device on it, Checkpoint towers at the doors sound an audible alarm. Employees act to conduct receipt checks and recover the merchandise and prevent shoplifting before the goods leave the store and cause shortage. That is assuming a store is equipped with towers (for more information on Checkpoint towers contact Loss Prevention Systems Inc.).
Recycling is an additional benefit for stores that use the Alpha Hang Tag and it saves the store money. No, they aren’t placed in a recycle container to be picked up by the local sanitation department. The tags pin together and when tagged merchandise is brought to the checkout lane the cashier uses a special detachment tool to remove the tag. Tags are then placed in a container and placed on new merchandise when it is received at the store. This means that stores don’t have to constantly purchase new devices every time a protected piece of merchandise is sold. If over time the pins on the tags become bent from multiple uses new ones can be ordered without the requirement of purchasing and entire tag. Cost savings don’t get much better than that.
Some readers may like the idea of recycling and reusing the tags but there may be some doubts about the ability of these retail anti-theft devices to prevent shoplifting. As a Loss Prevention Manager I used Alpha products and I have seen them deter shoplifters. I have watched thieves get flustered trying to pry them off of products. I have also intervened to recover protected items as would-be thieves tried to sneak items out and the alarms sounded.
Reduce store shortage and prevent shoplifting with retail anti-theft devices thereby improving your store profitability. Recycle and reuse the devices to reduce unnecessary expenditures which contribute to the bottom line. If it’s good enough for the government it should be good enough for you.
Need information on retail anti-theft devices? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, the EPA (Environment Protection Agency) .org has been using this theme for quite a number of years to encourage citizens to reduce the amount of litter and waste we create. I remember as a young child everything went in the trash can, but newspapers were often recycled. As a Boy Scout we spent time at a recycling center helping to separate out newspapers and magazines for the center. In some states we could collect glass bottles and turn them in to a local store and get 5 cents a bottle. That was good money for a kid. In the 1980’s and 1990’s collecting aluminum cans and taking them to recycling centers could bring you extra money. Taking a lesson from the EPA, retailers can benefit from the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle model in a little different way. The idea behind the EPA’s push is to reduce, if not eliminate waste in landfills. One of the objectives for retailers should be the reduction of shortage and theft. I am proposing that store owners could reduce shortage and prevent shoplifting through the use of retail anti-theft devices.
Retail anti-theft devices come in a variety of styles and shapes that give stores the ability to protect any item they may carry. One example I like to point to is the Alpha Hang Tag. This particular device was created to be placed on the hang tab or clamshell of packaging that may be hard to protect with other devices. It serves two purposes. If merchandise is hanging on a locking peg hook the Alpha Hang tag keeps a thief from cutting the hang tab off the merchandise and removing it. The second purpose is that they operate with electronic article surveillance technology. Should a shoplifter decide to try to steal merchandise with this anti-theft device on it, Checkpoint towers at the doors sound an audible alarm. Employees act to conduct receipt checks and recover the merchandise and prevent shoplifting before the goods leave the store and cause shortage. That is assuming a store is equipped with towers (for more information on Checkpoint towers contact Loss Prevention Systems Inc.).
Recycling is an additional benefit for stores that use the Alpha Hang Tag and it saves the store money. No, they aren’t placed in a recycle container to be picked up by the local sanitation department. The tags pin together and when tagged merchandise is brought to the checkout lane the cashier uses a special detachment tool to remove the tag. Tags are then placed in a container and placed on new merchandise when it is received at the store. This means that stores don’t have to constantly purchase new devices every time a protected piece of merchandise is sold. Cost savings don’t get much better than that.
Some readers may like the idea of recycling and reusing the tags but there may be some doubts about the ability of these retail anti-theft devices to prevent shoplifting. As a Loss Prevention Manager I used Alpha products and I have seen them deter shoplifters. I have watched thieves get flustered trying to pry them off of products. I have also intervened to recover protected items as would-be thieves tried to sneak items out and the alarms sounded.
Reduce store shortage and prevent shoplifting with retail anti-theft devices thereby improving your store profitability. Recycle and reuse the devices to reduce unnecessary expenditures which contribute to the bottom line. If it’s good enough for the government it should be good enough for you.
Need information on retail anti-theft devices? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
