Use checkpoint labels for retail theft prevention

November 29, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Checkpoint labels are great tools in the arsenal of retail theft prevention and serve many purposes. The checkpoint labels are available in many different shapes, sizes, printable blank labels and custom printed options.

How checkpoint labels work is via RF (radio frequency) technology.  The labels have circuitry built into them that react to  checkpoint security systems antennas installed at entry and exit points for the purpose of retail theft prevention.  The labels will generate a signal when they are positioned in range of the checkpoint antennas and set off the alarm.  This will alert staff of the potential theft occurring and also alert the shoplifter that they are in trouble.

Using a checkpoint security system will increase employee awareness of potential shoplifters keeping more eyes on your merchandise and processing issues more effectively.  Systems like this will send a message through the shoplifting community that the retailer is serious about retail theft prevention and the thieves will move on to other unprotected stores.

Less retail loss due to theft means more product available for sale and studies show that equates to a boost in sales.  Price Waterhouse Coopers recently found just under 10% increase in sales with one retailer who installed a checkpoint security system and used checkpoint labels.

Less losses also mean boosted profits.  Lose one $10 item and it will take the average retailer an additional $500 in sales to earn enough profit to recover from the loss.  If you  stop shoplifting losses the effect on profit margins are easily 50% to sometimes 100% increase in net margins.

To learn more visit: retail theft prevention / checkpoint labels 

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Combating Shrink with Checkpoint Security Systems

November 29, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Retail theft prevention is a reality for today’s business owner.

Unfortunately, in today’s tough economic times, shoplifting theft has to be a major consideration when a business owner is creating a loss prevention plan.  Part of that plan can be Checkpoint Security systems.

Checkpoint security tags can help secure merchandise within your stores, so that you can increase your profits.  Stop shoplifting by finding a solution for the high theft merchandise that you carry.  There are many retail anti theft devices out there, but Checkpoint Systems is a proven leader in providing the deterrent and security to protect what is most valuable to your business – your merchandise.  And we know that you’d rather sell your merchandise for a profit than have it stolen.

When a shoplifter steals from you, he or she is not only stealing the merchandise that you paid for:  he or she is stealing your profits.  You provide merchandise in the hopes that hard working customers will desire your merchandise and purchase it from you.  We understand that you don’t care to cater to the folks in your community that choose to shoplift.

Stop shoplifting by investing in Checkpoint Security systems .  Your merchandise will thank you for protecting it, and in turn will produce profit instead of loss.

For more information about checkpoint security systems , stop shoplifting , checkpoint security tags , retail anti theft devices or Checkpoint Systems contact us at retail theft prevention or call 1.770.426.0547.

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Problems with Retail Shrinkage? Try Checkpoint Security Systems

November 29, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Retail shrinkage is a growing problem around the world today. Retailers are always looking for the best solution to protect assets and boost profits. One of easy and most obvious is adding anti shoplifting equipment like Checkpoint Security Systems.

A growing chain of supermarkets in the south learned the value of a Checkpoint Security System after recently opening a new store and experiencing retail loss as high as 10%. The store management had no clue how or why these numbers were so high, but the corporate office wanted, needed, demanded answers.

Loss Prevention Consultants worked with the store team to develop shrink reduction efforts in store and recommended several tools to help combat the retail loss . Of those solutions, the Loss Prevention Consultants recommended the first step to control loss was to install a Checkpoint Security System. Shoplifting was a large portion of the overall store’s retail loss and had a huge impact on the morale of the store.

Daily the store management team was told of customers that come into the store and “shelf sweep” entire sections of the store, then get out of the store almost completely unnoticed. Checkpoint Security Systems are designed to prevent customer theft by being an obvious, audible and conspicuous deterrent to reducing acts of shoplifting.

The store decided to go with a Checkpoint Security System. The program was rolled out and Checkpoint labels were placed on merchandise deemed high loss. Additional anti theft devices were placed on areas like liquor and some electronics. The Loss Prevention Consultants also recommended using a loss prevention agent to help monitor customer theft activity as well.

As time went on, the loss prevention program created by this team of Store Management and Loss Prevention Consultants should a dramatic return on investment. Within the next inventory cycle, retail shrinkage was cut down to 3.3%, a dramatic decrease in one year. A large portion of this reduction was directly related to the installation of a Checkpoint Security System.

For more information about retail shrinkage visit us at retail loss or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

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Signals that indicate internal theft – Part 6 of 10 – Atlanta Georgia

November 29, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Signals that may point to possible employee theft or internal theft with goods or money. Do not forget you must train your employees what to look for. They will help you prior to an employee theft investigation .

  • An increased frequency of reports of faults in delivered goods.
  • Faults noted by the same employee despite other personnel carrying out the same checks.
  • Personnel repeatedly fail to follow instructions such as daily bank deposits of cash.
  • The seeming forgetting of important daily tasks such as switching on the alarm, closing doors, or storage of expensive property in special cupboards being followed by a break in or ram-raid.
  • Branch employees ‘forget’ to report losses or other unusual events or are repeatedly the ‘victim’ of an unfortunate incident or circumstance.
  • Checks or opening and closing times show deviations such as extremely early or late times, whether or not on the same day every week.
  • Opening the premises during closing times to show round family and friends etc.
  • Ringing up packed goods of various quality and cost for the same price.
  • Giving the customer various goods but only passing the cheapest article past the scanner. Security measures are removed and all articles are bagged as normal.
  • Allowing theft by acquaintances and when the alarm at the exit sounds has a ‘friendly’ (security) colleague carry out the bag check.
  • The salesperson attaches a bar code for a cheap article to their wrist and scans this but acquaintances take dearer articles. Also in this case the till display window is often covered or turned away.
  • The giving of reductions by the salesperson to the purchaser without this reduction being registered and the article subsequently being returned for the full amount.
  • Third parties such as suppliers, collect-clients and drivers are discovered at business locations where they should not be, promptly followed by a report of shortages that are put down to the unregistered visitor.

Employees that steal will not wave a flag that says here I am. You have to watch and be on the lookout at all times. Internal theft or employee theft will be hidden from your view. It will also be made to look like something else such as a mistake. Do not be mislead look for employee theft or internal theft beyond the “facts” you are given. Do not be afraid to ask questions and demand answers. In most cases what you find will then require a quick employee theft investigation to dig the reat out.

Watch for more parts to come in future blogs!

For more information about internal theft or employee theft contact us at employee theft investigation or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

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The Best Anti-shoplifting Program

November 26, 2010 by Leave a Comment

One of the best anti shoplifting programs available to retailers today is a Checkpoint Security system .

Retailers around the globe suffer lost profits everyday as a result of shoplifting customers. Many of these customers shoplift for reasons like, lines are too long, the store has poor customer service, and the pricing is too high, they don’t like to pay for merchandise and many more. These types of thieves are called opportunists. They typically don’t sit at home and plan out a shoplifting spree; they make the decision while they are in the store. These are some of the toughest shoplifters to catch, because they don’t usually give off the same “tells” that other, more experienced shoplifters. A Checkpoint Security system is designed to help your business succeed and deter this type of theft. Imagine a customer that is generally a good person, upset about the price of an item in your store. He decides he want to “steal” the item. He looks around and conceals the merchandise in his waistband. He makes his way to the front of the store and notices the Checkpoint Security system . He panics and heads back to the aisle he stole from. Dumping the merchandise, he leaves the store.

A Checkpoint Security system utilizes checkpoint tags or checkpoint labels attached to merchandise. Once this tag is passed through the antennae, the Checkpoint Security system sets off an alarm to notify store employees and management, creating a “not-so private” environment for the thief. This is anti shoplifting at its best!

Listen, if your business is suffering from retail theft, don’t wait until it’s too late. Develop a solid loss prevention plan, include a Checkpoint Security system . Attach Checkpoint labels or checkpoint tags to your hardest hit items and watch how your profits will increase as the merchandise is still in your stores and available for purchase.

For more information about anti shoplifting training, checkpoint tags , checkpoint labels or retail theft prevention contact us at stop shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547

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Pre Employment Screening and Business Failures

November 26, 2010 by

 Should businesses conduct pre employment screening?

According to the Department of Commerce, 30% of business failures are caused by employee theft.

Employers that use pre employment screening as part of the hiring process reduce those odds.

The question businesses experiencing employee theft might well ask is: Did I hire a thief or did my policies and procedures encourage an honest person to steal?

In either case, an employer can’t know for certain what is in the mind of his potential employee.  But he can have a pre employment screening program in place to determine if there is a history of property crimes such as theft, or crimes of violence like assault and/or battery through a thorough background check.

An applicant’s past can be revealed by a criminal background check in the jurisdictions where the applicant has lived, worked, or attended school through an examination of public records relating to arrests, convictions, and sentences handed down by the courts.  Although a past record may not be an absolute indicator of future actions, a person with multiple arrests for similar crimes might be expected to revert to that behavior at some point.

A person’s history of drug or alcohol abuse may also be revealed.

If employees have access to assets such as cash, inventory or supplies, or have contact with the public, a pre employment screening program can reduce a business owner’s losses as well as his liability for an employee’s actions.

Questions about pre employment screening?  Call Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. at 1-770-426-0547 or click here.

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Using a Background Check Company is Smart

November 26, 2010 by

Using a Background Check Company is Smart

Companies do what companies do.  By that I mean that a company whose business is manufacturing clothespins probably does a great job at producing quality clothespins, but would not do so well if asked to make a wristwatch.  For that, a purchaser would fine a watch manufacturing company.

There are employers using other types of companies rather than a dedicated  background check company to provide various levels of background checks used in the hiring process.  Other types of companies include payroll processors, HR consultants, and private detectives.  All or these companies are great at what they do, but their main business is not background checks.

A background check company will keep its clients up to date on issues of compliance, be available to the client, and belong to a national professional organization such as the NAPSB, the National Association of Background Screeners.

A professional background check company will make available to its clients realistic turn around times because they know their providers and have good working relationships with them.

Your background check company will be dedicated to providing you with the best possible quality product and the best value because background checks are their business.

The background check company, because of the nature of its business, will be close to the source of the information employers need to make smart hiring decisions, and will deliver it quickly and economically.

Need a background check company?  Call 770-426-0547 or click here for information.

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Protecting profits with the help of a Loss Prevention Investigator – Atlanta Georgia

November 26, 2010 by

A loss prevention investigator works to drive sales by proactively investigating many types of losses. As a retailer in the United States, you face many sales killing challenges including internal or employee theft and the brutalizing affect of Organized Retail Crime outfits.

Working a variety of stores from grocery to high end beauty products, I have seen the negative impacts of these types of losses. It is not a pretty site when a store closes because it simply cannot sustain the losses incurred as a result of poor inventory controls, employee theft and external factors. At times, these losses could have been mitigated simply by bringing loss prevention consultants and spending the money to counter these losses.

If a business is losing money, it is crucial to act fast and acknowledge the “hows” and “whys”. As loss prevention investigator , I was brought in to investigate a store experiencing shrink as high as 25%. This was a chain of about 50 stores, which were small boutique type no larger than 3000 sqft. Looking at other stores in the company, this was not the only one with high shrink, just the highest. I looked into everything starting with their receiving practices. I followed the delivery truck several times; I watched trucks being unloaded and audited the store’s receipts. Matching what I could, I found no issue that would lead to explain the losses.

Further, I conducted night surveillances, watching the closing crews and management. Now, any loss prevention investigator worth his salt could tell you that what I saw was cause for alarm. Management on at least 4 nights was in the store several hours past closing, alone. Not only is this a safety issue but offers ethical challenges. As a result of these poor controls, management took advantage.

Several nights of my surveillance, I witnessed the manager put box after box of merchandise outside the back door, near the emergency exit. As she left the building, she would simply drive around back and pick up here “prizes”.

In the next few days, as the loss prevention investigator , I interviewed the manager. She admitted to taking merchandise daily for the last year and a half. However, my investigation showed losses for more the 2 years, in fact, the same amount of time the manager had been with the company.

Work by loss prevention consultants would have stoped this problem before it started.

For more information about loss prevention consultants visit us at loss prevention investigator or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

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Retail Loss Prevention and Check Fraud – Atlanta Georgia

November 26, 2010 by Leave a Comment

The scope of retail loss prevention can often be far reaching. Not only does it include preventing shoplifting and internal theft but, in an attempt to continually reduce shrink it often includes prevention of several kinds of fraud. One of the most common kinds of fraud out there today is check fraud. Advancements in technology and desktop publishing software have made it possible for would-be criminals to print their own checks or manipulate legitimate checks to their benefit.

There are several different kinds of check fraud. Those of us in retail loss prevention need to be aware of the different kinds so that we know what to look for. The first kind is forgery; this usually happens when a criminal steals a check, signs it, and then presents it for payment at a retail establishment. These individuals will usually use some sort of bogus identification or try to get away without showing any ID at all. The second kind of check fraud is counterfeiting; this is when a criminal uses desktop publishing equipment, scanners, high-speed printers, etc. to fabricate a completely false check.

Alteration is when an individual uses chemicals and solvents to remove or modify information on a legitimate check. This can be done to specific information on a check or to the entire document. The term ‘check kiting’ refers to the practice of opening accounts at two or more institutions and using “the float time” of available funds to create fraudulent balances. This type of fraud has become increasingly popular in recent years. Your retail loss prevention team should make themselves aware of all the types of fraud and stay abreast of new developments in order to properly combat the criminal element.

For more informationabout security and loss prevention or loss prevention security  contact us: retail loss prevention or call 1.770.426.0547 Atlanta Georgia

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Prevent Shoplifting NOW!

November 26, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Shoplifters, which amount to one in every ten people that walk in your door, are stealing from you. Why are you allowing it? It is so simple to prevent shoplifting . Do not wait any longer and let even more of your hard earned money slip out the door. To stop shoplifting you need to address the following points:

  • Your Attitude! If you believe that you can’t prevent shoplifting then you won’t. Shoplifters are criminals that steal if YOU give them the opportunity. You will never stop every single shoplifter. But you can create an environment where your good customers like being in your store, visiting with your employees and purchasing your merchandise. At the same time shoplifters will find that the environment is very hostile to them. This is true even if both a good customer and a shoplifter are standing next to each other.

 

  • Your Environment – Customer service is the key. Customer service is the foundation weapon you use to prevent shoplifting . Customers love it, like it can’t get enough of it. Shoplifters hate it and will actually avoid customer service. A good customer that has entered your store is looking for help. That’s why they are there. They enjoy being noticed and paid attention to. In many cases that is why they are in your store as opposed to a large retailer where customer service is basically non-existent. Shoplifters need privacy to steal, don’t give it to them.

 

  • Tools To Help – We know that even with the best customer service provided by trained highly motivated employees that you cannot be everywhere at once. The shoplifter knows that to. So if they can create a distraction or slip away then they have you. Not unless you have an Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) system. Your more vulnerable merchandise is tagged or labeled. If the shoplifter is able to conceal the product it will trip the sensors at the doors when they try to leave.  But this will ONLY work with a combination of good customer service and EAS.

Don’t let your hard earned sales or merchandise walk out the door with out payment just because of your attitude or lack of preparedness!

For more information about Electronic Article Surveillance, shoplifting or shoplifting training contact us at prevent shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547

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