Staff Editor — Page 320

Invest in increased profit with Clothing Security

November 11, 2010 by Staff Editor

When a developer is creating a concept for a clothing business, there are many different aspects that he or she must consider. One important concept in the planning of a clothing store is whether or not to have clothing security tags as a part of your loss prevention initiatives.

Security tags on clothes are used to help prevent loss by theft. Retail loss, or shrinkage, has to be considered when developing a business plan, and clothing security tags are a smart choice to help reduce your losses.

Some shoplifters do not even care what type of merchandise they steal, as long as they feel they are able to steal it without being caught. Many steal for resale, and many steal just for the thrill. Others still will actually steal merchandise that they intend on keeping to use for themselves.

With today’s challenging economy, businesses are not the only ones suffering – your customers may be cash-strapped as well. A customer that may not have shoplifted during better economic times may now justify the act to save money but still acquire the goods that he or she wants.

So if theft is increasing and profits are decreasing, is there anything a business can do? Yes! If you sell clothing, use a clothing alarm.

Boosting profits is more important than ever before, because survivability of businesses is becoming more difficult. An investment in clothing security is an investment in increased profits and reduced loss.

For more information on clothing security or clothing security tags or clothing alarm at clothing security tags or call 1.770.426.256.

Loss Prevention Security and Your Business – Atlanta Georgia

November 11, 2010 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Loss prevention security should be a priority to any business owner operating in today’s marketplace. Let’s face it: it ain’t all good. From 1948 until 2010 the United States unemployment rate averaged around 5.7%. That rate was last reported at 9.6% for the month of September. As it has always been, an increase in unemployment leads to an increase in overall crime and sooner or later that crime is going to come knocking at your door. What are you going to do about it?

My suggestion would be to develop a comprehensive loss prevention security plan and stick to it. No matter how big or small your business is you need some sort of a strategy for keeping your merchandise safe and out of the hands of shoplifters and not-so-honest associates. Whether you require a full blown DVR system and a 6-man loss prevention security staff or a simple static camera over the cash register, you need to be accurate in your risk assessment and employ the proper amount of security for your individual business needs.

Confused? Not sure exactly which is the best route for you and your company? The good news is that there is a plethora of information available to you if you’re willing to do the due diligence and research your options. On the other hand, my dad always said “Boy, if you don’t know, just ask somebody!” and there are a number of companies in business that are staffed with Loss Prevention professionals who can outfit your company with the proper equipment and knowledge to fit your needs… just ask. Loss prevention security a vital and necessary part of doing business today. Don’t wait until it’s too late.

For more information about retail loss prevention or security and loss prevention contact us: loss prevention security or call 1.770.426.0547

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: loss prevention security, Retail Loss prevention, security and loss prevention

Fight a winning battle against Retail Loss – Atlanta Georgia

November 11, 2010 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

A business is not a business without retail shrinkage . In today’s society business owners have to have their heads up out of the sand and face this unfortunate reality.

However, retail loss is not something that a business owner just has to accept. There are solutions to this retail problem.

According to an Ernst and Young Study of Retail Loss Prevention, retail shrinkage costs retailers more than $46 billion every year. The majority of that loss is attributed to employee theft. While shoplifters are more frequent in a business setting, the dollar amount per instance of theft is much higher for employees of a business. Employees can steal more before being caught, because they are trusted.

Retail loss affects everyone. Consumers have to pay higher prices to counteract the impact of retail shrinkage on a business. If this type of shrinkage could be eliminated, businesses would be able to price their merchandise much lower.

Solutions to retail shrinkage can be found in loss prevention experts that know how to go into a business and analyze it’s every day business practices.

Loss prevention associates can identify shrinkage and develop plans to combat retail loss . Recoup your lost profit through a reliable loss prevention program, developed for your business to reduce retail shrinkage .

For more information on retail loss contact us at: retail shrinkage or call 1.770.426.256. – Atlanta Georgia

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: retail loss, retail shrinkage

Small Businesses and Background Checks

November 10, 2010 by Staff Editor

Small Businesses and Background Checks

Most people assume that large companies who are hiring new employees conduct background checks as part of their pre employment screening policy.

For those who know or suspect that something in their background may cause disqualification for a position might aim their efforts at employment at a smaller business, one that would be less likely to run any kind of background checks on candidates or new hires, since they probably don’t have their own dedicated human resources department.

Small businesses have typically been reluctant to run background checks, depending instead on interviews, gut instinct, and local reputation of the applicant.

Today’s workforce is far more fluid and mobile that in the past. Potential employees are far more likely to commute longer distances and even to change residences to obtain employment that they may have turned down a couple of years ago. And as employment became harder to get, applicants became more willing to exaggerate, cover up, or even lie to enhance their chances at employment.

There is no 100% certain way to eliminate a bad hire or potential problem employee, but the advent of fast, affordable, background checks has given small businesses a reliable tool in their ability to avoid problems in the future. A background check is far cheaper than replacing a bad hire, even on the first day of employment.

If there are questions about setting up an employee background check program for your small or medium business, please call 770-426-0547, or click here to contact a representative.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Background checks, employment screening, pre employment

Recovering that which was stolen – the role of a Loss Prevention Agent – Atlanta Georgia

November 10, 2010 by Staff Editor

A loss prevention agent is an “undercover” shopper that is actually an employee of your business. This person dresses and acts as a shopper, but is out on your sales floor watching for potential shoplifters.

A business must have a policy in place if they are going to employ a loss prevention agent . There must be guidelines to be followed so that the detection and apprehension of shoplifters occurs in a consistent and legal manner. loss prevention consultants can help your business develop this type of policy.

An agent must be trained on the policy once it is created by loss prevention consultants This policy must be strictly adhered to and enforced by management and the agent, and those choosing not to adhere to the loss prevention policy must be held accountable for their actions. Falsely accusing a customer is not only bad for business, but can have many legal ramifications should the falsely accused choose to sue.

There are basic guidelines that are part of every good policy regarding apprehension of shoplifters. A loss prevention agent must witness the selection of merchandise that is later taken, and the agent must witness the concealment of the merchandise itself. The agent must then have continuous observation of the shoplifter, to know that the merchandise was neither discarded nor purchased. Lastly, the actual approach and detention of the shoplifter needs to take place past the last point of sale (past all the registers) as the shoplifter is leaving the business – preferably just outside of the doors.

Loss prevention consultants are experts in the business of apprehending shoplifters – bring them into your business to help you and your loss prevention agent recover what merchandise is walking out your doors.

For more information about loss prevention agent contact us at loss prevention consultants or call 1.770.426.256. Atlanta Georgia

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: loss prevention agent, loss prevention consultants

Who Commits Employee Theft? – Atlanta Georgia

November 10, 2010 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

At this point we all know that employee theft goes on in every organization. However, the million dollar question still remains: who will it be? I was told once of an old accepted truth within loss prevention circles. It’s called the 10-10-80 rule. What this rule basically states is that 10% of people will never steal, no matter the circumstances. 10% of people will steal given their first opportunity and continue to do so at every chance they get. 80% of people can go either way depending on how they rationalize the opportunity and access the risk involved. It is our job to sway the thinking of that 80% to believing that it’s just not worth it.

Statistics show that younger employees tend to steal far more often than older ones. Before you go putting the kibosh on your hiring of the under 30 crowd, statistics also show that when older employees do steal they tend to steal a lot more than their younger counterparts. Managers who have been employed for over 3 years are the usual culprits when it comes to employee theft . They’ve been around long enough to know the system inside and out, including any loopholes that might exist. Often they may be disgruntled or consider themselves underpaid, under-appreciated or both.

Most employee theft comes to the attention of the employer by another employee or strictly by some sort of accident. On average it can take up to 18 months for an employer to catch an employee that has been stealing. Imagine how much damage one person can do in that amount of time. A smaller business is less likely to be able to absorb that type of loss when it happens. There are a number of cases where the theft of one individual has driven a small business into bankruptcy. The fact is that anyone can commit employee theft , so you must be vigilant in your efforts to identify them.

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

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: corporate fraud, corporate fraud investigation, employee theft, employee theft investigation

Checkpoint security tags control losses and boost profits

November 9, 2010 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

The use of checkpoint security tags in a retail store will deter thieves from attempting theft. The goal is retail theft prevention which will reduce shoplifting traffic and reduce the need to confront shoplifters in the act.

Studies show that casual shoplifters represent 70% of the shoplifting activity. These shoplifters are opportunistic and impulsive. The presence of anti shoplifting / retail anti theft devices will stop them from attempting. 76% of shoplifters will not attempt theft when encountering retail anti theft devices such as checkpoint security tags on merchandise.

Another interesting fact is thet 60% of shoplifters return to the same store because they got away with theft there before. So installing retail anti theft devices such as checkpoint systems will deter theft, keep thieves out and or from coming back to your store and reduce theft significantly, likely by around 70% or more.

Using checkpoint security tags to stop shoplifting will boost profits, it is simple math. If you lose one $20 item and have a 2% net margin after all is said and done, you will have to sell $1,000 of merchandise to replace the loss. This is because it takes profit to buy inventory…if there is only .40 cents of net profit in a $20 item…you can see it takes a lot of sales to fix even one stolen item.

So conversely if you save / stop your losses you will put all those sales dollars directly on to the bottom line profit margin. Cut your loss by 50% with a 2% net margin and you could see a 50% or more increase in net margin. This makes the use of checkpoint security tags a no brainer.

Fort more information visit: checkpoint security tags

Filed Under: antishoplifting Tagged With: Anti-Shoplifting, Checkpoint security tags, checkpoint systems, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail theft prevention, stop shoplifting

Protecting your profits with Clothing Security

November 9, 2010 by Staff Editor

Clothing security is an important part of the softlines business. If merchandise is not present and in your store for sale, you lose that sale.

So what can you do? Use clothing security tags. A specialty sporting goods retailer I worked for a few years ago had a problem with high ticket clothing items being stolen. Typically, the shoplifter would simply take the clothing into a fitting room, put on the merchandise and walk out of the store…almost effortless.

A simple solution to this problem would have been adding clothing security tags . These tags are a great deterrent to the average shoplifter and offer a sense of protection to management.

This sporting goods retailer quickly realized the issue and added security tags on clothes in particular departments and sections of their stores. Almost immediately, the stores saw a decrease in the amount of loss.

Clothing security tags take only seconds to put on, but are near impossible to remove without the appropriate removal tool. security tags on clothes have become more discreet and less damaging to the material when used right.

In addition to security tags on clothes , some softline retailers turn to a clothing alarm . A clothing alarm adds an audible siren or chirp to alert store associates of a potential theft. At the very least, it will attract the attention of stores associates and deter the shoplifter. Imagine being a shoplifter, looking for privacy you take the merchandise into the fitting room. You attempt to remove the clothing alarm and…that’s right, party over.

As a loss prevention agent, I remember walking the salesfloor of a softlines retailer who used the clothing alarm program. As I walked, I could hear the loud chirps coming from various parts of the store. I always got a giggle when I imagined the look on the shoplifters face as the clothing alarm activated. Clothing security at it’s best!

For more information on clothing security or clothing security tags visit us at security tags on clothes or call 1.770.426.0547

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: clothing alarm, Clothing Security, clothing security tags, security tags on clothes

Timeliness of Employee Background Checks

November 8, 2010 by Staff Editor

Timeliness of Employee Background Checks

During the 2010 SHRM Annual Conference, attendees were asked to complete a survey on background screening and employee background checks. Based on priority ranking, the top three challenges that responders would like to see changed were:

§ Accuracy of data
§ Timeliness of service
§ Cost

Most employers expect the data that they receive from their provider to be accurate and understand the source of the information.

Employers also expect their requests be completed and results returned to them in a timely manner. But there is sometimes a misunderstanding on why some searches, particularly the criminal background check, may take longer than others.

Each jurisdiction has its own rules and procedures to follow when releasing criminal history information. They range from being openly available on line to what is known as a “clerk search” court.

In the worst case, a request is submitted to the court, and the clerk checks for a record when there is time. If a record is found, the submitter is contacted and returns to the courthouse and retrieves the record. The time line for this can stretch up to two weeks. Also, because of decreased budgets and personnel furloughs, some court administration offices are running reduced hours and with fewer people. In most cases, inconsistencies in the return of criminal records is out of the control of the background check company.

Cost of the criminal background check is also somewhat dependent of the court, as access fees and administrative costs vary widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Most providers pass these additional fees on the customer, so that the cost of the record retrieval may also be inconsistent.

Your provider will let you know up front if there are any extra fees by providing a listing of the jurisdictions that charge. Be careful of any provider who charges one price for all criminal history checks.

There is a story of a mechanic who had a sign in his shop stating, “Our work is good, fast, and cheap… You can pick any two!”

This also applies to employee background checks.

For further information call 770-426-0547 or click here.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: background check company, Background checks, criminal background check, employee background checks

Loss Prevention Consultants hot on the trail of profitability – Atlanta Georgia

November 8, 2010 by Staff Editor

As loss prevention consultants , you wear many hats. In Loss prevention , to be successful at what you do, you need to understand the business you’re working for, the business you are investigating for and the business you are helping make a profit.

Every year retailers go into Black Friday mode. This is the day many retailers give deep discounts in hopes their customers and new customers will shop their stores and bring them back into the “black” on the books. As loss prevention consultants , it is important to know what your role is in helping a store or business get the most out of a day like this.
What do you have to offer? Put on your customer service hat, get out and meet the employees.

As loss prevention consultants some of the most important work that can be done is help increase the employee awareness. The education of all store associates can help any business boost its bottom line profits and keep a company in the black. Knowing where to start can be challenging, but is relatively simple.

Talk about the basics, talk about Shrink. You’d be surprised at the length of time some people, even managers that have been in the retail side of business for years and still don’t really know what Shrink is and or how it happens. Shrink, as it is, is the difference between a physical inventory count and what is actually on the books.

Loss prevention consultants assess all aspects of what affects shrink both positively and negatively. Discussing shrink with store employees can make all the difference.

All in all, loss prevention consultants work to benefit the business. Advising the business owner or store management on the causes of loss and creating an action plan to help defend against it should the direction taken.

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

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: loss prevention consultants