Whether you’re like myself (a busy LP professional), or like my father (a small business owner), I would recommend taking some time off every now and then. To go out and relax at the beach, or lake is not only good for your mental health, it’ll go a long way at helping you solve some of those pestering problems you’ve been having at your store. For the last 3 days I’ve found myself on the gulf coast. Mainly for work, but I took a few personal days to really relax. What I found was as I’m sitting there listening to waves crash against the shore, is my mind had time to wander. It was in the relaxed state that I began to think of all the clothing theft that I’ve seen over the past year in my stores and how we’ve battled in. I thought, wouldn’t it be nice if someone would’ve given me these answers a long time ago. Maybe then, my stores wouldn’t have lost so much money. So I sat back tonight and penned something I hope you will find very useful. It’s my ultimate guide to clothing security.
When you think of clothing security, your mind probably goes straight to those checkpoint tags and bulky systems that we are all too familiar with. What if I told you that’s not necessarily the case? Good clothing security measures can be as simple as changing the direction of the hangers on your face out bars. In my stores, any high end product is merchandised in this manner. The first hanger is positioned facing left, the second right and so forth down the line. This prevents a shoplifter from grabbing a handful in a hurry and bursting through the doors. This is common though. Most apparel retailers do this, and if you’ve been in the retail industry a few months, you most likely already are aware of this tactic. What about those lesser known tricks of the trade?
The way I think about clothing security is not so much about the most effective checkpoint tag, but how can I merchandise my product in a way that helps me to boost sales all while keeping losses to a minimum. Another way that I’ve used in the past is what I call “upwards merchandising”. Basically, the walls of my fitting rooms are pretty tall, so every year I have my stores merchandise the football jerseys higher than eye level. This allows the customer to see them when they first enter the store and it keeps them away from a shoplifter. I’ve found that the customer that is coming into the store for that product will appreciate the one on one service my employees give them since they are spending well over $150. Guess what else? I also don’t have to inconvenience the customer with removing a checkpoint tag so they can try on the product. Another great idea to protect your merchandise all while still keeping it very visible!
What other clothing security methods do you use in your store? I’d love to know, so please feel free to post in the comments below. Maybe I’ll feature them in an upcoming segment. In closing, remember that it’s not always about a physical security measure that will stop a thief. Some clever merchandising and solid controls will go a long ways. In the next 3 parts to my series, we’ll talk about some of those controls like fitting rooms, the rise of organized shoplifting in addition to some new technology that’s on the horizon.
For more information, contact us: clothing security, or call 1.770.426.0547
Whether you’re like myself (a busy LP professional), or like my father (a small business owner), I would recommend taking some time off every now and then. To go out and relax at the beach, or lake is not only good for your mental health, it’ll go a long way at helping you solve some of those pestering problems you’ve been having at your store. For the last 3 days I’ve found myself on the gulf coast. Mainly for work, but I took a few personal days to really relax. What I found was as I’m sitting there listening to waves crash against the shore, is my mind had time to wander. It was in the relaxed state that I began to think of all the clothing theft that I’ve seen over the past year in my stores and how we’ve battled it. I thought, wouldn’t it be nice if someone would’ve given me these answers a long time ago. Maybe then, my stores wouldn’t have lost so much money. So I sat back tonight and penned something I hope you will find very useful. It’s my ultimate guide to clothing security.
When you think of clothing security, your mind probably goes straight to those Checkpoint Tags and EAS systems that we are all too familiar with. What if I told you that’s not necessarily the case? Good clothing security measures can be as simple as changing the direction of the hangers on your face out bars. In my stores, any high end product is merchandised in this manner. The first hanger is positioned facing left, the second right and so forth down the line. This prevents a shoplifter from grabbing a handful in a hurry and bursting through the doors. This is common though. Most apparel retailers do this, and if you’ve been in the retail industry a few months, you most likely already are aware of this tactic. What about those lesser known tricks of the trade?
The way I think about clothing security is not so much about the most effective Checkpoint Tag, but how can I merchandise my product in a way that helps me to boost sales all while keeping losses to a minimum. Another way that I’ve used in the past is what I call “upwards merchandising”. Basically, the walls of my fitting rooms are pretty tall, so every year I have my stores merchandise the football jerseys higher than eye level. This allows the customer to see them when they first enter the store and it keeps them away from a shoplifter. I’ve found that the customer that is coming into the store for that product will appreciate the one on one service my employees give them since they are spending well over $150. Guess what else? I also don’t have to inconvenience the customer with removing a Checkpoint Tag so they can try on the product. Another great idea to protect your merchandise all while still keeping it very visible!
What other clothing security methods do you use in your store? I’d love to know, so please feel free to post in the comments below. Maybe I’ll feature them in an upcoming segment. In closing, remember that it’s not always about a physical security measure that will stop a thief. Some clever merchandising and solid controls will go a long ways. In the next 3 parts to my series, we’ll talk about some of those controls like fitting rooms, the rise of organized shoplifting in addition to some new technology that’s on the horizon.
For more information, contact us at Clothing Security, or call 1.770.426.0547
