Bottle locks-5                                                                                                                            WC blog 87
Bottle Security-4
Who’s Sneaking What Out The Back Door?  Bottle Security Protects Against Vendor Shortage
     Vendor theft and fraud is an easily overlooked source of store shortage.  According to the 2015 Global Retail Theft Barometer vendor shortage and fraud resulted in 2.21 billion dollars of shortage for North American retailers.  Approximately 10 percent of supermarket shortage was the result of vendor shortage and 5 percent of convenience store shortage was due to vendor shortage.  I was unable to determine which vendor items were the largest cause of shortage however, when we take a look at the report we find that in the category of food and beverages the number one most stolen items fell under wine and spirits.  I believe the data should at least alert beverage and grocery store owners and managers to the possibility that alcohol vendors may be the source of some amount of store shortage.  If this is the case, would it not make sense to employ bottle security measures in your stockroom as well as on your sales floor?  Using bottle locks prevent shoplifting but they can also prevent vendor theft in your store.
     Bottle locks are designed to fit over the top of a wine or liquor bottle and prevent it from being opened.  They are compatible with electronic article surveillance systems so any attempt to remove a bottle with a bottle lock on it will cause an electronic article surveillance antenna to alarm when the protected item passes through the antenna. Any attempt to remove a bottle lock without the proper detachment key can cause a tamper alarm to activate.  It is possible that vendors could be working in the store and concealing bottles and exiting through a front entrance and reentering to go back to work.  Many grocery stores and convenience stores have electronic article surveillance systems at the front of the store so bottle locks would be effective at this point of entry/exit.  
     Thinking about your backroom however, what controls do you have in place here?  I worked as a Logistics Manager for a period of time and with my experience in Loss Prevention as well, I know that the vendor entrance can be an area of vulnerability for a store.  It is easy for your receiving employees to become complacent with vendors they get to know over time.  As they become acquaintances with each other, the receiver may not check “empty cases” as thoroughly as they once did for merchandise.  Many vendors break down their boxes, stack them on a hand truck and wheel the boxes out the back door.  How thoroughly is anyone looking between these stacks for merchandise?  Potentially, vendors could be sneaking merchandise back out of the store through an unprotected vendor door and you would not know it. Installing an electronic article surveillance antenna on the vendor door would be the first step in reducing alcohol and wine vendor shortage. 
      Liquor and wine bottle security should also occur as soon as a vendor delivery takes place.  Store employees should add locks to the merchandise as it is checked in and receiving is complete.  Once the sales floor is filled, overstock returned to the stockroom already has bottle security in place protecting the merchandise in an area not usually frequented by staff.  If you have dishonest vendors or employees for that matter, the locks will act as a deterrent to someone who may want to try to steal and resell bottles or just have their own little party.  If you have the additional protection of electronic article surveillance antennas on the vendor entrance you will have the benefit of alarm protection.  And one more thing to consider, and EAS antenna on the vendor door won’t just sound for bottle locks, they will alarm for any EAS protected merchandise!  
    As much as we would like to think we have honest vendors and employees, the fact remains there are dishonest people in our stores.  Are you willing to trust your profits and losses on an assumption that none of your vendors would steal from you?  What if you could reduce up to ten percent of your shortage simply by adding a bottle security strategy to your vendor program?  Use bottle locks and see your shortage results decline and profits rise.
For more information on bottle security, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.

Vendor theft and fraud is an easily overlooked source of store shortage. According to the 2015 Global Retail Theft Barometer vendor shortage and fraud resulted in 2.21 billion dollars of shortage for North American retailers. Approximately 10 percent of supermarket shortage was the result of vendor shortage and 5 percent of convenience store shortage was due to vendor shortage. I was unable to determine which vendor items were the largest cause of shortage however, when we take a look at the report we find that in the category of food and beverages the number one most stolen items fell under wine and spirits. I believe the data should at least alert beverage and grocery store owners and managers to the possibility that alcohol vendors may be the source of some amount of store shortage. If this is the case, would it not make sense to employ bottle security measures in your stockroom as well as on your sales floor? Using bottle locks prevent shoplifting but they can also prevent vendor theft in your store.

Bottle locks are designed to fit over the top of a wine or liquor bottle and prevent it from being opened. They are compatible with electronic article surveillance systems so any attempt to remove a bottle with a bottle lock on it will cause an electronic article surveillance antenna to alarm when the protected item passes through the antenna. Any attempt to remove a bottle lock without the proper detachment key can cause a tamper alarm to activate. It is possible that vendors could be working in the store and concealing bottles and exiting through a front entrance and reentering to go back to work. Many grocery stores and convenience stores have electronic article surveillance systems at the front of the store so bottle locks would be effective at this point of entry/exit.  

Thinking about your backroom however, what controls do you have in place here? I worked as a Logistics Manager for a period of time and with my experience in Loss Prevention as well, I know that the vendor entrance can be an area of vulnerability for a store. It is easy for your receiving employees to become complacent with vendors they get to know over time. As they become acquaintances with each other, the receiver may not check “empty cases” as thoroughly as they once did for merchandise. Many vendors break down their boxes, stack them on a hand truck and wheel the boxes out the back door. How thoroughly is anyone looking between these stacks for merchandise? Potentially, vendors could be sneaking merchandise back out of the store through an unprotected vendor door and you would not know it. Installing an electronic article surveillance antenna on the vendor door would be the first step in reducing alcohol and wine vendor shortage. 

Liquor and wine bottle security should also occur as soon as a vendor delivery takes place. Store employees should add locks to the merchandise as it is checked in and receiving is complete. Once the sales floor is filled, overstock returned to the stockroom already has bottle security in place protecting the merchandise in an area not usually frequented by staff. If you have dishonest vendors or employees for that matter, the locks will act as a deterrent to someone who may want to try to steal and resell bottles or just have their own little party. If you have the additional protection of electronic article surveillance antennas on the vendor entrance you will have the benefit of alarm protection. And one more thing to consider, and EAS antenna on the vendor door won’t just sound for bottle locks, they will alarm for any EAS protected merchandise!  

As much as we would like to think we have honest vendors and employees, the fact remains there are dishonest people in our stores. Are you willing to trust your profits and losses on an assumption that none of your vendors would steal from you? What if you could reduce up to ten percent of your shortage simply by adding a bottle security strategy to your vendor program? Use bottle locks and see your shortage results decline and profits rise.

 

For more information on bottle security, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.